eHam.net News

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Lehi CERT Puts Focus on Ham Radios with Weekly Practice:

Posted: 31 Jan 2017 04:00 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38541


Every Wednesday at 8 p.m., Lehi resident Jeff McGrath uses his ham radio to
call out to other residents, Community Emergency Response Team members and
community members as part of the Lehi Preparedness Net. "Calling the Lehi
Area Preparedness Net, Calling the Lehi Area Preparedness Net. This is net
control station November-One-Sierra-Charlie and my name is Jeff McGrath,"
he announces. As he goes through his script, taking check-ins and making
announcements, he and the other participants practice how to use their ham
radios and interact with each other. McGrath, who has been using ham radios
for years, said the weekly practices with the Lehi Preparedness Net are
important because ham radios can come in handy during an emergency, but
they'll be useless without practice and charged batteries. "A lot of people
will go out and buy a radio and never use it," he said. "Then if they need
to, they don't know how." Ham radios can play an important role in
assisting with communication in natural disasters or emergency situations.
That's why the Lehi CERT group focuses on them and making sure people are
prepared to use them. "If there was any sort of major natural disaster, and
we've seen this with other disasters in the past, cellphone systems get
inundated and make it really difficult to try and pass information along,"
McGrath said. "Radio is just one more avenue that allows you to try to
communicate."


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What's the Frequency, Shuey? Coast Guardsman Keeps Communications Afloat:

Posted: 31 Jan 2017 04:00 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38540


"Have you seen Shuey?" "Somebody call Shuey." "Better check with Shuey!" An
hour in the downtown Portsmouth, Virginia, Federal Building rarely passes
without someone seeking him out. As scores of Coast Guard leaders in the
office building plan and prepare their people for missions in the
Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, the toils of Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st
Class William Shuey Jr., is like a network of welds running through their
ship, holding everything together. "Petty Officer Shuey is an unsung hero,"
said Capt. Gregory Sanial, chief of staff, 5th Coast Guard
District. "Without his positive attitude and technical expertise, our
network of phones and computers would come to a grinding halt." Shuey
recently upgraded a bulk of the building's computers, increasing speed and
efficiency and ensuring Windows 10 compliancy. His most recent mission to
Washington, D.C., supported the Coast Guard's role in protecting the
capital January 13-20, during the presidential inauguration. As the Coast
Guard's assistant communications leader during the inauguration, he kept
the seagoing service in direct contact with the plethora of federal, state
and local agencies throughout the event. He ensured radios were loaded with
the correct software in order to function properly. His radio expertise
kept Coast Guard helicopter and boat crews in touch with emergency response
and security agencies in the air, on the ground and on the water. He
traveled site to site before, during, and after inauguration day, to
troubleshoot and resolve the technical troubles that arose within the
complex web of radio communication. "The success of the mission on the
water relied on the patrol commander's ability to communicate with vessels
spanning 17 nautical miles with more than ten agencies on a single secure
frequency," said Lt. Brian Miller, commanding officer, Station Washington,
D.C. "While Shuey was here during the inauguration he not only kept the
communications for the operation up and running, but he also took a look at
our existing infrastructure and is scheduled to return in a few weeks to
look at upgrading our existing communications network. With his help, we
hope to improve our communications with all of our National Capital Region
partners year round." Agencies typically use different types of radios that
require different software. Getting Coast Guard radios to talk and listen
to radios of multiple agencies is an elaborate affair, but Shuey isn't new
to the endeavor. During Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia in September
2015, he kept the Coast Guard on stable and interoperable frequencies with
the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and the Pennsylvania National Guard, among
others. As the son and grandson of former Coast Guardsmen, Shuey's interest
in serving began as a small child. His father, William Shuey Sr., initially
served as a Coast Guardsman in the Vietnam War aboard Coast Guard Cutter
Ingham, before becoming a storekeeper, specializing in Coast Guard finances
and logistics. He was honorably discharged and went to work in the private
sector as an accountant. Shuey Jr.'s grandfather, Herb Shuey, was a
radioman in the Coast Guard and served for 27 years before retiring as a
Chief Warrant Officer in command of Coast Guard Radio Station Chicago.
Growing up in Danville, Illinois, Shuey followed more in his grandfather's
footsteps than his father's. "My grandfather got me interested in radios
and doing this type of work in the Coast Guard," said Shuey. "When Radio
Station Chicago closed down for good, my grandfather still had access to a
lot of the old defunct gear, no longer being used. As a child, I got to
play with this radio equipment and my grandfather taught me not only how to
use it, but how to modify it so it could continue to be used. My
grandfather helped to pioneer Coast Guard communications. Coast Guard
communicators were so exceptional that during World War II, the Navy used
Coast Guard communicators, placing them in Greenland and Venezuela, to
intercept enemy messages. High frequency radio was used for long-range
communication before satellite communication was available." Shuey's
passion for radios extends into his personal life. A dedicated ham radio
enthusiast, he's currently studying for his license as an amateur extra
class radio operator, reading up on electronic theory, radio propagation
theory and the legal aspects of amateur radio communication. "I encourage
everyone to explore ham radio," said Shuey. "After the tsunamis struck
Japan in March 2011, nobody impacted by the disasters was able to
communicate using traditional means. Cell phone towers were wiped out.
Landline connections went dead. Japanese amateur radio operators were the
critical communication link both within the country and to the outside
world."