One purpose of the Amateur Radio service as established in FCC part 97 is Recognition and enhancement of  the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications. The New Bern Amateur Radio Club has members that participate in the following services.

ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service established by the American Radio Relay League. ARES is a structured national organization with an internal reporting hierarchy. Generally, an ARES team is led by an appointed local EC (emergency coordinator) who reports to a district coordinator. ARES teams are generally activated during emergencies when normal communications have failed. All licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership.

NTS - National traffic system - also established by the ARRL, is a nationally defined network for handling message traffic using radio and other media.The NTS operator upon receiving a message formats it for standardized handling and passes the traffic to the net which identifies best route/media to deliver the message. Typical uses of the National Traffic System include emergency or health and welfare message traffic in and out of stricken areas as well as routine messages such as birthday greetings and radio team reports.  

RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service - established by the Code of Federal Regulations  to allow radio amateurs enrolled by any civil defense agency of local, county, state, or federal government to operate under specific conditions and on specified radio frequency  allocations with other radio amateurs or civil defense agencies. There is no defined hierarchy of RACES organizations each one reporting solely to the civil defense agency in which it is enrolled. RACES teams can support fire departments, police departments, national weather service etc...

MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System - sponsored by the department of Defense, established as separately managed and operated programs by the Army, Navy-Marine Corps and Air Force. MARS members are volunteer licensed amateur radio operators who are interested in providing auxiliary or emergency communications to local national and international emergency and safety organizations , as an adjunct to normal communications.

   The information below can be used as a basic guide for preparing to volunteer to help in a disaster.

1. Be self sustaining. Bring your own food, water, first aid kit, personal medication, rain gear etc.

2. Protect yourself from injury. Write your blood type, allergies and any special medical condition on a card and carry it with you. Do not add yourself to the victim list.

3. Be polite and professional. Emergency situations require rational level headed thinking.

4. Be prepared. Although you may have planned to spend only a few hours volunteering emergency communication, you may be caught unexpectedly in an adverse situation and stay longer than planned. The items shown in the General Preparedness Checklist below can easily be carried in a backpack or vehicle.

1. Water - 1 gallon per person per day

2. Food - ready to eat foods (energy bars, canned foods etc…)

3. Flashlight with spare batteries

4. Radio with spare batteries/fuses

5. Protective clothing (rain suit, warm clothes)

6. First aid kit and any personal medication

7. Storm/survival whistle

8. Paper, pencil, map of area.

9. Equipment peculiar to area or situation you will be in. Example; shovel for mud or snow, chainsaw for fallen trees, insect repellent if in forested area . 

  All of the above organizations practice and emergency message handling by operating NETS. One of the main benefits of joining and participating in amateur radio nets is the training and experience you will receive in message traffic handling. 

3.907 North Carolina Emergency Net - Check in daily 19:00

3.923 North Carolina ARES

145.310 Trenton Repeater -  Skywarn - Check in Tuesdays at 19:00.

145.450 Newport Repeater - Carteret County ARES- Check in Tuesdays at 19:30

VHF - Local Scan List

No.     Frequency          Identification
1         154.400              Craven County Fire Rescue
2         156.210              Craven County Sheriff
3         155.685              Craven County Sheriff Tactical
4         154.800              Jones County Sheriff
5         155.970              Police Mutual Aid
6         161.800              Marine Distress
7         156.300              CG search & rescue
8         148.150              Civil Air patrol repeater
9         121.500              Aircraft Guard (emergency)
10        243.000              Aircraft Guard
11.     162.400              NOAA Weather (Newport, NC)

SCHOOL                            ADDRESS                                  PHONE               CAPACITY

1. Brinson Memorial                 319 Neuse Forest Ave              252-514-6431              500

Elementary School                 New Bern, NC                         

From west New Bern, heading East on Highway 70, go over the Trent River Bridge then approximately two miles past the railroad tracks in James City. Turn left at the Trademart onto Grantham Road. At end of Grantham Road, Brinson is across the Old Cherry Point Road. The shelter is in the center building.  Look for other cars parked and follow signs. The antenna cable is located in classroom number 008, down the hall on the left across from the bathrooms and just before an exit to the left.  The cable is coiled above a marked ceiling tile near the window and approximately six feet from the far right corner of the classroom.  The cable is stiff with a PL-259 connector on the end, so suggest take a short length of flexible coax with an adapter.  The antenna works good !!

2. Havelock Senior                   101 Webb Blvd

     High School                         Havelock, NC                           252-444-5112                  800

       From west Havelock, head east on highway 70,  turn left onto highway 101. Pass Cherry Point main gate on left and go through first traffic light. Then turn right onto Webb Blvd.  School is on the left side of road. Coax is on top of rear loading dock roof, must be run into cafeteria. Bring an adapter to adapt the PL259 to a BNC or what ever your rig requires.

 3. H J McDonald                       3127 Elizabeth Ave                   252-514-645

     Middle School                      New Bern, NC

       From east New Bern, head west on highway 70, take the Glenburnie Rd. exit. Turn right on Glenburnie Road and go to the first  traffic light. Turn left onto Elizebeth Ave. Pass the Fire Station on left, then turn left onto School Drive. Enter main building, left to office on right. Coax is in the right back corner of office at the window. Take a 6-10 ft coax adapter and coupler for PL259 with what ever you need on the other end for your rig.

 4. Vanceboro Farmlife           2000 Farmlife Ave                     252-244-3215                  500

Elementary School              Vanceboro, NC

        From east James City, head west on Highway 70, take HWY 17 North exit toward Bridgeton. Follow 17 north for 8 miles then take Vanceboro exit on left. At traffic light turn right. At end of drive is school. Shelter is the building to the right from the main building and slightly to the rear.

SCHOOL                            ADDRESS                              PHONE                  CAPACITY

 5. Bangert                                 3712 Canterbury Rd.,                252-514-6415              500

     Elementary School               New Bern, NC

     From east New Bern, head west on highway 70,  take the Glenburnie Road exit, turn left onto Glenburnie Road. Follow Glenburnie Road south through intersection of highway 17 to the end of road. Turn left onto Trent Road. Follow Trent Road .8 Mile  then turn right on Highland Ave. Follow Highland Ave for 1/2 mile then turn left onto Canterbury Road. Follow Canterbury for 1/2 mile , school is on the left.

 6. Grover C. Fields                2000 Clarendon Blvd.,                252-514-6438              750

Middle School                      New Bern, NC

     From east New Bern, heading west on Highway 70,  take the Highway 17 exit. Turn right onto highway 17. Follow highway 17 north for 1.8 miles, school is on the left side of road

7. Havelock Middle                   102 High School Dr.,                 252-444-5125              750

Middle                                      Havelock, NC 

     From west Havelock, head east on highway 70, turn left onto Roosevelt Blvd, pass police station and Harrier Jet monument on right, then turn right onto High School Drive. Pass Havelock Elementary school on left. Havelock Middle School is the next  school on the left. If you continue on High School Drive and take next left onto Webb Blvd, Havelock High School is  on the right.  

8. J.T. Barber Jr.                      1700 Cobb Street,                       252-514-6460              250

High School                         New Bern, NC

              From east New Bern, head west on  highway 70, take highway 17 exit. Turn right onto highway 17 north. Follow 17 north for 1/2 mile then turn left onto Simmons Street. Follow Simmons Street through  intersection of highway 55 then turn right onto Hazel Ave. Follow Hazel Ave to School.

 9. West Craven                       515 NW Craven  School Rd.       252-514-6488              500

      Middle School                     New Bern, NC

              From east New Bern, head west on highway 70, take the Glenburnie Road Exit. Turn right onto Glenburnie Road. Follow for 1 mile then turn left onto highway 43 north (Neuse Blvd). Follow 43 north for 5.6 miles then turn left onto Sprig Garden Road (SR 1401). Follow Spring Garden Road for 1.6 miles and turn right onto West Craven Middle School Road. Follow school road for 1 mile, school is on the left side.

 Craven County Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

         From east New Bern, head west on highway 70, take the Trent Road exit (first exit after Trent River Bridge). Turn right onto Trent Road. Follow Trent Rd ½ miles to the intersection of Broad Street. Turn right onto Broad St. Follow Broad Street for 1 mile. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is located in the Craven County Court House on the left side of Broad Street  in Court room 5 on the second floor of the new annex. You can park across the street in the Bank parking lot. Use the door located in the center section between the new and old buildings, take elevator on the left as you enter the building. Or, if that door is locked, you can enter from the Craven County Sheriffs office in the old building. The antenna coax is stored in the hall ceiling at the top of the stairwell. Climb the roof access ladder attached to the wall in the stairwell and push the ceiling tile up. You may need a flashlight to find the coax. We usually set up in the waiting area just outside the courtroom.      

    SKYWARN is a plan sponsored by the National Weather Service (NWS), using volunteer weather observers for reporting destructive thunderstorms or other severe, unusual, or hazardous weather conditions. Amateur radio operators and weather observers, generally operating through local organizations, are ideally equipped to contribute to the SKYWARN program.

    SKYWARN nets will usually be activated whenever a severe thunderstorm watch, tornado watch, or flood watch is issued for the local area. SKYWARN nets will also be activated during the winter. Your Warning Coordination Meteorologist will keep you apprised of this. Use the following format for SKYWARN reports;

1. Identity (call sign) of observer.
2. Observer's location. (State the County.)
3. Time of observation.
4. Wind speed.
5. Rate of rainfall.
6. Presence and size of hail.
7. Location and direction of storm.

Skywarn Report Definitions:

1. Call sign. Self-explanatory.
   
2. Location: Be precise, but remember that the forecaster might not be familiar with every subdivision and hamlet within the area. Specify your location relative to a recognizable town within your County.
   
3. Time of Observation: In most cases, the word "currently" suffices. If your observations are 10 or 15 minutes old, give the actual time for your observation in local time.
   
4. Wind Speed: This is an important element of an observation. We are concerned with winds in excess of 40 miles per hour. If you have a wind gauge, or know how to estimate wind speeds, give your estimate in miles per hour. Be sure to report wind damage such as downed trees or power lines.
   
5. Rate of Rainfall: If you have an official rain gauge, we would like you to provide us a numerical value. Remember, heavy rain indicates a strong downdraft within a thunderstorm. Your description will help the forecaster pinpoint the exact location of the thunderstorm relative to what is seen on the radar screen.
   
6. Presence of Hail: This is a very important element to report. Hail is produced in severe thunderstorms with strong updrafts. Although not as dangerous as a tornado, a severe thunderstorm might last much longer than the average thunderstorm and cause considerable damage. The size of the hail is also important and should be reported, because it is a very good indication of the severity of the thunderstorm. Tornadic thunderstorms are sometimes accompanied by very large hail.
   
7. Location and Direction of Storm: You can estimate your distance from a thunderstorm by measuring how long it takes for the thunder to reach you after you see lightning. Remember, sound requires about 5 seconds to travel one mile. If you have a good view to the horizon, you might also be able to judge a storms position relative to landmarks that can be pinpointed on a map.

    The following are danger signs which should be reported immediately. If one of these danger signs is observed contact the Net Controller or the NWS office. A designated spotter is available for this purpose. Calmly give your name or call sign, location, and a brief summary of what you have observed.

Note:    The first rule of emergency communications is to protect
         yourself.  Ensure your own safety first; then and only
         then, communicate your observation.

Danger Sign

1. FUNNEL CLOUDS. A funnel cloud extends from the base of a cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) cloud. It might not reach the ground. If the funnel cloud comes in contact with the ground, it then becomes a tornado. However, many harmless clouds can be mistaken for a funnel cloud. Don't be fooled by an imposter! A true funnel cloud will exhibit "organized and sustained rotation about a vertical axis."
   
2. HAIL 3/4 of an inch or greater in diameter. This is by NWS definition, a severe thunderstorm and should be reported immediately. You can always compare the size of hail to the size of a coin. For example, a penny's diameter is about 3/4 of an inch.
   
3. WINDS greater than 40 miles per hour. At 30 mph, entire trees are in motion. At 40 mph, twigs break off trees and walking becomes difficult. At 55 mph, damage to chimneys and antennas as well as the downing of trees will be observed. Damaging winds, whether associated with a tornado or a severe thunderstorm should be reported immediately.
   
4. FLOODING. If you live in an area prone to flooding, torrential downpours and/or evidence of actual flooding should be reported immediately. There will always be some ponding of water in low-lying, poor drainage areas with heavy rain. We are concerned with streams which overflow their banks onto roadways, houses or industry and/or urban flooding which makes roadways impassable.

    Our severe thunderstorm and tornado watches come from Kansas City. There, at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center, a sophisticated high-tech system monitors real-time weather data from many sources, issuing watches when conditions are favorable for severe weather in any given area. Usually, these alerts provide a few hours of advanced notice, and are often the basis for activating the SKYWARN system.

    The primary objective of the SKYWARN program is to identify hazardous weather early enough to warn the public. Thus, the NWS is particularly interested in tracking severe thunderstorms which pass through our warning areas.

rev. 5/13/08