Welcome to our newest members, Eric N9WJQ, Kent K7YXZ, and Dave KF7QYW. Congratulations to new ARROs Kevin KF7QGH on the PBEM Team, and Ross KD7TUR on the Lewis and Clark Team. Richard AE7BT has agreed to move to the Multnomah County ECC Team.
The new communications officer from Oregon Emergency Management, Terry Pietras W7JOC, will be attending our May 28 ARES meeting. I am sure he will have a few words about OEM for us. It is an honor to have him attend one of our meetings. I think it shows a positive step forward.
Stevie Bullock from Multnomah County Emergency Management (MCEM) is back to work after several months off following an automobile accident. It is great to have him back. He has always been a huge supporter of MCARES and is our liaison with MCEM.
April was indeed a busy month with Walk MS and the statewide SET. The ARES communications trailer was used for both of these events. I think all the net controls enjoyed the new space in spite of the temporary tables and chairs. Thanks to everyone for volunteering your time for both of these events. We are very fortunate to have such an awesome ARES group.
Our next big event is the Disaster Relief Trials which is usually in July, however this year it looks like the event is being moved to October. We will let you know when we have a confirmed date.
By request of the SEC, Vince Van Der Hyde K7VV, we have new instructions for how to use the ICS 309 Communication Log form. I have redone our version of the 309 to conform and I think it will be much easier to log messages this way. The form will be introduced at the May general meeting. It is already posted on the website. Please purge your electronic and paper files of all old 309 forms! You’re going to like the new one much better!
Training for the May meeting is Traffic Handling, and from the last SET and the Deployment Tour last Saturday, everyone needs a refresher. Please come and hone your traffic handling skills. We will divide into two groups, one for basic message handling presented by Michael AE7XP, and one for experienced message handlers which will cover book traffic, using ARRL numbered radiograms, more extensive NTS protocols for how to send email addresses and URLs in the text of a message and other nitty gritty details.
The white wall board is almost completely installed. John KF7ZWX and Adam KF7LJH are collaborating on the electrical design. Robert WX5TEX has almost completed a Gator Box with the donated equipment we have so far. The trailer was used for Walk MS and on Council Crest for the SET. It was great to have the shelter and we got a lot of attention, including from several dogs who came in for a look around. One even curled up under the table for a nap!
If you are interested in helping with the construction, you can contact the trailer crew at trailer [at] multnomahares [dot] org.
Thanks to all who have so generously donated to this project. Donations are still being accepted. Send your check to Portland Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 33454, Portland, OR 97292-3454. Please note on your check “ARES Trailer Project.”
Greetings, members! The role of Web Manager transitioned from Bruce N4PDX to me in December, 2014. I would like to thank Bruce for all his previous work, and for helping me take on his duties. Since the transition, I have been working hard to update and add new content to the website, and expand our use of Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.
The website now has a Training tab, under which you will find details about our training plan, training calendar, certifications, traffic handling, ICS courses, and licensing.
Two other notable additions are under the Resources tab. The Nets section lists several area nets which will be of interest to both new and experienced ARES members. The Equipment Manuals section contains links to manuals for radios and other equipment at our served agencies. The calendar has been updated with meetings, drills, nets, events, and volunteer opportunities, as well.
Robert WX5TEX created the Multnomah ARES / RACES Facebook page to help get the word out about our Trailer Project fundraiser campaign. The page drove additional traffic to the campaign, and was directly responsible for donations totaling $275! It has surely proved to be a valuable asset. We now have 69 followers on Facebook, and each week brings more.
We are now using Flickr for organize our photos from meetings, events, and exercises. These photos are an excellent tool to show people what we do, and can be used on the website, in social media, and in training and promotional materials. Several members have contributed and we now have over 160 photos sorted into albums. Please take some time to browse through the photos and let me know if you have any to share.
Some members have voiced concern over our adoption of Facebook as a communications tool, fearing it might replace existing communication methods. Rest assured, the website and email distribution list will remain our primary means of disseminating information to Multnomah County ARES members; we have absolutely no intention of replacing them.
While participation in the email list is only open to active and supporting members, social media provides opportunities to demonstrate our role and value as emergency communicators to a wider audience – people who are not members and who may not even be familiar with ARES or Amateur Radio.
Our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Flickr photo albums are public, so you do not need to register with those services to view the content. If you do have accounts, however, please consider Liking/Following us to help increase our exposure.
Hello! My name is Marino. I am 49 years old and live in SE Portland (Woodstock neighborhood) with my wife Laura and our two young men, Bruno and Giulio. I am originally from Italy from a town in the northeast of the country called Treviso, not too far from Venice.
After completing my studies (Computer Science) and starting work, I moved to the States in 1993, first to Chicago, where my wife worked at the time, and later in the same year to Portland, where her family is originally from. I work in Information Technology as a System Engineer in Wilsonville for a major local company in the electronic design automation business.
I became interested in Amateur Radio a few years ago after a tragedy involving a California family lost in the southern Oregon wilderness. It took me a few years to act upon this emergency preparedness urge and finally in July, 2013 I took and passed the Technician exam.
From there the path has been the same beaten by many before me: the first trip to the local radio store (aka The Candy Store), the programming of the first HT, finding the frequencies of the local repeaters, listening – lots of listening. And, the experience of the first check-in, the frustration about not being heard and more trips to the store to get a better antenna, more cables, more books and so on.
Along the way something happened. I met people. Welcoming people; people helping out; and people explaining things and willing to see past the blunders of the new operators.
With time I realized how much dedication and passion for amateur radio there is in these individuals: the guy who every day orchestrates the rag chew net around commute hours; the folks who every day tirelessly and with infinite patience teach the art of passing formal NTS traffic; the repeater operators; the folks who teach classes in preparation for the license test; the guy who coordinates a VE team; the perpetual tinkerers and experimenters; and those who organize the work of others.
Despite all the jokes about amateur radio operators being a dying breed, I see encouraging signs all around me. Prompted by renewed focus on emergency preparedness, more people than ever are approaching this hobby. More and more “computer techies” are learning about the world of RF; exploring the airwaves by using a $20 digital TV USB dongle and turning it into an SDR receiver.
Overall I am very impressed by this Multnomah ARES group. We are a diverse bunch with people of all ages and backgrounds. Our leadership team is strong and I believe our growing ranks are proof of its effectiveness.
As for myself, this journey of exploration continues. After passing the General test this past January, I have started tuning into the HF bands. Every day I find something new to learn, forcing me to push myself harder and I could not be happier.
Welcome to our newest members, Mark KG7NZQ and Kevin KG7QGH. Congratulations to Lori W3LOR, and Dave and Mark from PBEM, for upgrading to General class. Harris KG7AMN just passed the Extra exam. You are all awesome!!!
The BIG news is that the State Homeland Security Grant that we applied for has been approved!! Our request and funding for equipment is very likely. They list all the approvals in a top to bottom list and we are in the top one third. This will mean over $16,000 in equipment for the trailer. Way to go Adam! The downside is that we will not receive this equipment until October or November.
The insulation is in; the walls are back up and the floor is in. Deb and Will hope to start the wall install this week. John KF7ZWX has the detailed plans worked out for all the wiring. Net control for Walk MS this Saturday will be in the trailer with the equipment we have. This is also going to be used for the April 25 SET. At this point the trailer functions as a shelter only as there is no cabinetry or radio equipment installed yet. It is portable tables and folding chairs and a loaner generator but should serve us well for the time being. Take a look at the checkerboard flooring. We decided to put a little pizazz in the design. If you are interested in helping with the construction, you can contact the trailer crew at trailer [at] multnomahares [dot] org.
The training topic for the April general meeting has changed. Traffic Handling is postponed until May.
There will be an ARRO Basics Workshop on May 7 and a Traffic Handling and Communication Log Workshop on May 21, both at our usual ARES meeting place. These workshops are for new members and any other members not yet ARRO certified. Contact me, eliza [dot] pride [at] gmail [dot] com, if you wish to attend these workshops.
OTVARC has a scholarship, awarded at Sea-Pac each year, that goes to a high school senior or college student, licensed amateur, preference to STEM degree program. Its $1,000. Last year there were NO applicants.
If you know of a student who qualifies, please refer them to the Sea-Pac website where the qualifications are listed. They can contact Everett Curry W6ABM at 503-522-7142 or w6abm [at] arrl [dot] org and he will point them in the right direction. The application deadline has been extended to April 30, 2015.