From n3sb at qis.net  Sun Mar 14 16:34:51 2010
From: n3sb at qis.net (Steve Beckman)
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:34:51 -0500
Subject: [MDC-ARES] February 2010 FSD-96 Maryland-DC ARES Section Report
Message-ID: <5.2.0.9.0.20100314153241.00acbec0@mail.qis.net>


Monthly Section Emergency Coordinator Report to ARRL Headquarters
______________________________________________________________________________________
ARRL Section: 
Maryland-DC               Month:   February               Year: 2010
______________________________________________________________________________________

AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE


Total number of ARES members: 640
Change since last month: -1

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 7
Number of ARES nets active: 23
Number with NTS liaison: 3

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: KB3ENU, KB3FMJ, N3SEO, W3JCT, K3UEZ, KA8YPY, 
and N3SB.

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 16
Person hours: 72

Number of public service events this month: 0
Person hours: 0

Number of emergency operations this month: 1
Person hours: 32

Total number of ARES operations this month: 17
Total Person hours: 104

Comments:

Maryland-DC Section: Plans are being made to hold an all-digital 
communications test on Saturday April 24. All digital modes are welcome, 
including MT-63, PSK-31, Olivia, EasyPal, Packet, etc. on both the HF and 
VHF/UHF bands. This test will help us understand how we can integrate the 
different digital modes being used locally, into an effective digital 
network at the Section or Division level. It's also being designed to 
encourage casual operators and beginners to participate, as well as 
seasoned ARES communicators. Several presentations and hands-on 
training/Digital Workshops will be conducted at the Maryland State 
Convention on March 27th and 28th, with Harry W3YJ giving an NBEMS 
Presentation at 2:00 PM on Saturday, Bob W3RAR holding a Digital Modes 
Forum at 11:00 AM on Sunday, and an Airmail/WinLink Forum will be held at 
1:00 PM on Sunday. We'll also have a general ARES Forum at 3:00 PM on Saturday.

Garrett County: Due to weather conditions the monthly Garrett County ARES 
meeting and a planned School Roundup Contest event were canceled. The last 
report for snowfall levels in Garrett County was over 260 inches. No major 
incident occurred but GC ARES was requested to standby for potential Red 
Cross support in the event that shelters were activated during the major 
snowstorm. The Garrett County ARES net is held weekly on Sunday evenings at 
8:00 PM on the Outback Repeater System (primary repeaters 146.805 and 
145.33 dup PL 123). All traffic is FM voice. Our monthly meetings are held 
on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 PM

Wicomico County: ARES/RACES Activation  Activated at 1600 hr on Tuesday, 
Feb 9; RACES operators manned the Wicomico County Emergency Operations 
Center and ARES operators updated weather related information. Some of the 
weather related information was requested by the National Weather Service. 
It was quite a learning experience for the group. We were deactivated at 
2400 hrs on Wednesday, Feb 10. Delmarva Emergency Net: Sundays at 6:30 PM 
using 3.905 MHz - Primarily stations on the Virginia, Maryland, and 
Delaware Eastern Shore.  Net Control, Sussex County Emergency Coordinator, 
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Local Net: Delmarva Amateur Radio 
Enhancement Net every Monday night at 9:00 p.m.  The DAR Net is sponsored 
by the Delmarva Amateur Radio Club which is now an ARRL Affiliated group 
operating a repeater on 146.820 MHz PL 156.7 Hz. Boy Scout Merit Badge 
College  ARES members acted as instructors for the Boy Scout Radio Merit 
Badge course at the Merit Badge College hosted by Salisbury University on 
February 20 (delayed because of snow). Hands-on amateur radio instruction 
will be given on March 6with the help of the Delmarva Amateur Radio Club 
and the Peninsula Radio Operators Society utilizing their repeaters.

Allegany County: The local EOC just replaced our "Amcom One" Amateur Radio 
communications vehicle with one only eight years old. We are excited about 
this project!

Signature: Steve Beckman
Call sign: N3SB
Email - n3sb at qis.net

Please send to ARRL HQ, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 by 10th of the month
FSD-96 (1-04)



From n3sb at qis.net  Fri Mar 26 10:38:34 2010
From: n3sb at qis.net (n3sb at qis.net)
Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:38:34 -0400
Subject: [MDC-ARES] BARC HAMBOREE AND COMPUTERFEST TOMORROW
Message-ID: <20100326103834.39583ee0amavl8u8@webmail.qis.net>



==> BARC HAMBOREE AND COMPUTERFEST TOMORROW

Saturday and Sunday, March 27 & 28, 2010
Maryland State Convention (Greater Baltimore Hamboree
and Computerfest)
Baltimore Amateur Radio Club
Maryland State Fairgrounds
2200 York Road
Timonium, Maryland
For more information, click:
<http://www.gbhc.org>
Talk-In: 146.67 - (PL 107.2)
Testing by the Laurel VEC will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on  
Saturday morning starting at 9 am.

==> ARRL MARYLAND STATE CONVENTION AT BARC HAMBOREE

This year the Baltimore Amateur Radio Club Hamboree in
Timonium on March 27 & 28 is host to the ARRL Maryland
State Convention.  Forums will be held in the Vista Room
and are open to everyone.

We are proud to host the first female President of the
ARRL, Dr Kay Craigie, N3KN for the ARRL Forum.  Also participating in  
the Forum will be Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR.

Additionally, from HQ, we will have Harold Kramer, WJ1B,
the Chief Operating Officer who will host a forum.

We are also pleased to have a presentation by Laura Smith,
the new head of enforcement at the FCC.

Both days will have excellent presentations delivering a
wealth of knowledge on topics near and dear to our ham
hearts.  Learn about propagation in this phase of the
sunspot cycle from an expert and major contester, Frank
Donovan, W3LPL.

Can you really send a picture over your local repeater
with just a radio and a computer and no fancy, expensive
interface?  Harry Bloomberg, W3YJ, all the way from Pittsburgh will  
explain how with Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS).

There will also be an ARES Forum moderated by Steve
Beckman, N3SB.  Open to everyone, this will be a great place to  
exchange information about what's going on in your jurisdiction and  
learn about the upcoming digital exercise April 24.

On Sunday morning there will be two presentations from AMSAT. The  
first at 9 AM on how to make satellite contacts
using simple (portable) FM and SSB gear with (cheap but effective)  
homemade antennas.  Presented by Richard Crow,
N2SPI, from upstate New York and Dee Interdonato, NB2F, from New Jersey.

The second forum will be hosted by Rich Mitchell, N3III, and Pat  
Kilroy, N8PK about microcontrollers (PIXAXE and Arduino types) and the  
PICetSat balloon application, complete with a demo
flight similar to the one we had at our Mason-Dixon Hamfest last October.

Are you thinking about dipping your toes into the digital
waters?  Bob Rampolla, W3RAR, will be explaining the
various digital modes.

Finally, on Sunday we will wrap up with a presentation
on Airmail and Winlink.  Campers, boaters and emergency
communications enthusiasts won't want to miss this one.

See below for the list of forums.

Saturday:
  9 AM Propagation with well-known contester Frank Donovan W3LPL
10 AM ARRL COO Forum with Harold Kramer WJ1B
11 AM FCC Forum with Laura Smith
  1 PM ARRL Forum with Kay Craigie, Bill Edgar, Jim Cross
  2 PM NBEMS with Harry Bloomberg W3YJ
  3 PM ARES with SEC Steve Beckman N3SB

Sunday:
  9 AM AMSAT with AMSAT Pres/VP
10 AM AMSAT with Pat Kilroy N8PK and Rich Mitchell, N3III
11 AM Digital Modes with Bob Rampolla W3RAR
  1 PM Airmail - Winlink


