Well, it’s been a while since my last attempt at an update to you all — June to be exact. So here goes…

Summer gave us a few chances to exercise our SKYWARN® ops, and fortunately no major damage was done by the WX to our communities. I did hear we had some rural outbuildings and such damaged in one event. Hurricane season is past its peak and we have come through without even much rain.

As fall approaches let’s review our Go Kits for stale snacks, refresh the water bottles and batteries, and check everything over as was suggested in one of the nets in August. I recently attended the CERT graduation, and arrived with go kit in hand but no radio. Well, I had a radio, the mobile in the car. Sharp minded as I am, it failed me and the HT radio was left in the charger base back in the shack. Checklists — gotta use them! Thanks to Moe NT7C, who is always prepared and had a spare, I was able to participate.

Our September ARES® training will be interesting. The program will be on Echolink, how it operates and how to use it. Wade KF5AUD will bring this information to life for us and make it useful for us all. We will also share information on the annual ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) — an exercise that enables us at the local level, District, and Section levels to test equipment, modes, operating skills and emergency deployment plans to see if everything is in place and ready for an actual emergency event. The date is October 6-7, 2012. The SET is one of the premier events of the year that invites the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®), the National Traffic System (NTS), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), and SKYWARN® members of the ARRL Field Organization and other groups to work in concert together to practice and prepare. We may be working with the Grayson County Office of Emergency Management, CAP, Red Cross and similar organizations as we plan for the unforseen events that can change lives in an instant. Details are still sketchy at this time, so look for more information soon. Check this website and the ARRL website for updates.

There is a Ham Tech class planned in November. If you have folks that are interested, ask them to send an e-mail to NT7C@arrl.net to get on the list for this great opportunity to get their training for a tech license.

We can provide great radio communications to serve our communities in times of need. You have done it before, and we will do it again when needed. We Can!

Thanks for your interest in ARES®, its associated activities and service to our community.

73

Rick K5ECX