California Department of Forestry

Transcription

1 The Monitoring Post The Newsletter of the Southern California Monitoring Association In God We Trust All Others We Monitor Founded 1996 September, 2004 California Department of Forestry In this Issue: California Department of Forestry Radio Channel Plan Listening to the Newest Amateur Satellite - AO-51 - on your Scanner Code 3 Collectibles: Salute to Our Local Heroes

2 The Southern California Monitoring Association (SCMA) is an organization for persons interested in listening to all kinds of radio communications including Police, Fire, Aircraft, Business, Shortwave and Public Safety. Members of the West L.A. Chapter of the nationwide Radio Communications Monitoring Association (RCMA) founded the SCMA after the RCMA s demise in The Goals of the SCMA To share information and help others in the radio monitoring community. 2. To conduct and encourage the organization of meetings and tours for its members. 3. To encourage and facilitate contact and interaction among its members. 4. To publish a club newsletter devoted to the monitoring hobby in Southern California. 5. To be a "clearing house" of knowledge about two-way radio systems and communications radios. 6. To offer suggestions and recommendations to the manufacturers of monitor receivers and other equipment related to the hobby. SCMA Meetings... Meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday night of each month at the Grinder s Restaurant in Westchester at the corner of Sepulveda Blvd. and Manchester Blvd. about 1 mile north of LAX. SCMA members and nonmembers alike are invited to attend. Meetings include a free exchange of information, handouts and updates of local frequencies, programs or guest speakers, and door prizes. Members are encouraged to arrive at 7:00 PM for dinner and beforemeeting discussion. The official meeting starts at 8:00 PM. The SCMA holds a weekly radio net on N6CIZ s private Amateur Radio repeater. Licensed Amateur Radio (Ham) Operators are encouraged to check in. Everyone is encouraged to listen for the latest club news. The nets are every Tuesday night at 7:30 PM. The frequency is MHz with a PL of Hz. Other SCMA Activities... SCMA uses its contacts to set up and conduct member-only tours of sites of interest to radio monitors. Past tours have visited the new LAPD Police Dispatch Center, the LACoFD Dispatch center, an FAA Air Traffic Control Center, the U. S. Coast Guard Air Rescue Squadron, and several broadcast radio and television stations. Tours are conducted by people who work at the facility who usually give us the real inside story. The SCMA maintains an active home page on the World Wide Web at: SCMA Board of Directors... A Board of Directors selected from Association members manage and direct the SCMA. The current members of the Board of Directors are: Membership... Rick DiFiore, SCMA-101 Hugh Stegman, SCMA-102 Rich Sauer, SCMA-104 Michael Suchar, SCMA-106 Dennis Field, SCMA-110 Khalil Ladjevardi, SCMA-118 Anyone interested in Radio Monitoring may apply for membership in the SCMA. Dues are $15 per year. Please see the membership application on the web site for more information. Page 2

3 From The President Rick DiFiore SCMA-101 Guess what? Summer is over (or so they say it is) and during the month of August the club is doing just great. Membership is up. We just had a great L.A. City Fire Department tour from Brian Humphrey (SCMA-301) who is one of the department s Public Service Officers s. Check out the pictures on the club s web site. There are some great shots of O.C.D. ( At the club s next meeting we will vote on the Christmas Party location along with frequency hand outs and more If you have not been to a club meeting lately, you are missing out on all the information, fun, and the raffle. Don t forget our weekly club net on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m., on PL is The repeater system is closed but for the SCMA net all my check in to catch the latest radio news. Also ARRL News can be heard during the net. There are many scanner web sites out there in the world wide web, but the S.C.M.A. web site and it s information comes from its members and user s of the site. When it comes it frequency listings it gets no better than us because our listing, our loggings come from our members who take the time to monitor them. The other guys (other web sites) get theirs from old FCC databases or other sites were they are very out dated, and they pass that information on to you! Or they want to charge you money for free information that you can get if you have the time. I would like to thank the following S.C.M.A. members for their hard work and time in compiling frequency list that they turn in each month to make us number one! Dennis Field, SCMA-110 Gene Hughes, SCMA-105 Wayne Smith Hugh Stegman, SCMA-102 Michael Suchar, SCMA-106 Hubert Stamps Rich Sauer, SCMA-104 and Well that s it for now, see you at the next meeting. Best of Monitoring, 73 s Rick, SCMA-101 / WA6KFI LAFD PSO Brian Humphrey (SCMA-301), right, astounds some SCMA Members (and the Floor Captain!) with his knowledge during a recent SCMA tour of OCD. Thanks, Brian! (Photo by Rick SCMA-101) Page 3

4 FREQUENCY LIST by Rick, SCMA-101 / WA6KFI S Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Fire Department Dispatch S Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Fire Department Fire Tactical S Point Mugu Navy Construction Battalion Fire Department Disp S Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Fire Department Fire Tactical S Point Mugu Navy Construction Battalion Fire Department Tac S Point Mugu Naval Air Station Fire Department Dispatch / Ops S Los Alamitos Air Force Reserve Center Fire Department Dispatch S California Department of Forestry ( CDF Command 2 ) S California Department of Forestry ( CDF Command 3 ) S California Department of Forestry ( CDF Command 1 ) S Knotts Berry Farm Fire Department - Fireground S Knotts Berry Farm Fire Department Dispatch R Union Pacific Railroad Transit Police ( Los Angeles ) S MTA Gold Line Supervisors R Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad Transit Police R Union Pacific Railroad Transit Police ( Southern California ) S MTA Red Line Supervisors R Amtrak Transit Police ( Southern California ) S MTA Blue Line Supervisors T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac T Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Dispatch / Fire Tac R C.H.P. Dignitary Protection Detail ( Metropolitan Operations ) R API / American Protection Industries ( Security ) S Disneyland Fire Department Dispatch R Regency Card Club and Casino ( Security ) S Paramount Petroleum Company Fire Department Fireground S Disneyland Fire Department Fire Tactical R Hotel Nikko at Beverly Hills ( Security ) R Paramount Petroleum Company Fire Department Dispatch S UNOCAL Wilmington Refinery Fire Department Dispatch R Warner Brothers Studio Fire Department Dispatch R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) R CalTrans Operations District 8 ( San Bernardino & W. Riverside Co. ) R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) R CalTrans Operations District 8 ( San Bernardino & W. Riverside Co. ) R CalTrans Operations District 7 ( L.A. and Ventura Counties ) S UNOCAL Carson Refinery Fire Department Dispatch S UNOCAL Carson Refinery Fire Department Fire Tactical Page 4

5 Monitoring the California Department of Forestry (CDF) From the giant redwoods of the north, to the beautiful central Sierra, to the sunny southern coast, California is an environmental wonder from border to border. The men and women of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) are dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 31 million acres of California's privately owned wildlands. In addition, the Department provides varied emergency services in 35 of the State's 58 counties via contracts with local governments. Responding to all types of emergencies on a daily basis is the role-played by most of the CDF workforce. Those emergencies take the form of wildland fires, residential/commercial structure fires, automobile accidents, heart attacks, drownings, lost hikers, hazardous material spills on highways, train wrecks, floods, earthquakes - the list is endless. CDF's firefighters, fire engines and aircraft respond to an average 6,300 wildland fires, and answer the call more than 300,000 times for other emergencies each year. Because of the Department's size and major incident management experience, it is often asked to assist or take the lead in disasters, including the Northern and Central California floods of 1997 and 1998, the 1991 Cantara train derailment and toxic spill, 1994 Northridge earthquake, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake,the 1991 Tunnel Fire in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills,and the 2003 Southern California Fire Siege. CDF declares fire season in California when warm weather and wildland fuel conditions dictate. While fire season is usually declared around the middle of May, the exact date varies from year to year based on weather patterns and fuel conditions. CDF rarely declares the entire state in fire season all at one time. Most often CDF s 21 administrative units throughout California declare fire season as their units conditions dictate. It is usually units in the southern part of the state that declare fire season the earliest as that region is usually warmer and dryer than the rest of the state. "Fire Season" is a state of heightened readiness. Emergency response dispatch levels are typically increased, facilities are staffed 24 hours a day and additional firefighters are hired. CDF airtankers and air attack planes are moved from their off-season maintenance location in Sacramento to strategic positions around the state. Restrictions and suspensions of burn permits are also likely to take effect during fire season in areas where extreme fire conditions exist. * * * * * * * * * * * * Tracy Justus, SCMA-302, sent in the CDF frequency list presented on the next two pages. Visit Tracy s great web site Freq of Nature, at Page 5

6 CDF RADIO CHANNEL PLAN 2004 From Tracy Justus, SCMA-302 CH FREQ DISPLAY DESCRIPTION CH FREQ DISPLAY DESCRIPTION CDF C1 CDF COMMAND CDF T11 CDF TAC CDF C2 CDF COMMAND CDF T12 CDF TAC CDF C3 CDF COMMAND CDF T13 CDF TAC CDF C4 CDF COMMAND CDF T14 CDF TAC CDF C5 CDF COMMAND CDF T15 CDF TAC CDF C6 CDF COMMAND CDF T16 CDF TAC CDF C7 CDF COMMAND CDF T17 CDF TAC CDF C8 CDF COMMAND CDF T18 CDF TAC CDF C9 CDF COMMAND CDF T19 CDF TAC CDF C10 CDF COMMAND CDF T20 CDF TAC MEU L CDF T21 CDF TAC HUU L CDF T22 CDF TAC LNU EAST CDF LNU EAST NET CDF T23 CDF TAC LNU WEST CDF LNU WEST NET NWR MRN NWR SCU L NWR CZU L NWR TRAVEL CA TRAVEL NET NWR BTU L NWR LMU L FS ENF USFS El Dorado NF NEU WEST CDF NEU LOCAL NET FS KNF USFS Klamath NF SHU L FS LNF USFS Lassen NF TGU L FS MNF USFS Mendocino NF SKU L FS MDF USFS Modoc NF NEU EAST NEU EAST NET FS PNF USFS Plumas NF BTU SUPP CDF BUTTE SUP NET FS SHF USFS Shasta-Trinity NF RRU FS SRF USFS Six Rivers NF RRU FS STF USFS Stanislaus NF RRU FS TNF USFS Tahoe NF MVU L FS ANF USFS Angeles NF SLU L FS CNF USFS Cleveland NF BDU FS INF BDU FS LPF USFS Los Padres NF BDU FS BDF USFS San Bernrdino NF SLC FS SQF USFS Sequoia NF TUU L FS SNF USFS Sierra NF MMU L FS TOF USFS Toiyabe NF FKU FS TMU USFS Lake Tahoe Mgmt Unit TCU L BLM SOA BLM SCENE OF ACTION AEU L NIFC T1 NIFC TAC BEU L NIFC T2 NIFC TAC FKU NIFC T3 NIFC TAC XED CMD El Dorado OA Cmd Net NIFC T4 NIFC TAC XAM CMD Amador OA CMD Net NIFC T5 NIFC TAC CDF T1 CDF TAC NIFC T6 NIFC TAC CDF T2 CDF TAC NIFC T7 NIFC TAC CDF T3 CDF TAC FSR5 T4 USFS RGN 5 TAC CDF T4 CDF TAC FSR5 T5 USFS RGN 5 TAC CDF T5 CDF TAC FSR5 T6 USFS RGN 5 TAC CDF T6 CDF TAC NIFC C1 NIFC CMD CDF T7 CDF TAC NIFC C2 NIFC CMD CDF T8 CDF TAC NIFC C3 NIFC CMD CDF T9 CDF TAC NIFC C4 NIFC CMD CDF T10 CDF TAC NIFC C5 NIFC CMD 5 Continued on Next Page Page 6

7 CDF RADIO CHANNEL PLAN 2004 Continued from Previous Page NIFC C6 NIFC CMD LNP NPS Lassen Volcanic NP NIFC C7 NIFC CMD YNP NPS Yosemite NP BLM LAW BLM LAW NET PIP NPS Pinnacles NM BLM ADM BLM ADMIN NET KNP 1 NPS Sequoia-Kings Cyn BLMFIRE BLM FIRE NET KNP 2 NPS S-K Cyn Net CDF A/G CDF AIR TO GND NET DVP NPS Death Valley NP BLM A/G BLM AIR TO GND NET CNP NPS Channel Is. NP FS A/G JTP NPS Joshua Tree NP AIR T1 Air Tactics SMP NPS Santa Monica Mtns NP AIR T2 Air Tactics OES AIR T3 Air Tactics OES AIR T4 Air Tactics CALCORD CALCORD AIR T5 Air Tactics VCALL AIR T6 Air Tactics VTAC 1 VHF INTEROP RWP NPS Redwood NP VTAC 2 VHF INTEROP RNP NPS Point Reyes NP VTAC 3 VHF INTEROP GNP NPS Golden Gate NRA VTAC 4 VHF INTEROP JMP NPS John Muir NHS WHITE 1 WHITE BNP NPS Lava Beds NP WHITE 2 WHITE WNP NPS Whiskeytown NRA WHITE 3 WHITE 3 FIRE AIR TO AIR FREQUENCIES INITIAL ATTACK 2004 Initial Attack Helicopter VHF Frequencies PRIMARY SECONDARY L.A. County L.A. City Angeles National Forest Kern County (East) Los Padres National Forest Orange County Riverside County San Bernardino County San Bernardino National Forest San Diego County Santa Barbara County Ventura County Pre-Assigned VHF-AM Frequencies for Air Attack Bases Ramona, Fox, Bishop, Hollister and Porterville Air Attack Bases Hemet, Santa Barbara, Columbia, and Paso Robles Air Attack Bases San Bernardino Air Attack Base Fresno Air Attack Base Pre-Assigned Air Tactical (VHF-FM) Frequencies Air Tactics assigned to CNF, LPF, and INF Air Tactics assigned to BDF, SQF, and STF Air Tactics assigned to ANF and SNF Air Tactics assigned to MVU, SBC, SLU, TCU, and AEU Air Tactics assigned to BEU Air Tactics assigned to RRU, BDU, ORC, LAC, VNC, KRN, TUU, FKU, and MMU Miscellaneous Air Dispatch Forest Service Air to Ground CDF Air to Ground Los Angeles County Air to Ground Page 7 Thanks to the Professional Helicopter Pilot s Association (PHPA) for providing these Air to Air Fire frequencies

8 Listening to AO-51 with Your Scanner Clint Bradford, SCMA-501, K6LCS The two primary modes of operations for the newest amateur satellite - AO-51 - are FM analog voice and 9600-baud packet. AO-51's transmitters have a variable power output, and can operate as high as 8 Watts output on 70cm. Amateurs are successfully working the satellite with handheld radios. The UPLINK (to AO-51) frequency for voice is MHz with a 67.0Hz CTCSS tone. The DOWNLINK (from AO-51) frequency is MHz. So...How can one listen to the satellite with a scanner? The basics are the same as when working the sats with a HT. First, you need to know WHEN and WHERE the satellite will be passing over your location. There are several computer programs that will tell you. In the home office, I use Nova for Windows[1]. Outside, though, I use PocketSat[2] on my Garmin ique 3600 PDA. Both programs are easily updated with current satellite tracking data that is available on the Internet. Or, you can go to and sign up. Using your longitude and latitude coordinates, you can access amateur satellite pass information (and a lot more!). The one "absolute" for success is to open up your squelch. Even if you alter or ignore the rest of the points in this text, don't ignore this one. Working satellites starts off as a process of finding weak signals, so don't expect the satellite to be anywhere as strong enough to break squelch like your local repeater. I know it's noisy, but that's part of the process. Noise can also be an aid in locating the satellite because when the frequency starts to exhibit QUIETING, that's a sure sign that you are hearing the satellite, and you should get ready. Use a good antenna for your handheld. A good gain whip antenna (like Pryme's AL-800[3]) will make the difference. Using an Arrow dual-band handheld antenna[4] is better, and if you prefer to homebrew your antenna, Alex Diaz XE1MEX[5] has an excellent Yagi-Uda design. Set up your radio so you can to tune for the Doppler effect. Start listening 5 KHz above the center frequency - you will hear the satellite sooner and clearer. When you hear the downlink signals get scratchy or fuzzy, tune down 1KHz at a time, and reception should be clearer. Follow the signal down in frequency as the pass continues. Don't hold your whip antenna upright. Vertical antennas are not good, and a HT held upright isn't either. The satellite isn't on the ground (which is what HT's and vertical antennas were designed for). TILT IT about the same amount as the satellite's ELEVATION. This means that if you are FACING the satellite, tilt it down towards the ground from HORIZONTAL an equal amount. If the satellite is to your back, tilt it up an equal amount away from the satellites position off the vertical. You will be surprised at the difference. Continued on Next Page Chuck Green, N0ADI with the AO-51 Microsat during integration and test Page 8

9 Listening to AO-51 with Your Scanner Continued from Previous Page Hams use headphones - especially if working full duplex. If you have a full duplex HT like a Icom IC-W32A you can listen to your own downlink (a good thing). Your brain is far better at discriminating signals than most expensive DSPs. Knowing your gridsquare - and having a gridsquare map - is a quick way of identifying locations of what you will be hearing. The ARRL and Icom have some dandy gridsquare maps, the latter of which are free at most amateur radio stores[6]. Remember the "three Ps" for working amateur satellites: preparation, planning, and patience. Not every pass is workable with an HT or listenable with a scanner - so don't go after the 10 degree passes. Pick your passes, and work the ones you know will give you the best chance. Many hams record their sessions for later review. Even if you don't make contacts, it helps to accustom yourself to the callsigns, voices and personalities of the other operators. When I first started out, I found it more valuable to know which contacts I missed rather than the ones I made. Ask questions! Find an Elmer or look up the AMSAT[7] area coordinator for your area. Posting specific questions on the AMSAT bulletin board will also help you find answers. Notes [1] Nova for Windows is available from Northern Lights Software Associates' Web site: [2] PocketSat is available from Big Fat Tail's Web site: [3] The Pryme AL-800 telescopes to 34" and collapses to 10". Is is packaged with a 9" rat tail - which you can use for everyday use. Use caution with this massive, heavy antenna: It has the potential of placing a lot of stress on your radio's BNC connector. Pryme claims gain figures of 3.2 db on VHF and 5.5 db on UHF. Available at better amateur dealers - including Ham Radio Outlet - HRO. [4] Arrow's Model 146/437-10WBP is a dual-band cross-yagi design, with a duplexer built into the handle. It has three elements on 2M and 7 elements on 440. (You've seen pictures in QST and elsewhere of operators using this great antenna!) Also available at HRO - see it on Arrow's Web site at [5] Alex has performed a lot of work on suitable homebrew antennas for satellite enthusiasts. His Web site is [6] Icom's map is available at the Anaheim HRO, and also available as a.pdf file on their Web site at [7] AMSAT deserves your support! Membership isn't that expensive, and members are entitled to discounts on AMSAT publications and satellite tracking software! CALTRANS PROMOTES 1700 KHZ, XEKTT SMILES At one time, Caltrans operated a Travelers Information Station on 1700 khz in the San Diego area to provide motorists with U.S./Mexican border information. Now that Jaime Bonilla is using 1700 khz for his Tijuana/Tecate station XEKTT, the Caltrans signs along the I-5 and I-805 freeways - advising motorists to tune to 1700 khz - are a great promotional tool for Mr. Bonilla's private enterprise. According to one report, the signs are located on the southbound I-805 from Otay Lakes Road to San Ysidro Blvd. On the I-5 southbound, the signs start at around Palm Avenue. There are believed to be one to two signs per highway - a fine example of California taxpayers' dollars at work. From the CGC Communicator Page 9

10 Code 3 Collectibles - Salute Our Local Heroes Saturday, September 18th, :00 am - 2:00 pm 6115 Variel Avenue, Woodlands Hills, CA Code 3 Collectibles is paying tribute to local fire-rescue and law enforcement agencies by holding a community event called "Salute Our Local Heroes." This community event will include demonstrations, apparatus displays, helicopter fly-bys, public information/vendor booths, food, & free giveaways. Here is your chance to meet and greet local fire-rescue and law enforcement personnel and say "Thank You" to all the men and women who risk their lives everyday so that we can live in safety. Here is a breakdown of the day's events by agency: Agency Units Demonstration Burbank Fire Dept. Engine Company Crown Engine Classic Display Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Emergency! Squad & Engine 51 Ladder Truck 31 Helipcopter Bell 412 K9 Arson/Search Team Fly-By Demonstration Los Angeles Fire Dept. Light Force 72 Auto Extrication Demonstration USAR 88 Haz-Mat Squad 70 Foam Tender 100 Engine 100 Helicopter Bell 412 Rescue Ambulance Auto Extrication Demonstration & Rapelling Children Play With Water Hoses Fly-By Ventura County Fire Dept. Rescue Engine 40 (ladder truck) Dozer Team Brush Engine "Sparky the Mascot" Aerial Display Meet & Greet the Children California Highway Patrol Camero Patrol Car Motorcycle Unit "Chipper" the Mascot Roll-Over Demonstrator Meet & Greet the Children Continued on Next Page Page 10

11 Salute Our Local Heroes Continued from Previous Page Agency Units Demonstration Los Angeles Police Dept. Incident Command Post Unit Patrol Car Traffic Unit / Motorcycle Crime Prevention Unit Public Information Booth & Giveaways ASTAR 350 Helicopter Fly-By West Valley Explorers Food Booth Metro Division SWAT Team Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept. ASTAR 350 Helicopter Arson / Bomb Unit Robot Demonstration LASD Racing Team (Monster Truck) Lost Hills Posse Pet the Horses L.A. Unified School Police Patrol Car Motorcycle Unit For more information please see the Code 3 Collectibles web site at FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM TOLL FREE AT , 7:00am-5:00pm PDT MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. *Scheduled events may change without notice leading up to the day of the event Page 11

12 ARRL to Participate in National Preparedness Month During September, the ARRL will be among dozens of organizations and agencies participating in National Preparedness Month. "The Ready Campaign," produced by the Ad Council in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is aimed at making citizen preparedness "a priority for every city, every neighborhood and every home" in the US. The League is an official affiliate of Citizen Corps, a DHS initiative to enhance public preparedness and safety. ARRL will combine its role in National Preparedness Month--which starts September 9-- with its own "Amateur Radio Awareness Day" on September 18. "The two events offer great opportunities for Amateur Radio to showcase its valued service to the nation," said ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. She encouraged ARRL-affiliated clubs and Field Organization volunteers to use the occasion to set up public demonstrations of Amateur Radio and to present or even demonstrate--under the banner of National Preparedness Month--the free services Amateur Radio provides to communities. ARRL Club/Mentor Program Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, suggests that while displays should be informative, they also need to be neat and simple. "This is also an excellent opportunity to recruit prospective hams for licensing classes that clubs may be forming for the fall," he added. In addition, ARRL encourages all Amateur Radio operators to have a family emergency communication plan in place in case of an emergency, such as a severe weather event. "Get Ready Now" brochures are available. Visit the Ready.gov Web site < for more information. On Amateur Radio Awareness Day, September 18, W1AW/90 will be on the air from 10 AM until 10 PM Eastern Time with ARRL staff members, new Section Managers in town for the annual Section Managers' Workshop and volunteers from the Newington Amateur Radio League as operators. White encourages amateur groups to invite public officials, representatives of served agencies and first responders to visit their public displays to discuss plans for their Simulated Emergency Test (SET), typically in early October, or other drills. Some clubs already have jumped on the National Preparedness Month/Amateur Radio Awareness Day bandwagon, Fusaro notes--in some cases by taking advantage of already scheduled events during September. The Middletown Amateur Radio Club--W2MAR--in New Jersey will take part in Middletown Day activities September 18 with a public ham radio display, information table, traffic handling and ARES/RACES displays. The club expects some 3000 visitors in town, including state and local officials. In Illinois, Amateur Radio Awareness Day falls on the same weekend as the three-day Peoria Superfest 2004 Amateur Radio and computer show. The Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club will have an all-day demonstration at the Exposition Garden Fairgrounds on September. The Space Park Employees Association Amateur Radio Club (W6TRW) in Redondo Beach, California, will have its emergency communications team (ECT) van at the Northrop Grumman Space Technology open house September 18. The ARRL has printed materials available for ARRL-affiliated clubs, ARES groups and others to use for public exhibits and ham radio demonstrations. Brochures may be downloaded free of charge from the ARRL Web site < For a small shipping fee, exhibit kits also are available. Contact Linda Mullally, KB1HSV, <lmullally@arrl.org> to order. The League also offers a sample news release < that clubs and groups can customize to help spread the word. More information about National Preparedness Month or Amateur Radio demonstrations in general is available from ARRL <clubs@arrl.org>. Page 12

13 FCC s Emergency Alert System: Coming to Your Cell Phone Soon Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com The old Cold-War era broadcasts with the shrieking signal on your TV and radio may be finding new life in the post 9/11 era. In fact, Emergency Alerts may become as ubiquitous as your cell phones and wireless devices, if the FCC has their way. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) has fallen into disarray and needs major reform, concluded FCC Chairman Michael Powell recently as he announced agency plans to revamp the system, according to a report in Broadcasting and Cable. Powell and his Federal Communications Commission planners envision a modernized system to replace the old system s architecture, taking fuller advantage of the digital age. Featured would be instant alerts transmitted via a sophisticated new EAS that could beam warnings about crises from local TV and radio stations to TVs, radios, personal computers and an array of digital devices -- including cell phones and PDAs. The FCC, working in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, has already begun to solicit suggestions from TV companies, cell phone makers and public-safety officials on how new digital-tv technology can improve the system. On the drawing boards: DTV alerts that could turn TVs and radios on automatically so residents could receive warnings even when the device is turned off at night when they are asleep, for instance. A lot has changed since 1951, said Powell in a reference to what most Baby Boomers recall as the weekly 30- second tests of the old Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) -- an ear-piercing whistle and stern voiceover, This is only a test. Currently, EAS tests are accomplished monthly -- with a tone lasting only eight seconds. TV stations no longer must display the EBS logo during tests and can continue regular programming while a notice for the test tracks across the top of the screen. But despite such cosmetic upgrades over the years, critics point to a significant flaw. Despite its ability to alert citizens in a variety of emergency situations, broadcasters have been required to install and test equipment for a single purpose: to relay a nationwide message from the president to the American people in the event of a full-scale nuclear attack. As things stand now, the nation s broadcasters carry local emergency alerts -- but only voluntarily. By 2007, however, the FCC hopes to require local TV and radio outlets to carry local alerts, with other required elements such as delivering alerts to cell phones and PDAs to follow. Continued on Next Page Page 13

14 Emergency Alert System Continued from Previous Page If there is one big impetus to the ambitious project, it is the experience of 9/11, the closest the U.S. has come to a national attack since Pearl Harbor. Incredibly, EAS was not activated during the aerial assaults. Part of the problem in the Big Apple was that most New York TV stations antennas were located on the roof of the World Trade Center. However even that hardware consideration becomes academic in the face of the fact that city emergency managers simply failed to issue an alert. The dormancy of the system during the greatest domestic crisis in the country s history caused many to question whether the EAS as presently configured served any purpose. FCC Wants a Mandatory System FCC regulators have taken up the challenge, announcing that the goal now is to design the most efficient -- and mandatory -- transmission of warnings about storms, toxic threats, medical facilities and evacuation routes during all local emergencies. The transformation may not be cost-intensive. Nearly all stations are already equipped to relay local alerts because equipment necessary to relay presidential alerts also recognizes the codes used for local tornado, fire or missingchild alerts. Even those stations needing some upgrades would be looking at an expenditure of $300-$5,000. Cost is not a factor in stations willingness to participate, says Clay Freinwald, corporate engineer for Entercom Communications and EAS committee chairman for the Society of Broadcast Engineers. What has been a factor in the past is the system s penchant for interrupting broadcasts -- annoying viewers with frequent warnings of thunderstorms. Today, nearly 80 percent of local alerts are generated by the National Weather Service, primarily in the Tornado Alley of the Midwest and the hurricane-prone states of the Gulf Coast. But annoying or not, the era of mandatory local alerts is certainly on the horizon. Beyond the lessons of 9/11, there have been other deadly learning curves at the local level. Lessons Learned In a San Diego County wildfire, sheriff s deputies began evacuating residents at 11 p.m. the night before, but no one thought to activate EAS for another four hours -- too late to catch more than a handful of TV viewers. Consequently, twelve unwarned citizens died in the fires. Even though wildfires are a frequent occurrence in Southern California, local officials had never before activated broadcast alerts for a fire. Meanwhile, some observers like Jim Gabbert, who oversees California's Emergency Alert System and serves on a national advisory committee, is glad to see the FCC stepping up to bat. But will it be too little too late, he worries: Unfortunately, I think it will take a major catastrophe where hundreds of thousands of people are killed for people to understand what (we) have been saying, said Jim Gabbert, whose committee has been sounding a strident alarm over the nation s early warning deficit for the past two years. Indeed, there is no shortage of critics of the present system some of whom look to what they percieve as built-in technical deficiencies. For instance, EAS remains much like it was three decades ago. A government official triggers the alert system, and radio and TV stations -- along with cable companies -- move to get an emergency message on the airwaves. For instance, during an emergency, the president records a message to Americans. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) then transmits the message via telephone lines to 34 pre-chosen radio stations covering 90 percent of the country. Continued on Next Page Page 14

15 Emergency Alert System Continued from Previous Page In many states, the systems rely entirely on these designated first-tier radio stations, which broadcast live 24 hours, to interrupt their programs to air digital warning tones with audio messages embedded inside. Small, so-called second-tier stations can also detect the tones and broadcast them to even smaller third-tier stations. Along the way, the stations are supposed to pull out the messages and air them. A lot of people find fault with that and call it a daisy chain, says Warren Shulz, who oversees the alert system in Illinois. Shulz adds that the multiple-station approach requires the top stations to have a person in the studio all the time and can break down if a disaster like an earthquake cripples the stations in the first tier and the backup second tier. While some broadcasters have complained that authorities use the system too often, especially for weather warnings and Amber alerts about missing children, others occupy the opposite side of the spectrum maintaining that authorities, including police, fire and emergency-management departments, forget that the alert system even exists. Shulz thinks that relying on new gadgetry alone would be a mistake: Ask the people down in Florida how their cell phones and internet connections are working, he said. By contrast, he argues, many radio stations can operate on generator power for several days. For his part, Gabbert wants more federal oversight: My biggest concern is that someone on the federal level has to be responsible for the national, state and local alerting system. It can't be different groups in different places running into each other like bumper cars. For instance, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency refuses to operate EAS. Instead, the state broadcasters association must run the system on its own. A new federal system could resolve such discrepancies. And Finally... D oh! Close that Door! It s Supposed to Say HITS-FM!!! Page 15

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