LWRA Ham Bytes – Week of 10/07/24

OH, MY AGAIN!

WARNING, PLEASE PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE INTENSE WEATHER! I know everyone is already keenly aware that we are afront a potentially dangerous storm. Do not assume that this is not going to impact Polk County or your area. The rapid intensification as well as projected path will in all likelihood have significant impact on power infrastructure and accessibility due to downed trees and limbs. Please use extreme caution when attempting to clear felled trees. Prepare your radio equipment now!

Important information!

IF YOU LOSE POWER BE CARFUL! IF YOU USE A GENERATOR, MAKE SURE IT IS THE PROPER DISTANCE FROM YOUR STRUCTURE NOT TO LET CARBON MONOXIDE CREEP INTO YOUR HOME OR STRUCTURE. EVERY YEAR THIS HAPPENS WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE FATALITY FROM IMPROPER GENERATOR USE. ALSO, IF YOU COOK ON A GRILL AFTER THE STORM LOCATE SAFELY AWAY AS WELL… SAME PROBLEM, CHARCOAL PRODUCES CARBON MONOXIDE.

Important HAM information!

PLEASE monitor amateur systems that have significant infrastructure and redundant power. For critical information you can use the Polk County WC4PEM repeater network. This wide area linked repeater network is provided by Polk Emergency Management. Information, if net activated, will direct you were to tune for additional information. IF A NET IS OPERATIONAL use proper procedures to report or obtain information. If a NET is activated ‘normal amateur use is not allowed’; also, you can use the NI4CE repeater network IN ANALOG OR NXDN*. The same instructions are applicable for these systems as well. It is strongly recommended that BOTH systems be programmed into your portable radios for safety reasons. Here are the respected web sites for these. https://polkares.org and https://ni4ce.org IF YOU HAVE GMRS PLEASE MONITOR POLK REPEATER 462.725 AND RELAY EMERGENT TRAFFIC IF NECESSARY.

*NXDN; REQUIRED NXDN RADIO
2) LWRA repeater will not be activated as sources of emergency information. They can be used for health and welfare but do not anticipate weather bulletins or critical information in the form of nets. OUR WEEKLY NET WILL BE, IF POSSIBLE, ON TUESDAY EVENING!

3) Polk County Emergency Management will have daily briefings available on Polk’s social media channels. At 1030AM and 430PM each day. Additional information can be found at www.polk-county.net . If you loose cable or TV the local AM/FM radio stations will provide critical information.

4) VERY IMPORTANT! THE LWRA MEETING WILL BE CANCELED DUE TO THE CITY OF LAKE WALES USES THE MEETING ROOM AS THEIR EOC. THEY WILL BE IN RECOVERY MODE THURSDAY PREVENTING THE MEETING ROOMS ACCESS.

5) Please monitor the Signal groups on Polk ARES, and LWRA Chat these also will have great information as well. A great tool!

6) We will attempt to do a health a welfare check after the storm passes on the LWRA repeaters. Not as a formal net. This will be at 9AM each morning if possible.

Charge your radios and get ready!

Onto the good stuff!

Get ready for our OCTOBER QRP our infamous “HAM’n BEANS” event. Again, I need you help. If you plan on bringing a desert, beans dish, drinks or support stuff like plates, bowls, cups, ice, forks knives and spoon send me what you are bringing to kn4itq@comcast.net Thanks for your support. I will start confirming for those who have already reasoned with this request. (Several from last week I got ya!)

REVISED HAM N BEAN’S LOCATION. OCTOBER 26TH WE WILL BE AT LAKE HARTRIDGE PARK IN WINTER HAVEN. THIS IS A CHANGE IN VENUE.

NET INFORMATION this will soon be on the webpage for easy pull-down access. Thanks to KT4WX

One last thing.

Check out the WINLINK Monday with Gary today, you can find more information on the www.polkares.org/WINLINK
73 and I hope to ‘see ya on the air.’

Mike
KB4FHP