CARES
Chaves Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Serving Chaves County
New Mexico
(with close ties to emcomm groups in adjacent counties)
What We Are
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Unpaid,
But Professionally Performing Communicators
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The Ones
Who Can “Get The Message Through When All Else Fails”
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Capable Of
Using A Variety Of Communication Methods
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Unpaid
“Employees” Of The Served Agency
What We Are Not
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Not “First
Responders”
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Not The
Authority In Charge
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Not
Doctors, Cooks, Firemen, or Traffic Cops
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Not
Restricted To One Band, Mode, Or Method
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Not Just
Radio Hams
CARES Membership Requirements
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Accepting
Attitude Toward Client Organizations
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Amateur
Radio License
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Basic
Communication Skills
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Basic Ham
Equipment
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Some Time
To Spend On The Project
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Willingness
To Learn New Techniques
Our Basic Plan
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Primarily
for Chaves County, but
expected to support adjacent counties, as requested. Members from other counties welcome
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VHF/FM
Phone – Simplex
HT or Mobile for localized, fast
moving problems –
probably no Net Control (NC)
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VHF/FM
Phone – Repeater
HT, Mobile, or Base for both
localized and wider area problems – net control will “step-in” when needed –
net may be informal at times and highly directed at other times, depending on
the developing situation – experienced net control operators will be recruited
from the Yucca Net cadre – Caprock repeater (emergency generator) primary, with
Buck Mtn and the MegaLink System as backup
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VHF/FM
Packet
Central “Mailbox” at W5ZU, with
backup at W5ALL (emergency generator) – two or three mobile packet stations
available – primary use to pass “long text” traffic, such as names &
addresses, supply lists, etc. – Caprok
repeater (emergency generator) primary, with Buck and Roz as backup
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VHF/FM Packet Automatic Position Reporting
System (APRS) New
Mexico has one of the best APRS digipeter networks in the United States.
Virtually all of New Mexico is covered.
APRS is used mainly for Search & Rescue (S&R) and by Storm
Spotters. CARES will have one to three
operators equipped for APRS.
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HF/SSB
Phone
3.939 MHz, 7.2365 MHz and 7.230
MHz LSB are New Mexico state-wide HF emergency frequencies (7.248 MHz LSB is
RACES only) – we will have at least two CARES stations capable of liaison with
the state-wide HF emergency nets – we also may have to use HF to reach mountain
canyons not covered by any repeater or if our repeaters fail
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HF
Packet/APRS (300 baud)
CARES will have one or two
stations equipped for HF Packet/APRS – seldom used except in marine environment
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HF RTTY
(45 baud)
CARES will have one or two
stations equipped for RTTY and other digital modes
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Citizen
Band (CB) & Family Radio Service (FRS)
CARES will have a number of stations equipped with CB and FRS radios. CB because many trucks making deliveries to
shelters will have CB, and FRS for communicating with non-hams in the community
(internal to a shelter, etc.)
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Computer
Network CARES will
establish a small local area network (LAN) running the Emergency Management
network software written by N3FJP.
CARES members who have laptops will be able to plug their computers into
this LAN using the furnished PC-Cards, and be “up-and-running” in a few minutes
time
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Mobile
Communication Center
Our goal is to have a mobile communication center