[K3PZN-List] EMCOMM Training

[Al Bisasky K3ZE]

A few days ago Keith W3MDC posted an e-mail on the club reflector concerning
registration opening up for the Emergency Communications Level 1 course
(EC-001).  I wish to echo Keith's suggestion.  I just completed the course
and found it  to be both educational and enlightening.  The training is
applicable not only to emergency communications situations, but also
prepares the student to be an efficient and effective communicator for
public service activities, regular nets, etc.

While the course covers a great deal of information, it is broken down into
easily digestible lessons.  At the end of each lesson, the student must
complete a practical exercise and a five question quiz.  My time-on-target
for each lesson was about one hour to read and re-read the lesson material
and check out any suggested reference material and an hour to complete the
activity and quiz.  Your activity "lab reports" are then submitted to your
mentor.  The course work is done on-line through the State of Connecticut
Distance Learning system.

Thanks to Federal grant monies, you are reimbursed the course fee ($45) upon
satisfactory completion.  Yeah, there is a final exam.  So the course is
actually free!

If you do not have a PC and/or access to the Internet, the alternative would
probably be to purchase a copy of the new ARRL Emergency Communications
Handbook that includes the material presented in the ECC-001 course.  Even
though I went through the course, I intend to purchase this handbook as a
reference source.

Take Keith's suggestion; take the course.

73 Al K3ZE