As it has been a little while since my last newsletter to the South Texas Section there have been a few changes, as well as several Hamfests and Tailgate events created for our section. I am looking forward to visiting as many as I can squeeze in this year.

There have been several new EC’s appointed and a few DEC’s as well this year. We still have a few openings for EC’s throughout the section, so if you are interested check out the map on our ARRL STX Depot website to see what is available:

https://www.arrlstxvps.org/vault_area/vault_gateway/site_gateway/vault_map.php

If you are interested in becoming an EC, please look over the requirements at the link below to decide if it is for you. If you are an EC and submitting your monthly reports, Thank you. If you are not submitting your monthly reports or have nothing to report then simply put you have nothing to report when submitting your report. Every EC needs to be submitting a report each month:

http://www.arrl.org/emergency-coordinator

If you would like to join ARES in your local county, please sign up at the ARRL STX Depot site at the link below. As soon as you register, your local EC will look over your application and approve you as a member:

https://www.arrlstxvps.org/vault_area/vault_gateway/site_gateway/vault_gateway.php

During this past year the number of reported traffic nets have increased in number, and as such, we as the South Texas Section have been able to report back to ARRL HQ’s a significantly higher number of Amateur Radio operators who are learning how to send and receive traffic. Also, the number of training sessions for handling traffic has increased, and I applaud the effort on everyone involved. I say this as I personally see the results as some of these training, and exercises involved myself as one or more of the individuals receiving the messages.

If you would like to learn more about traffic handling, please contact the ARRL STX Section Traffic Manager

Ron Bosch – KE4DRF at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

There are several newsletters each ARRL member can subscribe to each month, and there has been a new one that has only been out for a few months now. It is the ARRL Club News and can be found under your Edit Email Subscriptions tab under your profile.

If you are a club with news you would like to see in the ARRL Club News newsletter, please submit it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The clubs that are holding online or virtual meetings and would like any of your Section or Divisional leaders to attend, please send an invite to them. I am including our info below.

• West Gulf Division Director – John Stratton – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• West Gulf Vice Director – Lee Cooper – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• ARRL STX Section Manager – Stuart Wolfe – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• ARRL STX Section Emergency Coordinator – Jeff Walter –This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• ARRL STX Traffic Manager – Ron Bosch – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you,

Stuart Wolfe – KF5NIX

ARRL South Texas Section Manager

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mr. Mike McCue W5ATN has accepted the position of Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Milam County in District 7 of the South Texas Section. This appointment was recommended by Section Manager (SM) Mr. Stuart Wolfe. Mike replaces Stuart, now the STX SM, who had served as EC since May 10, 2017.

Read more: New EC for Milam County - Mike McCue W5ATN

Does your club have a club call sign? 

Is it used for Field Day, QSO parties, other contests, Special Events, like JOTA, Schools on the Air, Hamfest Talk-in, or on your club repeater(s)?

Most of us know that ARRL members use their This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. but this can be requested for your This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To set this up just have a Club officer fill out the on-line form and submit it to the ARRL. If your club doesn't have a call they will get the club's initials and 3 numbers.

Read more: Club@arrl.net E-Mail Forwarding Service

SCS, the company that created Pactor, has released software for Linux to allow over-the-air monitoring of Pactor 1/2/3 transmissions for meaning. Besides monitoring Pactor 1/2/3, PMON automatically decompresses B2F/LZHUF compressed messages on the fly. This is very useful for monitoring Winlink email transfers. The program requires only minimal hardware: an inexpensive Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (minimum) computer and an inexpensive USB sound device. An SCS Pactor modem is not needed.

The program is a free download for radio amateurs from a Linux repository provided by SCS. Easy-to-follow instructions, program information and documentation are provided on this SCS web page:
https://www.p4dragon.com/en/PMON.html

Thank you to John Huggins and Gordon Gibby, MD for their original decoding programs, and to Hans-Peter Helfert and the SCS team for this needed contribution to the amateur radio community!

--The Winlink Development Team

From our Red Cross Liaison.  

My usual jobs with Red Cross and ARES are assisting with Communications at Red Cross HQ, EOC Contact, Shelters, and Disaster Assessment.

What Red Cross Expects from ARES on Deployment

 Starting up:

1. Get a briefing from the Red Cross Manager/COML
2. Establish ARES and Red Cross Liaisons to manage traffic
3. Agree on the fastest way to exchange messages – paper, thumb drive, keep messages short, etc.
4. Find out where you should set up
5. Inform the Liaison of your capabilities, voice, data, and who you can contact
6. Confirm with Red Cross Your Tactical Call Sign & Cell number
7.  Make sure you are in contact with the correct county EOC
8. Check-in with Red Cross HQ
9. Conduct all actions safely and protect confidential information
10. Start your logs

Ongoing operations: What Red Cross will expect:

1. Prompt delivery of messages to the intended recipient
2. Prompt delivery of replies and acknowledgments to RC liaison
3. You must keep a
   1. Unit Log ICS 214 (Personnel & Events) and
   2. Communication Log ICS 309 (messages with date and time)
4. Make sure you have the equipment or resources to rapidly copy and deliver messages
5. Notify RC Liaison of any communications outages or delays
6. Confirm delivery of Digital Emergency communications by voice or acknowledgment

Shift Change:

1. Notify Red Cross on any personnel changes
2. Make sure logs are up to date
3. Ask if there is any way to improve service during the coming shift.

End of Deployment:

1. Get permission to secure
2. Delivery all logs to RC liaison
3. Clean up
4. Return to ARES resource Net

A fact of the post 9/11 world is that you cannot work in an EOC or with the Red Cross unless you have a completed background check. So please have your credentials showing a completed criminal background check.

To Learn More: Red Cross ARRL MOU

Jeffery A Walter – KE5FGA

ARRL STX SEC

Thanks to our (South Texas Section Communications Manager) Lee Cooper, W5LHC, an initiative to introduce a standardized ARES training program has been accepted by the entire West Gulf Division (that's South Texas, North Texas, West Texas, and Oklahoma).

Up until now, every individual ARES group has pretty much decided what and how they wish to train.  The result was that our served agencies did not know what background any of us had, particularly if we were moving to another jurisdiction.  We found that those agencies were spurred on largely by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and were looking for some form of standardization.

By adopting this standard, we can begin a process where ARES members can be identified as obtaining a minimum level of training.  The training itself is similar to that utilized by the COML (Communications Unit Leader) and COMT (Communications Unit Technician) that have been standardized at the Federal level.

Utilization of the training plan is optional, and participation by ARES members is also optional.  However, we are urging all county ARES groups to adopt the terminology and recognition by the title of their members.  The South Texas ARES database will be updated to reflect these standards, record progress, and recognize those who attain various levels in the training.

There are two aspects to the training:  one is a set of training items, and the other is a workbook to record progress towards recognition at each level.  This material makes a good training outline for ARES meetings.  There is sometimes a lack of direction or structure to local training.  I would certainly supplement the core training materials with other topics, and more depth than is covered in the outline, but over some period all ARES groups should cover each of the items in the training matrix.  Even those who may not yet aspire to one of the higher levels can find useful information in each of the topics.  I recommend setting up a schedule to cover all of the topics over some specific time period.

Training Workbook

Training Matrix

The benefit to ARES and our members is that we have a standard that we can incorporate so wherever we go within the WGD we know the minimum standard based on the level achieved.  Each ARES group can feel free to add additional requirements at the local level.  In some specific cases, it may be necessary to modify or substitute requirements based on a local situation or need.  Requests for this should be routed to the Section Emergency Coordinator through the local Emergency Coordinator and District Emergency Coordinator.