FYI, Dan (N7XDL) purchased an Alinco 1.25m single band radio from a swapmeet and is willing to sell it for the same price he bought it for... $50.  This is a great radio that will work well on our club repeater and can be used as either a mobile or base station (with a suitable power supply).  It would also make a decent addition to a go-kit setup.

If you are interested in buying this radio from Dan, please contact him directly.  If you need his contact info, use the contact form on the web site and I'll get it to you.

Not your typical meeting on the "Revenge of the Fifth," but some interesting and useful information for our basic topics class this month.  We started with a review of the Shakeout and SAFE Neighborhood programs, along with our analysis of the club's participation in the Shakeout.  We followed up by moving into a discussion on preparedness, including reviewing Murray City Fire Department's resources.  Finally, we finished by watching a video produced by the Bountiful Emergency Preparedness group where they analyzed the Marshall fire in Colorado and discussed what is right and wrong about our emergency kits.  Several really good factors on preparedness were presented.

Here's the recording of the first part of the meeting:

Here's the recording of the Bountiful CERT presentation:

And here are some links as mentioned in the meeting:

• Great Utah Shakeout
• SAFE Neighborhood Program
• Murray Fire Dept. Emergency Preparedness Links
• Emergency Handbook (PDF)
• JIT Kit Survey Results

Once again, it is time for the Great Utah Shakeout!  This annual event is primarily geared towards local government and businesses to talk about, evaluate, and test their response to a large earthquake event.

The event will be taking place on this coming Thursday, 21 April 2022, and the simulated earthquake will happen around 10:15-10:21 AM MDT.

What are we doing as a club?  We have distributed a signup form for people interested in participating in the event, but as it is a work day, a lot of our members will be unable to participate.  Given the lack of interested people, we are just asking people to familiarize themselves with the club eComms Protocol, which details the actions that should be taken in the event of an actual emergency.  If you can, also please visit your S.A.F.E. Neighborhood location (i.e. your local elementary school) and check in with the staff there to make sure they know where their S.A.F.E Neighborhood J.I.T. (Just In Time) kit is, what it's for, and how to access it.  It would also be a good idea to review your own personal 72-hour kit (or check out the recommended items for a 96-hour kit from the S.A.F.E Neighborhood program).

Don't remember what the S.A.F.E. Neighborhood program is?  Review our class on it.

Remember, the action items for Thursday (if you can) are to turn on your radios at 10:15 AM on the 21st.  Tune in to the club repeater at 223.96 MHz (PL 103.5 Hz) or the ARES assigned simplex frequency for Murray City at 147.600 MHz (no tone).  See the eComms Protocol page for details and the standard load channels.  Join the net if there is one in operation or start it if no one else is there.  Some time during the day, visit your S.A.F.E. Neighborhood school and ask them if they know where their J.I.T. kit is and what they are supposed to do with it.  Ask to see it!  Report your findings.

Last week at our Basic Topics class, we went over a few mobile radio installations and talked about some of the tips, tricks, and gotchas when installing your radio in your vehicle.

I mentioned that I would be posting a Youtube playlist with a bunch of videos on mobile installs, so here it is!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhkqvd9ZKOJr0sFPYic26FP9UAygtRp9B

As I find more videos that fit this list, I'll add them.  If you have a video (or more than one) that you think should be on this playlist, add it as a comment below or send it to me via e-mail and I'll put it on.

What is ARES?

ARES is the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, a project supported by the ARRL to facilitate extending emergency services to our communities.  ARES is divided into Sections and smaller groups, and our own local groups is called the Salt Lake County ARES (or SLCo ARES).

Our own Dan (N7XDL) is the new EC (Emergency Coordinator) for SLCo ARES.  He has asked that the following information be posted on the MARC web site.

Time Reporting

The ARRL used to provide a mechanism for reporting volunteer hours associated with ARES via their ARES Connect utility.  This tool has been discontinued, but ARES members still need to be able to report their time to the ARRL.  SLCo ARES is using a Google Form to input the information.  The form can be found here:  https://forms.gle/KhPgJm4rqLMDKEw38 (note, this is a new version of the form as of 3 September 2022).

Please enter your data PRIOR to the last week of the month, every month, so that the data can be compiled and submitted to the ARRL before the end of the month.

Standard Load and Radio Configuration Files

SLCo ARES has spent a great deal of time working on the Standard Load.  While individual clubs will be maintaining their own versions of it, the basic template is maintained by SLCo ARES.  They are also setting up a repository of standard load files and radio configuration files.  These files will be stored in a Google Drive (at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N5DF663VUrLslCVH4nj1glAFu5acBKc0?usp=sharing) for general access.

Please send any standard load files you have or have generated in any format (ideally CSV, RT Systems files, or CHIRP radio image files) directly to Dan (N7XDL) or Rian (KF7QGY) for inclusion in this repository.  NOTE, we are not including Dan's or Rian's e-mail addresses here to help limit their spam exposure... if you do not have their e-mail addresses, please use our Contact Form to ask for them and we will be happy to let you know.  You can also find their e-mail addresses on QRZ.com.

Load files should be named according to the following standard to simplify classification:  <Make>_<Model>_<Date>.<Format>.  For example, a CSV file for a Yaesu FTM-400 DR mobile radio that was produced on 7 July 2021 would be named Yaesu_FTM400DR_070721.CSV, while a CHIRP image for an AnyTone AT-5888 UV III produced on 21 June 2021 would be named AnyTone_AT5888UVIII_062121.IMG.

WinLink Training

ARES recently sponsored an introduction to WinLink.  The presentation and associated chat text are available at the following links:

Presentation:  https://youtu.be/bl4aFN-sJjY

Chat Text:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jQBXnpiZxArKo5erTpLv8KmdAYelkYXF/view?usp=sharing

There will also be a four week training series starting in August.  You do NOT need to be an ARES member to attend.  The training will be provided over Zoom and is being coordinated by Oliver (K6OLI) from the Los Angeles Northeast District ARES in conjunction with Utah ARES.

In order to attend, you must first sign up at https://forms.gle/affxfCuNij7K7fMu6.  Once you have signed up, you will be added to a mailing list to receive the Zoom link(s).  The first session will be on 30 June 2021 at 7:00 PM MDT.  If you have any questions, please contact the Utah Section EC Tyler (N7UWX).  (Again, use our contact form if you don't know Tyler's e-mail address.)

And Finally...

We held elections for the board positions at the club meeting last night.  If you were not there, you didn't get a vote.  We also experimented with Zoom-casting and recording the meeting in the new location at the fire department.  It seemed to go well.

Newly elected board members are the following:

• President:  Gordon Anderson (KE7LWB)
• Vice-president:  Jan Peterson (KD7ZWV)
• Treasurer:  Sherwood Preece (KF7YCT)
• Secretary:  Brad Olson (KJ7RPV)

In addition, several other positions and people were proposed:

• News Letter Editor:  (proposed) Karen Kezerian (KC7NQP)
• News Letter Staff:  Ragnar Bjorge (N7LCR), Dan Lundwall (N7XDL)
• Web Master(s):  Jan Peterson (KD7ZWV), Max Walker (KJ7WLV)
• Training Committee:  Dave Carr (KH7IHU), Jens ??, Stan Lawrence (KE7SL), Dan Lundwall (N7XDL), Ragnar Bjorge (N7LCR), Jan Peterson (KD7ZWV)
• Activities Director:  TBD
• Net Control Coordinator:  Brad Olson (KJ7RPV)

A recording of the meeting is included below:

As was announced on the net this evening, the club is returning to in person meetings starting this week with the meeting on 3 June.  Along with the return to meetings is a new location!  We will now be meeting at Murray Fire Department Station 81 in their beautiful conference/training room!  I will update the Meeting Schedule and Location page accordingly.  If you are vaccinated, please feel free to not wear a mask to the meeting.  If you are not vaccinated or have extenuating circumstances that involve you wishing to continue wearing a mask, please wear one and don't feel embarrassed to do so.  We want everyone to be comfortable and feel safe.  We will be maintaining some amount of social distancing during the meeting (no group hugs).  Sorry, Ragnar, but pants at least will be required... do not wear just a Speedo.

This week's meeting is doubly important as we will be having elections for new club officers.  As you (hopefully) know, our fearless leader, Dan (N7XDL) has accepted the position of Emergency Coordinator for Salt Lake County ARES and is unable to fill both positions with the care and support that they both require.  Since our by laws call for new club officers every two years, and the current board has been serving for three years now (thanks to COVID-19), it is past time for us to have these elections.

At this point, I don't know if we will be supporting the Zoom sessions during the in-person meetings.  I would like to continue doing so, but I need to check out the venue and determine what support there is for video conferencing from Station 81.  I will be doing so this week prior to the meeting on Thursday, so watch your e-mail boxes for an update.  If we can't support the Zoom sessions, we will still look at continuing to record the meetings for presentation via YouTube on the club web site.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.  It will be great to see you all in person once again!

Our club's new repeater on 223.96 MHz with a PL of 103.5 Hz is live and on the air.

The contractor came to install the antenna and tie in the feed line on Thursday, 22 April 2021.  Several members of the club were in attendance to "help" and kibitz.  The mounting brace/extension was first prepared, and then the contractor ascended the tower to the 180-ish foot level.  A rope was dropped from a pulley attached near the top of the tower and club members aided in pulling the mounting brace, antenna, assorted tools, and the feed line up to the top.

Once installed, the power to the repeater was turned on (the basic repeater configuration had been pre-installed) and the repeater was on the air!

Check out the Club Repeaters page for pictures!

We especially thank Murray City for their contributions in getting this repeater set up, and especially for providing the site and utilities.  This repeater's central location will be instrumental in providing reliable communications in the event of an emergency, allowing our city to respond effectively.

Thanks also to the Murray City Fire Department for spearheading this effort and for the club members who helped out with the installation.

We have updated the eComms Protocol document, found on the Radio and Other Resources page, to reflect the new frequencies that are assigned for Murray City use.  Please print a copy of this protocol for ease of reference and keep it with your go kit.