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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Communication is an important element in any event and more so when disaster strikes. First it was the floods of 2005 and then of 2010 which hit the Virgin Valley area causing severe damage in Beaver Dam, Arizona, our neighbor north of Mesquite and to areas of Mesquite itself.

The following procedures outline procedures for the Mesquite Nevada CERT and and Virgin Valley Amateur Radio Club.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Activation and Deployment Procedures
  • Activation:
    • Call from Mesquite EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to be ready.
    • Phone Tree activated.
    • Assure that family is secure.
    • Gather Equipment:
    • Information:
      • Monitor 147.560
      • TV, if local news available.
  • Set Up Communications Centers:
    • Primary: CERT room, Fire Station #2, Mesquite Airport.
    • Secondary: Mesquite Lutheran Church conference room.
  • Deployment:
    • Move to assigned locations.
    • Switch to 147.500 simplex NCS (Net Control Station) frequency.
  • Frequency Assignments:
    • CERT NCS: 147.500
    • CERT NCS  to Mesquite EOC: 147.520 simplex.
      • To Las Vegas: 145.300-, PL 100 (Beacon Hill) / 448.020-, PL 136.5
      • To Washington Co. UT: 146.820-, PL 100
  • Assignments at Communications Center:
    • Radio Operators.
    • Message runners.
    • Relief personnel.
  • Message Handling:  
  • After Action Reporting: Meet soon after event to evaluate performance of participation.

FREQUENCIES

Repeater Frequencies                                                                              
Frequency       PL            Owner                                                              
448.020-        136.5        LVRA (1)                                                          
449.825-        123           NARRI (2)                                                      
145.490-        100           W7DRC, St. George, UT                                
146.820-        100           Washington Co., UT                                      
147.390+        ---             Moapa ARC                                                    
146.820-        100           Clark Co. ARES/RACES (Beacon Hill)          
                                                                                                               
(1) Las Vegas Repeater Association, Inc.                                        
(2) Nevada Amateur Radio Repeaters, Inc.  		Simplex Frequencies

   VHF           UHF 
147.420     446.000
147.440     446.025
147.460     446.050
147.480     446.075
147.500*   446.100*
147.520     446.125
147.540     446.150
147.560     446.175
147.580     446.200

* NCS Frequencies

RECOMMENDED ON-LINE COURSES

FORMS AND TUTORIALS

HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO


     As noted above, the VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency) modes are commonly relied upon for us in an emergency; however, HF (high frequency) modes can be used also, and, in fact, are used for long distance communication.
     The antennas for HF are larger and can take up a lot of real estate; also, many hams starting out, usually begin with VHF/UHF radios as they are easier to handle and less expensive. To use the HF bands, a ham requires a General or Extra class license.
     There are a few hams in the area who have HF radios and in time, HF use will be incorporated into our planning, deployment and use.

_____

NVIS Antella for HF
(Near-Vertical Incident Skywave)
  • The antenna is designed and placed to provide the maximum possible gain straight up, on two or three frequency bands; thus, it is not a "DX" or "distance" antenna.
  • The resultant signal radiates straight up and bounces down, good for short distance communications around 300 miles radius.
  • The following articles provide a good starting point to learn more about NVIS antennas.



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