Hi, All -

You may have noticed on the Tuesday night analog net roster a column labeled "OpsCodes". This is a tool by which the Duty Service Associate (DSA) or, if we have been activated, the event's Communications Unit Leader (Com-L) can get a quick idea of some of our team members basic capabilities in order to make initial assignments. We haven't updated this in awhile, so it's probably a good time to do so.

There are currently seven OpsCodes:

D => DMR. You have a DMR radio programmed with our three talk groups.

E => Emergency power. You can operate 'off the grid' for a period of time - you might be asked to estimate for how long if/when the DSA/Com-L contacts you . My personal criteria is to have enough alternative power (generation and storage) for a 8-12 hour daily shift for a minimum of three days, assuming one mobile radio operated at 10w with a duty cycle of 20% (20% talk/80% listen). YMMV - having access to a mobile radio in you car counts towards this.

A => External antenna. Having a gain antenna on your roof, tower, or temporary support will give your signal a better reach.

B => Beam antenna (ideally external). This gives your signal a better reach through directionality, especially in simplex mode. Examples include a VHF and UHF yagi or a dual band log periodic antenna (i.e. Elk). Team members with the appropriate equipment can operate VHF or UHF SSB mode, increasing effective signal strength hence range.  UHF DMR and a beam antenna looks promising for simplex operations.

H => HT only. More of a limitation than an asset. You can produce a signal, but it's limited by a short antenna and low power. This can be partially compensated for by using a external and/or beam antenna.

W => Winlink-capable. A team member who can send/receive VHF and/or HF Winlink messages.

M => Mobile. Ideally, a 50w single or dual band radio in you vehicle with a gain antenna mounted externally. This counts as being emergency powered.

We purposely tried to keep this simple (few people bother to fill out long forms). If you are a net participant please review your codes and update as necessary. If you get the changes to me by Monday evening they'll be included in the next roster/net assignments update.

73 and thanks for you consideration,

Jer aka AK6QJ