2017 ARES ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Amateur Radio Digital & Voice
Emergency Communications Published Jan 7 2017 (1st Edition)
Procedure Checklist Jan 13 2017
Beatty Tower New Antenna Mount Jan 23
2017
Beatty Tower New Antenna x 2 Jan 23
2017
Beatty Tower Additional Node Station
2017
WM3B New Digital Node Feb 15 2017
KM4YGH-10 WINLINK gateway approved Jan
24 2017
KM4YGH-10 online Feb 15 2017
KI4YGH-10 New 65 watt transmitter Feb
15 2017
NK3F New HF Dipole up & Rig Mid
Feb 2017
GARC New Dipoles built & Installed flying EAST of the DENTAL TOWERS
KM4YGG/YGH --- Built not just one, but TWO go-box'ed portable VHF stations!
W4UFL -- with a bit of help, got a gobox VHF rig up and running using an ancient Radio Shack 2 meter unit.
KX4Z Printed Circuit Board V1.0 designed and prototype built
KX4Z Construction Manual V1.0 written & published
KX4Z Printed Circuit Board V1.1 with corrections, 40 copies ordered - April
KX4Z Construction Manual V1.1 written & published - April
AC4QS Built his own $25TNC using V1.1 kit -- works! -- April
KK4ACA Gus is working on a vhf GoBox hoping to have it ready for the Hurricane Test.
May
3rd Very Successful Full Scale Exercise Hurricane Test with EOC and Div
Forestry Participation, 55% of local ARES participating
- After Action Hot Wash session held
- 30 "issues" identified and being resolved
- Full After Action Report being compiled
- Our Exercise got listed by the EOC in their lists of Training Exercises
May
13/14 20/21 34-hour General/Extra Class Course completed --
dozen participants, went home with SWR meters, and new HF antennas,
multimeters and lots more "ham-smarts" -- Zawoy passed EXTRA!
June 9 -- 2nd Edition of Digital & Voice Amateur Radio Emergency Communications published 2nd Edition
June 12th -- Hurricane After Action Report / Improvement Plan published on Amazon Hurricane Report
June
-- Training meeting held at EOC and FOUR emergency antennas emplaced in
tree canopy south of the EOC building with significant contacts made.
July -- KM4YGH -- list of equipment for refurbishing Santa Fe College Amateur Radio Station submitted to benefactor
July 17 -- Members visited Dixie Amateur Radio Klub and made simple presentation -- invited back to demo/teach WINLNK.
July 21 -- First 2.397MHz 5MHz Bandwidth MESH Node deployed at Tom Cox's house
July 24 -- NF4RC Emergency HF Gateway brought up and working
NK3F:
KI4QBZ -- fallen antenna replaced July with help from KM4YGH/KM4YGG/KX4Z
July
25 -- KX4Z has built two "training/go-box Baofeng units with
their own $25TNC's -- and a third board soldered and a fourth
under construction (by 72 year old sister!)
KI4KEA -- July --- replaced 2 meter antenna
AUGUST --- Now up to FIVE hams who have passed their EXTRA CLASS and 1 Passed GENERAL
Training Meeting held and SLOW SCAN TV taught so well that hams were sending photos back and forth!
First training on MESH accomplished --- but a goof kept us from showing how to move in and out of MESH / 2 meters with AX.25
TWO Microwave Mesh go-systems now in working not-quite-ready-for-deployment condition.
AUGUST --- 4 mile (6 km) 2.397 GHZ 5 MHz BW successful microwave contact from the Dentral Tower Roof to NK3F-001
AUGUST -- Vann AC4QS Conducted a Digital/winlink Training Session for the Dixie County Amateur Radio Klub --- hooray for Vann!
ICS-FORMS
for the Simulated Emergency Test forwarded to Jeff Bielling who
has graciously agreed to mentor us in these forms.
AUGUST
--- First trials of UNPROTO (unconnected packets)
multi-user net/chat sessions conducted successfully by Vann Chesney
TECHNICIAN COURSE
SEPT: KG4VWI Succeeded at PACKET AX.25 Communications!
Hurricane Irma -- Built THREE GOBOXES and staffed about 9 Hurricane Shelters
STEINHATCHEE
STORM -- Simulated Emergency Test -- Full Scale Exercise with
deployment to Steinhatchee, portable HF Forwarding WINLINK station;
Fire Tower Relay, MESH network
LAB N LUNCH Refurbishment of SB-100 Vacuum Tube HF Transceiver
