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********************************************
The ARES Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

April 17, 2024

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE <k1ce@arrl.net>

IN THIS ISSUE

- ARES® Briefs, Links
- American Red Cross Nebraska-Iowa Region Winlink Exercise Develops
Skills
- Amateur Radio Hurricane Networks Featured at the National Hurricane Conference
- Spring Severe Weather Preparations Begin
- NWS Melbourne, Florida 2023 SKYWARN Recognition Day
- Winter Field Day in Florida
- World Amateur Radio Day 2024 -- "A Century of Connections:
Celebrating 100 years of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and
Advocacy"
- K1CE for a Final: IARU and ITU
- ARES® Resources

ARES® BRIEFS, LINKS

World Amateur Radio Day <https://www.iaru.org/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day/> is Tomorrow
-- Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in
celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that
the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was formed in Paris.

Amateur radio experimenters were the first to discover that the
shortwave spectrum -- far from being a wasteland -- could support
worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths,
amateur radio was "in grave danger of being pushed aside," the IARU's
history has noted. Amateur radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and
created the IARU to support amateur radio worldwide.

Colorado State University Issues Hurricane Season Forecast -- Colorado
State University hurricane researchers are predicting an extremely
active Atlantic hurricane season in their initial 2024 forecast. The
team cites record warm tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic sea
surface temperatures as a primary factor for their prediction of 11
hurricanes this year. When waters in the eastern and central tropical
and subtropical Atlantic are much warmer than normal in the spring, it
tends to force a weaker subtropical high and associated weaker winds
blowing across the tropical Atlantic. These conditions will likely lead
to a continuation of well above-average water temperatures in the
tropical Atlantic for the peak of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
-- Colorado State University Forecasting <https://tropical.colostate.edu/forecasting.html>

AMERICAN RED CROSS NEBRASKA-IOWA REGION WINLINK EXERCISE DEVELOPS

SKILLS

The American Red Cross Nebraska-Iowa Region is working to develop
capabilities for Red Cross amateur radio operators and other interested
amateur radio organizations to support disasters that may occur in the
region. As all amateur operators know, an ability to communicate in the
absence of internet and cell phone service could be critical in the
early stages of a disaster response.

For a localized event, voice communications might be adequate, but for
a larger event the ability to deliver formatted email using Winlink
Global Radio Email would be extremely valuable.

Amateur radio operators can send and receive Winlink messages using HF
or VHF radio depending on their location, license class, and equipment.

An exercise using Winlink messaging was conducted Saturday, March 23,
2024. The exercise was controlled from the W0EQU station located at the
Omaha Red Cross headquarters. Participation was invited from Amateur
Radio Emergency Service® organizations within the region as well as
from amateurs with some Red Cross affiliation from across the country. Operators were invited to submit Winlink Check In forms via radio (if
equipped) via the Winlink system to the W0EQU station. If the operator
had the ability to use multiple radio paths (modes or frequency bands)
to submit check-ins, that was invited.

Results:

W0EQU received 81 successful check-ins with the following
characteristics:

- 62 distinct amateur radio operators checked in at least once.
- Check-ins came from 14 different states, the most distant being
Alaska.
- 28 of the messages were originated over a VHF radio connection
(relatively short range between the transmitting station and the
Winlink Gateway station).
- 30 were originated over an HF radio connection (up to hundreds of
miles from the transmitter to the Gateway).
- 20 were originated over the internet (not via radio).
- ALL messages were received at W0EQU and all outgoing traffic sent
over a VHF link to a local Gateway.

A map detailing all messages is available at the Exercise Participant
Map <https://sites.google.com/view/arcneiawinlink?usp=sharing>.

Additional Activities

W0EQU also activated no-notice VHF FM voice networks on three of the
local FM repeaters to evaluate the ability of the Red Cross station to
act as net controller using those repeaters. The repeaters activated
include the K0USA repeater in North Omaha, the W0WYV repeater in
Bellevue, and the N0WKF repeater in Glenwood, Iowa. Local operators
checked in to all three of the nets.

A special test was conducted with Jerry Davis, KA4QVH, in Cleveland,
Georgia, using VARA HF Peer-to-Peer. This mode allows passing Winlink
traffic directly from one station to another over HF radio, with no
internet anywhere in the picture. This would be used in the event of a widespread internet outage. The operators were successful passing
messages directly to each other over a distance of 808 miles.

Next Steps

The American Red Cross Nebraska Iowa Region hopes to conduct more
exercises like this and to build up connections with amateur radio organizations and operators across the two states. For more information
or to discuss involvement with the Red Cross contact the NEIA Region <marty.malley@redcross.org> Amateur Radio coordinator for the Red
Cross, Marty Malley, WK0E <marty.malley@redcross.org>.

AMATEUR RADIO HURRICANE NETWORKS FEATURED AT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE

CONFERENCE

The National Hurricane Conference <https://hurricanemeeting.com/> was
held March 25 - 28, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. A series of workshops
were held that focused on amateur radio's involvement in hurricane
tracking, coverage, and recovery.

Among the presenters was the Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator of
WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center <https://w4ehw.fiu.edu/> (NHC)
Julio Ripoll, WD4R. Ripoll gave a history of amateur radio's
involvement in NHC, including the use of tube radios in the 1980s and
the Yaesu FTDX-1200 used today. WX4NHC is also equipped with VHF/UHF
radios to access the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet),
as well as digital equipment to communicate with the VoIP Hurricane Net <https://voipwx.net/>, IRLP, and Winlink to receive emails via amateur
radio.

"We were the only means of communication between the National Hurricane
Center and the National Weather Service Field Office in Slidell,
Louisiana, during Hurricane Katrina," Ripoll said. He went on to
highlight other instances of reports given by ham radio that provided mission-critical information that had a major impact on the way NHC
handled a storm.

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, gave a presentation to the crowd of hurricane experts, meteorologists, and
emergency managers about the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®).
He spoke of ARRL's role on the board of SAFECOM, a program managed by
the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that sets
the standards of interoperability procedures. Being a part of the group solidifies the Amateur Radio Service as a robust resource before and
during times of crisis.

Johnston shared that in 2023, ARES volunteers contributed at least
$21.8 million in volunteer hours to their local communities. "Is
amateur radio still relevant? Absolutely! Are we still involved in the
places that are doing things the right way? Amateur radio absolutely
is," he said.

Johnston highlighted the relationship between ARRL and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) <https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-and-fema-sign-agreement-ham-radio-is-as-relevant-as-ever>,
as well as ARRL's position as a net control station within the SHAred
RESources High Frequency Radio Program (SHARES) <https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/shared-resources-shares-high-frequency-hf-radio-program>
managed by CISA.

Among other presenters was ARRL's The ARES Letter <http://www.arrl.org/ares-letter/> Editor Rick Palm, K1CE, who shared a harrowing tale of his family experiencing a direct hit from Hurricane
Idalia in August 2023. The damage and impact he felt gave him a new
perspective on emergency communications, as he went from a volunteer communicator to a storm victim. Read more about his experience in the
"Public Service" column in the January 2024 issue of QST.

Watch a video of the amateur radio workshops <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-43X6wVrqwA> at the 2024 National
Hurricane Conference on YouTube, courtesy of Jim Palmer, KB1KQW. See
photos and discussion in the ARRL Letter for March 29, 2024 <https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-importance-highlighted-at-national-hurricane-conference>.
See also Hurricane Watch Net manager Bobby Graves', KB5HAV, recordings
of the proceedings <https://www.youtube.com/@HurricaneWatchNet>.

SPRING SEVERE WEATHER PREPARATIONS BEGIN

The severe weather season (March through May) is here, and the National
Weather Service (NWS) offices across the country are prepared. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Brandon Peloquin at the Wilmington, Ohio,
NWS office said many of the NWS offices across the country meet with
partner organizations in the spring to make plans for the weather
ahead. "Amateur radio operators and weather spotters are extremely
important, and we could not do what we do without them," he said. "In
fact, many of the watches and warnings issued are made because weather
spotters provided critical information."

Peloquin said that Doppler radar is a great tool for tracking storms,
but weather spotters have a different vantage point and can see things
that radar can't.

Severe Weather Awareness Weeks are scheduled by each state and usually
occur during March to remind and educate communities about severe
weather seasonal threats and how to avoid them. The NWS SKYWARN Storm
Spotter Program is a volunteer program with almost 400,000 trained
severe weather spotters. Spotter training is available at the state
level and is offered several times each year. Every December, NWS and
ARRL hold SKYWARN Recognition Day to honor all SKYWARN storm spotters
and amateur radio operators for their contributions during severe
weather. -- February 29, 2024 issue of The ARRL Letter <http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2024-02-29>.

NWS MELBOURNE, FLORIDA 2023 SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY

After a 4-year hiatus, onsite operations returned to the National
Weather Service Office in Melbourne, Florida, to support SKYWARN
Recognition Day (SRD). The Platinum Coast Amateur Radio Society (PCARS) contributed the equipment needed to run an HF station at the office and
also staffed this station, making contacts and exchanging weather
information during much of the event. SRD is held during the first
Saturday in December, and for 2023 ran from 7 AM (EST) Friday, December
1 through 7 PM Saturday, December 2. This event is co-sponsored by the
National Weather Service and ARRL. Local amateur radio operators and
their family members also attended a SKYWARN Open House from 10 AM to 4
PM on Saturday, December 2, for tours of event operations and of the
National Weather Service office.

SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) celebrates the contributions that SKYWARN volunteers, including those in the amateur radio community, provide to
assist in the National Weather Service's mission to protect life and
property. During major weather events, amateur radio operators provide
vital communication between the NWS and emergency management, in the
event standard services fail or become overloaded. Additionally, all
SKYWARN weather spotters, provide valuable information during hazardous
weather situations. Often, these spotter reports allow NWS
meteorologists to issue severe weather warnings with greater advance
notice and confidence than would otherwise be possible.

During the 24-hour event, amateur radio operators throughout the
country visited their local NWS office, set up portable radio stations
to simulate emergency conditions, and worked in teams to exchange
weather reports with other amateur radio operators across the nation
and the globe. All spotters were also encouraged to check in on the
SKYWARN Spotter Check-In Map on the official SRD website <https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition>.

WINTER FIELD DAY IN FLORIDA

The Alachua County, Florida (Gainesville area) ARES organization's
(NF4AC) Winter Field Day effort in January was a big learning event for
all of us. We especially noted difficulties making simplex connections
to ARES operators and other hams in the area. As a result, an
Improvement Plan item was to ask the ARES Net Manager to schedule eight
simplex net sessions throughout the remainder of the year in order to
better train for disaster situations where repeaters have (for whatever
reason) become unavailable. This was approved by the ARES group, and
the Net Manager scheduled the first such simplex net for April 11,
separate from other commendable efforts to work on simplex
communications.

HF nets, even those involving non-hams, routinely handle simplex nets
on HF by volunteers who "relay" when they detect that Net Control has
not heard from a station that they do hear. David Huckstep, W4JIR, who
will be net control, expects to read the "preliminaries" on the main
146.820 MHz repeater, and then switch to 146.550 simplex for the roll
call, giving a little extra time for each call sign for potential
volunteer relays. He then plans to go back to the 146.820 repeater to
pick up anyone who couldn't get in via simplex. - Gordon Gibby, KX4Z,
Alachua county ARES, Florida, NF4AC

WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY 2024 -- "A CENTURY OF CONNECTIONS:

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF AMATEUR RADIO INNOVATION, COMMUNITY, AND
ADVOCACY"

By Joel Harrison, W5ZN, IARU Secretary

Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in
celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. Amateur radio pioneers met in
Paris on this day in 1925 and created the IARU to support amateur radio worldwide. Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, amateur radio gained the allocations still recognized today
-- 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters.

Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand
the frequency allocations for amateur radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs
are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands
strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25
countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include
160 member ­societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe,
Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the
Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the
Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing
the interests of amateur radio.

Today, amateur radio is more popular than ever, with more than
3,000,000 licensed operators!

World Amateur Radio Day is the day when IARU Member­ Societies can show
our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other
amateurs worldwide.

The IARU celebrates its centenary in 2025. Since its founding in Paris,
France, IARU has worked tirelessly to promote innovation in amateur
radio and to encourage the growth of the service in communities
throughout the world. IARU has represented the Amateur Services at international and regional regulatory bodies by relying on our
volunteers who come from many countries and communities. IARU has been
a sector member of the ITU since 1932 and the work of our volunteers
has continued since that date with unmatched success, as was
highlighted with the accomplishments at the 1923 World Radio Conference (WRC­23).

Leading up to our centenary year, we should take time to reflect on the remarkable achievements of radio amateurs over the last 100 years.
While the Amateur Services have been in operation for over a century,
1924 was the first year that intercontinental amateur communication
became more or less commonplace. Since that time radio amateurs have
made unparalleled advances in technology related to the Amateur
Services that play a critical role today in sustaining worldwide
communications and allow us to respond to global emergencies.

World Amateur Radio Day is an opportunity to reflect on our
achievements since 1924. We should celebrate our diverse community and
the advances and innovations we have made as we look forward to
celebrating the IARU centenary next year.

K1CE FOR A FINAL: IARU AND ITU

It's been a busy year so far. I attended the AUXCOMM forum at Orlando HamCation® in February, which was standing room only. Then, I was a
presenter at the amateur radio workshop at the National Hurricane
Conference discussed above. You can see my presentation on my personal experience with Hurricane Idalia
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yln4DpA0-6o> on the Hurricane Watch
Net's website.

This month, I travel with an IARU team including ARRL International
Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, to Geneva, Switzerland, for meetings of the International Telecommunication Union ITU Development
Sector's Study Group 1, which studies, among other things, "Use of telecommunications/ICTs for disaster risk reduction and management, particularly in developing countries." This will be in my role as IARU
Special Advisor on Emergency Communications. ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies
(ICTs). The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and
has a membership of 193 Member States and more than 1,000 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.

ARES® RESOURCES

- Download the ARES Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARESmanual2015.pdf>
- ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES_FR_Manual.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-FILLABLE-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V2_1_1.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-STANDARDIZED-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V1_2_2.doc>
- ARES Plan <http://www.arrl.org/ares-plan>
- ARES Group Registration
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-group-id-request-form>
- Emergency Communications Training <http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training>

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed
amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in
the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur,
regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national
organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may
be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at
the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an amateur
radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for
membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.

How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/fsd98.pdf> and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

SUPPORT ARES: JOIN ARRL

ARES is a program of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio <https://www.arrl.org>® . No other organization works harder than ARRL
to promote and protect amateur radio! ARRL members enjoy many benefits
and services including digital magazines, e-newsletters, online
learning (learn.arrl.org <https://learn.arrl.org>), and technical
support. Membership also supports programs for radio clubs, on-air
contests, Logbook of The World®, ARRL Field Day, and the all-volunteer
ARRL Field Organization.

Join ARRL or renew today! arrl.org/join <http://www.arrl.org/join>

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