[W1SMH] MEMA Region 2 RACES Newsletter

[RayCord]

 Follows is this months Newsletter from MEMA Reg 2. The List server doesn't allow attachments so I had to copy and paste it.
It it doesn't format correctly so be it 

 


Ray 
Deputy Director 
Norton EMA-CERT
70 East Main St 
Norton, Ma. 02766
508-726-1054 cell



 
May 2016 Vol 2016 - Issue #3
This Month in Emergency Communications:
Skywarn and Severe Weather Awareness
As the summer months approach, so too does the threat of severe weather in Southeastern
Massachusetts. Amateur Radio has a very long standing relationship with the National Weather Service
Office located in Taunton, MA through the NWS Skywarn program. As programs go, our area's
Skywarn program, helmed by Rob Macedo (KD1CY) is one of the strongest in the country.
As many of you know, amateur radio provides a wealth of information and coordination for the
Skywarn program when severe weather strikes. What many of us forget is that it is easy to get “rusty”
in the severe weather off season. Do you know what size hail or what magnitude wind gust meets the
reportability criteria? Do you know what rain rate warrants notifying the NWS field office?
Ok, so SOME of you may have been able to answer those questions with ease, but as RACES
operators, the responsibility for knowing criteria goes in both directions. Do you know what rainfall
rate would be of interest to your EMD? Do you know what wind speeds in the region may warrant a
heads up to your served agency?
As RACES operators, we work in a customer service role. If we know what our customer is
looking for and if we can quickly come up with a plan to provide for that need, we can ensure that
amateur radio will stay “in business” for many years to come. If you don't know what conditions under
which your EMD or served agency may want to be notified, May might provide a great opportunity to
have a discussion and create a plan.
Monthly Net Report
The May communications test night Even with the bad weather, and including the two off-site
net control stations, a total of 25 check-ins were noted across the four sector nets many of whom were
RACES stations.
Also of note this month is that George McCarron (KA1PS) had his first run as a net control
station for the Sector 2B net. George handled the net with great acumen and we look forward to having
him serve as a Net Control Station for many nets in the future. As it appears that MEMA has been
more frequently running operations out of MEMA State Headquarters in Framingham, local net
control operators are becoming an increasingly valuable resource. While it is not the ideal situation, in
the event that operations for an incident are run out of Framingham, through the use of local net
control operators and some of our regional communications capabilities, our RACES/ACS team can
continue to provide disaster communication and intelligence to our served agencies even without the
use of the bunker in Bridgewater.
MEMA Region #2 RACES/ACS 1 May 2016
Sector 2A
Net Control (Local):
WA1EMA/KA1RSY - Ed
RACES Stations
1.) Acushnet – WA1EMA (KA1RSY) Ed
2.) Fairhaven – KA1WBF - Marc
3.) Fall River – WA1MZL – Steve
4.) New Bedford – N1IXE
5.) Norton – WC1NOR –
6.) Rehobeth – KB1LAC
7.) MEMA R2 HQ – WC1MAB/WA1MZL
Non-RACES / Non-Sector Stations
1.) New Bedford – AC7RB
2.) N1LHI – Rehobeth CERT
3.) N1LTV
Sector 2B
Net Control (Local): KA1PS - George
RACES Stations
1.) Marshfield - KA1PS – George
2.) Whitman – KB1MTW
3.) Taunton* – N1EZH – Barry
4.) MEMA Region 2 HQ - WC1MAB
* Taunton is assigned as Sector 2A, but due to
propagation limitations, N1EZH typically checks
in with Sector 2B.
Sector 2C
Net Control (WC1MAB): N1UMJ - John
RACES Stations
1.) MEMA Region 2 HQ – WC1MAB
2.) Brewster – K1CKK
2.) Dukes County – KB1QL
Non-RACES / Non-Sector Stations
5.) Nantucket – K2LEK
6.) Bass River – KB1GTG
3.) East Falmouth - K1WCC
Sector 2D
Net Control (Local): KB1TJI - Jeff
RACES Stations
1.) Millis – K1DAT – Ken
2.) Milton – N1OIL – Paul
3.) Norwood – KA1PGI – Brian
4.) Walpole – WA1PH
5.) Wrentham – WA1AR – Alan
6.) MEMA Region 2 HQ - WC1MA
Non-RACES / Non-Sector Stations
1.) KC1AGQ – Jim – N. Attleboro
2.) KC1AJJ – Tim – N. Chelmsford
(N. Middlesex ARES)
3.)KC1EUG – Mike - Bridgewater1
HF Net Report
Net Control (Local): WA1PLE/AB1PH - Don
Frequency: 3930 khz
Checked-In Stations
1.) WA1PLE Don - Walpole Net Control Station
2.) WA1AR Alan - Wrentham
3.) WA1PGI Brian - Norwood
4.) KB1NEK Chris - Shelbourne
5.) WC1SW Dan - Southwick
6.) KC1AJJ Tim - North Chelmsford
7.) N1DAM Greg - Stow
Notes:
Conditions were very noisy and a Kentucky
station called a net on frequency while the net was
running causing a shortening of the net to avoid
interference with their net.
MEMA Region #2 RACES/ACS 2 May 2016
Station Showcase: Region #2 Headquarters - WC1MAB
The Region #2 Headquarters station consists of two distinct sections. One section of the station
(shown in images above) consists of 4 VHF operating positions, packet radio and computer, a 6m
operating position and when an operator brings in an HF radio, there is a desk area to place that
equipment into service. Mounted on the wall is an LED TV that can be used as an external monitor to
display computer based information such as NBEMS, weather radar information or WebEOC data.
The second section of the station consists of public safety operations communication gear
including positions for State low band radios for MassDOT, 800mhz radios for MEMA and Mass State
Police and VHF and UHF positions for MEMA, CMED and other county communications. There is
also a position for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station BEACONS radio, phone and data systems.
The “Radio Room” is set apart from the operations room, but can be easily reached by internal
phone system, intercom, or simply by using a runner. The Radio Room is an integral part of the
operations plan at MEMA Region #2 HQ and is frequently staffed for area wide weather impacts as
well as for drills involving the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
MEMA Region #2 RACES/ACS 3 May 2016