It’s near the end of the year. I know because at our ARES planning session last night we talked more about 2017 than 2016. While we still have a few things on the stove for this year, next year’s plans are intriguing. There will be a few more nets this year but because of holidays some changes are required. We will not have nets on November 27th nor December 25th due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. Also our November training session normally held on the 4th Tuesday, falls in Thanksgiving week and will be moved to the week prior on the 15th. Considering December, our Santa Net will be on the 11th so that children will have a chance to talk with Santa and determine their Christmas gift wishes. I have been in communication with our friend at the North Pole, and he is making plans to come visit with us then. So yes, there is still a lot to do in the remaining months of this year.

Now for 2017. The training programs planned for the first part of the year included topics on Packet radio and station set up, and Winlink operations and station set up, with a plan to set up stations in the field as a spring Simulated Emergency Test (SET). We have planned a session on Earthquake Response, and verification of operational needs at several Red Cross shelter sites. Now all these plans were just made and we’ll need to contact various speakers and presenters and gather some equipment, but that’s the plan for the start of 2017. There will be the usual local nets and also the regional nets listed on the calendar of the TECO website. Also for your preplanning I believe the annual SKYWARN training will be out at GCC on February 16th and include both basic and advanced spotter training. Final plans with times, etc. are not announced yet by the NWS, but our partners in that effort are focused on that date.

Your AEC team has kept me busy trying to keep all this moving in right direction; as I heard it expressed the other day, “it’s like herding cats”. Yes, we have a lot of different directions and people involved, but that’s what makes our support valuable to those we serve. You folks do an admirable job. I was eating supper the other day at a local establishment and our County Judge, Bill Magers, came in, spotted me, directly came over and asked how ARES was going. That’s because you are making a difference in our community. Please know you are appreciated by those we serve locally and our partners at the NWS.

Till next time,

73
Rick
K5ECX