As announced by Radio Amateurs
of Canada, this years Simulated Emergency Test was held October 7-8 2006.
The Province-wide portion of the SET was conducted on Oct. 7th from 11:00
to 14:00 and 18:00 to 21:00 hrs ET, under the direction of Emergency Management
Ontario Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
ARES Groups and Amateur Radio Clubs
throughout the province participated in SET activities passing simulated
emergency traffic to the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre as well
as other ARES Groups, RAC Officials and Government/Support Agencies.
Modes of transmission utilized for
this exercise included; HF, VHF/UHF linked repeaters, simplex, IRLP, PSK31
and Packet.
The SET operated a total of seven
hours, four hours in the morning/afternoon and three hours in the evening,
by splitting the exercise into two sessions we were able to test band conditions
as they may occur during an actual emergency.
280 stations
17 emergency power stations
45 formal messages
26 ARES Groups/Amateur Radio Clubs
11 Government/Support Agencies
Participating Government/Support
Agencies
-
Emergency Management Ontario (Provincial
Emergency Operations Centre VE3EMO)
-
Ontario Science Center (VE3OSC)
-
Sarnia Police Station EOC
-
Sault Ste. Marie Emergency Operations
Centre (VA3ESO)
-
Seneca College (Newman VER3SEN)
-
Toronto Office of Emergency Management
(Toronto Emergency Operations Centre VA3EOT)
-
Toronto Social Services (VE3EST)
-
Toronto Red Cross (VA3RCT)
-
Laurentian Hills Emergency Operations
Centre - Point Alexander (VE3GQW)
-
Windsor Emergency Operations Centre
(VE3EOW)
-
York University (VE3YKU)
Participating ARES Groups/Radio Clubs
-
Amherstburg
-
Chatham-Kent ARES
-
Chatham Kent ARC (VE3KCR)
-
Dryden
-
Emergency Management Ontario
-
Essex County
-
Fort Frances
-
Hamilton ARES
-
Hamilton (Heritage War Plane Museum)
-
Kenora
-
Lakehead Amateur Radio Club
-
Manitoulin Island ARES
-
Manitoulin ARC (VE3RMI)
-
Ottawa District
-
Point Alexander
-
Sarnia-Lambton
-
Sault Ste. Marie
-
Scugog District
-
Simcoe County
-
St. Lawrence District
-
Sudbury
-
Sun Parlour Retirees' ARC (VE3WRC/VE3III)
-
Thunder Bay
-
Toronto District
-
Windsor
-
Woods District
The mix of HF, VHF/UHF/IRLP, simplex
and packet proved to be beneficial, some areas in the province did not
have IRLP nodes available and had to use HF as their only channel of communications.
Propagation proved to be a challenge on HF as some stations could not hear
one another in certain locations, however this did not deter our ability
to communicate.
During the day stations in the north
were able to communicate with the western portion of the Province on 3.742
MHz, from that point the messages were passed to the Provincial Operations
Centre via IRLP. This demonstrates the need to use all available modes
of communications during emergencies as well as having stations in all
corners of the Province to provide relays when needed.
All reports indicate that the Province-wide
Simulated Emergency Test was extremely successful and demonstrates to served
agencies that Amateur Radio Emergency Services in Ontario provides a dependable
auxiliary communications system in the interest of Public Safety and Service.
Note: Reports from ARES Groups
have been included, listed below.
Report filed October 27 2006 (21:00
hrs)
Jim Taylor, VA3KU
EMO ARES Coordinator
Provincial Emergency Operations
Centre
H.F. Report
H.F operations were under the direction
of the Ontario Phone Net (National Traffic System) using the frequencies
of 7.153 MHz. and 3.742 MHz.
SET Net Control stations:
-
Glenn Killam, VA3OPN - Tweed
-
Brad Rodriguez, VE3RHJ - Markdale
-
George Duffield, VE3WKJ - Parry Sound
-
Paul Allen, VA3PB - Brampton
-
Shawn Gartley, VE3PSV - Cambridge
Total checkins: 115 Total
traffic relayed: 6 Stations using emergency power: 3
Total
duration of net activities: 364 minutes
Comments:
While the amount of traffic handled
via normal HF communication modes was somewhat low, the fact that so many
amateurs volunteered their time to participate in the exercise bodes well
for the future of HF in times of emergency. Not all areas of the province
have IRLP capability, and often HF is the ONLY means of communicating with
these areas.
Band conditions, particularly on
40 meters in the afternoon were sporadic, but that is due to the current
sunspot numbers, and they are expected to improve over the next few years.
To sum up, the exercise proved that
we as amateurs can provide fast, reliable communications when called upon
to do so. With the many modes available to us, there is every indication
that we can continue to do so, especially in cases when regular facilities
are overloaded or non-existent.
Glenn Killam, VE3GNA / VA3OPN, OPN
NM, Ontario STM
IRLP Report
VHF/UHF/IRLP linked repeaters operations
were under the direction of the EMO ARES Group and RAC Section Staff.
The Provincial Communications Network
which meets every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm (20:00 hrs) using linked
repeater system was activated for the S.E.T. to provide a common Province-wide
communications channel.
11:00 hrs: Denny Wilkinson VE3EUI Michigan
State Liaison
12:00 hrs: Bob Gammon VA3RX RAC Ontario
Section Emergency Coordinator
13:00 hrs: Allan Boyd VE3AJB RAC Ontario
Section Manager
14:00 hrs: Brad Harris VE3MXJ. Woods
Dist.Assistant DEC.
Joe Cusimano VE3OV Toronto
District DEC
City of Toronto - Emergency Operations
Center (EOC)
Amateur Radio Station - VA3EOT
Radio Amateurs of Canada - Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Ontario Province-wide Simulated Emergency
Test (SET) - October 7 2006.
As announced by Radio Amateurs of
Canada and the Ontario EMO Provincial ARES Group (VE3EMO) in conjunction
with the Ontario National Traffic System (VA3OPN), this year's SET event
in Ontario was held on Saturday October 7 from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm and
from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm ET.
All ARES Groups throughout Ontario
were encouraged to participate in the test net activities and to pass traffic
to the Provincial Emergency Operations Center in downtown Toronto and to
other ARES groups across Ontario.
Transmission modes employed were
High Frequency (HF), VHF/UHF linked repeaters, Simplex, IRLP, PSK31 and
Packet via the Airmail program.
In Toronto, the EOC station VA3EOT
was manned by two operators Joe VE3OV and Robert VA3CSE during the afternoon
session. A third operator, Peter VA3PRW was also present during the evening
session.
VA3EOT was a member of a local Toronto
UHF network that included the Ontario Science Center station VE3OSC, the
Toronto Social Services station VE3EST, the Toronto Red Cross station VA3RCT
operated by Bob VE3IEL and Peter VE3FJI, a York University station VE3YKU
and a Seneca College (Newman) station VER3SEN as well as the EMO EOC VE3EMO
station which was operated by Jim VA3KU, Ted VE3AAP and Dean VA3SUG. A
fully equipped mobile station operated by John VE3POJ attended at some
of these locations.
The VA3EOT station used a VHF/UHF
dual band radio, a province-wide HF radio and another HF radio using the
PSK31 keyboard mode. Four formal NTS format messages were passed to or
from the station. In the keyboard PSK31 mode, communications were exchanged
with 5 Ontario stations, the most distant being in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The station was a participant in
the ARES Procom Net which spanned the province using VHF and UHF radio
and Internet IRLP connections. On the shortwave HF radio bands, the station
communicated with other participating stations across Ontario located in
the following cities; Windsor, Hamilton, London, Kingston, Ottawa, Sault
Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
The primary goals of the test which
was to pass messages to and from the Provincial EOC and to and from other
EOCs and Amateur stations throughout Ontario was achieved and the event
was considered a success by all participants.
Joe Cusimano VE3OV
District Emergency Coordinator
Toronto ARES
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE (A.R.E.S.)
- MANITOULIN
2006 S.E.T. REPORT
Prepared By: Allan Boyd – VE3AJB
Emergency Coordinator
Manitoulin District
Manitoulin Amateur Radio Club
Nature of Activity: Test or
Drill – A Simulated Emergency Test
The Simulated Emergency Test
is a North America-wide exercise in emergency communications, administered
by ARRL and RAC Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Both ARES and
the National Traffic System (NTS) are involved. The SET weekend gives communicators
the opportunity to focus on the emergency-communications capability within
your community, while interacting with NTS nets. The 2006 dates are Oct
7 and 8. ARES units and other groups are free to conduct their SETs anytime
between September 1 and November 30 if an alternative date is preferred.
The activity period should not exceed 48 hours.
Brief Description of Activity:
Ontario Province-wide Simulated
Emergency Test Report October 7 2006
As announced by Radio Amateurs of
Canada, this years Simulated Emergency Test was held October 7-8 2006.
The Province-wide portion of the SET was conducted on Oct. 7th from 11:00
to 14:00 and 18:00 to 21:00 hrs ET, under the direction of Emergency Management
Ontario Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
ARES Groups and Amateur Radio Clubs
throughout the province participated in SET activities passing simulated
emergency traffic to the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre as well
as other ARES Groups, RAC Officials and Government/Support Agencies.
Modes of transmission utilized for
this exercise included; HF, VHF/UHF linked repeaters, simplex, IRLP, PSK31
and Packet.
The SET operated a total of seven
hours, four hours in the morning/afternoon and three hours in the evening,
by splitting the exercise into two sessions we were able to test band conditions
as they may occur during an actual emergency. 280 stations 17 emergency
power stations 45 formal messages 26 ARES
Places or areas involved:
The Manitoulin Amateur Radio Emergency
Services group through the Manitoulin Amateur Radio Club was activated
to participate in this SET. We had 8 amateurs activated throughout the
Manitoulin Island area. We had 4 municipalities involved in the exercise;
this was NEMI (Northeastern Manitoulin & the Islands Township), Central
Manitoulin Township, Billings Township, and Assiginack Township. We had
two EOC’s activated one in Little Current under NEMI Township and the other
in Kagawong in Billings Township. The other areas of the island that were
included were Mindemoya, Manitowaning, M’Chigeeng First Nation and Maple
Point. We had 8 amateur radio operators situated in different locations
of Manitoulin who were in constant communication with each other.
Number of Amateurs participating:
The Manitoulin Amateur Radio Emergency
Service had eight licenced amateurs participate in this year’s provincial
SET exercise. They were dispatched to different locations on Manitoulin
Island including manning two Emergency Operations Centres one in the east
end in Little Current and one in the west end in Kagawong.
Event Start date/time:
Saturday 07 October 2006 at 0900
Hrs
Event end date/time:
Saturday 07 October 2006 at 2200
hrs
Duration of Event (hours):
7 hours duration of SET on air communications
3 hours of briefing, debriefing, travel time and set up time at stations.
Total person-hours:
10 Hours of total time used in full
SET exercise
Number of repeaters used:
Total of 5 repeaters were used during
event. 3 on Manitoulin Island and 2 outside the Island area.
VE3RMI – 147.270 + Main Communication
Repeater – CBC tower Little Current
VE3RQQ – 444.300+ Little Current
IRLP Link to VE3EMO PEOC Toronto
VE3LTR –146.670+ West end island
emergency repeater at Kagawong used as back up
VE3SRG –147.060- Located in Sudbury
link to next major city
VE3TOP –147.000+ Located in Elliot
Lake link to that city
Estimated person-power cost:
(person-hours $10.00/hour)
Total cost of man-hours 8 amateurs
at $10.00 per hour for 10 hours duration total cost of operation in man-hours
is $800.00
Estimated cost of equipment used:
(handhelds, repeaters, base stations)
Total cost of equipment with 3 island
repeater systems the base radio equipment used at the EOC’s and members
homes is estimated to be in the $35,000 to $40,000 range
Total estimated cost of service:
(add man hours and equipment)
Estimated cost of operation – low
end $35,800.00
Nets and/or frequencies used (including
repeater call sign):
Locally on Manitoulin we had a VHF
net starting at 0900 hrs on the main repeater VE3RMI 147.270+ located on
the CBC tower in Little Current. This repeater was the main communications
link across Manitoulin Island. The two EOC’s plus all eight ARES stations
were monitoring this frequency. We had an ARES net control station on all
day at hour intervals. A schedule was set up with a different net control
operator each hour. This started at 0900 till 1500 hrs then again from
1800 hrs to 2100 hrs.
Our Second repeater VE3RQQ 444.300+
was linked to VE3RMI and to the PEOC at VE3EMO located in Toronto. This
frequency was linked via the Internet Relay Linking Project (IRLP) System.
All stations were able to monitor this frequency as it was on UHF. Formal
traffic was relayed on VE3RMI VHF and then net control would transfer it
to VE3EMO in Toronto.
The VE3LTR repeater 146.670- was
used, as a standby repeater should our main repeater fail. A test was done
every hour during the operation just to make sure this was operational.
HF communications – We had Jack VA3JKC
at the Emergency Operations Centre in Kagawong in contact on the provincial
emergency frequencies during the day on 40 meters 7.153 Mhz. They were
in touch with the National Traffic System and VE3EMO in Toronto. During
the evening hours on 80 meters 3.742 Mhz was utilized with the same contact
stations at the NTS and VE3EMO. Also Rusty VE3WVA also monitored these
frequencies as a back up station from his home base station located in
Mindemoya. As well as Gerry VA3GWK from his home base station in Manitowaning.
Number of messages handled:
We handled 6 formal pieces of routine
traffic directed and received from VE3EMO at the Provincial Emergency Operations
Centre at EMO Toronto utilizing both the IRLP and HF networks.
1.VE3AJB Ontario Section Manager
to VE3EMO PEOC
2.VE3WVA from VE3RMI to VE3EMO PEOC
3.VA3JKC to VE3EMO PEOC
4.VA3GWK to VE3EMO PEOC
5.VE3EMO PEOC to VE3WVA
6.VE3EMO PEOC to VE3AJB
Names of agencies receiving communications
support:
The following agencies on Manitoulin
Island that received communications support are listed as such;
Municipality of NEMI at their EOC
Municipality of Billings at their
EOC
Municipality of Central Manitoulin
Municipality of Assiginack
Municipality of Gore Bay
Chief and Council M’Chigeeng First
Nation
Ontario Provincial Police Manitoulin
Detachment
UCCM Tribal Police – M’Chigeeng
First Nation
NEMI Volunteer Fire Department
Billings Volunteer Fire Department
List call signs of amateurs who
were major participants:
1.VE3AJB Allan Boyd – Section Manager
Ontario - Emergency Coordinator Manitoulin – Net Control EOC NEMI
2.VA3JKC Jack Carmichael – Assistant
Emergency Coordinator – EOC Billings
3.VE3WVA Rusty Auxier – Assistant
Emergency Coordinator - Mindemoya
4.VE3LJM Jim McLean – Vice President
MARC – Maple Point
5.VE3LMJ Lorraine McLean – Treasurer
MARC – Gore Bay
6.VE3ACZ Archie Corbiere – ARES
Member – M’Chigeeng First Nation
7.VA3GWK Gerry King – ARES Member
- Manitowaning
8.VE3FJH Frank Horsfall – ARES Member
– Little Current
Other comments:
The Manitoulin Amateur Radio Club
and the Manitoulin Amateur Radio emergency Services group was activated
to participate in the Provincial Wide Simulated Emergency Test supported
through the Radio Amateurs of Canada and Emergency Management Ontario.
The test took place on Saturday 07 October 2006 from 0900 hrs through to
2200hrs that day for a total of 10 hours of duration.
The Manitoulin ARES group was able
to provide 8 amateur radio operators who were all ARES trained to assist
with communications on Manitoulin Island. We had two municipalities participate
including the two Community Emergency Management Coordinators (CEMC). Also
other communities were notified and amateurs residing in those communities
were able to monitor the exercise from their home base stations and relay
communications back to the municipalities. Also included in the island
test were members from the Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police along with
officers from the UCCM Tribal Police Service representing the 6 First Nation
Communities on Manitoulin. Two volunteer fire departments were represented
and were able to monitor communications through radio’s that were supplied
to them from the radio club.
Communications continued throughout
the day with an emergency net being conducted on VE3RMI our main communications
repeater. We had a different net control station each hour of the exercise.
We also checked into the provincial SET emergency net on the IRLP frequency
each hour and on the HF frequencies. Manitoulin maintained constant radio
contact during this time and we could send and receive formal traffic too
and from Manitoulin. During the SET our club sent 4 formal pieces of routine
traffic and received two formal messages. EOC’s along with police and fire
monitored communications.
The EOC’s had emergency generator
capabilities for emergency power, as did all the amateurs participating
in the exercise. Between generator and battery back-up, all stations were
able to operate during a power failure. Our three main repeaters on Manitoulin
had emergency power. VE3RMI had battery back-up. Both VE3RQQ and VE3LTR
had generator back-up power.
Prior to the SET beginning all ARES
members met at Seasons Restaurant in M’Chigeeng for a briefing and direction
of where amateurs were assigned to station allocations. Also a schedule
of net controllers during the exercise was established. At 1000 hrs all
stations headed to their respective locations to set up and make the radio
ready checking all equipment and emergency power. At 1100 hrs the set officially
began with all stations being contacted and checking in.
During the SET radio communications
were tested between the municipalities on Manitoulin including the EOC’s.
Also tested were communications to the Manitoulin OPP and UCCM tribal Police
utilizing portable VHF/UHF radio’s at the detachments and one in a police
cruiser. Fire Dept’s had the local VE3RMI repeater frequency installed
in their fire radio’s and could transmit and receive on our frequencies.
The amateur operators operating from their home were in telephone contact
and back up by simplex frequencies to the respective CEMC’s of the municipality
they lived in. Also a portable radio was placed at the local Manitoulin
Health Centre (Hospital) so they could monitor the operation and transmit
if required. Formal traffic was relayed between these stations on a local
basis too.
At the conclusion of the set at 2100
hrs all stations left their respective locations and an informal net was
conducted with a minor debriefing on the days events. It was followed up
the next weekend with a formal debriefing with all operators in attendance.
All agencies were contacted after
the exercise and a discussion on how the events went. Overall impression
from all agencies including the local EMO Community Officer who oversaw
the operation was quite impressed with the efforts of the Manitoulin Amateur
Radio Emergency Services.
This was an excellent SET and worked
extremely well, Manitoulin ARES has been involved in the past year in actual
emergencies including 911 and long distance outages, power failures and
a major storm this past July 17 2006 when Manitoulin was the first Ontario
community hit with a major micro burst storm. We were on the air with-in
minutes after the storm with all three repeaters on emergency back-up power,
which lasted three days in duration without power. All in all the need
for a provincial SET is necessary for all communities and local agencies
to keep in communication and with the support of Emergency management Ontario
these exercises can only get better with time. I look forward to future
SETS.
Allan Boyd
VE3AJB
Emergency Coordinator
Manitoulin District
Austin Wright VE3NCQ Chatham-Kent
ARES
Hi Tom (VE3BTR),
Thanks for getting me right in there
so quickly tonight. Afterwards I thought of a few other details that I
should have passed on.
The frequency I was using was 146.460
simplex. I was trying to make it directly into Toronto but with so many
links and repeaters, I'm not too sure just where my signal was going. If
nobody else is running IRLP in Southern Ontario on 146.46 then it would
seem I did it. From my location, there was another net going on somewhere
in the states at the same time.
Location - 7500 feet ASL over Chatham-Kent
Radio - Alinco ALM-203T HT
Power - 5 watts
Antenna - rubber duck inside cockpit
Mic - Connected through aircraft
audio panel using the noise-cancelling headset.
Aircraft - Cessna 150 C-GNCQ
Answer to the question I always
get - I got my pilot licence first, then the aircraft, then my ham licence
and call sign
From my location, the weather was
perfectly clear. I could see Windsor and Detroit and well into Michigan.
Cleveland and the Ohio shoreline were very distinct across Lake Erie. London
& St. Thomas showed up better than usual, and I could have probably
seen Kitchener if I really tried. With a full moon, it was one of those
perfect calm autumn evenings and they don't come much better than this
for flying.
I'm with the Chatham-Kent Amateur
Radio Club, working on the EMO SET all day. The Chatham Daily News sent
a reporter to cover our efforts. We hope it makes the paper. When we were
done, the sky looked too nice to go home, so I decided to go aeronautical
mobile and try getting into the net using simplex. I figured that 6500
to 7500 feet would be needed, but the band was up a bit tonight so it first
started coming in about 4500 feet. I have to be careful that high because
my 5 watts were equal to about 10,000 watts ERP which can put the signal
in all kinds of unintended places, but at least I can hear the others unless
they all talk at once.
After my check-in, I noticed the
net coming in on several other frequencies and repeaters. One was 146.72,
and the Windsor repeater had it also via IRLP. I returned to the airport
to do some practice night landings to keep up my night currency, and caught
much of the net up to 8:58 PM. It didn't come in [from Windsor] once I
got below 100 feet above ground. So I was glad to hear that my check-in
made the net interesting for you. I also made contacts in Canton Ohio ,
Michigan, and a blind 17-year-old ham in Amherstburg.
Ham radio in the airplane is very
interesting, and raises the possibility of wide-area emergency coverage
with a proper repeater on board, or a passenger to help handle radio traffic
while I handle air traffic.
With that, I was glad to be a part
of my first SET today and look forward to further involvement now that
I'm an ARES member.
Austin Wright
VE3NCQ
