Catalina Radio Club's

Emergency Communications Team

(ECT)

ECT Coordinator Airport Site

Don Cox, K6QZL 520 794-8186

ECT Coordinator Rita Road Site

Ed Sherlock, K6ESS, 520 794-2771, Pager 520 531-7440

ECT NET SCHEDULE

The ECT Net meets the Third Wednesday of each month on 147.390 MHz +600 kHz offset at 11:30 am local time

145.450 MHz -600 kHz offset at 11:30 am local time (Rita Road Site)

ECT Net Procedure

ECT Net Login Checklist

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Catalina Radio Club own and operate an Authorized Amateur Radio Station at the Falcon Field clubhouse facility that includes a repeater transmission capability. Tucson employees that are members of the Radio Club formed an Emergency Communications Team (ECT) to provide emergency communications as needed, and is directly responsible to Security, Administration Operations for carrying out their emergency communications requirements.

ECT will provide supplemental communications for any potentially dangerous situation within the complex, such as earthquake, fire, power failure, flood, or aircraft crash.

All primary communications and contact with outside regulatory agencies, will be handled by the Disaster Control Communications Center.

If regular communications fail, become overloaded, or are found to be inadequate, the ECT will provide backup health and welfare communications for both the Medical Department and Plant Safety. During a major disaster the ECT will provide a backup communications link to local hospitals and local disaster agencies via the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) network.

ECT will react to primarily two types of problems: a MAJOR DISASTER or a LOCAL DISTURBANCE. The ECT Team functions under this plan at the direction of the ECT Coordinator and their assistants who act upon instructions from the Emergency

ECT Rules and Regulations

Download the ECT Rules and regulations (Word for windows)

ECT Training

Pima County ARES/RACES Website

All ECT Training will be provided by the local ARES/RACES organization. Please check out this website for further information.

10 Ways to Optimize Your Effectiveness in Public Service Events

By Willam L. Continelli, AB2CA

RF Musings, newsletter of the Schenectady (NY) Museum Amateur Radio Association

1) Make sure your radio is in top operating condition. Small problems (such as loose antenna connections, bad microphones, intermittent operation, etc.) may be just annoying during casual operation, but WILL cause major grief under the continuous/severe service of net/emergency operation. If your radio's not in 100% top shape, buy, beg, or borrow one.

2) Don't operate your handheld with it hanging on your belt. Using the radio while it's strapped to your waist reduces your effective radiated power by more than 10 dB. That's a 90% reduction in power! Hold the radio in your hand, with the antenna in the clear.

3) Regarding antennas, those 3" rubber dummy loads may be cute, but you're throwing away 3-6 dB of power when using one. (If you're really into math, compute the loss of a 3" rubber dummy load used on a beltclip). A telescoping half-wave has a gain of as much as 10 dB over a 3" rubber duck and a quarter-wave provides a 4-6 dB improvement. Even a1215" rubber duck will boost your signal by 3-6 dB over the 3" ones. Remember that one dB can mean the difference in whether or not a critical message gets through.

4) Have charged batteries and spare battery packs! If you also have a dry cell battery case, fill it with alkaline batteries. Make sure you have enough batteries with you to carry you through, even on high power.

5) Use headphones or an earphone rather than a speaker/mike. Most earphones will plug directly into your HT. Low cost stereo headphones are widely available and will work perfectly with your HT using a moon to stereo adapter. The head phones also have the advantage of concentrating the communications in your ears, while partially shutting out the outside noise. Headphones will also prolong battery life by allowing the radio to operate at lower audio output. A speaker/mike is the worst thing you can use--it doesn't cut the outside noise, it doesn't save batteries, and where is that HT while you're using the speaker/mike?? (Hint--see #2!)

6) Speak slowly and clearly when transmitting! You may take pride in your ability to run your words together and mumble, but the station on the other end may be in a noisy environment and may not receive your message.

7) Check out your ability to use simplex. Even if the operation is being conducted on a repeater, there may be "dead spots," the repeater may go down, or, sad to say, there may be jamming. Even if you can only work the two or three stations closest to you, a message can still be relayed. To maximize your simplex range, please reread #2 and #3.

8) Listen to net control and direct all communication through him/her. Identify your station when calling net control and keep all communications direct and to the point.

9) If you must leave the radio or the area to which you have been assigned, first seek permission and acknowledgment from the net control station, make your "time off" as short as possible, and check back in with NCS immediately upon your return.

10) Project a good image to the non-hams around you that are part of the event/ emergency. This means acting professionally, using basic hygiene skills, etc.