October 3, 2015

The ARRL SET (Simulated Emergency Test) was good practice for all involved. We responded to a simulated Category Two Hurricane ("Ham") that caused massive destruction on Friday, Oct. 2nd. Forty-one ARES/ALERT members and non-members participated in Lee County. We also worked with ARES Teams in Hendry, Charlotte and Collier County to ensure that we could coordinate recovery operations among all four groups.

Photo: front to back -- Tim Bennett, Steve Smith, Dale Gosney, and Larry Zimmer manned the Lee County EOC ham station, W4LCO.

June 4, 2015

One new UHF and three new VHF antennas have been installed on the Monopole.

The 144-148 scan at the right shows an SWR of less than 1.25:1 across the band. This was true on the UHF and all three VHF antennas.

We're back in business!

Here's a view of the Amateur Radio Room workstation pair.

This photo shows the APRS monitor above the workstations. We are able to track RF beacons from our units in the field, so operators know where our people are phyiscally located.

See below for more...

The second of the two Radio Control Stations has been installed at the EOC. The main difference between the two is the "Etched Panel" that the switches are mounted upon.

The original "proof of concept" unit will now be fitted with the same type of "Etched Panel" so the two look and operate exactly the same.

Click on the control panel in the photo on the left to see a larger image.

May 3, 2015 -- Direct Telephone Link Installed between the "New EOC" Amateur Radio Room and the "Old EOC" Operations Room.

This is Andy Stadtler's idea and is intended to support communications between the 911 Team in the "Old EOC" and the Radio Room if "all else fails."