Yolo County ARES Meeting Minutes

Yolo ARES Meeting Minutes for 12/18/2012

Yolo County ARES
Meeting December 18, 2012

Members in attendance
Greg – KG6SJT

Bill – K6KN

Gary - WA6TQJ

Bryce – K7DWO

Lu – W6KJX

Rick – N6KLB

James – N6JMS

Reports

1. Treasurer report (Bill, K6KN)
Currently, Yolo ARES has a balance of $435.02

2. Yolo county EOC Equipment status report

Gary, WA6TQJ reported that most of the existing radios at the EOC have been repaired and are ready to return to service at the EOC.

Ken, K6WLS, has rewired the County EOC’s TNC and computer connection and it is now ready to install for packet and Winlink work at the County. Gary reported that the County has identified a computer that they will be setting up and installing for connection to the TNC.

We hope to have all the equipment re-installed in the EOC by the middle of the January 2013.

Gary noted that Yolo County ARES and the County are working on developing a MOU that would allow ARES to support the County EOC during emergencies.
Yolo County is very supportive of Yolo ARES efforts to provide emergency communications when necessary. They have some monies available to get the EOC back up and running with amateur radio equipment when needed.

3. Status of Antenna Grounding project to finish the Davis Police Station antenna project.

Gary reported that he met with Grant Olson, senior electrician for the City of Davis. It was decided that the best way to ground the lightening protector on the antenna on the EOC was to run the ground wire with an existing ground on the building’s roof. Gary has installed the lightening protectors and left enough wire to reach a ground point. Mr. Olson will complete the grounding in the later this week.

UPDATE! 12/19/12. Grant Olson emailed that the antenna-lightening protector has bonded the antenna ground to the HVAC unit.

4. Review/comment on an article out of the latest QST ... "The Future of ARES is CERTain". Bryce, K7DWO

Bryce gave a thoughtful talk about how ARES needs to explore working closely with Davis CERT. We have contacts and have developed relationships. It is an area we need to continue to foster.
Several ARES groups are encouraging the ARES/ CERT as a working model for training.

5. Emcomm Kits: Show and Tell
James, N6JMS gave an excellent presentation of the Emmcom kit he has put together. Photos are available at:
http://www.yoloares.org/news/2012/Decemeber_18_ARES

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25PM.

Yolo County ARES