Author: Brian KE7QPV

  • Communications volunteers needed for Walk MS Portland 2018 event

    It is nearly time once again for the annual Walk MS event in Portland. Multnomah County ARES is honored to have been asked by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to provide communications support for their event again this year. In years past this event has been well regarded as a training and public service event for the Amateur Radio community.

    The event takes place on Saturday, April 7 from approximately 08:00 to 14:00, and is held in downtown Portland along the Esplanade and in the World Trade Center Plaza.

    To learn more, or to sign up to help, please visit the Walk MS Portland Communications Volunteer Registration Form.

  • March General Membership Meeting

    Please join us for our general membership meeting on Thursday, March 22 at the Portland Fire and Rescue training center at 4800 NE 122nd Ave in Portland. There will be a Q&A session and informal gathering for new members from 18:15 to 19:00. The main meeting will run from 19:00 to 21:00. You do not need to be a member to attend – everyone is welcome!

    We will meet in the main room at 19:00 for leadership updates and general business, and then break into two groups for introductory and advanced discussions about antennas. You are free to choose either session, based on your level of experience.

    John KI7LYP will lead the intro session in the main room. Material will include the basic types of antennas, directional properties, polarization, and gain/losses. Nate NA7EE will lead the advanced session in the Annex, covering antennas, transmission lines, baluns, matching systems (tuners), and impedance. Material will include function, characteristics, and losses.

    Additional information about our monthly meetings can be found on the meeting page.

  • February General Membership Meeting

    Please join us for our general membership meeting on Thursday, February 22 at the Portland Fire and Rescue training center at 4800 NE 122nd Ave in Portland. There will be a Q&A session and informal gathering for new members from 18:15 to 19:00. The main meeting will run from 19:00 to 21:00. You do not need to be a member to attend – everyone is welcome!

    We will meet in the main room at 19:00 for leadership updates and general business, and then break into two groups for introductory and advanced discussions of radio operations. You are free to choose either session, based on your level of experience.

    John KI7LYP will lead the intro session in the main room, where he will cover the basics of operating VHF and UHF FM using local repeaters and simplex. Robert WX5TEX will lead the advanced session in the Annex. He will discuss HF operations, focusing on propagation and MUF, SSB operations, and a brief mention of digital modes in use on HF.

    Additional information about our monthly meetings can be found on the meeting page.

  • No December General Membership Meeting!

    There will not be a general membership meeting this month, due to the holidays. Instead, the Leadership team will be meeting for a day-long planning session to work out our training and event schedule, and other business, for 2018. Have a great holiday month, and we’ll see you in January!

  • Open Net Manager Position

    Multnomah County ARES has an open position for Net Manager. The Net Manager’s primary job is to make sure there is a net control operator scheduled each week for our Wednesday night net, and to bring to the net content which will be interesting and valuable for net attendees. The Net Manager is also responsible for keeping a log of net checkins and maintaining the net control script.

    If you are interested in taking on these duties, or if you would like more information, please contact leadership [at] multnomahares [dot] org.

  • PRRO Certification Workshops

    I am leading a set of workshops for members who would like to be certified in Winlink operations. I will provide an overview of the Winlink system and will go into detail on configuring Winlink Express, sending and receiving messages, and using templates. Plenty of time will be provided for hands-on practice, and operators who feel ready will have an opportunity to complete their check sheet and earn their Packet RMS Radio Operator (PRRO) certification.

    There are two workshop dates currently planned, and more will be added if there is interest. Locations will vary, in an effort to make travel easier for folks in different parts of the county. Each workshop is scheduled to run for four hours, but we’ll probably finish earlier.

    Upcoming Dates
    December 2, 13:00 to 17:00, in St. Johns
    January 13, 13:00 to 17:00, in Gresham

    These workshops are open to all Multnomah County ARES members who have completed their ARRO certification, however space is limited. To sign up for either workshop, email me at KE7QPV [at] arrl [dot] net.

  • November General Membership Meeting

    This month’s meeting will be one week early due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We will have a demonstration of making a copper j-pole antenna. This will be followed up in January with a Saturday workshop, where participants will be charged a small fee for parts and will go home with an antenna.

    Please join us for our general membership meeting on Thursday, November 16 at the Portland Fire and Rescue training center at 4800 NE 122nd Ave in Portland. There will be a Q&A session and informal gathering for new members from 18:15 to 19:00. The main meeting will run from 19:00 to 21:00. Everyone is welcome!

    Additional information about our monthly meetings can be found on the meeting page.

  • October General Membership Meeting Recap

    We had a great meeting tonight! There were 52 attendees, including representation from the Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management (MCEM) and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM). We had five new people with us this evening.

    The meeting was started off by our EC, Nathan N9VCU, who covered general business and announcements, and then presented certificates to two members who recently completed their ARRO certification. Michael AE7XP made an announcement about the NET Net, which is held at 20:10 every Sunday night on the ARRG 147.040 MHz (100.0 Hz tone) repeater – this is MC6 in the regional frequency template.

    Chris Voss and Alice Busch from MCEM addressed the membership, thanking us for our service, and presented certificates of appreciation to the volunteers who helped with the Eagle Creek fire response. Mark McKay, also from MCEM, presented certificates of appreciation to those who helped with communications in Grant County during the solar eclipse in August.

    A panel of six folks – three ARES volunteers, two Multnomah County employees, and one City of Portland employee – talked about their experience in Grant County during the eclipse. They had some very interesting stories about the technical and logistical challenges they encountered, and lessons learned.

  • October General Membership Meeting

    This month’s meeting will feature a panel of folks who went to Grant County to provide communications support during the solar eclipse.

    Please join us for our general membership meeting on Thursday, October 23 at the Portland Fire and Rescue training center at 4800 NE 122nd Ave in Portland. There will be a Q&A session and informal gathering for new members from 18:15 to 19:00. The main meeting will run from 19:00 to 21:00. Everyone is welcome!

    Additional information about our monthly meetings can be found on the meeting page.

  • September General Membership Meeting

    During our amateur radio activities, we may expose ourselves to certain dangers which can be avoided by following sound safety practices. At this month’s meeting our Emergency Coordinator, Nathan Hersey (N9VCU), will talk about hazards, safety, and situational awareness.

    Please join us for our general membership meeting on Thursday, September 28 at the Portland Fire and Rescue training center at 4800 NE 122nd Ave in Portland. There will be a Q&A session and informal gathering for new members from 18:15 to 19:00. The main meeting will run from 19:00 to 21:00. Everyone is welcome!

    Additional information about our monthly meetings can be found on the meeting page.