ARES®

Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES)

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Since 1935, ARES has provided radio communications in North America and around the world in times of need.

In these modern times of cellular phones and the Internet, we take instant communications for granted. We forget how fragile our communications systems are. We forget that only one critical piece of communications infrastructure has to fail or become overloaded to render it unusable in times of emergency!

What does ARES do?

ARES provides emergency radio communications:

  • · When the ice storm of 2011 Threatened Delaware County
  • · When the city of Houston, Texas was flooded in 2001, knocking out telephone service and emergency power
  • · When Hurricane Katrina devastated the United States
  • · When the tornado outbreak of 2011 severely damaged southern states
  • · And in countless other emergency or disaster situations all over the World
  • · During 9/11 and The Boston Marathon Incedent

Every ARES member in the United States is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to own, maintain and operate private radio equipment. We use VHF and UHF radios for local communications, and HF (short wave) radios for state wide and international communications. We can use this network of amateur repeater stations to send emergency messages.

ARES is part of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).  ARRL is recognized by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), the organization which links together all the national amateur radio societies in the World.

Municipalities and Emergency Agencies

Make ARES a part of your emergency plan. When a disaster happens, we can provide extra radio equipment and trained operators, in conjunction with local radio clubs which normally provide emergency infrastructure, such as repeater stations which will operate on emergency power.

We do not use or “take over” your communications systems. We offer supplemental communications, using our own equipment on our own frequencies. We can, for example, set up a temporary station at an emergency shelter, to handle health and welfare inquiries.

ARES is an official communications provider for the American Red Cross. The Potter County ARES maintains Amateur Radio equipment in strategic locations and most operators provide their own, and ARES does have some equipment to loan for operational requirements. We simply provide supplemental communications. We also work closely with Potter County County SkyWarn, and have many trained severe weather-spotting personnel in our county.

Your local contact is the ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC).  In addition to the (EC) there are usually a few (ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinators (AEC’s). They are listed here for convenience.

Emergency Coordinator

  • Currently Unknown for Potter County PA –

If you know, please contact me.

Click here to see list of scheduled ARES® Events.

Community Organizations

We provide communications for public events. If you’re planning a parade, or a walk-a-thon, or any large event, we can provide portable radios and volunteer operators. Please discuss your needs for the scheduled events well in advance of the event with the local ARES personnel.

There is never any charge for our services. This is part of our training as radio operators, and part of our “public service” mission.

Consult with your local ARES Emergency Coordinator or group to discuss your event, and determine your radio need.

Please volunteer for ARES!

Anyone with an amateur radio license can register with ARES. There are no dues and no obligations, other than to help however you can in an emergency.

You don’t need to be a member of ARRL. You don’t need more than a Basic “Technician Class” license. You don’t need any special equipment. Even if you don’t own any equipment at all we need licensed amateur operators.

We provide training in emergency communications, traffic handling and net procedures. We stage annual exercises like Field Day and Simulated Emergency Tests (SET).

Potter County ARES® group meetings are held every month on the 2nd Saturdays at 12 Noon, at the Sweden Valley United Methodist Church, at Route 6, East of Sweden Valley in Potter County, PA (just east of Coudersport).

Plans include setting up a complete HAM Station at the SVUM Church for training new amateurs, Emergency Services, and for regular ham hobby and contesting communications.

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS  Dinner  FAIRVIEW BUFFET  WELLSVILLE,NY 5:30 PM

THIRD SATURDAYS  EVEN MONTHS  9 AM BREAKFAST  KAYTEE’S  COUDERSORT, PA

THIRD SATURDAYS ODD MONTHS 9 AM BREAKFAST  PLAZA CAFE’  GALETON, PA

Anyone interested in HAM RADIO and Public Service is invited to join us.

The Potter County ARES® Group serves the following Organizations and Governmental Agencies in the WPA region:

  • The American Red Cross®
  • The National Weather Service (NWS) St. College Office
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • The National Communications System
  • The Associated Public Safety Officers, Inc.
  • The Salvation Army SATERN Net
  • Others at a local level (ie: Fire Departments, Warming /Cooling Shelters, etc.)
  • Pennsylvania Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (paNBEMS)

PC ARES® provides auxiliary radio communications services to the American Red Cross Bradford Office during any disaster needing our services.

PC ARES® is also a promoter and participant in the National Weather Service SkyWarn Weather Watch program
to help provide early warning reporting of severe weather affecting the WPA Region.

PC ARES® provides local DHS FEMA resources with auxiliary radio communications services to support FEMA activities during disaster recovery.

PC ARES® also cooperates with the Military Affiliated Radio Service – MARS

Some PC ARES® volunteers also participate in the National Traffic System – NTS providing their service and expertise in the message and traffic handling system, important when normal telephone and internet systems are inoperative.

The Salvation Army Disaster Services in NW PA are supported by PC ARES® by providing
local auxiliary radio communications services and worldwide communications via the SATERN Net System.

PC ARES® is a part of Western Pennsylvania ARES® – North 2 District, an ARRL cooperative effort of Cameron, Center, Clinton, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter Counties Amateur Radio operator resources assembled to better serve the region.

We operate with the Pennsylvania Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (paNBEMS) for a better and more organized way of message handling during an emergency situation. We can provide training and technical assistance to help you get set-up and running efficiently using FLdigi on paNBEMS nets.

If you would like to join us to help provide your local Potter County community with vital emergency radio communications, and also join into an educational and fun amateur radio organization, please contact:

Potter County ARES® Emergency Coordinator
(appointed by the ARRL WPA Section Emergency Coordinator)

Gilbert “Skip” Kauffman, K3CC
121 Niles Hill Rd.
Coudersport, PA 16915
814.274.7402
email: K3CC@verizon.net

Click HERE for an online ARES® application

Download the ARES® application, complete it and mail or email it to Skip.
Join the PC ARES® Group and volunteer in service to our Potter County community.