B C A R E S
BOULDER COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO
EMERGENCY SERVICES, INC.
C/O OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
BOULDER PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING
1805 33RD STREET
BOULDER. COLORADO 80301
(303) 441-3390
BOULDER COUNTY
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICES
DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
HANDBOOK
James R. Andrews
Editor, WAØNHD
Copyright Jan. 1994
Revised 12/96 - Len Koppl, KDØRC
NOTE: All of this PLAN or any portions may be photo-copied in unlimited quantities, provided an acknowledgment is given of the source and the authors. Copies of this PLAN are available free of charge on diskette.
Many amateur radio operators (HAMS) in Boulder County have made personal commitments to provide communications assistance to the public safety agencies, Red Cross and general public in the event of a disaster occurring in the county. Boulder County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (BCARES) is the local organization that coordinates these disaster activities by hams. This plan book is intended as a handbook for BCARES members. The appendices are additional resource material for officers and net control operators.
The first BCARES PLAN was written by Dave McClune, WBØZID, in 1984-85. The second BCARES PLAN book was written by Jim Andrews, WAØNHD, in 1990. Two reasons mandated that the 1985 plan be revised and expanded. The first was the "Digital Communications Revolution" which occurred in amateur radio in the late ‘80s. The introduction of packet radio now provides the pubic safety agencies and the Red Cross with hard copy messages from computer terminals connected via amateur radio. Hard copy significantly improves the readability and reliability of messages. The second reason was the lessons earned from 3 major forest fires, including the disastrous "Black Tiger" fire of July 9, 1989 that destroyed 44 houses and other structures.
This third revision of the BCARES PLAN was brought about by the "Video Revolution" in amateur radio. Hams are now transmitting their own live color TV pictures. The public safety agencies in Boulder County have been very impressed with the possibilities of using TV for emergency management, particularly for forest fires and crowd control situations.
Portions of this third PLAN have been reprinted from the previous 81, 85, and 90 PLANS. Contributors to this edition were Len Koppl, KDØRC, BCARES Chairman, Bob Schneider, NØOUX, BCARES Vice-Chairman, Rich Ferguson, KAØDXM, Colorado Section ARES Emergency Coordinator, and Jim Andrews, WAØNHD, BCARES Video Coordinator.
--- TABLE OF CONTENTS ---
BCARES MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
BCARES MOBILIZATION PROCEDURES
BCARES POLICY STATEMENTS REGARDING HEALTH AND WELFARE
VOICE NET AND TRAFFIC PROCEDURES
BCARES TV POLICY AND PROCEDURE STATEMENTS
BCARES TELEVISION 2 M VOICE COORDINATION NET PROCEDURES
BCARES TV TRANSMITTER OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
BASIC OPERATION OF CANON 8mm CAMCORDER TV CAMERA
TECHNIQUES FOR TAKING GOOD QUALITY TELEVISION PICTURES
BOULDER COUNTY BCARES EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES
BCARES PERSONAL EQUIPMENT LIST
BCARES is a non profit corporation chartered to provide emergency and public service radio communications to Boulder County. The primary served agencies are the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and the Boulder Regional Communications Center (BRCC). Many other public service agencies in the county may be served by BCARES, but only with the permission of the OEM or BRCC. The use of BCARES is covered in the Boulder County Emergency Operations Plan and the Boulder Incident Command System.
BCARES was created as part of Boulder County's response to the lessons learned in the disastrous 1976 Big Thompson Canyon Flood. All members of BCARES are volunteers and are FCC licensed amateur radio operators. BCARES is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives from the following organizations: OEM, BRCC, Boulder Amateur Radio Club (BARC), Longmont Amateur Radio Club (LARC), and the Rocky Mountain VHF Society (RMVHFS). In addition, two directors are elected at large from the membership. The officers, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer are elected by the Board of Directors. The registered office of BCARES is the Office of Emergency Management in the Boulder Public Safety Building. OEM serves as the treasurer of BCARES.
ACTIVATION:
The officers of BCARES carry pagers. In the event of a major disaster, the BRCC pages BCARES requesting communications assistance. The Chairman or designee calls the BRCC to get details of the assignment, and if appropriate, begins the callout process. Activation is primarily accomplished via telephone and two meter repeaters.
All members of BCARES have their own handheld and/or mobile VHF, two meter, radios. BCARES has several voice radio repeater frequencies available which provide excellent coverage of the entire county. The availability of these extra radio channels helps relieve the overloading of the limited number of public safety frequencies. BCARES can supply two meter FM voice, television, packet, and HF voice.
Television allows live, color pictures of the scene of an emergency to be transmitted to the incident command post. BCARES has three portable TV transmitters complete with cameras, antennas and batteries. BCARES has a fixed TV repeater at Chatauqua Park and a portable TV repeater for relaying pictures from remote locations.
Packet radio is a Local Area Network (LAN) of portable computer terminals which are linked via radio. This radio LAN also includes a digital radio repeater network and a central computer which functions as an electronic mail system for message storage and retrieval. Packet radio is ideal for transmitting formal messages which require "hard-copy". Examples are lists of fire-fighting supplies and lists of victims.
BCARES has a permanent voice and packet radio base station in the BRCC 911 Dispatch Center. The Situation Room at the BRCC includes a BCARES TV receiver and a two meter FM radio. The Sheriff's communications van includes BCARES voice and packet radio operating positions along with a TV receiver. BCARES also maintains a cache at the BRCC of three packet radio sets, three TV transmitters, a TV receiver, a portable TV repeater and an HF SSB transceiver.
BCARES members do not wear uniforms. They do wear a baseball style BCARES cap and a photo ID card issued by the Sheriff's Dept.
BCARES is a non-profit corporation, and does not currently charge dues to members. BCARES' funding consists of non-taxable, charitable donations and government grants from the agencies served and F.E.M.A. BCARES’ funds are used solely to purchase communications equipment and supplies. None of the directors, officers, or members receive compensation for their services.
BCARES holds at least two Simulated Emergency Tests (SET) every year as training exercises. Members are called out via radio and/or telephone to provide communications for a simulated disaster. A formal net is established. Members are then dispatched to actual sites that they would likely be called upon to staff in an actual emergency. Examples are the disaster site, 911 Dispatch Center, Sheriff's Communication Van, Hospitals, and evacuation centers. The members practice handling simulated voice and packet emergency messages and transmitting live TV pictures. The SETs are often integrated with disaster training exercises held by other public safety agencies.
BCARES holds an annual meeting early in the year for all members. BCARES does not hold other regularly scheduled meetings. However, BCARES does hold weekly radio net meetings. In these radio nets, members and other interested amateurs in Boulder County meet for "On The Air Meetings" using their own VHF FM radios from their homes. These are controlled nets for the purposes of making announcements of general interest, training in formal message handling procedures, and round-table discussions on topics of mutual interest. The BCARES NET is held every Monday evening at 8 p.m. The frequency is 146.76 MHz RMVHFS repeater. Immediately following the voice net, other nets occasionally follows for training in the use of packet radio, practice on HF techniques, or ATV training.
The OEM has designated BCARES as the official Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) organization in Boulder County. In the event of a national emergency in which the President of the USA invoked his War Emergency Powers, all radio amateurs would be required to cease operations. Only those RACES radio amateurs providing emergency communications would be allowed to continue operations.
BCARES MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
1. Have a genuine interest in providing volunteer communications assistance to public service agencies on behalf of the BRCC and OEM.
2. Submit a signed application form.
3. Have a valid FCC Amateur Radio License, technician class or higher.
4. Be 18 years of age or older to comply with insurance requirements.
5. Be approved by the Boulder County Sheriff's Department, which includes a background check, for a Boulder County Emergency Services ID card.
6. Complete 2 hours of introductory training. This consists of an introduction to BCARES organization and procedures and a tour of the BRCC 911 dispatch center and com-van.
7. Members are expected to also receive training in Packet Radio and/or Television operations, preferably both.
8. Actively participate in various BCARES training exercises. These include the weekly radio nets, meetings, and SETs.
9. Own a 2m FM hand-held radio or mobile radio (preferably both). The radio should be capable of operating on at least the following frequencies: 146.76, 147.27, 146.70, 146.73, 146.40, and 146.43 MHz. Suggested accessories for hand-held radios include spare battery packs, 12 VDC power cord with cigarette lighter plug, magnetic mount antenna, and headphones.
10. Be approved by the BCARES Board of Directors.
BCARES members are cautioned to consider that many BCARES activities involve hazardous situations such as forest fires, floods, and riots. They also may include carrying heavy loads of equipment. Members should be aware of their physical limitations, and refuse any assignment that they do not feel is appropriate. BCARES is an organization of volunteers - no one is obligated to do anything they do not want to do.
BCARES primarily serves the BRCC and the public safety agencies it supports. This includes the US Forest Service, Longmont Police, CU Police, Broomfield Police, and the Boulder County Red Cross. All agencies access BCARES via the BRCC or OEM.
The priority of every BCARES member must be personal safety and the safety of BCARES members. No BCARES service is so important to justify risking the lives of BCARES members. Each member must remain alert to potential hazards in their area. If a situation appears hazardous, the member should leave first and tell net control when there is an opportunity. Any BCARES member can refuse any assignment for any reason.
In virtually all cases, BCARES provides support and logistics communications, rather than life and death communications. Further, BCARES members are not extensively trained in emergency response. Therefore, BCARES members have neither the reason nor the training to operate in dangerous situations or locations.
It is very important that BCARES members be aware of, and communicate their own limitations. We do attempt to match assignments to a member's capabilities, but in the rush of events, errors may be made. If at any time it appears that a particular assignment is inappropriate, the member should immediately request a reassignment. If in doubt, ask !!
Members are encouraged to ask questions about any assignment, especially those near a hazardous area.
If practical, a safety briefing should be arranged for members going to "front line" sites in a hazardous area.
Of course, BCARES members should not engage in hazardous activities or create hazards for others. Examples of this kind of activity might be a person with a bad back carrying a heavy load, creating a tripping hazard with cables, or a precarious climb up a tree to find a better site for an antenna.
BCARES members injured during emergencies or training exercises may be covered by workman's compensation. To protect your rights to workman's compensation, injuries must be reported to a BCARES officer within 24 hours. The BCARES officer will contact the appropriate agency.
Approved at BCARES executive board meeting, August 16, 1993.
BCARES MOBILIZATION PROCEDURES
Any public service agency such as Police, Sheriff, Fire, Rescue, or Red Cross requiring communications assistance from BCARES will call the BRCC at (303) 441-4444 (or 911 if within the E-911 area). BRCC will then page BCARES (pager #2296) and relay the assistance request. The Chairman or designee then call the BRCC to get details of the assignment, and if appropriate, begin the callout process. Activation is primarily accomplished via telephone and two meter repeaters.
No BCARES member, except the Chairman or his designee, is authorized to contact BRCC or any other public service agency offering the services of BCARES. Any member that has concerns regarding a possible emergency situation should call the Chairman and apprise him of the situation.
If this BCARES plan is put in action, it may start with an ALERT followed by a MOBILIZATION depending upon the situation.
Announcements are made on local repeaters advising of a potential emergency situation. Operators will be asked to monitor the BCARES frequency (146.76 MHz repeater). Transmissions made during this time should be brief. Everyone is encouraged to monitor the repeater to keep aware of the situation. Check ins may or may not be taken at this time.
Announcements will be made on local repeaters advising of an emergency situation. BCARES members will be requested to change frequency to 146.76 MHz where a controlled net will be placed in operation. Net Control will either take check ins or make announcements, as appropriate. If an insufficient number of BCARES members check in, Net Control will initiate a telephone call out. Net Control will likely assign this task to other operators. Depending upon the situation, additional nets may then be set up on other frequencies. If you know that a disaster has occurred, but do not hear any activity on 146.76, then you should check other BCARES frequencies. Do not call the BRCC to find out what is going on.
The basic procedures in the Flood plan will also be used with minor modifications for any large scale disaster. A large scale disaster is one that involves a large number of victims and/or covers a large geographical area and involves multiple public safety agencies. A large scale disaster will likely include BRCC traffic, Red Cross traffic and BARC, LARC and NTS handling Health and Welfare inquiries from outside the county. BCARES will coordinate all amateur radio activity within Boulder County during a large scale disaster. If necessary, BCARES may also request "mutual-aid" assistance from the state (ARES District 0) and other county ARES groups.
The basic procedures in the Forest Fire plan will also be used with minor modifications for any small scale disaster. A small scale disaster is one that involves few or no victims and is geographically confined. This may only require BCARES response to handle special communications needs of BRCC, Police or Sheriff. Or, it might only require BCARES response to handle special communications needs of the Boulder County Red Cross. Small scale disasters generally will not involve Health and Welfare inquiries from outsiders. Thus, the services of BARC, LARC or NTS are usually not required.
BCARES attempts to assign each ham to a position in which they can most effectively assist in an emergency. The staffing committee tries to assign the available hams in the most advantageous manner, keeping in mind such factors as skills, experience, and physical restrictions. If it appears that you are being assigned to a task that you may have difficulty performing, please notify the staffing committee or net control immediately. Anyone can refuse any assignment for any reason. Members are normally assigned first, with non-members being used only if needed.
The normal shift, or work period, is 6 1/2 hours, though individuals can volunteer to work two shifts. If you have time limitations, be sure to apprise net control when you volunteer for a shift. We will attempt to schedule a 1/2 hour overlap in shifts to allow the new shift crew to be briefed by the previous shift crew. In most cases, 2 or 3 members are assigned to a site with one of them designated as the team leader.
In the first hour or so of an emergency, assignments are made as people become available and check into the 146.76 operations net. If the emergency extends for many hours or days, the staffing net usually moves to 146.70. The staffing officers will usually have a daily net on 146.70 MHz each evening around 9 PM. This net is used to finalize assignments for the next day. The staffing officers will normally maintain this separate net for the duration of the emergency. If you become aware of an emergency before you are called by telephone, listen to the operational net on 146.76 for instructions. If you are available to work a shift, call the staffing officers on the 146.70 coordination frequency.
BCARES members should bring their own emergency kits, including BCARES ID card and hat, radio with spare batteries, cigarette lighter DC power cord, coax and antenna(s), food and water, suitable clothing and shoes. (see the personal equipment check list). Since changes in assignments and conditions are possible, bring more rather than less; you can always leave any excess gear in your vehicle.
When you receive a specific assignment, you should also receive directions to your assigned location. The staffing officers will often ask you to meet at a staging area for carpooling. Carpools are often necessary because parking and access to the disaster site are usually limited. The staging area is often the parking lot at the BRCC. Listen to the operations net on 146.76 before leaving and while en route. Notify the net control that you are on the way, your assignment, and destination. Always notify net control upon arrival at an assignment.
Each site should have a team leader. The team leader should be a responsible ham, with several years of experience with BCARES. The team leader is in charge of the hams at the site; however, the team leader should consult with the other members of the team on important decisions.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TEAM LEADER:
1. The most important responsibility of a team leader is safety. This is most important when the hams are in a potentially hazardous situation. Changing conditions may require a full-time "safety man", continuously monitoring a fire. A basic rule of fire safety is to have two escape routes open at all times; if you are down to one escape route, it is time to use it! This could also include not creating dangers for yourself or others, such as cables that are tripping hazards, exposed high voltages, or falling from a high place while trying to set up an antenna.
2. The second responsibility of a team leader is to ensure that his team remains in contact with net control at all times. If there are significant changes in the situation at your location, report this promptly to net control.
3. The third responsibility is your assignment. If your assignment is transmitting messages, switch to voice if the packet system breaks down.
4. The fourth responsibility is maintaining a good relationship with the agency at your site.
COMMON ERRORS:
1. The most common error is failing to maintain a close listening watch on the voice net control frequency. In many cases, the person monitoring the voice frequency is distracted by conversations. An earphone or headset may help.
2. The next most common error is working on equipment at the expense of your assignment. Most hams are equipment hobbyists, and are inclined to drop whatever they are doing to work on the equipment, particularly if they do not think that the equipment is working well. It is best to have only part of your team working on the equipment, with one or two hams continuing to pass messages, monitor the voice frequency, and interact with the served agency.
3. On rare occasions, hams have overstepped their bounds, often through being over eager. Past examples include hams giving orders to the press or others. BCARES is a volunteer communications group, and is not in a position to tell other people what to do. Keep your team focused on their assignment.
Approved at BCARES executive board meeting, 11/9/92, KA0DXM
Health and Welfare Traffic (H&W) is message traffic which occurs when people want to know the status of relatives or friends in or near a disaster area, or a person in a disaster wants to inform relatives or friends of his status. It may also consist of lists of victims or survivors.
NOTE: In the Red Cross, H&W traffic is designated as Disaster Welfare Inquiry (DWI). Do not confuse this with the police definition of Driving While Intoxicated.
TYPES OF H&W TRAFFIC (listed by priority)
1. INTERNAL H&W --- This occurs when a person in the disaster area is trying to locate another person(s), such as their family, also in the disaster area. This may consist of lists of victims and/or survivors. Such lists are for use by Public Service agencies and Red Cross ONLY. Do not pass information about individuals or situations to anyone except for the intended message recipient.
2. OUTGOING H&W --- This occurs when a person in the disaster area wants to inform someone outside the disaster of his or her status.
3. INCOMING H&W --- This occurs when someone outside of the disaster area wants to inquire of the status of a person(s) within the disaster area. This traffic is typically held for many hours or days before responses are attempted.
VARIOUS GROUPS HANDLING H&W:
RED CROSS --- will handle all types of H&W traffic, as the situation dictates. After 24 hours into a disaster, prime responsibility for outgoing and incoming H&W (DWI) traffic rests with Red Cross.
BCARES --- will only handle Internal H&W in cooperation with the Public Safety agencies and the Red Cross. BCARES will provide communications for the Red Cross when so directed by either the BRCC or OEM.
BOULDER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB --- BARC will handle outgoing and incoming H&W traffic during the first 24 hours of a disaster. They are responsible for all of Boulder County with the exception of the St. Vrain School District (N.E. Boulder County).
LONGMONT AMATEUR RADIO CLUB --- LARC will handle outgoing and incoming H&W traffic for the northeast portion of Boulder County during the first 24 hours of a disaster.
NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM --- The ARRL NTS will provide the transmission routing for both incoming and outgoing H&W. They will interface with the Red Cross, BARC & LARC stations.
BCARES POLICY STATEMENTS REGARDING HEALTH AND WELFARE
1. H&W Traffic will have a lower priority than any disaster relief or emergency operations traffic. When H&W traffic is handled, it will be given the following priority: #1 Internal, #2 Outgoing, #3 Incoming.
2. Prime responsibility for all H&W traffic rests with the Red Cross. The Red Cross Communications Officer shall be the final authority in questions regarding H&W traffic.
3. Amateur radio operators are not given the authority to issue statements on their own regarding the extent and details of a disaster nor on the status of any victims in a disaster. The only announcements that may be made on the radio are those statements released by the Public Relations Officer of the Red Cross, the BRCC, or the OEM. On or off the air, avoid making any unnecessary statements about the emergency situation, number of victims, or the conditions of any individuals. Many members of the public and of served agencies can hear what is being said over our ham radios. A flippant remark at a disaster scene (on or off the air) about someone else’s tragedy is inexcusable.
4. Amateur radio operators are not given the authority to send any outgoing replies to Incoming H&W inquires without the express permission of the Red Cross.
5. Lists of victims, in particular, fatalities and injuries are to be considered extremely confidential. These lists are only to be transmitted by packet radio (as a Private message) for use by Public Service agencies and/or the Red Cross. Such lists are not to be released to the general public via open broadcast, NTS or any other means.
6. Internal H&W traffic may be carried on the BCARES frequencies (146.76 voice) and/or the Red Cross frequency (147.27 voice).
7. Incoming and Outgoing H&W traffic will be handled through the ARRL National Traffic System (NTS). This traffic will not be handled on the BCARES frequencies without permission from net control.
8. In a major emergency, the large quantity of incoming H&W traffic may overload the NTS. Outgoing H&W traffic will have priority over incoming. If circumstances dictate, BCARES and the NTS may restrict incoming H&W traffic through means such as a 24 hour moratorium.
VOICE NET AND TRAFFIC PROCEDURES
Controlled nets are a means of ensuring orderly use of limited frequency resources. Controlled nets have someone on a frequency who determines who talks to whom, and when. The person in control of the frequency is called Net Control. In general, when someone wishes to talk to someone else during an emergency it is because he or she has traffic (a message or an inquiry) for the other person or someone at the other person's location. Control of the frequency is exercised by Net Control by granting permission for one operator to talk to another.
When acknowledging receipt of packet messages, do not ask for net control permission (unless net has specifically requested you to do so). Simply wait for an appropriate break in the traffic to say ‘<their tactical call> this is <your tactical call>, acknowledge your message <message number>‘. The other station responds with ‘Thank you’. This fast, easy protocol works well, and keeps voice channel congestion to a minimum.
1. Traffic on a net is handled in the order of request depending upon the priority of the message. For BRCC/BCARES traffic we use the following priorities: (note: these are not exactly the same as used in ARRL radiograms) #1 is EMERGENCY with life and death urgency. #2 is PRIORITY which is used for official messages with a specific time limit. #3 is ROUTINE which is used for official messages with no time limit. #4 is HEALTH AND WELFARE (H&W) inquiries and replies. #5 is PERSONAL traffic for ham operators. When calling net control always specify your message priority by words, not by number.
2. If there is an emergency and a controlled net is in progress, do not check into the net simply to say that you are listening. Only check in if you are actually available for an assignment or can give direct assistance. Otherwise, do NOT transmit but simply monitor the net.
3. When first checking into a net, give your complete call sign. For all additional transmissions use only your call sign suffix until you have been assigned a tactical call. Example: the suffix of WAØNHD is simply NHD. Short calls are easier to remember.
4. In an emergency, we will use TACTICAL CALL SIGNS. These are short, easily remembered names which identify either a location, agency or function. Examples are: "Fire Base", "Red Cross", "TV-1". Their use promotes efficiency and coordination with all individuals or agencies who are monitoring the net. When operators change shifts or locations, the set of tactical calls remains the same. The use of tactical call signs greatly reduces the confusion when various hams operate the same station. Net Control will designate the call signs to be used on a net. If net control has assigned a tactical call to your crew, you are to discontinue using individual call signs. The use of tactical calls does not fulfill FCC ID requirements.
5. The FCC only requires a full ID every 10 minutes. This FCC ID is your own individual call sign, not your tactical call. The Net Control will do the 10 minute ID for the net. During an emergency, we must keep the use of ID to an absolute minimum as it consumes valuable channel time. Do not use the typical HF ham exchange of both parties' call signs after every transmission. It is never necessary to give the other ham’s call sign.
6. All participants in a net are required to continuously monitor the net frequency. At a location where there are several hams present, one ham will be assigned to continuously monitor the net frequency for any calls to that location. Always keep the volume on your radio turned up. If you are in a noisy environment, or the radio traffic bothers others in your vicinity, use headphones. If you must leave the net frequency or your operating position, inform Net Control. When you return to the net, check back in.
7. If you have a long voice message to transmit, inform net control when requesting permission to contact another station. For long messages, or if the traffic load is very heavy, then net control might direct stations to change to another repeater or simplex frequency to pass the traffic. Both stations should shift to the other frequency to pass their traffic. After the traffic is passed you are to immediately return to the net frequency and check in with net control and inform him that you have returned. If after one minute on the other frequency, you are unable to establish contact, return back to the net frequency and check in and report the problem. When returning to the net frequency, do not interrupt the net, but wait until there is at least a 10 second pause in the traffic before checking back in.
8. If the traffic load is very light, then net control might announce that stations no longer need to call net control for permission to contact other stations. In this case, simply call the other station. If the traffic load picks up again, then net control will step back in and start controlling the flow of traffic. Sometimes this is called an ‘informal’ net.
9. Plan all of your transmissions. Know what you are going to say before pressing the mike button. Keep all transmissions very brief. Transmit only facts. If there is a need to make an educated guess or deduction about a situation, then make this very clear. Scanners are everywhere and we do not want to start rumors with the general public.
10. When necessary to spell out words and names, use the standard ITU phonetic alphabet (adopted by the ARRL). There is no such thing as "common spelling". Send all groups of numbers as individual numbers. "104" would be "one, zero, four" NOT as "one hundred and four." "Q" signals are for CW use only and are NOT to be used on voice nets. If you need to have a message repeated use "SAY AGAIN" as "repeat" can sound like "received" when conditions are poor. If conditions are really bad, use "SAY AGAIN, WORDS TWICE." This is very effective. Acknowledge all transmissions directed to your station. Use "ROGER" to acknowledge receipt of all information or formal traffic. Do not say "QSL".
11. To hear a good controlled net in operation, monitor the BRCC dispatch GREEN and RED 1 channels some evening. Green (155.415 MHz) is law enforcement dispatch. Red 1 (154.325 MHz) is fire dispatch.
One of the two major services BCARES supplies to the Public Safety Agencies in Boulder County is the transmission of formal written messages via Packet Radio. Packet is a Local Area Network (LAN) of computers linked by radio and using a central master computer (cluster) as a bulletin board for message storage. The major advantage of packet is that an actual printed message can be delivered to the recipient. This eliminates many errors due to poor handwriting, or confusion in relaying the message. In emergencies, packet radio is used to transmit lists of victims, resource requests and other logistical, list oriented messages. It is usually not used for "instantaneous", real time tactical messages (voice is much better suited to these circumstances).
BCARES, in consultation with the BRCC, has developed a "standard" message form. You will find on the next page a copy of this BRCC Packet Radio Message form with a sample message. These forms are available in a notebook at each of the BCARES packet radio stations. Whenever a policeman, fireman, Red Cross worker, or any representative of a served agency wants you to send a message, hand them one of these forms to fill out. The person wanting to send a message fills out the top portion. You, the packet operator, fill in the bottom portion. Do not accept a partially filled out message form. All of the elements on the form are vital, especially the signature. These are carbonless, two copy forms. Immediately upon receipt, you are to fill in the date, time filed with you and your name and give the second copy to the person originating the message as their copy. You are to keep the original.
When the message is actually transmitted via packet (or voice) it then must follow the BCARES "standard" format. Long distance NTS traffic will use the standard ARRL NTS message format. Do not use the WØIA packet cluster to send any of this traffic as it is NOT connected to the national forwarding system. The BCARES format is to be used for all BCARES operations.
This is an example of a message as sent via packet radio:
MESSAGE #1234 PRIORITY - CHOPPER NEEDED
7/29 14:35
TO: (BRCC) Lt. Stern, Situation Room
FROM: (COMVAN) Eldora Fire Base, Sgt. J. Doe, Badge 543
REPLY TO MSG.#1230
TEXT: We confirm that we need a helicopter at the fire base. It will be used to do an aerial survey of the extent of the fire. Please advise of availability and time of arrival.
END MESSAGE SENT 14:42 BY COMVAN
The following is a detailed description of the key elements of this message:
LINE 1, ID NUMBER: Every message must have a unique number to identify it. When sending the message via the WØIA packet cluster, the cluster will automatically assign the message number. If you are sending a voice message, then you must assign and log your own message ID number.
LINE 1, CLASSIFICATION: Each message is given a rating, depending upon its urgency. #1 is EMERGENCY with life and death urgency. #2 is PRIORITY which is used for official messages with a specific time limit. #3 is ROUTINE which is used for official messages with no time limit. #4 is H&W which is for health and welfare inquiries or relies.
LINE 1, SUBJECT: This is a very brief description of the message contents.
LINE 2, DATE & TIME: This is the local date and time (NOT UTC) that the message was given to your packet station by the person writing the message. Note this is NOT the time that you actually sent the message. (see line 7 )
LINE 3, TO ADDRESS: The first element in the "To" address is always the call-sign of the recipient amateur radio station. BCARES always uses "tactical" call signs and not amateur radio call signs. The remainder of this line is the complete address required to properly deliver the message. Sometimes the message will be addressed to a particular individual, other times it will be addressed to a particular office.
LINE 4, FROM ADDRESS: The first element in the "FROM" address is always the "tactical" call sign of your packet station. This is important so that a reply message can be addressed back to your station.
LINE 5, REPLY: This is an optional line. It is only used if your message is a reply to a previous message. If it is a reply, then you include the other party's original message number here.
LINE 6, TEXT: This is the actual message to be sent. This could consist of many lines of text. Enter the text EXACTLY as given to you by the originator. Do not edit the text, make up abbreviations, or change spelling. Remember you are passing communications only. You are not expected to always understand what you are transmitting or receiving. That is the responsibility of the originator and recipient. If you can not read the handwriting or you have questions, ask for clarification from the message originator prior to starting to send it. Always read the entire message prior to starting the transmission.
LINE 7, END: We always send an "end of message" line. This is an assurance to the recipient that he has in fact received the entire message. If only a partial message were delivered, then perhaps the entirely wrong actions might be taken. Also included on this line is the actual time that the message was sent. This allows the recipient to compare the time filed with the time the message was actually sent to determine the appropriate response. If you are sending the message via the WØIA packet cluster S/F or S/FR command, then you do not type this line. The cluster automatically inserts it for you when you type in the message terminator control character.
LOG SHEET: BCARES operators are required to keep a log sheet of all messages sent and received. A sample log sheet is shown below. Fill in your location, tactical call sign, date and the names and call signs of all the operators at your location. Record the call sign of the station contacted along with the time of contact. Check REC or XMT depending upon whether you received or sent the message along with the message number. The commented section would include the brief message "subject" and any other relevant notes. When the other station acknowledges receipt of your message, check the QSL column. Likewise, when you have acknowledged an incoming message, check this QSL column.
BCARES PACKET PROCEDURES
BCARES PACKET PROCEDURES
BCARES PACKET PROCEDURES
ATV allows the Police, Sheriff or other served agencies to actually see what is happening instead of relying on voice radio reports. TV has proven to be particularly valuable for forest fires and monitoring large, potentially riotous crowds. It is also used to monitor severe weather. In Boulder County, BCARES has been called upon to provide TV pictures of the Old Stage forest fire, the anti-war demonstrations at the time of the Persian Gulf war, pro/anti-gay demonstration, Halloween Mall Crawl, Kinetics, and CU football crowds.
BCARES presently has 2 video pack sets. The pack sets consist of a color 8mm TV camcorder, 1 watt 70cm TV transmitter, antennas, 7 A-hr gel-cell battery for about 5-6 hours continuous operation plus accessories. An additional 10 watt 70cm TV transmitter is also available with a larger 20 A-hr battery for operations in difficult terrain or for mobile service. BCARES has 2 TV repeaters. one is located at Chatauqua Park and provides coverage of the City of Boulder and the Boulder Valley. The other is a portable 10 watt repeater for use in difficult mountainous terrain. BCARES has permanently installed TV receivers and VCRs in the Sheriff's Communications Van and also in the Boulder Regional Communication Center Situation Room at the Boulder Police Dept.
All BCARES TV operations are on the amateur radio 70cm band. Modern digitally tuned, cable-ready TV receivers will receive these transmissions directly without using converters. BCARES frequencies are chosen to closely match standard cable TV frequencies for channels 57, 58 & 60. The TV pack sets transmit on C58 (426.25MHz) and C60 (438.75MHz). The TV repeaters' outputs are on C57 (421.25MHz) and the inputs are C60 (438.75MHz). The Chatauqua Park TV repeater's input is normally on 23cm (1277.25MHz). For BCARES operations, its input is remotely switched to 70cm. Antenna polarization is vertical. Coordination of BCARES TV activities is either on the 2 meter simplex frequency of 144.37 MHz or one of the area 2 meter repeaters.
BCARES TV POLICY AND PROCEDURE STATEMENTS
1. BCARES sole TV role is to document the event and present it in real time to the public safety officials at the incident command post.
2. BCARES TV crews are expected to take a low-key, passive, observer role. BCARES TV crews are expressly forbidden from staging pictures or inciting a crowd to act up and perform for the camera.
3. BCARES TV crews must keep safety first in their minds. Some emergency incidents could possibly expose the TV crew to hazardous situations. Examples include a run-away forest fire, a rioting crowd, or a flash-flood. BCARES members must use common sense and avoid these situations. If the command post or net control requests you to take pictures of a dangerous situation and you fear for the safety of you or your crew, you are obligated to refuse the assignment and remove your crew from danger.
4. If a BCARES TV crew observes any significant event occur, such as a forest fire flare-up or a crime in progress, they are required to immediately start their TV camcorder recording the event and notify TV Net Control for permission to start transmitting.
5. Even when a particular camera is not transmitting, the camcorder should still be recording the event. These tapes will be useful later for event critiques and legal records.
6. It is BCARES policy that for historical and legal reasons we will always have both the date and time continuously recorded on every tape.
7. Do not rewind and re-record over a tape while at an event. If you are running low on tapes, you should request Net Control to send you additional tapes.
8. After a tape is removed from the camera, the red erase prevention tab should be set. A label identifying the tape should be attached directly to the tape cassette (not its box). At the end of the event, or your shift, turn in all of your recorded tapes to TV Net Control.
9. The FCC requires radio amateurs to identify their transmissions every 10 minutes. It is each TV crew's responsibility to comply with this requirement. For ham TV transmissions, it is legal to identify with either a voice announcement or a video call sign ID, or both. To ID, simply push the TITLE button on your camera. It will display "BCARES W0IA-TV 1" (or 2).
BCARES TELEVISION 2 M VOICE COORDINATION NET PROCEDURES
BCARES TV activities are coordinated using 2 meter FM voice radios. We typically use 144.37 MHz simplex for short distances or a repeater when necessary. Each BCARES TV crew member is expected to supply his own 2 meter hand-held radio. Because of the nature of our "product" being a single TV picture presented at the command post, our voice net procedures are different from those used by other hams passing health and welfare traffic between shelters, scheduling assignments or coordinating packet traffic. TV Net Control is usually the TV ham in the command post with the police or fire officials. He or she is the "Director" much the same as the director on a motion picture set. He calls the shots by requesting various views and coordinating the on/off switching among the different camera crews. He works with the public safety officials and supplies whatever pictures they want. Do not turn off your transmitter until Net Control gives you the command. Net control will typically have another TV crew turn on their transmitter at the same time that you turn yours off. If you are not transmitting, but notice some event occur that should be of interest to the command post, immediately call net control and request permission to start transmitting TV pictures.
BCARES TV TRANSMITTER OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Connect the antenna to the transmitter. For back-pack portable operation, use the 1/2 wave whip antenna connected directly to the antenna output connector on the transmitter. Fully extend the whip. Orient the transmitter and antenna for vertical polarization. For mobile operation use the 70cm magnetic mount whip antenna. If you are operating from a fixed location, then use the 6 element Yagi beam antenna mounted on a tripod. Use vertical polarization.
2. Connect the dual Audio/Video coax cable from the camera to the transmitter. The red connector is the video, black is the audio.
3. The CANON TV Camcorder uses 6 Volts. Make sure the "dummy" 6V battery is snapped into the battery compartment. This "dummy" battery is then attached to the CANON 12V to 6V power adapter (or ac supply).
4. A 12V battery is used for the power source. This is usually the 12V, 7A-hr gel-cell battery in the back-pack. If you are operating mobile, then plug into the cigarette lighter outlet in the car. The 12V power distribution cables all use the ARRL ARES standard Molex connectors. Connect all the 12V cables to the battery. If you are in a fixed location with AC power available, then use the 3 small, modular AC power supplies in the accessory bag.
5. To operate the transmitter, simply set the frequency switch to the desired channel (58 or 60) and set the power switch to "on". The power on LED will be lighted, but the "Transmit" LED will be off. To key the transmitter, turn on the TV camera. The transmitter contains a VOX (Video Operate Xmit) circuit which turns on the transmitter when a video signal is present on the "V" input.
6. A 5" B&W TV monitor is supplied in the accessory bag. The use of this monitor is optional. To minimize current drain on the battery, only use the monitor when necessary. The monitor is connected to the "monitor" output on the transmitter with a coax video cable. Set the switches on the monitor to "MON" and "75 Ohms".
BASIC OPERATION OF CANON 8mm CAMCORDER TV CAMERA
1. This camera has many features. We will not use some of these for BCARES operations. Do not attempt to use any of these additional controls as you may cause a malfunction.
2. Locate the POWER switch on the rear panel. Push it to the right. A red LED will come on. This switch is a toggle on - toggle off. To turn the camera off, push the switch to the right again.
3. Locate the EJECT switch on the rear panel above the POWER switch. Push it to the right. The door to the video cassette compartment will open. Never attempt to manually force open the cassette compartment door. Insert a new cassette. Manually push the door shut.
4. Look in the viewfinder. The word "PAUSE" is in the lower left corner while numbers are in the upper right corner. Rotate the focus adjustment ring on the eyepiece until the word PAUSE is sharply focused. This adjustment compensates for your own eyesight. This adjustment may be different for each operator of the camera.
5. Remove the lens cap. You should now see an image in the viewfinder. Locate the ZOOM controls on the top of the camera in the finger grip area. Alternately push the "W" (wide-angle) and "T" (telephoto) buttons and note their effect.
6. Locate the red RECORD START/STOP button under the thumb grip position. Push this button in and release. Note in the viewfinder that the word "REC" appears and the numbers in the upper right corner start counting up. You are now actually recording video and audio on the cassette tape. To stop recording, again push the red button in and release. You do not need to continuously hold this button in to record.
7. Note that you must actually be recording to transmit sound. In the PAUSE mode, the audio is muted. The camcorder has a battery saver time-out feature which will automatically turn off the camera after a couple of minutes in the PAUSE mode.
8. This camera has AUTO-FOCUSING and AUTO-EXPOSURE features. Normally all you need to do is "point and shoot". In some situations such as low light levels or shooting though a car windshield, you will find it necessary to use manual focusing. Locate the rectangular button on the left side labeled AF/MANUAL. Push this button. The word M.FOCUS will now appear in the upper left corner in the viewfinder. Now manually rotate the focusing ring on the lens to get a sharp image in the viewfinder. To return to auto-focus, simply push the AF/MANUAL button again. The words M.FOCUS will disappear.
9. Locate the DATE button on the left side. Push this button several times and note its effect. It turns on the date and time.
10. Locate the TITLE button on the left side. Push this button and note in the viewfinder that a title appears in the center of the screen. Your camera has been pre-programmed with a title of "BCARES W0IA - TV1 (or TV2). Pushing this title button every 10 minutes while transmitting satisfies the FCC requirement to identify your transmissions.
11. The numbers in the upper right corner of the viewfinder show the elapsed time of the tape in hours, minutes and seconds. We use 2 hour tapes. When the counter reaches 2 hours or the words T.END appears, push the EJECT button, remove and replace the tape with a new tape. To prevent accidental erasure of the recorded tape, push the erase prevent tab to the "Red" position. Attach a label to the tape identifying it along with the date and time.
TECHNIQUES FOR TAKING GOOD QUALITY TELEVISION PICTURES
The key thing to remember when using the BCARES TV cameras is that you are transmitting "live" pictures and sound with several high ranking police, sheriff and fire officials watching your pictures. If we transmit non-professional pictures, these officials will quickly lose interest and dismiss BCARES' TV pictures as not useful. Your pictures are supposed to document the action at the scene of the emergency incident. Do not attempt any fancy "trick" shots. We will always attempt to keep a picture on the air. If the TV receiver's screen loses a picture and just shows "snow" and gives out a loud audio "hiss", then the officials will turn off the TV receiver. Our TV pictures must never show rapid jerky movements or the served agencies will rapidly lose interest.
1. ALWAYS HOLD THE CAMERA STEADY. Whenever possible use the tripod instead of holding the camera in your hand. You should usually, but not always, have the tripod with you, even when walking around with the TV pack-set. When providing pictures from a car, it is a good idea to set up the tripod on the front seat and strap it down with a seat belt.
2. WHEN "PANNING" USE THE WIDE-ANGLE LENS. Position your body firmly in one position. Slowly rotate your body at the waist. Pan much slower than you think necessary. Remember that your eyes take in a very wide angular field of view, but your viewers are looking though a small box with a much narrower angular field of view. If you must pan while using the telephoto lens, then you must rotate even slower than normal. Try to avoid panning with the telephoto.
3. WHEN WALKING USE THE WIDE-ANGLE LENS. If you are just moving a few steps, then you can continue watching through the viewfinder. If you are moving any distance, you should not be looking through the viewfinder as you might trip and fall. The best position to hold the camera when walking is at shoulder level and beside the right side of your head facing forward. In this way the camera will see what you are seeing as you walk forward. This will also tend to stabilize the camera and it will not bounce around as much.
4. USE THE TELEPHOTO LENS FOR DETAILED CLOSE-UPS. When doing a telephoto close up, always start from the wide-angle position looking at the particular subject, zoom in for the close-up, then zoom back to the wide-angle position before changing scenes or looking at other subjects.
5. USE 2X EXTENDER LENS FOR FAR AWAY SCENES. If you must look at an extremely far-away scene, and the telephoto lens is inadequate, then you should attach the 2 X telephoto extender lens. This 2X lens is in a hard case in your back-pack. It screws onto the existing lens. it provides 2X magnification for all lens settings from telephoto to wide-angle. With this 2X lens in place the camera stability requirements are even more stringent. It should never be used except when the camera is mounted on the tripod.
6. LENS CAP. If you must make drastic changes in the camera position, for example when getting in or out of a car, setting it on a tripod, etc., then cover the lens with the lens cap and turn on the "title". A black screen with the W0IA-TV title is much more preferable to the viewer than a wildly gyrating camera.
7. LIVE MIKE. Remember that you are also transmitting sound along with your picture. Whenever your camera and transmitter are on you have a "live - open" mike. The mike on the TV camera is much more sensitive than on your 2m hand-held and will pick up voices from a considerable distance. It has an omni-directional pattern and will pick up your voice and people around you in addition to the scene your camera is looking at. Your "idle" chatter conversation will be heard in the command post and recorded on tape!
BOULDER COUNTY BCARES EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES
|
FREQUENCY |
GROUP/USE |
LOCATION |
COVERAGE |
EMER. POWER |
|
146.76 (-.600) |
BCARES - PRIMARY VOICE NET (call-out) (packet net control, tactical ops) |
Gunbarrel |
county wide |
YES |
|
146.70 (-.600) |
BCARES - COORD & ASSIGNMENTS |
NCAR |
plains |
YES |
|
147.27 (+.600) |
Red Cross - Primary voice net (Autopatch and Rev patch accessible by LARC members only) |
Longmont |
county wide |
YES |
|
146.73 (-.600) |
ARES Secondary - Back up and Autopatch (Use if any of the above fail. Control op required for autopatch) |
Pinebrook |
county wide |
YES |
|
146.745 (-.600) |
ARES Mountain Secondary - Special coverage situations |
Eldora Ski |
Boulder mtns |
YES |
|
147.03 (+.600) |
ARES Boulder Secondary - Back up and Autopatch (PL required, Control op required for autopatch) |
Table Mesa |
plains |
NO |
|
145.46 (-.600) |
CRA - Back up and autopatch (CRA member required for autopatch) |
Lee Hill |
county wide linkable |
|
|
145.31 (-.600) |
COARES - Colorado Connection State-wide linked repeater system |
Mt. Thorodin |
State-wide |
YES |
|
145.115 (-.600) |
NTS - Northern Colorado Traffic Net (Daily at 2000 hours local time) |
Horsetooth |
|
|
BCARES PERSONAL EQUIPMENT LIST
REQUIRED ITEMS:
RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED ITEMS: