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The ARES(R) Letter
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Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE [ mailto:k1ce@arrl.net ] - April 16, 2025

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In This Issue:
Γ-óARES(R) Briefs
Γ-óRescue on Mount Umunhum
Γ-óLetters
Γ-ó"Reading the Mail": How to Grow the ARES(R) Community
Γ-óIdeas for ARES Groups
Γ-óDayton Hamvention(R) EmComm Programs Not To Be Missed
Γ-óK1CE For a Final: 2025 Florida Statewide AUXCOMM Exercise
Γ-óARES(R) Resources
Γ-óSupport ARES(R): Join ARRL

ARES(R) Briefs

Several ARES(R) and other groups led by the Los Angeles ARES organization ARES LAXNORTHEAST [ https://www.laxnortheast.org/exercises/tsunami ] collaborated in planning and executing the 2025 Tsunami Exercise, a simulated emergency response designed to
test and enhance the capabilities of amateur radio operators in disaster situations. The exercise was conducted from March 22 to 30, with all licensed amateurs invited to participate.

The scenario was an earthquake, subsequent tsunami and flood warnings. Participants conducted a series of tasks, including logging, submitting US Geological Survey (USGS) "Did You Feel It?" (DYFI) assessments, conducting Winlink check-ins and check-outs,
sending welfare messages, and sharing situational awareness with Incident Command System (ICS) formatted messages. Their ability to provide critical information and support in a high-stress environment was tested.

The USGS received 304 mapped DYFI reports ("mapped" reports include GPS coordinates). For the tsunami portion, there were 345 unique call sign participants; 1,771 received messages, 232 mapped Winlink DYFI reports (251 total received), 319 mapped Winlink
check-ins (333 received), 295 mapped Winlink check-outs (304 received), 232 mapped ICS-213 general messages (280 received), 280 mapped welfare messages (318 received), and 238 ICS-214 activity logs received. There were also 40 check-ins to the exercise's
HF voice net. Please see the June 2025 QST "Public Service" column for a complete report and lessons learned. Γ-" Thanks, Oliver Dully, K6OLI, ARES LAXNORTHEST

Live training opportunities: Use Your Handheld Radio for APRS training for ARRL and ARES members. Join the next On the Air Live session Γ-" an interactive, live training event hosted by ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF. These sessions take
a deeper dive into practical topics designed to help you get the most out of your amateur radio and ARES experience. Up Next: Using Your Handheld Radio for APRS (Part 3 of the How to Use Your Handheld Radio series). Discover how to unlock the power of
APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) using your handheld radio. We'll cover trackers and beacons; digipeaters and iGates; APRS path identification; messaging options: direct radio text, store-and-forward, SMS, email, and Winlink. The session will be
conducted on April 22, starting at 8 PM eastern/5 PM Pacific. Register here [ https://learn.arrl.org/events ] .

Many Technician-class amateurs miss out on the fun and skills learning of traffic handling because they reside in areas of the country where local traffic nets on VHF repeaters don't exist. The Virtual NTS Training Net (VNTN) seeks to address this
problem with the creation of a Zoom-based local traffic net that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

VNTN will accept check-ins and radiogram traffic utilizing standard phonetics and pro-signs; in short, participants will enjoy the same experiences as those who check into conventional "RF" traffic nets. The net will incorporate a "hands-on" training
approach in traffic procedures, radiogram creation, and relay.

It is hoped that new amateurs who participate in VNTN will be motivated to join section and region nets on HF after upgrading to a higher license class.

The net meets Wednesdays at 7:00 PM ET. In the future, it is hoped that a West Coast version will be established at around 7 PM PT. See the VNTN [ https://nts2.arrl.org/2025/03/15/virtual-nts-training-net/ ] website. [Monitor this site for possible
updates and Zoom URL changes.] Γ-" Phil Temples, K9HI [ mailto:phil@temples.com ] , ARRL New England Division Vice Director

The 2025 Florida statewide AUXCOMM exercise was conducted on Saturday, April 12 Γ-" see the Florida AUXCOMM site [ https://floridaemergency.net/ ] . The scenario: Florida was under siege as Cyberstorm unfolded Γ-" a devastating outbreak of tornadoes
crippled infrastructure, overwhelming emergency services. A coordinated cyberattack then hits, taking down internet and cellular networks statewide. See next month's issue for a summary of the after-action report.

Rescue on Mount Umunhum

The brilliant blue skies of Saturday, February 22, were a welcome relief from the storms and rain of previous weeks in California. Members of the San Jose Simplex Group, a loose affiliation of hams who join a Thursday night rag chew hosted by Tom Nichols,
KQ6OT, on 146.520 MHz, were heading to the top of Mount Umunhum to make VHF contacts, encourage participation by new hams, and talk face-to-face. Some members arrived early to set up masts and radios, and as the morning progressed, others arrived at
their own pace.

Mount Umunhum is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains. At 3,486 feet, it is topped by a radar tower which was once part of the West Coast's missile defense system. Though within a 30-minute drive of San Jose, its terrain is rife with RF
holes, making cellular phone service dubious at best.

Sal Mancuso, W6SAL, was starting up Mount Umunhum Road to the summit and had just spoken with Mallory Sartuche, KK6IXB, on the WA2IBM 2-meter repeater trying to reach her father Tom, KQ6OT. About five minutes later, Sal came upon a bicycle in the
drainage ditch and a bloodied cyclist climbing out of the grasses on the opposite embankment. Sal could tell right away the rider was banged up pretty badly. His cycling bibs were torn up, his face and hands were bleeding, and he had apparently been in
and out of consciousness. Though the cyclist kept saying he was fine, Sal could see otherwise and called 911, only to find he had no cell signal.

Wasting no time, he made an emergency call on the WA2IBM repeater, opting for the repeater over simplex because it was in a good line of sight, and he had been talking with Mallory on it moments before. He also knew it was likely that others of the group
heading up the mountain were also monitoring.

Mallory said she would open a landline to first responders but would hold off on sending them until Sal gave the go-ahead. Scott Kennedy, KN6KHV, who was about 10 minutes behind Sal, jumped on the radio to say he was equipped with a full first aid kit
and was also on the phone with 911 relaying Sal's messages about the cyclist. From the mountaintop, Butch Kittle, K6WEF, established a controlled net on the repeater to ensure that the frequency was clear for the emergency traffic.

On the roadside, Sal applied pressure to the cyclist's facial wounds to slow the bleeding, reclined him on his truck's tailgate, and radioed updates on the cyclist's condition to Scott who, using his speakerphone, allowed 911 dispatch to hear Sal's
condition report. At one point, dispatch asked if the cyclist had a pulse, which Sal confirmed from the rider's Apple watch. It was clear by that point that he was seriously injured, and the emergency responders were rolled.

While waiting for the paramedics, all Sal and Scott could do was to comfort him, crack some jokes, and try to be supportive, but as they waited, the cyclist began to go into shock and shake violently. They wrapped him in a windbreaker and towels to keep
him as warm and comfortable as possible, and applied an ice pack to the cheek and eye to keep the swelling down. Other cyclists also stopped to help, and seeing the cyclist's helmet cracked and broken, they felt that the rider's condition would have been
more dire had it not been for its sacrifice.

The Mid-Peninsula Open Space Rangers arrived about 10 minutes later and began traffic control. Upon arrival, first responders from both the San Jose Fire Department and CalFire took over treatment, and because of the location, decided it would be best to
transport the injured cyclist by ambulance rather than from the helipad at the summit.

At that point, Sal and Scott could offer no more support and relinquished the scene to the first responders. Once the cyclist was loaded on a stretcher, Sal radioed that the cyclist was stable and with paramedics, and that Butch could release the
repeater to regular use. As the ambulance departed, Sal, Scott, and the other hams resumed their trip to the top where they met, played with radios, explored the former radar installation, and socialized.

Sal, Scott, Mallory, Butch, and other hams involved all expressed satisfaction that their communication skills and preparedness were put to use giving aid to someone in need. Afterward, Sal expressed gratitude for the amateur community and its ability to
respond quickly and professionally: "While the weekly Almaden Repeater Club check-ins and San Jose Simplex Group rag chew are fun, they also teach us how to communicate and, more importantly, help us become familiar with and use our gear so we are ready
when emergencies happen."

Mike the cyclist, when coherent, expressed his sincere appreciation to Sal and others, as well as a desire to pay back in some way. It was suggested that when he was sufficiently healed, a coffee might be arranged and a bit more relaxed introduction to
ham radio might be in order. Γ-" Jeff Miller, AJ6LG [ mailto:j_miller42@u.pacific ] , Los Gatos, California

ARES(R) Amateur Radio and Public Service
[https://tinyurl.com/2p8d5br2]


Letters

My comments in the ARES Letter's March issue could be discouraging to hams training to participate in public service activities, although that wasn't the intent. Honestly, we all struggle as we learn and master skills that support our Basis and Purpose's
first mission Γ-" to provide emergency communications. I know I certainly struggled with the basics in my early years. It took mentoring by friends and a lot of work on my part to feel comfortable on the air in nets and drills. My practice really got
started after I discovered contesting, beginning with the old Novice Roundup, now replaced by the upcoming Rookie Roundups [ https://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ] . Just as taking part in sports is
great physical exercise, radiosport was great training for the ears, developing my station, and developing an appreciation for various bits and pieces of radio know-how. Training was the original reason for the ARRL to begin sponsoring cont
ests like Sweepstakes, Field Day, and the ARRL International DX back in the late 1920s and early 1930s. There are all kinds of radiosport activities and programs available today Γ-" I previously mentioned POTA (Parks On The Air [ https://parksontheair.
com/ ] ) and VHF contests [ https://www.arrl.org/june-vhf?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ] . You can operate a little or a lot in these popular programs and team efforts are welcome Γ-" why not put your EOC or comm trailer on the
air and give it a workout? So, if you find yourself struggling a bit, you're not alone and I encourage you to take advantage of the many resources and opportunities to get where you want to be. Good luck!Γ-" Ward Silver, N0AX, St. Charles, Missouri

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"Reading the Mail": How to Grow the ARES(R) Community

[Editor's note: Reports, essays, newsletters, opinions, plaudits and criticisms cross my desk every monthΓ-"and that is a good thing. I try to read them all. I have learned a lot and, as a result, I can hopefully share some lessons learned and ideas for
the future of amateur radio public service, especially the venerable Amateur Radio Emergency Service(R), a major ARRL program, members of which are the principal stakeholders of this newsletter. Here are some recent thoughts from the field. Γ-" K1CE]

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." Γ-" T.S. Eliot

Reid Tillery, K9RFT, of Melrose, Florida, asks why we would want to grow the ranks of amateur radio licensees. He answered his own question: "In my view, the primary reason is we need more hams to provide public service and safety, primarily via
emergency communications and secondarily for supporting events such as bike races, parades, and so on, with radiocommunications to facilitate logistics and public safety."

It is worth noting the very first rule in Part 97, the FCC's regulations for the amateur service: "Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to
providing emergency communications." [emphasis added].

Tillery observes "there are quite a number of hams keen to volunteer for an incident or event as long as (1) they can be made to feel needed, (2) we can show them exactly how they can fit in, and (3) we train them from start to finish." He believes the
first part of that training involves helping students attain their initial license: "This means we need to continually offer classes in our area."

How to recruit students? Tillery recommends appeals on social media: "Starting a month or so ahead of the class, I post periodic announcements on Facebook's word of mouth." Other students will come just because they hear about it somewhere else, club
meetings for example, Tillery indicates.

Once students are licensed, ARES leaders Γ-" Emergency Coordinators, Assistant ECs Γ-" help them become part of the local team by assisting with putting together a good 2-meter FM fixed and/or portable/mobile stationΓ-"the bedrock of an emergency
communicator's assets--with an efficient antenna mounted as high as possible and encouraging them to join in on weekly ARES nets. "We encourage them to register in ARES and join the area club(s), where they will meet dynamic, enthusiastic practitioners
and become part of the emergency service community, learning even more as they go," says Tillery. With these approaches, "we'd expand the ranks with more volunteers for emcomm's basic functions and service at the EOC and shelters."

Gordon Gibby, KX4Z, a regional and nationally-recognized leading light, says while there has been progress on these objectives, "a very small percentage of licensed hams are willing to participate in ARES." And, "an even smaller percentage are both able
and willing to leave their homes to participate and serve the greater county Γ-" we typically have only six to eight volunteers Γ-" barely enough to support the missions requested by the county government's emergency manager."

Gibby says that an assignment/deployment service can often mean you are on your own wherever you are assigned. So merely knowing how to press a mic button is generally not sufficient for efficient, effective response. As a result, "I concluded that the
mission of ARES training has to be far broader to include just about every niche of amateur radio, so that the team is competent at a much larger array of skills, since they could easily find themselves on their own to troubleshoot a variety of issues on
a deployment."

"In our large county, we teach a zillion different skills to foster a wider knowledge base. We get people into radiocommunication exercises, in contests, and many more things," he says. "As a result, the team has grown considerably together in skills and
knowledge, and most importantly, in getting along with each other, a challenge under the duress of deployment in any incident or disaster response." Gibby continued, "Also, we spread leadership skills and responsibilities around as much as people are
willing to take; there are open slots for leadership at almost every one of our events."

Tillery suggests a first priority is imparting basic emergency communications service skills, focusing on backup capabilities for the large county's communications infrastructure and functioning. ARES members have served well at both the EOC and in the
field. The county is serving the community by giving its citizens more ways to call for help and to pass ground truths to county staff and officials.

The County ARES Net

The county ARES net is a center of activity and indispensable. Tillery said, "During the last hurricanes, it was good to know we could reach out and touch the EOC through the net at almost any time. We were the voices of our neighborhoods, reporting
ground truths and critical needs."

Ideas for ARES Groups

Γ-óDevelop a robust 6-meter net and practice with it to send messages not only around the county but also out of the county via interfacing with HF operators.
Γ-óHelp new and veteran hams alike develop effective portable/mobile emcomm field stations by teaching what to procure and train on to be a field operator. Hold antenna parties to help them erect efficient, high-gain antennas.
Γ-óThrough nets and other outlets, help hams become competent at traffic handling: for example, learn to reliably relay messages county-wide by 2-meter simplex. Have more hams with HF capability send messages out of the area, by Winlink, for example.
Γ-óPractice interfacing with General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) operators to get their messages out of their areas and on to their destinations.
Γ-óHave ARES work with all county fire stations to pre-place two-meter antennas, install a radio(s), and have several operators assigned to operate them when needed. It could happen, especially if we are recruiting and training more hams in basic emcomm,
and giving fire officials the idea.

Another benefit: These types of activities foster getting along with one another, team spirit and the camaraderie that is so critically important to any successful endeavor.

[Reid Tillery, K9RFT, earned his Technician-class ticket in 2003 and Amateur Extra-class license in 2021. He is a member of Alachua County ARES, one of the leading groups in the country.

Gordon Gibby, KX4Z, is a nationally-recognized amateur and ARES practitioner/instructor; and Alachua County program whip. Γ-" Ed.]

Dayton Hamvention(R) EmComm Programs Not To Be Missed

Dayton Hamvention(R) [ https://hamvention.org/ ] is coming up fast, May 16-18. Groups are invited to display their communications trailers, vans and trucks or other displays. Here are a few of the EmComm-oriented programs:

Friday, May 16

3:10 PM-4:00 PM Γ-" APRS-State of the Union
4:10 PM - 5:00 PM Γ-" 100 years of MARS

Sunday, May 18

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Γ-" ARES - Building Relationships in Public Service

K1CE For a Final: 2025 Florida Statewide AUXCOMM Exercise

I participated as an ARES operator at a "shelter/point of distribution (POD)" site in southern Columbia County, Florida, along with fellow operators Darren DeMarino, KO4DLN, and Randy Hare, KQ4NRK (see photo above). We learned a lot by responding to the
injects over the course of the three-hour exercise, and our after-action reports will be forthcoming. But my own experience confirmed my belief that the bedrock of any ARES group's deployment begins with a solid mobile/portable 2-meter FM station with
confirmed access to the county's EOC (where county EC Brad Swartz, N5CBP, was stationed) via repeaters and ideally some simplex channels.

This network system plan worked very well for us, as it has for countless responses of other deployed ARES organizations over the decades. We did have 6-meter capability, plus data communication modes including VarAC and Winlink. We were able to copy the
VarAC beacons from the EOC, but I was not successful in sending any messages via the mode. If we had had more time, I might have been able to troubleshoot the system and send messages, forms and formatted reports to the EOC. (In the interest of full
disclosure, I had only downloaded and installed the program on my laptop a day or two before the exercise; thus, I had virtually no experience with the mode.)

Two Tips: Use your batteries as paperweights on top of the ICS forms to hold them down in a wind, and secondly, mount your radios in hard shell flight cases for protection and efficiency.

Bottom line: Our trio met most of the objectives for each inject, and learned a lot. We got to know each other better, too, so that when it really hits the fan, we know we'll be able to work as an efficient, effective team.

ARES(R) Resources

Γ-óDownload the ARES Manual [PDF] [ http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public Service/ARES/ARESmanual2015.pdf ]
Γ-óARES Field Resources Manual [PDF] [ http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES_FR_Manual.pdf?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]
Γ-óARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF] [ https://arrl.informz.net/arrl/data/images/ARES Letter/ARES Taskbook July 2024.pdf ]
Γ-óARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word] [ https://arrl.informz.net/arrl/data/images/ARES Letter/ARES Taskbook July 2024.doc ]
Γ-óARES Plan [ https://arrl.informz.net/arrl/data/images/ARES Letter/ARES PLAN 24(2).pdf ]
Γ-óARES Group Registration [ http://www.arrl.org/ares-group-id-request-form?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]
Γ-óEmergency Communications Training [ http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service(R) (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 Service/fsd98.pdf ] and submit it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

Support ARES(R): Join ARRL

ARES(R) is a program of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio(R) [ https://www.arrl.org/?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ] . No other organization works harder than ARRL to promote and protect amateur radio! ARRL members
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Join ARRL or renew today! www.arrl.org/join [ http://www.arrl.org/join?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL ]

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