Inside..
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Tower Best Practices Guide
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Food For Thought
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Electronic Jamming Exercise
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One Question Survey
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Code Plug Class
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Ohio Responds
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NIMS / ICS Training
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Upcoming Hamfests
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Getting This Newsletter
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My Final
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FCC
and OSHA Release Communications Tower Best Practices Guide
(from ARRL Bulletins)
The FCC and OSHA have announced the release of a
free publication, Communications Tower Best Practices Guide ( http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0601/DOC-345150A1.pdf
). While aimed more at those who tend commercial communication towers, the
guide offers guidance applicable to the Amateur Radio community and contractors
working on Amateur Radio antenna support structures. The FCC said the guide was
a result of two tower safety workshops.
“Recognizing the risks that tower employees face,
OSHA and the FCC held a workshop on communication tower employee safety on
October 14, 2014,” the new guide explains. “During this workshop, industry
stakeholders, along with employee safety advocates and the families of
communication tower employees who had been killed on the job, gathered to discuss
issues affecting the safety of communication tower employees.”
A second workshop followed in February 2016, during
which a panel of industry stakeholders and advocates discussed best practices
that could reduce injuries and fatalities among tower workers. “This document
is a collection of the best practices gathered from those workshops and from
the discussions that continued beyond those events,” the guide says.
Among other points, the guide emphasizes that all
tower workers need “to have and use proper safety equipment at all times,” and
that, “no work should be done if proper safety equipment is unavailable or if
the safety equipment available is not functioning properly.”
The guide also notes that drones are being used
today for tower inspection. “This technology has the potential to
reduce unnecessary climbing and can avoid putting [tower workers] at
risk,” the guide says.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said that communications tower
workers today face potential hazards that can prove fatal if not performed safely.
“Every tower climber death is preventable,” he stressed.
************
Food For Thought
(from
George, WB5CVA)
You
had asked in your Final for any comments/concerns that we might have, so here
goes. I noticed that there is increasing activity on six meters. Through the
years (as in the past 30 or so) activity has increased almost exponentially, no
doubt brought on by the inclusion of 6 meter operation on most all new HF rigs.
I thought it might be wise to bring attention to the "gentlemen's
agreements" on frequencies set aside for hobby operation. These are in the
50 MHz and 53 MHz segments of the bands. There are still a few of us old
dinosaurs out there who still fly model aircraft on these bands and just wanted
to let folks know that we're here. The majority of people have migrated to 2.4 GHz
for this service, but a few of us haven't switched yet. Since the typical
handheld RC transmitter is only capable of 0.5 - 0.7 watts of power on a
good day, a repeater or other transmitter close to the frequency could be a
problem.
George,
I couldn’t agree more, RC’ing is a great hobby, I have a model Indy Car that is
RC controlled on 6 meters. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if someone
transmitted on 6 meters when I’m out running my little car and it got away from
me.
Guys..
This is something that we all need to be aware of when we are operating on 6
meters trying to catch that rare DX.
************
2017 First
Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise (JAMX17)
(from
DHS Science and Technology Directorate)
The
DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is resolute in making first
responders safer and more aware of jamming and its potential impact to their
communications, safety and ability to execute their mission. S&T is
combatting jamming threats by evaluating the threat, developing and testing
mitigation technologies, working with public safety agencies to update training
procedures, and raising awareness of jamming threats and characteristics.
To
make the 2017 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise successful, S&T
is inviting federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and public safety
organizations, as well as representatives from academia and industry, to
participate in the event. Participating tactical and observational teams will gain
valuable exposure to jamming environments in a controlled and approved test
environment, which will better prepare them to face real-world jamming
incidents, develop solutions and help make our nation more resilient to jamming
attacks. Results from the 2017 exercise will be used to develop comprehensive
recommendations for federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety
organizations to help them recognize, respond to, report and resolve jamming
incidents. S&T’s goal is that every first responder be aware of and prepared
for jamming threats.
S&T
continues to research jamming mitigation technologies and TTPs to better
prepare federal law enforcement and public safety agencies to address jamming
threats. From July 16-22, S&T will hold the 2017 First Responder Electronic
Jamming Exercise at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory.
During the event, S&T will build off of the findings from the 2016 exercise
by assessing the effectiveness of jamming identification, localization and
mitigation technologies and TTPs. Each technology and TTP will be carefully
tested in a variety of jamming environments to quantify how effectively they
improve the performance of public safety communications and mission response.
S&T and other participants will authenticate the successful technologies and
TTPs in a mission-focused context through a multi-part operational exercise.
************
One Question
Survey
Hey
Gang,
Have
you checked out the NEW Survey question on the website yet?. There is a new question
up there for you to answer! You’ll find it on the left side of the main
page.. http://arrlohio.org !!
************
Code Plug Class
Being Held This Saturday
CQ all DMR enthusiasts!!!
Mr. DMR himself, Ken Dorsey, KA8OAD will host a one
day CODEPLUG class on Saturday, June
3rd at the Summit County Red Cross Center located at 501 West Market Street,
Akron, across from Tangiers Restaurant.
The plan is to begin at 9:00 a.m. and take as much
time as necessary to fully cover the material. A lunch break will be included
if necessary. This class is geared toward the Tytera MD-380,390 Radios and the
Tytera Programming Software.
Please bring your radio, programming cable and
laptop with the programming software loaded. If you don’t have a laptop to use
the codeplug software (CPS) will projected on the “big screen” so you can
follow along.
Hope to see you all there!
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Ohio Responds Update
Ok..
Here’s the latest update on Ohio Responds. So far we’ve gotten 94 of you signed
up and approved. Signing up with Ohio Responds will give you liability
protection under the State of Ohio. This is a real big things folks.. Where
else can you get liability insurance for FREE.
Now,
admittedly their system was designed for another purpose, so in some places it
doesn’t match up well with Amateur Radio Operators and what we do. I have
created a webpage where you’ll find all the pertinent information for getting
registered on Ohio Responds website with as little issues as possible. You really
do need to read this information BEFORE you attempt to register, and you will
need to have all 4 of your NIMS courses completed and in our statewide database
first! There’s some very specific information up there that you’ll need to know
to correctly complete the registration process since it doesn’t match up well
in some places with what we do. Here’s a
link to that webpage… http://arrl-ohio.org/ohio-responds-page.html You can also find this link on the main page
of the Ohio Section website as well.
How
do I know if I’m on the list or not? Here’s the link to the list.
http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html Don’t see your name on the list, and you’ve
submitted your certificates? Contact me immediately!
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NIMS / ICS
Training Update
The
numbers are continuing to grow! Here’s
what we have on file as of June 1st: Members in database: 754; Active Members: 741;
Members NIMS complete: 545 and for the biggie..
Total Courses Taken: 4,984. These numbers just keep growing, and that’s
a really GREAT thing to be able to tell you!
We
need to be prepared to help in a professional and TRAINED manor now days, and
the only way of getting that training is to start taking these courses. We have
a lot to be proud of, and a lot more work to do. Every ARES member in Ohio now
MUST have these courses to be a part of the Ohio ARES program and to be registered
in the Ohio Responds database!
How
do I know if I’m on the list or not? Here’s the link to the list.
http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/special/nims_roster.html If you don’t see your name on the list, and
you’ve submitted your certificates? Contact me immediately!
For
those of you just starting out now that you have a real incentive, we have a
webpage with all the information about how to get started.. http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/training.html. This page
contains a lot of information about what is needed. Each course takes about an
hour or so to take, that’s really not much to ask now is it? You spent way more
than that to get your Amateur Radio operators license!
************
Upcoming Hamfests
June
06/03/2017
| Fulton County Amateur Radio Summer Swap
Location:
Wauseon, OH
Sponsor:
Fulton County Amateur Radio Club
Website:
http://k8bxq.org/hamfest
06/10/2017
| Union County ARC TailGate & TrunkFest
Location:
Marysville, OH
Sponsor:
Union County Amateur Radio Club
Website:
http://ohiohams.net
06/17/2017
| Milford Hamfest 27th Annual
Location:
Milford, OH
Sponsor:
Milford Amateur Radio Club
Website:
http://www.w8mrc.com
************
Are you getting
those emails from me?
If
not, all you need to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. Heck, just send me an
email: n8sy@n8sy.com and let me know
that you want to be added. It’s just that easy. Please, if you know of anyone
that would be interested in this information, feel free to pass it on to them.
You don’t have to be an ARRL member or even a ham to receive these emails.
You
are always free to “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel this is not what you were
expecting. Just send me an email with the email address that you used to opt-in
on, and you will be removed. It’s that simple.
Also,
are you viewing the Ohio Section Website on a regular basis? You should, it
changes all the time. Here’s a link to it.
http://arrlohio.org
************
My Final..
Amateur
Radio has a serious side, but it can also have a FUN side too. I hope that this
News Update has been informative and fun for you to read. So, as we go through our training and
exercises, learning from the past and from those who are willing to take the
time to teach us, let’s remember to have FUN too! It’s what keeps us alive and
vibrant!
Got
questions, concerns or would just like to sit and chat awhile, give me a call
at (419) 512-4445 or email me at: n8sy@n8sy.com Want to
sit and just chat awhile? I’m available, Heck, I’ll even buy!!
73,
Scott,
N8SY..
PS>> I have to say this Go CAVS!!! Beat Golden State!!
eof..
