[TMRA] [paNBEMS] EmComm activities

Sun Jul 8 17:40:30 EDT 2012

I have had the thought of copying the Ohio Single Sideband Net (OSSBN) NTS traffic for a week and passing it as practice in a weekly net. I have not done so thus far but thought it would be a good resource for messages.

Steve / W8TER
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Kleber 
  To: paNBEMS at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2012 12:05 PM
  Subject: Re: [paNBEMS] EmComm activities

  Fantastic comments, Steve. And thanks for checking in on the net this morning!!!

  I would like to see more groups practicing with health and welfare NTS messages and make it challenging. For instance, how about an NTS practice net where a few stations attempt to send bulk messages... like 30 or more.

  -Dave, KB3FXI

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  From: AAR5KQ Steve Bellner <aar5kq at bex.net>
  To: paNBEMS at yahoogroups.com 
  Cc: EmComm at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, July 8, 2012 10:20 AM
  Subject: Re: [paNBEMS] EmComm activities

  I have been involved with Emcomm for many years as a volunteer. I 
  have seen and experienced much.

  Dave is absolutely correct when he mentions that we need to be 
  proactive and train for EmComm with Digital software. It has not gone 
  unnoticed that many appointed leaders in some EmComm groups and 
  served agencies have agendas that represent interests that may not 
  necessarily represent the public's or that of amateur radio. Along 
  with complacency, this is something that I have noticed lends to much 
  of the lack of training and organization with some groups.

  I have resigned myself to organize and train amateurs for public 
  emergency service with a fundamental recognition for the value of the 
  amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial 
  communication service, particularly with respect to providing 
  emergency communications.

  Serving the Public is what is called for. The served agencies serve 
  the public too, but in a different way. Make sure you know who you 
  are serving and why. Compensation given to you in any way for your 
  amateur radio communication services is prohibited.

  Sound familiar? It is Part 97.

  Self deployment should not be the first option. This does not mean 
  you cannot monitor, check into, or start up a net. The best way to 
  use EmComm is to be able to be part of the communications process. In 
  other words, become familiar with the process and use of emergency 
  tools such as knowing where to tune on HF during a telephone outage 
  that is statewide or operating a net on simplex.

  If you are involved with EmComm, you should well be familiar with how 
  and where to pass radiograms. It does NOT have to be an emergency to 
  start up a net. Just about any excuse will do. For instance, if your 
  county tests the sirens once a month, create a scheduled net around 
  that. It will be a good opportunity for any inexperienced ham to get 
  a taste of running a net without being in an emergency situation. 
  This is the perfect time to make mistakes and offer encouragement.

  NBEMS/FLDIGI/FLMSG is really THE game changer. Its capabilities are 
  something that are far reaching and flexible enough to allow for both 
  HF and VHF/UHF communications. In so much as they are efficient and 
  user friendly, they should be considered especially for EmComm use.

  The local club that I am affiliated with www.tmrahamradio.org has 
  spent many Sunday evenings getting local hams on board with the use 
  of FLDIGI and the use of the digital software. It takes extra effort 
  to teach but it is worth the time and effort because, if they are 
  needed they can do! We are in the process of trying to find a time 
  slot to have a local VHF FLDIGI net. The important thing is to 
  practice and share information.

  Thanks for listening.

  Steve / W8TER / AAR5KQ

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "KB3FXI" <dave.kleber at verizon.net>
  To: <paNBEMS at yahoogroups.com>
  Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2012 10:27 PM
  Subject: [paNBEMS] EmComm activities

  Hello all,

  We're here to talk about how we can train wiht and use NBEMS for 
  Amateur Radio Emergency Communications. On some other news groups, 
  there have been many discussions on recent activations (or lack 
  thereof) after the storms that knocked out power to many areas in the 
  Eastern US.

  There have been comments from folks expressing their disappointment 
  with the lack of official activations from served agencies and others 
  who have posted accounts of their activations.

  One thing seems clear... there are some diverse situations we're all 
  dealing with relating to served agencies.

  I'd like to point out some of the areas where, just about no matter 
  where you are, we can all make a difference.

  SKYWARN:

  I've never heard of a situation where the National Weather Service 
  has refused to embrace the volunteer work and value that amateur 
  radio provides.

  We had a Severe Thunder Storm warning issued in the Greater 
  Pittsburgh Area on July 4, so I jumped on the designated SKYWARN 
  repeater for my county to activate a net, even though the situation 
  didn't look all that bad at first. Then, the storm really gained 
  strength, much to my surprise (that's why we have meteorologists). I 
  called in about 8 hail reports to the meteorologists at the PGH NWS 
  office and they were GREATLY appreciative. Also, running a net like 
  this is great experience.

  My hope is to one day have the opportunity to introduce the PGH NWS 
  office to NBEMS comms where they could monitor our reports with 
  NBEMS/FLMSG.

  HEALTH AND WELFARE

  In areas where there is little or no coordination with official 
  served agencies, there's no reason for us to just sit on our hands 
  and do nothing if we're not officially called out.

  I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT ANYONE SELF DEPLOY TO EMERGENCY SCENES.. 
  but, why not fire up a net and give road / traffic reports such as 
  impassable or closed roads, structural damage reports, or just check 
  in with your fellow hams to see if we're all okay?

  Furthermore, if you're in the aftermath of an emergency situation 
  where phone and power are interrupted, and you have secured you're 
  family members and home, why not go to your neighbors and let them 
  know that you would be glad to pass a "we're okay" health and welfare 
  report?

  There is an amazing disparity, even within areas such as the Greater 
  Pittsburgh area, where County EMA's and other served agencies 
  regularly call up and welcome Amateur Radio volunteers, while others 
  will have nothing to do with Amateur Radio.

  On the surface, this seems unjust, but, quite often there are 
  legitimate reasons for some of the served agencies' reluctance to 
  reach out to Amateur Radio volunteers... usually as a result from 
  past negative experiences (which are very hard to overcome). Some 
  potential served agencies are simply unaware of our capabilities.

  So, my advice is for us to continue to train, practice and help when 
  and where we can.

  I really believe that NBEMS/FLDIGI/FLMSG is a game changer. We just 
  need to keep moving forward and take every opportunity to present the 
  value that we can add during emergency situations.

  Any thoughts or comments are welcome here on the list... please don't 
  post replies to my privately... I'd much rather prefer an open, 
  congenial discussion here on the list. Let's focus on the positive, 
  rather than the negative.

  Fire away!

  -Dave, KB3FXI
  paNBEMS

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