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Six Saturdays July 26th - September 6th |
Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club
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| 2004 |
December 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
ARES members throughout Santa Barbara County participated in a statewide Public Health Department Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Disaster Exercise on November 18th. The scenario a bioterrorism incident involving the release of C. botulinum contaminated food during a "Thanksgiving Jubilee" celebration. Ten members of the Santa Barbara South County unit participated.
The SBARC Mobile Communications Van was deployed to the parking lot of the County Emergency Operating Center (EOC) to simulate opening of that facility. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, and Bob Levinson, K6CZD, acted as net controllers and other staff functions. Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, was the communicator at Cottage Hospital, while David Hackleman, K6VML, and Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, were at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital.
The SBARC Club Station at the Red Cross was staffed by Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, and Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ. They established HF contact with the Office of Emergency Services (OES) Region 1 in Los Alamitos and with the State OES in Sacramento and established an HF net with north county participants.
Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, and Tom Saunders, N6YX, set up communications in the EMS Department Operating Center. They were able to transmit and receive about two dozen messages between the EMS and the five hospitals throughout the county.
The County Health Department was very pleased with our performance and participation in the exercise. The Health Department has designated ARES as their method of backup communications in their disaster plan filed with the State so this gives us the opportunity to keep our skills current and interface with the EMS.
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In a disaster, many people wish to volunteer to help, even though they are not members of disaster relief organizations. This presents a problem, since most agencies need the assistance but are unable to accept it due to state regulations (such as Workers' Compensation insurance), or internal rules of membership or minimum training levels (ARES and the American Red Cross).
We know there are some Amateur Radio operators who would like to be able to assist us during an emergency but may not have the time to be able to help us in our day-to-day operations. The State of California has opened the door for the Counties to establish policies to allow "walk- ins" and Santa Barbara has tentatively agreed to a procedure that will establish an ARES Reserve program. The details will be finalized in a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations.
Those wishing to be in this program will be required to submit an application and undergo orientation training that will include the ARES organization, the Incident Command System, net procedures, message handling, and other subjects to pre-qualify for Disaster Service Worker status. Amateurs with any class of license are eligible, but does require a willingness to commit to this minimal training and any other requirements to be safely deployed.
If you are interested in this program, please contact the Emergency Coordinator by e-mail at n6zkj@sbarc.org.
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, has again twisted some arms to get donations of fire watch equipment. We now have another Kestrel 1000 Pocket Wind Meter and two Kestrel 2000 Pocket Thermo Wind Meters. Way to go, Will! Thank you!
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We had several ELT alarms during the month, none of which required a field response by search and rescue. However, on November 10th at about 10 p.m. a strong signal alarmed the Santa Cruz Island monitor and a weak one set off the La Cumbre Peak monitor. The signal lasted for about 10 minutes and went off the air.
Shortly before 6 a.m. the next morning, Nelson Trichler of the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue called Bruce Gordon, N6OLT. The team had been notified of a missing aircraft on a flight from Bakersfield to Santa Barbara. It had departed Bakersfield about 9:30 p.m. the night before. The reception pattern of the previous night was typical of a signal from Oxnard or Camarillo Airport rather than the back country. In any case, the ELT signal was not audible from any monitor site.
Later, about 10 a.m. a Civil Air Patrol aircraft located the missing plane, guided primarily from radar track data from the FAA. The plane hit trees on the top of Big Pine Mountain and tumbled into a ravine on the south side, breaking apart. The ELT on the crashed plane was running but was audible for only about a mile and was never heard from the search and rescue satellite system. Search and rescue personnel later observed that the ELT antenna was separated from the transmitter. Even if the ELT hadn't been damaged, the ravine would have shielded it from our monitoring system, making it unlikely the signal we heard the previous evening was from this aircraft. This was the plane piloted by noted plastic surgeon Dr. John Padilla.
*****
Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are a lot of fun! Come join us around 5:30 for dinner, coffee, dessert, or just good conversation!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
November 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
The most exciting event for us this month was our participation in the California Lemon Festival in Goleta on October 16th. Over 20,000 people were expected to attend the 2-day event, but an early October rainstorm cancelled the second day.
This was an excellent opportunity to showcase the ARES mission as well as Amateur radio to the general public. We set up the van, including the tri-band antenna on the tower, with an HF station outside on a card table under the awning.
To exhibit our ARES mission, we had photo posters for the ELT Monitoring System, Fire Patrol, and a general overview of ARES activities. Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, brought a variety of EPIRBs and direction finding gear to display and it drew quite a bit of interest. We also had brochures and flyers, both local and ARRL, for distribution to the public. In addition, we had coloring and game pages and "happy face" stickers for the children. We also distributed quite a few of the fire watch safety packages left over from this summer.
Tom Saunders, N6YX, set up the HF station and was able to recruit a few youngsters to talk on the radio. Tom also had information sheets on Technician classes that were scheduled to start the following Tuesday. He also had some info pages posted on the van to answer some "frequently asked questions."
Working the all-day event were Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Michael Ditmore, W7HUT, David Hackleman, K6VML, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, and Thorsten von Eicken, K6TVE. Thanks also to Sig Wathne, W6LGK, who printed copies of the van information brochure.
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 Joe Pasinato, USFS (left), Charlie Johnson, County Fire, and Kathy Good, USFS, discuss ways in which ARES can assist the Joint Information Center during emergencies. |
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, has again twisted some arms to get donations of fire watch equipment. Bacharach company donated four sling psychrometers and Speedtech another Skymaster Weather Meter.
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We had a fun Monday night exercise on our net on October 11th. Those members who checked in were asked to pair up on a certain band or frequency and transmit to each other a name and phone number from the telephone book. We used 2 meter repeater and simplex, 220 repeater, and HF. Everyone successfully completed the task by 2000 hours. Participating were Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, Michael Ditmore, W7HUT, Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Dave Hackleman, K6VML, Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Tom Saunders, N6YX, and Will Tefft, KG6DHK. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, was net control.
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On a rainy afternoon on October 26th, the ELT monitoring system activated about 1:30. Since the weather was so poor, the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue was notified immediately. They located the beacon on an aircraft parked at the Santa Ynez Airport.
*****
Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are a lot of fun! Come join us around 5:30 for dinner, coffee, dessert, or just good conversation!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
October 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
On September 9th, the U.S. Forest Service requested us to provide a "Lightning Watch" from La Cumbre Peak. We were asked to monitor the buildups as they occurred and report where they were developing, where they were going, and if there was any lightning associated with them. The buildups were impressive but the bases were well above the terrain and no lightning was seen. Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Tom Saunders, N6YX, and Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, responded to the call for two shifts of observers. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, were mission managers.
We were also put on a Red Flag Fire Alert standby on September 21st and 22nd, but the predicted weather conditions did not materialize. A dozen members indicated they were ready to respond.
On September 24, 25, and 26, we provided a fire patrol for the end of deer hunting season in the forest. The USFS asked us to be watchful for hunters who were using fire or stoves or who had left a warming fire burning. The evening patrols were from 6 to 8 and the morning shift was from 6 to 10. Patrolling on Friday evening were Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, David Hackleman, K6VML, and Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ. Working operations from the Van were Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ. Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, drove the van to the Sheriff's parking lot. On Saturday evening, Claude, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Tom Saunders, N6YX, and Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, went out, with Lou as Operations in the Van. Unfortunately, Tom's vehicle blew a radiator hose and, with the help of Claude and Bob, Tom was able to get the car back home.
It was oh (so very) dark thirty when the morning crews took to the field. Patrolling on the 6 to 10 a.m. shift on Saturday were Bruce/NRW, Dave/VML, Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, and Shaw/BL. Bruce/OLT and Lou/ZKJ were staffing the van. On Sunday morning, Bob/CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, and Mack/NBZ drove the patrol while Lou/ZKJ worked the radios and did the paperwork. Hubert/NAH returned the van to the fire station.
The whole weekend was relatively uneventful, with a few deer, a coyote, and a rattlesnake sighted, but fortunately no fires. Twelve members worked the weekend, putting in 82 hours and driving 414 miles on patrol. Sunday evening about 7:45, the Forest Service found three people with a campfire about three miles east of Highway 154 on East Camino Cielo, so that's why we were out! Thanks to you all who responded to fill this request.
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The U.S. Forest Service has recently refitted its communications van and Division Chief Dana D'Andrea invited us to take a tour of the van and take a tour of the air tanker base in Goleta. They were quite surprised when 17 people showed up! We spent an hour learning about how the aircraft are dispatched, fueled and loaded, guided to the fire, and how the lead planes work to guide the tankers to their drops. The plane we toured flies above the action and coordinates the activity.
Giving us a briefing were Joel Lane, Air Attack Supervisor; Lee Mecham, volunteer; Gilbert Garcia, Assistant Base Manager; Rick Wilborn, aircraft FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) operator; and Jim Flickinger, pilot. Lee took us through the sequence of getting the call for air support, geographical coordinates of the fire, the radio frequencies to be used, and other important information. A plotting map is used to determine the flight plan. We also learned about the loads the different aircraft can carry and some of the tactics used to drop the loads, both water and fire retardant. There are no air tankers stationed in Santa Barbara, but we do have an specially equipped Aero Commander that acts as air cover. The job of its crew is to coordinate all the airplanes and helicopters working the fire as well as news media aircraft. We had a chance to get in the plane and see how the FLIR works, which was quite fascinating indeed. Rick gave us a great demonstration and explained how he is able to do fire mapping, which is sent down to the fire commanders to allow them to see in nearly real time the fire's spread, its perimeter, estimated acreage, rate and direction of spread, etc. This is invaluable for the fire authorities on the ground, who have a difficult time knowing what the fire is doing.
Enjoying the tour were Ken Cox, KA6GJP, Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Dave Hackleman, K6VML, Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, Thorsten von Eicken, K6TVE, and Sig Wathne. Joining us were guests Jayne Heil, KG6AOA, Wayne Heil, KB6OQJ, from the Central County ARES (Santa Ynez), and Jim Biergiel, KG6WIC, a new ham and friend of Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL. Rod Florence, Telecommunications System Specialist, then gave us a run-down of the communications van, which, as it turns out, Bob/CZD, had actually driven in past years. Rod has put a lot of thought into remodeling the van and showed us the power system, generator, and of course the radios. It is still a work-in-progress, but will be quite functional when completed. The Forest Service has asked ARES to train on it and be available to assist Rod during a large fire.
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During the September 24-26 fire patrol, teams used the draft copy of the new map created by Will Tefft, KG6DHK. The crews came back with some good suggestions and generally thought it was a great chart. It will be very useful for us to have a common map and one that is easy to use and gives details we need without the clutter of a commercial chart.
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Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, and Thorsten von Eicken, K6TVE, attended the ARES Section meeting at Cachuma on September 18th. The major topic of discussion was planning for a section-wide digital network, including WinLink, and how it could be used in emergency services in ARES. A lot of interesting ideas were brought out.
*****
Thanks to Will Tefft's hard PR work, our ARES group has been given over $1,300 worth of weather instruments for use in our fire watch program. Will eagerly explained our work with local fire services to some of his fellow exhibitors at trade shows. This resulted in donations of two Kestrel 2000 pocket thermo wind meters from Nielsen-Kellerman, 12 sling psychrometers from Taylor Precision Instruments, and 2 Skymate, 1 Skymaster, and 1 Wind Master instruments from Speedtech Instruments. These will be valuable additions to our inventory.
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The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department held a Interagency Wildland Fire Response Workshop on September 8th. It was attended by representatives of most agencies and departments that would respond to a disaster, including fire and law enforcement, public works, offices of emergency services, Equine Evac, etc. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, represented ARES. The workshop scenario was a major wildland fire in the foothills. Each agency was polled to see what services they would offer. A lot of small things came out, such as early notification of the water department so it could provide extra resources. The discussion included how law enforcement, public works, and CalTrans could coordinate to evacuate residents. It was quite interesting to see how all the various services could come together to help.
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The Santa Barbara County Public Information Officers' Group met on September 14th. This is the group of PIOs from various agencies and the print and broadcast media. ARES will probably be assisting the group in collecting and/or distributing information about disasters. Grace McIntosh of the Family Service Agency, gave a very interesting presentation on the upcoming 2-1-1 system, which is more thoroughly explained in a separate article in Key-Klix.
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Mike Williams, KC6DSH, of the Wildland Residents Association (who live in communities on Camino Cielo or near the top of the San Marcos Pass), invited us to exhibit our communications capabilities at their annual general membership meeting. Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, drove the van up and had several people visit it and were impressed with all it could do.
*****
Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are a lot of fun! Come join us around 5:30 for dinner, coffee, dessert, or just good conversation!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
September 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
Dennis Daniel, KM6DF, our District Emergency Coordinator, demonstrated the WinLink 2000 system at our regular meeting in August. He set up a complete network with a server and three satellite computers, simulating what we might do during an emergency. He used a dial-up server to get things started. After a PowerPoint presentation, we got some hand-on experience sending e-mail messages to each other and even to ourselves at home.
The most useful part of this capability would be our ability to send e-mail messages by radio without using the internet if we need to. The SBARC repeater folks are working on getting the necessary hardware installed and other changes made to our digital networks. We already have internet capability at the downtown TZed site for IRLP.
Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, is continuing to work on audio boxes for aero squadron. He has made a box for each airplane and demonstrated one at our August meeting. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, designed the device, which is intended to enable the ARES observer to plug in the fire radio (or Amateur radio) into the plane's audio system so he can talk to the pilot on the intercom or on the portable radio by selecting a spring-actuated switch. Bill demonstrated the headset and audio box at our meeting.
*****
We had a number of visitors to the van during Hamfest. Thanks to Sig Wathne for being our driver and master of the"visitor's center." Both out of town and local hams were suitably impressed by the vehicle's capabilities and our activities in the community. One of these visitors, Thorsten von Eicken, KG6TVE (now N6TVE), was ready to join on the spot. He completed his paperwork at our meeting the next evening, so welcome, Thorsten! Also helping at Hamfest was Norm Salzman, KA6UHP.
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The U.S. Forest Service has recently refitted its communications van and is arranging to give us an orientation on its capabilities and use. There is a possibility we would be asked to set it up and staff it during the early stages of a fire incident until regular employees are brought in for the long haul.
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, has nearly completed a map for use by our patrol teams during fire patrols. It will show observation and weather reading turnouts, trailheads, water tanks, and other landmarks, indicated by geographical coordinates. It covers the entire Camino Cielo, plus Gibralter Road, Paradise, Old San Marcos Road, and Highway 154. It will be very useful for us to have a common map and one that is easy to use and gives details we need without the clutter of a commercial chart.
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Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, attended a meeting of public information officers and the news media. The working group was created after the Gaviota Fire, which occurred on a weekend. Unfortunately, with years of being told to turn on their broadcast radios to get information during an emergency, residents found little or no information! Most radio stations today aren't staffed "after hours," so information on the fire's progress, evacuation orders, shelter locations, etc., is not getting out to the public. This meeting discussed some of the various systems available from "reverse 911" to the Early Warning System. With the possibility of WinLink 2000 being added to our arsenal, it's possible ARES can provide a vital role in disseminating information, which would be similar to services provided by Amateurs during tornadoes and hurricanes. This will be discussed at the September meeting.
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Another meeting of interest Lou attended was one hosted by the County Office of Emergency Services, which brought together representatives of law enforcement, fire, and OES from each city in the County to discuss the purchase of a Raytheon ACU-1000. This is basically a vehicle with equipment to provide an audio switch network that can take 10 or 12 radios on different frequencies and link them together so everyone can talk to all others through their own radios. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office brought their rig up to demonstrate the capabilities. A discussion followed the demo to answer questions and gather more information about the feasibility of the unit.
Any of you who have worked when repeaters were "remoted" or "linked" know the importance of a pause between pushing the transmit button and starting to talk. When our ARES experience was mentioned, the LASO representative confirmed how important this was because you don't want to cut off a vital word or two during a SWAT operation. Saying, "Don't shoot the guy in the red shirt," but it comes out "Shoot the guy in the red shirt," could be a tragic lesson! That's why we practice this technique every day so we don't have to try to remember it when we're in the middle of a stressful operation.
*****
Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta will resume on September 17th. Be sure to join us around 5:30 for dinner, coffee, dessert, or just good conversation!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
August 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
The U.S. Forest Service requested we provide a fire watch patrol on the 4th of July weekend on West Camino Cielo to the Gun Club, East Camino Cielo to about Romero Saddle, and Gibraltar Road and 154 We watched for fire and smoke, fireworks, open fires, large parties, and other hazards and unusual or suspicious vehicles and people.
We had a great response from the Santa Barbara South County ARES members and were able to meet the Forest Service's request for all three days, July 2, 3, and 4. Participating on one or more days were Noel Alander, KF6LDC, Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, Ken Cox, KA6GJP, Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Michael Dittmore, W7HUT, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Dave Hackleman, K6VML, Michael Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Norm Salzman, KA6UHP, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, Bob Ward, KB6CEY, and Sig Wathne, K6LGK.
 Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, radios in his team's weather report to the Command Post in the Van at the Sheriff's Department. |
 Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, scans the mountain flanks for any signs of smoke. |
The members logged 135 hours on patrol, driving 763 miles. The Forest Service was extremely pleased with our efforts.
 Claude Gago, KE6JSA, radios in a report on the weather. |
All teams were equipped with Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) on their vehicles. This proved valuable in several cases when we were asked by fire officials to check out certain activity, such as sightings of fireworks. It also allowed us to alert teams converging on narrow mountain roads to be watchful for each other.
The American Red Cross prepared some outreach packets for us to have available to give to people we contacted. The Forest Service also gave us a supply of Fire Restrictions to hand out.
On all three days we provided County Dispatch with a portable phone for communications between the van and dispatch.
During debriefing activities, several unoccupied vehicles were reported and the information relayed to law enforcement for further investigation. Teams also made contact with a few visitors and residents and all were very cooperative and appreciative of our efforts.
On Friday, the weather started out cool and foggy but cleared nicely. Battalion Chief Mike Pressmeyer attended out briefing and had a few words to say to the team members. John Palmenteri, Senior reporter for KEYT television and his cameraman Wes Tennyson arrived in time for our briefing and we were the lead story on the 6 o'clock news. John was very impressed by the number of people who had volunteered, as well as by the activities we were performing. It tied in well with his recent series of articles on fires and fire prevention.
Saturday was very cool and foggy all day, although there was some clearing at higher altitudes. Patrol units were instructed to use the opportunity to get the feel of the area and activities in preparation for the next evening, the 4th.
On Sunday, the weather was clear and breezy. Temperatures and winds were modest, although humidities were a bit low in a few areas. Teams spotted several sizeable groups of people, but no problems were encountered. We checked out several reports of fireworks activities sent to us by the Forest Service.
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 Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, shows the Section ARES meeting attendees the aircraft audio adapter that will be used in the Sheriff's Aero Squadron planes during Red Flag Fire Alerts. |
Bruce Gordon brought the prototype of the audio adapter box to be used with the Sheriff's Aero Squadron during Red Flag Fire Alerts. Bruce designed the unit and Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, is testing it with the Aero Squadron. The box will be used in the Squadron aircraft and allows simultaneous use of an aircraft headset and noise canceling microphone with the intercom system and the portable radio on fire frequencies. The 3 x 4 x 1.5 inch box has two volume controls and a two-way PPT switch, cords for two different aircraft connection types and works with 8 to 600 ohm phones and carbon, amplified electret, or low level dynamic microphones. Alternate cords can connect to an amateur HT in case the fire radio fails. Nine more units will be built after testing is finished and one will be assigned to each Aero Squadron aircraft.
*****
Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, and Will Tefft, KG6DHK, attended the July meeting of the Fire Safe Council, which was well attended by citizens groups, fire, law enforcement, offices of emergency services, and representatives of print and broadcast media. The topic of the meeting was to discuss the need for prompt notification to the general public of information regarding wildland fires, evacuation orders, etc.
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, is developing a map for use by our patrol teams during fire patrols. It will show observation and weather reading turnouts, trailheads, water tanks, and other landmarks. Terry Brown of the County Dispatch has been working with us to develop a way for us to report occurrences in the back country that will be compatible with their Computer Aided Dispatch System. Mike Williams, KC6DSH, is providing mapping information done by the Wildland Fire Association to assist in developing our map.
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We had several ELT alarms this month. One was at Santa Ynez Airport and was shut off shortly after airport personnel were alerted to it. The second was on July 31st and was apparently at Santa Barbara Airport. It was referred to the Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue Team for response.
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are on vacation for the summer and will resume in September.
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
July 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
As reported last month, we qualified six local ARES members as observers and radio operators to fly with the Sheriff's Aero Squadron during Red Flag Fire Alerts. As a follow-up, Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, who is a member of both the Aero Squadron and ARES, gave us a program on the Squadron: its history, activities, and procedures during fire patrols. We also had a chance to see and discuss the Kenwood fire radios we will be using and the procedures for coordinating and ground forces during the patrols.
 Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, ARES and Santa Barbara Sheriff's Aero Squadron member, explains the history and mission of the unit and how ARES will help them when they fly on Red Flag Fire Alerts for local fire departments. |
Our guests for the evening were Dennis Daniels, KM6DF, and his xyl Julie (who is a new ham!). Dennis is our new District (county) Emergency Coordinator, taking the reins from long-time DEC Dave Lamb, WA6BRW. Dennis spoke to the group about the growth he would like to see in the organization. His ideas were very well-received and the group welcomed him aboard. Dennis will be our guest speaker on August 9th, when he will present a program on a Windows-based packet system called WinLink.
During the break, and after enjoying lemonade and home-made brownies and cookies from our Den Mother, Bobbe Dartanner, we took each member's photo for new Disaster Service Worker cards.
*****
On May 31st, we held a communications drill. Bob Ward, KB6CEY, had a rare Monday evening off from tooting the tuba in band rehearsal. He was to "hide out" and we would try to locate him by asking him questions he could answer yes or no with one or two clicks of the mike. Unfortunately, we were having trouble with the clicks, so we went to verbal yes and no. As we went through the roll call, each person in turn would ask a question. We got a little side tracked the first time through because of the problem on clicking, but by the third time around, we knew he was at home. Hiding in plain view!
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Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, and Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, attended the June meeting of the Fire Safe Council, which was to discuss the possibility of ARES assisting the local community in information gathering during fires and other emergencies for disseminating to the public. This meeting was reported on in the Santa Barbara News-Press, so most of you have read about it. The problem is that there is no 24/7 news radio or TV station in the area for people to tune to for emergency information. The FCC no longer requires stations to air announcements from the county Office of Emergency Services through the Emergency Alert System (formerly Emergency Broadcast System). A follow-up letter to the editor in the paper indicated two stations did carry frequent updates on the fire, 96.7 and 105.9. So you might want to check out those stations for emergency information.
*****
Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are on vacation for the summer and will resume in September. We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
June 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
We completed our four-week commitment to provide safety communications for the Fire Safe Council and local fire departments conducting the door-to-door contacts with residents in high fire danger areas. The two-hour outreach "walk and talk" participants included representatives from the fire departments, Forest Service, law enforcement agencies, homeowners associations, American Red Cross, etc.
The ARES members provided communications between the walking people on their team and back to the staging area. They also provided transportation for people on their team. Many ARES members had little Family Radio Service (FRS) handie-talkies, which were distributed to the walkers so they could keep in contact with them. This proved so successful that most ARES members now carry at least two FRS radios in their equipment packs.
On May 8th, the County Fire Department had us meet at the Women's Club parking lot near Rocky Nook Park on Mission Canyon Road. We sent six teams in to the field with the walking groups, who contacted residents on Mission Canyon and Las Canoas Roads and Foothill Lane. Participating on field teams were Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, and Will Tefft, KG6DHK. Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, drove the van then went on a field team with Norm Salzman, KA6UHP, to set up a checkpoint at Tunnel Trail to contact hikers. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, managed the activity.
This concluded our "tune-up" for the fire season. For the four week session, we had a total of 14 members participating, with a combined total members on all days of 36. Total time in the field was 113 hours by teams who drove 88.5 miles in support of the activity.
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We sent five members to Lompoc to participate in training for flying observer and communicator for the Sheriff's Aero Squadron during Red Flag Fire Alerts this summer. Bob Levinson, K6CZD, and Claude Gago, KE6JSA, took their ground and flight training on May 22nd and Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, and Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, participated on May 29th. Thanks to Ray Lischka, W6EC, Lompoc EC, who arranged the training in cooperation with Bill Brink of the Aero Squadron.
This is the second year the Aero Squadron has flown these patrols and the first year we will be assisting. We look forward to this exciting part of our assistance to local fire agencies.
Our June meeting will feature a briefing by the Aero Squadron on the procedures for the flights and an update on our fire watch and Red Flag Fire Alert activities.
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On Sunday, May 9th, we all had a 2 a.m. wake-up call with the 4.6 earthquake, centered 10 miles west of Isla Vista. Our normal protocol is to come up on the 146.79 MHz repeater and check in. Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, reported almost immediately the location and magnitude of the quake, so we knew there would not likely be a response by ARES. Had the trembler been centered further away, we would have anticipated a call.
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The City of Santa Barbara had an exercise of their emergency preparedness on May 27th. The scenario was a brush fire in the Las Canoas area. The new Emergency Services Officer, Police Sgt. Mitch Jan, had all city agencies represented, using the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, and Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, reported to the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) and turned on and checked out all radios. They then went to the Parks and Recreation Department, where the Logistics activities for the "emergency" were set up. They located and checked out the radio there. Mack took the opportunity to photograph both locations, which will be put together into both a PowerPoint program and a booklet to give to ARES members so they will be able to know how to get to the radio setups at the EOCs, hospitals, etc.
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We had no ELT alarms this month that required field response.
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, attended the meeting of the County Emergency Medical Services Disaster Preparedness Advisory Committee (DPAC). Our next major exercise will be in November, but the County Health Department continues to prepare for natural and man-made/terrorist disasters.
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Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, joined Dave Lamb, WA6BRW, at the Inter-Agency Fire Season Briefing in Solvang. Many agencies and organizations were represented. County Fire Chief John Scherrei confirmed our worst fears: we will have a very bad fire season, much like that of 1985 when 231,000 acres had burned by July. The fuel moisture is about six weeks ahead of where it should be at this time of year.
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On May 19th, Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, was recognized at the County Fire Department's Citizen Recognition Luncheon. She was one of the "Good Neighbors and Volunteers" recognized with a certificate for her work with the department as ARES coordinator. She was "gratefully acknowledged for service and support to the department and to the communities which it serves."
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta are on vacation for the summer and will resume in September.
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
May 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
The major activity for April was providing safety communications for the Fire Safe Council and local fire departments conducting the door-to-door contacts with residents in high fire danger areas. The two-hour outreach "walk and talk" participants included representatives from the fire departments, Forest Service, law enforcement agencies, homeowners associations, American Red Cross, etc. You probably saw articles in the newspapers and on KEYT about this activity.
The ARES members provided communications between the walkingpeople on their team and back to the staging area. They also provided transportation for people on their team. Many ARES members had little Family Radio Service (FRS) handie-talkies, which were distributed to the walkers so they could keep in contact with them. This proved so successful that most ARES members now carry at least two FRS radios in their equipment packs.
The first outreach was in Summerland and the morning was cool and foggy, although the weather got better later in the morning. Participating in the field were Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Mack Stanton, KD6MBZ, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, and Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW. Will and Bruce had a chance to send some slow scan pictures. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, and Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, staffed the van.
The next Saturday, we were in Montecito. The staging area was in a big field on Romero Canyon Road. The weather was quite warm - perfect fortalking to people about fire hazards! Sig Wathne, W6LGK, drove the van to the staging area and back. In the field were Barbara Mickelson, KD6HKR, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Norm Salzman, KA6UHP, Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Dave Hackleman, K6VML, Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, and Mack Stanton, KD6MBZ. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, were back at the van. The weather was such that the teams used the opportunity to prepare for fire season activity by taking weather readings and sending them back for recording at the van. It was very quiet at the staging area while the teams were out, so imagine our surprise when a huge peacock came strolling by. He wasn't interested in a tour of the van.
The following Saturday, May 1st, we were at Santa Barbara City Fire Station 7 on Stanwood Drive. Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, was the van driver and also went in to the field on one of the teams. The weather was again very warm, so the teams got more practice in taking and recording weather readings. Teams consisted of Barbara Mickelson, KD6HKR, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, Dave Hackleman, K6VML, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, and Harry Route, K6PDQ.
We used the APRS on our teams each week, and we placed one on the vehicle of the City Fire Department activity coordinator, Ann Marx on May 1st. On each day of the outreach activities, ARES was able to provide at least one necessary communications link to locate fire department personnel In the field when other methods failed. We have one more session on May 8th, which will be in the Mission Canyon area for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
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We have been invited to fly as observers with members of the Sheriff's Aero Squadron during Red Flag Fire Alerts. Our June 14th ARES meeting will feature Mack Stanton, KD6NBZ, and Jon Kent, both Aero Squadron members, will be give the group a briefing on safety procedures and observer training. The meeting will also have a short refresher on fire watch procedures.
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On April 16th at about 3:45 p.m., the ELT alarm system activated. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT called the U.S.Coast Guard, who revealed the beacon's registration information and its coordinates from the satellite put it in Goleta. There is a boat yard on South Kellogg near the railroad tracks. As Bruce was talking to the sheriff's dispatcher for a page to search and rescue, the dispatcher said they would send a car over to check it out. In the meantime, Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, went to track it down in case it wasn't at the boat yard. However, it was very clearly there, and she Lou arrived, there were three sheriff's vehicles and four deputies already on scene. Slow afternoon! The boat was being remodeled and the shop took the EPIRB from its mounts and threw it in the dumpster, since it was badly faded and oxidized with a battery that was to be replaced in 1998. Surprise, surprise! The battery still had life in it!
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Our on-the-air communications exercises are on hold this month because of our level of activity in the fire outreach programs. However, on March 29th, Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, presented us with an exercise on our "fifth Monday" net. The members checking in were divided into two groups, who were sent to separate simplex frequencies and given an identical problem to solve. Tom Saunders, N6YX, led one team and Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL the other. The first task was to make contact with Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, at mile marker 2 on Highway 225. KE6JSA accomplished that task for Tom, while Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, met Bruce for Shaw. Both teams also used a different 220 frequency to coordinate.
The next step was to meet Bob Levinson, K6CZD, at the corner of Patterson and Cambridge. KC6NAH was on scene for Shaw, while Bruce/NRW headed over from his previous location. The next step was to make contact with Dennis Schwendtner at the intersection of Hollister and 5th. You could not fool Hubert with that one, and he immediately identified it and was en route. Unfortunately, it was getting late, so we concluded the exercise.
Team Alpha consisted of team leader Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, and John Butera, KE6DIE, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Sig Wathne, W6LGK, Barbara Mickelson, KD6HKR, Hubert Stamps, KC6NAH, and Darryl Widman, KF6DI. Team November was lead by Tom Saunders, N6YX, and consisted of Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, and Norm Salzman, KA6UHP. The exercise tested our ability to communicate by simplex and to work as a team. Dave Hackleman, K6VML was net control and Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, joined Dave at the Club Station.
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta continue. They're a lot of fun with enjoyable conversation. Come join us for dinner, dessert, coffee, or just conversation, around 5:30 p.m. You don't need to be an ARES member, either!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
April 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
THE GIZMO TROPHY LIVES!
Remember the Gizmo Contest a few years ago that challenged SBARC members to build a "ticket picker?" The winning gizmo was invented and built by the team of Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, Jim Cook, K6ZEM, and Joe Kelley, KG6BSM. The trophy was built by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, from items scrounged at the club's annual Bazaar.
Last year, the ticket picker was demonstrated at one of the ARES Section (tri-county) meetings in Cachuma, and the grand prize of the raffle was the trophy, won by Bill Peirce, KE6FKS, Emergency Coordinator (EC) of the San Luis Obispo District. Good sport that he is, Bill dutifully took the monstrosity home. We thought that was the end of the story. How shortsighted we were!
Jack Hunter. KD6HHG, has been our Section EC for a number of years. He has worked hard to keep our group on the leading edge of technology and activities. His great sense of humor has made for interesting and informative meetings. Jack has given inspirational talks on emergency communications to our group as well as to seminars and sessions at conferences and meetings, including ARRL.
Jack is turning over the reins to Pete Nicklin, K6TOD, who has been assisting Jack for about a year. At our Section meeting on March 20th, Bill gave a very eloquent speech about how much the group has appreciates all of Jack's hard work as our SEC. (We really do!) When Bill mentioned he had a token of our appreciation, two of his people carried a large object with a cover. They placed it on the table and Bill removed the drape and ta-da! The Gizmo Trophy! Everyone in the room, Jack included, laughed until eyes teared. And Jack dutifully took it home. Where will it next appear!
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Jack Hunter, KD6HHG, out-going ARRL Santa Barbara Section ARES Emergency Coordinator, accepts with humor and honor the Gizmo Trophy, which has now become the perpetual Section EC retirement award. |
Dennis Daniel, KM6DF, of Santa Maria presented an interesting demonstration of a Windows based packet program in the afternoon session.
ARES
Santa Barbara South County was represented by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, Tom Saunders, N6YX, Will Tefft, KG6DHK, Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, and Bill Talanian, W1UUQ.
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We had a couple of ELT alerts, one at Santa Ynez Airport and the other at Santa Maria Airport, which was the first from Santa Maria that has been picked up by our monitoring system.
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Our on-the-air communications exercises continue this month and they have been very popular and challenging. In March, we conducted a variety of nets on simplex frequencies. We expanded from using relay stations to pass along check-ins to the net control to using the relay stations to call a group close to their geographical location. In this exercise, we had each member give the make and model of the radio they were using. This information was forwarded to the net control station.
While conducting nets on simplex, covering an area from west Goleta to Carpinteria, we have found it is a great way to develop teamwork and net discipline. There are times when you won't be able to hear a thing, but you have to have confidence in your team that eventually you will be called and will be able to deliver your traffic. It's important to not transmit "in the blind" because you might be overriding a station delivering traffic that you can't hear.
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta continue. They're a lot of fun with enjoyable conversation and we tied our record of 12 people in March! Come join us for dinner, dessert, coffee, or just conversation, around 5:30 p.m. You don't need to be an ARES member, either!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
March 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
Welcome this month to new ARES members Bruce Coffman, KG6NRW, and Michael Ditmore, W7HUT.
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On February 17th, ARES was requested by the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue to assist them in locating a missing hiker. We were asked to respond to various trail heads and keep a watch for the hiker in case he managed to walk out without being seen by searchers.
The individual was reported to have met up with a woman on the trail who asked to borrow his cell phone. When she turned around to give back the phone, he was gone!
Responding to the callout at about 2:30 p.m. were Ken Cox, KA6GJP, Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Joe Heumphreus, K6DXW, Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, Bob Levinson, K6CZD, and Will Tefft, KG6DHK. Harry Rouse, K6PD Q, Tom Saunders, N6YX, and Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, were able to join the activities at 6 p.m. John Butera, KE6DIE, and Barbara Mickelson, KD6HKR, were ready to help if needed. The group was relieved from the field at about 8 p.m.
The next morning we were again requested to man our stations, so Claude Gago, KE6JSA, Mike Jogoleff, WA6MBZ, and Bob Levinson, K6CZD, were in the field from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., when the hiker was located and field resources were relieved. Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, had left home on his way to the field when the search was concluded, so he turned around. Barbara Mickelson, KD6HKR, was net control and Harry Rouse, K6PDQ, was ready to respond for the afternoon shift. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, were mission managers both days.
ARES personnel spent a total of 61 hours on this activity. Nelson Trichler from the SAR team, thanked us for our participation and wrote: "While not glamorous work, trail containment is very important during searches, both to try and find the subject should they come out and to keep the public out of the area to minimize contamination." Our providing this service allows trained SAR and law enforcement personnel do the jobs they are trained and equipped to do instead of containing a trail or vehicle. The Search and Rescue folks had a huge turnout, including searchers and dog teams from out of the county.
Later we learned from a police officer that the missing hiker did indeed encounter a woman on the trail. She had been walking with her two children, who had become separated from her. The hiker loaned the mother his cell phone to make some calls to attempt to locate the kids while he went looking for them. he located the children and returned them to Mom, and in the excitement of the reunion, they went their separate ways without the cell phone being returned.
The hiker was not familiar with the area, so he ended up on a connector trail and came out on San Roque Road. He had his sister pick him up and they went to Isla Vista and spent the night in her apartment, intending to pick up his car the next day. On Wednesday, it was raining, so they decided to have a late breakfast at the Brown Pelican at Arroyo Burro beach before picking up the car. They were completely unaware of the search and didn't learn of it until late that morning, at which time they "turned themselves in," much embarrassed.
Good job by all!
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Members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team discuss the next move in their efforts to locate a missing hiker. Photo by Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL |
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Only one ELT alert resulted in a field response. At about 9:30 a.m. on February 12th, the emergency monitoring system alerted to a signal. Preliminary investigation showed it was likely at Santa Barbara Airport. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, responded and she quickly located the ELT on a flight school aircraft near the airport tower. The plane was being readied for a student's flight, so the pilot soon realized the ELT was operating. The beacon's antenna had been replaced earlier in the day and the mechanic was called to put things back in order. Unfortunately, the student's flight was cancelled, which was too bad because it was a beautiful morning for flying.
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We will be assisting the Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council with its public outreach program starting in April. The Council consists of individuals and groups in the community interested in wildfire prevention and mitigation. Members include local fire and law enforcement agencies, offices of emergency services, homeowner groups, insurance agencies, public utilities, the American Red Cross, etc. The group will visit residents in high fire danger areas in four or five areas of the county, speaking to them about brush clearance, evacuation plans, and fire safety, leaving them with brochures from participating agencies. ARES will be providing safety communications for the groups out on foot. Our next ARES meeting, on April 12th will feature guest speakers from the Council who will explain what the group is all about. Come join us; our meetings are open to the public (see end of article for details).
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Our on-the-air communications exercises continue this month and they have been very popular and challenging. Our nets are held every Monday night at 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 repeater. We will be conducting some exercises on simplex frequencies.
On February 2nd, we all assumed the power was out and switched to HTs, battery or generator backup, mobiles, etc., and various types of lighting. It was a good practice to be able to be independent of commercial power.
We had our regular ARES meeting on February 9th, which featured disaster preparedness and field readiness, including working out a communications plan for the group.
Our next exercise was on February 16th, when we called the net on a simplex frequency, reporting back on a roll call on the repeater which stations each of us was able to hear.
For February 23rd, we were to plan a route from our homes to various facilities we would likely be asked to staff during a disaster, such as hospitals and emergency operating centers. Doesn't sound too hard, right? What if the damage was so severe that you could not go under or over any freeway or railroad overpasses? Almost everyone was able to find a way to some facility.
Will Tefft, KG6DHK, our "map guru" did some research and came up with an excellent paper on some ways to circumvent the freeway and railroad problems. However, anyone who lives or works south of Highway 101 and west of Ward Memorial (Highway 217), the only locations accessible are Direct Relief International and the airport. For those east or Ward Memorial, south of Highway 101, and west of the Rincon, the only location reachable is Goleta Valley Hospital.
So, you non-ARES readers, pick a few important places (such as a hospital, your children's school) and find how you would be able to reach it under these circumstances.
We'll continue to hold these fun nets, so listen in (and join us if you'd like)!
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta continue. They're a lot of fun with enjoyable conversation and we had a record-breaking 12 people in February! Come join us for dinner, dessert, coffee, or just conversation, around 5:30 p.m. You don't need to be an ARES member, either!
We cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month at 7 p.m., County Health Services Auditorium) or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater. For more information on ARES, see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or call me at 967-4859.
February 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
The only field activity in January involved ELT signals. On January 9th, the SBARC monitoring system alerted on a strong signal at 1710 hours. The initial indications were that it was at Santa Barbara Airport. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, and Tom Saunders, N6YX, responded and quickly narrowed the search to the area of Stratman Aviation maintenance hangars on the northwest corner of the field. They met with an officer from the Airport Police to gain access to the ramp and the offending aircraft was quickly located. A call was made to Joan Steinberger, KB6ZET, who works for the company, and she immediately responded, The ELT was removed from the plane and shut off.
The next evening shortly after 9, the system again alerted to a signal. There were insufficient ARES personnel to respond, so the operation was turned over to the Santa Barbara Search and Rescue Team. Too bad Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, had gone to bed early because the signal was coming from an ACR Class B EPIRB in the back of his van! The beacon has only a manual switch, with no other means of automatic operation. The unit was in a plastic milk crate along with the L-Per mag mount antennas. Late in the afternoon, Bill did some cleanup in the van, wherein the L-Per mag mounts came in close contact with the Mini-B EPIRB. And off it went!
Here's Bill's story: "The last time I was in the rear of the van was late Saturday afternoon. I used the van for about 2 miles around 5:30. Apparently from the time line reports, the unit went off around late afternoon. At 11:30 p.m., my doorbell rang. I was asleep and there is Bob and Jim saying something about an ELT. Thinking they wanted my immediate help, I quickly gathered up my gear to head off down the road on another important ELT tracking mission. I've been through that routine countless times. Well, I didn't have to leave my driveway. I could then see the long finger pointing was directed at me! Initially, I felt perhaps that one of my neighbors was the offender, as they have ELTs and EPIRBs for their airplanes and boats. My van, sir? Oh, yeah, wanna bet?!
"My radio was off, my phone didn't work, my beacon was running, and I was asleep at the switch! The whole U.S. Government up in arms, satellites doing DF cuts on my house, search and rescue teams hot on the trail and here I am snoring away.
"In the realm of plausible theories one might speculate that AFRCC and I had it all planned out! Actually, the whole thing was a planned exercise to see how good we really are. "Thanks everyone, you did great and I'm sure this will be the topic of many training sessions for years to come. I'll try to keep my composure and maintain a good sense of humor. Good thing it was Saturday night. Man, what a training exercise. I could not have ever dreamed up one like this!"
A few days later, a strong 406 MHz signal was received that was likely near the harbor. Bill Talanian, W1QQU and Bob Levinson, K6CZD, were ready to respond. Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, was the Mission Manger and when she called the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center she learned they had identified the signal as coming from a U.S. Navy ship anchored offshore of Santa Barbara. It was soon shut off.
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Will Tefft, KG6DHK, and Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ, attended meetings of the County Health Department's Disaster Preparedness Advisory Committee and the Fire Safe Council. At the DPAC meeting, they learned the emergency medical services had some problems with communicating their hospitals during the statewide medical exercise in November and after the Paso Robles earthquake in December. They expressed a desire to have ARES communicators respond immediately to the hospitals in an emergency. This resulted in a meeting with the County Office of Emergency Services staff to revise and update our memorandum of understanding to allow more flexibility to respond during an emergency.
At the Fire Safe Council meeting, we were given the schedule of Fire Outreach neighborhood walks this spring. We will be providing safety communications for the group and will also use the opportunity to do some training of our own members.
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We started on-the-air communications exercises in January and they have been very popular. Our Monday night nets are designed to make sure our equipment is working properly and keep our skills honed. The first night, net participants were asked to name one advantage or disadvantage of various modes of operation: voice, CW, packet, or non-packet digital. The folks came up with some good responses that will help us develop our communications plan. At the end of this net, members were asked to locate pay telephones near their homes and businesses and report back the next week.
In the event of a major disaster that disrupts wired and cell telephone services, pay telephones continue to have a higher priority for service, so they are likely to be working when others are not. Pay phones were common at nearly every service station, but many have been removed because they were being used to facilitate illegal drug activity. But our folks were able to find quite a few. Some gas stations still have them, and you're likely to find them around shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, theaters, hospitals, etc.
The next week the net participants told us about one or two items they carry in their get-away packs that they didn't think many people would have. They came up with everything from signal mirrors to a small folding tree saw. I'm sure many of us will be adding a few things to our packs.
We received a few suggestions for meetings and training topics on the next week's net. We'll try to put some of them in place this year.
We'll continue to hold these fun nets, so listen in (and join us if you'd like)!
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta continue. They're a lot of fun with enjoyable conversation. Come join us for dinner, dessert, coffee, or just conversation, around 5:30 p.m. You don't need to be an ARES member, either!
If you're interested in ARES, we cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month), see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), call me at 967-4859, visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater.
January 2004 - ARES Update by Lou Dartanner, N6ZKJ
 ARES The ARES Van all decked out. |
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Our December ARES general meeting was a year-end summary and holiday party. A PowerPoint program with photos of all our activities in 2003 showed a surprisingly busy year. Then it was party-time! We had a delightful time visiting with friends and munching on goodies, and sipping sparkling cider. Thanks to our ARES "den mother" Bobbe Dartanner for baking a lot of the cookies and decorating the tables. It was also nice to have Mary Heumphreus, Barbara Goodearl, and Carmen Rouse join us. We had a raffle with some interesting prizes, Jack Goodearl, WA6DQK, won the main prize, a Radio Shack wind meter. He later reported the instrument did very well in a comparison with his Davis weather station. For $20, it's a good buy.
 ARES The year end summary and holiday party. |
 ARES The year end summary and holiday party. |
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It was a dark and stormy night - well, a dark and drizzly evening, when the ELT monitors sounded the alarm at a quarter to six on Christmas eve. Because of the poor weather and the potential of the incident being a real emergency, the ARES ELT response team went into action. Bruce Gordon, N6OLT, was the mission manager, and he determined the signal was likely coming from the north side of the mountains, possible the Santa Ynez area. Wayne Heil, KA6OQJ, took a DF bearing from his home and it looked like it was coming from the airport a few miles away. In the meantime, the Santa Barbara Search & Rescue Team was alerted and responded. Wayne met up with one of the team members at the airport and they soon found the ELT in an airplane parked in a hanger. Thanks also to Pete Nicklin, K6TOD, from the Central county, who helped Bruce, and to Bill Talanian, W1UUQ and Shaw Takeuchi, AE6BL, who were on standby to respond.
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We received our shipment of 8" x 18" magnetic signs that say EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. We received orders for nearly 150 of the signs from ARES members in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. They will be useful when we are out on patrols and other emergency and event activities. Thanks to Valley Screen Printing for giving us a very good price.
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Our before-the-SBARC meeting dinners at Carrows in Goleta will begin again on January 16th. They're a lot of fun with enjoyable conversation. Come join us for dinner, dessert, coffee, or just conversation, around 5:30 p.m. You don't need to be an ARES member, either!
If you're interested in ARES, we cordially invite you to attend one of our meetings (second Monday of every even-numbered month), see one of us at the SBARC meeting (look for the yellow shirts), call me at 967-4859, visit the SBARC web site and look at the ARES page (www.sbarc.org), or listen to and/or check in to our regular Monday night net, 7:30 on the 146.19/.79 K6TZ repeater.
SBARC ARES Past News
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