[KYHAM] Monthly Ky ARES On-Air Meeting Feb. 23, 2004

Mon, 23 Feb 2004 21:16:24 -0500

Tonight's net ran for nearly one hour on 3.888 MHz and had a 
total of 28 stations on the air.

Issues addressed on tonight's Ky Emergency Net (KEN), our fourth 
Monday of the month "Ky Section ARES On Air Meeting" were:

1. KyHAM web site local info updates - Site has been updated by
KD4PWL all EC's/ DEC, and club officers are urged to check the
"Local Info" listings from the Kentucky District Map links at
http://kyham.net/county.html and advise of any incorrect info
Also, If you have a net that is not listed in these district
pages, let Pat know and we can get this in place for others who
are looking for area info to see.  This will also help Ron
Goodpaster, AG4TY and myself to have current info on nets across
the state for the revision to the Ky Emergency Response Reference
  and the new Section Traffic Plan that we are currently working on.

2. KyHam Listserv - Even though we have moved the main web site
address to a new domain, Al Waller is still providing us a back
up site on the qth.net system and we still are using the QSL.NET
  system for the KyHam Listserv every day. Al, K3TKJ maintains
this system through donations from us and out of his own pocket.
It is not a business enterprise. Anyone who can do so is asked to
contribute to the cause at: http://www.qsl.net/donations.html

Recently QSL.NET went over 400,000 users, it sends and receives
over 1 million e-mails daily....and has online over 50,000
individual and club web pages. Not links...the pages live here.
Now 6 years old, QSL.NET, QTH.NET and SWL.NET are the largest
collection points of ham radio knowledge to be found anywhere.
Al, reports that his 2001 operating budget, as an example, was in
excess of $36,000!  Again, this is not a business and he does not
sell commercial ads nor do any appear on the tops or bottoms of
e-mails or web page sites as they do with some systems.  This is
a service provided by a ham, for other hams.

3. Training - Since January 1, more hams are going to
http://kyham.net/kyares/kytest.html and making use of the three
part FREE Ky EMCOMM units of training there.  Ron is sending out
  completion certificates to those who finish the training every
week.

SkyWarn Classes are being held across the state every week and
are scheduled for the next several months.  Check for training in
your area at the links to the five NWSFO training calendar pages
to be found more than half way down the page at
http://kyham.net/service.html

4. March 9, Ky Severe Storms Drill - The annual drill with KyEM,
NWSFO's state wide and the EAS System will be conducted on
Tuesday March 9, 2004.

Basically, it will be the same as they have done in all years
past.  Sometime the morning of March 9th, at a command issued
from the state EOC, they will set off all NOAA weather alert
receivers and broadcast media will activate the EAS system
state-wide for the Severe Storms Drill.

Any amateur radio repeater or simplex net that wishes to activate
immediately following this for check-ins is welcome to do so.

NORMALLY, I would activate the KEN on our day time 40 meter -
7.228 freq for check ins there, but I am scheduled to be in
training all that day and the next.  If anyone is free and would
like to be the NCS for the KEN that day, please advise ASAP!

A suggested activation preamble for any net would be something like:

CQ CQ CQ This is (Your Call) activating the ________ Net in
conjunction with the Kentucky Severe Storms Drill for 2004.  This
drill is an annual event in cooperation with the Ky Division of
Emergency Management, the National Weather Service Forecast
Offices and broadcast media state-wide.  This is Only A Drill!

The purpose of this drill is to increase the awareness of the
dangers of severe weather and to promote preparedness for severe
storms within the Commonwealth of Ky. No severe weather is
currently taking place within Ky at this time. This is Only A Drill!

At this time do we have any stations wishing to be acknowledged
on this net?
---------------------------

Or, something similar adapted to your own discretion.

Should there be severe storms anywhere within Ky. that day, the
drill will be postponed until a later time.

If you have a local net activation in response to this drill,
please advise us by completing a PSAR to be found at:
http://kyham.net/forms/service.html in the days that follow.

5. W Ky Earthquake Exercise with KyEM in March - The weekend of
March 20th will be the date for an earthquake exercise in Area
1.For obvious reasons, I will not get into detail here, however,
I will say that ARES' cooperation in the exercise has been
solicited. Area 1 DEC, KY4NU has been initially briefed and as I
am given information to pass on to him, he will be advised and
allowed to act at his descretion as he would be in a real-time
operation. Other agencies likely to be involved in the exercise
with Ky ARES are KyEM, local officials and responders, military
personnel, NG personnel, MARS and CAP.

6. New MOU Pending with KyEM - An updated Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between Ky ARES and KyEM is in the hands of
KyEM officials in Frankfort.  Once they are ready, it will be
signed and posted on the KyHam Web Site.

7. New Ky State RACES Plan Being Developed - The Radio Amateur
Civil Emergency Service (RACES) has been for the most part,
inactive, in the Kentucky Section for years. ARES teams are far
more prevalent and in place in many areas of the state with full
cooperative efforts between themselves and their local EMA's.

While many of the old provisions of the Presidential War Powers
Act have been revoked in the early 1990's, many have still
expressed concerns that in a full blown terrorist attack
situation of large enough scale, amateur radio may be
ham-strung to a point at which our normal ARES operations would
be hindered or made to cease by Presidential decree.

After doing some research and talking with state officials, we
feel it is best to be sure that we have all of our bases are
covered for any contingency. Manpower, or the number of hams who
are ACTUALLY INTERESTED in doing emergency communications work is
also recognized as being very finite. Having two totally seperate
organizations can be very confusing and does not make for the
efficient use of the available pool of volunteers.

With all this in mind, I have been working with KyEM officials in
Frankfort to develop a new plan for the implementation of RACES
within the Ky Section. This will allow counties to fill in the
loopholes and the "what if's" of possible future Presidential War
Powers invocations etc, should there be war or terror attacks.

We are working to insure that while this plan will promote and
support the development of new RACES programs in the state that
they are in cooperation and in conjunction with, existing ARES
teams. By doing this we hope to have a common arrangement in
which an ARES member can "switch hats" and keep on operating with
their local and state EMA should the situation escalate to the
point that ARES could no longer legally function. The intent is
also there on everyone's part to allow places with current local
RACES plans/programs in place which are meeting the local needs
to "Grandfather", thus avoiding turmoil for them.  Once we have
an approved version of this Ky RACES Plan in final draft, it will
be made available to the amateur community and will be adapted
also to a generic "county" version to simplify the process of
developing a RACES plan consistent with the state plan to
encourage county EMA's to adopt and understand the RACES program.

In short, this would not impact existing ARES programs, but 
rather, would allow local EMA's to understand that they can also 
designate their ARES personnel as RACES stations and thereby 
allowing the operator to function in either capacity.