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- Operation Golden Guardian Inter-CERT radio drill, Saturday 15th. Details
below...
- To all CERT members that wish to
participate in MetroNet need to take the amateur radio exam. Free
training material is available for all who want to get their license
or upgrade your existing license.
Please contact
Dana Reed, CERT #8, Scott
McClintock Terri, K3PXX (or Dana KI6FHX) on 448.780 Mhz, PL
110 or try 146.565 Mhz.
Messages From: Scott McClintock - KI6DIZ
Subject: Golden Guardian - Inter-CERT Team Radio Network
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The purpose of this exercise is to determine Simplex lines of communication
between the county’s CERT teams and to identify locations for strategic relay
positions that may be used during extreme states of emergency. It is recommended
that all equipment be adjusted to high power for this exercise. It is requested
that the attached log form be distributed to all participants prior to the
exercise. The exercise is conducted in three phases.
[1000 hours or earlier] - PHASE 1: Individual Team Net and Experimentation
Each CERT unit conducts its own internal net in its jurisdiction. Dana chose
146.565 simplex with no tones. The individual
team determines what repeater or Simplex frequency to use for its internal net,
however Simplex is recommended to simulate the degradation of existing
repeaters. It is recommended that the team deploy operators to strategic
locations such as the EOC, fire stations, law enforcement stations, and hilltop
relay positions. The unit’s designated representative takes up a high point
position where he/she will most likely reach Mount Palomar on Simplex. He/she
writes down the call signs of all team operators participating.
[1030 hours] - PHASE 2: Team Representatives Check-In
Inter-CERT Net Control will be Laura, KI6AOK, located near the summit of Mount
Palomar. At 1030 hours, she will call roll of the usual Inter-CERT Radio Network
on the RACES Red-1 Repeater: 147.195 + 114.8. Permission to use the repeater has
been granted by RACES. Net Control will call each team by name, e.g. “Encinitas
CERT”. Only one individual team representative will respond on behalf of the
team, and will supply Net Control with a list of all of that team’s operators
who are participating. At the end of this phase, Net Control will engage missed
members, guests and visitors.
[Approx 1045 hours] – PHASE 3: Inter-CERT Simplex Mass Check-In
Net Control will direct all team representatives to switch to Simplex 146.535
MHz, with no tones. The team representative will in turn, direct his/her team’s
operators to switch to that Simplex frequency. Net Control will then conduct a
Simplex roll call of ALL CERT hams participating. When called, each
operator will respond with call sign, location, and a brief description of the
equipment being used. Example: “This is KI6ABC, from San Marcos City Hall on
mobile, 50 watts.”
If an operator cannot hear Net Control, he/she will request a relay through
his/her team’s representative, or any other station in position to relay. If Net
Control cannot hear an operator, she will prompt that team’s representative for
a relay.
Each participant is requested to complete the attached log and e-mail it to
smcclintock@san-marcos.net. The data will be tabulated and results will be sent
to each team representative.
Subject: Reverse 911
Hello San Marcos MetroNet membership-
For your information: As of an hour ago, we
have added the (active) MetroNet members into the city's database for
the "Reverse-911" mass notification system. This will allow us to
filter the database for MetroNet members and send you all a phone call
at the same time. The call will be a text-to-speech computerized
calm and businesslike female voice, and she may say something like "All
San Marcos MetroNet members, we have had a (type of emergency). Go
to Simplex frequency as soon as possible for activation" You would
then grab your hand held, fire up the base station, or run to the car
and turn on your mobile 2-meter and receive your mission. When she
says "Simplex", you know it will be 146.565.
I tell you this so you will not be surprized to
receive such a call. Later, in the summer, we will pre-notify you
and conduct a test to see if it works. Please be sure to tell me
when you change phone numbers or e-mail addresses, so I can update the
database.
As my intern gets more time, we will complete the
CERT membership in the database, but as of now, CERT is only marginally
entered.
Mssrs. Baldwin, Davis and Stellmack: you will be
further filtered as part of the EOC callout, and will not get the
MetroNet mass call. (Computers are pernicious)
Good job MetroNet. Keep those variable
frequency oscillators turning. That is all.
Scott
Scott McClintock, KI6DIZ
Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator
City of San Marcos
(760) 744-1050 ext 3263
Subject: Inter-CERT Team Radio Network
This message is sent to San Marcos CERT
members who are also hams.
Two months ago, the San Diego County CERT
Council authorized the development of an Inter-CERT ham radio
network. The purpose of the net is to establish pathways of
reliable comms between the CERT teams in the county, in preparation
for emergencies in which landline telephone, cell telephone, and
Internet comms are degraded. The long-term goal of the net is
to connect all members of each CERT team to a single representative
ham operator, who then reports in to the County. Kinda the
ultimate fan-out tree. We have to be careful that this thing
doesn't grow so strong or independent that it violates the
procedures of ICS and SEMS. We in San Marcos also have the
luxury of having the MetroNet organization to assist us, if we need
them.
The net is developing gradually, and currently
14 of the county's 25 formal CERT teams are subscribed. The format
is:
1) The Net operates once per month, ususally
the first Tuesday at 7PM.
2) Net Control responsibilities rotate each month
among the subscribed teams.
3) The hosting team, as Net Control, can design
whatever format it wants to exercise for its rotation, but so far
the trend has been to roll call on RACES RED-1 Repeater (147.195 +
PL 114.8), then migrate to Simplex 146.540. RACES has been
wonderful in allowing us to use their repeater, even on election
night.
4) Net Control calls out each CERT team by
name, e.g. "San Marcos CERT". Only one representative from the
team responds to the roll call. That rep can then turn around
and reach out to the rest of his/her team however he/she wants.
5) The original intent also encouraged the
operators to move around and experiment with different equipment and
locations for the Simplex phase, but most hams will not crawl out of
their shack to do this. With the price of gas, I can't blame
them.
We have learned that San Marcos' Double Peak
is an excellent point to relay the Simplex traffic between north and
south county, and I have volunteered us to serve that relay function
every month from now until ham radio becomes obsolete (or death,
whichever comes first).
I am inviting you to play if you want to.
I've built a "CERT HAM" distribution list in my computer and I can
easily send you the details of each monthly Inter-CERT net.
You can then join me on the summit of Double Peak, listen in from
the comfort of your home, or experiment with different equipment and
locations. Additionally, I want to monitor one of these nets
from the new Fire Station Four radio, and learn who we can and can't
hear from there as opposed to the actual summit of the peak.
If this develops further, we may switch our
MetroNet nights to coincide with Inter-CERT nights, and do it all in
less than an hour. Even later, we can integrate the FRS radio
fan-out to the non-hams and possibly achieve the Ultimate Fan-Out
Tree. Wow, I get sweaty at the thought. More details on
the FRS Fan-Out coming soon.
SO, please hit your REPLY button (email me) and let me
know if you want to get a monthly e-mail reminder about the
Inter-CERT net, if you are interested in coming up to the peak or
Station Four, or if you would prefer that I take your good name off
of this crummy distribution list. (I'll understand)
Thanks Folks,
Scott M
Scott McClintock,
KI6DIZ
Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator
City of San Marcos
(760) 744-1050 ext 3263