[MDC-EC] August 2009 FSD-96 Maryland-DC ARES Section Report

[Steve Beckman]

Monthly Section Emergency Coordinator Report to ARRL Headquarters
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ARRL Section:   Maryland-DC             Month:  August          Year: 2009
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AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE


Total number of ARES members: 665
Change since last month: -1

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10
Number of ARES nets active: 34
Number with NTS liaison: 11

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: N3SEO, K3UEZ, N3QHC, AJ3X, W3JCT, WR3F, 
KB3FMJ, KB3LJB, WB0EGR, and N3SB.

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 30
Person hours: 354

Number of public service events this month: 6
Person hours: 204

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

Total number of ARES operations this month: 36
Total Person hours: 558

Comments:

Maryland-DC Section: Plans are being made to conduct an SET this year that 
involves adjacent sections, and tests our ability to communicate Section 
status and other tactical and resource information. Much of the benefit in 
conducting this type of exercise will be gained from the planning itself, 
which includes compiling both Division-level, Section-level, and local 
ICS-205 Frequency Lists and ICS-205T Contact Lists. This preparation is 
well under way, and should be completed by mid-September. Plans are also 
being made to test Division-wide communications links, starting with a test 
on 60m that should be announced shortly. This years' SET will also be 
planned, conducted, and evaluated in a NIMS Compliant manner.

Volunteers Needed: The following positions and projects are in need of 
enthusiastic volunteers: Emergency Coordinators for Baltimore City, 
Caroline County, Charles County, Dorchester County, Queen Anne's County, 
Somerset County, Talbot County, Washington County, and Worchester County. 
I'm looking for someone to be the Digital Communications Czar, to explore, 
test, and recommend Sound Card based Digital Communications Modes for the 
Maryland-DC Section. I'm also looking for someone to head a project to 
establish a high-speed digital communications backbone in the MDC Section, 
and then extend it into adjacent Sections. If you're interested in any of 
these positions, please let me know.

Anne Arundel County: The Anne Arundel ARES team supported the Annapolis Ten 
Miler with members: N3WOF, KA2JAI, WB3IGW, K3YLW, N3SEO, K8JW, K3TH, 
KB3PGY, WA3TOY, N3HKJ, KB3CWQ, KB3LDM, K3ASK, KB3NGU, KB3PEB, WA3HOO, 
N3USP, and KA3RNW.

Allegany County: The MARC/W3YMW 146.880/444.500 Dan's Rock repeater tower 
is now back up to full capability at 3,000 feet elevation. It's been a 
project that's been ongoing almost two years. We lost it in an ice storm 
two winters ago. Many hams and hams-yet-to-be pitched in many efforts and 
resources to see this happen!

Calvert County: CALV ARES participated in a drill with the Drum Point 
Community EOC, Civil Air Patrol, CALV CERTS and Calvert County 
Government.  The drill incorporated Hurricane Preparedness, Plane crash and 
Boat sinking in Chesapeake Bay off of Drum Point.  All Stations operated 
100% simplex including Station at Calvert EOC.

Baltimore County: The County funded the purchase of three D-Star 
analog/digital radios and two ID-1s for voice and data transfer between key 
facilities and the EOC, including access via radio to WEBEOC and the BaCo 
ACS mail server.

BaCo ACS will configure and activate a 70CM, 23CM , 2M D-Star repeater in 
the Towson area during the third quarter of 2009.

We are sponsoring the installation of a 70CM repeater on a county tower in 
Northern Baltimore County. This will expand 70CM coverage North East to the 
Harford County line, West/North West to the Carroll County line and North 
to the Pennsylvania line.

At the request of MEMA Director, Richard Muth, BaCo ACS will provide 
staffing for the EOC at Spring Grove hospital effective with the October 
deployment exercise. Director Muth requested BaCo ACS support due to a 
shortage of Amateur Radio resources within the MEMA RACES group. BaCo ACS 
is now supporting nine county facilities and three State facilities; 
Department of Human Resources' UMBC shelter, Department of Human Resources' 
EOC and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Spring Grove Hospital.

A multi jurisdiction exercise scheduled for 2009-10-02 through 2009-10-04. 
This will coincide with the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test. As of 
2009-08-31, multiple in county facilities and Harford and Cecil counties 
will participate in the joint exercise. The on-air portion of the exercise, 
net call-up and scenario announcements, will begin at 2100 hours Friday and 
run through 0900 hours Sunday. The core exercise, with personnel deployment 
to the EOC, county facilities and field stations, will start on 10-03 at 
0830 hours and run through 1700 hours. The scenario for this exercise, in 
planning since first quarter, is a Pandemic complicated by a failure of the 
North East and Mid Atlantic power grid.

BaCo ACS is continuing to test and rollout MT63 and Tone63.

Wicomico County: Delmarva Emergency Net: Sundays at 6:30 pm using 3.905 MHz 
- Primarily stations on the Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Eastern Shore. 
Bill Duveneck,KB3KYH, 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.

August 26, 2009: ARES participated in the 'T. S. Danny' role call which was 
initiated by the Lower Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Coming Events:
September 8, 2009: MEMA CommEx, Wicomico RACES/ARES participation starting 
at 7:00 pm at the Wicomico EOC on Naylor Mill Road.
October 3-4, 2009: Nationwide CommEx Drill, Wicomico RACES/ARES will 
participate, details pending.

Howard County: The Howard County ARES Group supported the 2009 Iron Girl 
Mini Triathlon on August 23.

Garrett County: The Garrett County ARES group and the Mountaintop Amateur 
Radio Club (MARC) will be supporting the Savage Man Triathlon on September 
20th. This event supports the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation. 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

Cecil County: Communications links for the bicycle portion of the North 
East Maryland Triathlon held Sunday August 16 were a resounding success. 
The event was supported by 14 hams from jurisdictions in and around North 
Eastern Maryland including Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil Counties in 
Maryland, Lancaster County in Pennsylvania and New Castle County in 
Delaware. The eyes on the bicycle courses were: Jeff, KB3LFG; Don, K3DON; 
Glenn, N3YJ; Ed, KB3SNF; Lynn, K3TKE; Henry, KB3NYW; Cliff, K3CF; Sarah, 
KB3OWW; Trace, KB3OAM; Pat, WB0EGR; Wayne, N3IUJ; and George, WA3IGC. Net 
Control was handled by George, KB3LJB, with backup from Bob, KE4RDK. The 
net started at 0700 and was closed at 1130.We are looking for volunteers to 
help us provide communications links to support the Charlestown Riverfest 
taking place in Charlestown, MD on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, 
September 16.

Carroll County: Carroll County ARES has reformatted its frequency list into 
the ICS-205 standard format. The group has also been working through some 
simple problems during its weekly ARES nets, such as a failed radio, 
emergency antenna, bad power supply, etc. The ARES Net meets every Tuesday 
evening, 8:30 PM on 145.410 MHz. Our group meets on the Fourth Monday of 
each Month, 7:30 PM at the County Emergency Services Training Center.

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)