“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
                              -- General George S. Patton

THE EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN - No. 179 - 
7 October 2003

A Weekly Bulletin for ARES and other EMCOMM Operators and Public Safety Officials in “the west”...and beyond.

D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ - Chief Editor - k6soj@arrl.net
Bill Frazier, W7ARC - Washington Associate Editor and Webmaster
Ed Ewell, K7DXV - Assoc. Editor Training / Technical Consultant
Paul Cavnar, NN7B - Associate Editor, Nevada
Sgt. Dave Nicholson, KB6PNT - Assoc. Editor and SAR Advisor
INTERNET: www.emcomm.org  E-MAIL: k6soj@arrl.net
A.R.R.L. HQ: www.arrl.org/ (Check it daily!)
---------------------------------------------------------------
• RADIO WATCH • MONITOR • CALLING • TRAFFIC • EMCOMM • GUARD •
• EMCOMMWEST: 7111 KHZ DAY / 3711 KHZ NIGHT / 146.52 MHZ 24/7
• ALASKA WATCH/TRAFFIC/CALLING: 3534 // 7042 // 14050 KHZ
• NEVADA ARES MONITOR/CALLING SSB: 3965 KHZ
---------------------------------------------------------------
L = Current local time in the [PST winter / PDT summer] zone.
Z = Universal Time Coordinated - UTC (same as ZULU and GMT.

    HOMELAND SECURITY ALERT LEVEL:   ELEVATED    (Yellow)

IN THIS EDITION ...
+ NEW SUBSCRIBERS
+ SHORT CIRCUITS
+ FEEDBACK
+ COMING EVENTS
+ TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • TRAUMA ALERT
  • OCT 1 PRACTICE RADIOGRAMS
+ NWS SKYWARN SECTION
+ EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN INFORMATION

+ WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS -
  • Chuck Miller, KD6AQM, Rancho Cordova, California - SARCR, RACES, ARES
  • Kevin Dickson, K6KWD, Foresthill, California - Placer County ARES
  • Shawn Gillogly, KG6GMV, Auburn, California - Placer County ARES

+ SHORT CIRCUITS -
  • Bill Frazier, W7ARC, OES, ORS is the new STM for the WWA Section.
  • Michael Colvin, W6CUJ, Yuba-Sutter EC (SV Section) has succesfully
    completed ARECC-02.
  • Ray Skinner, WA6UUR, Fort Jones, CA - SK.   Ray and Jean, KD6PLY were
    Siskiyou County ARES VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR for 1996.

+ FEEDBACK, SQUEALS, WHISTLES...AND SPURIOUS EMISSIONS -

  “I really look forward to receiving your EMCOMMWEST Bulletin each week. I doubt seriously if ANYONE else in the U.S. puts forth the time and effort you do. I plan on plagiarizing it frequently. Communications and Training is the key to our success! - Harry, KG6RIM, Pilot Hill, CA

COMMENT: Thanks for the kind words Harry.  Harry is the webmaster for EL Dorado County ARES and District 4 (SV Section).  View his work at:
http://www.ares-el-dorado-county.org
http://www.ares-sv-d4.org
-------------------------
Ref. “ICAO RADIOTELEPHONY PROCEDURE WORDS AND PHRASES” (ECWB #178)

  “Would the word ‘OKAY’ have a place in the vocabulary?  ‘Okay?’ (Do you agree or understand.)  ‘Okay!’ (I agree or understand.)  Morse -- "--- -.-"
Try it.” - Fred White, WB6WFF, Sonora, CA

COMMENT: Well Fred, I don’t know why “Okay” isn’t listed in the ICAO RADIOTELEPHONY PROCEDURE WORDS AND PHRASES.  My guess is that since these words and phrases are an international standard, and are used by many for whom English is a second language, my guess is that the word “Okay” may sound like a word that may have an entirely different meaning in some other language.  As for the Morse ”OK”, it is commonly used (I use it myself as a friendly “I agree”).  But as far as I know, it is not an official abbreviation or prosign.  I guess that’s because everyone knows what it means.  Okay? - Editor

>From “Central Mendocino County” (CA):
  “Hello,  Len, WA6KLK here.  On October first I will no longer be the San Francisco Section Manager. My term is up and I am being replaced by Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, of Santa Rosa. He has been my ASM for almost four years.

  Bill will do a great job and I will assist him where and when I can. He has many new ideas and is going to make some changes in the section. My many thanks to you and to EMCOMM for all the support I have received. Although I haven’t made the Jefferson Noon Net too much lately, I hope to
get back on track shortly and get involved again.” TNX es 73 Len Gwinn, WA6KLK.

COMMENT:  And thanks for all of YOUR support the past few years Len.  Good luck to you on your new adventures!   C U ON JNN. - Editor

  “Just returned from a two day trip to Sierra County...did a little fishing at Sardine Lake.  Kathy caught one really nice 13” Brook Trout and I caught two (14” and 10”) had fish for dinner.  Camping was nice with very few campers this late in the season.  Got down to 39 degrees at night.

  I have been using the NVIS type antenna that you wrote up in one of your EMCOMM BULLETINS.  Connected one end of the wire to the top of the ladder on the back of the motor home.  Have an insulator at the 20 meter resonate point and a clip to jumper over the insulator to make a 40 meter resonate point with another insulator with a jumper to make for a 75/80 meter length.  Works quite well. I had the wire hooked to the top of the ladder (I use vertical sticks there under most conditions) and the wire just draped over several bushes. Got really good results up into Oregon and down into Southern California as well as Idaho.  Simplicity works well!” -
Frank Sharit, W6DHN - Georgetown, CA

COMMENT:  “Sardine Lake’?  In the High Sierras?  But glad the “K.I.S.S.” antenna worked well for you.  One drawback on that antenna and vehicle counter-poise method is that it may cause interference to other HF stations when operating in a congested situation (such as Field Day or an emergency operation).  But it sure is “the ticket” for quick deployment at a road side or wilderness location.  (The antenna Frank mentioned is described at: http://www.emcomm.org/svares/projects/nvis.htm )

+++ COMING EVENTS +++

+ TOMORROW + (10/8)

+ NET REMINDER - (2nd Wednesday of the month)
• Sacramento Valley Section ARRL Net (Stations outside SV section welcome).
• 1900L 146.085- (127.3) SV Section ARRL Net (south-central valley area).
• 1930L 3987± kHz LSB (1982 kHz alternate).

+ 9 DAYS UNTIL PACIFICON 2003 -
  • Pacific Division ARRL Convention
  • October 17, 18, 19, 2003
  • San Ramon Marriott Hotel
    2200 Bishop Drive
    San Ramon, California
  • www.pacificon.org.

++ NOVEMBER ++

+ CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE EXERCISE

•  The California Emergency Medical Services Authority and Department of Health Services (EMSA/DHS) will conduct a statewide exercise on 13 November 2003 from 1600 to 2000 PST.
• The California OES/ACS has been invited to coordinate emergency communications.  The exercise will include ACS/RACES and ARES EMCOMM at the local, section, regional and statewide level.  All ACS, RACES, and/or ARES operators should begin now to make sure that their field gear is operational, and that their formal message handling and net operating
skills are up to par.

+++ TRAINING and CONTINUING EDUCATION SECTION +++
    Ed Ewell, K7DXV, Associate Editor for Training/Technical

NOTE: “TRAUMA ALERT” is in two parts.  It is designed to be reproduced and is in a format suitable for distribution to local officials and others as an educational document about amateur radio and EMCOMM.  You may choose to distribute only the first page, or both pages if desired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
“TRAUMA ALERT”
by D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ

  Imagine that you and your family are on a motor trip far from home. Suddenly, you are involved in a traffic accident.  While you escape serious injury, your loved ones are seriously injured.  They receive emergency treatment “on scene” by EMT’s and paramedics.  The ambulance driver asks if
you have a preference as to which hospital you wish to have them transported.  He states that there are two hospitals available, each is about five miles away, but in opposite directions.

  The ambulance driver tells you that when Community Hospital is notified that they are about to receive several multiple-trauma patients, they page for “any available doctors and nurses” to respond to the emergency department.  They believe that since doctors, nurses, and technicians are all licensed; having an emergency team that works and trains together on a regular basis, really isn’t necessary.

   The driver also mentions that at University Hospital, they have a “trauma team” on stand-by that is composed of emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, trauma nurses, and technicians that work and train together on a regular basis.  They all regularly take up-to-date continuing education courses and several have post graduate certification in various specialties.  They know each other’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses; and are familiar with their equipment and know how to use it even under adverse conditions. 

  Which hospital would YOU choose?

  Now let’s take another scenario and apply it to emergency communications. Suppose that you are an emergency manager for a county emergency service agency.  A major incident has occurred affecting your entire region or state.  Commercial power, telephones and computers are all down.  The hospital has a critical patient that urgently needs two units of B Neg.” (Whole blood.)  An emergency radio message must be sent to the blood center at the state capitol, 300 miles away to request two units of B Neg. to be sent by emergency airlift.  The message must be sent “letter perfect”. There is NO room for error.  You have two choices:

1. - You call a ham radio friend and ask him for help.  He gets on the local repeater and says that all available hams are to report to the county EOC.  Within minutes three licensed hams arrive.  When you ask to send the emergency traffic, all you get is three blank stares.   

One of them starts calling for help on the repeater.  Several hams answer and ask what is happening.  But none of them know how to format and forward formal (message) traffic.

2. - A trained and skilled EMCOMM operator is already at the EOC.  She carries a HT, and has a VHF mobile transceiver in the parking lot.  She tells you that a local and ARRL Section Net has already been activated. The ARES operator quickly formats a formal message and within minutes
transmits it to a local ARRL Official Emergency Station for relay. Within 30 minutes the blood is aboard a State Police helicopter and it arrives in about 2 hours.

Which EMCOMM team would YOU choose?

This is the mission of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

If you are interested in learning more about how the ARES “handles” formal (RADIOGRAM) message traffic...read Part II >

“TRAUMA ALERT” - PART II

   The ARES operator is directed to Dr. DeFibb, the message “originator”. She asks the doctor to write down who the message is going to and what he wants the message to say.  She remembers the “TRAFFIC HANDLER’S “MANTRA”... “No • Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed” (NUMBER-PRECEDENCE-HX-STATION OF ORIGIN-CHECK-PLACE OF ORIGIN-TIME-DATE) On the first line she writes:

1 EMERGENCY HXE K1PYL 22  WATERTOWN CA  1100PST  NOV 13

She formats a RADIOGRAM with the name and address, text, and signature:

DUTY OFFICER
CAPITAL CITY BLOOD CENTER
35 RED CROSS DR
CAPITOL TOWN CA  95600
916 555 5555

NEED TWO UNITS B NEGATIVE
WHOLE BLOOD BY 1500 TODAY
REQUESTING EMERGENCY AIRLIFT TO UNIVERSITY
HOSPITAL WATERTOWN ADVISE BY RADIOGRAM
WHEN AIRBORNE

H DEFIBB MD UNIV HOSP WATERTOWN

  The ARES operator then shows the RADIOGRAM to Dr. DeFibb who “OKs” it by initialing it near his name on the signature line.  She then IMMEDIATELY goes to her car, and calls the local ARES Net Control Station on the net frequency.  Local nets are usually on VHF (short range).

K1PYL: “K1PYL WITH  EMERGENCY TRAFFIC. OVER.”
NCS: “ALL STATIONS STAND BY.”  K1PYL GO AHEAD.”
K1PYL: “I HAVE EMERGENCY TRAFFIC FOR CAPITOL TOWN. OVER.”
NCS: STAND BY.  W1PTO ARE YOU ON FREQUENCY?  OVER.”

(W1PTO is an ARRL Official Emergency Station.  The NCS knows that W1PTO is VHF and HF equipped for operation on emergency power, and that the section ARES net was “lit up” (activated) shortly after the incident occurred.)

W1PTO: “AFFIRMATIVE.  K1PYL IS Q FIVE. OVER.”
NCS: “K1PYL SEND YOUR TRAFFIC.”

K1PYL, using proper ARRL procedure and ITU phonetics (as needed), sends the EMERGENCY message to W1PTO...

K1PYL: “END OF MESSAGE NO MORE.  K1PYL STANDING BY AT EOC.”
W1PTO: “ROGER MESSAGE NUMBER ONE.  WILL EXPEDITE.  W1PTO CLEAR.”
NCS: “THIS IS NET CONTROL FOR MOUNTAIN COUNTY ARES STANDING BY FOR TRAFFIC.
W1NCS.”

  As the NCS resumes the ARES net operation, W1PTO relays the message to a HF station near the addressee, who relays it to a VHF station at the BLOOD CENTER.  The Blood Center has planned ahead and has a state police ‘copter standing by. Within a few minutes two units of “B- Negative” are airborne on chopper SP14.

  Because the handling instructions for this message was HXE, the VHF operator asks permission from the duty officer to originate an EMERGENCY message back to Dr. DeFibb at University Hospital in Watertown, advising that:  “TWO UNITS B NEG BLOOD EN ROUTE VIA SP14 X ETA 1400 PST”.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: The names and call signs in this little scenario are fictitious.
K1PYL = “Kay, one Pretty Young Lady.”
W1PTO = “Wise one, Proficient Traffic Operator.”
W1NCS = “Working one, Net Control Station”

• RADIOGRAMS TRANSMITTED IN CW AND SSB DURING OCT 1 PRACTICE SESSION:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SENDING STATION: K7DXV -- RECEIVING STATION: K6SOJ
-------------------------------------------------
TEST 11 R K7DXV 19 KLAMATH FALLS OR OCT 1

DUANE MANN
1641 RD 196
TULELAKE CA  96134
530 667 4700

TEST MESSAGE X WHEN CHECKING
INTO THE NET WITHOUT TRAFFIC
STATE NO TRAFFIC ON PHONE
OR QRU ON CW

ED
-------------------------------------------------
TEST 12 R K7DXV 24 KLAMATH FALLS OR OCT 1

DONALD NEESE
624 DORRIS BROWNELL RD
DORRIS CA  96023
530 397 3466

TEST MESSAGE X BE SURE
TO UTILIZE THE CORRECT PHONETIC
ALPHABET WHEN CHECKING INTO A
PHONE NET X ALWAYS STATE
YOUR CALL SIGN PHONETICALLY

ED

If you have a question, send it to: k6soj@arrl.net. Selected questions will be answered in this column.

• Previous training bulletins are archived at:
www.emcomm.org/svares/training/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
• THE TRAFFIC HANDLER’S “MANTRA”:
“No • Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed”
“No • Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed”
“No • Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed”
(NUMBER-PRECEDENCE-HX-STATION OF ORIGIN-CHECK-PLACE OF ORIGIN-TIME-DATE)

+++++ REFERENCE/RESOURCE SECTION +++++

+ TRAFFIC HANDLER’S CHALLENGE:  www.emcomm.org (click bar on main page).

+ ARRL FSD-218.  The famous “pink card” that contains (almost) “everything you ever needed to know about RADIOGRAMS”.  An electronic version of the FSD-218 is available at: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/#fsd-218

+ National Traffic System (NTS) Methods and Practices Guidelines http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/

+ PACIFIC AREA TRAFFIC NETS:  http://home.earthlink.net/~k7bfl/nwnets.html

+ DIGITAL DIMENSIONS: www.emcomm.org and click on: Digital Stations.

+ DIGITAL EMCOMM YAHOO GROUP (packet, SSTV, APRS, etc.): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cadigitalemcomm/

+ U. S. AIR FORCE Search and Rescue SURVIVAL MANUAL (AFM 64-5 Aug. 1969) -
Reference Charts - (Print and Save)
GROUND-TO-AIR (close-in) VISUAL SIGNALS:
http://www.emcomm.org/drawings/Ground_to_Air_Signaling_mid.jpg
GROUND-TO-AIR EMERGENCY CODE:
http://www.emcomm.org/drawings/Ground_to_Air_Emergency_Code_mid.jpg
MIRROR (and other) SIGNALING:
http://www.emcomm.org/drawings/Mirror_Signaling_mid.jpg

=== NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SKYWARN SECTION ===

=== MEDFORD -- RENO -- SACRAMENTO -- EUREKA  ===

=== CALIFORNIA/NEVADA/OREGON NWS OFFICE MAP: ===
    www.stormready.noaa.gov/stormmaps/ca-cwa.htm

=== NWS - ARRL MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING:  ===
    www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou/weather.html

REGIONAL NWS SKYWARN NET: WEDNESDAYS AT 1915 PTZ on 3987
Consult the SKYWARN Coordinator for your area for local net information.

+ MEDFORD NWS (WX7MFR) SKYWARN NEWS AND INFORMATION -
OREGON: Curry, Coos, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake Counties.  CALIFORNIA: Modoc and Siskiyou Counties.
• Jim Reynolds, KD7MLO, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
• Gary Peterson, N7GK, SKYWARN Coordinator
• D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ, Asst. SKYWARN Coordinator

• MEDFORD NWS SKYWARN WEBSITE: www.emcomm.org/skywarn
--------------------------------------------
+ RENO NWS (WX7RNO) SKYWARN NEWS AND INFORMATION -
• RENO FORECAST AREA MAP: www.emcomm.org/reno/index.html
• Roger Lamoni – Warning Coordination Meteorologist
• Matt Parker, N7TOD - SKYWARN Coordinator
• http://renoskywarn.org/
------------------------------------------------------------------
+ SACRAMENTO NWS SKYWARN NEWS AND INFORMATION
• Kathryn Hoxsie, KC8CLO - Warning Coordination Meteorologist
---------------------------------------------
+ CANWARN (Canada “SKYWARN”)
http://hamster.ivey.uwo.ca/~dcolvin/canwarn/what.htm

+ EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN GENERAL INFORMATION

• SUBSCRIBE TO EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN: www.emcomm.org/subscription.htm

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A five dollar annual donation works out to less than 10¢ an issue. “Brother...can you spare a dime?”

• RECENT EMCOMMWEST SUPPORTERS: (Thank you!)
  - George Simmons, KG6LSB - Auburn, California

• BACK ISSUES OF THE EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN and (the former 5-1-2+ BULLETIN) ARE ARCHIVED AT: www.emcomm.org/svares/archives/

• SEARCH FEATURE AT EMCOMM.ORG
Ever try to locate an article in a past issue of the bulletin? Or, maybe you’re a new subscriber, and you are interested in knowing if a particular subject has ever been addressed in a former bulletin. Or...maybe you are just doing some research. The “site search” feature at www.emcomm.org may be just what you need!

• The “EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN” - Copyright (c) 2003 - D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and re-circulate items from this bulletin providing appropriate credit is given to the “EMCOMMWEST BULLETIN” and/or the author or originator of the material. Send corrections, updates, etc. to:  k6soj@arrl.net
=== ECWB #179 END ===