HAM Radio Response Team

Congratulations and 73 to our new Tomball Region HAMS
People get into amateur radio for any number of reasons and each of you will likely pursue different avenues throughout your HAM radio experience.  We would like to take a moment to introduce you to one of the most satisfying areas of amateur radio and that is emergency communications (EMCOMM).
Simply put, EMCOMM is a way to use your ticket to help people in distress while you pursue your HAM hobby.  The group that supports public safety and emergency service is the Amateur Radio Emergency Services group, ARES.  We’d like for you to consider joining ARES and the Tomball Fire Corps. Emergency Communications group which is hosted by Tomball and the Tomball Fire Department.  Tomball ARES is dedicated to honing our communications skills to help the community in times of disaster.  Some of the activities and learning experiences available are:
HAM Radio
  • Area nets where we practice controlled communications,
  • Hurricane detection and reporting classes (SKYWARN),
  • Building and setting up field antennas,
  • Participating in Simulated Emergency Training exercises (SET).
  • Free FEMA courses,
  • Leadership opportunities in local and regional ARES organizations,
  • Sending digitally encoded messages including signed documents and photos,
  • Deployments to regional, national and even international disaster areas if desired,
  • Working public service events like the Houston Marathon, the Wings Over Houston Air Show and the MS-150 Bike Ride from Houston to Austin which employ controlled nets which simulate and practice communications during deployments,
  • Learning cross-band repeater and APRS (geolocation via radio),
  • Preparing Deployment Kits for rapid response to disasters and to
  • enhance your personal evacuation readiness,
  • Association with a great group of guys and gals who gather somewhere for lunch almost every day of the week in Tomball where you can get your HAM questions answered.

You can get more information on ARES at:  http://harriscountyares.org/index.html

If this sounds like something that might interest you, please contact Mike Lavender, via email at mlavender@peoplepc.com or on his cell at 832-521-3590

Again, Congratulations on your new or enhanced HAM ticket.

73,                                                                                 Mike Lavender                                                                 EC, Tomball Fire/ ARES Group

StageCoach TowerHam Radio Crew