Oakland County Amateur Radio Public Service Corp (ARPSC)
W8OAK Repeaters – 146.900 MHz/100pl & 444.325 MHz/107.2pl
Weekly 2 meter net 8 pm every Thursday
Hospital Radio Net – 7:30 pm last Thursday of Month
Web Site: http://www.arpsc.com

 Meeting Minutes for 2 September 2009

            On 2 September 2009 at 7 pm, Larry Hornsby – KB8POD, Emergency Coordinator (EC) for the Oakland County ARPSC, called the meeting to order in the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC).  The order of business included:

(I). Report from the Emergency Coordinator (EC), Larry Hornsby – KB8POD:

            Two stimulated test exercises (SETS) are scheduled for (1) Tuesday - 15 September 2009 from 7 pm to 9 pm, and (2) Saturday - 3 October 2009 from 2 pm to 5 pm.  Both should help us prepare for emergency communications, such as a flu pandemic.  

            How do we best service a pandemic emergency?   We may not know what we will run into until the actual emergency.  A flu pandemic is expected to run about two weeks in one's area, with several months to travel throughout the United States.  It is our hope to keep ahead of it.  We are communicators and don't have to be in a specific location.  Our first priority will be to our families.  One should prepare his/her family with enough food, medicines, and supplies for several weeks.  If you or anyone in your family is sick, you won't be expected to leave home.  Both SETS will involve checking in from your own home and letting us know what is going on with you and your own neighborhood.   You will be our observer. 

            Hospitals may not allow the sick into their service areas, but instead may direct them to outside triage centers or to different buildings.   Servicing these new emergency centers will challenge our ability to communicate. The basic handheld transmitter (HT) antenna won't be good enough.   That is why we are demonstrating ways to improve your own communications with bigger and better portable antennas.  These can be inexpensive antennas which can be made at home.  Your car battery could be used to power a temporary station.   Larry mentioned that some time ago, he was hoping to run packet from a suitcase. 

             Additional problems can be expected.  For instance, what happens if all five hospital radio volunteers for Doctor's Hospital in Pontiac are sick or need relief?   That means other volunteers will have to be shifted into their assignment.  Who knows, you might get this assignment by a phone in the middle of the night.  Later, Jerry Begel –W9NPI will explain how to best work a new hospital location.   Our arrangements now permit us to know which volunteers live nearest to the problem site, so that they can be chosen first.   Once the local population becomes 20-40% sick, we will probably be asked to assist. 

             Our first SET is scheduled 15 September 2009 from 7-9 pm.  Thirty-eight envelopes have been made up to pass out to members.  This will give you instructions on the situation you will handle.  You might need to set up outside your home, perhaps on your porch or some nearby location.  Question: Will you be able to run both the 440 and 2 meter frequencies?  Our SETs will be using both frequencies.  This is your chance to check out your equipment's capabilities and get in some practice.  In the real event that your family is sick, you still can pass traffic from home.  

             In the first SET scenario, the net will be activated and the volunteer will begin by checking in at the start and will end by checking out at the end.  Past experience has shown that failure to checkout causes confusion.  In the second SET, Larry will be calling out to individuals.  After each SET, administrators will meet to critique operations.  Please take part in these exercises.

             Query: What if one doesn't get one of the 38 envelopes?  Answer: Please do check into the net.   We need to have enough people to activate in an emergency and to get everyone involved. 

             Rory Locke – KC8SZR, AEC-Nets added that 3 to 4 more net controls are needed to participate in these exercises.  Extra help is always needed because of the extensive paper work.  If available, please let Rory know.  

             Please note our websites and phones:

                        ARPSC web site: www.arpsc.com

                        County Web site: www.oakgov.com

                        Office email: oakerp@oakgov.com

                        Office Phone: 248-858-5300

                        ARPSC Console: 248-858-5551 

             This is flu shot season.  Shots are available from the Oakland County Health Department, certain stores, or from your own physician. 

            Lorretta in our EOC office is retiring 26 September 2009.  Please let Larry know what gift we could give her.  Next month, a "hat" will be passed for donations.    

 (II). Report from Steve Iannucci, Homeland Security Division – Oakland County:

             The county has received a lot of positive responses about our volunteers in the Dream Cruise.  Larry Hornsby – KB8POD complemented Joe Miller – KJ8O on his fine job.   Joe Miller – KJ8O also gave special thanks to Jim Richards – AB8JR for his assistance.  

 (III). AEC-Management Team Reports:

             (1). Report from (AEC) Barry Kaufman – WD8JWM, Library:

             Old and obsolete ARPSC records are now purged from our files. 

             (2). Report from (AEC) Rory Lock – KC8SZR, Net Operations:

             Mike VanderVeer – KD8ATK sends out net control schedules at end of each month.  If not on this schedule, please let him know.  When you call Rory, use his cell phone for fastest service.   In August, our Oakland County ARPSC volunteered 933 man-hours, calculating to be $17,260 of services.

             (3). Report from (AEC) Randy Love – WF5X, Repeaters and Computers:

             Randy hasn't had time to check with Steve Murphy - N8NM of County Radios, but thinks Steve has resolved a receive site problem of fade out.  This problem also happened to the County Sheriff's Department.  If the problem continues, please let Randy know. 

             The packet station is working.  A week ago, he was able to log into it from work with an HT.   For those who have packet, check to see if you can hear the OAKNOD node located in downtown Pontiac.  Our packet is found at:

             Packet 144.950 MHz/1200 baud, connects made with Oakxxx or

                        Callsign-# to OAKBBS (W8OAK-3) with nodes at

                        OAKNOD (N8NM-1 Pontiac – most coverage),

                        OAKEOC (W8OAK-7 at EOC) or K8DTX-7 (White Lake)

             Randy needs reports from anyone who has recently used our repeater in the Kensington Recreational Area.   Another Kensington event may be coming up soon and he is not familiar with the repeater coverage. 

               (4). Report from (AEC) Michael Smith – N8GUZ, Training:

             VE testing should start this winter.

             (5). Report from (AEC) Jim Thompson – N8USP, New Membership List:

             Membership lists are being merged from those of Jim Poehlman – K8ABZ, Lorretta – EOC Secretary, and Marsha Fleming – N8FE.   Jim Thompson and Jim Poehlman are now looking into a single membership form usable for ARES, RACES, and County. 

             Jim Poehlman added that when this new application is finished, it will be interactive on our www.arpsc.com website.  From this, new applicants will be identified and their information passed on to the county for processing.  Each year, members will be expected to fill out a renewal application on-line.

             Query: Is the website secure?  Answer: There will be no sensitive information requested.   Query: Is this the only way to fill out an application?  Answer: A paper application is available upon request.   Query: When will the new application form be finished?  Jim Poehlman – K8ABZ hopes it can be finished before the first of next year.  When the application is complete, he will explain its workings at one of the meetings.  Larry Hornsby – KB8POD added that the creating a new form is not an easy task.  This also will not ask members what radio equipment capabilities they have.  

 (V). Specialty Officer/Coordinator Reports:

             (1). Report from Bob Kusk – N8LPS, Digital. 

             Larry Hornsby – KB8POD asked Bob about what Windows software could be used for his computer packet system?   Bob will review this.     

             (2). Report from Jerry Begel – N9NPI, Hospital Communication Teams:

            The Doctor's Hospital of Pontiac now has an IC-2820.  The August Hospital Net had 16/17 check-ins with 5 problems reported.

             Jerry gave a slide presentation entitled "How Can We Mobilize?"  Our hospitals belong to the Region 2 North Bioterrorism Defense Network which has its own webpage at http://www.region2north.com.  This includes medical control authorities in Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair Counties with their respective pubic health departments and hospitals.  This group pools their services for emergencies and pandemics. 

             Each month, a hospital radio net is held to give members both practice and to check for radio problems.  Situations may arise where fresh people are needed to relieve net operators.  Each hospital will have an instruction manual for its radio and for radio operator procedures.  Information will also be available for each hospital on where to park, where the radio is located, how to unlock it from storage, key persons to contact if hospital help is needed, etc.    Since the hospitals have radio antennas on their roofs, contacts are expected to be good.   Sometimes, the radio shares space with others.  Efforts are being made to get the radios out of emergency rooms and into less congested locations.   Larry Hornsby – KB8POD added that when one is sent to an unfamiliar hospital, you need an idea of where to go and what to expect.    

             Query?  Have our hospitals used D-Star?  Answer: Not yet; possibly by the end of the year.    

                        (3). National Traffic System: A volunteer is needed.           

             (4). Report from Gary Sklar – K8IKW, Events and Dates of Interest:

 12 September 2009: Grand Rapids ARA Swap.  http://www.grahamfest.org

12 September 2009: Great Lakes Division Symposium – Findlay. http://www.w8ft.org

13 September 2009: Findlay Radio Club Swap. http://www.findlayradioclub.org

20 September 2009: Adrian ARC Swap. http://w8tqe.com

Also mentioned by others with ham radio volunteers needed:

18 October 2009: Detroit Free Marathon.  http://www.freepmarathon.com.  

            (5). Report from Joe Miller – KJ8O, Special Events.

  4 October 2009: Brooksie Way Half Marathon and 5K Walk/Run begins at Oakland University and finishes at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  Please note that volunteers need to be in place before 6:30 am.  If there is any problem getting to one's volunteer site, please use your radio to call Joe Miller.  More volunteers are needed.

 6 December 2009: Skywarn Recognition Day uses HF frequencies for contacts during a period of 24 hours from 7 pm Friday to 7 pm Saturday.  It is a great way to gain experience on HF bands.       

             (6). Report from Mike Nebel – N3BEL, Sirens:

             Our next test is Saturday, 5 September 2009, with check-ins beginning 12:30 noon.  Forty-five sirens still haven't been checked this year.  Dell Brown – KC8IJF, subnet control on the Clarkston Repeater, will not be available.  A volunteer is needed.  Also, both Dell and Mike each need a back-up for future nets.                 

(VI). Other Items of Interest:

             (1). Maury Davidson – K8SJD has applications for anyone wanting a State of Michigan ham radio license plate.

             (2). Jim Richards – AB8JR demonstrated his newly made roll-up j-pole antennas for emergency use.  He added that the attached coaxial cable needs to have 4-5 turns to serve as a choke.  Several that he made are for sale.   

Respectfully submitted,

James R. Murphy, N8SML

Secretary, Oakland County, ARPSC

3 September 2009

Corrected and approved by Larry Hornsby - KB8POD, EC