Southern New Jersey Amateur Radio Emergency Services 2025 Simulated Emergency Test - (Posted: 10/31/2025)
On Sunday October 26, Amateur Radio Emergency Services volunteers participated in simulated evaluation evacuees from an area experience an earthquake, Southern New Jersey Amateur Radio Emergency Services volunteers in Camden, Cumberland, Mercer, Ocean and Salem counties were involved. The simulation utilized amateur radio voice and digital messaging to communications without services of commercial telecommunications, internet, or electricity. Under the leadership of Rick Kennard Section Emergency Coordinator for Southern New Jersey.
This Simulated Emergency Test is a national annual event of Amateur Radio Emergency Services that is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Amateur Radio Emergency Services team are all licensed by Federal Communications Commission, plus they attend additional training to assist agencies when commercial communications are unavailable. The agencies Southern NJ Amateur Radio Emergency Services serves with emergency communication as needed include local shelters, American Red Cross shelters, Office of Emergency Management, and National Weather Service ground observe SKYWARN program.
Sunday’s simulated exercise utilized skill needed whenever shelters are utilized by local/state authorities or American Red Cross when commercial communications are unavailable or overloaded. The local teams processed multiple messages from the simulated event's Emergency Operations Center along with communications between all the teams coordinating efforts through digital radio network for shelters plus tactical voice communications in a compressed scenario.
More information about Amateur Radio Emergency Services is available through the ARRL amateur radio national organization in Newington, CT or at ARRL.org.
NJ ARRL Sections sign MOU with American Red Cross - (Posted: 08/26/2023)
On Friday August 25, 2023 ARRL Section Mangers from the Northern New Jersey Section and the Southern New Jersey Section met in Princeton NJ, with representatives from the Red Cross New Jersey Region to sign a cooperation agreement. The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding focuses on disaster planning and response for communities within New Jersey during and after a disaster event.
Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) teams in New Jersey will provide assistance with communications in support of disaster relief. This is based on the cooperation agreement between ARES and the New Jersey Red Cross Region. ARES teams will provide assistance through training, testing, exercises, and by providing emergency communications to support local shelter operations. This is especially important when normal communications are disrupted or overloaded.
Amateur Radio Emergency Services teams throughout New Jersey have been supporting American Red Cross shelter disaster operations and operating region American Red Cross emergency communications for some time. An example is the Princeton office is maintained and operated by the Mercer County team and ARC Pennsauken Office is supported by Gloucester County team. Other joint ARES/RACES/AUXCOMM teams have provided ARC shelter services during past emergency activations.
Pictured above Ed Blanchard, Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer, Robert Buus – W2OD, ARRL Northern New Jersey Section Manager, Tom Preiser – N2XW, ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Manager
One Amateur Radio Operator’s View of “Volunteers on the Air” - (Posted: 03/15/2023)
By Tom Devine, WB2ALJ, Southern NJ Section Emergency Coordinator
The ARRL 2023 “Volunteers on the Air” event coupled with solar cycle opening of HF propagation has provided increased amateur radio activity. It’s been fun to share contact with other ARRL volunteers and DX stations, almost any time of the day on HF.
“Volunteers On the Air” (VOTA) is a year long event celebrating the recognition of the ARRL’s abundant volunteers support and contributions. It has inspired and increased amateur radio activity on the air. The VOTA event can be viewed as a contest or just a fun operating activity.
Operators can accumulate points for each ARRL member and volunteer supporter they contact throughout 2023. Examples of points awarded: any ARRL member 1, Section Manager 175, W1AW ARRL HQ Station 100, and Section Emergency Coordinator 30. (Detailed list available at http://www.arrl.org/volunteers-on-the-air ). In order to acquire or grant points all operators must log contacts in ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTW) at http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world . LoTW is utilized to calculate VOTA total contacts, qualified contacts for point, and total points accumulated on a daily basis. Your current points can be viewed on the “Leaderboard” at https://vota.arrl.org/.
A radio operator can have fun just by getting on the air and making contacts. VOTA operating bands include 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2, and 1.25 meters as well as 70 centimeters, VHF/UHF/SHF. Please note that Cross-band, Cross-mode, and repeater contact are not valid for points.
Each State is scheduled to be allocated to operated two W1AW/* Portable Station for a week during the year. New Jersey’s operating schedules start on April 26 and August 9 for more detail reference the “State Activity Schedule” on http://www.arrl.org/volunteers-on-the-air .
You are encouraged to get on the air and have some fun with VOTA, plus enjoy band openings throughout the world.
Tom Devine WB2ALJ
“The VOTA event has simulated me to get on the air more, almost daily. My goal is to have fun with a few contacts and by recognize other ARRL volunteers. To date, I have given more VOTA points than accumulated which is fine. I am using indoor antennas and about 40 watts output with multiple modes and bands. I encourage all to try VOTA.”