Hello All!
It has been a busy few months for the Emergency Communications team up here in the Panhandle of Texas! Here is an update on just a few of the recent events and progress.
- Regional coms checks amongst the group.
- Perryton Boy Scout program
- Caprock Intertie testing and maintenance.
- Had meet ups, taking tours of Xcel command and control center, joined events with MARS, monthly ham club meetings, weekly zoom calls for RACES on Wednesdays and Thursday evening for ARES.
- Set up a Regional HF net for District 01 RACES.
- Winlink training and exercises.
- Antenna building classes, and Anderson power pole connector-izing class.
- Worked with Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for their amateur radio emergency communications station here in Amarillo
- Hold regular weekly nets for UHF/VHF on the Caprock Intertie (South) and the Amarillo North repeater.
- Several operators participated in the annual SET exercise with the ARRL, as well as multiple drills involving the eclipse.
- Austin HQ for RACES has made official challenge coins
- TDEM State Wide Emergency Conference will begin taking volunteers to assist at that event in the DFW area.
- We will be getting more information on the NDOW exercise for 2024 soon.
- Dalhart set up a new repeater that covers all the way up to Clayton.
- Currently the AUXCOMM, COM-T, COM-L, and other national level emergency communications positions courses are in progress at the convention center in Oklahoma. These training courses are open to all.
- The District Radio Go-Kit is being passed around to various groups around the panhandle for training. Fritch will be passing it along to Perryton next.
All of these events and more are always being posted on the SLACK channel. That is the primary place I have been able to post information to the whole team. If you are not on slack, PLEASE, join it now so we can keep every one informed easier. (Many people do not get on face book.) Details and links to events and trainings are all posted on SLACK. https://join.slack.
The goals I would like to set for the team for 2024 are:
- Put together and have a display table / set up for outreach to bring interest to the hobby at local events.
- This entails getting a banner, table cover, flyers, pamphlets, other informational memorabilia to put on the tables, setting up a portable radio station at the table to demonstrate radio to the public. Information on all of the various interests to the hobby would be displayed and hand outs available for each area. (Contesting, Emergency communications, Home Brew, POTA, Digital, and other special areas of amateur radio.)
- Distribute tasks to each member to keeping the amateur radio hobby thriving in the area.
- Each and every one of you has a role in keeping this hobby our own. There are more than enough tasks to find something for everyone. From something as small as posting a reminder once a month on slack for your club’s meetings, to Assisting in holding a position of leadership within the Ham community. Volunteer to be net control for a day. Volunteer to help with setting up the ham fests, field days, and contesting events. Start your own club, set up a repeater, help one of the repeater trustees to work on the repeaters. Find a scout troop and teach them some radio information. Post on SLACK anything and everything. Set up get togethers amongst yourselves for helping set up antennas, radios, other projects. Get on the nets. Set up a contest, challenge, fox hunt, or other ham radio event. Help keep the websites up to date. Put together any class you like and teach it to a group. Find a YouTube video that has some great information and share it! Teach a class, or help support some one else to teach a class. Put together an email for the group to keep every one informed as to what is going on in the area for amateur radio. Mentor a young person in their journey to get their license. Inspire some one (of any age) to get their license. Visit an old friend who you haven’t seen at the meetings nor heard on the air. Check on each other.
- Set up a series of classes on key amateur radio skills.
I will need help with finding specific dates/times/instructors/
- Programming a Radio 101
- Basics of Antennas 101
- Repeaters 101
- Emergency Communications 101
- Grounding 101
- Technician’s License Prep
- General License Prep
If you are interested in being involved in any part of the amateur radio community, please jump out there and get involved!
If anyone needs help, resources, guidance, or have questions at all, shoot me a message.
I want to be a part of the team, all of us can work together to help the hobby to thrive in our area!
A Few Key People to Contact for questions and/or get involved :
Panhandle Amateur Radio Club – Mark Koster KG5NWE www.W5WX.net mkoster20
TOPARC – Jerome N5IS and Bobette K5IS Doerrie in Perryton n5isBobette@gmail.com
ARRL West Texas – Dale Durham W5WI http://ota.yhn.mybluehost.me/
ARES West Texas – David Overton W5JDO kf5wdj@att.net
RACES District 01 – Marci Rossiter KA5IRA dro-01.ka5ira@pm.me
State RACES Officer – Roy Walker rwalke@swbell.net
JOIN SLACK!!!!!!
This link will be good for 7 days. https://join.slack.com/
If you find this information valuable, please share it.
(No I do not get any kind of kick backs for you sharing it, but we all benefit the more people we share it with)
Marci Rossiter DRO-01 KA5IRA
State R.A.C.E.S District Radio Officer Texas
Department of Emergency Management
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