The following RFR podcast, Episode 23-20, addresses some questions and adds clarification to participating in T-REX 2023, with additional information about STATREPs, and how to use Commstat for reporting one’s own, as well as other’s, locations.
Listen here:
The preferred way to submit a STATREP, in order, is:
1. Commstat
2. The STATREP Version 4 AmRRON Custom form
3. Abbreviated STATREP format sent using plain text digital modes, such as JS8Call or FLDIGI, and can even be transmitted over voice, where the receiving station could submit a Commstat STATREP on behalf of the reporting station for the benefit of everyone else in the network.
For example:
Lets use the previous scenario. You’re talking to another ham operator over your regional repeater and he states that the power is out, cell phone is out, the internet is out, and the bridge leading to his town has collapsed, with no alternate routes into the town.
This example would possibly also drive the need to submit a Situation Report, with additional details and narrative. Possibly a request for heavy equipment, engineering assets, boats or supply barges, etc.
But first get the pin on the map, so to speak, by submitting a STATREP.
The preferred, and most efficient way, to do this, is to pull up Commstat and fill in the STATREP fields as you’re receiving the information. The STATREP form will serve as a checklist to help you fill in the blanks, so you don’t miss anything.
The comments section should be very brief. But if you’re filling out a STATREP on behalf of another party at another location, the very first portion of the Comments section should contain ‘MA-’ (for Manually Added) followed by the suffix of the station filling out the report. So, if your callsign ends with ‘xyz, you would begin the comments field with ‘MA-XYZ’, followed by any brief comments.
Then, for Commstat users, instead of transmitting the STATREP, you would select ‘Save Only’. This will make the STATREP appear in your Commstat.
THEN to transmit it, you would forward it. To do this in Commstat, click on the Menu tab, and select ‘STATREP ACK’ from the dropdown menu.
Find the STATREP that you just saved in the list, click on it, and then click the ‘Forward Selected STATREP’ button on the bottom left. JS8Call will transmit the STATREP.
WHEN TO SUBMIT A STATREP…
You should submit a STATREP at any time after a disruptive event has occured, but not during scheduled nets.
It is a good practice to turn your TX OFF in JS8Call during scheduled nets, that way your station won’t inadvertently transmit during the net.
During normal operations when no training exercise is taking place, stations regularly submit STATREPs when they lose internet, power, etc.. These are real-world reports. So a simulated emergency training exercise, or a real world disruption would be opportunities for you to submit a STATREP.
Submit a STATREP no more than once per day, unless your status has changed. In that case, update your STATREP to reflect the change and transmit it as a new STATREP.
FORWARD your latest STATREP no more than once per 1 or 2 hours, as opposed to creating a new STATREP each time (unless something in your STATREP has changed).
To do this in Commstat, click on the Menu tab, and select ‘STATREP ACK’ from the dropdown menu.
Find your most recent STATREP in the list, click on it, and then click the ‘Forward Selected STATREP’ button on the bottom left. JS8Call will transmit your STATREP without creating a new report ID.
It’s true that other stations who are not on the air when you transmit your STATREP will miss it when they come up on the air. To let others know your status as they get on the air, you can manually FORWARD your STATREP. This prevents your own system from building up multiple STATREPs all saying the same thing, and it helps to keep everyone else’s Commstat from getting cluttered with multiples from the same station.
Each newly created STATREP generates a unique Message ID.
Forwarding (instead of filling out a brand new STATREP each time), fills in missing data from stations who missed your previous transmissions, but doesn’t add to the report listings of other stations who did in fact already copy your previous STATREP.
Pro Tip!
To avoid inadvertent transmissions, select the ‘Ask for confirmation before sending autoreply transmissions‘ box.
This can be found in your JS8Call Settings menu, under General > Networking & Autoreply
This will ask for you to accept before transmitting. So if some knucklehead sends out a manual SNR query, it won’t worce an autoresponse from your station during a net, or cause you to miss traffic you’re trying to receive. You can always turn this feature off if you’re going to be away from your station if a scheduled net isn’t supposed to be taking place while you’re away.
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