Latest Updates

Jan 13

Written by:
1/13/2018 11:08 AM 

Hello 2018! The new year promises some great opportunities in emergency preparedness and response education, exercises, and collaborations. One very important area of emphasis is communications. If your NERO group doesn't already include a few folks with a ham radio license and equipment, it would be great to consider adding that to the list of your neighborhood's skills and resources!

Ham radio is a lot easier and more affordable these days, since Morse code is no longer required, and a starting cost for a handheld ham radio is now below $30. (see link below)

Unfortunately there won't be any classes offered here on Vashon soon, but the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club (the team that does the excellent training and testing here when we do have it) are hosting classes at the end of January for both technician and general licenses.

See the brochure for ham radio classes in West Seattle (PDF), and look below for links to more handy ham radio resources.

As always, if you would like help (re)organizing your NERO group, please give me a call or send an email. nero@vashonbeprepared.org or 650/273-2I40

More resources:

http://westseattleblog.com/2017/12/new-year-new-skill-west-seattle-amateur-radio-club-offering-2018-ham-classes/

Learn more about West Seattle Amateur Radio Club (WSARC):
http://www.westseattlearc.org/

Connect with Vashon Maury Island Radio Club (VMIRC) for info about getting the right equipment and learning how to use your ham radio:
http://vashonbeprepared.org/Partners/VMIRC
http://w7vmi.org/doku/doku.php

Equipment to get started costs under $30!
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

Consider also taking the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course if you haven't yet. It's free of charge, covers a wide range of practice preparedness and response topics, and begins on March 31, 2018. Ham radio is not required, but CERT field exercises make great chances to practice using your ham radio. More info at:
http://vashonbeprepared.org/Partners/CERT

You may also be interested in the activities of ACS, Vashon-Maury's Auxiliary Communication Service:
http://www.vashonacs.com and http://vashonbeprepared.org/Partners/ACS