ARES

Delaware County ARES

What resources do we offer? It sometimes is good to review why we exist, and what we can offer our partner agencies in Delaware County. We offer a lot! First, obviously, is easy ubiquitous voice communication for emergencies or public service. That might be simplex, or through a repeater. We also offer voice communication on HF bands if VHF and above don’t reach. We can easily talk to the Ohio EOC or any other county EOC by using our station at the Red Cross. We have at least three dual-band transceivers to accomplish that, plus a dedicated DMR radio to make use of the digital radio capabilities. Using DMR we not only can participate in the statewide talk groups, but actually reach anywhere in the world! We have the capability to send digital (computer-to- computer) communications via VHF through HF using the software fldigi. This software allows us to send FEMA, Red Cross, and other custom forms via radio. We even have the specific Delaware County EMA form. In addition, we have the capability of sending email anywhere in the world (plus or minus the Internet) by using WinLink- the proven emergency communications link. We can use HF bands, and we can make use of a local RMS Gateway ( N8BHL-10) on 445.350 and 145.730 to use WinLink. Our capabilities were tested during the Red Cross drill- with a voice station on HF, a digital station on HF, and VHF stuff both local and regional at the same time. Another capability we have in the county is the AREDN “MESH” network. We have nodes on most of the county’s towers, with the capability of running a local WinLink, and transmitting from voice calls to files at high speed. We’re blocked a little at the Red Cross (large trees!) but we’re working on a solution. So- with all of that one of our MOST important resources is-- YOU! Your capability to string together a station under emergency conditions is extremely valuable at all times! We may not receive much advanced notice, and that means we need to be able to “ad-lib” a station on the fly. That comes from practice, understanding antennas, batteries, power supplies and radio operation. We can’t do it without you, and I’m confident that we collectively have the capacity for great service!

Ohio ARES

What do we offer on the state level? Just as in the discussion above, Ohio ARES is very strong in being able to provide a service to the state. We can be very quick to respond to any emergency - after all, we’re already deployed because we live there!! We have a robust system of local nets, and a growing system of statewide nets all capable of passing message traffic. Of course the standard is set by the Ohio ARES HF Net (3.902) which can be activated for any emergent situation. There is OHDEN, the digital arm of ARES in Ohio, capable of transmitting various forms and messages to the state EOC and from county to county. We have made significant advances with our “Watch Desk Project”, wherein we can use the digital modes to provide intense coverage across the entire state. We recently load-tested the capabilities by linking the DMR 3139 “Ohio Talk Group” with the Fusion statewide talk channel- allowing us to key over 200 repeaters to canvas the state. This will be invaluable in times of very larger severe weather outbreaks in order to report damage and sitreps to the state. This also allows the entire state to monitor the progress of the storm/ice/wind/blizzard without the static crashing on HF radio during those times. In lesser events, “The Sarge” will likely be listening to either/both statewide groups in a low-profile manner. Something relatively new is the ability to send and receive HF WinLink messages. This is the gold standard for emergency communications around the world, and we’re now capable of participating. Another new development is the growing capability of Buckeye Net to stage a well-organized digital net for the purpose of sending traffic. Using a voice frequency to check in and coordinate, then making use of pre-designed macros in fldigi to jump to different frequencies and modes for sending traffic, this net is capable of sending many messages at the same time. This is something we can use to lessen the burden of a high message count. So what keeps us sharp? Practice! Matt Curtin, KD8TTE, has been working on some pretty cool stuff for us this summer. Since we don’t have a lot of public service work to stay practiced, we’re going to be doing more ‘operating events’ and traffic exercises… just what we need to stay sharp! So as these opportunities come your way, jump in! Get active with your radios, get into some new modes, and have fun all the while getting better and better at our mission of service our communities!

ARES

Stan Broadway, N8BHL

Section Emergency Coordinator - Ohio Emergency Coordinator - Delaware County