[FADCA] Home After Demo at Deltona EOC

[bud Thompson]

Deltona
Monday April 1 1155EST

Hi, Gang;

We had a very successful demo to 32 members of the IMARS radio group and
three Deltona Fire Department Reps, including two chiefs.

Prior to the meeting I went to the EOC at 0700 to check into the Florida
Phone Net on 75m.  I requested the NCS to ask those who checked in to give
me a signal report.  He said, "Do you have a pencil and paper"?.  Ooppss -
hustling around the EOC the only paper I could find was a paper plate from
the break room.  I found a marking pen at the white board. When the net was
finished I had a paper plate full of reports from Key West to Jacksonville
and Pensacola, and all points in between. During the meeting, I explained
that we would not take time to try to raise any SSB contacts on 75 or 40m,
but passed the plate to the delight of all.

During the demonstration, starting shorting after 1000 hrs, we duplicated
yesterday's test on 12 area 2m repeaters, links to seven area vhf BBS
including three EOCs, and transfer of a 2.3kb message file to the WL2K
station in Dallas, TX on 20M. Shortly after the meeting ended, one of the FD
reps brought in the two-page printout.  Put that on SEDAN.

The FADCA mail list was on the cc: list and I trust Bill N4XEO will see it
gets through.  I cc: John Fleming as well as the Volusia County Emergency
Coordinator.

During the HF ARQ link the WL2K station sent me a return e-mail from FADCA
indicating the manager had let my message from yesterday through the gate.

After all had departed, and while I was packing up the gear, my FD contact
came to talk.  They want me to make a site visit to the city's new EOC
tomorrow afternoon to study our needs for antennas.  They also want to know
where to purchase a headphone/boom mic for the ICOM-211H 2m rig which,
during the presentation,  I'd suggested we would need in a busy EOC.  He
also told me to resurrect my latest annual budget request for an HF radio
and data controller for digital operations.

We'll see how far that gets us.

73,
bud N0IA