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The weather forecast for tomorrow looks wonderful, with mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of around 72 degrees.  Perfect for an outdoor tour of the Delaware County ARES trailer, which is located at Radnor Township Building, 301 Iven Avenue, Wayne 19087, starting around 7pm. This is the same location we had our combined CCDC/ARES/RCPO volunteer appreciation dinner in April 2023 for those that were able to attend.  Although this is an ARES meeting,…

From Jay King, W2AFE, EPA Section Emergency Coordinator Save the date - 25 May 2024 Red Cross is inviting Pennsylvania ARES, PEMA ACES, radio clubs and unaffiliated hams to participate in a joint exercise on May 25th. We've been hard at work preparing for the May National Mass Care Exercise (Keystone 6) and would like to leverage that infrastructure for a cross state Emcomm drill. Red Cross Emcomm Stations will be accepting check-ins on VHF, HF, Digital and Phone.…

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) — a division of the National Weather Service — is monitoring the sun following a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that began on May 8. Space weather forecasters have issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g4-watch-effect-may-11 for the evening of Friday, May 10. Additional solar eruptions could cause geomagnetic storm conditions to persist through the weekend.…

Please see the information below on the multi-county simplex radio test scheduled for May 11th starting at 1p. Many of us know the Boy Scout Motto is “Be Prepared.” And for many of us, we’ve learned it doesn’t just apply to those who are or have been members of the Boy Scouts of America – now branded as Scouts BSA. It’s a good way to live – prepared for whatever life puts in front of you.…

From our EPA Section Manager w3big@delcoares.net W3BIG Spring has sprung and so has hamfest season. Here are some upcoming events in the EPA Section: APRIL 27 - Saturday: York Hamfest sponsored by the York Hamfest Foundation. The event is held at Elicker's Grove Park located at 511 Roth Church Road in Spring Grove, PA 17362. Link for info: http://www.yorkhamfest.org/ http://epa-arrl.org?…

Please see this important message from ARRL Atlantic Division Director K3RF@delcoares.net K3RF: This message is directed only to our ARRL Western & Eastern PA section members to alert you to a serious legal issue returning to the spotlight.  A new law amending the PA Vehicle Code, pending a vote for some years, has reappeared recently and passed before the PA House of Representatives.…

*********EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE***************** THIS IS A DRILL The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Activation Communication System (ACS) will commence operations at 6 PM till 8pm for the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station exercise. This exercise aims to evaluate the preparedness of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland in responding to a nuclear emergency at the facility.…

As a member of AUXCOMM USA, they recently started using an App (iPhone and Android) for group chat, event calendar and photo/files sharing.  Very similar to other team sports apps like TeamSnap.  This can be used for quick chats and will be a useful place to put files specifically related to Delco ARES.  I would like everyone to please download the app and join the "delcoares" group.  We have this in the Microsoft Teams app; however, I know that is more difficult for some to log into.…

The Spring SET is April 6th. With all the other exercises planned for April and May I think it would be best to keep the SET straightforward. The SET includes two activities. 1)    WINLINK Check-in – PA hams check in with Red Cross Region using Red Cross Staff Request form. 2)    ARES Alert – ECs alert their teams, collect team EMCOMM capability and send to SEC at ARES-EPA

ARRL reports that the current online versions of EC-001 and EC-016 are ending on March 31, 2024. If you are currently enrolled in either, you should complete them by March 31st, 2024. EC-001 will be replaced with Basic Emcomm on April 1st, 2024. An Intermediate course is scheduled to be offered soon. An ARES Leadership course is in progress. The ARES Task Book is also being updated with minor changes. No current release date.