1. Presented by George Lillenstein, AB1GL Region 3 DEC
Connecticut ARES
Presented by George Lillenstein, AB1GL Region 3 DEC

2. Who/What is ARES? The Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Licensed amateur radio operators who volunteer for emergency communications
“Amateur” means unpaid; not unskilled
To hold an appointed rank must be an ARRL dues-paying member
The Field arm of the ARRL, an umbrella organization representing US hams; 160,000 members; publishers of QST magazine and many others.

3. ARES / RACES / Huh? RACES teams report to a town official
RACES teams must be activated by an emergency management officer
RACES teams are sworn as state employees for insurance purposes
Mostly function in municipal facilities
ARES is non-governmental, private, non-profit
Activated by ARRL appointed leaders
Members report to their ARES EC

4. ARES/RACES/Huh? More ARES members often respond from home or mobile
ARES members use their own equipment
ARES holds its own annual drill – the S.E.T. (Simulated Emergency Test)
ARES training requirements are optional

5. What do we do?
During emergencies where standard comm methods are jammed or not working, we pass vital information to served agencies, such as numbers of beds available, supplies requested, wires/trees down, etc
During public service events, we report on progress and watch for participants or members of the public needing assistance or report developing safety issues

6. How do we do it?
For voice command and control we use UHF DMR radios on the CTARES DMR Network
For general line of sight member-level communications we use 2-meter and UHF FM either simplex or repeaters
For inter-town or longer distances, we might use HF frequencies and NVIS or DX antennas
MODES: FM voice, SSB, packet, AFSK, WL2K, ALE, many other digital modes.

7. Who does ARES serve?
Some agencies who call upon ARES to supply radio operators in an emergency:
CT DESPP/DEMHS ARES plays a role in the Governor’s EPPI severe weather drills. SPARC hams at the Armory coordinate ham efforts with the ARES DMR net during storms, alerts, drills.
Hospitals
The Red Cross ARES supplied hams for shelters in Region 4 during storm Juno
The National Weather Service Collects ground observations from ham spotters via IRLP nodes
The Salvation Army
MARS
Civil Air Patrol
Charitable organizations holding large public events – marathons, bike races, walks, parades, fairs

8. ARES Training suggestions
ARRL Emcomm 1
ARRL Emcomm 2
Skywarn weatherspotter
Seminars in digital communications, antenna building, etc held at ARES meetings or hamfests
FEMA ICS-100
FEMA ICS-200
FEMA ICS-700
FEMA ICS-800

9. ARES Section Org Chart

10. Contact your local ARES EC

11. To sign up for membership www.ctares.org

12. The Region 3 web site: www.ctares-region3.org

13. Where to go from here? Visit the ARRL web site at www.arrl.net
Visit the state ARES web site at
Visit the Region 3 web site at
Read QST magazine
Join a local repeater club – volunteer for Field Day and public service events
Get on the air

14. ARES Region 3 DEC Contact Info
George Lillenstein 39A Downey Drive Manchester, CT (Cell phone) or