Oakland County Amateur Radio Public Service Corp (ARPSC) Weekly Net Thursday at 8 pm on 145.250 MHz/100pl With a Hospital Radio Net on the 4th Thursday of each month Web Site: http://www.qsl.net/w8oak Meeting Minutes for 1 February 2006: On 1 February 2006 at 7 pm, Joel Goldberg, W8HIU, Emergency Coordinator (EC) for the Oakland County ARPSC called the meeting to order in the County Emergency Operation Center (EOC). The order of business included: (1). Comment from the Emergency Coordinator (EC) – Joel Goldberg, W8HIU: Our first Oakland County Siren Test will be Saturday, 4 March 2006 at 1 pm. Check-in times to the subnets begin at 12:30. Siren Testing for Severe Weather Awareness Week will be Tuesday, 28 March 2006 and amateurs are encouraged to participate. Jim Walden, N8DHZ, DEC, handles siren testing. His current employment with the county reduces his availability and he is requesting a volunteer(s) to assist with his ARPSC duties. All volunteers are welcome. Skywarn Spotter Training Classes take place next month in March. Auditorium space limits the number in each class. To reserve a place for you, please register by calling 248-858-5300 or e-mail to ocem@co.oakland,mi.us. Dates are as follows: Wednesday, 1 March 2006 from 7-9 pm at the Information Technology Auditorium, Campus Drive South (West of Telegraph), north of Oakland County Farmer's Market. Tuesday, 7 March 2006, 7:30 – 9:30 pm at Covert Center Auditorium, 1150 Scott Lake Road, Waterford. Sponsored by OCARS. Saturday, 11 March 2006 at Information Technology Auditorium: Class #1 from 10-12 am and class #2 from 1-3 pm. Wednesday, 15 March 2006 from 7-9 pm at Groveland Township Fire Department, Station #1, 14645 Dixie Highway at Grange Hall Road, Groveland Township. Tuesday, 21 March 2006 from 6-8 pm at Southfield Civic Center Library, Civic Center Complex, 26300 Evergreen Road, which is 0.5 miles south of I-696 or 0.5 miles north of 10 Mile Road. Hospital amateur radio installations are going very well. Twenty-plus radios for PSAP's (public safety answering points, i.e. 911 centers) have not yet been ordered. These radios will need amateur radio volunteers. Ralph Greenberg, K8CAR will take charge of PSAP radio activities, and Bill Bond, W8WRB, the hospital radios. There is a sad note for amateurs. George J. N. Natho, N8CLH, District 2 DEC/DRO of the Michigan Section ARPSC is a silent key. Our 146.900 MHz frequency is now coordinated for Oakland County ARPSC. The repeater site will be just north of Milford on a siren tower and will link with the 145.250 W8OAK repeater. At some later time, we will shift everything to the 146.900 frequency, where we will operate two repeaters on the same frequency. This will require phase synchronizing The Michigan Area Repeater Council, Inc has also coordinated our link frequencies. Regarding our W8OAK 440 repeater (444.325 MHz/107.2pl), we are in the process of ordering a new duplexer. (2). Comments from Steve Iannucci, Oakland County Emergency Response and Preparedness (ER&P): Questions have been asked about what happens if a pandemic flu occurs? A number of plans exist by the counties and states. Insufficient supplies of anti-viral medicines will be a problem. Emergency procedures are in place, which includes promoting the local family to stock enough food, medicines, masks, and take extra sanitation measures. A pamphlet discussing this is available from Homeland Security. A bigger problem than the actual flu, results from side issues such as flu exposure outside the home and maintaining basic supplies and services. Joel Goldberg added that during a recent meeting between ER&P and the private sector, a video was shown showing what might happen during an avian flu strain epidemic. A second round of flu could hit a month or two later. (3). Comments from Barry Kaufman, WD8JWM, Deputy Emergency Coordinator (DEC): U.S. Postal Service sent us a request to look at our amateur radio setup at the EOC. Thanks go to Larry Hornsby, KB8POD who escorted their representative through our communications center two weeks ago. Larry explained our operations and answered questions. (4). Comments from Larry Hornsby, KB8POD, DEC and Net Operations: We need to use packet radio. Amateurs can check into the weekly nets with packet. We need to gain experience because during emergencies, county EOC's will link by packet. Packet 6.2 is our program, available free from several websites, and our Oakland County frequency is 145.050, a frequency designed by the State for counties in District 2 North. Our check-in call will be W8OAK-3. At the hospitals, all our radios are packet compatible, although the packet controllers for such operations are not yet available. Query: Would Winlink 2000 be useful to us for packet? Randy Love, WF5X answered that we need to use the basic packet first before considering this. Query: Others are using a beacon signal for packet. Would this be helpful to us? Larry Hornsby answered that the Jackson EOC is using a beacon signal, and if we should use one, it would be turned on 1x/hour to let others know our packet is in operation. Packet operators are contacting Larry at home, in part to see how well their signal is carried over the simplex frequency. Larry has sent out a proposed copy of an ARPSC information pamphlet to the DEC's for comments, changes, and additions. This pocket-sized pamphlet includes key frequencies, policies, and useful information. He asks the DEC's to send back their comments. Aaron Hulett, KD8AVY has planned to make the pamphlet more readable by changing the text and font size. Larry continues work on the new public relations kit which better informs the public who we are and what we are doing. A solar panel powered communications display will be added and available for the up-coming Oakland County ER&P Conference. Also a grab-and-go radio will demonstrate off-site communications. 5. Public Service Information from Gary Sklar, K8IKW: Up-coming Events Friday, 3 February 2006, International Space Station (ISS) launches an empty Russian spacesuit with radio transmitter with telemetry in English. SuitSat can be heard at 145.990 MHz FM. To know when the space suit passes over your home town, use Science@NASA's J-Pass utility to find out. Batteries are expected to last 2-4 days. Information at http://science.nasa.gov/ Saturday, 4 February 2006, Michigan Antique Radio Club: 7:30 am to 2 pm at Costick Center, Farmington, Michigan. Information is at http://www.michiganantiqueradio.org. Monday, 13 February 2006, L'Anse Creuse ARC: First of six technician Classes at 7:30 pm at L'Anse Creuse High School. No functioning website could be found. Registration at 586-783-6330. Sunday, 19 February 2006, Livonia Amateur Radio Club Swap at Livonia Recreation Center, 15100 Hubbard Road, Livonia. More information is at http://www.larc.mi.org. Saturday-Sunday, 18-19 February 2006, Two Day Hustle Tech Class by USECA Radio Club at Macomb County Community College from 9-5 Saturday, 9-2 Sunday with VE testing afterward. Registration required at wn1b@k8uo.com. 6. Comments from Bill Bond, W8WRB, Hospital Radios: The older VHF radio at St. Joseph – Pontiac Hospital and Troy Beaumont Hospital will be converted to an ICOM IC-2720. Three hospitals are missing or have odd external speakers. Ralph Greenberg, K89CAR will talk to Joel Goldberg about obtaining additional speakers. Jim Poehlman, K8ABZ mentioned that he has put in an earphone jack in the Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital radio. Gary Sklar, K8IKW noted that the nurses at West Bloomfield Hospital don't want to hear the radio while it is being used. Gary places the radio in a drawer and puts on headphones. His problem is that headphone cable length is too short for easy use. Randy Love, WF5X stated it might be possible to send out a boom headset from the EOC if there was a secure location for storage. Bill presented a video presentation on using the ICOM IC-2720 to the members. Several points should be mentioned. There are two speaker outlets on this radio and the most central speaker outlet connects to both the right and left band's audio, whereas the outer one connects to the right band's audio only. The radio is locked for the frequencies of 145.250 and 147.51. One needs to be careful that any encoded tone-squelch may mask conversations that not encoded with the tone. In preparation for the last Hospital Net, Gail Novak, ER&P sent e-mails to the various hospitals stating assigned amateurs might be coming to use their radios. Jim Poehlman, K8ABZ noted that radio operators going to Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital need a system or card to get into the hospital. Currently, no one else but Jim can get into security operations. Joel Goldberg, W8HIU stated that the hospital was planning their own ID card, but so far nothing has happened. 7. Comments About Upcoming Classes: The Traffic Handling Class has been delayed until a new date is set with Ann Marie Gruder of the Southeast Michigan Traffic Net. Sean Fleming, K8KHZ states he has a Power Point Program that Ann Marie could be use, which is better. 8. Michigan QSO Party by Randy Love, WF5X: There will be a Michigan QSO Party on Saturday, 15 April 2006 from noon to midnight. Joel Stanley, KC8DQH is the coordinator for this and has asked us if we will participate. This can be done several ways: (1) a simple exchange that can be used for the logging requirement, (2) club competition allowing anyone in the Oakland County ARPSC to gain contesting points. Contesting also can be done from the home for QSO points. Randy will out of the county at the time of the QSO Party, and a qualified primary control operator is needed at the EOC. More information is available on http://www.miqp.org, especially about strategy and band activity times. 9. ARPSC Vests for Events by Geroge Schulte, K8GEO: George states we need find a vest for public service events that would better identify us. Funds may be available to purchase them. Three types of vest were shown to the members. He recommended that we use an inexpensive orange vest for standard size people and a more expensive one for larger sizes. The lightweight vest is better for summer activities. A logo emblem with Oakland County ARPSC could be embroidered or printed on the front. Our identification on the back of the vest is a problem. "Amateur radio" seems to convey a negative image to some people. What else can we use to identify ourselves? Larry Hornsby, KB8POD stated this must inform people who were are and what we do. Some wording can be too broad in meaning. Steve Iannucci, ER&P indicted acronyms are not good. A committee was formed to make recommendations and decisions, including George Schulte, K8GEO; Joel Goldberg, W8HIU; Ralph Greenberg, K8CAR; Alan Craddock, KA8PEH. 10. Amateur Radio Licenses by Maurice Davidson, K8SJD: Maurice has application forms for amateur radio license plates. 11. Comments by others: Comment: Event websites, such as Woodward Dream Cruise, could mention our public safety function. Comment: The first wave of vanity call signs will be expiring. FCC will be charging a renewal fee of $21.90, unless cost of living rises again. Comment: C-Span Television will have hearings on communication breakdowns during the hurricanes. Respectfully submitted James R. Murphy, N8SML Secretary Oakland County ARPSC 2 February 2006 ?? ?? ?? ?? 1