TO: ALL WEST VIRGINIA ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM WV SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WV ARES BULLETIN NR 10.19 DATE: May 9, 2010
SUBJECT: YOUR OPERATION DURING SEVERE WEATHER
As part of a group dedicated to providing emergency communications, we should think hard about building, or buying, and installing, indoor antennas for use with our amateur radio equipment, at least for our 2-meter equipment, for both packet and voice. This will allow us to operate during storms when lightening forces us to disconnect our outside antennas.
Maintaining our communications ability through a storm is one of our most important goals. If our stations are rendered inoperative during a severe storm, we can no longer provide that much needed service to our community.
In previous bulletins, there's been information about portable antennas which would serve well as indoor antennas. Think strongly about this, and if you are interested in a few ways to make an indoor antenna, there are plenty of information books available. There's all kinds of literature available that will help you build a 1/4 wave ground plane, a rabbit ear portable antenna, a twin lead folded dipole antenna, a twin lead J-Pole antenna, and other antennas.
(Reprint, with modifications of, District 3 ARES Bulletin 06.18 by Duane Jones N8LDM)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV
WV ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator