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Contents ARES Information Calendar of Events Current News Net Information Public Service Repeater News Skywarn Training Winlink Initiative

ARES Coordinators

David Beltz - WD8AYE Stark County EC Terry Russ - N8ATZ Assistant EC ARECC Level III Certified Mobile Number 330-802-0958 Mike Lackney  - KB8MIB ARES Net Manager - General Operations Michelle Gill - KC8ZEJ ARES Net Manager - Net Control Coordinator Phone 330-484-3164  Link to Contact Page

Served Agencies

Training News

Amateur Radio Emergency Communications. Using Amateur Radio in an Emergency. The Emergency Alert System. NOAA Weather Radio. Educational Weather Information Page. The Current National Weather Map. A great source of Emergency Communications (EMCOMM) information on the internet is available at EMCOMM.org.

Skywarn News   (Mar 27, 2008) -- Due to a server problem the Skywarn Spotter Guide posted on the Skywarn page was not available. This has been corrected and the guide is now available. You can also click here to access this guide. Thanks to everyone for making our Severe Weather Awareness Week a successful one ! Click Here to Download the Fall 2007 Edition of The Storm Chaser. *********** Severe Storms Rock Stark County during Summer 2007.  Click Here for a review of the 2006 severe weather season from Cleveland NWS. Stark County Skywarn Spotter Statistics. Damage Assessments Report over 268 Million in damage to 60 Ohio Counties during February Flooding. Stark ARES Assists Ohio EMA. ************** Emergency Preparedness Guideline Basic Spotter Information An excellent full color booklet titled "Basic Spotters' Field Guide" is also currently available from the National Weather Service On-line library of Publications. CLICK HERE for a listing of their currently available information guides. **************** Other News NOAA Weather Alert Comes to Ham Radio. Severe Weather Paging Notification Comes To An End. *************** Weekly Weather Fact     The National Weather Service is second only to the Postal Service among government agencies in day-to-day contact with U.S. citizens. And the public seems pleased with what it gets. The NWS's approval rating has jumped to 70%, up from 51% in 1948. Those saying that it was doing a poor job fell from 15% to a mere 7%. These numbers would please many a politician.      Amateur Radio  Supporting Homeland Security "Amateur Radio - The only fail-safe method of communication." Riley Hollingsworth FCC Special Council ------------------ "Ham Radio operators have long played an important role in emergency communications, assisting law enforcement personnel and other emergency services as they carry out their responsibilities." Jan 16, 2007 "I appreciate all who work in radio, and I am grateful to the Amateur Radio operators who provide emergency communications that help make our country safer and more secure," President Bush wrote. "Your good work strengthens our society and represents the American spirit." President George Bush    National Homeland Security Knowledgebase         Click on the link above to get a birds eye view from the repeater site !

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Massillon Holiday Parade 
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

  (Nov 2, 2008) -- The final public service event of the year handled by the Massillon Amateur Radio Club is of course the annual Massillon Holiday Parade. This year’s parade is on Saturday, November 22nd and we normally need about 20 volunteers to assist with parade staging, TV and general communications support for the 80 or so units that will make up this years parade. The MARC has been a part of this parade for over 30 years (if not longer – my memory can’t go back that far!) making this one of the longest public service events handled by the club.

As in previous years we will once again have the clubs Emergency Communications Trailer as one of the parade units to remind area residents of our continuing support to the community. Club member Perry Ballinger, W8AU is communications coordinator for this annual event and is currently looking for volunteers to assist this year. Several members signed up at the October meeting but we still need additional volunteers. Please consider helping us and your community by volunteering for the parade. It’s a great way to “get you in the holiday spirit” by welcoming Santa Claus into town. You are also invited to join us for our usual get together after the parade at one of the fine restaurant’s in town. The sign up sheet will also be at the November club meeting or you can contact Perry directly at 330-832-8612 or by email to w8au@sssnet.com. 

ARRL EmComm Course Update 
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

  (Nov 2, 2008) -- The ARRL Continuing Education Program offers Emergency Communications training courses to prepare radio amateurs to serve our communities in time of crisis when other communications systems fail. The current program structure includes three levels of training. In order to keep the material in the Level 3 Course accurate and up to date, the ARRL will be revising the Level 3 curriculum. Dennis Dura, K2DCD, ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager, will be developing the new content. Expect the new material to be released during the first quarter of 2009.  

Since the most recent version of the Emergency Communications Level 3 course was launched in 2006, there have been significant changes in the Federal government’s programs and policies, as well as in other areas of emergency response environment. For that reason, they will be temporarily suspending new enrollments in the online Level 3 course effective October 1, 2008 while they update the course content. In addition, no field exams will be given for the current version of the course after the Oct 1st date. I will advise you of additional details once they are published by the ARRL.    

Stark ARES Assists With Akron Marathon 
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

    (Sep 28, 2008) -- On Saturday, September 27th several members of the Stark County ARES assisted with the annual Road Runner Akron Marathon. The Summit County ARES, under the direction of Bruce Ferry, AK8B -  Emergency Coordinator handled all primary responsibilities for the event which involved nearly 10,000 marathon runners whose route was modified this year to begin and end in downtown Akron.

In a great outpouring of mutual aid, over 50 amateur radio operators representing 5 Northeastern Ohio radio clubs and ARES Organizations provided both safety and support communications for the marathon. Race logistics covered three major areas, "Shadows" - amateurs stationed with various race officials, keeping them informed of race progress and any problems that arose during the event. "Medical" - amateurs who were positioned with emergency service vehicles, and the American Red Cross. Lastly were "Route" - amateurs who were positioned at one mile intervals of the course who kept a close watch over marathon participants and staffed specified break areas. Three amateur repeaters and several simplex frequencies were utilized to cover the entire route which provided nearly solid coverage throughout the event. Three Net Control stations were necessary to manage the heavy flow of traffic that was generated over the nearly 6 hour event.

In an event of this magnitude, call signs can bog down critical communications. For that reason "Tactical Call signs" were assigned to all radio operators which reflected either their position and/or responsibility for the event. This method did prove to be very efficient way to maintain route communications with the many different radio operators brought together for this event. There is nothing wrong with using this method as long as actual FCC authorized call signs are used at regular intervals. 

The cool morning was perfect for the runners but there were still a few medical situations that were quickly handled by amateur radio operators. 

Race officials were extremely satisfied with the outcome of the days events especially the very professional way all amateurs conducted their responsibilities. The solid public relations we received from participation in this event has once again helped answer the question "Why is our hobby so important ?."  No other hobby can provide the type of service that our can, experienced radio operators that can always be counted on to help their communities.

The 7th Annual Road Runner Akron Marathon is already being organized for 2009 and you can be sure that amateur radio support will be an integral part of the event. If you didn't get the opportunity to assist this year, make sure you consider it next year. It is an excellent way to help prepare yourself  for a communication emergency. 

Summit County Emergency Coordinator Bruce Ferry - AK8B and Stark County Assistant EC Terry Russ would like to thank all of the many amateurs who volunteered to assist with this event especially those from neighboring ARES groups. Special thanks to the following Stark County ARES participants for another outstanding public service event. They were: Terry Russ - N8ATZ,  Igor Nikishin - K8INN, and Rex Simmons - KD8ELX.

Hurricane Ike's Winds Hit Stark County
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

    (Sep 16, 2008) -- Stark County ARES was activated on Sunday afternoon after the former Hurricane Ike - which paralyzed the Texas area a few days earlier - blew through our area.

Wind gusts of over 56 mph caused uprooted trees and downed power lines leaving about 80,000 customers without electricity and the 911 call center overloaded with calls for assistance. At approximately 8:00 PM, Tim Warstler, Director of the Stark Co Emergency Preparedness Agency contacted EC Dave Beltz, WD8AYE requesting assistance as the EOC was officially activated. Also responding was Assist EC Terry Russ, N8ATZ. Amateurs were used to supplement priority communications between public safety agencies and the 911 center to ease congestion of the call center. Amateurs were also requested to obtain storm damage reports through our core of trained  Skywarn Spotters. 

Approximately 15 EOC staff, Red Cross volunteers and Amateur Radio operators remained on duty at the EOC throughout the evening until the severe winds subsided around 11:00 PM. A formal Weather Net was activated on the county 147.12 ARES repeater with Net Managers Michelle Gill, KC8ZEJ and Mike Lackney, KB8MIB taking damage reports that were passed onto the EOC.

Director Tim Warstler expressed his thanks and appreciation to all area amateurs for their assistance in this county emergency. Power is not fully restored to many parts of Stark County and it may take until late Thursday or Friday before full service is restored. Click Here for additional information of the wind damage courtesy of the Canton Repository.

September QST Covers Emergency Communications
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

    (Aug 24, 2008) -- The September issue of QST is currently on the news stands and is their annual Special Emergency Communications Issue.

This issue includes many interesting articles on ARES operation including how to use APRS to support Emcomm, a practical update on use of D-Star and a new article covering a new commercial standard for VHF/UHF digital voice and data communications.

Even if you are not an ARRL member, this issue is worth adding to you ARES library.

  HOF Festival Concludes With Timken Grand Parade
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

                                              
  (Aug 24, 2008) -- The Timken Company Grand Parade starts long before the seats along Cleveland Avenue are filled. Long before the first float begins its journey, when the sky has yet to change from starlight black to morning blue. High School Bands are still finding their positions and tuning up their instruments, parade balloon are slowly being filled helium while their handling teams get last minute marching instructions and the dozens of classic cars that carry football legends and celebrities alike are lined up like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Among the thousands of parade volunteers, Amateur Radio operators  help to organize this vast ensemble of parade participants. These volunteers are members of the Stark County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. For over 31 years, amateurs have provided communications services for this event that will total over 150 volunteer hours of service on this day alone. The parade has grown steadily in size over the years and now is the single largest public service event handled by amateur radio operators here in Stark County .

Again this year over 300,000 spectators watched the parade and behind the scenes lies a core of amateur volunteers many of which have over 15 years of experience assisting with the parade. This dedication is one reason that parade organizers have long realized the importance of effective communications that are necessary in organizing a parade of this magnitude. Also over the years, they have come to understand and appreciate the fact that it takes more than a radio to make an effective communicator. Parade General Chairman Don Schneck noted that the commercial radios range was limited and he was grateful to learn that our communications was solid throughout the parade route thanks to our wide area coverage ARES Repeater on 147.12 Mhz. 

The last several years, parade officials have used loaned commercial radio's to maintain communications with their committee members.. While this has worked for routine communications, parade organizers have relied on the discipline and experience of amateur operators to handle urgent communications needs and especially medical traffic.

Again year, in a reorganization of parade communications, our responsibilities covered three separate areas, each with it's own control point. These were Staging, Route Communications and Dispersal.

Staging is where it all begins. Under the direction of Parade Communications coordinator Dave Beltz - WD8AYE, with assistance from Terry - N8ATZ,  amateur’s assist event organizers in setup and arrangement of the over 130 units that make up this years parade. Beginning at about 2:00 A.M., this job is like taking a 5,000 piece puzzle and assembling all the pieces to create the final picture in a little over five hours. This doesn't include the setting up of the Television Broadcast area, Parade Communications Center and the Balloon Inflations area, all included in our early morning duties. At exactly 8:00 A.M., the gun sounds and it’s Dave that will officially start the parade down the route. Terry then moved to the Television area to act as communications liaison to Parade Chairman Don Schneck. 

Route Communications then kicks in to assist help maintain the pace of the parade units. The pace of the parade is set by Canton Police Department motorcycle units. Each successive unit is to follow maintaining a certain spacing set by football helmets painted along the entire 2.5 mile parade route. Expected slowdowns occur during the parade in the TV area, where all units slow to perform for the crowd then speed back up to maintain proper spacing.  

Continuing his role from last year,  Bruce Humphrey - KB8SAF headed up his team composed of parade escorts and ham operators. Our responsibility was to assist the escorts and provide constant reports to Bruce on parade spacing. We in turn would advise the escorts to either speed up or slow down the parade pace. This continued to be a daunting task and thanks to amateurs disciplined communications experience, we were effective in minimizing unit gaps throughout the parade. 

In addition, amateurs watched for trouble spots, assisted with broken down floats, crowd control, seating assistance, media relations, and medical support, these being only a few of the responsibilities handled by amateur radio operators. Net Control, under the direction of Rodger Trompower - KA8FTS, helps to ensure orderly parade radio traffic and maintains overall communications with all parade operations. Fifteen radio operators were positioned along the entire parade route to handle this facet of parade operations.

Medical Support has continued to remain one of our most important parade responsibilities as thousands of participants and spectators crowd the route each year and brave a myriad of changeable weather to watch the grand parade. In recent years, county medical squads have updated their communications equipment to provide for better interoperability between the many emergency medical service units called in to assist with the parade. Due to these advances, amateurs role in this area was decreased although operators along the route were prepared to assist should emergencies arise.  This year saw a dramatic increase in medical emergencies and radio operators again were called upon to support the EMS in providing communications assistance with this ever present problem area. 

Again this year Assistant EC Terry Russ - N8ATZ maintained communications with the Parade Chairman Don Schneck in the Parade Communications Center . This provided a link to both Emergency Medical Service and Police personnel. On several occasions, Amateur Radio was called upon to provide support communications to the Demarshalling area when their commercial radios failed.        

Parade Dispersal has become an increasingly complex segment of the Grand Parade in recent years. Continuing in his role as  Dispersal Communications Coordinator was Wade Huthmacker - WD8MIU . 

An important part of the parade, dispersal has had to handle numerous situations and problems including reuniting participants and parents and general disassembly of the entire parade. For the fourth year in a row, additional volunteers were assigned to this area.  With local amateurs running in short supply, volunteers were obtained from the Akron area including members from the Summit County Amateur Radio Emergency Service. A special thanks for these additional volunteers, provided through our Mutual Aid pact with neighboring county ARES .  This year’s team included fourteen volunteers.  

The 2008 Timken Grand Parade was another great success thanks to the many volunteers including the many amateur radio operators who assisted us again this year. Parade General Chairman Don Schneck and Assistant Chairman Eric Stasiowski  along with Stark County Emergency Coordinator  Dave Beltz - WD8AYE and Bruce Humphrey – KB8SAF want to thank all the volunteers for their help and assistance during this years parade. Their tireless efforts, although largely unnoticed by the general public, have proven their worth time and time again over the years. As the parade has grown, so has our level of participation and commitment that has helped to ensure a successful and safe event for the citizens of Stark County .

Volunteers for this year’s parade include the following operators:

STAGING/COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR:  David Beltz - WD8AYE

PARADE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER :  Terry Russ - N8ATZ

ROUTE COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR - Bruce Humphrey - KB8SAF.

DEMARSHALLING COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR - Wade Huthmacher - WD8MIU.

ROUTE COMMUNICATIONS:  Bruce Humphrey - KB8SAF,  Jim Farriss - WA8GXM,  Igor Nikishin - K8INN, Dan Anastis - N8DZM,  Kenn Rothman - WD8ILB, Dottie Moriarty - KD8DQU, Cathy Story - KC8EUC, Dale Story - KB8LWP, Alan Savage – N8MYE, Jamie Walters – W4JNW and Stephen Pomesky - KB8TPH. 

DISPERSAL:  Wade Huthmacher - WD8MIU, Michelle Gill - KC8ZEJ,  Tom Gill - KC8QOD, Denise Gill,  Drew St George - KD8DQX, Bruce Brown - KC8RKS, Jim Sack - N8CUI, Mike Palmer - KD8ENV, Jim Sacks – N8CUI, Frank Koby – N8SGS, Leonard Johnson – N8XPI, Russ McMahen – N8PII,  Jason Stroll - KC8LIN, Helen Trompower – KC8ZWG, Dave Kaltenborn – N8KBC, Gregg Gary – WB8YYS and Net Control for Demarshalling Rodger Trompower – KA8FTS.  

Congratulations to everyone on another great Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival !

HOF Festival Begins With Community Parade
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

  (Aug 24, 2008) -- Under hot summer skies with temperatures over 90 degrees, members of the Stark Co ARES, Canton & Massillon ARC's once again assisted in the opening events of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival by providing communications support for the Community Parade held this year on Sunday, July 27th.

Again this year amateurs provided both logistical support communications for parade staging as well as medical support covering the EMS units assigned to cover the parade route.

Digital packet communications were utilized to synchronize the nearly 130 parade units making up this years parade. Using a voice relay from staging Cathy, KC8EUC and Bruce, KB8SAF who relayed the exact line up to Ralph, K8HSQ  with assistance from Tom, KC8QOD who then sent this down to Jason, KC8LIN inside the Television Production truck. This system allowed parade officials to make any last minute lineup changes and accurately convey this to the TV producer. 

Packet is used for this function and has proven to be the perfect choice as it allows van personnel to continuously monitor the status of all units in the parade. This marks the ninth year this has been used and is an important aspect of our parade assistance.

Again this year, we monitored Cleveland NWS Weather Radar in case of severe weather.  Mother Nature was a little kinder to us this year holding off on any rain but not the normally hot and humid July conditions. Parade Chairman Pete Truemper was kept advised of weather during the parade.

Our other parade responsibility and perhaps our most important, especially considering the very warm and humid conditions of this years parade was our  role in medical support. Amateurs were stationed with Canton EMS units and provided a common communications link to the medical command center in demarshaling area. As expected, numerous minor medical emergencies occurred mostly due to the warm temperatures. Mike Palmer, KD8ENV acted as Medical Liaison in the staging area and also assisted during several medical emergencies that occurred during the parade.  Captain Ray Friedman of the Canton Fire Department appreciated our efforts in support of the medical units.

Special thanks to the Massillon Amateur Radio Club who provided the use of their Emergency Communications trailer which was used as command post for both logistical and medical operations during the parade.

Community Parade General Chairman Pete Truemper expressed his heartfelt thanks to all the radio operators for their assistance. "Your operators are a vital part of this parade", said Pete, "your continued support year after year makes all the difference". 

A special thank you to the following volunteers who assisted with this years event. The staging and logistical support crew included Cathy Storey - KC8EUC and Bruce Humphrey - KB8SAF. TV production support included Ralph Bugg – K8HSQ with assistance from Tom Gill – KC8QOD and Jason Stroll - KC8LIN in the TV Production Van.  Net Control was handled by Terry Russ - N8ATZ. Medial Unit support included  Mike Palmer – KD8ENV in staging with Michelle Gill - KC8ZEJ, Dave Beltz – WD8AYE and Igor Nikishin - K8INN along the route and in Demarshalling.

A terrific job from a great crew, thanks again for your support to ARES Community Service !

Terry Russ - N8ATZ
Assistant EC, Stark Co ARES
2008 Community Parade Communications Support

ARRL ARES E-Letter Posted
Terry Russ, N8ATZ - Assistant Emergency Coordinator

   (Oct 17, 2008) -- The October 17, 2008 edition of The ARES E-Letter is currently posted and includes the following highlights;

Cedar Rapids Flood Response, Harrison County, Indiana ARES Activates for Historic Windstorm, SKYWARN Recognition Day Celebrates Ten Years, Hospital Standards for EmComms Include Amateur Radio and other stories.. 

You can read the entire newsletter on the ARRL website. Click Here for a direct link.

The Next Time Could Be Different
Courtesy of the ARRL

ARRL Feature: (Nov 1, 2008) -- Labor Day Weekend 2008 and the two that followed will be long remembered at ARRL Headquarters. On three successive weekends major tropical events made landfall in the United States: Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana on September 1, Tropical Storm Hanna in South Carolina on September 6, and Hurricane Ike in Texas on September 13. The three siblings inflicted death and severe destruction on our Caribbean neighbors — but bad as they were, they did not create the sort of havoc on our shores that followed Katrina's visit to New Orleans and southern Mississippi three years ago.   Full Story

Skywarn Recognition Day December 6th
Courtesy of the ARRL

  (Oct 30, 2008) -- The 10th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) Special Event will take place Saturday, December 6, 2008. SRD is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS) as a way to recognize the commitment made by Amateur Radio operators in helping to keep their communities safe. According to SRD Coordinator David Floyd, N5DBZ, Amateur Radio operators can visit their local participating NWS office, working as a team to contact other hams across the world throughout the 24 hour event.    Full Story

EmComm - What's It All About ?
Courtesy of the ARRL

Feature:  (Apr 5, 2007) -- How can we as amateurs become -- and stay -- beneficial to our communities? Here is one ham's take on it.      Full Story

   Monitor the 147.12 Mhz Repeater for Severe Weather information here in Stark County !

Our thanks to Mercy Medical Center for their commitment to the Stark County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and First Communications for their support of Stark County Winlink.

 
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The Stark County Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Canton,  Ohio  44701

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Welcome to the new Stark County ARES Website. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed Amateur Radio operators who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public interest when disaster strikes.

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