[MDC-ARES] Maryland-DC Section FSD-96 SEC Report

[Steve Beckman]

Monthly Section Emergency Coordinator Report to ARRL Headquarters
______________________________________________________________________________________
ARRL Section: 
Maryland-DC               Month:   January                Year: 2012
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AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE
Total number of ARES members: 643
Change since last month: -2

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 7
Number of ARES nets active: 23
Number with NTS liaison: 6

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: N3QHC, W3JCT, K3UEZ, WB3KAS, WR3F, N3SEO, and 
N3SB.

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 28
Person hours: 258

Number of public service events this month: 3
Person hours: 486

Number of emergency operations this month: 0
Person hours: 0

Total number of ARES operations this month: 31
Total Person hours: 744

Comments:

Calvert County: One of four founders of the Calvert Amateur Radio 
Association, Vince Thrasher/KB3FS became a SK on January 19. Highest number 
of check-ins to CALV ARES Net for the month of January - 93. Besides CALV 
hams we had check-ins from Springfield Missouri on EchoLink (3x), and ham 
in DORC (5x) and STMA (5x). N3QHC & N3IDX checked into Region V Hospital 
Net on January 18. MOU signed between CALV ARES & Drum Point Property 
Owners; MDC SM sent to ARRL for approval. New designated CALV RACES Officer 
Bill Hackett/N3XMZ and ham radio operator Charlie/AB3LE will attend 
emergency Task Force Meeting on January 31 at Chesapeake Ranch Estates. 
Tentative SKYWARN training in CALV this May.

Wicomico County: The Lower Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross received 
a donation of a 45 ft tower. The tower was taken down and disassembled so 
that it can be primed and painted before installation in June at the Red 
Cross Offices in Salisbury. 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 PM. 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. Wicomico County RACES/ARES 
participated in the MEMA Communications Exercise drill on January 10. 
Coming Events: RACES/ARES members will be provide instructors for the Radio 
Merit Badge for the Boy Scout Merit Badge College at Salisbury University 
on February 4.

Prince Georges County: January 16: Prince George's County Citizen Corps, in 
conjunction with the Red Cross, requested PRGE ARES to provide 
communications for the Martin Luther King Jr. 'Day of Service..' Seventy 
eight volunteers canvassed door-to-door in the Town of Berwyn Heights 
passing out literature on fire prevention, emergency preparedness, 
information on the American Red Cross, Medical Reserve Corps and about the 
Town of Berwyn Heights CERT and Neighborhood Watch programs. Eleven members 
of PRGE ARES established a communications command post as W3PGC, at the 
Town Hall to keep in touch with the walking groups canvassing the 
neighborhood: KA3AHI, N3ADF, KA8YPY, N3UTH, KB3IIE, N3XKJ, KB3NIK, WA3YTK, 
KB3NJK, WB3KAS, KB3PDZ. January 24: PRGE ARES continues its efforts to 
upgrade and enhance the radio station at the EOC. Continuing from last 
month, we added a separate feed line to the 40m dipole (now have 40 m and 
80m antennas), traced out four VHF feed lined into the building and labeled 
the patch panels accordingly. Participating were: N3ADF, N3JBX, W3CB, 
WA3YTK and WB3KAS. More to be done. January 28-29: PRGE ARES decided at the 
very last minute to take advantage of the opportunity and join in on the 
Winter Field Day event as a training exercise. Emergencies and natural 
disasters don't always happen on nice sunny days in the summer. Worst case 
winter weather can bring frigid cold temperatures, ice storms that shut 
down power distribution systems and storms that would cripple most 
communities at any depth of snow. To test our abilities to operate under 
these winter conditions we joined the Society for Preservation of Amateur 
Radio Winter Field Day event and used the event to 'stress' the equipment 
and people as opposed to operating as a contest event. Newly acquired Icom 
IC-7000s were put through the paces as operators learned the capabilities 
of new radio equipment. W3WFM, our ARES PIO, sent a notice to over 30 
county, state and private email recipients. WB3KAS sent an invite notice to 
the MDC ECs and MDC ARESs reflector. Over 30 people came to see how PRGE 
ARES can provide EmComm service to their served agencies, and the food was 
great!! Nets: Held five regularly scheduled training VHF nets on 146.61MHz 
on Tuesdays at 1930L. The monthly HF Hospital Net is held the Wednesday 
following the third Monday of the month.

Anne Arundel County: Participating in the Klondike Derby: N3SEO, K3WD, 
K3TED, KA2JAI, WB4APR, K3YLW.

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)