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ARES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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| The Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have
voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for
communications duty in the public service when disaster
strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in
the ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible
for membership in the ARES. In Lowndes County Mississippi, you
must be 18 years of age or older. The only other qualification, other than
possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to
serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are
eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered
equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership. |
Q - Are there any special requirements to become
a member of ARES ?
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| A - There are
several requirements to become a member of ARES . The first
is that you be a licensed amateur radio operator and second, you
must be 18 years of age or older to participate in Lowndes County
Mississippi and have a sincere desire to serve your community in times of emergency
or disaster. |
Q - What special equipment do I need to
participate in ARES?
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| A - as an amateur
radio operator, you have much of the equipment already. It is
recommended that you have a source of power independent of the
commercial mains as during some emergencies commercial power is not
available. |
Q - Am I 'on call' all the time if I register
with ?
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| A - No. In we
encourage all members to be as active as possible. We realize that
we are all volunteers and are not available at all times. You are
not obligated to spend any set amount of time working with ARES. |
Q - Is there a membership fee to join ARES ?
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| A - No. There are
no fees involved in ARES. There is no requirement that you be a
member of any club to be a member. |
Q -
Are there any ARES NET Rules for
Lowndes County?
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ARES Net Rules
- The net can only be activated at the request of the Lowndes County Emergency Management. The net can also be activated for testing purposes by the
Emergency Coordinator or Assistant Emergency Coordinator.
- All traffic will go through net control.
- Net control will use the call sign KC5ULN.
- Net control will monitor 3.862 MHz for any messages. (7.238 MHz.
backup frequency)
- You MUST be 18 years old to take an active part in emergency relief operations but anyone may check into the net.
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Q -
Are there any SkyWarn NET Rules
for Lowndes County?
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SkyWarn Net Rules
- You NEED to have attended a National Weather Service Skywarn class to be on the net
- You NEED to attend a National Weather Service Skywarn class every 2 years.
- You MUST be 18 years of age to participate in the warning net.
- There are 2 types of Skywarn nets:
Informal: The
repeater can be used normally.; Net control has the authority to interrupt and
change to a warning mode.
Warning: This mode will be activated when there is a
Tornado warning in a surrounding county or Lowndes County is under a Tornado
Warning. Also when Lowndes County is under a Tornado Watch and a Severe
Thunderstorm Warning at the same time; At this time all traffic will go to net
control. Net control will be receiving reports and will only want the
following information: Tornadoes, funnel clouds, high winds that blow trees
and power lines down, high winds and hail that damage buildings, dime-sized
hail, or larger.
- Net control will use the call sign KC5ULN.
- This net can be activated when the National Weather Services requests or
if the weather meets the criteria of the warning mode.
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