T-REX 2022 is under way. You should be simulating a communications and power grid-down environment until 1900Z, Sunday, 9/11/22
At 1900hrs Zulu (Noon/Pacific 3pm/Eastern) you will simulate a complete loss of GPS or other satellite services for the remainder of the exercise.
Take good notes, and have fun! See you on the air!
I have been listening on and off all day on 20 -40 and 80 on the 3 freq you have posted nothing heard here in arkansas KB5JK Jack
A ton of traffic has been passed in the previous 24 hours (it’s mid afternoon in the Pacific time zone as I write this), to and from every part of the country. And it’s increasing. Double check your Signals Operating Instructions (times/freq/modes). It’s nearly continuous. Okay… back to off-grid, /internet off/.
I have a different problem. I’ve tried to be off grid as much as possible and have stumbled across traffic, but I have no idea what half the acronyms mean and since i wouldn’t interrupt this stuff in real life for dumb questions I’m not going to interrupt here either. So without knowing what many of the acronyms mean, it’s hard to “participate”. Hopefully by next year I’ll have a better grasp.
Totally understand. No problem. T-Rex is basically an accumulation of past training and practice built up over the previous months or year (or years), and everyone grows and learns from it each time. It’s good that you’re monitoring and seeing at least ‘some’ of the flow. Same journey all of us have been (and are still) on.
Here in eastern Virginia by The Bay Trex is a roarinf success! The coast to coast , national messages from Idho/Washington State border and elsewhere are readable in voice AND as usual VERY GOOD in digital modes. My regional voice is usable but the digital is very strong here in the southern half of the east coast. As always, digital carries the lions share of the messges.
Operators ! Keep notes for improvement and ideas for the coming months.
Signing off
Terrific (and terrible) T-REX for me this year! I’ve been down hard for several days due to a lower-back injury, but my mindset is that Murphy doesn’t care. So virtually zero pre-exercise staging, but what an incredible opportunity to train! Guess what, folks? Things can still go south even when you’re least ready, injured, tired, etc. The only activity I could muster is the setup of my laptop, SW radio, and 50′ long-wire antenna in suburban hell, with the help of my small children. I’ve copied zero traffic, (the RF noise is incredible!), but I’m *encouraged*! Now I know what doesn’t work and can make changes.
STAY ENCOURAGED!
The goal is to LEARN what does or does not work for you, with that particular setup, in that particular location. Copying all the traffic comes afterwards.
KEEP TRAINING.
ENDEX –
This has been an excellent exercise, useful training, lots of notes in my notebook for changes to implement.
BEST IMPROVEMENT was the amount of traffic passed, both up and down the chain. Condensed, vetted reports coming in to my area wolike this would be very useful – and was simulated in this exercise. The REGIONAL SIGCENS reporting on those events most likely to impact our region, but not others – good idea!
Wek Done and DOUBLE ‘HAAR!”
Popeye
This was my first rodeo, learned a lot, have lots more to learn.
Biggest thing for me was the realization that there is no other organized group in the country conducting training and exercises at this scale… nation-wide.
We’ll done.
A Few Administrative Hints for all involved.
1. Get the AmRRON SOI. 90% of HF communuication is being on the correct freq at the correct time and in the correct mode(s). The SOI spells this out explicitly. One of the first bits of information [transmitted] during this Trex 2022 exercise was that we would operate ‘Schedule 1’. The SOI spells out exactly what SCHEDULE 1 is: times freqs and modes..
1.1 READ the SOI a few times, just to kinda know what is in there.
2. Practice nets are run many times per month and have been for over a decade. Participate in these practice nets, using equipment configured as spelled-out in the various instructions ( white papers ) and you’ll be ready when you NEED to make comms with AmRRON.
3. Keep a log of all comms heard, received and sent. If you relayed to/from another station, log that too.
Equipment Hints
A. Put up the BEST antenna that you can. There’s a saying in radio that your BEST AMPLIFIER is your antenna. A dipole high and in the clear and away from sources of noise will serve you well.
B. Electrical noise is a serious problem in modern American life. if the S-meter reads a base level of S3 you have a moderate problem. If it reads S9 you have a major problem. Wallwarts, TVs computers and their power supplies and more can cause massive electrical interference, making it impossible to even hear most radio signals. A test, put your radio on battery power and not the baseline noise level. Let’s say it HIGH, like an S 9!! Turn off the house electrical panel. If the noise drops to say S1, GOOD NEWS, the interference is coming from somewhere on your power circuit. Turn the breaker back ON and the noise should return.. Now, one breaker at a time, turn them off until the electrical noise drops – one of your noise sources is on THAT breaker. Turn THAT breaker ON and then begin unplugging electrical gadgets on at a time. Look for wall-wart power supplies, cable TV boxes, touch lamps, dimmer switches and etc. anything electrical.If the noise drops when you unplug one of those Cheap Chinese gadgets, you’ve found the source and can either throw it away, or at least unplug it during radio contacts.
C. Learn to use the I.F. FILTERS in your radio. This is not taught in the ham courses, but most modern radios have increasingly narrow filters, so that a signal like CONTESTIA 4/250 which is only 350 Hz (plus what we engineers call ‘wiggle room’ 😉 you can trim the filters down to say 300 Hs bandwidth and center the signal to get MAXIMUM SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO. The ratio is far more important that the overall signal strength. Weak but interference free is very usable, rather than strong but covered in noise. NOISE CANCELLING IS N O T the same thing.
There is more, but this is a good start.
See You On The Radio.
Popeye