SPARCS Ham Radio Emergency Communication

DEEP SOUTH TEXAS HAMS PREP FOR IKE ARRIVAL

Monday Evening September 8, 2008 — 8:30 p.m. 

To: All Cameron County Ham Radio Support Team Members

From: K5REW - STARS/SPARCS Cameron County EMCOMM Coordinator

Subject:  IKE as of Monday night -  Elevated Condition 3 

Wishful thinking had the storm moving farther north as it leaves Cuba as it still might just be doing, still a possibility but I am forwarding you the attached graphic of tonight’s GFS run (the red line) along with the other super-computer model runs.  I’m sure you will be as concerned about this as I am tonight. The “GFS” stands for Global Forecasting System and is one of the US Government’s main supercomputer programs located in Washington DC. Note that none of the computer models have 100% accuracy, and this is one of several as you can see in the model run. Other information should be compared to this 8 pm. EDT run including the model that Dr. Woolweaver provides to us several times each day from his station in Harlingen.

I’m elevating our ham radio communications group to CONDITION THREE (3) status, up from the routine daily “4″ condition we observe during normal day to day life in the Valley. The elevated condition “3″ can be found on the SPARCS.US web site alert page:

http://www.sparcs.us/home/alert-status/

In regard to the attachment… Our general location can be found to be situated in the middle of a wide swath. As of tonight IKE is weak and could weaken more I understand. Much can change and probably will before we know a lot more and with much more reliability. I urge you to proceed cautiously ahead.

Our IKE efforts will begin Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on 146.70 MHz with an “IKE Info Net”. We’ll look forward to your check-in and reporting in. Here we’ll focus on information as we know it from NWS, Hurricane Center and our Local Authorities. WA5ZIP or WB5GFU will be calling the net precisely at 7 pm depending upon Patti’s schedule at work.

At some point it might become necessary to assemble radio systems and antennas at our EOC locations in Cameron County and I greatly appreciate everyone who could possibly contribute time, effort and any extra equipment you may have from dipoles to masts, and from two meter to HF. The need for two-meter and HF antenna systems including radios could be significant. Coordinators for each EOC will be as follows so please contact the hams below to arrange any support you can provide whether it be operating a schedule or contributing equipment of some type. Not everyone is able to contribute and that fact shouldn’t deter anyone from participating in the EmComm effort. Hams that participated in the Cameron County ID Badge program will be called upon to serve in the Cameron EOC if a storm should begin to indicate problems for us. Our coordinators for both Brownsville and Cameron EOC locations are:

Brownsville EOC:  K5VC Bob Austin and KF0MP Andy Treat
Cameron County EOC: KB5TMC Jerry Rogers
National Weather Service: WA9IES Ralph Waddups

If you are able to spare time and energy in the effort to equip and possibly operate from the EOCs in Brownsville, please contact me or the coordinators above as soon as possible so that they can develop their plan accordingly.

Once again, this is simply an elevated condition up one level from routine to “A STAY ALERT CONDITION 3″ due to the possibility of IKE’s route through the Gulf of Mexico as the week unfolds.