Next meeting will be 6:PM, October 22, 2010 at the Roby Center

Our next ARES meeting will be Oct. 22 at 6 PM. I'll have to let you know the
location later. We'll make final plans for our fox hunt which will take
place the next day, Oct. 23. After the fox hunt we will meet at Ed's and
have a cook-out & potluck feast. Everyone should plan on bringing a dish to
share.

Special thanks to the ARES reporter, Ed Gillenardo, K4EAG, for the meeting reports

A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR JUNE 12, 2009  

*NEW MEMBER, BOBBY PLEASANT (KJ4MLJ)  

*PRESENTATION BY COCKE COUNTY HEALTH DEPT.

THEY REQUESTED HELP WITH REMOTE AREA MEDICAL CARE FESTIVAL IN COMMUNICATIONS – 7 STATIONS TO BE COVERED BY HAMS WITH HAND-HELDS. IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE CONTACT NANCY (KI4PDH) FOR MORE INFO.  147.510- SIMPLEX WILL BE THE COMM FREQUENCY. -REMOTE MEDICAL CARE WILL BE OFFERED FIRST COME-FIRST SERVED FOR VISION, DENTAL FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT AFFORD THESE SERVICES NOR CAN AFFORD INSURANCE FOR THESE SERVICES. VETERINARY SERVICES WILL BE OFFERED BUT REQUIRES PRE-REGISTRATION. CHECK THE NEWSPAPER FOR MORE INFO ON THE EVENT ITSELF. -DOORS WILL OPEN AT 6:00AM ON SATURDAY JULY 18^TH AND SUNDAY JULY 19^TH.  

*TN. HAM CONVENTION ON JUNE 13^TH AT KNOXVILLE STARTS AT 8:30AM AT THE TN STATE CONVENTION CENTER  

*JUNE 27^TH & 28^TH – FIELD DAY.  

*JUNE 21^ST THRU 27^TH IS PROCLAIMED BY STATE OF TN AS AMATEUR RADIO WEEK. (SEE DOCUMENT ON CLUB NEWS PAGE)

* SOME ARES GROUPS ARE TALKING ABOUT USING 6 METERS AS AN ASSET IN EMERGENCY USAGE. QUESTION IS; CAN WE DO THIS? ANS: “6 METERS IN THIS COUNTY WOULD BE NEAR USELESS DUE TO THE MOUNTAIN TERRAIN. REPEATERS WOULD NOT HAVE GOOD LINE-OF-SIGHT.  

*BOBBY PLEASANT SPOKE ON HIS COMPLETE WEATHER CENTER AT HIS HOUSE THAT HE CAN UTILIZE DURING WEATHER ALERTS.

A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAY 22, 2009

*PHIL’S REPORT - IRIS FESTIVAL WENT WELL. CERT WAS PRESENT AND THE EMA-5 WAS ON SITE. NO FIREWORKS.

*JUNE 6^TH – MOSHEIM FUNFEST. EMA-5 WILL BE PRESENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS. LOCATION WILL BE THE OLD MOSHEIM SCHOOL.

*JUNE’S MEETING WILL BE ON THE 12^TH.

*FIELD DAY IS ON THE 27^TH-28^TH.

*NANCY AND WALT VISITED THE DAYTON HAMVENTION THIS PAST WEEKEND (15^TH,16^TH,& 17^TH)

*WITH THE EVENT OF BUDGET CUTS TO THE MILITARY, THE MARS PROGRAMS HAVE ALSO HAD CUTS, HOWEVER, THEY ARE STILL BEING HELD ACTIVE FOR EMERGENCY POSSIBILITIES. EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE BEING CUT BACK TO 1 PAID PERSON PER MARS GROUP, THE REQUEST FOR AMATEURS TO JOIN IS BEING INCREASED. TRAINING IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS AS A CLASS “ARMY-MARS 101” AND CAN BE ACCESSED ON LINE. MARS IT IS A VERY STRUCTURED PROGRAM AND IS REGULATED AS A STRICT NETWORK PROGRAM. YOU MUST BE TESTED AND APPROVED TO BE A PART OF THE NETWORK. SO, MARS IS IN FLUX RIGHT NOW AND IS TRYING TO FIND A NEW STRUCTURE.

*LAST MEETING, WE HAD BAD WEATHER COME IN. THE WARNINGS WENT OFF. WE, LOCALLY DID NOT HAVE A SKYWARN. POINT IS THAT ROBERT OR RICHARD WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO ACTIVATE THE NET. EVEN THOUGH THE REPORT WAS A “STORM WATCH” FOR GREENEVILLE, LOCAL WEATHER WATCHERS WERE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS STORM WITH NO NETWORK STARTED. SO, IN THE EVENT THAT NO WARNING, OR NO AVAILABLE OPERATOR, ANY OF US WITH SKYWARN BACKGROUND CAN START AN “UN-OFFICIAL” NET CONTROL TO GATHER INFO ON LOCAL WEATHER ACTIVITY. IF THE SEVERITY INCREASES, THE PRESENT “UNOFFICIAL” CONTROL OPERATOR CAN PASS CONTROL TO THE OFFICIAL CONTROL OPERATOR – OR INFO CAN BE PASSED TO THE SKYWARN WEATHER BUREAU ON THE 147.030 FREQUENCY.

*EVERYONE SHARED THEIR FAVORITE NETWORKS FROM HF TO 2 METER.

*NEXT MEETING, EVERYONE BRING THEIR HANDHELDS FOR TESTING AT THE EOC.

A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAY 8, 2009

*NEXT MEETING ON MAY 22^ND

*TESTING FOR HAM LICENSE @ ROBY ON MAY 23^RD

*BRIEFING OVER THE SECOND PART OF OUR DRILL HELD ON APRIL 30TH

WRITTEN EVALUATION WILL BE AVAILABLE IN A FEW WEEKS

EOC’S POWER BECAME A QUESTION AFTER A BREAKER WENT OUT.

“IS THE BUILDING ON A UPS SYSTEM?”

ANSWER: YES – THERE IS A GENERATOR THAT WILL AUTO START IN THE EVENT OF A POWER OUTAGE.

THE WHOLE DRILL LASTED APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS AND WAS CLOSED @ 11AM.

EACH OPERATOR SPOKE OF THEIR PERFORMANCE PROS AND CONS CONCERNING THEIR POSTED SITES FROM THE DRILL AND GAVE SOME INTERESTING POINTS THAT WILL BE FURTHER LOOKED AT FOR FUTURE DRILLS.

            ARES WAS COMMENDED BY THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPT. FOR A JOB WELL DONE WHEN THEY HAD DIFFICULTY WITH THEIR OWN RADIOS.

            RADIO SIGNALS FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER (RADIO CHECKS) CAME UP WITH “WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO RESPOND?” ARES HAS, FROM MAY 23^RD ON, OFFICIALLY ADOPTED THE 5/9 SYSTEM OF READABILITY FOR ALL CONTROL-NET RADIO CHECKS.

*NEXT MEETING ARES WILL DISCUSS CONTROL NETS USED BY MEMBERS.

 A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR APRIL 24, 2009

*NEW CALL SIGN FOR ARES GROUP IS OFFICIALLY KJ4KLX – THIS call SIGN IS TO BE USED WHEN THE EOC RADIO ROOM IS USED.

*JUSTIN, WALT, AND ED WORKED ON THE 2MTR AND 440 ANTENNAS SEPARATING THEM FURTHER APART TO KEEP THEM FROM INTERFERING WITH EACH OTHER. BOTH ANTENNAS TESTED IN PROPER OPERATIONAL ORDER.

*WE SPOKE ON THE DETAILS OF THE EXERCISE DRILL PRACTICE THIS PAST WEEK – ACTUAL EXERCISE WILL BE APRIL 30^TH.

*FIELD DAY IS ON JUNE 27^TH TO 28^TH BEGINNING AT 12-NOON EDT ON THE 27^TH

A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH 27, 2009

*NEW CALL SIGN FOR OUR GREENE CO. ARES GROUP IS OFFICIALLY: KJ4KLX

*NANCY SPOKE AT THE EXCHANGE CLUB LAST TUESDAY ON THE ARES GROUP AND PASSED OUT SOME BROCHURES.

*HAM TESTING IS TOMORROW (SAT. 3/28) 9:30AM @ THE ROBY CENTER. ED, NANCY, AND ABNER WILL BE THE VE GROUP – ABNER IS THE VEC.

*WE SPOKE ON THE DETAILS OF THE EXERCISE DRILL PRACTICE THIS PAST WEEK – ACTUAL EXERCISE WILL BE APRIL 30^TH.

*ANTENNA PROBLEM: TWO VHS HAM ANTENNAS AT THE EOC ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND INTERFERE WITH EACH OTHER DURING DUAL OPERATIONS. DISCUSSION WAS MADE ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO RELOCATE ONE FROM THE OTHER AND RE-DIRECT THE FEED LINES.

            -COMMITTEE WAS ASSEMBLED AND DATES WERE SET TO EXAMINE THE LOCATIONS A RESOLVE THE ISSUE.

A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR March 13, 2009  

CERT CLASS – DATES

YMCA RUN – WILL BE APRIL 4^TH ANYONE WHO WANTS TO VOLUNTEER FOR COMMUNICATION LET LARRY KNOW ON THE AJARS NET MONDAY NIGHT.

EMERGENCY DRILL – THURSDAY 3/19 10AM – 1:30PM GAME PLAN INFORMATION MUST BE ON TEDDY LAWING’S DESK BY MONDAY MORNING (3/16)

            -GAME WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE FOLLOWED PRECISELY.

            -THURS THERE WILL BE RADIO TESTING AT THE HOSPITALS INVOLVED

            -THIS DRILL WILL BE A PRACTICE RUN FOR THE APRIL 30^TH DRILL

APRIL 30^TH IS THE BIG EMERGENCY DRILL WILL INVOLVE ALL OF N.E. TENN.

            -DRILL WILL LAST AT LEAST 4 HOURS

THESE DRILLS WILL BE DIRECTED NETS AND ALL TRAFFIC DURING THE DRILLS WILL GO THROUGH NET-CONTROL. ANY OTHER TRAFFIC WILL BE REQUESTED TO DIVERT DURING THE DRILLS.

THE ARES GROUP SPENT THE MEETING TIME REVIEWING ALL FORMS NEEDED FOR THE DRILLS.

WE REVIEWED THE RESULTS OF THE EOC ANTENNA ANALYSIS

DEMO ON WINLINK2000-AIRMAIL

ALSO WE REVIEWED FORMS THAT WILL BE USED IN THE UPCOMING DRILL.

OUR ARES GROUP IS APPLYING FOR OUR OWN CALL SIGN. THIS CAN BE DONE THROUGH ARRL VIA FORM WITH 2 SIGNATURES AND AT LEAST 4 MEMBERS.

NEXT MEETING MARCH 27^TH

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A.R.E.S. MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOR FEBRUARY 27, 2009

ARES webpage is now up and running on the AJARC web site, www.ajarc.org. 

Invitation is hereby given to anyone in the area interested in joining ARES. 

There will be a CERT class the last week of March.  Classes will run 6:PM to 10:PM for five nights .Ham Radio license is NOT required for CERT training. Please call Heather. 

Request for SKYWARN card printout for members can be accessed through the NOAA weather website. (need web address.) 

SKYWARN NET (District 6): Every Thursday at 7:pm on 146.730. 

Next Ham Radio FCC test night will be 3^rd or 4^th Saturday in March. 

FEMA/Homeland Security Table-top Exercise set for March 19^th at 10:AM.

Another, larger-scoped exercise will be executed on April 30^th. 

HF Local Exercise Results were compared from those that stayed at home as we contacted each other and EOC from our home stations. Most contacts were full 5/9 of fair with some lower, weaker signals on certain bands/frequencies.

This exercise was done with the thought in mind as what could be done if ALL communications failed in the area and the only viable communication being ham radio.

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