NE-FL D-STAR System

The Journal of the North East Florida D-Star Repeater Network

Archive for category Volusia ARES Admin

Operation Communicate Freedom – June 30

Jun 19

Posted by mikelee in Analog Repeaters, ARES Events, ARES Training, D-RATS Data, D-Star Repeaters, D-Star Users, Flagler ARES Admin, Flagler EOC, Go Kits, HF Antennas and Operation, NET Operations, Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

Details have been slow to come, but here’s what we know..

  • Exercise prep/Briefing will be on June 29th (Wednesday) starting in the afternoon at Camp Blanding. Please DO NOT proceed to Camp Blanding, since this is a secure facility and only authorized (credentialed) staff will be allowed entry. We will have a contingent of 3 Amateurs onsite, to include the Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC – Ron Mettler). Information from the on-site briefing will be shared later that afternoon on an established channel or channels so that all will have access to the most current data. In addition, those participating will also receive an email with the most current information.
  • The exercise will primarily be on June 30 (Thursday before the July-4 holiday weekend). Exercise time will run from approximately 09:00 to 15:00, with after-action briefing at about 15:00 and de-mobilization starting at about 16:00. We will need staff at the real, or virtual EOC’s for each of the counties. VHF and HF capability will be required (preferred) – frequencies and communications protocol for the exercise will be distributed mid next week (7-days prior to the exercise).
  • There are 13 counties in the North East Florida region that are supposed to be participating in the drill :
    • Alachua
    • Baker
    • Bradford
    • Clay
    • Duval
    • Flagler
    • Gilchrist
    • Levy
    • Marion
    • Nassau
    • Putnam
    • St. Johns
    • Union
  • Amateur Radio will be an integral part of the exercise
  • The exercise will consist of two major parts :
    • A large scale disaster with numerous casualties in Duval County, and
    • A train derailment somewhere in the 13 county region – probably involving HazMat, NBC (nuclear, biological or chemical) or other considerations
  • We will be asked to pass traffic to as many of the 13 counties as possible, by whatever means possible
  • We will be asked to specifically use VHF and HF, in addition to other means
  • Digital and Analog modes can be used (like WinLink, D-STAR/DRATS, etc)
  • There will likely be traffic that needs to be passed to FL State EOC as well.

No other details are available (yet), but Doug and I will be working on the communications plan and the ICS forms package in the next few days.

High Altitude Balloon Launch – Friday

Apr 25

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, ARES Training, Flagler EOC, NET Operations, Volusia ARES Admin, Work Party | No Comments

We have been  approached to assist in the tracking and recovery of a High Altitude Balloon that will be launched with the purpose of photographing the last launch of the Endeavor shuttle mission on Friday, 29-April-2011. The launch is sponsored by the organization Quest for the Stars, Inc – a California non-profit Organization that focuses on introducing students to Math and the Sciences.

..
The balloon will probably be launched from an area close to Chiefland, FL then rise to an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet, then  is expected to make a landing in an area from southern St. Johns  to northern Volusia Counties – with the anticipated LZ being in the Palm Coast area.

We will be supporting the recovery effort by tracking the payload via APRS, then protecting the payload for turnover to the Quest for Stars staff. At this time, we will not be releasing the call-sign of the payload, so as to protect the integrity of the payload’s camera and electronics payload, since the recovered video will be used for student education, as well as the Challenger Foundation.

Any amateurs who are interested in joining in the tracking and recovery efforts should contact the event Incident Commander – Phil (K5BBC) at philmcelrath@natca.net for more information as well as an official tasking. FEMV staff are encouraged to join, as this will be excellent training in Search and Recovery – a skill that may well be needed in times of natural disaster or events such as downed-aircraft searches. Troy Harper from Flagler EOC has been informed of this event and although not an officially sanctioned FEMV event, I would not be surprised if he were to monitor the progress of this event for it’s training benefits.

Phil will be releasing more details in the coming days, as we expect a Daily Update from the Launch Director starting Monday the 25th, until just prior to launch time on the 29th. The entire schedule is subject to change, based on the progress of the STS-134 mission, but if everything stays on schedule, Shuttle launch should be at 15:47 local time. The latest information regarding the balloon is that they will arrive at the launch site in Chiefland at Noon, with a target launch time of 14:47 (60 minutes prior to Shuttle Launch). The balloon is expected to reach the edge of space, then start it’s downward trajectory back toward earth.

Although this should not be required, a simple reminder might be in order – this payload and all of it’s contents, are the property of the Quest for Stars organization – we are not authorized to open it, inspect it or deliver it to anybody other than their designated representatives. If and when found, the location should be immediately secured and the location communicated to the Incident Commander (Phil – K5BBC). Unless the location of the payload poses a threat to life or property, it should not be moved until Quest-for-Stars staff arrive to take possession of the payload. I know that we would request the same courtesy of others assisting in recovering OUR property – so it stands that we should give John and his organization the same level of respect and consideration.  All amateurs who are not directly tasked with the recovery effort, but who happen on the payload (e.g., it lands in your back yard :D ) should contact Phil on a local repeater, on DStar, or on the phone (he will post all phone numbers prior to the event).

Many thanks to all of you in advance for your willingness to help – this should be a fun and educational event for all who choose to participate..!!

=======  Beginning of email request

On Apr 17, 2011, at 10:23 PM, John Pugh wrote:

Hi Mike,

I work with a Non-Profit group called Quest for Stars(http://www.questforstars.com). We travel the world introducing students to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We primarily use weather balloons to launch a scientific payload to the edge of space and recover it.

The reason I’m writing is we are launching a balloon to capture the launch of the last flight of Endeavor. In conjunction with the Challenger Foundation and other sponsors we will be launching a balloon from the east coast of Florida (likely somewhere around Chiefland, FL) and recovering it somewhere around Palm Coast, FL. This was the trajectory of the balloon launched earlier this year, however we will not know the exact launch site or path until a few days prior as it depends on upper atmosphere winds.

On board the payload we have a APRS setup that will allow us to track the unit from launch to recovery and would like to have some local people available at the recovery area to track it until we can get across the state. This will likely provide press coverage and can help in providing a search and rescue training exercise if so desired.I will be the local coordinator for this launch.

Thanks…JP

John Pugh

NE Florida Depiction Project – Startup

Apr 6

Posted by mikelee in ARES Training, Flagler ARES Admin, Go Kits, Volusia ARES Admin, Work Party | 2 Comments

A small working group, led by Doug (N4FPS) and myself have started a project to identify and collect data elements that would be necessary or useful in an emergency situation, whether a major weather event or a smaller contained incident.

One of the keys to managing or mitigating the impacts of any event is to know as much as possible about the environment you’re working in. The scope of our Depiction  is the Georgia line to the north, Deland to the south, Putnam County to the west and the coastline to the east.

There will be thousands of elements of data that might get loaded into a Depiction model at any point in time, along with standard information such as USGS National Elevation Data (NED) which is used in flood forecasting, Road Networks for calculating  routes and alternates, NWS for current weather and forecasts, and earthquake data from the USGS.

We will soon be dividing the data collection efforts amongst the working group, so that we give experience to everybody who wants to participate in the method of data collection, as well as the way that we manipulate the data in order to be readable by Depiction (nothing better than learning by DOING).

We will be posting updates to indicate the best found sources of Depiction loadable data, so that all can benefit from our research and be able to duplicate whatever we create, if they wish. The power of Depiction (or any other GIS system, for that matter), is in SHARING a commonly used set of information, in a standardized manner. We’re targeting to be done by the end of April – after which we’ll starting an integration effort with Amateur radio systems such as APRS (live) and WinLink so that we can share a Common Operating Environment, using wireless tools without dependence on the internet.

We’re also planning on holding a Depiction Conference sometime in the near future – open to all  in the North East Florida area (or further, if you want to travel)  in order to educate folks on the capabilities of Depiction, as well as to inform them on how we’ve used Depiction for events and real emergency situations. Half of the day will likely be spent on training the attendees on HOW to use Depiction. Stay tuned for more details.

Elements to Include in Depiction (for each county in the Depiction area) :

1. Evacuation Shelters
2. Fire  / Rescue Stations
3. Law Enforcement Stations
4. Red Cross Offices
5. Salvation Army Offices
6. Bridges
7. Amateur Repeater Locations FM, D-STAR, APRS, WL2K, SEDAN
8. GMRS Repeater Locations
9. County Communications Infrastructure Locations
10. FCC  Database Amateur Radio Operators
11. Amateur Radio Volunteers (East Coast District)
12. Amateur Radio Volunteers (Crown District)
13. Cert Volunteers
14. Other Volunteers
15. Landing Zones
16. Central Office Locations (Phone, Internet, Electric, Water, Gas, etc).
17. Cell Towers
18. DOF Fire Towers
19. DOF Offices
20. FPL Substations and Primary Lines
21. Rail Road Lines
22. Water / Fire Hydrants and Mains
23. Water Towers
24. EOC’s
25. Mobile Home Parks
26. Gas lines / Mains
27. Commercial Radio / TV Stations
28. Hazmat locations
29. Gasoline, Fuel Stations on or near Evacuation Routs
30. Evacuation Zones
31. Evacuation Routs
32. Custom areal and road maps
33. Flood Zones
34. Nursing / Assisted Living Facilities
35. Prisons / Jails
36. Schools / Colleges / Universities
37. Public Lands Shapefiles
38. Public Boat Ramps
39. Hospitals
40. National Weather Service Offices
41. DOT Weigh Stations
42. DOACS Inspection Stations

Depiction Session on Sunday at Flagler EOC

Apr 1

Posted by mikelee in ARES Training, Flagler ARES Admin, Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

Bottom Line – Learn something new – ALL ARE WELCOME..!!

A group of us will be meeting at the Flagler EOC to discuss Depiction (www.depiction.com) - a program that provides Geo-location  and simulation services that can be of huge benefit to Emergency Managers and Amateur Radio emergency responders alike . Doug (N4FPS), Gary (K4GJM) and I have been researching the possibilities over the last few months – while Doug actually used Depiction to plan our MS-150 event for last October.

..
We are gathering geo-elements now that can be used in future scenarios, such as locations of:

  • fire stations,
  • police stations
  • schools
  • shelters
  • helicopter landing zones
  • medical facilities
  • nursing homes
  • hazmat sites
  • power grid sites
  • telecom sites
  • etc..

We  will be creating a baseline Depiction scenario – upon which we can add overlays to include other extensive information. All are welcome to participate and learn about Depiction. We will be using an HD projector and will be using an interactive approach so that ALL can benefit. We expect to start at 14:00 and finish by 17:30, ending with a baseline Depiction that can be used for East Coast and Crown District ARES members.

..
Meeting will be at the Flagler EOC in Bunnell – software copies of Depiction will NOT be provided, but you can purchase your own copy for only $200 each.Please be early, since the outside doors are normally LOCKED on the weekends and after hours. Once we begin at about 14:00+, we will not be able to hear people trying to bang on the door.

Please RSVP if you want to attend (along with a cellphone number), so that we can insure that there is enough space and can wait for your arrival. Don’t be surprised if you see the the Flagler Emergency Management Chief in the session as well, since this system gives him capabilities that he doesn’t currently get with his ESRI system.

Daytona DStar and Analog are Down – fix on Friday

Mar 31

Posted by mikelee in D-Star Repeaters, D-Star Users, Flagler ARES Admin, Tropical Cyclones, Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

Steve (W1SGC) called last night to inform us that the Daytona DStar repeater, as well as the DBARA Analog repeater were both down, as result of the storm system that blew thru the area Wednesday evening. Both repeaters are in the same cabinet, so it’s possible that there was a tripped circuit breaker at the Polyphaser panel, or in the Astron RM-50M power supplies.

A crew is scheduling to go to the hospital Friday morning to assess the situation and make necessary repairs. We’ll keep you informed of the progress.

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Resignation as ARES/DEC – East Coast District

Mar 26

Posted by mikelee in Flagler ARES Admin, Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

It is with great regret that I must announce my resignation as the District Emergency Coordinator of East Coast District, Florida effective immediately due to health issues related to my performance in this position. While I never expected to serve more than about 12-18 months, my desire was aways to leave the position with my successor already in place and trained for the job. Unfortunately, this will not be the case.

Regardless, I’m proud that the East Coast District has made great strides over the past 15 months, namely:

  • We have forged new and stronger relationships with the Volusia public service community and the EOC, with the installment of new ARES leadership who have the heart to build a constructive, transparent and long-lasting organization with a passion for serving all aspects of the community in Volusia County, with emphasis on the EOC, but also including medical and other faciltiies. The appointment of Steve Craft (W1SGC) into the role of EC-Volusia County was the turning point for that organization’s change. Thanks Steve, for taking the reigns and providing such excellent leadership to date..!!
  • We have done the same in Flagler County – with the re-establishment of a new ARES team which has the heart for service for the community. Our relationship with Troy Harper, the County EOC Chief is stronger than any time in the last 10+ years and he sees us as an asset to be used CONTINUALLY, versus at times of crisis. Unfortunately, the service by Amateurs to the EOC will be exclusively under the banner of FEMV (Flagler Emergency Management Volunteers), a County operated and controlled organization in the short-term (versus ARES), due to difficulties with prior volunteer organizations. It is hoped that ARES will be officially recognized by the County after the next 12-18 months. Robbie Creal (KG4HUF) continues to be the EC for Flagler County.
  • We have built much stronger ties with our counterparts in the Crown District of ARES (St. Johns, Duval, Clay, Nassau and others) thru the efforts of Doug Carter (N4FPS) the DEC of Crown District and his outstanding EC’s.
  • We successfully planned and executed the largest joint communications event in local ARES history, with the MS-150 in October of 2010 – an event which was acknowledged by event coordinators and County EOC managers as the most professionally run communications event in local history. Kudos for ARES Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia..!!
  • We were Co-Creators of the Florida Hurricane Net, which meets on Monday evenings at 21:00 local on REF034A, with the purpose of giving local Florida amateurs a coordination channel for events happening within the State, apart from the “big-picture” monitoring done by others using the SE Weather Net. The Hurricane Net was the brainchild of Bob (N6USP) with significant assistance by Doug (N4FPS) and averages 45+ check-ins per week.
  • During all the ARES reconstruction and the planning and execution of the MS-150, a team of dedicated ARES volunteers successfully completed the planning and implementation of a 4-repeater DStar Network in North East Florida, with locations in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Palm Coast and Daytona Beach. Although the success of those installations is an accomplishment in itself, by far the largest success is in the building of that core-team who is now able to perform the installation, maintenance and troubleshooting WITHOUT DEPENDING ON A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL (self included). This is redundancy at work..!! My hat is off to these guys – all of whom love to do the work, but probably don’t realize how much of a burden they’ve lifted off my shoulders – to the guys, my heart felt thanks..!!
  • And finally, we’ve instilled a Spirit of Transparency in this area – starting with the DStar developments, but extending into the activities with EOC’s and ARES volunteers. The NEFL-DSTAR.COM/BLOG site has been a great communications vehicle for current and historical information, as well as how-to articles about DStar and Non-DStar activities alike. We expect to continue the blog into the future, as it has been an excellent rallying-point for folks to get current news as well as opportunities to volunteer.

So overall, a good 15 months. There are still CHALLENGES, as always – but I know that each of you are up to the task.  There is much to do, many opportunities and many places that could use each of your talents and skills. Get involved and let’s make a difference together..!!

Our Section Emergency Coordinator, Ron (WB4GHU) is looking for my replacement now, but if you have the desire and PASSION, please contact Ron at WB4GHU@AOL.COM – I’m sure that he would love to hear from each of you. I can attest to the fact that Ron is a GREAT GUY – a great listener and one with a heart for public service. He get’s my vote of confidence and my continued support, but now in a support role. I am very proud to call him my friend.

To each of you reading this email or blog post – my very best wishes. This does not mean that I’m going QRT – rather, think of this as my getting a new ICS-204 (Task Assignment) – still here, just a different role – to support each of you in what ever way possible.

73,

Mike – WB6RTH

MS-150 Message from our SEC

Nov 27

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, Flagler ARES Admin, Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

From: Ron (WB4GHU) <WB4GHU@aol.com>

Subject: Re: Final MS-150 Report

Date: November 27, 2010 8:06:22 AM EST

To: Doug Carter (N4FPS) <n4fps.doug@gmail.com>, mike lee <mikelee0531@me.com>, Phil Mcelrath – K5BBC <pmcelrath@me.com>, Eddie Cail KJ4LRB <kj4lrb@hotmail.com>, Rick Reuther (KC2HFL) <KC2HFL@bellsouth.net>, Charlie Kunz <charlie@chaskunz.com>, Robbie Creal (KG4HUF) <rcreal@cfl.rr.com>, Pete Kelleher (KC1SS) <kc1ss@localnet.com>, Steve Craft (K1SGC) <scraft1@cfl.rr.com>

Cc: Cary  Beurshausen (N4CDB) <cary@duvalares.org>, Brian Kopp KC5LPA <brian@thesemaphoregroup.com>, agrayt1@comcast.net, Michael Hendershot (KJ4FEQ) <kj4feq@bellsouth.net>, Ron (WB4GHU) <wb4ghu@arrl.net>, kj4g@arrl.net

______________________________

Good Morning All,

First I would like to personally thank every operator who participated in this event. Your recognition of the need to do your part in a training exercise shows the kind of dedication we need to fulfill our roles as providers of emergency communications support to the public when needed. This is one of the opportunities we have to “give back” for the privilege of holding an amateur operator license. Not only did you participate; you performed very well. Your skill and professionalism are to be highly commended.

Second, I would like the thank the leadership of this event. From the early planning stages to the final report you have demonstrated the insight and management skills it takes to successfully guide your team through an event such as this. At a crucial time in the history of the relationship of ARES and MS-150, I feel quite certain you have salvaged the opportunity to participate in future MS-150 events. This has only been a direct result of the attention to detail you portrayed in the performance of your duties. Thank you for a job very well done!

Please pass this message to all team members who may not receive a direct copy of this e-mail. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort invested by all in this qualified success.

73,

Ron Mettler WB4GHU
Northern Florida SEC

Volusia ARES – Updates

Sep 29

Posted by mikelee in Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

Had dinner with the Volusia ARES leadership Tuesday night – a delightful bunch of guys who want to turn the organization around into a lean, mean, fast-moving machine..!!

They will be coming out with a number of initiatives to keep people informed in the very near future. A draft of the Emergency Plan is being formulated and will be distributed to key contact points for initial review.

Steve is making good progress toward building a team, putting together a team and getting things done – NOW. I’ll leave it to Steve to communicate details, but suffice to say that I walked away pleased with the progress thus far.

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Inappropriate Behavior in Volusia

Sep 23

Posted by mikelee in Volusia ARES Admin | 2 Comments

I have been made aware of phone calls being made to Volusia ARES leadership from persons trying to be anonymous and demanding that DBARA “take-over” the Volusia ARES organization. While I can understand the frustration that some may have with the old VARECS organization (including myself), I would encourage all to be more patient as we try to reconstruct a more focused, inclusive and better organized ARES organization.

I know that these calls are not coming from the major leaders of DBARA, for I know their character – but I encourage the person making these calls to stop – and Stop IMMEDIATELY. You know who you are (and so do I) and YOU BRING SHAME to yourself, NOT to the goodness and kindness of the DBARA organization and it’s members. John (TUG) was made aware of the situation and was furious while he called me to apologize for your behavior. So the rest of this open-letter is for you:

There are more changes planned for the Volusia ARES organization, since it is a constantly evolving entity. What was there for 10 years is not easily, NOR INSTANTLY changed for the better – and just demanding that it be run by DBARA is not the solution. Firstly, you do not understand that ARES is NOT a club – nor a democratic organization – it is an extension of the ARRL Field Organization. There are no elections and you do not have a “vote” (although you certainly have “input”, if you’re an ARES member).

You disrespect yourself by hiding behind a pay-phone – if you have a complaint, express it in the open and be transparent about it. If you have a suggestion – we’d ALL like to hear it and perhaps benefit from your thoughts.

I have always tried to instill transparency in the Flagler and Volusia ARES organizations – starting with the Code of Conduct, the Newsletters and now, this BLOG mechanism. If you have positive things to contribute, do it in the open – in the light of day, for all to see and evaluate (and yes – perhaps even to criticize). But to hide behind a payphone and say “… don’t bother to trace this call, since I’m calling from a payphone” is just downright cowardly.

So if you want to be heard, STEP FORWARD and speak your mind. Your thoughts will be welcomed – but this rock throwing from the darkness of the shadows is just childish. You know how to get hold of Fred, or John (TUG), Steve Craft, or even me. Make the call..!!

Changes to Volusia ARES Leadership

Sep 22

Posted by mikelee in Volusia ARES Admin | No Comments

Fred has announced his intention of resigning his post at Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Volusia County, effective immediately. Steve Craft (W1SGC) will be assuming his position and the two of them will affect a transition starting this week.

The first order of business for Steve will be to create the  ARES plan and reconstitute the organization in Volusia County. Steve will be contacting the current AEC’s and discussing his intentions going forward in creating a world-class organization.

Stay tuned for more updates by Steve and myself regarding changes in Volusia.

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