ARES, RACES, SKYWARN

Rob Macedo-KD1CY
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator

It was another active year for ARES, RACES and SKYWARN. We conducted another successful Emergency Communications Workshop in Walpole, MA in early April 2006. In addition, weeknight workshops were held once per week for a period of 6-8 weeks in both Taunton, MA and Falmouth, MA that targeted specific emergency communication teams in those regions. We thank those who attended and assisted in these workshops.

The most significant ARES/RACES response in recent memory was during the May Floods of 2006 in Northeast Massachusetts. Terry Stader-KA8SCP, Region One RACES Radio Officer, and a team of roughly a dozen Amateurs , manned the Region One MEMA Headquarters in Tewksbury for 5 days assisting with communications, not just via Amateur Radio, but with other means of communications for MEMA. Eastern Massachusetts ARES supported SKYWARN operations by providing several hundred reports of flooding, rainfall and significant impact to life and property. The American Red Cross of Mass. Bay and Northeast Massachusetts utilized about two dozen Amateurs over a period of three days for damage assessment and relief . This was a tremendous job by those involved in these efforts.

Through the efforts of Phil McNamara-N1XTB and contributions from all of you, we now have an Eastern Massachusetts ARES online registration form and database. This allows us to know who is available for emergency communications when required. This system will be used for many years.

This year brought a tremendous amount of severe thunderstorm activity to the region with the highest number of severe reports received in over 10 years. Reports from SKYWARN spotters resulted in timely warnings being issued for an area, along with a much better understanding of what was happening at the ground, resulting in the protection of life and property. Several exercises and other smaller events were completed in 2006. These included the annual WX4NHC Communications Test, the Simulated Emergency Test and the MEMA yearly hurricane exercise. The Monthly ARES and RACES nets continued on a regular basis.

Thanks to all of you for your efforts in 2006 and we look forward to working with all of you in 2007.

QRPPP TRANSMITTER

The photo shows the TTL xtal oscillator that was heard in upstate NY by K2MUB, NJ by WB2MAI and in SE Mass by K1VV along with several others.

This type of oscillator was used in most computers during the late 80's and early 90's as their clock oscillator. Input power is approx 50mW (.0085ma from 6VDC) I'd guess the output to be somewhere about 30mW or so.

The antenna was connected directly to the output pin through the BNC connector and adapter and key in series with the batteries.

Thanks to those that strained their ears to hear my QRPPP transmitter.

73, Don-K1DC