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IN THIS EDITION:
October
6-7 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
14 North American RTTY Sprint
15 to 19 School Club Roundup
19 First Quarter
20-21 Scouts Jamboree On the Air 50th Anniv
27-28 CQ WW DX SSB Contest
November
3-4 ARRL November Sweepstakes--CW
4 Daylight Saving Time Ends
17-18 ARRL November Sweepstakes--Phone
24-25 CQ WW DX CW Contest
30 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends
30 ARRL 160 Meter Contest
The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is a nationwide exercise in emergency communications, administered by ARRL Field Organization Leaders including Emergency Coordinators, District Emergency Coordinators, Section Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Many other Section Leaders like the Section Manager and the Section Traffic Manager may have a hand in planning the exercises and/or reviewing the results. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), National Traffic System (NTS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and other public-service oriented groups can be involved. The SET weekend gives communicators the opportunity to focus on the emergency-communications capability within your community while interacting with NTS nets. Although the main SET weekend this year is October 6 -7, local and section-wide exercises may be held throughout the fall season.
To participate in this year’s emergency test, contact your local ARRL emergency coordinator or net manager to find out the details for your area. ARRL Sections, ARES teams and nets may conduct their exercises anytime during September through December. If you don’t know who to call, please touch base with your ARRL Section Manager for assistance. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/setguide.html
This is a drill This is a drill
Something happened – you are being called out NOW.
In 2006 the very first “drill” was held on the PR reflector. While no one actually had to go anywhere, it caused many PIOs to think through what they would do if something DID indeed happen. Were they ready to fulfill their roles? Did they even know what they were supposed to be doing in an emergency, or where to go?
There have been many recent local events in which Amateur Radio operators played key roles in emergency operations but little appeared in the media about their efforts. It appears that many times it is simply because there was no designated PIO on the scene to inform media about what was happening. To help in this, here’s what we hope will be the first of many aids for PIOs to work closer with ARES groups.
You're at work or away from home when something happens. It sounds bad – very bad. There is call up for amateur radio support in your community or section. You may not have a radio with you and yet as a PIO you are responsible for promoting amateur radio's role to the news media.
What tools should you have with you in a PIO Go-Kit?
What tools might be available to you?
The nice part about it is that most of a PIOs materials can be put into electronic form and there are now finger sized flash drives that plug into computer USB ports. That makes it easy! Add in a disposable or (better yet) digital camera and you’re in good shape.
Things to have On Hand
Once at a PC with Internet connections
A one-page form for you
keep it readily available and also give to your area’s ECs to pass out…
----------------
The _____________________ Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) has been activated to assist with primary/auxiliary emergency communications for this event. The group is coordinated by _______________________ (name of EC or acting EC).
_______________ ARES is working with the ______________ county/city/town Office of Emergency Management and the following agency(ies): _________________________
__________________________________________________
The group is providing communications links between: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Amateur Radio operators are stationed at the following locations to provide communications assistance:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________(#) of Amateur Radio operators are at the sites
_____________(#) of additional Amateur Radio operators are on standby for additional communications needs.
(Insert boilerplate paragraph about the local ARES group)
For more information contact
________________________ (name of acting PIO)
________________________ (e-mail)
________________________ (phone and pager numbers)
FEMA also has suggestions for media people on their educational websites.
FEMA’s suggestions:
To respond to an incident, you will need the basic equipment to do the job and it must be portable and ready for rapid deployment. In addition to the basics like paper and pencils, your “go kit” should include technology such as:
Go kits should include more than just equipment and technology resources. Some other resources to include in your go kit are:
Here’s a basic news release you can use for the upcoming SET drill. Please contact your local or section ARES leaders for details, fill in the blanks, and use it – or better yet, write one specific to your area.
News Release
YOUR NAME
ADDRESS
CONTACT INFO
Ham Radio Tests Emergency Communications in ___my town/area_
My Town, St Date -- America was reminded of the critical role of Amateur Radio in 2005 as ham operators came from all over the country to provide emergency communications when other systems failed during recovery efforts from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This year the hams’ work continued providing lifesaving services in many floods and wildfires around the country. Because of the complexity of modern communications, they can be overwhelmed in a disaster. These lessons are being tested on __date__ as Amateur Radio operators in __place__ conduct their annual Simulated Emergency Test.
Using emergency powered radios and working with local agencies, the hams will establish radio communications networks which can be used should there be a failure or overload of normal services such as was seen in the days following many types of incidents. In addition, the ham radio operators provide the ability to communicate between the many government and volunteer agencies which are needed in disasters.
This year the __town/area__ Amateur Radio operators will be replicating ____scenario for your SET______________________________________________ . The hams have the slogan, “When all else fails – Amateur Radio!” According to __spokesperson__ , “The hams of ___town/area___ take that quite seriously.”
Amateur Radio volunteer operators from across the country respond to the calls for aid when needed. Despite cell phones and satellites, every year has seen situations in which they have been called upon in critical situations needing expert communications to keep an emergency from turning into a disaster. They provide their services and equipment freely to their communities. They are “Amateurs” only in that they are not paid, but their service in a crisis can be priceless.
###
What do Amateur Radio operators do during and after disasters?
Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of telephone lines.
How do Amateur Radio operators help local officials?
Many radio amateurs are active as communications volunteers with local public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters, radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials and Amateur Radio operators step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and other elements in the communications infrastructure are damaged.
What are the major Amateur Radio emergency organizations?
Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local "traffic nets" using VHF (very high frequencies) and UHF (ultra high frequencies). At the state level, hams are often involved with state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate at the national level through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) which is coordinated through the American Radio Relay League and its field volunteers, and through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) which is coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In addition, in areas that are prone to severe weather, many hams are involved in Skywarn, operating under the National Weather Service.
Is Amateur Radio recognized as a resource by national relief organizations?
Many national organizations have formal agreements with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other Amateur Radio groups including:
• Department of Homeland Security - Citizen Corps
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• National Communications System
• American Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• National Weather Service
• Association of Public Safety Communications Officials
To Learn More:
The best way to learn about Amateur Radio is talking to hams face-to-face. To find out how to get started and who to contact in your area, call or write:
The American Radio Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111
Telephone 1-800-32 NEW-HAM www.arrl.org/hamradio.html
__________________________________
You are probably aware that FEMA has many free classes for ARES and emergency volunteers. Did you know there are special classes for PIOs? Take a couple – I did!
-Allen, w1agp
COURSE: IS-702 - NIMS Public Information Systems
Basic responsibilities of the PIO include the following:
A comment on the FEMA courses from John, KC2MHZ
I followed the suggestion on the web page and completed the FEMA IS-702 (NIMS Public Information Systems) course, and there's some good stuff in that course. I'll probably never use a lot of it, but you never know - I said the same thing after I finished the Mass Care course from the Red Cross and I ended up using it last October. One thing from IS-702 that I will use is the "smart book" idea. So far, my "smart book" has always been between my ears, but I'm going to start a hardcopy one to keep in my briefcase.
At any rate that recommendation was a good one.
__________________________________________________________
October 20-21
The 50th anniversary of JOTA is coming up in October. We urge you to
contact your local Boy Scout council to see if they have a local JOTA station listed. Ironically, the local scout office may know of a ham that normally doesn’t go through club or PIO channels who’s spearheading the JOTA effort. Or, better yet, volunteer to promote JOTA. To find your nearest local Boy Scout council, go to http://www.scouting.org/ and type in your zip code, or go to the national Girl Scout website at http://www.girlscouts.org/councilfinder/ and find the nearest council.
Remember: JOTA is not only the largest official scouting event in the
world with an expected 500,000 participants (ten times larger than the
Boy Scout National Jamboree), but it’s also open to both Boy and Girl
Scouts, making one of the few joint events between the two scout
organizations, and one of the few internationally sponsored events.
Another great resource for JOTA is the ScoutRadio group inside Yahoo
Groups.
The theme of JOTA 2007 is "Around the world in 50 hours". This year JOTA is being held on 20-21 October with the operating window extended to 50 hours for this anniversary event from Friday (19 October) 22:00 local to Sunday 24:00 local.
Information on JOTA can be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota/
http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota-resources/jota2007september.pdf
Some other good information on youth activities, scouting and Ham Radio:http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/06/01/3/?nc=1
JOTA is a golden opportunity for PR as it has the elements of a good
story - Kids and Scouts.
-------------------------------
Kentucky Club makes News – and Friends
Impressed with what he saw at a local school, John Meyers, NB4K, sent this email to the Amateur Radio class (Radio Technology 1).
“The Board of Directors for the Kentucky District 7 Amateur Radio Emergency Team (KD7ARET) decided to donate up to $70.00 for 5 students who have a monetary need for funding to be able to take their FCC exam at the conclusion of your fall semester. This money will not be a gift to them but a way for them to earn it. Any student needing this help must complete at your discretion at least 3 hours of voluntary time either to their school, church or community. Once this is completed we will make sure their fee is paid.
Secondly, KD7ARET will purchase a 2 meter handi-talkie (handheld) for the student holding the highest GPA in just your class.
Northern Kentucky Amateur Radio Club (NKARC) our sister organization will be glad to give a year free dues to all student who successfully pass their FCC exam. This will be for the whole 2008 year.
We feel very good about what you and the administration at Dixie High School has not only done for our hobby but our children and grandchildren by giving them the opportunity to learn about their country, other countries and their cultures, math, science and the opportunity to make something of themselves through a different venue.
I along with KD7ARET and NKARC are at your beck and call for help or assistance in the advancement of these students.
John D. Meyers, NB4K
Chairman KD7ARET
------------------------------------------
Another PR Hint:
So you didn’t get your 15 seconds of fame on the local broadcast TV – but did you get on their Website??? A study by The Media Audit reveals that 27% of U.S. adults and almost 40% of the population of adult Web users visit the site of a local TV station.
If you cannot get the airtime, see about getting some “webtime.”
------------------------------------
NOMINATE A LOCAL REPORTER FOR THE LEONARD AWARD
If you've seen a particularly good article on ham radio in print, on television, or heard one on the radio, nominate the reporter who did it for the 2007 Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award. The deadline for nominations is December 7, 2007. Nominated work must have appeared between December 8, 2006 and December 7, 2007.
The annual award honors a professional journalist whose outstanding coverage in TV, radio, print or multimedia best reflects the enjoyment, importance and public service value of Amateur Radio. The award was created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE. He was an avid Amateur Radio operator, and most active on the air during the 1960s and 1970s.
Nominations are judged by members of the League's PR Committee, and the final decision is made during the ARRL Board meeting in January. The winner receives an engraved plaque and a cash award of $500. Please note that some news organizations prohibit journalists from entering contests that offer monetary awards. Checking with your potential nominee ahead of time is a good idea.
Rules for Entry
For more information about the award, or to obtain a nomination form and the official rules for entry, contact ARRL's Media Relations Department, apitts@arrl.org or call 860-594-0328.
From Pat Ryan, KC6VVT, ARRL Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator
The Citizen Corps, which has the ARRL is listed as a cosponsor, asks on
their web page 'How much is a volunteer worth per hour?' at:
https://www.citizencorps.gov/ Following this link there, the estimated dollar value of volunteer time is $18.77 per hour for 2006 (2007 will be announced later)
see- The Value of Volunteer Time - at: http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html
for a chart of this worth over the years.
Individual states listed there for 2005 volunteer worth for modifying
these PSAR forms for your state agencies to consider, too.
The ARRL PSAR FSD-157 form shows $19.00 per hour as our volunteer worth
when reporting on our volunteer activities. A blank copy of the PSAR form is available in Adobe (.pdf) and MS Word (.doc) formats at
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/fsd157.pdf
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/fsd157.doc
At the SW Division Convention, there was a visitor named Helene who made a video.
This is not unusual, and would not normally be worthy of mention….
BUT…..
How many local videos have you seen of ham radio that almost put you to sleep? Probably too many. Often they can be like watching someone else’s vacation slide show. But this one was different. Sure there are mistakes and the camera work was done “on the fly,” but see if you can guess what still made it notable enough that we’re talking about doing more in the future. (…and yes, she’s studying to become a ham J)
If you want your audience to be excited about ham radio, then guess who has to show that excitement and interest first. Here’s some great examples of how to do it:
"Hamming it up with Helene" Website: http://web.mac.com/heleneweinberg
---------------------------------
During the month of September 2007, there were many positive articles in the media about Amateur Radio. But, there were also a few which did major damage to the public perception of our Service. Unfortunately they were in large metropolitan newspapers and, by the time an ARRL PIO learned about them, it was too late to change things. These articles were proclaiming the “death of Amateur Radio”, that it was antique and an anachronism to the 21st century, full of ancient grumpy men and that the hams themselves were not friendly nor welcoming. The real tragedy of this is that the reporters were quoting their community’s own local hams!
While not all areas of the country are motivated by the same approaches, there really is a lot of new growth in important areas. In some places, emergency operations and EmComm is indeed a BIG deal. We are gaining many new hams entering the field because they want to be part of a response operation. That is part of this year’s PR push on EmComm. In other areas, it may not be EmComm that is the big draw. It could be the hobby side of the Service. For them, the “Hello!” materials are still available and timely. If that fits your area, then use them there. In some other places or situations, it will be the technical side of Amateur Radio that is of interest. The ARRL is working on a coordinated program for that to come out in 2008. It will be the hardest of the three to create, but plans are already well along.
These three, Hobby, EmComm and Technical activities are the motivational keystones of the Service. No one thing is going to attract “the general population.” We encourage you to look at your own local situation. Which type of motivator works best in your area? Use that one. In the meantime, our importance in EmComm is a motivator in antenna issues, spectrum defense and other political situations.
Are we “dying” out? Not really. Amateur Radio never was, nor will be, a “mainstream” activity. But recent numbers are up and, just as important, the percentage of hams who actually get on the air or go on to higher class licenses is up. With the 10 year license-lag, most who are dropping out seem never to have been active to begin with. We also see trends which follow the solar cycles – currently at a low.
To quote Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Over the past two months the national PR Committee has seen far too many articles quoting their local hams saying we are all dying out! With attitudes like that, is it any wonder the reporters print it? It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This is why we need informed, active PIOs and hams need to defer media responses to them. Anytime you or a ham in your area is contacted by the media, steer them to your local PIO. If you don't have one nearby, steer them to your section's PIC. These professionals are trained in showing the best that amateur radio has to offer to the public and to prospective licensees. Fifteen minutes of individual fame is not worth the damage your personal opinions could cause to us all.
- Allen, w1agp