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From: "ARRL" <memberlist@arrl.org>
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Subject: The ARES(R) Letter for July 17, 2024
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Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:33:14 EDT
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[http://www.arrl.org/ares-el]


Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE [ mailto:k1ce@arrl.net ] - July 17, 2024

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[https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/amateur/]


In This Issue:

â-¢ Amateur Radio Supports Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team 
â-¢ARES LAX Northeast Excels in Angel Fall Complex Exercise 
â-¢RIMPAC 2024: The Role of Amateur Radio in Supporting Hawaii Healthcare
Groups with Emergency Communications 

â-¢Amateur Radio Medical Support 
â-¢Winlink Supports International Health Service in Honduras 
â-¢ARESÂ® Resources

ARESÂ® Briefs/Links

Click for an ARRL news report on Hurricane Beryl activations and aftermath [
https://www.arrl.org/news/hurricane-beryl-aftermath-and-update ] .


Amateur Radio Supports Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team

On Saturday June 8 and Saturday June 15, 2024, the Oregon Disaster Airlift
Response Team (ODART, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) conducted its
third annual "Whale Run" full-scale exercise involving general aviation
aircraft supported by amateur radio communications. While the pilots were
conducting reconnaissance flights of infrastructure and delivering
nutritional and medical supplies to remote coastal communities (including two
Native American tribes), hams were sending landing area weather reports and
tracking takeoffs and landings via Winlink on HF.

 
The exercise scenario was a simulated abrupt shift of the Earth's crust along
the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the Pacific Ocean resulting in a full-length
"megathrust" rupture of that fault. The aftermath of such an event involves a
large earthquake with aftershocks; coastal subsidence; tsunami waves;
liquefaction of tidal flats, river estuaries, and areas with artificial
fills; landslides along steeper slopes and reactivation of some older
deep-seated landslides; widespread containment failure of above-ground and
below-ground fuel and chemical storage tanks, ground and surface water
contamination, and toxic chemical spills and fires; widespread failure of the
electrical grid, water distribution infrastructure, roadways, and bridges;
and damage to fiber-optic and copper lines, cellular and landline phone
systems, commercial radio, Internet services, and (yes, even) amateur radio
repeaters.

 
For areas between Cape Mendocino in Northern California and Nootka Island in
British Columbia, it is not a matter of "if" this will happen in the future,
but "when" it will take place.

 
ODART conducted 11 cargo positioning flights carrying 3,050 pounds of food on
June 8, and 11 cargo delivery flights on June 15. The amount of cargo
delivered on the second Saturday to simulated impact areas was less, as one
of the destination airfields on the northern Oregon coast couldn't be reached
safely because of weather. Hopefully, that set of deliveries can be completed
before the end of the summer. In 2023, one float plane made a single delivery
flight, but in 2024 this increased to five float planes making a total of six
delivery flights.


New for the 2024 exercise from an amateur radio perspective was the use of
custom Winlink forms (using insertion tags) which made the information
transfer more efficient and resulted in consistent formatting. An
aeronautical mobile station was aloft on both exercise weekends to see how
air to ground communications via ham radio might be effective in relaying
tactical messages in an actual emergency. Despite using headphones, a high
noise level in the cockpit is something which still requires a better
solution.

 
The 2024 edition of the "Whale Run" full-scale exercise involved 20 general
aviation pilots flying over 7,500 air miles. They were supported by over 40
radio amateurs from 10 different counties across a 360-mile-long geographic
footprint. This exercise was a bit more challenging as a CME (Coronal Mass
Ejection) from sunspot AR3712 occurred just a few hours before the start of
the exercise on the second day, but the communications teams overcame the
challenge. All food banks were most grateful for the donations they received.

 
Volunteer general aviation groups with missions similar to ODART exist in
most areas of the country, so if your Emcomm group isn't currently helping
one with their communications, now would be the time to reach out. -- Steve
Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant Director, Northwestern Division


[https://cometantenna.com/amateur-radio/mobile-antennas/ma-dual-band/]


ARES LAX Northeast Excels in Angel Fall Complex Exercise

During the "Angel Fall Complex" exercise held on June 29, 2024, ARES LAX
Northeast demonstrated exceptional teamwork and technical proficiency. This
exercise tested the capabilities of amateur radio operators in a simulated
scenario in which a cyberattack, orchestrated by a hacker group named
"Specter Net," targeted Southern California's healthcare infrastructure. The
goal was to ensure that mission-critical communications could still be
maintained despite the disruption.

 
Radio operators worked in pairs and on-site at five hospitals (Huntington,
Kaiser LAMC, White Memorial, San Dimas, Pomona) and the LA County Medical
Alert Center (LAC-MAC). Over four hours, the MAC station received 74
messages, successfully transmitting 100% of the mission-critical traffic sent
via VARA Chat (www.varac-hamradio.com [ http://www.varac-hamradio.com ] ).

 
Team Cohesion and Mutual Support ARES LAX
Northeast radio operators displayed remarkable coordination and mutual
support throughout the exercise. The exercise plan required operators to use
VARA Chat, Winlink, and PinpointAPRS (www.pinpointaprs.com [
http://www.pinpointaprs.com ] ) on the 2-meter and 1.25-meter bands, as well
as complete, rename and transmit standard LA County forms as spreadsheets and
documents. Their ability to work together as a cohesive unit was pivotal in
handling the demanding nature of the exercise.

 
"We are introducing higher stress levels in these exercises to get operators
used to it. In a real event, operators would be concerned about their
families, homes and neighborhoods which would result in elevated stress
levels" said Jeff Liter, W2JCL, Assistant District Emergency Coordinator for
ARES LAX Northeast. After the hotwash, Jason Chan, KM6WJQ, noted that Jeff's
comments resonated with him. "I am glad that they are challenging us. It
helps us better prepare for adverse conditions."

 
VARA FM: A Valuable Asset
VARA FM proved to be an indispensable tool during the exercise. It
facilitated the rapid transmission of spreadsheets and word forms, which were
essential for managing hospital resource requests, bed availability reports,
and general messages. Its digipeating capabilities helped overcome
propagation challenges on the 2-meter band, ensuring reliable communication.
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