NIFOG & AUXFOG

The Field Operations Guides are technical reference resources for emergency communications planning and for radio technicians responsible for radios that will be used in emergency responses.

You can download a copy of the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (January 2019) and the Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide (June 2016) from the DHS web-site at:  https://www.dhs.gov/publication/fog-documents

Merry Christmas

In 2011, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, created a video version of Clement Clark Moore's poem A Visit from St Nicholas, more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas, but Gary's version has a decidedly Amateur Radio twist. With a guitar accompaniment by Don Mercz, WA3AYR, A Ham's Night Before Christmas features QST magazine covers, Gil cartoons and Christmas-themed QST advertisements from days gone by. 

Click here to watch the video on the ARRL YouTube channel. 

Kentucky ARES EMCOMM Training Course

The Kentucky ARES EMCOMM Training Course http://www.kyham.net/emcomm/training.html is offered at no cost to anyone interested in starting or refreshing their amateur radio emergency communication knowledge. The course is comprised of study materials and 3 exams and requires 2-5 hours depending on your reading speed. After successful completion of the course (all 3 exams), you will receive a PDF certificate.

I first took the KYARES EMCOMM course in 2002, and have now retaken the course to refresh my knowledge of emergency communications. Any HAM can benefit from completing this on-line training. I encourage every HAM to participate in emergency preparedness training. Whether you participate in ARES activities or not, the Kentucky ARES EMCOMM Training Course will add to your knowledge of Amateur Radio.

EC-001: Introduction to Emergency Communication

EC-001: Introduction to Emergency Communication is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools for any emergency communications volunteer. The course has 6 sections with 28 lesson topics. It includes required student activities, a 35-question final assessment and is expected to take approximately 45 hours to complete over a 9-week period.

Even if you are not an active member of ARES or some other emergency communications group, EC-001 provides worthwhile instruction for any Ham.

NOAA National Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System, NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages). 

Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes more than 1000 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Broadcasts are found in the VHF public service band at these frequencies (MHz):

* Some weather radios also contain a tenth channel, 163.275 MHz, which was used by the National Weather Service for internal coordination; however this frequency is no longer used.


In Thurston County, WA (and in other nearby counties), NWR weather broadcasts are provided by NWR Transmitter WXM622 located on Capitol Peak.

Some NWR receivers contain Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME).  To receive SAME Alerts, you must program your county, parish, independent city or marine area into the radio. 

Once programmed, your NWR will then alert you only of weather and other emergencies for the county(s)/ area(s) you chose. NWR receivers with SAME, alert for emergencies anywhere within the coverage area of the NWR transmitter, typically several counties, even though the emergency could be well away from the listener.

When an NWS office broadcasts a warning, watch or non-weather emergency, it also broadcasts a digital SAME code. This SAME code contains the type of message, county(s) affected, and message expiration time. A programmed NWR SAME receiver will turn on for that message, with the listener hearing the 1050 Hz warning alarm tone as an attention signal, followed by the broadcast message. At the end of the broadcast message, listeners will hear a brief digital end-of-message static burst followed by a resumption of the NWR broadcast cycle.

To program NWR SAME receivers with the proper county(s) and marine area(s) of choice, you need to know the 6-digit SAME code number. Then follow the directions in your radio's user's manual. 

SAME codes for WA counties are included in the following table.

County	SAME #	NWR Transmitter	Call Sign	Frequency
Adams	53001	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Asotin	53003	Lewiston	WXK98	162.55
Benton	53005	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Chelan	53007	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Chelan	53007	Wenatchee	WXM48	162.475
Clallam	53009	Forks	KXI27	162.425
Clallam	53009	Neah Bay	KIH36	162.55
Clallam	53009	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Clark	53011	Davis Peak	WNG604	162.525
Clark	53011	Portland	KIG98	162.55
Columbia	53013	Dayton	KZZ73	162.525
Cowlitz	53015	Davis Peak	WNG604	162.525
Cowlitz	53015	Portland	KIG98	162.55
Douglas	53017	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Douglas	53017	Wenatchee	WXM48	162.475
Ferry	53019	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Franklin	53021	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Garfield	53023	Dayton	KZZ73	162.525
Garfield	53023	Lewiston	WXK98	162.55
Grant	53025	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Grant	53025	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Grant	53025	Wenatchee	WXM48	162.475
Grays Harbor	53027	Astoria	KEC91	162.4
Grays Harbor	53027	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Grays Harbor	53027	Forks	KXI27	162.425
Island	53029	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Jefferson	53031	Forks	KXI27	162.425
Jefferson	53031	Neah Bay	KIH36	162.55
Jefferson	53031	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
King	53033	Seattle	KHB60	162.55
Kitsap	53035	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Kitsap	53035	Seattle	KHB60	162.55
Kittitas	53037	Cle Elum	WXN21	162.4
Kittitas	53037	Wenatchee	WXM48	162.475
Kittitas	53037	Yakima	KIG75	162.55
Klickitat	53039	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Klickitat	53039	The Dalles	WXM34	162.4
Lewis	53041	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Lewis	53041	Randle	WZ2502	162.425
Lincoln	53043	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Lincoln	53043	Spokane	WXL86	162.4
Mason	53045	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Mason	53045	Seattle	KHB60	162.55
Okanogan	53047	Okanogan	WWF49	162.525
Pacific	53049	Astoria	KEC91	162.4
Pacific	53049	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Pend Oreille	53051	Spokane	WXL86	162.4
Pierce	53053	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Pierce	53053	Seattle	KHB60	162.55
San Juan	53055	H Street - Blaine Area	KAD93	162.525
San Juan	53055	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Skagit	53057	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Skamania	53059	Portland	KIG98	162.55
Skamania	53059	The Dalles	WXM34	162.4
Snohomish	53061	Puget Sound Marine	WWG24	162.425
Snohomish	53061	Seattle	KHB60	162.55
Spokane	53063	Bonners Ferry	WWG99	162.5
Spokane	53063	Spokane	WXL86	162.4
Stevens	53065	Spokane	WXL86	162.4
Thurston	53067	Capitol Peak	WXM62	162.475
Wahkiakum	53069	Astoria	KEC91	162.4
Walla Walla	53071	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Walla Walla	53071	Spout Springs	WXL95	162.4
Whatcom	53073	H Street - Blaine Area	KAD93	162.525
Whitman	53075	Dayton	KZZ73	162.525
Whitman	53075	Lewiston	WXK98	162.55
Yakima	53077	Richland	WWF56	162.45
Yakima	53077	Yakima	KIG75	162.55