Camden County, MO Emergency Management Agency carries the amateur radio call sign KA0EMA thanks to Camden County ARES Emergency Coordinator Ernie Venis, who secured the new vanity call on 02/19/2022!
Camden County, MO Amateur Radio Emergency Service
The Camden County, MO Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CC ARES) is an organization of volunteer amateur radio operators dedicated to serving Camden County and the east-central Missouri area, also known as District F, with emergency and public service communications. CC ARES is affiliated with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
The Camden County, MO ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC) is responsible for directing the efforts of the organization and maintaining relationships with our served agencies.
Ernest Venis (W0LTC)
You can contact Ernie at evenis@gmail.com
Member list COMING SOON!
ARES E-Letter – Click here!
The Camden County, MO ARES adheres to the National Incident Management System training. Please register for a FEMA Student Identification Number (SID) if you do not have one. Once you have a FEMA SID, please take the following courses and turn your certificate for each in to Ernie.
FEMA Independent Study Courses to take:
IS-100.c (or newer)
IS-200.c (or newer)
IS-700.b (or newer)
IS-800.d (or newer)
If you are interested in qualifying to assist in the Emergency Operations Center for the Emergency Management Agency, you are required to be NIMS compliant. To obtain NIMS compliance, please complete the following additional courses and turn your certificates in to Ernie or the director of the EMA:
IS-230.d (or newer)
IS-235.c (or newer)
IS-240.b (or newer)
IS-241.b (or newer)
IS-242.b (or newer)
IS-244.b (or newer)
Our partners at the Benton County, MO ARES have a great website set up bentoncountyares.org full of useful information!
Missouri Emergency Services Net
The Missouri Emergency Services Net (MESN) is a weekly net that meets each Sunday afternoon at 1400 Central time, 2000 UTC. This is a directed net that meets on 3.963 MHz lower side band with an alternate frequency of 7.263 MHz plus or minus allowing for interference. Check-ins are welcome from all Missouri stations, especially those affiliated ARES and emergency or disaster related or organizations. Check-ins are also welcome from stations in other states that are interested in emergency related communications. Check-ins are first taken from Missouri by ARES districts, followed by Missouri stations unsure of which ARES district they reside, finally, check ins from bordering states are taken. When checking in please give only your call sign, phonetically and the county where you reside.
2021 Simulated Emergency Test
Simulated Emergency Test
All Amateur Radio Operators Invited to Participate
Saturday October 23, 2021
Starting at 8:00 AM
- What it’s all about?
This is a earthquake exercise. St. Louis Metro ARES will run a net on the 146.850 MHz repeater. This will occur simultaneously with a Missouri statewide HF voice net on 3.963 MHz. - When it will take place?
Saturday, October 23, 2021 starting at 8:00 AM local time. - How to participate
Each participant will conduct a survey of their home. With what you know of how your home is constructed, you will give us your guess on how you home will survive a 7.7 earthquake.
Click here to display the Red Cross Damage Assessment survey sheet.
Click here to display the exercise operations order.
Click here to display the earthquake magnitude and intensity table.
Results of the Region F Earthquake Exercise
Per Emergency Coordinator Ernie Venis W0LTC:
WE HAD A GOOD TURNOUT…
COPY OF THE FINAL REPORT THAT I SENT TO SEMA AND REGION F ARES COORDINATOR.
WE HAD 13 CHECK INS ON THE LOARC REPEATER…
OUR SCENARIO WAS THAT THE EARTHQUAKE TOOK DOWN OUR ARES/SKYWARN .955 REPEATER SO WE HAD TO REVERT TO THE CLUB .73 REPEATER…AND DURING THE EXERCISE, I ADDED THAT I HAD LOST MY BASE STATION ANTENNA AND RELIABILITY, SO I WENT MOBILE TO HIGH GROUND…AND AS I STARTED THE EXERCISE, MY MAIN HIGH POWERED MOBILE DROPPED FOR REAL, SO I MOVED TO NEARER THE REPEATERS AND CONTINUED THE EXERCISE ON A PORTABLE HANDHELD RADIO.
I BELIEVE THE TOTAL CHECK INS DISTRICT F, WIDE WAS 78. SO WE SHOWED WELL, WE HAD CHECK INS/REPORTS FROM 4 COUNTIES.
IN ADDITION, WE HAD TWO CHECK INS REPRESENTING ARES / EMA FROM TWO COUNTIES.
GREAT SHOWING FROM US..
ERNIE
Completed exercise information:
DISTRICT F ARES WILL CONDUCT AN “ALL HANDS ON DECK” GREAT SHAKEOUT-RELATED EXERCISE ON SATURDAY MORNING OCTOBER 10, 2020 AT 10 AM. THE SCENARIO WILL BE A MAGNITUDEE 5.7 EARHQUAKE NEAR CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. PLAYERS WILL CHECK INTO THEIR LOCAL OR REGIONAL REPEATER TO REPORT ANY LOCAL DAMAGE IN THEIR CITY/COUNTY. ALL AMATEURS ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE REGARDLESS OF ARES AFFILEATION.
THE EXERCISE WILL BE CONDUCTED ON VARIOUS DISTRICT F REPEATERS, WINLINK MESSAGING, AND PERHAPS A DMR NET.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS CONCERNING THE EXERCISE WILL BE FORTHCOMING IN THE FUTURE.
73,
JD SIMMONS
ARES DISTRICT F DEC
Additional information about the exercise:
The Lake of the Ozarks Amateur Radio Club will announce the exercise on their repeater later this week and Saturday morning on their 9 am net. Then the repeater will be used for the exercise on Saturday morning at 10 am. Net Control will be ARES EC Ernest Venis (W0LTC). You can find repeater information for LOARC here.
About ARES
What Is Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES)?
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.
Who We Work With
Here in Camden County, we work in conjunction with the Camden County, MO Emergency Management Agency. In doing so, we operate the county’s radio equipment in the Emergency Operations Center Radio Room during emergencies, training, exercises, etc. Assistant Director Samantha Henley is a general class amateur radio operator, call sign KE0LMY.
ARES Membership Requirements
Every licensed amateur regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training is required to participate fully in ARES, including free FEMA Independent Study Courses 100, 700, and 800. You can find instructions and direct links to these classes here. Camden County, MO ARES can help you complete these courses. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable but is not a requirement for membership.
ARES Strategic Plan
Here you will find the PDF of the overall ARES Strategic Plan. This will offer guidance in the design of the local SOP and EAP. Click here for the plan.
ARRL Radiogram
Instructions for Verbal Transmission of ARRL Radiogram:
“Please copy my number: 1, Routine, HX Golf, (your call sign), Check number (does not include your signature or callsign), (your location), (time), (Date). Going to (your addressee) and (amateur call sign if any), figures (address), phone figures (phone number), break for text.”
*Now wait for the receiving station to say “go with text”, plus this allows them any fills they might need of the preamble information or any needed fills of information of the addressee.
When they say, “go with text,” read your message word for word at writing speed, any tough words use phonetics. The number of words should match the (check) in the preamble. ARL Message codes are always phonetically spelled out. One number character per box. Ex. ARL Fifty Six would be 3 words. When done delivering your text to receiving station say, “Break for Signature”.
*Wait for receiving station to ask for fills, or say, “go with signature”.
Give signature of message sender, amateur call sign if applicable and say “end message number one, how copy?”
The receiving station will acknowledge your message number one and say “thanks for the traffic” ending with their call sign. You can reply by saying “thank you for taking it” and end with your call sign so net control knows the message has been passed and you both are finished.
Additional resource: ARRL Message Handling instructions
ICS 213 General Message Form
Pro Words for Message Handling
Word list adopted by the International Telecommunication Union
The RST system
Additional Resources
Winlink website (includes downloadable program, walk through videos, and trouble-shooting)
RMS Express Winlink in EMCOMM PowerPoint Instructional Guide
ARRL Exam Review for Ham Radio
ARRL Quickstart for Ham Radio Operators
K9ATK and KD0AOE’s Operating on a Repeater Guide
WE APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS AND UNDERSTANDING PROVIDED BY THE ARRL AND ARES!
HERE IS A SMALL EXAMPLE OF THE INFORMATION USED IN THE
ARRL EC 016 TRAINING PROGRAM:
The Emergency Manager has the statutory power, and statutory responsibility, to coordinate these operations. The essential activity in this job is management of resources during emergencies. An ARES unit is a volunteer emergency communication resource.
Some ARES units have attached themselves, by mutual consent, to Emergency Management departments. The county Emergency Manager allocates the ARES unit’s communication resources during emergencies just like any other important resource. The EM tells the EC where communications links are most needed. The EC then does all the usual tasks of an EC – assigning operators and equipment, making relief schedules, and so on.
This arrangement has several benefits.
First, the EC does not have to develop and maintain multiple served agency relationships. The ARES unit is simply a volunteer arm of Emergency Management and serves any other agencies as the Emergency Manager assigns them.
Second, the person who knows best what is needed and where, and who has the statutory job to meet those needs – the Emergency Manager – decides which communication task(s) are assigned to the ARES unit. The EC does not have to decide, for example, that it is more important to serve the American Red Cross than The Salvation Army during a particular incident.
Third, the ARES unit may be afforded a meeting place in the Emergency Operations Center, maintained under the Department of Emergency Management. Some ARES units have even been given a separate “emergency communications center” – a room where Amateur Radio and public service radio equipment is stored and operated. Some Emergency Managers have allocated funds in their budgets to purchase Amateur Radios and antennas to support the mission of their attached ARES groups. As trust and mutual respect develops, Amateurs are sometimes given even greater responsibility. At least one EC has been made Deputy Director of Emergency Management, a volunteer position with even greater opportunity to serve the public in time of need. Again, plenty of advance planning is a must. The most successful EC will be the one who develops a solid working relationship with the County EM so that a predetermined set of guidelines and expectations can be met.
Finally, there is training. Attachment to Emergency Management opens doors to a huge opportunity for emergency training at the local, state, and federal levels. The Emergency Manager can authorize enrollment in a number of web-based and classroom courses offered at the state or national level. Such training also assures both the EC and the County EM that our amateur operators are trained in all of the procedures that they will need should an actual emergency present itself.
Additional Emergency Communications Resources
SHARED RESOURCES (SHARES) HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) RADIO PROGRAM
The SHAred RESources (SHARES) High Frequency (HF) Radio program provides an additional means for users with a national security and emergency preparedness mission to communicate when landline and cellular communications are unavailable. SHARES members use existing HF radio resources to coordinate and transmit messages needed to perform critical functions, including those areas related to leadership, safety, maintenance of law and order, finance, and public health.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Camden County, MO Emergency Management Agency 