Author: Darrell Davis KT4WX

NEW VIRTUAL NTS TRAINING NET

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NEW ARRL WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA SECTION ARES PLAN PUBLISHED.

Dave Rockwell W4PXE, our Section Emergency Coordinator, released this week the new  ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES Plan.  It is recommended that all ARES personnel familiarize themselves with the new plan.  The plan is now available on the Section website on the Section ARES Page at https://arrlwcf.org/download/wcfares/WCFSection_ARESPlan_040125.pdf

For any questions concerning the new Section ARES Plan, you may contact our Section Emergency Coordinator Dave Rockwell W4PXE via email at w4pxe@arrl.net.

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MONTHLY REPORTS ARE IMPORTANT

The following is an open letter to all ARES personnel in the ARRL West Central Florida Section from our Section Emergency Coordinator Dave Rockwell W4PXE:

“Dear ARES® Members,

Why report should we report our activity in providing public service radio support?

Reporting volunteer hours is crucial for several reasons. These hours are recognized by
counties, states, and federal officials, demonstrating the value of our contributions. Each
volunteer hour equates to a $34.08 (on average nationally) benefit to the organizations we
support, highlighting the economic impact of our efforts.

Additionally, public service hours are being used to support the passage of The Amateur
Radio Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025 (H.R. 1094 and S.459), aimed at eliminating
restrictions imposed by Homeowners Associations (HOAs). Your reported hours are
essential in showcasing the importance of amateur radio in emergency preparedness and
response.

Every ARES member should report their volunteer hours through their county Emergency
Coordinator. These coordinators should then report the hours and activities to the Section
Emergency Coordinator (SEC) using the ARRL Form 2 online or the WCF forms available on
the section website, https://arrlwcf.org/. As SEC, I send a summary of these reports to the
ARRL®. The League uses these reports to advocate for all amateur radio.

What we do is important. Our sponsors and supporters rely on the work we do. Many
counties have used the volunteer hours to justify purchasing radio equipment, ensuring we
are well-equipped to handle emergencies and disasters.

Every hour spent volunteering improves our abilities to respond during emergencies and
disasters. Therefore, it is imperative that your ARES® hours are reported accurately.
Please make sure your ARES® hours are reported.”

For the PDF version of this letter you may go to http://arrlwcf.org/download/wcfares/W4PXE_SEC_Letter_2025-04.pdf

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11th ANNUAL TECHCON VIDEOS AND PAPERS NOW AVAILABLE

The 11th Annual TECHCON was held on Saturday February 22, 2025 with about 30 to 35 in attendance personally.  Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to do a live stream of the primary track.

However, there is a “silver lining” in this cloud.  Russ Delaney N4RTD, Assistant Section Manager, has processed all the videos and added the speaker slides to them, and they are now available for viewing on the ARRL West Central Florida Section YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@arrlwcf.

Darrell Davis KT4WX, Assistant Section Manager for Technology, has added the links to the slide presentations developed by all our presenters and they are available on the 11th Annual TECHCON webpage at https://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.

Later in the year, the 11th Annual TECHCON webpage will be archived for historical and future reference and will always be accessbile via the TECHCON webpage.

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11TH ANNUAL TECHCON FRIDAY EVENING SOCIAL VENUE SET AND SPEAKING SCHEDULE PUBLISHED.

The 11th Annual TECHCON Friday Evening Social venue is now set.  The Friday Evening Social will be held on Friday February 21, 2025 from 1800 to 2100, at “The Original Mike’ Grill Restaurant located at 1037 N. Broadway Ave., in Bartow.  The directions and Google Map information for the Friday Evening Social is on the TECHCON webpage at https://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.

The 11th Annual TECHCON Presentation Schedule is now published on the Section website at https://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.  The List of Presentations will be loaded as soon as it is completed.

The 11th Annual TECHCON will be held on Saturday February 22, 2025 at the Polk County EOC, located at 1890 Jim Keene Blvd., Winter Haven, FL 33880, about halfway between Winter Haven and Lakeland, just off of the Polk County Parkway.  The doors of the EOC will open at 0800 and the conference will begin at 0900 and run until 1630, with a break for lunch.  The primary track will be live streamed on the Section YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFA4-HEjr-lYMFisVG_Nk5A.  The second track will be recorded.  Both tracks will be “post-production edited”, have any related slides/handouts inserted, and then loaded to the Section YouTube Channel.

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FLORIDA TRI-SECTION ARES TASK BOOK TO SUNSET

The Florida Tri-Section Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) Task Book is being retired. The three Florida Section Emergency Coordinators have agreed that the soon to be released update to the ARRL ARES Task Book and the CISA Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) Task Book will be the recognized task books for Florida ARES going forward. Individuals with completed Tri-Section ARES Task Books will retain that qualification. Those individuals who have a Tri-Section ARES Task Book opened, should proceed to complete the task book as soon as practical.

There was considerable confusion with the three task books covering virtually the same material. Many of the items identified in the Tri-Section ARES Task Book are included in the forthcoming ARES Task Book and we see no need to continue maintaining and updating the Tri-Section document. As a reminder, all ARES members are encouraged to complete a task book demonstrating your skills to operate during emergencies. You should complete the task book required by the agency you support, first. Then work on a second if you have the time and motivation.

ARES members with questions should work through their respective ARES Emergency Coordinator.  For any other questions, please contact Dave Rockwell W4PXE, our Section Emergency Coordinator at EC via email at w4pxe@arrl.net.

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JOE WALKER WD4BYK IS A SILENT KEY

Joseph “Joe” Walker, WD4BYK, became a Silent Key on Monday January 20, 2025.  Walker was 64 years old at the time of his passing.

Walker was first licensed in 1975 when he was 15 years old in Sarasota.  Walker was active in the Desoto County Amateur Radio Club, lending a hand in maintaining the Desoto Amateur Radio Club repeaters.  Walker was a active in his youth as a Cub Scout and then a Boy Scout, and as an adult in the Future Farmers of America and enjoyed the outdoors all of his life.

Walker served in the United States Air Force, in communications and eventually becoming a Green Beret.  Walker, was an electrician and a welder early in his professional career, but worked later in public service as a EMT, paramedic, and firefighter for Sarasota and Desoto Counties, retiring from Desoto County in 2011.  Walker earned a Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude) in Fire Science, a Bachelor of Science in Paramedic Science and an Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering, adding fire inspector, instructor, investigator and professor of Fire Science to his résumé.  Walker then served as Public Safety Director for Hardee County Board of County Commissioners, retiring from this position in 2021.

Darrell Davis KT4WX, Assistant Section Manager of the ARRL West Central Florida Section made the following comments about the passing of Joe Walker WD4BYK, “I had the pleasure of knowing Joe for around 30 years.  Joe was always passionate about amateur radio and always trying to get newcomers into amateur radio.  His finest hour that I remember was his leadership during Hurricane Irma in 2017.  I will miss him.”

Walker is survived by his wife of 35 years, Jeanne Walker, two children, and grandchildren.  There was a celebration of life, held at the Turner Agri-Civic Center (2250 NE Roan St, Arcadia, FL 34266) on Saturday, February 1, 2025.

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WX4TBW TO ACTIVATE FOR THE 2025 STATE TORNADO WARNING TEST

On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, the National Weather Service in Ruskin will conduct a Tornado Warning Test as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Florida. This DRILL Tornado Warning will be issued at 1000 EST as part of the weekly NOAA Weather Radio Test.

WX4TBW will be activated remotely on the NI4CE Analog Repeater System and the NI4CE NXDN Digital Repeater System on Network-Talkgroup 1299 for this test. This will be a great opportunity to test your severe weather communications capabilities. WX4TBW will issue the DRILL Tornado Warning on or about 1000 EST. Once it has been issued, please acknowledge receipt of the DRILL Warning. We would also like you to acknowledge receipt of the DRILL Warning from NOAA Weather Radio in your area.

For a list of frequencies for the NI4CE Analog and NXDN Repeater Systems, go to https://ni4ce.org.

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SECTION ARES HF NET CANCELLED FOR ORLANDO HAMCATION

The ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES HF Net scheduled for Saturday February 8, 2025 at 0730 Eastern time on 3940 KHz is cancelled due to Orlando Hamcation, which will run from Friday February 7, 2025 through Sunday February 9, 2025.  Also the South Florida ARES Net scheduled for Saturday February 8, 2025 at 0745 on 3940 KHz, which is an ARES net which does a roll call of all Southern Florida Section and West Central Floirda Section counties, will also be cancelled due to the Orlando Hamcation.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES HF Net and the South Florida ARES Net will resume normal operation on Saturday February 15, 2025 at 0730 Eastern and 0745 Eastern time respectively on 3940 KHz.  All other Section nets will operate as scheduled.

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