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AEN-MAR
Every Monday night, the Arizona Emergency Net – Maricopa meets on 2 meters FM for training and exercise in the public service communication arts. We focus on preparation and readiness for public service – be it scheduled events like bike races or drills, or emergencies such as storm damage or terrorist attacks. Someone has to be ready. This net is dedicated to addressing that challenge. The Arizona Emergency Net – Maricopa also activates during threats or emergencies affecting Maricopa County
Duration: 70:08 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 16 KBPS - Frequency: 16000 HZ
1-9-2012 - Handling Confidential Information - N7NMD
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Summary: Not everything is fit for our radio channels. Our channels are as available ot the public as a cheap scanner and the FCC frowns on us speaking in codes or cyphers. So, some information must not be said over the air. Other information must be transmitted, but there's such a thing as discretion. There have been times when incident details needed to be passed over an event net, but not broadcast to event participants. How is this done?
Can you keep a secret? Good. So can we.
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Duration: 87:28 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 16 KBPS - Frequency: 16000 HZ
1-2-2012 - HT Operations - KF7CCC
- We discussed a number of features that made us pick the HTs we owned. Among them were:
Multiband capability
- can transmit on more than one band
- not necessarily dual simultaneous receive or even dual receive
- some radios allow RX on non-Ham bands (air, sheriff, business bands)
Dual simultaneous receive
- can hear two separate frequencies at the same time
- some radios do "half duplex" (can listen to two frequencies when not transmitting); others do "full duplex) (can listen to one receive frequency when transmitting on another).
- disadvantage: you can accidentally transmit on the wrong frequency
Accessibility
- if you have limited vision, some radios will talk to you in English or Chinese
APRS/GPS
- APRS is good to send messages / bulletins to other hams
- also used to beacon location (eg if you're offroading)
- some radios have built-in GPS, others need separate receiver
Ease of use
- Like cell phones, HTs can be simple with just a few features, or complex with hundreds
- newer radios aren't necessarily simpler - some older radios are better in this respect (although batteries can be an issue)
- the Yaesu FT-60 and Icom IC2AT, IC3AT, IC4AT were mentioned as being easier than others
- simple radios are often more useful in emcomm (where not everyone will understand all features)
- often the menu system for a simpler radio will carry over to a more complicated one
Programming software / cables
- If you have a radio with 1000 memories, programming them is not something you want to do by hand
- A lot of radios use a USB serial port with a special connector
- Downside: in an emergency, you might not have computer/software handy. Make sure you know how to program the radio without software.
- Read the manual cover-to-cover before your first event
- Have Nifty manual or just a laminated card with the instructions for programming freq/tone/offset into a memory.
Size / weight
- smaller is easier to carry, can keep inside coat in the cold
- smaller is harder to use (smaller buttons, fewer buttons), easier to lose
- a speaker mic or boom mic can make life easier (especially one with programmable function keys)
- smaller radios often have smaller battery packs, sometimes lower power
Batteries
- useful to have AA battery pack (before a disaster) - it's sometimes easier to get AAs than charge up rechargable batteries
- most radios have a power-saving mode that increases life by putting receivers to sleep for 100ms every 300ms or so
- power saving can be a problem on digital modes if you miss the beginning of an APRS packet
- keep batteries away from cold, heat
Antenna:
- most modern radios have SMA antenna jacks
- some have SMA-F, some have BNC
- An adapter from SMA (or whatever your radio has) to BNC F is very useful to have; some are low-profile to put less torque on the radio's connector
- Improve the radio by getting rid of the rubber duckie. Some users mentioned:
- JPole
- Smiley halfwave antenna
- Tiger tail (1/4 wavelength of wire to act as counterpoise to your 1/4 wave HT antenna)
http://www.hamuniverse.com/htantennamod.html
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Duration: 50:44 m - Filetype: mp3 - Bitrate: 16 KBPS - Frequency: 16000 HZ
12-26-2011 - Net Scribe - KB7YEB
- The Arizona Emergency Net - Maricopa met for a routine, training
activation Monday night.
The topic was "Net Scribe"
13 Stations participated in the net.
The function of the net scribe is to take notes on what has happened in on the net. Things such as who has checked in, what equipment that they have,
where they are and how long they are available.
This will save the net from re-queering the net for the information.
may need a couple of net scribes to handle especially
if it's really busy. email between the two in the backgrounds.
Special thanks to Dave K1LPI for being alternate control this week.
Next week topic will be HT operations Andrew KF7CCC will be our net control operator.
James KF7POH has volunteered to be alternate net control for next week.
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