Minutes of the September 7, 1996 Meeting
Congratulations to Ed Kilmartin, KE6WPG , who was promoted to Batallion Chief last month. We are having a contest to come up with an acronym for the city-wide network of amateur radios installed at fire stations. If you don't come up with a name we may be stuck with Jim, KB6MYV 's OAFS - Oakland Amateur Fire System. The Amateur Radio room of the new EOC will have 4 stations, conduits for neat cabling, an HF rig and a multimode VHF/UHF rig, a portable packet computer, and ATV equipment with video routable to the situation room. On the roof there will be a HyGain Explorer 14 multiband beam on a rotator and a vertical HF antenna. We talked a bit more about Chief Carter's mutual response drill where the scenario is that there is an 800 mhz failure and two truck companies need to exchange info via Amateur Radio. Over the next year we expect to work on the ARES/RACES Manual and complete the Fire Patrol Manual.
We will be having a guest speaker after each monthly meeting. Marvin Kay, K6GHE who is Oakland Red Cross Communications Lead, Damage Assesment Team Logistics Lead and runs the ERV supply vehicle, spoke in September. The Red Cross radio room holds several 2M/440 rigs, has a packet station and a Red Cross satellite uplink. The Red Cross is currently working on an MOU with ARES. A satellite net is run each Wednesday at noon. The Red Cross recently inherited 50 Caltrans radios which are awaiting re-crystalization to the nearby RX frequency.
Stations #24 and #26 are still being built. Station #23 still needs an antenna and station #18 is not available to us until the seismic retrofit is completed. We are planning a media event for the morning of October 20th where all the difficult parts like hole drilling and running wires are done and we show off with an antenna raising or hookup and test.
Volunteer Recognition Day: Volunteers are needed to staff the RACES table on Sunday, October 6 from 12 noon to 4:00 pm at the Joaquin Miller Community Center next to Woodminster. Talk-in on 146.88.
Emeryville Parade: Thanks to Chris KE6SSW, Doug N6TQS, Mike KD6PLN, Ted W6NPB, Bob KE6IUE, Donald K6EHQ, and Chris KE6MQW for participating.
Alameda County Drill: This message from Bob, W6RGG . The County is conducting an exercise on Thursday afternoon, October 17 which is to simulate the total loss of telephone and government radio communications throughout the county. The "official notice" of this exercise recommends that at least two messages from each city and special district headquarters be sent to the County EOC via amateur radio. This will be a great opportunity for the Alameda County ARES units and members to interact with their cities and districts.
The ALCO Sheriff's Communications Team (ACSCT) will be manning the EOC in Dublin. They will be operational on the 147.240 and 444.200 (107.2) repeaters, as well as packet on 145.030. The EOC will be manned during the exercise hours of 1300 to 1600, and probably for some time before and after those times. This would have been an ideal time for the 1.2 gHz repeater to be used, and serves to show just how important it will be when it is operational.
Mark, N6RCG suggests we staff the EOC and Red Cross with several operators.
Regatta: For the past 3 years we have been helping the annual rowing race on the Oakland Estuary report start/end times from the starting boat to the scoring computer. This year we will attempt a packet hookup. Volunteer signups will continue at the October meeting.
WRC97@fcc.gov is still accepting comments regarding commercial use of the Amateur bands See the July and August newsletters for details. Jim, N6OIK sent this to them:
As the Radio Officer for Oakland California's Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, I was astonished that the IWG-2A was considering the inclusion of the amateur 144 and 420-MHz bands as "candiate bands" for little LEOs MSS.
In 1989 and 1991, the City of Oakland suffered a major earthquake and a huge urban firestorm. Amateur radio operators using primarily the 144 and 420- MHz bands provided numerous hours of invaluable volunteer service during these crises. In part as a result of these communications services, the City allocated approximately $125,000 of a post firestorm bond issue (Measure I) to purchase 144 and 420-MHz amateur radio equipment for permanent installation in City facilities for use by volunteer Hams in times of emergency.
One 144-MHz radio and one 420-MHz radio has now been installed by amateur volunteers in nearly all of the City's firestations and will be installed in the new Emergency Operations Center which is under construction. Not only are these radios available for emergencies, but they also are used by amateur radio volunteers for "Red Flag" fire patrols and other public service activities. This is but one of what I am sure are numerous examples of the critical value of the amateur radio allocations in the 144 and 420-MHz bands. Therefore, I strongly urge IWG-2A to reconsider and delete these bands from inclusion as "candidate bands" for MSS.
Newsline: After a discussion, it was decided that it was more appropriate to ask VHF Repeaters rather than ARES/RACES for a donation to Newsline. The on-the-air bulletin service will air its 1000th program the week of October 12. It can be heard weekly at 147.30 MHz on Saturdays: 12AM, 9AM, 6PM, 9PM, or on Mondays on 145.49 MHz at 7:40PM, 145.15 MHz at 8PM, or 1930 KHz SSB at 8PM, and finally on Wednesdays 9:30PM at 3870 KHz AM.
Net Control: Please help Mike, KD6PLN collect names/calls of everyone who has been net control for Oakland ARES.
Jackets: were delivered. There was talk of embroidering names/calls on them.
Welcome: New members/participants: Dave, KF6EPQ, Louis, K6MDH, Alan, Carol, TIm, KF6BYG . And farewell to Bob Ploss, KD6YJS who is moving to Vancouver to retire.
The Oakland ARES meeting came to order at the Oakland Red Cross at 9:00 AM. Present were:
|
Debbie Barragan |
KE6MRK |
|
Roger Gilbert |
KE6STE |
|
Barbara Pickering |
KF6CWW |
|
Adele Bertaud |
KE6HKY |
|
Glenn Hammonds |
KE6YLT |
|
Jim Ploss |
KB6MYV |
|
Herbert Bowen |
WA6CUY |
|
Richmond Harding |
EL2BG |
|
David Pompa |
pending |
|
Jim Carter |
K6LWA |
|
Marvin Kay |
K6GHE |
|
Mike Pompa |
KD6PLN |
|
Susan Chan Rogers |
pending |
|
Edward Kilmartin |
KE6WPG |
|
Tim Roberts |
KF6BYG |
|
Dale Choy |
KD6KMU |
|
Bob Mayes |
KE6DVT |
|
Theodore Stewart |
W6NPB |
|
Louis Cobet |
K6MDH |
|
Dave McGuinnes |
KF6EPQ |
|
Donald Street |
K6EHQ |
|
Carol Crooks |
pending |
|
Art McLaughlin |
W6THD |
|
Jim Tiemstra |
N6OIK |
|
Doug Faunt |
N6TQS |
|
Cherie Morris |
W6BBK |
|
Brian Treusch |
KJ6LL |
|
Bob Firehock |
KE6IUE |
|
Gerald Morris |
AC6GF |
|
Mark Violet |
N6RCG |
|
Curtis Floray |
KA6MJO |
|
David Otey |
WB6NER |
|
Alan Horn |
pending |
|
Richard Gabor |
KO6TI |
|
Nardeo Persaud |
KE6MQX |
|
|
|
Meetings are normally held on the first Saturday of each month.
The next meeting will be Saturday, October 5, 1996 at 9:00 AM
at the Red Cross Headquarters, 2111 E. 14th Street, Oakland 535-2800