Southern Nevada MARA
Las Vegas Emergency Communications
Welcome
Jan 13th
Welcome to the Mercury Amateur Radio Association of Southern Nevada, better known as the Southern Nevada MARA.
Southern Nevada MARA exists to provide communication, especially in times of emergencies.
Our website is under construction.
We operate a twice weekly net on VHF 147.27+ , also linked on UHF 447.30- (PL 100).
The net meets Mondays at 9:00 pm and Saturdays at 8:30 AM.
For more information on our Nets, for our Preamble, or for a current roster, click on Net Info. To learn more about the Southern Nevada MARA, click About MARA. And, for our download library, which includes manuals, software, training materials, and more, click on Downloads. To read Southern Nevada MARA news, click News
Digital modes
Nov 17th
I’ve become interested in digital modes. I have ordered a TNC and will be playing with Winlink 2000, which allows you to send email across ham radio.
As some of you may know, the 2.4 GHz frequency that 802.11 Wireless Networking (“WiFi”) uses partially overlaps with the 13 CM ham radio band. There has been some hams who have modified inexpensive part 15 wireless equipment and turned it into part 97 equipment, creating a ham radio Wireless Network. Referred to as “HSMM” (short for High Speed Multimedia) or “HInternet” (short for Ham Internet), this could be a powerful technology to link together hospitals, shelters, EOC, etc, using ham radio, combined with laptops. I have ordered some equipment to start experimenting with. If it works out well, this would be a great service that MARA could setup in association with the Nevada Hospital Association or other groups.
Does anyone else have any interest in these or other digital modes?
HAM-LINK training
Oct 17th
From Billy Smith at Clark County ARES:
As many of you know, hospitals in Nevada are receiving a suite of amateur
radio equipment. In addition to VHF and UHF radios, they will be receiving
a stand-alone packet radio system, complete with a dedicated transceiver,
TNC, software and monitor, etc., called “HAM-LINK”. The software is a
powerful combination and includes the AGW terminal program and Outpost.
This will be an easy to use system, in that the packet messages are
formatted and appear like emails created, sent and received using Outlook.
The Great Nevada ShakeOut
Oct 17th
On October 20, at 10:20 AM, the Great Nevada ShakeOut will be held. This would be a good opportunity to test Emergency Communications during this statewide earthquake drill. Is there any interest in holding a MARA net during this drill? Comment below.
H.R. 607 Letters
Mar 4th
Send a letter to your member of the House of Representatives regarding H.R. 607 easy by going to http://www.kd4pyr.net/HamLetter.htm and entering your ham radio call sign. It will auto generate the letter for you.
After you have signed the letter please mail it to:
John Chwat
Chwat & Co.,
Suite 103
625 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
You may also fax it to (703) 684-7594
Note: Chwat and Co. is the ARRL’s legislative relations firm in Washington, D.C.
A Threat to 70 CM Ham & GMRS
Feb 21st
House Resolution 607 will reallocate various radio frequencies for various purposes, including the the paired bands of 420-440 MHz and 450-470 MHz for commercial auction within 10 years of its passage.
For more information, visit http://www.arrl.org/news/spectrum-management-bill-threatens-amateur-frequencies
You can also read the bill online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr607ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr607ih.pdf
Please contact the sponsors of this bill as well as the Nevada representatives and let them know that you oppose the lose of both 70 CM ham and GMRS.
Nevada Legislative Alert
Feb 13th
The Nevada Senate has in committee a bill “prohibiting a person from using a cellular telephone or other handheld wireless communications device while operating a motor vehicle in certain circumstances; providing penalties; and providing other matters properly relating thereto”.
The bill, S.B.-140 and its amendment, exempts police, fire, and other emergency personnel in the performance of their jobs. AMATEUR RADIO IS NOT MENTIONED.
Before the same thing happens here as it did in California, to alleviate the tribulations of trying to change it later, I urge you to write the sponsors of the bill and specifically ask that an exemption to Amateur Radio be included in the bill’s language.
You can read SB140 at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/SB/SB140.pdf
Intro to Traffic Handling
Nov 29th
In the Preamble for the Southern Nevada MARA net, we say, in part, that the purpose of MARA is “to handle traffic”. What exactly is traffic? How do we “handle” it?
ARRL’s QST December 2010 magazine had a good article on traffic handling and we here at the Southern Nevada MARA net recommend it. For those who have not read it (or those who have and can’t remember it), we will summarize a few of their key points here.
Phonetic Alphabet
Jun 26th
You are listening to a Net and they ask you to give your call sign “Phonetically” or you hear someone say something like “This is Kilo Foxtrot 7 Echo Echo Charlie” and you have no idea what they are talking about.
This is the Phonetic Alphabet, used by Ham Radio (and others) all around the world when giving your callsign or passing information that must be spelled out for clarity. “Kilo Foxtrot 7 Echo Echo Charlie” is my call sign (KF7EEC).
Here is the Standard Phonetic Alphabet:
| A – Alfa B – Bravo C – Charlie D – Delta E – Echo F – Foxtrot G – Golf H – Hotel I – India J – Juliet K – Kilo L – Lima M – Mike |
N – November O – Oscar P – Papa Q – Quebec R – Romeo S – Sierra T – Tango U – Uniform V – Victor W – Whiskey X – X-Ray Y – Yankee Z – Zulu |
