WCARES Emergency Ops Plan Update 2025

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From our EC, Hoop, K9QJS

WCARES is pleased to announce that a new version of the WCARES Emergency Operations Plan has been posted to the website. Special thanks to Jeff KC1DWP, former WCARES EC, who led a multi-month effort to update the document, which was last dated 2018. Thanks, too, to Laura N4CLO who reportedly ran the revised draft through an AI engine to further improve the wording and clarity. Many others were involved in the update, and thanks to them as well.

You can find the link to the updated WCARES Emergency Operations Plan in the right-hand sidebar of the website, in the Library & Special Interests section under Books, References, Guides and in the Members Area navigation menu when you are logged in to the site.

May 2025 Presentation – Making Voice Contacts in Ham Radio

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It can be intimidating to make your first voice contacts when you’re a new ham.

Paul Havlik (WD9IOK) gave this excellent presentation to help motivate new hams to overcome their anxiety and get started.

See also: a video made by another WCARES member Cliff Batson (N4CCB):

For Nervous New Hams

May 2025 Presentation – What Is Emergency Management?

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Joshua Walter, Operations Manager for the Williamson County EMA, provides an excellent overview of Emergency Management and how it works to coordinate responses among all local partners.

Recorded May 10th, 2025, at the WCARES Monthly Meeting.

WCARES Field Day 2025

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Get Ready for Field Day 2025!
June 28, 1PM – June 29, 1PM

Where:
3000 BrightStone Pkwy
Franklin, TN 37064
Click here to see the location on Google Maps

Work a station
We will have 2 stations setup in the climate controlled comfort of the Williamson County EMA Communications Trailer. Signup to operate a 2 hour shift, No Sweat! You can also help with setup and tear down – Sweat included at no charge.

Signup here:
CW Station
SSB / Phone Station
Setup / Teardown

Drop by, socialize, see the setup, bring a friend
Field Day is a great time to connect with fellow Hams and see an ARES remote setup. Bring a friend who may be interested in Amateur Radio and ARES.

Get On The Air – GOTA Station
Michael KJ4TFV will be working with visitors to Get On The Air. Bring your neighbor, kids, grandkids, in-laws, friends and show them how to GOTA.

Saturday evening fire pit rag chew
7-9 PM – Just show up no RSVP needed

SEE YOU AT FIELD DAY!

WCARES members attend EMAT 2025 Conference in Murfreesboro

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From Jeff Standifer, WB5WAJ

Ed Hudgens, Steve Waterman, Paul Tampien, Jeff Schwartz, Randy Moore, Cliff Batson and myself attended the 2025 EMAT [Emergency Management Association of Tennessee] conference for emergency management agencies.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of this week we attended several sessions on different EMA topics.

December 2024 presentation – Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries

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Hoop (K9QJS) operates all his radios on these batteries and their small chargers. He no longer has a 12-volt, 25-amp power supply in his shack! In this video, Hoop talks about LiFePO4 batteries, their charging requirements, and their advantages to ham radio.

December 2024 presentation – Overview of the Incident Command System

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Have you ever wondered “Who is in charge?” when you see Police, Fire, and EMS personnel on scene at emergency? The answer is spelled out in the Incident Command System, or ICS. And because WCARES exists to serve Williamson County for emergency communications support, all of us should be familiar with this important system. Phil Sherrod (W4PHS) was our featured speaker at the December 2024 WCARES monthly meeting and gave this comprehensive overview of the Incident Command System.

November 2024 presentation – Portable Emergency Radio Kits (PERKs)

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In this video, Hilton Dean (W4GHD) walks you through the design and completion of the WCARES go-kits or PERKs, Portable Emergency Radio Kits.

The radio kits consist of a rack case of radio and power gear AND a separate Milwaukee PackOut rolling toolbox that contains the cabling, etc.

This presentation was recorded on November 16th, 2024, at the monthly WCARES meeting.

Apologies to Hilton for my assumption that he would be standing behind the lectern during his presentation. My camera position and lens choice were inappropriate for optimal capture of his presentation. However, I don’t think it detracts too much from his excellent talk. – Cliff (N4CCB)

October 2024 presentation – EZNEC Antenna Software

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In this video, Ted Edwards (W3TB) shows us how to get started with EZNEC by modeling a dipole. Several versions are created. This is a very good introduction to get you up-and-running quickly with EZNEC.

Ted finishes with a discussion of fractal antennas, with examples shown.

September 2024 presentation – Multimeter Usage in Ham Radio

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In this video, Tim Kreth (AD4CJ) explains the many uses of multimeters for Ham Radio enthusiasts. Embedded in this video is an informative short video from Fluke about True RMS and why it’s so important.

Recorded at the WCARES monthly meeting on Saturday, September 21st, 2024.