OCEAN COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE OCEAN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

WA2RES

"AMATEUR RADIO IS THE ONLY FAILSAFE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD"

EMERGENCY COORDINATOR:
Bob Murdock, WX2NJ

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534 Princeton Avenue Bayville, NJ 08721

Monitoring 144.390 MHz APRS, 146.955 MHz (PL 103.5), 224.280 MHz (PL 127.3)

"Experienced emergency management professionals know that everyday communications links (e.g. land & cellular telephones, public service radios) may not exist during major emergencies. Almost certainly, Hams will be up and ready to serve. As one individual put it, "HAM" stands for 'Helping All Mankind'.

Unfortunately some local and state emergency management coordinators, do not realize that the presence of trained Amateur Radio operators using their high-quality radio gear is nothing short of a Godsend. Moreover, Hams have not been implemented into planning and preparedness in many communities. This oversight is often due to a lack of understanding or confusion with Citizen Band radio operators."author unknown

ASSISTANT COORDINATORS:

Tom Preiser, N2XW Roger Purdy, W2NWL

NET MANAGER:

Carl Lee, W2PTZ

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ABOUT ARES

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service was formed to provide an alternate means of communications during times of emergency or disaster. This service is one of the primary reasons for the licensing of radio operators in the Amateur Radio Service, as provided under Part 97 of the FCC rules and regulations.

The ARRL has established the ARES as a means of providing this service on a level which supports local, county, and statewide organizations. National and international levels of cooperation are supported and coordinated through the ARRL.

The Ocean County ARES is comprised of licensed operators concerned with providing emergency communications when needed. An operator does not have to be a member of the ARRL to join ARES. In addition, membership in ARES does not require that the operator become a member of any other organization. Members are, however, encouraged to join local clubs and the RACES organization.

On February 14, 2003, under the Incorporation laws of New Jersey, the organization has become Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service Inc and applied for tax exemption as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization. The Non-Profit exemption was granted by the IRS on April 28, 2004.

On August 15, 2003, Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service became an ARRL affiliated club and was issued a Charter of Affiliation.

The club callsign is WA2RES, "WHISKEY ALPHA TWO ROMEO ECHO SIERRA"

ARES and Amateur Radio Emergency Service are registered trademarks of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and permission has been granted for the use of these symbols by our organization. We are a field service of the ARRL and operate and abide by League rules and regulations.

TRAINING NETS

WHY DO WE TRAIN WEEKLY? BECAUSE THREE MINUTES BEFORE THE PARTY IS NOT THE TIME TO LEARN HOW TO DANCE.

The Ocean County ARES conducts training nets every Wednesday Evening at 8:30 PM local time. The schedule is as follows:

Each Wednesday (except the 1st and 3rd) of the month: W2RAP repeater located in Lakewood, 146.955 MHz out, 146.355 MHz in, Pl of 103.5

First Wednesday of the month: N2MO repeater located in Allair State Park, 145.110 MHz out, 144.510 MHz in, Pl of 127.3

Third Wednesday of the month: N2OO repeater located in Manahawkin, 146.835 MHz out, 146.235 MHz in, Pl of 127.3

You need not be a member to participate in a training net.

MEETINGS

Meetings are held several times a year on the third Wednesday of a month. There is no ARES training net on the night of the meeting. Meetings are at the Miller Airpark County EOC, Berkeley Township, at 7:00 to 9:00 pm. All are invited. The meeting schedule for 2007 is as follows:

February 18, 2009 - Digital Rollout (Winlink, Outpost)

April 15, 2009 - RERP 2009 Training

October 21, 2009 - Simulated Emergency Test (SET) Review; WL2K Training

December 16, 2009 - WL2K Training: Holiday Party - All are welcome

If you are interested in joining Ocean County ARES, contact the Emergency Coordinator via email.

DONATIONS

Donations support the organization and provides for liability insurance, training materials, non-profit operating expenses (Yes, the state of New Jersey and the Federal Government get their share just to let us exist), badly needed ham radio equipment which can be deployed to equip up to four shelters, and operating expenses to allow us to store and maintain equipment and supplies. Donations are tax deductible since we are classified as a charity. You may donate by sending a check made out to OCEAN COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE to the EC/President at the address listed at the top of this page. You can also donate through United Way of Ocean County and specify your donation is to be donated to the Ocean County Amateur Radio Emergency Service. We are registered with United Way of Ocean County as a certified 501 (c)(3) organization. Please note that 10 percent of your United Way contribution is retained as a United Way operating expense and does not reach ARES. Finally, you may donate through the popular PayPal system by going to www.paypal.com and logging in with your ID and password. Then select SEND MONEY and designate ocean_county_ares@yahoo.com as the destination of your donation. Your donation will be transferred to our non-profit commercial account. Our PayPal account is a personal account to avoid common service charges associated with commercial accounts, therefore this process cannot be automated as you see on some commercial websites.

OPERATION OF THE OCEAN COUNTY ARES

The ARES system shall have three (3) levels of operation.

1) STANDBY: The first level of operation is in effect during non-emergency times. No nets are in progress and everyday life takes precedence. Minor problems or localized emergencies, such as traffic accidents, may be handled at this level without activation of the ARES.

2) ALERT: The second level of operation may be requested in response to a local agency request and is automatically assumed to be in effect during net operations unless otherwise noted. It is also automatically in effect during the following:

ANY public service event
FIELD DAY
SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST (SET)

At the Alert level, operators are requested to monitor their local frequencies for possible activation, or to participate in operations for practice. Nets may be established at this level for administration purposes, but should not remain established for greater than one (1) hour. If necessary, a check-in/recheck schedule should be implemented instead of continuous operation.

3) ACTIVATION: The highest level of operation. At least one (1) full-time ARES net is in operation. Members may be operating with, or in support of, other volunteer organizations (such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army), local municipalities, or state and federal emergency management groups (such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA). Members may be operating as liaison stations to other ARES or RACES groups or designated communications function (such as MARS, the Military Affiliated Radio System).

Activation shall automatically occur for the following:

Activation of Red Cross Shelters or activation of HELP (Help in Emergencies for Livestock and Pets)
ANY state of emergency declared at state, county, or municipal level

When activated, members should expect to operate for extended periods (i.e. greater than one hour) and should be prepared to operate in shifts, if necessary.

When activated, members should deploy as directed with the assumption that they must be completely self-sufficient. This means all necessary equipment, tools, food, clothing, etc., should either be brought with the operator or by another member of a team.

It should be noted that above all, FLEXIBILITY in operation should remain as a top priority for all radio operators. Training and drills may only cover a small number of the problems which may occur during "the real thing." Operational capabilities on more than one band or mode, or the ability to operate without commercial power for extended periods tend to become necessary features of radio operators in communication emergencies.

HOWEVER, this does not mean an operator without some, or all, of these capabilities would be unusable. Operators may be teamed up with others, or work in shifts to enable around-the-clock operations.

ACTIVE MEMBER REQUIREMENTS

Desired - Passed ARRL Emergency Communications Course, EC-001

Mandatory - IS-00100, Introduction to the Incident Command System

Mandatory - IS-00700, National Incident Management System

Ocean County ARES OPERATING FREQUENCIES

PRIMARY

PRIMARY - SOUTH REPEATER: 146.835 MHz output, 146.235 MHz input, PL of 127.3, FM, N2OO Repeater located in Manahawkin.

PRIMARY - NORTH REPEATER: 146.955 MHz output, 146.355 MHz input, PL of 103.5, FM, W2RAP Repeater located in Lakewood.

PRIMARY - FM SIMPLEX: 146.550 MHz, FM

PRIMARY - USB: 28.360 Mhz, USB, 10 meter
PRIMARY - WINLINK RMS Packet (Emergency Communications Mode), 145.010 MHz, WX2NJ-10, N2LD-10. WINLINK Digi, 145.010 MHz, WA2RES-1, Lakewood

SECONDARY

SECONDARY - VHF REPEATER: 145.110 MHz output, 144.510 MHz input, PL of 127.3, FM, N2MO Repeater located in Allair State Park.
SECONDARY - APRS SIMPLEX: 144.390 MHz. WX2NJ-13 Digi - South (Barnegat), WX2NJ-15 Digi - North (Lakehurst).