Page 53 May June 2014 TCA

There were of course certain aspects of THE NEW ELGIN ARS EMERGENCY TRAILER
the exercise that didn’t work well. Each
point is food for thought that will be Al McRorie, VE3GAM
added into the planning for future events.
The key points that need our attention Warren Doan, VE3EGQ,
include: was a long-time member and
colleague of the Elgin
• The use of tactical call signs (versus Amateur Radio Society
Amateur Radio call signs) to identify a (EARS) in St Thomas,
station was a new concept for this Ontario.
type of exercise.
He generously allowed our
• Some participants weren’t aware of club to use his trailer for many
their Winlink address and had years to store the antennas
challenges in the feld of digital and towers for Field Day.
messaging.
When Warren became a
• Some participants had a very local Silent Key in 2012, the club
“closed loop” perspective to needed to fnd a replacement
emergency preparedness and didn’t trailer to store the antennas
share a “big picture” approach in and towers and our other
their planning.
Field Day supplies.
• While digital message client software
varied amongst participants, some One of our club members,
groups appeared not to be keeping John Hetherington, VE3IZM,
pace with the larger EmComm user acquired a trailer from
community selection of RMS Express someone who donated it to
as the standard.
the club. It was in rough
• The planning team was continually shape but workable. Once
surprised by a belief that groups the club had a trailer to use
don’t need a communications plan for antennas and towers, it
beyond their local jurisdiction. needed to be refurbished,
repainted and fxed up.
• While the exercise appeared very
complex on paper, the (two) net Many club members dove
control stations were given a into the project to fx up the
relatively simple set of instructions to trailer. It was refurbished,
follow. Regrettably, divergence from repainted and our club name
the exercise instructions resulted in and website address were
problems from the outset. painted on each side.
• While HF band conditions on 20 We were not done with the
metres were good for stations more trailer yet. Our club meets at
than 750 miles from VA7ARE, we the Elgin Regiment building
didn’t consider how important 40 each month. At our December
and 80m would be in terms of club meeting, Worth Chisholm,
working EMBC or perhaps WA VE3BTC, gave a brief
stations. description of modifcations
• Several stations reported computer underway to the club trailer
problems that impacted their packet which would enable us to
messaging capability. install a 30-foot aluminum
club tower on the trailer for emergency use. Modifcations include outriggers, trailer
• While Twitter was used before, during jacks, hinge plates, gin pole, power and manual winches. Work on the modifcations
and after the exercise, the core to the trailer was completed by the end of February.
group of “followers” was relatively
small which suggests Amateur Radio The completed trailer has the ability to mount a 30-foot tower. The outriggers were
might be missing a social network then added to the trailer for stability, and a winch system was installed which can be
opportunity. used to raise the tower. It is loaded and ready for action.
If the design team was to host the same On April 2, fve of our club members were out on a sunny but very cold morning. As
exercise again, we would defnitely make can be seen in the above photo, the tower went up like a charm. It will be used when
some changes. The areas that would get we demonstrate Amateur Radio for the Elgin Regiment one Thursday night in May. It
the most attention would include: will also be used at our Field Day operation in Shedden, Ontario later this year.
• Reducing the written complexity of Thanks to the following club members for their contributions to the new trailer:
the event Worth Chisholm, VE3BTC, Bill Park, VE3WMP, Dave Tilley, VA3TD,
John Hetherington, VE3IZM, Dietmar Fichter, VE3CG, Mike Lukasik, VA3MD,
• Use only one net control station Rick, Peterson, VE3FMC, Harold Tuthill, VA3KQ, Keith Beaty, VA3ZKB and
• Have two support stations on HF Al McRorie VE3GAM.
(one in the Yukon and the other in If you have any questions or want more information, please contact Worth, VE3BTC
OR) for running 40 and 80m within at worth@rogers.com or check the club’s website at http://elginradio.wordpress.com.
BC and WA-state
51