Please announce this on your local VHF FM nets, the Alabama Mike Net, and in
your club newsletters. We'll be making a post on the Alabama ARES web site and
also doing a special edition of the newsletter for this event.
The Alabama Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will once again conduct a FM
Simplex Exercise designed to encourage members to test their range on FM
Simplex. This will be a two-hour exercise starting at 4:00PM Central until
6:00PM Central time on Saturday, June 13th.
This test is held during the ARRL June VHF QSO Contest to allow ARES volunteers
to have the opportunity to contact more distant VHF contest stations, many of
whom run high power and gain antennas. During last year's event, some ARES
volunteers were able to make contacts over 200 miles away from their QTH!
During the event, stations will exchange call signs and "grid squares". You can
also obtain your grid square from www.qrz.com by looking up your callsign and
then clicking on "details". Birmingham, Shelby, and Tuscaloosa are in EM63,
Huntsville is in EM64, Montgomery is in EM62, & Mobile is in
EM50. Find your grid square today & be ready for the exercise.
A typical QSO might go something like:
"CQ CQ CQ. This is WX4AL in EM62. Over"
"WX4AL this is N1LF. You are loud and clear in EM63. Over".
"Roger, roger, N1LF. You are loud and clear here as well. Thank you for EM63".
ARES groups are encouraged to man their local EOC's to test the range of our
served agencies amateur communications. Other groups will want to set up "hill
top" operations in high areas in your community and use Yagi (beam) antennas
for greater range. If you're trying to work a VHF contest station, you may want
to rotate your beam to the "horizontal" position as most work done on SSB/CW is
horizontal. The difference in polarization can cost you up to 20db of signal
strength!
It's also the perfect chance to test your backup power supply, and mobile
stations. During hurricanes and winter storms, prolonged power outages can mean
that even repeaters equipped with backup power supplies will fail in a few
days. It's important to know the range of your station on simplex, and practice
using it often. All ARES members are encouraged to take steps to improve their
simplex range.
Frequencies to be used for the exercise are:
Six Meters (50-54 MHz)
52.525 MHz
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Meters (144 - 148 MHz)
FM simplex is allowed frequencies:
146.550
146.580
147.555 (This frequency is home of the "Triple Nickel Gang" Friday Night
Simplex Net at 10PM Central. These guys are hardcore simplex fans!)
*Note. You cannot operate on the National Simplex frequency of 146.520 during
this exercise.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-1/4 Meters (222 - 225 MHz)
223.500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70 Centimeters (430 - 450 MHz)
446.000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, lets program
52.525 / 146.550 / 146.580 / 147.555 / 223.500 / 446.000
Please send in detailed reports of your activities, and consider submitting
your log to the ARRL Contest as well. We'll post an after action report on the
state web site in early July. Join us for Alabama ARES Simplex Exercise 2009!
73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF
ARES AL Section Emergency Coordinator
NCS-SHARES NCS-047
---------------------------------------------
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 35114
CELL: (205) 253-4867
HOME: (205) 620-3473
WORK: (205) 824-8930
FAX: (205) 824-8960
E-Mail to Cell Phone (SMS):
2052534867@tmomail.net
Twitter: alsec
Blog: http://al-ares.blogspot.com/
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