Every Wednesday night (EXCEPT MEETING NIGHTS) at 8PM Eastern GNARC has a general rag chew net. Usually a “topic of the week” and then open discussion. Join on in!
W1NLK 146.475 PL 100 +1Meg Offset
Hosted by Sam, NV1P. Have suggestions for topics or comments?
ARES
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service ® (ARES ® ) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service and 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. You can read the official ARRL material on ARES here.
ARES is organized regionally. The regions match the regions used by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. In Southwest CT, we are in region 1. There are five “district emergency coordinators”, or DECs that report into the SEC. You can learn much more about ARES in Connecticut here: www.ctares.org.
ARES members can participate in public service events to provide communications support that enhances the safety of the operation. Events like charity bike rides and runs are classic examples where amateur radio provides the organizers with communications that cover a wide area. These events help ARES members practice their skills in deploying their equipment and operating on a “controlled net” to practice effective communications skills.
At this time, we are looking to create relationships with local agencies and organizations to provide assistance during large events and during emergencies. It is important to realize that ARES members don’t “self deploy” during disasters, but are part of an overall emergency preparedness team.
Local Nets
There is a periodic region 1 CERT/ARES net. When called, this net occurs on Tuesday at 8:00 PM. All amateurs are welcome, and encouraged to check into the net. Frequencies for the CERT/ARES net are 146.475 (+ 1 MHz Split) with a PL of 100.0 Hz. At this time GNARC officers are looking into a way to link one of our repeaters into the statewide net that occurs on Sundays.
You can also learn more about CERT, which is a fast growing emergency preparedness organization across the country, see http://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams. You can also contact local CERT leaders in Wilton, Stamford, Fairfield, Westport and other Region 1 towns. More towns are turning to CERT to help in emergencies, and the addition of amateur radio to the CERT is important to operations.
For more information, please contact Paul Lourd, WB2JVB, DEC Connecticut Region 1.
Here is the submission to the ARRL:
Call Used: N1EV GOTA Station Call: W1NLK ARRL/RAC Section: CT Class: 3A
Participants: 30 Club/Group Name: Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club
Power Source(s): Generator, Battery
Power Multiplier: 2X
Bonus Points:
100% Emergency power 300
Media Publicity 100
Set-up in Public Place 100
NTS message to ARRL SM/SEC 100
W1AW Field Day Message 100
Natural power QSOs completed 100
Site Visit by invited elected official 100
Site Visit by invited served agency official 100
GOTA Bonus 160
Submitted via the Web 50
Total Bonus Points 1,210
Score Summary:
CW Digital Phone Total
Total QSOs 1409 0 1206
Total Points 2818 0 1206 4024 Claimed Score = 8,048
Total Score:
9,258 points
Submitted by: Hugo W. Catta, AA1XV
