********************************************
The ARES Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

March 20, 2024

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE <k1ce@arrl.net>

IN THIS ISSUE

- ARES� Briefs, Links
- Tri-State (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas) 2024 Eclipse Exercise
Conducted Last Month
- Letters: FirstNet
- Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Solar
Eclipse-Focused Operating Events
- All-Ham Technical Leadership and Mesh at the 2024 Stifel Loppet Cup,
Minneapolis
- K1CE for a Final
- ARES� Resources

==> ARES� BRIEFS, LINKS

2024 National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Workshop -- Amateur
Radio will be represented at the 2024 National Hurricane Conference,
which will be held this month in Orlando, Florida, at the Rosen Centre
Hotel. The 2024 Amateur Radio Workshop - Tropical Systems and Disaster
Communications - will focus on amateur radio involvement when tropical
systems impact coastal areas of the Atlantic. The amateur radio
community's response to significant hurricanes of the 2023 season and
prior seasons will be discussed. A senior hurricane specialist from the
National Hurricane Center will present on the importance of amateur
radio surface reports to the hurricane forecasting process and
meteorological impacts from the 2023 hurricane season. Also to be
presented: an overview of WX4NHC -- The National Hurricane Center
Amateur Radio station operations; the Hurricane Watch Net and how
amateur operators maintain or harden their stations when hurricanes
cause damage; the VoIP Hurricane Net and Best Practices in Amateur
Radio SKYWARN operations during tropical system impacts; a presentation
on SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network and how it
supports communications during hurricanes; a presentation from the ARRL
staff on national/international amateur radio hurricane response; a
presenter on local hurricane response and personal impact; and a
presentation and overview of the Canadian Hurricane Centre and Amateur
Radio operations and initial forecasts for the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane
Season.

Additional topics relating to amateur radio and communications will
also be presented. A moderated Q & A session will be completed as part
of this informative workshop. This workshop will also be livestreamed
or offered over Zoom pending high-speed internet capability. If not
available, a recording will be posted a few weeks after the workshop.
Those details will be available on the National Hurricane Center
Amateur Radio station website, the VoIP Hurricane Net site, and the
Hurricane Watch Net site.

All amateur radio sessions will be conducted on Tuesday, March 26, 2024
from 1:30-3:00 PM EDT and from 3:30-5:00 PM EDT. The session breakdown
is as follows:

NHC Session #1 - 1:30 PM-3:00 PM EDT: John Cangialosi, Senior Hurricane
Specialist from the National Hurricane Center will present on the
importance of Amateur Radio surface reporting. Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR,
from the Canadian Hurricane Centre will provide a video on a Canadian
Hurricane Centre Overview and a few meteorological topics via a video
recording. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, will present WX4NHC Operations and Bobby
Graves, KB5HAV, will present an overview of the Hurricane Watch Net
(HWN).

NHC Session #2 -- 3:30 PM-5:00 PM EDT: Rob Macedo, KD1CY, will present
on the VoIP Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN Tropical
Systems presentation, and Joe Bassett, W1WCN, will provide a SATERN
(Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network) overview video.
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, will give
an ARRL update and Rick Palm, K1CE, will present on his personal
Hurricane Idalia experience.

This will be followed by a Q & A session and raffle prizes will be
offered. Amateur radio presentations will be recorded and posted to
YouTube after the workshop within the month of April.

ARRL Emergency Communications Training Courses Update -- ARRL Director
of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, reports that ARRL is
discontinuing the ARRL Emergency Communications training courses EC-001
and EC-016, effective April 1. "We plan to launch the new Basic EmComm
course on the 1st, as well as a new Intermediate EmComm course,"
Johnston said. "An Advanced EmComm course will be released by the end
of June," he said. "We will also be releasing an ARES Leadership course
in the near future." The update of courses will be enhanced by the
release of an ARES position task book update as well. "Upgrading and
refreshing our course offerings is important to keep the training
relevant and in tune with current EmComm topics and tasks," Johnston
said.

Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference is May 12-17, 2024 -- The theme
for this 38th edition of the Governor's Hurricane Conference, "From
Forecast to Action", reflects a comprehensive training and workshop
experience taking into consideration the diverse responsibilities that
drive emergency responders to a shared goal. This year, sponsoring
organizations have selected 34 Training Sessions, 56 Workshops, and an
informative General Session to share lessons learned from the 2023
season and better prepare attendees for what the future holds. The
conference will also offer networking opportunities to meet and
reconnect with colleagues across the profession and develop lasting
partnerships across the emergency management community. Register here
<https://flghc.org/registration/>.

AccuWeather is sounding alarm bells for a supercharged 2024 Atlantic
hurricane season (February 21, 2024). -- Months before the official
start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season the news is not good. And
that's even before the National Hurricane Center, AccuWeather and
Colorado State University have issued their first, early predictions
for what the season will hold. The reasons are twofold: the return of
La Ni�a and record high ocean temperatures. "Neither are good news when
it comes to hurricanes and especially not when they work together;
ocean temperatures in February are already as warm as they historically
have been in mid-July," said Jon Porter, AccuWeather chief
meteorologist. "That's a big concern." -- FEMA Disaster Emergency
Communications News Clippings and Topics of Interest Vol. 14 Issue 4,
February 16-29, 2024

Former chairs of the FCC have expressed concern that the American 9-1-1
system, a vital part of the nation's emergency response infrastructure,
is outdated and urgently requires a technological overhaul to enhance
public safety. Since its inception in 1968, the 9-1-1 system has saved
countless lives, but it currently relies on aging technologies not
suited to the data-centric and multimedia communication methods
prevalent today. The advancement to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) is
essential for improving emergency response capabilities, including
better reliability, cybersecurity, accessibility for the disabled, and
data sharing for effective emergency response. -- Donnie Monette,
Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator, Response Division, FEMA
Region 04

Amateur Radio as Educational Tool Represented to Policymakers in
Washington DC (February 16, 2024) -- ARRL and Amateur Radio Digital
Communications <https://www.ardc.net/> (ARDC) represented amateur radio
at a symposium in Washington on February 1 at which the top domestic
spectrum policymakers from across the federal government considered
implementation of the National Spectrum Strategy (NSS). ARRL ensures
that amateur radio is represented at sessions such as this so that
decisionmakers understand amateur radio's roles when spectrum decisions
are made, including its substantial contributions to student interest
and education in STEM subjects at schools throughout the country and
its role during emergencies and natural disasters. In the NSS, released
by the White House in November, national policymakers identified some
2,790 megahertz of spectrum to be considered for future commercial
needs.

==> TRI-STATE (TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS) 2024 ECLIPSE EXERCISE
CONDUCTED LAST MONTH

Because of the probable high-volume influx of non-residents into rural
areas by observers of the upcoming total solar eclipse, Statewide
Interoperability Coordinators (SWIC) Karla Jurrens of Texas, Nikki
Dallas of Oklahoma, and Penny Rubow of Arkansas, applied to the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to fund an
Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program (ICTAP) to
support an exercise. This exercise would test the operability and
interoperability of both Public Safety, CISA SHARES Winlink, and
amateur radio in support of public safety for the April 8, 2024
eclipse. The request was granted to the three states, and exercise
planning began in January.

The exercise was held on February 13, 2024. Each state separately
tested their county-to-county and county-to-state EOC communications
capabilities, and the states were to test their EOC-to-EOC
communications capabilities. One of the capabilities to be tested at
all levels was Winlink through CISA SHARES and Winlink and SSB voice
through Amateur Radio.