[South Florida DX Association] Comm Demo in D.C. on 10/03/2007

[Bill Marx]

Subject: Comm Demo in D.C. on 10/03/2007

Please share the following information with your members. This is an
opportunity for all hams to make an impression on Congress by demonstrating
our emergency communications capabilities. Note in particular the
next-to-last paragraph beginning "While MARS will be...."

TNX & 73,
Carl Zettelmeyer, WA4CZ
PIO, GCARA

Amateur Radio Goes to Washington

The emergency communications trailer, owned by the Blue Ridge Association,
Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, part of the Southern Baptist North
American Missions Disaster Relief Ministries, will be at the ARRL/MARS
demonstration at the US Capitol October 3.

On October 3, Army MARS Chief Stuart S. Carter, AAA9A, has invited the ARRL
and Amateur Radio representatives to join a MARS demonstration outside the
Capitol building in Washington, DC. With help from Laura Abshire,
Legislative Aide to Representative Mike Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR);Tricia Russell,
Legislative Aide to Representative Steve Israel (D-NY), and coordination of
the myriad details by "Pudge" Forrester, W4LTX, Systems Administrator with
Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), the "show" is set for next Wednesday,
and hams around the country can help.

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, said, "Thanks to
a MARS' invitation to join in a demonstration, and excellent coordination
work by Forrester, the October 3 demonstration of Amateur Radio and MARS
emergency communications will be front and center in the open space between
the Capitol building and the Botanic Garden in Washington, DC." Pitts went
on to say that the regional MARS organization is planning conducting an
exercise to demonstrate emergency communications at the Capitol, as well.

The exercise assumes a Category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Quincy, will make
landfall on October 2 over the coastal areas of Delaware, Maryland, DC and
Virginia. Quincy will then progress northward to New Jersey and Pennsylvania
and then travel inland to the south, returning to the Atlantic Ocean on
October 5 via the Carolinas and Georgia. During this time, MARS resources
will be challenged by ongoing events in every part of the country, including
ice storms, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes.

There will be a communication trailer, tent type shelter, four HF
transceivers -- voice, PSK, and Winlink -- and VHF equipment at the site.
The local Voice of America (VOA) organization and MARS have local repeaters
and digipeaters available. Power will come from solar and generators with
battery backup. The emergency communications trailer, owned by the Blue
Ridge Association, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, part of the
Southern Baptist North American Missions Disaster Relief Ministries, will
also be on hand.

Representatives from ARRL headquarters, including Pitts, will be there. They
will have ARRL public relations materials as well as video that shows the
negative impact of BPL if current FCC rules are not modified. In addition,
there are special materials for Members of Congress and their staff
advocating Amateur Radio's positions on several legislative issues,
including information to solicit co-sponsorship of H.R. 462 and H.R. 2743.

While MARS will be conducting their drill on their frequencies, Amateur
Radio operations are scheduled from 1400-2100 UTC. Hams around the country
are asked to aid in the demonstration by making HF contacts during the day.
While there may be last minute changes, plans are to try to center HF voice
contacts around 14.250 and 7.250 MHz, and on PSK at 14.070 MHz. "By showing
congressional members our nationwide capabilities and potentials, we advance
the Service in many ways," Pitts said.

Representatives Ross and Bartlett plan to stop by. Army MARS is sending
their Chief of Operations Grant Hays in from Arizona.
Mike Barrett, K3MMB, of the Transportation Security Administration's Office
of Security Operations is aiding with the operations and logistics.