1. NBEMS for Emergency Communications
Dan N0PI, Scott ARES Asst. EC
Bob W0NFE, Scott ARES Asst EC

2. Accurate, Rapid Communications
Emergencies come in many different forms: weather related, natural disaster, infrastructure, or terrorism. One thing they all have in common is the need for accurate, reliable communications. NBEMS is a communications tool that will contribute to that need.
Accurate, Rapid
Communications

3. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up a NBEMS system
How to use NBEMS
Practice time

4. Why Digital ECOMS
Think back to your last public service event, drill, or deployment.
You probably passed a lot of traffic best suited for voice communications but...
What if you had been asked to pass
Roster of evacuees
Required prescription medications
Directions to a disaster scene

5. Why Digital ECOMS The needs of our Served Agencies have changed.
They still need voice communications but...
There's an increasing need for data communications.
We need to be able to provide more than just voice communications from a ham with an HT.

6. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up a NBEMS system
How to use NBEMS
Practice time

7. What is NBEMS Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System
Consists of four programs:
Fldigi – Fast Light Digital modem application
Flmsg – easily send ICS forms and Radiogram
Flwrap – Wrap a file with a checksum
Flarq – Fast Light Automatic Repeat Request
Can download from
Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Released under GNU Public License, so it is completely FREE.

8. NBEMS philosophy Keep it cheap. Keep it simple.
Use Open Source software.
Don't depend upon infrastructure.
Make it fun to use between drills and disasters.
Any computer, any radio.

9. Using NBEMS in your net. Auxiliary method to handle formal traffic.
Voice used for basic check-in’s etc
Traffic passed by digital – Same or different channel
Much faster than Voice.
Number / letter sequences are 100% accurate.
All message are save to hard drive.
Bulletins broadcast to all station
All Digital net
Mix of keyboard to keyboard and formal traffic sent via forms.

10. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up you NBEMS system
How to Use NBEMS
Practice time

11. What NBEMS can do for you
Fast accurate method to provide
Keyboard to Keyboard communications
Send, save, and print standard ARRL, ICS, and generic forms
Typical ARRL radiogram takes ~40 seconds to send
Data is verified via checksum
Can broadcast messages, one to many
Supports unattended reception of messages
Not encrypted, but general scanning public will hear noise.
Will work when voice is marginal.

12. What NBEMS will not do for you
It is not a store and forward system like
Each station in the system must have an operator
Receive message will be stored on local hard drive.
No built in connection to the internet
It will not move large amounts of data
2 K bytes, or 1 type written page is a practical limit.
Over this size and likelihood of an error increases, causing a checksum failure. Have to resend message.
Flarq could handle larger files, up to 8K or more, but requires practice and more training to use.

13. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up you NBEMS system
How to Use NBEMS
Practice time

14. Components of NBEMS system
Flwrap
Flmsg
Flarq
Software on Computer
Fldigi
Sound Card Interface
Hardware connection Computer to Radio
Radio and Antenna

15. Components of NBEMS system Bottom Up - Radio
Any voice capable radio will work
FM, SSB, even AM if you want.

16. Components of NBEMS system Bottom Up – Radio Interface
Signal Link USB – Just needs USB Port
Rig Blaster – USB and audio ports
March 2011 QST, Page 34 - Audio Ports Only
Anything hardwired is better, but
Audio coupling (Caveman) does work, and can be used.

17. Components of NBEMS system Bottom Up - Fldigi

18. Components of NBEMS system Bottom Up - Fldigi
Provides the basic digital communications for the NBEMS system
Supports keyboard to keyboard communication like many sound card programs.
Has special hooks to connect to the other components.
Supports many modes of communications
We will focus on two, MT63-2K and Olivia 16/500

19. Components of NBEMS system Bottom Up - Flmsg
Rapidly and Accurately formats and transmits information.
4 Formats
ICS Forms
Radiogram
Generic ( )
Blank

20. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up a NBEMS system
How to use NBEMS
Practice time
Next we will cover the BASIC settings that will get you on the air with NBEMS.
Our goal is to configure the software to send and receive a message using MT63 – 2K using VHF.
Let’s get started.

21. Basic Fldigi Set-up Operating Mode MT63 – 2000 Olivia
If you have a decent FM voice channels start with MT
When MT fail, switch to Olivia 16/500
When Olivia fails, no communications.
This is the basic Fldigi screen. Across the top you will find the usual menu bar. Below that is information that would be important if you were involved in normal ham QSOs. We will not need this info for our purposes today dealing with emergency communications.
Immediately below this we have the receive window, the beige colored area. This is where incoming message information is displayed. Y
The lower half of the screen contains the blue transmit window and the waterfall below the transmit window.
Let’s take a look at a few options we need to set to get started.
- Under the Op Mode, select MT63 2K
- note that the Op Mode also appears in the lower left corner of the screen as well.
- next let’s take a look at the Configuration Menu.

22. Configuration Options
Basic Set-up
Operator
Waterfall
Modems
Rig Control
Sound Card
IDs
Next we set the basic items we need to get started.
The options we will set include:
- Operator
- Waterfall
- Modems
- Rig Control
- IDs

23. Operator Callsign Tactical Callsign Location
As determined by the situation.
Set up the OPERATOR information. The information for these settings should be specified by your ARES EC. Will you be using a Tactical call or location for example?
Always SAVE!

24. Waterfall Check the three ‘cursor’ options
Check “Always show audio frequencies”
Waterfall – make sure the three boxes dealing with the cursors are checked: Bandwidth cursor, Cursor center line, and Bandwidth tracks.
Always SAVE!

25. Modems - MT63 Check interleave and tone
All stations in the net need to have the top two button the same for this mode to work.
Modems – check the MT63 tab. Make sure you have 4 boxes checked: 64 bit, 8 bit, Transmit upper tone, Transmit lower tone
Always SAVE!

26. Sound Card Select the correct audio port for your computer.
Volume control on computer, recording controls
Select Mic option
Adjust for a ‘speckled’ waterfall
Speaker – adjust for transmit signal
Sound Card – On the Devices tab, make sure you have the correct Audio Port Playback and Capture programs specified. If you are using an external sound card (Signal Link) make sure the device is specified. (The external sound card must be connected BEFORE Fldigi is started.)
You need to make sure the audio levels are adjusted to levels that show activity on the warterfall and provide transmit audio to your radio.
The process to set these levels will vary determined by your computer OS and interface. (On a Windows OS you might want to check the ‘Sounds and Audio Devices’ folder.)
Generally, you want to select a mic input and set the volume of that input to provide a blue speckled waterfall with the squelch open.
The transmit audio is generated by the speaker setting. Adjust the volume to transmit an undistorted signal. Less volume is generally better than more.
Always SAVE!

27. Initialize and Save after changing
Rig Control
If using hardwire PTT
Check Use Serial Port
Select COM port
Configure RTS or DTS
Initialize to test operation
Rig Control – If you are using a hardwire PTT interface, check the Use separate serial port box, select the correct Com Port, and RTS or DTR as required by your particular interface.
Initialize and Save after changing

28. IDs Reed-Solomon ID DO NOT select “Reception disables detector”
Pre-Signal Tone may vary depending on specific delay time in your equipment
IDs – we are concerned with the Reed-Solomon ID areas. In the Receive ID section, check the two boxes in the upper section: Detector searches entire passband, and Mark previous frequency and mode. DO NOT check Reception Disables Detection.
Always SAVE!

29. Text Capture Under configuration , Misc, Text capture.
Make sure ‘Enable Detection & Wrap” and “Auto Open Wrap Folder” is selected.
Always SAVE!

30. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to set up a NBEMS system
How to use NBEMS
Practice time

31. Fldigi Verify communications with keyboard to keyboard
Ctrl-T to Transmit
Ctrl-R to Receive
Or Use the T/R button

32. Flmsg Rapidly and Accurately formats and transmits information.
ICS Forms
Radiogram
Generic ( )
Blank
Another basic part of the NBEMS software suite is the FL Message application. This neat little add-on will properly format you message and automatically save a copy in a file for your log and send the message.
The FLMsg program covers four message formats – FEMA ICS format, ARRL Radiogram, Generic ( ), and free-form blank.
Let’s take a look at the FLMsg configuration.

33. Flmsg set-up Date format Time format Callsign Serial Number
Words per line (5)
The settings under the Configure tab will be specified by your ARES EC. It is important that all station in an emergency operation follow the same rules as they pertain to Date, Time, and message numbering.

34. ICS 213 Form
This is the IC 213 form in FLMsg. The fields match up with the multi-part paper form you will see in an emergency. Preparing the message is a fill-in-the-blank exercise. The Date and Time blanks may be filled in using the buttons for the current values.

35. ARRL Radiogram Calculate Check Today Pick ARRL Message
Here is the ARRL Radiogram format. You see the familiar fields in the preamble. The current date and time can be inserted using the buttons.

36. WRAP your message Sending your message is easy as selecting: File Wrap
AutoSend
The message immediately moves to FLDIGI and is transmitted
Sending your message is a snap. Once you have your message form completed you can WRAP your message which automatically saves a copy of your message to a file on your computer and starts the transmission in the mode specified in fldigi.
To stat the process, select the ‘File’ menu, ‘Wrap’ and ‘AutoSend’ Your message is flying through the ether! It’s that simple!

37. Received Traffic
Received messages are stored within the NBEMS.files folder
WRAP files are associated with flmsg for viewing
Messages sorted by date/time stamp

38. IC 213 HTML Delivery
You can ‘VIEW’ a received message in Flmsg in html delivery format. When the page is printed from your browser the form looks like a standard paper IC 213 message.

39. ARRL Radiogram Delivery

40. Agenda Why Digital ECOMS What is NBEMS
What NBEMS can and cannot do for you
Components of a NBEMS system
How to use a NBEMS
How to set up a NBEMS system
Practice time
Next we’ll send and receive a practice message.
We will use the simplex frequency of __________
You can monitor and test your set-up.

41. Things to Watch Tx & Rx IDs Op Mode Squelch - off
Here are a couple of areas that may trip you up from time to time.
Check the upper right corner of the screen. Make sure the RX ID and TX ID are checked. This will utilize the Reed-Solomon ID
You can check the Op Mode in the lower left corner of the screen.
The squelch, set in the lower right corner of the screen must be set low enough to see the signal on the waterfall. If you set the squelch at the bottom, you may see some garbage print in the Receive Text area.

42. Additional Information
This presentation is available at from the Member Resources page.
Questions?