SET 2008

ARRL Alabama SET

****** October 2, 2010 ******

2010 ARRL S.E.T. (Simulated Emergency Test)

Tri-Section SET

ALABAMA, GEORGIA, NORTH FLORIDA

Hurricane Jay is a very powerful late-season Category 4 storm. After intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico, the storm makes landfall in Pensacola, FL, tracks to the north, and weakens over the following 24 hours. foster cooperation and coordination between Amateur Radio communicators in Alabama, Georgia, and Northern Florida. This drill is an event of a large-scale disaster requiring the activation of all available communications assets, local, district, Section and multi Sections.

Here are some verified links for the upcoming Simulated Emergency Test that includes information and forms.

1. http://www.arrl.org/public-service-field-services-forms

Of particular note is the EC form that we will be using this year listed as "FORM A", the SET Score Card, which explains some of the basics of how to calculate your point totals, and other information.

2. Don't have a copy of an ARRL Radiogram form? You can find it at the web link listed in #1.

3. How is Alabama cooperating with Georgia ARES and Florida ARES to conduct one massive SET? Information is located here:

Georgia Information (The top item): http://gaares.org/ga-ares-news/ The Georgia ARES SET 2010 Word Document:

http://gaares.org/2010-SET/2010-SET.doc

Florida Information: The North Florida Section will be using an actual public service event as their 2010 Set: http://www.duvalares.org/ See "Inter-District Exercise and Simulated Emergency Test"

Alabama Frequencies of Operation:

(4). 3965khz LSB or 7243 LSB as alternate for SSB Voice

(5). 3570khz USB for Digital Message Traffic MK63 mode at the top of the hour and PSK31 mode at the bottom of the hour. The Net Control station on frequency for the SET will be WX4AL.

(6). The callsign of the Alabama State EOC is KF4LQK

(7). D-STAR:

MOD C: Connected to REF002B for statewide communication.

MOD B: Connected to REF002A for southeast WX net.

The following repeaters will be automatically linked for the duration of the SET: K4DSO,W4WBC, W4AP, KI4SAY, KI4SAZ.

Contact Spencer, KZ4J for more information

2009 Alabama ARES Simulated Emergency Test

Photo Courtesy Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Used with Permission.

"Operation Highball"

Date: October 3rd, 2009

Time: 10am

This year's SET exercise, "Operation Highball" will focus on a railroad incident response.

Nearly every Alabama County has a active railroad running through it. This yeas SET, the brain child of Ed Manley, W4AGA, Alabama ARES member, will increase our knowledge of railroad hazards, safety and response.

SET is going to be very different than past years, leading up to "Operation Highball" there will be a lot of training about railroad operations, HAZMAT, and emergency response. A special video devoted to railroad emergency response was shown at the Birmingham Hamfest forum, and distributed to Alabama EC's so they can conduct training in their county. Club training programs are also planned, along with weekly training on railroad communications and operations specifically designed for weekly ARES net training. Certificates are available after taking the training test.

The second training goal is to push out small, bite sized training modules that EC's can use for their weekly FM ARES Nets. The hope is that by the time the drill comes around in September, we'll all be a lot more knowledgeable about railroad operations and better prepared to respond.

The Whistle Stop Training MP3 Series are short, five minute long modules that will brief amateurs on railroad operations, communications, and emergency response. The MP3 audio files are very similar to the Amateur Radio News Bulletins that are played on many 2 Meter repeaters around the state. Each file is intended to be aired starting this week (August 31st) during local 2 Meter VHF ARES training nets. They are short (less then four minutes) and should fit easily into any net schedule.

In some cases, repeater controllers can be programmed to play them automatically. Otherwise, they can be aired in a number of ways:

1.) A simple soundcard interface connected to a 2 Meter radio will give great results. Test the file prior to the net with another station to be sure that you've got the volume set at the proper level.

2.) Simply holding your 2 Meter microphone near your computer speaker while playing the file will also give good results. Again, it's recommended that you test the volume settings prior to the net with another station.

3.) Lastly, the scripts for each week are available on the Alabama ARES web site, and an EC or Net Control Station can opt to read them without using the MP3 files at all. This also allows the EC to customize the training for their area, and may be more desirable.

So make plans now to begin your training program for SET 2009, and the most successful exercise ever. All Aboard, Operation Highball!

More information about the SET contact: Les Rayburn, N1LF