Welcome to Prince George's County, Maryland Amateur Radio Emergency Service Our call sign is W3PGC

Training Nets - EVERY TUESDAY @ 7:30 PM Local - K3ERA 145.230- pl 110.9 Repeater
Net Control Schedule for Jul - Dec. 2024 See: Net Control Script, Version 9, revised 06/18/24 (Get Adobe Reader)

Regular Eye-ball Meetings - 3rd Monday of every month at 7:00 PM Eastern Local

MDC Section HF Hospital Training Net - 3.820 MHz LSB on
Wednesday following the 3rd Monday, Every Month at 7:00 PM Eastern Local

NOAA - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Current WASHINGTON AREA WEATHER

Introduction

PG-ARES/RACES provides emergency communication support. When the cell towers are down, or overloaded, when the land lines are down and the power is out, Amateur Radio operators can communicate with other operators anywhere in the world.  All members are volunteers with various levels of Amateur Radio licenses.  We also volunteer our personal Amateur Radio equipment when we are called to serve.

Amateur Radio Today - by the late Walter Cronkite (YouTube Video)

PG-ARES is supported by contributions from members, the public, and grants to PGCERA Inc..

View and print the PG-ARES Tri-Fold Brochure

If you are a FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operator and wish to participate or volunteer, you are encouraged to join our Tuesday evening Training-Nets or Meetings.

Join the PG-ARES Listserv!

Click here or send an email to pgares+subscribe@googlegroups.com, and include your name, email address, and call sign if you have one to join the listserv. Keep up with meetings, training sessions, and other events and activities.  Subscribing to the listserv DOES NOT automatically make you a member of PG-ARES. See the Membership section below for information on how to join PG-ARES.

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Membership

PG-ARES/RACES is a field service organization of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) and as such membership requirements include: a valid FCC Amateur Radio Operators License as well as a willingness to participate.   Our main function is to serve the community with our Amateur Radio hobby in times of need.

To be an ARES Member:

• Download and complete the Membership Application and either return it to the AEC for Administration or bring it to a monthly meeting
• Participate in the On-the-Air Training Nets held every Tuesday at 7:30 PM Local on K3ERA 145.230- pl 110.9 Repeater; and
• Attend the monthly meetings held the 3rd Monday of every month at 7:00 PM Eastern Local
• Complete the FEMA Online following courses:
  IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System
  IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System

RACES Member, qualified by Prince George's County and the State of Maryland, you must have completed the following FEMA On-Line Courses:

• IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
• IS-800.C: National Response Framework, an Introduction

Send your course completion certificates to the RACES Radio Officer (RO) by email or hand deliver it at a regular Meeting, along with your Membership Application if you have not already applied.


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Meetings - Events Calendar

PG-ARES On-Air Training Net on EVERY TUESDAY of the month @ 7:30 PM on the K3ERA 145.230- pl 110.9 District Heights, MD Repeater

Monthly Meetings on the 3^rd Monday of the month @ 7:00 PM at the Prince George's County Fire Services Building, 6820 Webster Street, Hyattsville, MD 20784-1474.

MDC Section HF Hospital Training Net (HFHN) on the Wednesday following the Monthly Meeting @ 7:00PM Local on 3820 +/- KHz LSB.  This is a controlled net, please follow the instructions of the Net Control Station.

Training Meeting on a selected Saturday Mornings of most months, starting at various times and ending at 12 Noon at the PG Co. Fire Services Building, 6820 Webster St., Hyattsville, MD 20784-1474.

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Activities

In order to hone our skills as communicators, net controllers, and volunteers in general, we provide communication support for local events such as marathons, bicycle races, parades & festivals.  We also provide communication support during emergencies and disasters with other volunteer organizations.

Prince George's County (PG Co.) Health Care Coalition
We have standing agreements with local hospitals and County Health Depts. to provide communication support if and when their existing systems fail.  Currently, we have complete radio stations at six of the County hospitals.   Also, the 2 County Health Departments. PG-ARES will need another 20 trained operators to operate all the stations.   So, if you would like to become involved with the Prince George's ARES, we would like to train you now. Please check into one of the Tuesday Training Nets and make yourself known.   See the Prince George's Co. Health Care Coalition pages.

MDC Section HF Hospital Net on the Wednesday following the Monthly Meeting @ 7:00 PM on 3820 +- KHz LSB. Early check-ins begin at 6:45 PM local.  This is a controlled net, please follow the instructions of the Net Control Station, K3ERA.  The MDC HFHN is open to all HF operators from anywhere as we would use this Net for wide area/multi state emergency communications.

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Training

On-the-Air Training Nets are held every Tuesday on the 145.230- pl 110.9 repeater @ 7:30 PM Local.
Download the Net Control Script, Version 8, revised 01/08/24 (Get Adobe Reader)
>
Training Sessions may be held on one Saturday Morning per month at the FSB-EOC. Also, please see the PG-ARES Events Calendar for times and locations of training sessions.

A complete listing of FEMA Online Courses

The following courses must be completed in order to work any County or State declared Emergency Incidents (RACES).

• IS-100.C: Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.B: An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
• IS-800.C: National Response Framework, an Introduction

As you complete the FEMA courses, please send a copy your completion certificate to the AEC for Administration to update your records in our database, so we know you are eligible to work a RACES incident.

Training Resources for radios used at the hospitals.

• Kenwood TM-D710GA Dual Bander Operation

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Files

Files, Instructions & other PDF's listed here are for downloading.
You may need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some files.
Click the Acrobat Reader link to download the Reader.   

• PG-ARES Tri-Fold Brochure - Who we are - 223 Kb
• Net Control Script, Version 8, revised 01/08/24 - 73 Kb
• Net Operations - Chapter 4 - W3YVQ's PSCM NTS - 361 Kb
• Maryland Natural Hazards Preparedness Guide - 3.0 Mb
• Useful MAPS
• ICS-213 - General Message Form
• RMS Express Tutorial WB3KAS Rev 1.0.pdf (5 Mb) - Given on Aug. 24, 2013 at the EOC. 
• Training Topic Summary Form (PDF)

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Links

ARRL
ARRL - Amateur Radio Relay League
ARRL - ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service
ARRL Atlantic Division - Web Site
ARRL - Maryland DC Section - Section Manager Chris Van Winkle, AB3WG>

Reflectors
PG ARES-RACES - Yahoo Group and eMail Reflector.
MDC-EC EC & AEC reflector

>Government
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
MDEM Maryland Department of Emergency Management
U.S. RACES U.S. Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
PGC-OEM Pr. Geo. County Office of Emergency Management

Weather
SKYWARN - Balto./Wash. Section
NWS Forcast Office Balto./Wash. - enter your Zip Code for report
NOAA Wx Radio - Wash. DC - WNG-736 @ 162.450 MHz
            Program your WX Radio for Prince George's County, MD - 024033, MDZ013
WX4NHC - National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Station
Lightning Maps - Maps of the local lightning strikes

Traffic Nets
MEPN - Maryland Emergency Phone Net

WinLink
RMS Express

Groups & Clubs
PGARES - Prince George's Amateur Emergency Radio Service - W3PGC - 2 Repeaters
GMRA - The Green Mountain Repeater Association - 2 Repeaters
CMRG - Central Maryland Repeater Group  - 5 Repeaters
BWA - Bowie Wireless Assoc. of Bowie, MD. - K3BWA
LRC - Laurel Radio Club of Laurel, MD. - W3LRC - 2 Repeaters
AARC - Anne Arundel Radio Club of Davidsonville, Md. - W3VPR - 4 Repeaters
MMARC - Maryland Mobileers ARC of Millersville, MD. - W3CU - 2 Repeaters
T-MARC - The Mid-tlantic Repeater Council - Repeater Frequency Co-ordinator & Lists


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Contacts

PGARES Call Sign - W3PGC
VHF Repeater is K3ERA - 145.230 - pl 110.9 located in Districts Heights, Maryland
UHF Repeater is K3ERA - 447.325 - pl 110.9 located in Lanham, Maryland

    Snail Mail
PGARES/RACES
P.O. Box 788
Greenbelt, MD 20768-0788

PG-ARES STAFF MEMBERS

Jeffrey Humbert - KB3SPH Indian Head, MD ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC)

Bill Smith - N3XL Bowie, MD AEC for Operations

Charles Hallock - AA3WS Accokeek, MD AEC for Logistics

Pamela Humbert - KB3SWS Indian Head, MD AEC for Training

Alexander Maricich - KB3WRY Bowie, MD AEC Webmaster

AEC for Health Care Coalition     (Hospitals & Health Depts.) Position Open

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Photo Albums

• National MakerFaire. - June 18-19, 2016 at Univ. of Distric of Columbia
• Slide show from the 2016 Makers Faire - June 18 & 19, 2016 - A few pictures of WB2IFS-Jesse and N3ADF
• State's Attorney's 5K Crime Victums' Fund Run - Oct. 2012
• Field Day 2011 - June 25-26, 2011
• WinLink RMS Express Class - July 23, 2011
• Map of PGARES WinLink2K RMS Packet Nodes - Jan. 26, 2011
• Prince George's VFD Parade Communications Team - Sept. 18, 2010
• Wind Wizard 2010 Drill - August 26, 2010
• August 2010 Meeting - Cake celebrating the new EC & RO for PGARES
• August 2010 Meeting - Cliff-W3CB receives his "Most Net Check-Ins 2010" award from the new EC, Jim-WB3KAS
• National Night Out 2010 - Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - Pr. Geo's County, MD
• Holiday Social 2009 - at the Golden Corral, Largo Towne Center
• Field Day 2009 - American Legion Post 66, Bowie, MD
• "Go Kit" Seminar & "Show & Tell" - July & August 2008
• WinLink2K "AirMail" Workshop - at EOC January 19, 2008
• Holiday Social 2007 - at the Golden Corral, Largo Towne Center
• Field Day 2007 - at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, DC
• Red Cross Shelter Simulation Exercise - Sept. 29, 2007

Hams At Settings Other Than Ham Radio Functions
☺	Hams at the Anne Arundel Scottish Highland Games & Festival - Oct. 13, 2007      Also see "QST" for January 2008, page 13
☺	Jerry-N3WSG tees off at a charity golf tournament

If you have digital photos of PG ARES events, your EmComm gear, your QTH Shack, or other photos involving Ham Radio, please email them with captions to the Webmaster.

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