The latest ARES E-Letter has been released.
In this issue:
Elizabeth Klinc, KE8FMJ, has been appointed as the District Emergency Coordinator for Ohio ARES District 3.
Elizabeth has been the Greene County EC since September of 2020.
Her predecessor, Don Parker, KB8PSL, Who assumed the DEC position in February 2020, resigned his position for personal reasons. He will continue working as the Dayton SKYWARN co-Coordinator and as an AEC for Montgomery County ARES.
Bob Baker, N8ADO has been nominated as the new Greene County EC.
It’s coming! Ohio NVIS Day 2023 will be held Saturday April 22, from 10AM until 4PM EDT.
The purpose of NVIS day is to construct and try various antenna ideas, all working as NVIS (Near Vertical
Incident Skywave) antennas. These antennas are low to the ground and provide coverage generally
within a 400 mile radius- extremely important for regional HF communications in an emergency.
Take a big step forward and build upon the concept to answer the question, “How would we actually use
these antennas?”
For 2023, we have added a couple operating scenarios that will make your day more fun and be a
learning event for actual disaster communications. We propose a commercial power blackout, with the
need to communicate within your ARES district and to ‘The Sarge” at the Ohio EOC in Columbus.
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive/ARLB023/2022
SB QST @ ARL $ARLB023 ARLB023 New General Question Pool Released for Ham Radio Licensing Effective July 1, 2023 ZCZC AG23 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 23 ARLB023 >From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT December 12, 2022 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB023 ARLB023 New General Question Pool Released for Ham Radio Licensing Effective July 1, 2023 The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators' (NCVEC) Question Pool Committee (QPC) has released the 2023 - 2027 General Class FCC Element 3 Syllabus and Question Pool to the public. The new General Question Pool is effective July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027. The new pool incorporates some significant changes compared to the 2019 - 2023 version. Its 432 questions were modified slightly to improve wording and to replace distractors; 51 new questions were generated, and 73 questions were eliminated. This resulted in a reduction of 22 questions, bringing the total number of questions in the pool down from 454. The level of difficulty of questions is more balanced, and the techniques and practices addressed have been updated. The pool is available as a Microsoft Word document and PDF online at, http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=369 . The single graphic required for the new General Question Pool is available within the documents, or separately as PDF and JPG file formats. "The newly revised pool must be used for General-class license exams starting July 1, 2023," said ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, who is a member of the NCVEC Question Pool Committee. "New test designs will be available to ARRL Volunteer Examiners on that date. The ARRL VEC will supply its officially appointed, field-stocked VE teams with new General exam booklet designs around mid-June." General class examination candidates preparing for their exams using the 9th edition of The General Class License Manual, and/or the 6th edition of ARRL's General Q & A are encouraged to test by, or before, June 30, 2023. New editions of ARRL licensing publications will be available in May, for exams taken on, or after, July 1, 2023. NNNN /EX
N8QHV’s 7 September training concerned a document on EMP Protection Recommendations.
Ohio District 3 ARES has two Winlink RMS nodes. Both operate under the callsign KD3WCO.
Packet: 145.010 MHz simplex
KD3WCO-10 Packet RMS
KD3WCO-4 Packet Digipeater
VARA FM
KD3WCO-10 VARA FM RMS
KD3WCO-4 VARA FM Digipeater
These are the systems formerly operated by W6CDR (SK)
For more information about Winlink, see the District 3 ARES Winlink Training page.
N8QHV’s 16 March training was about preparation for a nuclear event.
ARES Around Ohio
Ohio’s amateur radio operators continued to train and supply important community service over the year 2021. Using their own radio equipment, these operators continued to educate themselves through NIMS and other sources to present a trained, ready resource to counties and Ohio.
According to independentsector.org, the 2021 hourly value of a volunteer was $28.54.
Ohio ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) members provided 58,202 hours of training, meeting, and service valued at $1.661 Million. In addition, each of our over 955 members provided an average of $300 in radio equipment, saving our communities and the state $286,500.
ARES operators provided 17,000 hours of service for 678 “public service” events (parades, rides, runs, and competition) and they provided 6579 hours of service in 113 emergency events (the majority being weather-related).
ARES members work hard to present a trained resource to our partners. We have over 1,000 active members. 732 have completed the four NIMS courses (100, 200, 700, 800) to be considered “Level 2” operators. 196 have added either 300-400 or the Professional Development Series to qualify for management positions. 74 have completed Auxcomm training, 10 are COML, 2 COMN, and 4 COMT rated. Ohio ARES keeps an extensive training database on all ARES members. Including such credentials as firefighting, EMT/Medic, police and many other credits, we now have over 10,000 certificates on file. We submit this level of training across the state is unrivaled by any other state.
The Ohio Auxcomm Team
The Ohio Auxcomm Team operates station W8SGT at the Ohio EOC. Over 2021, 139 unique Ohio operators contacted the station over 941 times during our 41 weekly readiness HF voice nets. There were numerous contacts from outside Ohio, including PA, SC, TN, VA, WI and WV. The station is set up for voice, digital and Winlink operation on HF, VHF and UHF frequencies. Our operators are well trained and at the ‘top of the list’ for net control and emergency skills. Most have experience in the emergency services, all have experience participating in actual emergencies. Some represent our skills elsewhere, such as an annual trip for two of our operators to communicate with the New York Marathon. These operators are dedicated to the program, attending the EOC each Tuesday evening for the weekly readiness nets. Our operators develop and maintain antennas and equipment interfaces as needed.
Ohio Digital Emergency Net
A critical service of amateur radio is transmitting formatted ICS forms. The Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN) is part of Ohio ARES with the purpose of operating digitally to send these messages. Holding weekly readiness checks over 12 months, 80 unique operators totaled 788 contacts averaging 65 per month. These Came from an average of 18 counties per month.
There are several layers of HF voice nets in Ohio to organize and send messages. These nets are mentioned because they are included as a part of our larger “Simulated Emergency Test” sponsored by the ARRL each October.
Local Emergency Nets
Ohio counties in which there is an active ARES program conduct regular local nets on VHF/UHF frequencies. Many also conduct local digital nets. Ohio county ARES units conducted 4,319 voice nets and 693 digital nets accumulating 27,109 hours. These times are included in the general ARES report above. These local nets carry the specific purpose of service our county partners from EMA, hospital and other agencies.
It should be noted that most “Skywarn” severe weather nets are conducted on a local basis, communicating with the National Weather Service. These times are in addition to activity cited above. However, ARES and the Auxcomm team continue a program aimed at providing blanket coverage of the state through digital voice systems when needed.
The “Watch Desk Project”
Storm systems usually bring serious static and RF noise making communication on HF bands extremely difficult. By linking the two major digital voice repeater systems in Ohio (Yaesu’s “System Fusion” and the P-25 based “DMR” system) we offer coverage through over 225 repeaters saturating the state. This creates a significant ability to communicate static-free with handheld radios. This “Watch Desk Project” has been used in cooperation with the EOC’s Watch Desk during severe weather outbreaks. It is a valuable resource that stands ready when needed.
We Test Our Readiness
In order to test our readiness to be a viable resource Ohio ARES participates in the ARRL-sponsored “Simulated Emergency Test” in early October each year. Ohio generally places in the top three ranking nationwide. This year’s scenario was a derecho with heavy wind damage followed by days of sub-zero cold resulting in loss of power and communication. Thirty one counties and over two hundred operators were active for the exercise as was the Ohio Auxcomm Team and W8SGT. W8SGT received 35 digital messages (205, 213, others plus Winlink forms) 31 formal voice messages and many tactical communications over the daylong period.
Another important test is the “Ohio ARES VHF Plus” radio contest. Conducted as a contest, this event in early January is actually a test of residential VHF/UHF antennas and stations. It affords operators the chance to plot where their “simplex” signals (non-repeater) may be heard. This gives the knowledge of how they would participate in a large-scale disaster or prolonged power outage that would take away repeaters.
Members of our teams appreciate the cooperation and acceptance of our partners at all levels! We will continue to study and practice to maintain our service at acceptable levels.
Submitted by OH SEC Stan Broadway – N8BHL
From the Ohio Section Postscript 10 Jan 2022
