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

2. The World – 3 ITU Regions

3. US Regulatory Jurisdictions

4. American Radio Relay League
An umbrella NGO for U.S. amateur radio operators. Divides country into Divisions

5. ARRL

6. New England Division
Divided into Sections. State of Connecticut is one Section.

7. Connecticut ARES Regions

8. ARES Section Org Chart

9. Contact your local ARES EC

10. 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.

11. Two ARES missions:
Support partner agencies DEMHS, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Public Health, MARS (not Middlesex, the other one), NWS, VOAD
Provide “last mile” message handling to anyone when public carriers can’t

12. The CT ARES DMR Net

13. CTARES DMR Talkgroups

14. Who needs ham radio?

15. 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 ARES runs nets on ham repeaters. NWS hams collect ground observations from ham spotters via IRLP nodes
The Salvation Army
MARS (no, not Middletown)
Civil Air Patrol
Charitable organizations holding large public events – marathons, bike races, walks, parades, fairs

16. 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

17. How do we do it? ARES members use their own equipment
Some served agencies provide us with pre-positioned antennas or rigs
HT’s, Mobile rigs, base rigs. Go Boxes.
Antennas – anything that gets the job done. We buy ‘em, build ‘em, McGuyver ‘em
Power – all our radios work on 13.8v DC or less.

18. ARES / RACES / Huh?
RACES is a protocol, not a group Goes into effect when US President invokes emergency under War Powers Act of Otherwise can only use ham frequencies for 1 hr per week and two 72-hr drills per year.
Emcomm teams report to a town official
If activated by FEMA, units should be led by COMM-L, consist of COMM-T and RADOS.
If by DESPP, then Auxcomm operators
Emcomm teams must be activated by a civil preparedness officer
Emcomm teams are sworn as state employees for insurance purposes
Mostly function in municipal facilities – EOC’s, shelters

19. ARES/RACES/Huh? More ARES is non-governmental, private, non-profit
Activated by ARRL appointed leaders, sometimes at request of “partner agencies”
Members report to their ARES EC
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

20. ARES Training suggestions
ARRL EC-001
ARRL EC-016
Skywarn weatherspotter
Seminars in digital communications, antenna building, etc held at ARES meetings or hamfests
The “Core Four” classes given by FEMA, required by most partner agencies, available free on line:
FEMA ICS-100
FEMA ICS-200
FEMA ICS-700
FEMA ICS-800

21. What’s our plan for 2017
Start a new training cycle for ARES Region 3 from the beginning
Start with orientation and structure
Revise/review Emergency Operations Plan
Revise/review frequency listing
Train in Message Handling
Build better antennas

22. More to do in 2017
Get more operators able to liaise with NTS via both voice and digital
More HF operators capable of NVIS
Support DMR
Build “Go boxes”
Train as Net Control, Shadow, Relay Station

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

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

25. 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

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