Here’s the plan for tomorrow’s Emergency Communications exercise, that takes place from 9:00AM – 11:00AM (prior to Winter Field Day):
Chris Wheeler (CCEMA) offered the following scenario (and request):
“Let’s say we had a large subsidence on the Presumpscot river below the Sappi Paper Mill that caused the foundations to some of their buildings to buckle and potentially fail. In this type of scenario we would be looking for:”
Request to MEMA for assistance (ICS-213RR via Winlink):
Structural Engineers (5)
Type One Large Backhoes (2)
Water Pumps (8)
Railroad Ties (500)
Manual and Hydraulic Building Jacks (25)
Large Type 1 Dump Trucks (4)
Countywide traffic:
During the exercise, we’ll be looking for a simulated storm update from NWS Gray to determine likelihood of continuing flood risk, simulated weather reports from individual check-ins that we can forward to NWS so they can issue, update, or confirm warnings, and also simulated reports of road washouts, etc., to forward to CCEMA, so they can dispatch DOT crews. Be sure to preface each message with THIS IS A DRILL or EXERCISE MESSAGE.
Exercise Schedule:
We will be starting our county wide net on the 449.225 repeater at or around 9:00 AM to take check-ins and take any traffic (weather reports or SITREPS) from participants.
At around the same time, we will also check into the Maine Emergency Net on 3940 kHz.
At 9:30 AM, we will take check-ins on simplex to test comms from the trailer. For obvious reasons, it won’t have the same coverage as the station at the EOC, but we’ll see who can hear us.
At 10:00 AM we will be sending our Winlink traffic, most likely via PACKET.
From 10:30 – 11:00 AM, we will check back into and monitor the Maine Emergency Net to see if there’s any traffic waiting for us, and handle as needed.
Despite some challenges, the 2022 Simulated Emergency Test was a big success for our team!
Since early Spring, the communications room at the Cumberland County EMA was undergoing various phases of renovation, and getting the gear setup in time for the SET was a huge undertaking. Our team also acquired, through grants, some new deployable equipment, which had just been taken out of the box a few days before the Saturday of the test! But, our team pulled it all together and did a great job demonstrating their skills once again, to make us one of the top performing groups in the state.
Despite this, there were some minor hiccups. Our primary deployed team, consisting of Brad Brown KC1JMH and Peter Hatem KC1HBM, was sent to Scarborough High School having never setup a Buddipole antenna before and with a brand new Icom IC-7100. Somehow, they managed to get the antenna setup and the radio on the air, although they did miss a couple of early tasks.
Things went smooth at the EOC, despite getting the gear setup the Thursday evening before the test. This consisted of more than just plugging in the equipment, but required the installation of a new PC for the HF station, including all necessary software, setting up two new work stations, routing coax through the ceiling and down the walls to the workstations, grounding, setting up a LAN, and more! The team of Tim Watson KB1HNZ and CJ Carlsson W1CJC, took turns manning the HF, V/U, and DMR stations, and performed all the necessary tasks.
Meanwhile, Waylon McDonald KC1HJN was deployed to multiple shelter locations throughout the county and successfully completed all of his objectives, and Eric Emery N1RXR, operating remote from New Gloucester, acted as a key station, performing relays when needed, and handled traffic for the National Weather Service, in Gray, ME.
Here’s what the 2022 SET consisted of:
Name of exercise: 2022 Maine Simulated Emergency Test Date of activity: October 22, 2022 Duration of activity: 08:00 – 12:00
Type: Multi-mode communication exercise between State and County EMAs, as well as other agencies, including Red Cross and the National Weather Service.
Served agency(s): Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) National Weather Service, Gray, ME
WSSM-ECT: Participants will operate from the EOC, home, at deployed stations, and mobile from shelters.
Purpose: Test ability to communicate inter-county and between counties, using various modes: UHF FM repeater, VHF FM Simplex, HF SSB, VHF Packet, HF Digital, and Winlink via VHF Packet and HF.
Objectives: Perform Amateur Radio Tasks as outlined in the 2022 Maine SET Plan:
Digital data with other Counties on Amateur VHF repeater systems and packet network.
Voice with other Counties on Amateur VHF using simplex.
Voice with other Counties on Amateur HF systems
Retrieve a text file using Packet
Digital data via Amateur Packet and Winlink systems
TASK 1 – Perform voice radio checks inter-county via Amateur UHF repeater TASK 2 – Perform voice radio checks inter-county via Amateur HF TASK 3 – Establish communications with Statewide Emergency Net and perform voice radio checks with other Counties via Amateur HF TASK 4 – Perform voice radio checks inter-county via Amateur VHF Simplex TASK 5 – Perform voice radio checks with nearby Counties via Amateur VHF simplex TASK 6 – Exchange ICS-213 messages via voice, digital, Winlink, and Packet TASK 7 – Retrieve a text file via PACKET TASK 8 – Send Digital Data through the Maine Packet Network
Although highly successful, the 2022 SET highlighted some areas that can be more fine tuned. One of these is more hands-on training with deployable equipment, and another is, as always, traffic handling. Having more time to spend with our new gear, we’ll easily remedy the first concern, but the latter is more a widespread problem, not isolated to our team. In fact, having handled something like 32 messages during the SET (mostly within the county), we do very well with it, but I’ve found a lack of continuity on the statewide level, that can only be fixed with a unified acceptance of modes, forms, and protocol. I have no doubt this will get better with time, as we do more exercises, and hopefully, by next year, we’ll all be on the same page.
Click here to download our 2022 SET After Action Review.
Please join us this evening at 7:00 PM on the W1QUI 147.090 (+ / 100) repeater, for our monthly On-Air Drill!
This will be an on-air and in person hybrid meeting, with a limit of 5 people allowed at the CCEMA Bunker, which is located at 22 High Street, Windham, ME. For those who join us at the bunker, we’ll be doing a work detail to install an HRI-200 on the new repeater, to give it Wires-X capability.
Because of the work detail, we won’t be doing a formal on-air training following the net on the repeater, but we encourage participants to get on 146.580 FM Simplex to test out your stations.
As a reminder, the Maine 2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge takes place this Saturday, from 12pm-4pm. The Simplex Challenge is a fun contest that is not only competitive, but also teaches us a lot about about the FM Simplex coverage throughout the state. I hope everyone has the opportunity to participate this year! For more information, including complete rules, please click here.
Please join us this evening at 7:00 PM on the W1QUI 147.090 (+ / 100) repeater, for our monthly On-Air Drill!
This will be an on-air and in person hybrid meeting, with a limit of 5 people allowed at the CCEMA Bunker, which is located at 22 High Street, Windham, ME. For those who join us at the bunker, we’ll use the remaining time after the net to install and update software on the PCs.
Following our net on the repeater, we’ll test out the newly re-installed HF antenna at CCEMA. For those with HF capabilities, please join us on 3940 kHz LSB for an exchange of signal reports.
Date: 08/26/2021 Time Started: 7:00 PM Time Secured: 7:20 PM Frequency: 147.090 (+ / 100 Hz) W1QUI repeater, on Blackstrap Mt., Falmouth, ME. Net Control: Waylon KC1HJN
Check-ins (7):
KC1HBL Ben Buxton, ME Commercial KC1JMH Brad Waterboro, ME Battery KC1OLX Tom Gorham, ME Commercial W1QUI George Auburn, ME Commercial AB1NS Tom Westbrook, ME Commercial KB1HNZ Tim Windham Battery KA1VPU Tim Windham Battery Traffic Exchanged: 2
Simplex Net Date: 08/26/2021 Time Started: 7:21 PM Time Secured: 7:39 PM Frequency: 146.580 FM Simplex Net Control: Tim KA1VPU (op. as WS1EC)
Check-ins (5):
KC1HBL Ben Buxton, ME Commercial KC1JMH Brad Waterboro, ME Battery KC1CPA Tom Chelsea, ME Commercial KB1HNZ Tim Windham, ME Battery KC1HJN Waylon Windham, ME Battery
Training Script:
This evening we’re transmitting from the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency, in Windham, for the first time since the SET back in October of 2020. I’d like to thank Chris and Jim and everyone here at CCEMA for hosting us this evening. Its good to be back.
I have one announcement. The Simulated Emergency Test (SET), which is scheduled for Saturday, October 9th, is going to be a radiogram relay and Winlink exercise this year. The details are currently in development, but it looks like it’s going to have a fun contest kind of element to it. So, the training that we’ll be doing between now and then will be focused on developing those skills.
Tonight, I’m going to ask net participants to craft answers to and send a radiogram reply to one of two MARS Interoperability Exercise messages. We’ll do that portion here on the repeater and then we’ll move over to 146.580 FM Simplex for the fun part of the exercise and see who can copy who.
Traffic Handled:
26 R K2WG 45 EAST CHATHAM NY 1250Z AUG 16 TIMOTHY WATSON PRES WIRELESS SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN MAINE 11 LYMAN AVE SACO ME 04072 NO PHONE KB1HNZ ATSIGN YAHOO DOT COM MARS RRI DASH NTS INTEROP 2021081240Z BT THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS TRAINING EXERCISE X WHAT IS THE DISTANCE AND BEARING TO THE AIRPORT CLOSEST TO YOUR LOCATION QUERY PLEASE EMAIL YOUR REPLY TO ME AND TO THE ARMY MARS REGION TWO OPERATIONS OFFICER AT RON ATSIGN RONTOMO DOT ORG O BT WAYNE F GEARING K2WG ARMY MARS REGION 2 MEMBER AAR2SE WAYNEG1231 ATSIGN FAIRPOINT DOT NET OR 518 610 1929
Sent to: Brad KC1JHM, from Tim KB1HNZ
37 R HXC K2XU 35 MOORESTOWN NJ 2145Z AUG 9 TIMOTHY W WATSON KB1HNZ/PRES WIRELESS SOCIETY OF SOUTHE 11 LYMAN AVENUE SACO ME 04072 NO PHONE KB1HNZ ATSIGN YAHOO DOT COM THIS IS A TRAINING EXERCISE BETWEEN REGION TWO ARMY MAR 08092147Z BT PLEASE IDENTIFY CLOSEST HOSPITAL WITH THE DISTANCE AND BEARING FROM YOUR LOCATION X EMAIL YOUR REPLY TO ME AND THE REGION TWO OPERATIONS OFFICER X HIS EMAIL IS RON ATSIGN RONTOMO DOT ORG THANK YOU BT JOHN HOOVER K2XU AAR2KX ARMY MARS REGION 2 MOORESTOWN NJ JHHOOVER ATSIGN COMCAST DOT NET 856 DASH 231 DASH 0754 K2XU 08092147Z KB1HNZ 08092147Z AR
Sent to Ben KC1HBL, from Tim KB1HNZ
After the net, Tim KB1HNZ and Waylon KC1HJN spent some time swapping the Kenwood D710A out for the original Kenwood D710G (which had been sent out for repair) and sorting the computer and software. In our absence, the PC at the ham station had been upgraded to Windows 10 and all the previous software and settings were no longer present.
Waylon and Tim successfully installed Winlink Express, but were having trouble when the Kenwood radio would display “TNC, STA CON, then packet12” when commanded to transmit. Since they ran out of time, this couldn’t be resolved last evening. A further work detail will have to take place to install multiple other softwares and test radio connections to prepare for the upcoming SET drill.
Please join us this evening at 7:00 PM on the W1QUI 147.090 (+ / 100) repeater, for our monthly WSSM-ECT On-Air Drill!
The topic for this evening will be to discuss our return to live meetings at the EMA bunker. After our net on the repeater, we’ll do a roll call of those who check-in, on 3940 kHz LSB, which is the Maine ARES primary frequency for night time HF ops. As always, we welcome any traffic for the net, either on 2 meters, or HF.
The purpose of this net is to focus on developing skills, such as familiarity with message forms, traffic handling, using modes like FM Simplex, Winlink, Packet, and the FLDigi suite, while fostering an interest in and recruiting newcomers to emergency communications.
Please join us this evening at 7:00 PM on the W1QUI 147.090 (+ / 100) repeater, for our monthly On-Air Drill!
The topic for this evening is to review the components of the ARRL Radiogram and to compose and sent test messages that will be similar to those we’ll be sending during ARRL Field Day. We’ll start out on the repeater and move over to 146.580 FM simplex for a roll call. On simplex, we’ll exchange signal reports with each other, note who we can copy, and send traffic.
The purpose of this net is to focus on developing skills, such as familiarity with message forms, traffic handling, using modes like FM Simplex, Winlink, Packet, and the FLDigi suite, while fostering an interest in and recruiting newcomers to emergency communications.
SCARBOROUGH, ME – During our March 11th monthly meeting, Brad Brown KC1JMH, gave a presentation on the Maine Packet Network and demonstrated how to connect to a node, check and send messages, and some of the terminal commands needed to navigate it. He also showed off a new website he created, which is an excellent source of information for anyone interested in Packet Radio.
Home Page of the Maine Packet Network website
During the presentation, Brad remotely operated his PC at home, which was connected to his FT991 radio and set to the frequency of the W1YCA node, located in Alfred, ME. Brad briefly talked about using software such as the UZ7HO sound modem and AGW Packet Engine to enable your radio to communicate via Packet. Once connected, he showed how to access features such as CHAT, and BBS on the node. He connected to the WS1EC node via W1YCA, and was able to check stored messages, and demonstrated how to send a reply.
Connecting to the WS1EC-4 Packet Node
Brad made it look easy! He next demonstrated how to use Winlink Express to connect to the Winlink Radio Messaging System (RMS), where he was able to check his inbox, and demonstrated sending a message from there as well. Packet is just one of the modes that can be used to connect to Winlink, and the only mode used on VHF and UHF.
After using the command L to list messages, you can read a specific message by typing R follwed by the message number. In this case, R 299 displays the message.Sending a reply
The Maine Packet Network is described on the website as a “consortium of individual amateur radio packet nodes and their licensed system operators or sysops,” which are affiliated with county-level Emergency Management Agencies throughout the State of Maine. The stated mission is to interconnect these agencies to facilitate the flow of accurate and concise information between county EMAs, MEMA, hospitals and recognized groups operating in an emergency capacity such as the American Red Cross.
The network is currently comprised of eight nodes, three of which are local-coverage community nodes, and three digipeaters, and this list keeps growing.
“The 2019 statewide Simulated Emergency Test was the first big test of the network, at least in Southern Maine,” Brown explained. “At that point the network was in its infancy and it was overwhelmed pretty quickly with the amount of connections being attempted, but the improvements made over the past year have helped out tremendously, and it continues to get better.”
At this point you’re probably wondering “what’s this for?” Brad explains on the website that, just like amateur radio, packet radio is there when all else fails. “With a radio, a modem, and a computer, a licensed amateur operator can still send emails, text messages, chat, and so forth when the infrastructure that we rely on has become unreliable.”
For more information about the Maine Packet Network and how to get started in Packet Radio, please click here.
Click here to read Brad’s article, on the Maine Packet Radio website, about his presentation for WSSM.
It’s that time of year again to renew your membership with the Wireless Society of Southern Maine. On behalf of the society and its members, I’d like to THANK YOU for your support and continuing participation.
Your membership has enabled us to accomplish a lot in 2020! The year started out with Winter Field Day, where we operated in the Outdoor category from the Cumberland County EMA Communications Trailer. In March, members took part in the annual 2 Meter FM Simplex Contest, which turned out to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, and several were also involved with the Maine 200 Bicentennial Special Event, which was a huge effort and a lot of fun to be a part of!
We were all geared up to have a display at the Maine ARRL Convention in late March and at NEARFest a few weeks later, but both events were cancelled due to the emerging pandemic. During this period, we also weren’t able to meet in-person, but we made the best of it, gathering on-air for “Self-Quarantine Simplex Drills” on Thursday nights. These drills began as simple meetups on 146.580 FM simplex, and evolved into more complex drills that saw participants check-in from various shelter locations, and explore new modes like Winlink, and the FLDigi suite.
As the summer neared, it was time to think about Field Day, which came together quite late as COVID restrictions were eased just in time to allow small gatherings, and the Hillock family of Wassamki Springs Campground allowed us to setup in their field to operate for the 10th consecutive year. We entered in the 2A category with two HF stations and one 6 meter station, with a small team of operators who took turns getting on the air. In the meantime, the rules allowed for other club members to participate from their own homes and contribute to the club score, and several of them did.
In July, a few club members ventured up to the summit of Mt. Washington to activate it for Summits on the Air, and in late August, the WS1SM team visited Owls Head Lighthouse for International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW).
Throughout the year, club members actively support Cumberland County EMA, participating in exercises, including the Simulated Emergency Test (SET), in October, which focused on a hurricane scenario, and tested the capabilities of the Maine Packet Network and voice communications on VHF simplex and HF. We learned a lot from the event, which will enable us to improve our capabilities in the months ahead.
I am looking forward to welcoming you as a returning member. Together, we can continue to improve and advance the amateur radio hobby amongst the public and ourselves. When renewing, please let us know of any changes in your contact information. Memberships can be paid at any club meeting, or online via PayPal.
Contest Period: 1900 UTC Saturday January 30th to 1900 UTC Sunday Sunday, January 31st, 2021
Bands: All Amateur bands, HF, VHF, & UHF except 12, 17, 30 and 60 meters.
Modes: Any mode that can faithfully transmit the exchange intact without a conversion table… CW, SSB, AM, FM, DStar, C4FM, DMR, Packet, PSK, SSTV, RTTY, Olivia, Satellite, etc… (note FT8 & FT4 cannot).
Suggested Frequencies: (to make it easier to find each other) HF CW – 1810-1820, 3.530-3.550, 7.030-7.050, 14.035-14.055, 21.030-21.050, 28.030-28.040 HF SSB – lowest 30 kHz of the US General Class Phone bands (160m-15m), 28.400-28.425MHz (10m) 6m/VHF/UHF – adjacent to, but not on, nationally recognized simplex calling channels.
Exchange: Your WFD exchange will be a combination of your “class” and “category” and your ARRL/RAC section.
For 2021, we will not be operating as a group from a single location, due to COVID-19 cpncerns. Instead, we will take advantage of scoring changes for 2021 that allow members to participate individually, using their own call signs, and contribute to a club aggregate score.
To participate, please familiarize yourself with the WFD Rules to determine your entry category, log your contacts electronically, and enter: Wireless Society of Southern Maine as your club. Submit your logs according to WFD rules.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can setup outdoors and operate portable for either all or part of the event, or you can test out your home station and operate from inside. Whichever you choose, please share photos of your activation via email with: mainehamradio@gmail.com and on social media using hashtag: #wssmwfd21
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