Hi Everybody,
A BIG “Thank You” goes to the 43 stalwart folks who came out to play over the past 4 days. Your participation made SET 2012 work and the success that it was.

While I have not had time yet to tally the check-ins, and am still awaiting most participant’s After Action Reports*, I feel that Region 2 made a good showing in this year’s drill.

SUMMARY:
• We concentrated on finding ways to get the message through, using available Repeaters and Simplex options.

• We spent time honing our NTS message skills, and in some cases learning how to create messages in NTS message format (the ARRL Radiogram), and practiced sending them.

• We introduced the protocol of using the Resource Net as the first and last place to check into and out of an “event”.

• We initiated the use of Packet Radio and Winlink Airmail into the mix of SET activities here in Region 2.

• We estabilished “Face Time” in EOCs where we were invited to come and operate.

• We made a good impression at the 4 new sites with ARES activity (Shelton, Meriden, Madison, Chester)

• We discovered that the EAST AREA is a veritable RF hole, with blocking hills and deep valleys preventing good Simplex communications with the other AREAs in Region 2.

• We saw that a 5 watt HT, with a Rubber Duck antenna (or improved aftermarket, radio mounted) antenna, is nearly useless for “AREA Simplex” two-way communications.

• We encountered great difficulty in making contacts on 75m and 40m Phone during scheduled morning Region 2 nets.

• We had mixed results on 10m Phone. Region 2 communications were difficult, but that the contact from Region 2 to Region 1 (Middletown Region 2 EOC to a station in Trumbull) worked well.

Now it is time to produce reports for operational review and SET Scoring.

Please send in your comments and Simplex Logs ASAP.

Thank you.