[mdmars_members] AFTER ACTION REPORT ATTACHED (SECOND ATTEMPT)
- From: J Sears <aat3ok@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: AAA3RD <tdz123@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 18:03:04 -0700 (PDT)
SEE ATTACHED.. HOPE IT WORKS THIS TIME
DE AAT3OK
R 042355Z AUG 2009
FM AAA3MD MD
TO AAA3RD MD
BT
MARS EXERCISE
SUBJECT: AFTER ACTION REPORT/(BAD MAGIC) FINAL AAR
1. STATION:AAA3MD/AAT3OK, AAT3GI, AAR3AL, AAR3DL, AAR3EB,
AAT3FG, AAT3TW, AAR3BV, AAT3MO, AAR3EY, AAR3AL
2. OPERATOR(S): AAR'S FROM 10 MDC MEMBERS
3. LOCATION: MARYLAND/DC
4. EMERGENCY POWER USED: SOME STATIONS ON GENERATOR AND/OR BATTERY.
5. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION: VARIOUS MARYLAND/DC STATIONS PARTICIPATED IN
THE EXERCISE INCLUDING 1 CUSTOMER FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
(AAN3NIH). TRAFFIC WAS PASSED ON NET FREQUENCY AS WELL AS ALTERNATE
FREQUENCIES. SCENARIO (BAD MAGIC) SIMULATED AN VIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE AREA.
SEVERAL MARYLAND MEMBERS SET UP A DEPLOYMENT TRAILER IN A FIELD ADJACENT TO
AAR3DL RESIDENCE AND HOSTED NIH MEMBER.
6. HOW AND WHEN NOTIFIED OF EMERGENCY: EMERGENCY WAS A
PLANNED-BY-SCENARIO OPERATION. ALERT NOTIFICATION FROM AAR3VW AT APPROXIMATELY
0100 ON 31 JULY 2009. EMERGENCY CALL UP INITIATED BY AAM3EMD.
7. WEATHER DURING OPERATION: EXERCISE HURRICANE CONDITIONS, 80-85 SUN AND
CLOUDS.
8. RADIO PROPAGATION CONDITIONS: HF: GOOD KCI AND KCO
VHF: GOOD VIA LOCAL REPEATER.
9. NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED: 19
10. NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED: 27
11. PROBLEMS OR ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OR OBSERVED:
A. PROTOCOL OF VOICE SOP NEEDS MORE TRAINING NCS STATION, ENTERING NET AND
POSTING TRAFFIC. SOME STATIONS CANNOT MOVE TO ALTERNATE FREQUENCY DUE TO LACK
OF ANTENNA.
B. MEMBERS WHO USE DIGITAL INFREQUENTLY LACK KNOWLEDGE OF DIGITAL PROCEDURES
AND PROTOCOL. AN EXERCISE IS NOT THE TIME TO KNOW IF YOUR RADIO AND SOFTWARE
ARE PROPERLY ADJUSTED AND WORKING.
C. ON SATURDAY, IT TOOK ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO TRANSFER NCS TO A NEW OPERATOR.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE (NEED MORE TRAINING ON THIS)
D. NET POLICY OF ASKING ONLY FOR STATIONS WITH TRAFFIC DISCOURAGED SOME
STATIONS FROM JOINING.
E. UNABLE TO GET A VOLUNTEER TO TAKE NCS FOR LAST 45 MINUTES OF THE NET. CALLED
SEVERAL STATIONS WHO ALL SAID THEY WERE CLOSING WITHIN NEXT FEW. SO CONTINUED TO
THE END OF NET.
F. USUAL NUMBER OF DUAL TRANSMISSIONS DURING CHECK-IN PERIODS. SOME NCS
OPERATORS WASTE TIME SAYING "PLEASE" AND "THANK YOU", WHICH IS INAPPROPRIATE
DURING AN EMERGENCY.
G. AAN3NIH (DEPLOYED) HAD SOME EQUIPMENT AND ANTENNA ISSUES. ANTENNA PROXIMITY
ISSUES CAUSED SEVERE INTERACTION BETWEEN SSB AND WINLINK STATIONS.
H. AAM3MD-2 (DC RMS) HAD AN OUTAGE DURING THE EXERCISE, APPARENTLY DURING THE
TIME WHEN AAN3NIH WAS SENDING TRAFFIC.
I. CRITIQUE OF OPERATIONS DURING NET WENT AGAINST DIRECTION OF ALERT
NOTIFICATION.
J. AAN3NIH WAS ASSUMED TO HAVE KNOWLEGE OF MARS PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS WHICH
WILL NOT ALWAYS BE THE CASE. NOT A GOOD ASSUMPTION AS MORE CUSTOMERS GET
INVOLVED. WE NEED TO TRAIN OUR MARS OPERATORS TO "NOT ASSUME" ANY KNOWLEGE OF
MARS PROCEDURES.
H. SOME MD MEMBERS DID NOT GET ALERT CALL DUE TO A BREAKDOWN IN THE CALL UP
TREE. (NEEDS TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY BY SMD)
J. AERT NOTIFICATION SAID NCS WAS TO MOVE VOICE TRAFFIC TO ANOTHER FREQUENCY,
IN SOME CASES THIS DID NOT HAPPEN, TAKING UP VALUABLE NET TIME.
K. NOTICED AT LEAST ONE NCS THAT WAS OUT OF HIS ELEMENT. WE DEFINATELY NEED
MORE TRAINING OF NCS STATIONS. ALL STATIONS MUST BECOME MORE PROFICIENT.
L. SEVERAL STATIONS REFUSED TO TAKE NCS DUTY. ANY STATION THAT REFUSED NCS
DUTIES SHOULD BE ASKED TO CLOSE THEIR STATION. ALL MUST BE CAPABLE OF BEING NCS
EVEN IN AN EMERGENCY.
12. WHAT WORKED WELL:
A: 31 STATIONS CHECKED IN THE FIRST 15 MINUTES OF NET, MANY WITH TRAFFIC.
B. OBSERVED 3 DIFFERENT STATIONS AS NCS, A BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER PAST EXERCISES.
C. STATIONS MOVING TO ALTERNATE FREQUENCY TO PASS TRAFFIC.
D. STATIONS FROM OTHER REGIONS AND 3 MARS SERVICES PARTICIPATED.
E. STATION UNABLE TO COPY ON KCO MOVED TO FGGM REPEATER AND PASSED 1R IN/E.
F. AAR3DL'S TRAILER WAS GIVEN A GOOD SHAKE-DOWN "CRUISE" REVEALED PROBLEMS TO
BE CORRECTED BEFORE NEXT EVENT. LONG TERM: THE TRAILER/DEPLOYMENT CONCEPT
REQUIRES DEDICATED
EQUIPMENT THAT CAN BE QUICKLY BROUGHT TO FULL CAPABILITY.
MARS EXERCISE
BT
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