KNW-127Battery Selection and Battery Safety By Earl Pack – AE5PA(Written 12/16/2013; Updated 1 Jan 2020)updated 04 Aug 2025 by Paul Smith (K5PRS) BATTERY SELECTION AND BATTERY SAFETYAmateur radio operators work with many types of batteries. Each battery type has specific charging and safe use requirements. Charging requirements will be covered in a separate lesson. Because … Read more

KNW-122Anderson PowerPole Connectors Why Anderson Powerpoles?? Interoperability In the rather frantic and hectic long days and nights of amateur radio emergency operations in the immediate aftermath of the September 2001 World Trade Center attacks, the need for a new and more reliable method of power connectivity arose. The then currently used standard Molex power plugs … Read more

KNW-117NVIS – Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) refers to a radio propagation mode which involves the use of antennas with a very high radiation angle, approaching or reaching 90 degrees (straight up), along with selection of an appropriate frequency below the critical frequency, to establish reliable communications over a radius of … Read more

KNW-115GETTING TO KNOW YOUR RADIO Edited09/2022 by Paul Smith, K5PRSRevised 12/2020 Knowing how to access the basic functions on the radios that you use during an emergency response is an important skill as emergency communicators. There have been several incidents during public service events where an operator could not change a parameter such as frequency, … Read more

KNW-112Go-Bag Contents The Go-Bag is a set of pre-prepared, portable containers, often on wheels, that contain all of the ‘stuff’ you will need to survive a given event. It can be very simple if deployment is to an established EOC like ‘Transtar’ with pre-positioned radios, antennas, power (including backup generators), toilet facilities, etc. or it … Read more

KNW-111Portable Generators Edited 09/2022 by Paul Smith, K5PRS Portable Electric Generator Safety TipsPortable electric generators offer great benefits when outages affect your home or are used remotely during Public Service Events or disaster recovery. Below are guidelines for safely connecting and operating portable generators: Use the proper power cords. How big a generator do you … Read more

SAF-115Disaster Driving – ARES Style Adapted and modified Revised 11/2016 for theGulf Coast area by Earl Pack – AE5PA.Original article by Ron Dodson – KA4MAP Kentucky Amateur Radioedited by Paul Smith (K5PRS) on 05 Aug 2025 As a member of a local ARES team, you may find yourself sitting in the “shack” at your home, … Read more

SAF-114Preparing To Shelter In Place During A Radiation Emergency Modified from an original Mecklenburg CountyARES training article When we think about and prepare for emergency situations that might confront our own families and our communities, we may not immediately recognize and appreciate the very real and potential hazard presented by incidents involving radiation. Tonight’s preparedness … Read more

SAF-113PERSONAL SAFETY Modified from a Waller County ARES training articleWritten by Christine Smith, N5CAS (sk) Emergency communication volunteers may become so involved with helping others that they forget about their own families and themselves. The needs of victims may seem so large when compared with your own that you may feel guilty even taking a … Read more

SAF-112Lightning safety Modified from original Mecklenburg County ARES training article by Earl Pack, AE5PA Avoid Dangerous Situations Shelter from the lightning If someone is struck by lightning Protecting your Radio Equipment from lightning. There is a very good set of articles on the Harris County ARES Training page about this subject. That concludes tonight’s training. … Read more