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 Lowndes County Amateur Radio Club


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ARES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is ARES?
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 ?
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?
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 ?
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 ?
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?

ARES Net Rules

  1. 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.
  2. All traffic will go through net control.
  3. Net control will use the call sign KC5ULN.
  4. Net control will monitor 3.862 MHz for any messages.   (7.238 MHz. backup frequency)
  5. You MUST be 18 years old to take an active part in emergency relief operations but anyone may check into the net.

 

Q - Are there any SkyWarn NET Rules for Lowndes County?

SkyWarn Net Rules

  1.  You NEED to have attended a National Weather  Service Skywarn class to be on the net
  2. You NEED to attend a National Weather Service  Skywarn class every 2 years.
  3. You MUST be 18 years of age to participate in the  warning net.
  4. 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.  

  5. Net control will use the call sign KC5ULN.
  6. 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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Last Updated 1NOV11