Ham Radio Licensing Opportunity ( 1/11/09)

This is a great opportunity for those interested in earning a Ham Radio License (Technician Class).

The program includes:

-Easy study material prior to taking the day-long class

-Attending class from 10AM to 2PM (in Calabasas, CA)

-Taking the exam between 2PM and 3PM

-Discussing what you can do with radios between 3PM and 4PM. Costs are (in advance) $20, which covers Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks and $4 for the exam fee.

Please see above for more details. Sign-up now!!! The pass rate is very high -- if somehow you don't pass, who cares -- you can do it again soon after!!!

Sunvival -- emergency preparedness supplies

Sunvival offers a new perspective on emergency preparedness and living harmoniously with nature. Most survival plans and resources focus on a 3 day duration. However, in disasters like Hurricane Katrina, or a major earthquake, survival skills and equipment for much longer than 3 days will be essential. Our mission at Sunvival is to help everyone be prepared for such events. Tools and skills needed for longer term emergency survival draw upon nature's renewable resources and can be used for fun in camping and everyday life.

Check out their web-site at: http://www.sunvival.com/home/

Upgrading Ham Radio License

There are three classes of Ham Radio License -- Technician, General and Extra.

The last couple years, I've been Technician Class.

Today I sat the written exam and passed the General Class -- wahoo!! This upgraded class gives a Ham Radio Operator additional frequencies (including High Frequency) and opens the door to becoming a Volunteer Examiner on behalf of the FCC.

The road toward upgrading my license included several forms of learning material:

-ARRL's General Class License Manual Book (www.arrl.org)
-www.qrz (Free online web-site where you can drill sample tests)
-www.hamtestonline.com ($49 for 2 years giving you access to all three classes).

The book is good for learning the material and self-testing by reviewing the questions and answers in the back of the book. Also useful if you're not at a computer.

QRZ is great for doing a quick self-test to see if you are retaining the information -- I found after 1 week of reading the manual my scores where exponentially better.

HamTestOnline is a paid service that essentially replaces the paper-based manual. The good thing is you don't have to flip back and forth to the questions --- they appear on the screen. You get immediate feedback if you get something correct or incorrect. If you were incorrect then it will dynamically ask the same question later (just as your brain is about to forget again!!). Only comment is that the book does a better job of explaining the details of the material.

By using all three forms of learning, I did really well on the exam this morning and was extremely relaxed throughout.

Of course, there are also audio programs (CDs typically) if you do a lot of driving and prefer studying that way.

Whatever your learning style is -- just go and do something!!!

73

Paul (KI6USA/AG) -- As a suffix to my callsign (KI6USA) the "/AG" means that I have a temporary license to operate with General Class privileges while the FCC processes the new license.

Book Recommendation ("The Unthinkable")

Book recommendation by Sean Kellythorne (Ojai Valley CERT)

The Unthinkable (Who survives when disaster strikes - and why)
Amanda Ripley (Author)

http://www.amazon.com/Unthinkable-Survives-When-Disaster-Strikes/dp/0307352897/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227465548&sr=8-1

From Publishers Weekly
Ripley, an award-winning writer on homeland security for Time, offers a compelling look at instinct and disaster response as she explores the psychology of fear and how it can save or destroy us. Surprisingly, she reports, mass panic is rare, and an understanding of the dynamics of crowds can help prevent a stampede, while a well-trained crew can get passengers quickly but calmly off a crashed plane. Using interviews with survivors of hotel fires, hostage situations, plane crashes and, 9/11, Ripley takes readers through the three stages of reaction to calamity: disbelief, deliberation and action. The average person slows down, spending valuable minutes to gather belongings and check in with others. The human tendency to stay in groups can make evacuation take much longer than experts estimate. Official policy based on inaccurate assumptions can also put people in danger; even after 9/11, Ripley says, the requirement for evacuation drills on office buildings is inadequate. Ripley's in-depth look at the psychology of disaster response, alongside survivors' accounts, makes for gripping reading, sure to raise debate as well as our awareness of a life-and-death issue. 8 pages of color photos. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Golden Guardian Presentation & Drill 11/15/08

The Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team (Ojai Valley CERT, American Red Cross of Ventura County and Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club) held a very successful Golden Guardian Presentation and Drill on Saturday, November 15th at the New Wine Harvest Fellowship in Ojai.

Registration began at 9:30AM with over 60 people being registered.

Supervisor Steve Bennett began the presentations with a keynote address.

The next 90 minutes was packed with information from various local, city and county agencies -- see this web-site for agenda: http://sites.google.com/site/gg20081113/Home/ojai-valley-cert-drill-11-15-08

After a short break, we had a Search and Rescue Drill, using one of the church's meeting rooms. A "victim" was inside needing a stretcher and several walking wounded were inside who responded to the initial callout.

Ojai Valley Amateur Radio Club worked 3 separate radio networks to manage various communications for the drill.

Battalion Chief Gurrolla observed the drill and gave constructive feedback. He was overall very impressed with the various teams and was complimentary of the attention to detail.

At the conclusion of the drill, there was an in-depth discussion about radio communications, with future planning of Ham Radio Classes.

Big thanks to the New Wine Harvest Fellowship for providing the space; Ken Williams for providing Water; Captain Steve Lazenby (Santa Paula FD) for lending his equipment; and Ojai Valley Emergency Response Team for all the planning.

Golden Guardian Drill November 13th, 2008

The following is an overview of events I was involved with during the Golden Guardian Drill on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 starting at 10AM. In the weeks leading up to the drill I worked closely with Andrea (HR Manager) of The David Allen Company in Ojai (where I work) to put together a drill.

At 10AM each of the building captains (4 buildings) blew a whistle
Everybody got under a table and held on for one minute
Another whistle was blown a minute later signaling to evacuate building
Building captains did a headcount
Andrea and Paul communicated easily between building using FRS radios
Everybody accounted for by 10:03AM
All participants convened at main HQ building for a discussion
Discussion included:
-Evacuation procedure
-Re-entry procedure to retrieve laptops, etc
-Procedure for turning off electricity to building (if needed)
-Procedure for turning off water fountain
-Locations of fire extinguishers
-Shelter-in-place location
-Water, food, medical supplies
-Out of state contacts and means of communicating
-Procedure and importance of checking-out before leaving site
-Paul communicated drill results (via GMRS & Ham Radio) to Ojai EOC

A Disaster Prep Council was formed and will meet monthly.

I was extremely impressed with how smoothly the drill went -- demonstrates what's possible if everybody knows what to do and complies.

American Red Cross Family Locator Database

Providing Safe and Well Information

https://disastersafe.redcross.org/

The above link goes to the American Red Cross Safe and Well Website. If you have been affected by a disaster, this website provides a way for you to register yourself as “safe and well.” From a list of standard messages, you can select those that you want to communicate to your family members, letting them know of your well-being.

Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as “safe and well.” The results of a successful search will display a loved one’s First Name, Last Name, an “As of Date”, and the “safe and well” messages selected.