 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
News last updated: Thu, June 18, 2009 at 5:44 PM ET
JUNE NC SECTION NEWS
EARTHQUAKE DRILL AND INTEROPERABILITY EXCERCISE IS JUNE 23-24
NC Emergency Management has scheduled a "graded" NCEM/FEMA exercise for June 23 and 24. There is not much information available from EM (it's supposed to be a surprise), but the drill scenario is a massive earthquake centering in the Buncombe County area. The exercise script will "break" all landline and cellular telephone systems, electrical power, cable TV and Internet/email. We believe that state emergency management will hand over all communications to Amateur Radio and then grade our response. This is a great chance to prove our worth to our most important served agency! Volunteers will be needed to staff EOC's, shelter locations and other locations as requested by emergency management. We also need additional net control operators for the Tarheel Emergency Net on 3.927/3.923MHz or 7.232MHz +/- due to QRM. In addition to the Tarheel net, we'll be using repeaters in the area linked together on the Piedmont Coastal Repeater Network. The drill will also exercise the new WINLINK system at the branch EOC's. As the exercise scenario develops we will adapt to circumstances and carry out our respective roles. The exercise will encompass 2 days with recovery beginning on Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday. An agency interoperability exercise will overlay the western branch earthquake exercise and promote testing of facilities/pathways between various government agencies and the Amateur Radio community. This event is the first statewide interoperability test across disparate facilities and will form the basis for follow-on exercises to test overall interoperable capabilities across the range of State agencies and the Amateur Radio community.
FIELD DAY IS COMING!
The largest ARRL sponsored event of the year - Field Day - is only days away. On June 27 and 28 around 30,000 hams from across the country are expected to participate. Make sure your site is registered on the field day locator map at www.arrl.org. The North Carolina section has 40 sites registered so far! Don't forget to send me a radiogram during the event and earn an extra 100 points! I'll have my packet station, N4IB, running all weekend and can be reached through NCCLT. Also, on Saturday, June 27, I'll be on the North Carolina Evening Net at 6:30pm on 3.923, ready to take traffic.
JUNE 21-28 IS AMATEUR RADIO APPRECIATION WEEK IN NC
On June 8, Governor Beverly Purdue signed a proclamation making June 21-28 "Amateur Radio Recognition and Appreciation Week" in North Carolina. A copy of the proclamation is posted on www.ncarrl.org. A printed copy makes a good addition to the public information table at your field day site. I'll be carrying the original with me on my field day visits if anyone wants to make a picture. My travels this year will focus on the central portion of the state, between Asheville and Raleigh.
Mayor Allen Jones has proclaimed June as "Amateur Radio Awareness Month" in the City of Winston Salem, "in recognition of the amateur radio operators here at home and around the country and with appreciation for their willingness to devote a part of their lives to developing essential communication skills that assist people all over the world in many different ways".
MOUNT MITCHELL REPEATERS
Many of you have heard about an instruction from WMIT that all amateur repeaters be removed from their transmitter site on Clingmans Peak, near Mount Mitchell. There are two 70cm repeaters, a 2m repeater and a 6m machine involved. Leadership from the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society, county emergency management and ARRL have been working with WMIT management to address their concerns. At this time, we are cautiously optimistic that the issues can be resolved and at this time no more letters or contact with WMIT are needed from the amateur community.
MEDIA HITS
Field day coverage has already begun! "Ham Radio Enthusiasts Active Now More Than Ever" appeared in the Wilmington Star News Online. Ham radio was also well represented at the WECT Hurricane Expo in Wilmington on June 4.
REGISTER YOUR GROUP FOR NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
Last year, hundreds of clubs and ARES groups registered with the Department of Homeland Security as participants for National Preparedness Month, which is September. According to our section public information coordinator, Bill Morine, N2COP, so many Amateur Radio clubs and groups were registered that for a time ham radio groups outnumbered all the others put together! Amateur Radio got a lot of recognition for that! In most cases, all groups needed to do was what they were doing anyway - nothing special - as we are already always working on preparedness issues. Why not get credit for it in federal eyes? If you have not yet signed up to be a 2009 Coalition Member, visit http://ready.adcouncil.org/ to register. Becoming a Coalition Member means you pledge to promote emergency preparedness during the month of September. This can be done either by holding a simulated emergency test, providing information, hosting events and/or sponsoring activities in your communities. Even if you were a Coalition Member last year, you still need to re-register this year if you intend to participate. National Preparedness Month Coalition membership is open to all public and private sector organizations for free. Once you register you will receive access to the NPM Web site where you can find a toolkit full of templates, resources, and tips to assist you with promoting emergency preparedness.
NEW ARRL AFFILIATED CLUB
Congratulations to the newest ARRL affiliated club in North Carolina, the Cleveland County Amateur Radio Service. Based in Shelby, NC, the club meets the third Tuesday of every month. More info is available aat http://www.ccarsnc.org/. The CCARS joins 59 other ARRL affiliated clubs in North Carolina who are current in the league database.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 23-24: State Emergency Management Drill
June 27 & 28: ARRL Field Day
July 11: Salisbury Hamfest
July 18: Cary Swapfest
July 25: Western Carolina Hamfest, Waynesville
July 25 & 26: APRS Golden Packet Event, Western NC
August 8: Cape Fear ARS Swapfest, Fayetteville
MAY TRAFFIC
K4IWW 292, N3BW 272, KI4YV 136, W4TTO 57, KI4ZJI 55, W4DNA 51, W4FAL 44, KE4AHC 35, W3HL 28, W4EHF 16, WX4MMM 8, NC4VA 7.
MAY PSHR
NC4VA 472, W4DNA 130, W4FAL 130, K4IWW 120, KI4ZJI 120, W2EAG 110, W4TTO 105, KI4YV 100.
MAY ARES MEMBERS: 1,818, -3 from last month.
|
Responsibility for content of all posted material above rests
exclusively with the item author. ARRL staff assumes no responsibility
for errors, omissions, and accuracy of items appearing on this page. All
questions and comments should be directed to the item author.
