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.
Nate has informed the leadership team that his wife, Christina, has decided to return to school and he will be on afternoon daddy duty for their two kids, ages 5 and 2, for the foreseeable future. He has delegated some of his responsibilities to the AECs and we will all work together to keep the ARES group running smoothly.
Multnomah County has a new Emergency Manager, Chris Voss. Mr. Voss starts on June 1 and comes to Oregon from Maryland. We understand he has some experience working with amateur radio operators and we are looking forward to meeting him and working together.
OEM (Oregon Emergency Management) has a new Director, Andrew Phelps (who is working on his ham license), and a new Communications Officer, Terry Pietras W7JOC.
It is a busy month with Walk MS and the April 25 SET. Many thanks to all who have volunteered to lend a hand and a voice!
One of the most elemental demands in effective HAM radio communications is correct use of the phonetic alphabet. All new hams struggle a little with memorizing which word goes with each letter. However, it may be interesting to step back and remind ourselves about the history of this phonetic alphabet and some of its unique characteristics and uses.
So where did this phonetic alphabet we use come from? Called by its most formal name as the “International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet,” it originally went into development by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the early 1950s. That was in the context of that aviation organization’s recommendation that the English language be used in all aeronautical radio communications. However, one of the problems with English was that virtually one third of English letters, like B,C,D,E,G,P,T,V and Z, were virtually indistinguishable in low audio or scratchy communications. And, too, the ICAO would be recommending a phonetic alphabet that had to be pronounced and understood by a great number of non-native English speaking persons. After what was then described as hundreds of thousands of comprehension tests involving 31 nationalities, the ICAO formally adopted the alphabet we use in March of 1956. But ham use was not immediate.
Given the work that went into it, the ICAO alphabet was slowly but surely adopted by a great many other organizations. Each time it took on names that associated it with these new organizations like NATO, FAA, various maritime organizations and the ITU (International Telecommunications Union). Indeed, the ITU, which governs all international radio communications, announced acceptance of the alphabet in its official publication Radio Regulations in 1959. Because of its relationship with the ITU, the phonetic alphabet was then officially a part of the protocols for communications generated by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). In the final analysis, within a few years of its overall promulgations by the ICAO, this system of phonetic alphabet nomenclature had become, and continues today, the most widely used phonetic spelling alphabet used in radio telecommunications.
The international origins and orientation of this particular ICAO phonetic alphabet has left it with some interesting peculiarities. How, for example, was it decided that the words would have no common theme, include one, two and three syllable words scattered at random, and contain a diverse mix like the names of two foreign capitals (Lima and Quebec), two dance steps (tango and foxtrot), both men’s and women’s names, and several words of more Hispanic than English origin (Romeo and Sierra)? Incidentally, until 1956 the phonetic alphabet recommended by ICAO only used predominately the names of countries and cities around the world (think: Madagascar, Uppsala, Gallipoli, Yokohama or Xanthippe) With its new phonetic alphabet however, ICAO paid great attention to the chance the word would be understood in the context of other words as well as in lengthy text. It is reported, for example, that “football” was better understood in isolation but that “foxtrot” was more comprehensible in extended communications.
Also in recognition of its international origins and use, ICAO has suggested a pronunciation for many of the words in the alphabet that would not be recognized as Standard English today. Other adopting agencies have also adjusted and changed recommendations in pronunciation. Two words in the ICAO alphabet even have completely unique spelling so as to aid non-native English speakers to recognize how they might be pronounced (Alfa and Juliet). And the alphabet also recommends pronunciations to help native English speakers avoid producing sounds quite foreign to English. After listening to people curl their tongue deep to say the French sound “Que ..” part of Quebec, I think the ITU may have done it right with recommending a pronunciation as “KEH-BECK”
Of course phonetic alphabets have a history in communications that go well before the ICAO (or its current permutations with ITU, FAA, NATO, and IMU). When some of us were growing up as Boy Scouts in the 1950s, we used one that was then standard for the US military. It started out: Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George …etc. Thankfully, a remnant of this phonetic alphabet still survives today. “Roger” was the word for “R” in those days and was the code abbreviation for “Received.” It would be awkward to say “Romeo” to indicate ‘Received” for many folks today. Check out http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/a/alphabet.htm if you want to see all the different changes in phonetic spelling the US military has gone through over the years.
Finally, it can be noted that different localities often introduce changes into the ICAO phonetic alphabet for quite understandable reasons. For example, it is reported that “Delta” is variously replaced by “Data”, “Dixie” or “David” at airports, like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, that handle large numbers of flights by Delta Airlines. Sounds like a good idea to avoid confusion there.
Hope this helps everyone to appreciate a little more the work that went into developing the phonetic alphabet we use in ham communication and maybe also to enjoy some if its unique characteristics.
Welcome to our newest members, Cele KI6TUK and Monty KG2RS. Dylan W7KEF and Matthew KG7RIA have completed their certification and have joined the PBEM Team. Carrie KG7NZP and Doug KG7MJJ have joined the Lewis and Clark Team. Judy KE7JTN and Bob KG7JKQ have joined the Rover Team. Way to go guys and gals!
We are once again getting ready to kick into high gear! The spring is always a busy time, as we combine training, exercises, drills, and public service events into a jam packed schedule.
Please keep in mind that the most important event upcoming is the Spring Simulated Emergency Test. This is an Oregon-wide activation, and it’s important that we get our served agencies staffed for this event. In addition, Walk MS will be the weekend before the SET, which is always popular as well. Please think ahead to which of the following events you might like to participate in, and be aware we’ll be recruiting simultaneously for the bulk of these.
April 18 – Walk MS Event (route support and monitoring)
April 25 – Oregon Section Spring SET (Exercise for all served agencies)
May 2 – PBEMNET SAR Exercise (ARES to provide a few personnel for net control support)
May 16 – Deployment Tour – In depth training on PBEM trailer and County ECC station
June 13 – BEECN Exercise (ARES to provide tech support and net control)