The Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill is set for Monday Evening August 2nd, 2010 from 7 - 9 PM. The drill will be similar to past years in that it will be leveraged off the MEMA Region Two scenario and expanded statewide and will be named 'Hurricane Hudson'. There will be some changes, however, from past hurricane drills and it is hoped these changes will bring further interest in the exercise and allow for practice in newer items that have not been attempted in quite some time.

Our team can expect to need 4 - 6 radio operators staffing the radio room at 50 Skyline Drive operating in both the capacity of the MEMA Region 4 RACES Radio Station (WC1MAD) and the Worcester RACES Radio Station (WE1CT).

Anyone that is not operating from the radio room is highly encouraged to operate the drill from home. This drill exemplifies the new MEMA RACES mission of situational awareness, and so we need people in the field doing the 'ground zero' reporting.

More information to come out about 7 - 10 days before the event, but please mark your calendars accordingly.

The Worcester Area VE Team will be holding an amateur radio test session for all license classes: at Salisbury Labs, Room 105, Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 6:30 PM.

If you have never registered with the FCC's ULS system and received a FRN number, please read the notice in the Read More link below.

We will try to provide a talk-in on the 145.310 / 449.025 W1WPI repeater. It is recommended that if you are not familiar with the WPI campus that you print out and bring with you the campus map.

Please bring:

• AN ORIGINAL AND A PHOTOCOPY of your current license and any CSCEs or other paperwork you are submitting
  
• A basic calculator
  
• Two forms of state acceptable ID (one must be a picture ID)
  
• $15 exam fee (if check, payable to "ARRL VEC")
  
• Pen or pencil

The photocopies of your paperwork are very important as we must submit a copy of your records to the ARRL VEC if you are successful.

NOTICE ABOUT PRIVACY CONCERNS - FCC REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

Some amateurs have been concerned over the FCC's requirement for your Social Security Number (SSN). The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, Public Law 104-134, requires all federal agencies to collect Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) from all persons doing business with the agency. This includes all applicants and holders of FCC licenses. For an individual, your TIN is your SSN.

It is suggested that all applicants register in the FCC's Universal Licensing System to obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) prior to attending a VE session. When you register for an FRN, your SSN will not be disclosed to the public and it must be given only once. You may then use your FRN in place of your SSN on all future applications, including the Form 605 you will complete at the VE session. The Commission has taken several steps to ensure the privacy of your SSN. Electronic registration on the Internet is accomplished using the FCC's secure Web server.

To register for an FRN, go to http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls and click on REGISTER. Once you obtain your FRN, write it down and bring it with you to the VE session. Be sure to keep a record of your FRN and password for future use. If you do not register before the VE session, you will be required to provide your SSN on Form 605 at the VE session in order for your application to be processed.

WMA ARES Section Emergency Coordinator and our team Secretary John Ruggiero N2YHK is looking assistance with this season's Massachusetts State Triathlon in Winchendon at the Lake Dennison Recreational Area on Sunday, July 18 from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Assignments will vary but will generally include various checkpoints along the route, start and finish line, and shadowing the triathlon coordinators. Times involved with each of the assignments will vary as well. Volunteers will receive tickets for a professionally catered BBQ lunch, as well as a technical fabric t-shirts, instead of cotton. The ham radio team will also be provided with our own 10x10 tent to coordinate our efforts. More details on the triathlons are available on the Max Performance website.

For more details on the amateur radio assignments or to sign up contact John N2YHK, and let John know if you have UHF equipment with DCS / DPL when you sign up.

ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. Each year over 35,000 amateurs gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate.

On Field Day the Worcester Emergency Communications Team will work as many stations as possible on the 80, 40 and 20 meter amateur bands (with a Get on the Air station on 10m) and we will learn and practice operating in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. If enough people sign up in the next 10 days we will add 15 meters and even 10 meters stations!

It's a known fact that QSO's don't happen on RF alone and this year the canteen promises to be the best ever! We've added an 'All-You-Can-Eat' meal plan – 3 meals for just $20. The BBQ feeds the QSO frenzy on Saturday evening with a new "all-you-can-eat" menu for just $12.00. Breakfast refuels the QSO troopers with a $6 breakfast and we've added a Sunday lunch for $6. The more signups we get the better the vittles.

Attend an educational session on Weather Prediction presented by Stephen, KB1SCD on Sunday at 9:00 AM.

Practice satellite communications during field day – don't miss this fun event!

Boy Scout Troop 101 will be helping us this year at the GotA station.

Please sign up using the signup form so we know how many will be attending. Bring the kids, nieces, nephews, spouse and neighbors – all are welcome!

This year's Field Day promises to be even more spectacular than ever – with your participation.

Field Day will be held at the usual site at the National Guard Building, 50 Skyline Drive, Worcester MA.

More info on the Field Day info page, or email Field Day Event Coordinator Dirk Hart KB1HKN.

Setup begins at 8:00 AM on Saturday 26 June - see you then!

As everyone can see, our team has a brand new website!

There are many new items to take note of on the new website. The Field Day 2010 info page and signup form are both up, use the drop down above to check it out or sign up. The new website is on wect.org instead of wect.net, and all requests to wect.net will redirect here. There are lots of new features and the like. Members are no longer required to login for any purpose. Members can also change their email address on the team's email reflector using the form in the "Members" drop down.

One thing that we are looking for are more radio pictures for the top header here. If anyone wants their radio features, send the pictures to Gil WK1H. The pictures should have 1000 pixels width and 285 pixels height.

Please look around and let us know what you think!

If you are affiliated with Worcester RACES or RACES in another town, both the federal and state governments have recently agreed upon some basic core requirements for RACES personnel in order to retain the RACES designation and certification. These requirements consist of taking two Incident Command Courses offered online by FEMA. The specific courses are IS-100.b and IS-700.a. The IS-100.a is basic Incident Command Structure. This is the management system that is to be used to manage any large scale incidents. IS-700.a is a NIMS Introduction. NIMS (National Incident Management System) is the federal implementation of the ICS system. Additionally, if you are likely to assume a supervisory role during an incident, IS-200.b (ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents) is required. Since any Net Control assignment is considered a supervisory role, it is highly recommended that all team members take this course as well because any member may be asked to take a NCS assignment at any time during an incident. IS-100.b is a prerequisite to taking IS-200.b. All three courses are free and only involve a few hours of your time. If classroom courses are preferred over online courses, email Worcester Emergency Management with your request. If enough people are interested (10+), we will be able to run a normal classroom session for any of these courses, again, free of charge. For more on this subject, see the Recommended Training page.