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********************************************
The ARES Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

December 15, 2021

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE <k1ce@arrl.net>

IN THIS ISSUE

- ARRL CEO Observes and ARRL Field Services Manager Participates in
Connecticut AUXCOMM Exercise
- Icom SHF Project -- Super High Frequency Band Challenge Offers
Opportunities for ARES
- DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) Training Course Planned for February
- Spotlight: Lake Superior AuxComm Group Forms for Mutual Assistance
- Staying Flexible and Adaptable: Planning for Communications
Continuity
- Operating Tips: Simplex and Programming Channels
- Section News
- K1CE for a Final: Get Your BLS, CPR, and AED Training as New Year's Resolution Number One
- ARRL Resources

ARES® Briefs, Links

US Department of Homeland Security's AUXCOMM Course February 7-9, 2022
Orlando, Florida, precedes the ARRL National Convention hosted by
HamCation -- The AUXCOMM class information can be found below. When
asked how he enjoyed the course, Arc Thames, W4CPD, Assistant Northern
Florida Section Emergency Coordinator said: "It was hands down one of
the best emergency communications courses I've taken. It really tied
together many of the other individual courses I had taken. The hands-on activities and the group exercise at the end were invaluable. If you're interested in emergency communications, this course is for you." Only
30 seats are available, so be sure to apply for the course as soon as
possible.

December 8, 2021 -- A grant of $374,233 from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) to Rocky Mountain Ham Radio (RMHAM) will go
toward expanding a multistate 5 GHz microwave network and help to
outfit communications trailers. The microwave network enables
partnering amateur radio clubs and groups to access, enable, or expand
their repeater and other FCC Part 97-appropriate applications. The
network provides 50 - 100+ Mbps of bandwidth and is managed and
monitored by a dedicated network operations team. "Amateur radio
organizations across Colorado and New Mexico leverage this
infrastructure to enable their own repeater and IP capabilities that
would otherwise be difficult or prohibitively expensive to achieve,"
RMHAM said. Read the full report <http://www.arrl.org/news/ardc-grant-will-expand-rmham-s-5-ghz-microwave-network-in-rockies>.
- ARRL News Desk

Register now for the 2022 ARRL National Convention
<http://www.arrl.org/expo> Emergency Communications Training Track --
Plan on attending the 2022 ARRL National Convention, set to take place
at Orlando HamCation® <http://www.hamcation.com/> on February 11 - 13.
A day-long workshop on emergency communications is scheduled as one of
the training tracks that will be offered as part of the National
Convention program that will precede HamCation on Thursday, February
10. The training presentations will feature current protocols,
techniques, and responsibilities for the modern volunteer radio
operator serving partner public safety entities. The presenters are subject-matter experts. Topics to be covered include the ARRL Emergency Communicator Position Task Books, an overview of amateur radio
communicator responses to disasters, basic voice traffic handling with
hands-on voice traffic net/message transfer practice, using the ICS-213
form, Winlink's Amateur Radio Digital Open Protocol (ARDOP) and VARA
protocols, and the Radio Mail Server (RMS) hybrid internet/HF radio
gateway system. Register for the National Convention Training Tracks <http://www.arrl.org/expo>.

ARRL CEO OBSERVES AND ARRL FIELD SERVICES MANAGER PARTICIPATES IN

CONNECTICUT AUXCOMM EXERCISE

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David A. Minster, NA2AA, met Field
Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, at Bradley International Airport
north of Hartford, Connecticut to observe ARRL taking part in an
emergency management exercise there. The exercise concluded on
Saturday, October 23. Walters participated on all 3 days and finished
his assigned tasks early so he could help other teams attending the
event.

The Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security conducted the exercise, the agency's first COMMEX. In cooperation with
US DHS/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),
individuals that had been trained as Communications Unit Leaders
(COML), Communications Unit Technicians (COMT) and Auxiliary
Communicators (AUXC) were evaluated in order to complete individual
task books for their respective positions. Walters, and Wayne Gronlund,
N1CLV, of Connecticut ARES, served as evaluators for the state. Minster
met with representatives Michael Paulette, KJ6QHD, Exercise Director
for CISA, John Gustafson, Emergency Telecommunications Manager, and
Robert Drozynski, Emergency Management Program Specialist with the
State of Connecticut.

Connecticut employed instructors from Kentucky, Texas, and California
as well as tactical units from around the state supplied by various
agencies and amateur radio organizations. The goal was that operators
trained during this event can now be utilized in emergency situations
as well as resources for future training.

ICOM SHF PROJECT -- SUPER HIGH FREQUENCY BAND CHALLENGE OFFERS

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARES

According to a public information release, Icom has been conducting
technical research on a new project to create a product from its
wireless communication technology cultivated over more than half a
century. Under the theme of "Icom SHF Project--Super High Frequency
Band Challenge <https://www.icomjapan.com/lp/shf/> --", the company
started to develop a new amateur radio product available for use in the
2.4 GHz and 5.6 GHz bands. They stated, "Icom engineers are working
hard to research and develop a number of never-cleared challenges
within the SHF band, such as large cable loss and higher frequency
stability requirements. The ultimate goal is to bring it to the market
as a new radio product."

DHS CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY (CISA)

AUXILIARY COMMUNICATIONS (AUXCOMM) TRAINING COURSE PLANNED FOR FEBRUARY

The DHS/CISA Auxiliary Communications Training Course will be conducted February 7-9, 2022, in cooperation with the 75th Orlando HamCationâ(tm)¢ in Orlando, Florida (30 student maximum capacity). This class is designed
for auxiliary communicators (AUXCOMM) and other communications groups
who volunteer to provide backup radio communications support to public
safety agencies. This typically includes volunteer amateur radio
communicators from such organizations as SATERN, the Red Cross, REACT,
and others. This class is free to anyone

who is accepted into the course. This course focuses on auxiliary communications interoperability, the relationship between the
Communications Leader (COML) and AUXCOMM volunteers, emergency
operations center (EOC) etiquette, on-the-air etiquette, Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations, auxiliary
communications training and planning, and emergency communications
deployment. The course is intended to supplement and standardize a
volunteer operator's experience and knowledge of emergency amateur
radio communications in a public safety context.

Prerequisites for Attendance

Personal experience: A valid/signed FCC amateur radio license; Past
experience in auxiliary emergency communications; An affiliation with a
public safety agency (served agency); A desire to work with COMLs in a
NIMS ICS environment. Must have completed the following online courses
from the FEMA EMI website: IS-100, Introduction to the ICS; IS-200, ICS
for Single Resources and Initial Incidents; IS-700, National Incident Management System (NIMS), an Introduction; IS-800, National Response
Framework (NRF). How to Apply: Send an email with the below listed
information to: TrainingRequest@commscollabcenter.com Subject Line:
[Last Name] Application for HAMCATION AUXCOMM Course 2022. Text of
email: Applicant's name; the name of the public safety agency you are,
or will be, supporting; the public safety agency's email address; the
agency's point of contact name and their email and phone number. Attach completion certificates for all courses listed above. Applications will
be considered incomplete if any of the prerequisite course completion certificates are missing from the email. All applications and other
requested documents, must be received by close of business on Friday,
January 28, 2022. The first 30 qualified applicants will be notified
that they are registered once the appropriate information has been
received. Selected individuals will be notified of the course
location/schedule once their registration is approved. Questions
regarding the course prerequisites should be directed to CISA by
contacting John Peterson via email at AUXCOMM@cisa.dhs.gov

SPOTLIGHT: LAKE SUPERIOR AUXCOMM GROUP FORMS FOR MUTUAL ASSISTANCE

We as radio communicators have through our training and regular
activity become familiar with other operators in neighboring
communities, townships, counties, and even states and provinces. We
knew who to call if we needed assistance in supporting an incident or
event response and we were prepared to assist them if asked, the
essence of a mutual assistance plan. Assistance and support come from
those equipped and trained to provide it.

The potential for a wide-scale emergency/disaster warranting a greater
regional response around the Great Lakes was an indication for a better organized, more efficient mutual assistance team approach when involved
by an emergency management entity. In answer to this need, the Lake
Superior AuxComm Group (LSAG) has been formed.

LSAG functions as a resource collective, coordinating organization of
the region's auxiliary communication groups and personnel, equipment
and group/operator capabilities. The database is updated and shared
with emergency management entities by their local Emergency
Coordinators.

Should an emergency manager in an incident-affected area need support
from auxiliary communicators, the manager may contact the local LSAG member-entity and request assistance. The local group then works with
the LSAG to garner and activate the appropriate level of mutual
assistance needed from other LSAG members, AuxComm and ARES® groups in
the region that includes Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

LSAG will promote and facilitate training in operator message handling
via data and voice modes and evaluate/develop an emergency
communications frequency/mode plan for the Lake Superior region. -- Tim
Hass, KD8ZYW, Emergency Coordinator, Alger County, Michigan; LSAG Board
member

STAYING FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE: PLANNING FOR COMMUNICATIONS

CONTINUITY

Achieving secure and resilient voice and data communications across the Emergency Communications Ecosystem is essential for public safety
agencies to execute their missions. However, as emergency
communications systems and functions become more interconnected, they
also become more vulnerable to impacts from physical and cyber-based
threats and hazards. The National Emergency Communication Plan <https://www.cisa.gov/publication/national-emergency-communications-plan> (NECP) highlights the critical need for public safety organizations to
plan for continuity and recovery of critical communications. Despite
its importance, the SAFECOM Nationwide Survey <https://www.cisa.gov/safecom/sns> found that less than half of public
safety organizations build processes into their plans to ensure
continuity of communications during out-of-the ordinary emergencies or disasters.

A webinar hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency highlighted the importance of continuity capabilities in the
emergency communications ecosystem and provided participants with best practices for ensuring limited loss of critical communications during incidents. Speakers discussed specific communications elements that
should be considered; explained how existing capabilities should be
updated or upgraded to ensure continuity based on lessons learned; and
provided real-world experiences on how jurisdictions have adapted to
mitigate mission impacts from communications vulnerabilities.

Continuity capabilities-building principles, practices, and resources
are available at the FEMA National Continuity Resource Toolkit <https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/continuity/toolkit>
and other sites. It's important to periodically review and update or
upgrade capabilities and leverage the NECP to understand and build
emergency communications resilience. Get additional information on the
webinar series <https://www.cisa.gov/necp-webinars>.--Cyber Security
and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), US Department of Homeland
Security

OPERATING TIPS: SIMPLEX AND PROGRAMMING CHANNELS

Many opine that simplex is the ultimate mode of communication during a
major emergency. Bob Pickering, KB4RSY, communications tech for the
large EOC in Flagler County, Florida, conducted an all-simplex exercise annually. Recently while reprogramming my radios I devised a method to incorporate simplex frequencies to make "retuning to simplex" easy and
fast. All of my local repeaters are programmed to the uneven channel
numbers and the simplex frequencies to the even channels. One
rotational click and I can check a simplex channel for use. - Lou
Mecseri, KE1F, Palm Coast, Florida

A Case for Not Programming Repeaters into the Memories of your Radios

If you are like me and most other operators, you have programmed your
area repeater frequencies into the memory channels of your radios.
Recently, when I needed to switch to a new repeater frequency, I could
not remember how to enter the PL tone and offset - an aggravating
factor may be that I'm almost 70 years old with a slowly eroding
memory! I resorted to reading the radio's operating manual. Now, I
forego using the memory channels and instead enter the repeater
frequency, offset, and PL tone manually each and every time so that
I'll have the muscle memory needed to select repeater parameters on the
fly in the field. Think about it - it only takes a second to enter the parameters. - K1CE

SECTION NEWS

Position Task Books in use for training in the panhandle of Florida --
The Florida ARRL Tri-Section ARES task book is a working document that
enables those ARES communicators electing to participate in the
training plan to track and document their elements as they are
completed. The task book contains all training plan items, completion
dates and signoffs as the ARES communicator increases skill and
proficiency.

The Santa Rosa County ARES team will utilize the task book as the
training plan for 2022. The goal is to have active ARES members signed
off to level 2 of the task book. The training and activities outlined
in level 2 cover many of those that an operator needs an understanding
of to operate independently whether within the county or away on a
deployment. (During a meeting, Arc Thames, W4CPD, Assistant Section
Emergency Coordinator, emphasized the importance of being
self-sufficient during an activation).The training regimen will start
off with message handling with radiograms and ICS forms, and a deep
dive into Winlink with hands-on activities. "We plan to setup numerous
TNC's of varying types to give our team the experience of using and
setting them up in the field," Thames said. "We work hard to keep
plenty of activities and training opportunities going in the Northwest
Florida area," which includes Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and
Walton counties.

K1CE FOR A FINAL: GET YOUR BLS, CPR, AND AED TRAINING AS NEW YEAR'S

RESOLUTION NUMBER ONE

Each year an estimated 350,000 sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) events occur
in the United States in an out-of-hospital environment. In 2020,
Washington DC Fire and EMS reported 964 SCAs in the district with only
a 4.7% survival rate. An SCA occurs when the heart's electrical system
abruptly malfunctions, and the heart suddenly stops beating normally.
It can happen to anyone, at any time. Without quick intervention in the
form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation, death
from SCA is certain.

ARES members and other radio amateurs can be a critical link in the
cardiac arrest chain of survival. A properly trained communicator can
make the difference between life and death because when CPR begins
prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, the
person in cardiac arrest's chance of survival increases by 2 to 3
times.

ARES Participants: YOU are on the front lines of incidents and events
where potentially hundreds of officials, participants, coordinators,
and observers are under stress and prone to cardiac events. Make it
your new year's resolution to take the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
(CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS) and Automated External Defibrillator
(AED) courses from a local Red Cross <https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/bls?scode=PSG00000E017&cid=generator&med=cpc&source=google&gclid=CjwKCAiAksyNBhAPEiwAlDBeLIcFtoa_BCeZUePAdEV1L3ko9ha7Up37vwt2N8LeAWK3-hvwGVSZyhoCIaEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds>
or American Heart Association <https://shopcpr.heart.org/courses/>
training office.

________________

ARES Resources

- Download the ARES Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARESmanual2015.pdf>

- ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES_FR_Manual.pdf>

- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-FILLABLE-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V2_1_1.pdf>

- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-STANDARDIZED-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V1_2_2.doc>

- ARES Plan <http://www.arrl.org/ares-plan>

- ARES Group Registration
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-group-id-request-form>

- Emergency Communications Training <http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training>

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed
amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in
the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur,
regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national
organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may
be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at
the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an amateur
radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for
membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.

How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/fsd98.pdf> and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

ARRL RESOURCES

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> Eligible US-based
members can elect to receive QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst> or On the
Air <http://www.arrl.org/on-the-air-magazine> magazine in print when
they join ARRL or when they renew their membership. All members can
access digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air,
QEX, and NCJ.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bimonthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters <http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bimonthly, features technical
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Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe <http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
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_________

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