| NIHRAC (K3YGG) NIH Building 13 Room G-903 Bethesda, MD 20892 |
Emergency Communications Center NIH Building 11 Room 308 phone: 301 496-5311 |
NIHRAC Web site http://nihac.info.nih.gov/nihrac/k3ygghp.html
The next meeting will be held at noon on Thursday February 5, 1998 in the Emergency Communications Center (ECC) located on the third floor of Building 11. Nominations of officers for the coming year will be presented by the Nominating Committee and will also be accepted from members attending the meeting.
The meeting was called to order by President Walter Stewart at 1210 p.m. The minutes of the December 4 meeting were accepted as distributed.
Attending the meeting were Jim Hobbs AA3DN, Bill Hook W3QBC, Larry Martin W3IBO, Andy Mitz WA3LTJ, John Muller W3QF, Chuck Sherman N3WTO and Mike Thomas WB3LHT.
Turkey Chase Mystery Solved Walter Stewart reported that new staff members at the B-CC YMCA had merely overlooked calling to ask for NIHRAC's help and our participation was indeed missed. We have already been invited to take part in the 1998 event and Bill Hook offered to send the YMCA confirmation of our availability well in advance of the 1998 event.
The PHS-1 DMAT Executive Officer has sent word that, when not otherwise needed by the Team, NIHRAC may use their radio equipment for the purpose of supporting NIHRAC-sanctioned activities. Ross Merlin, Telecommunications and Information Resources Manager, PHS Office of Emergency Preparedness/NDMS has advised that NIHRAC could assist HHS/OS/OEP by - maintaining an alternate radio room with HF capability,
- providing trained radio operators to staff the OEP radio room during disaster activations, if requested by OEP, and by
- providing communications support to the NDMS DMAT PHS-1.
He further stated that "if NIHRAC commits to these objectives (subject to the availability of volunteers of course) it would be ppropriate for him to issue a federal radio authorization and callsign to NIHRAC" This might be under the name of "OEP Alternative Radio Facility" and would be distinct from the PHS-1call. Andy Mitz noted that this callsign would be used when our station operated on frequencies outside the amateur bands. Those in attendance concurred that NIHRAC should support the PHS in these activities.
Andy Mitz provided several copies of the new Form 610 (new/renew/upgrade/change), 610-A (alien operator) 610B (club station) and 610V (vanity callsign). These are available in the ECC. Previous editions of these forms are obsolete.
Bill Hook operated K3YGG and MEMA Unit 48 on Tuesday evening December 9. During the exercise a voice message was received from MEMA Pikesville asking "CAN YOU RELAY MESSAGES TO INTERNET IF PROVIDED WITH E MAIL ADDRESSES?" This was referred to the k3ygg SYSOP and a reply in the affirmative will be returned.
As mentioned at the December meeting, we need a plan for disposing of funds in our treasury should NIHRAC disband. Past president Len Aberbach has suggested that the NIH Patient Welfare Fund be made the recipient. This plan of action was approved by unanimous vote.
The subject of procuring additional equipment for the ECC was deliberated. Andy Mitz proposed that approximately $800 be allocated toward the development and construction of a portable, battery-operated emergency power cart. This would be stored and maintained in the ECC and be made available for local emergency preparedness activities. Those present expressed a variety of opinions about the practicality of the suggestion and asked for more technical information before funds were committed.
Bill Hook mentioned that repair of NIHRAC's HF antennas will require an expenditure of both funds and physical labor.
We intend to participate in scheduled MEMA exercises on the second Tuesday of each month throughout the year. In the spring we anticipate assisting with communications for the Parklawn Classic foot race. A Clinical Center Power Outage test will probably be held in May.
NIHRAC can expect to assist the PHS-1 DMAT at anytime to make ready their radio equipment. For example, they may deploy to assist in the recovery effort following the recent disastrous ice storm in the northeastern U.S. A second Clinical Center power outage test is planned for the early fall. As noted above, we have already been asked to provide our services as communicators to the B-CC YMCA for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Chase 10 k foot race. We expect to continue developing our skills and capabilities, especially in the area of digital communication.
According to the NIHRAC Constitution, "Candidates for election as officers shall be placed in nomination at the February meeting and shall be elected at the March meeting". Thus, the NIHRAC president appointed a Nominating Committee consisting of Dan Reggia, Andy Mitz and Bill Hook. They will present a slate of candidates at the February meeting and additional nominations will be accepted then.
The meeting was adjourned at 110 p.m.
de w3qbc
K3YGG Packet/Internet Gateway While it was actually in late 1996 that Jeff Johnson N3NPQ donated a temporary connection to the Internet via telephone, it was not until last year that we got the fiber optic connection to the NIH network. This has permitted users to take advantage of many features and capabilities of the BBS that were previously unavailable. Other improvements to the system include a new KAM+ dual port HF/VHF TNC, a resulting HF port on 80M, which allows direct connection to the system from several hundred miles away, software updates, routing updates, hardware additions, and user command improvements. Here is a list of some of the features that the system now offers
1. outgoing and incoming e-mail service, including capability of mail delivery right to your house,
2. connections to other packet/Internet gateways around the world,
3. "real time" callbook server (using the command "cb"),
4. connectivity to k3ygg by telnet from remote systems (no packet station req'd),
5. connectivity to remote systems by telnet from k3ygg,
6. time-saving mailing lists that distribute mail to club members quickly, and
7. 19.2 KBd SLIP link to "rockmd" (4-port wide-coverage packet system).
Although we actually have few NIHRAC club members using the system, we get about a dozen or so connections daily from the DC area and beyond. I've received about half a dozen thank-you notes from them in the last few months. The system is even giving e-mail service to several hams in Pennsylvania, one of whom doesn't have a telephone. I'll keep maintaining and improving the system in 1998, and welcome suggestions from users and club members. Thanks to everyone who helped in 1997.
--Jim Hobbs
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In addition to the TCP/IP packet radio/Internet gateway described above by Jim, we now have
- a club web page,
- computers at the ECC for member's use,
- a Unix server for ECC and club activities, and
- an Internet radio receiver, a prelude to an Internet satellite station.
Current status installed on a borrowed computer until the Club's Unix server is back in service.
The main NIHRAC Web page is very simple. It provides an overview of the club, a detailed list of club activities/ projects, and access to the minutes from the most recent club meeting. It links to a series of pages on emergency preparedness. These pages were developed by Rip Smith K3XO, the original author of the NIHRAC Web pages.
An important part of the club Web site is the Amateur Radio Listening Post. This Web page allows you to control a VHF/UHF receiver from the Internet, and listen to the receiver via the Internet. The NIHRAC Listening Post Web page is described in the February 1998 issue of QST on pages 48-51.
We are always looking for people to improve the Web site. Right now it could use a little glitz!
-- Andy Mitz
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MEMA is an acronym for The Maryland Emergency Management Agency. Their communication exercises are called "COMMEX" and these nets are held on the 2nd Tuesday evening of each month unless there is a state recognized holiday when it is held one week later. In line with NIHRAC's commitment to emergency communications, this activity has been a regular part of the club program for more than 25 years and has evolved into establishing NIHRAC as a backup to Montgomery County's participation.
The net uses several modes and several frequencies. The state-wide net checks in on the 147.150 (Davidsonville) repeater. Prior to the COMMEX we check radio communication with the Rockville EOC on either simplex or repeater frequencies in the 144, 220 and 440 MHz amateur bands. Contact is also made with MEMA Pikesville using a non-amateur 143 MHz frequency.
There is sometimes a 75 meter SSB net (MEPN) accepting COMMEX messages. For several months we passed routine traffic via packet using TCP/IP. We have also used the NIHRAC 145.29 MHz repeater to send FM voice message traffic to Pikesville - so we know that our repeater with its emergency back-up power supply will serve in times of emergency. MEMA has recently requested that we send routine administrative messages by fax. We will be able to do this if we can acquire a surplus fax machine. The MEMA net starts at 1930 local time and ends around 2030. All NIHRAC members are encouraged to participate and to become familiar with message handling procedures and the operation of the equipment in the ECC. Among the members who have participated at the ECC in 1997 are Joel Harding KE3YK, Bob Haslack N3FRT, Bill Hook W3QBC, John Muller W3QF, Chuck Sherman
N3WTO, and Harold Simon N3PXK.
-- John Muller
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NIHRAC members assisted the DMAT in preparing for the deployments to Fort Pickett June 7-21 and to Fort A.P. Hill July 24-August 1. For the latter event, several NIHRAC members dedicated a significant effort toward establishing contact with the team on 75 meters. In November we installed additional frequencies in DMAT's 10 Motorola JT-1000 HTs, 3 Bendix-King HTs and one Bendix-King mobile transceiver. NIHRAC also undertook the shipment and receipt of 3 defective JT-1000s to Transcrypt International for repair under warranty.
-- Albert Lock & Bill Hook
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The NIHRAC affiliation with the NIH CC is as strong as it has ever been. We have provided first class communications service every time we have been called upon to help. In return, the NIH CC Safety office has provided both financial and important political support for our computer networks. Turnout of NIHRAC members to support the Clinical Center has been outstanding. For the April 12 power outage we had 11 members present, 9 volunteers at the October 4 outage and 9 members were on hand for the October 18 Life Safety Tour that was held during working hours. Thanks are due to the following for dedicating their time and talents to the Clinical Center:
Rick Dessel WN3T, Aaron Hartman KA3GSV, Bob Haslach N3FRT, Jim Hobbs AA3DN, Bill Hook, W3QBC, Jeff Johnson N3NPQ, Mike Kahn, KA3GSV, Quin Marsh N3KGM, Andy Mitz WA3LTJ, Ross Merlin WA2WDT, John Muller W3QF, Frank Putnam N3ZPQ, Chuck Sherman N3WTO, Walter Stewart WM3Z, Al Taylor KN3U, Mike Thomas WB3LHT and Larry Wolken N3OJD.
-- Andy Mitz & Bill Hook
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