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Show Volume XXX Issue XIII The Ogden Valley News Page 3 September 15, 2023 Emergency Communications in Ogden Valley Using General Mobile Radio Service to express developing concerns within their Editor’s View Who’s Really Running America? Every American should be alarmed at what is happening politically at the national level, especially regarding the highest elected position of the land—the president of the United States. This was once the most sacred, revered office in the world where only the most respected, honorable, and impeccable leaders were considered for the office. Every four years elections are held, at the cost of millions if not billions of dollars, to elect a new president. Not only are billions spent on campaigns, but our tax dollars are used to pay for the cost of conducting these elections in cities, counties, and states across the nation. Millions are spent on equipment and personnel to handle this costly exercise in freedom to ensure the right candidate is seated in office in a fair and honest manner. Millions of Americans are bombarded nonstop with ads and commentaries on the pros and cons of each candidate leading up to election day. They listen and discuss, weigh and consider, then fill out their mail-in ballot or take the time to vote in-person at one of thousands of voting centers across the land where an army of individuals invest their precious time and resources to participate in conducting free and fair elections. It’s quite a remarkable undertaking, really. When done right, it’s a beautiful thing. During the last presidential election, Joe Biden was voted into office. Great! But it has become more obvious with time that he is only, figuratively, our chief executive officer, commander in chief, our head of state. It is frightening to think that someone so frail— mentally as well as physically—is at the helm… at the head of the world’s strongest military, greatest economy, and richest natural resources. Does it matter if he’s not the one who’s really making the decisions at the highest levels and pulling the strings—deciding the fate and future of America? Who is the true great Oz behind the curtain, anyway? Sadly, it seems as if Americans don’t care. Are they concerned at all that they don’t know who’s really in control? Are they concerned that the average citizen is no longer invoking their right to choose and vote in and support the world’s most important leader— one they have every confidence in to do the right thing for the people who gave them the power to act on their behalf? Instead, sides have been taken, a line in the sand has been drawn, one political party continues to wage war against the other—the Democrats against the Republicans, the conservatives against the liberals, the one ideology against the other, and around we go… on and on and on. No longer are we confidently and critically voting together for the leader of the greatest nation on earth, knowing that if there are missteps, we can quickly vote this person out of office. Instead, people are voting for one built-up propagandized, media-ized, and institutionalized idea over another with only a figurehead at the helm representing one conglomeration of polarized ideas against another. We’re no longer voting together for the best and brightest, strongest and most capable, boldest, most upright and honorable world leader but an ideological figurehead that one side or the other—depending on who’s in office—can demonize and take pot shots at. This, while those holding the real power, calling the game, and stealing the trophy are impervious to scrutiny, questioning, and the vote to retain them in office or vote them out. They are the real power brokers behind the scenes building their empires at the expense and on the backs of average Americans who are too busy kicking dirt at their ideological enemy to realize what’s really going on behind the curtain. When will we wake up, quit waging war against fellow Americans, and work together to take back our country and vote into office a true leader who knows how to lead, one who is strong enough to do so in a sane, intelligent, respectable, and honest manner so we can take back control of our country? (GMRS) is a great way to communicate among family members. Its rapidly growing popularity is quite astonishing, especially throughout Ogden Valley. The little handheld GMRS radio with a 6-inch stub antenna is an especially great fit for small hands and shirt pockets, plus the cost is very reasonable. Certain uncomplicated models are available for not much more than $30 apiece, and you don’t need to take a written examination from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to become licensed. Instead, all one needs to transmit legally is to send $35 to the FCC for a license that covers the entire family for ten years. These small, recently produced GMRS radios drive 5 watts of electrical power and reach out to 6.5 miles at sea level, as opposed to the much older Family Radio Service (FRS) radios that achieve only 2.5 miles with 2 watts. At our relatively high elevation in Ogden Valley, the GMRS line-of-sight range is about 12 miles. Given approval from the Weber County Sheriff’s Department (which is currently responsible for the Powder Mountain emergency antenna site), members of the local Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) chapter will soon improve a GMRS repeater currently located on the Powder Mountain site to accept GMRS transmissions and relay even more powerful signals to locations throughout Ogden Valley and possibly further west through the Wasatch Mountain Range’s “North Ogden Divide.” GMRS technology has indeed become a blessing for Ogden Valley’s designated emergency communications specialists as well as growing numbers of volunteer GMRS enthusiasts residing within several housing developments comprising the Wolf Creek, Eden, Liberty, and North Fork areas in the northern half of Ogden Valley. GMRS operators are likewise appearing in the Middle Fork and South Fork communities, and especially the incorporated Huntsville area in the southern half of the Valley. Each week, considerate members of these communities voluntarily work with each other via GMRS radio to produce effective emergency communications networks (“nets”) on Wednesday and Thursday evenings as follows: a. The Ogden Valley Emergency Response Communications (OVERC) Net operates every Wednesday night at 8:00 on GMRS Channel 18. This channel was selected by the Valley’s 5-person OVERC Team for use by GMRS operators throughout all of Ogden Valley respective neighborhoods. Channel 18 is also used by assigned emergency coordinators to manage emergency responses on a 24hour basis. The OVERC Team welcomes any properly licensed GMRS operator to participate when the Net Controller issues the invitation by area. Participants will be asked to use their 昀椀rst name, GMRS license number, and whether or not the participant has tra昀케c. “Tra昀케c” for this network typically means any urgent message for the Net (such as an actual emergency declaration), actual or developing threats to the participant’s area, questions regarding emergency response capabilities, block captain information, or thoughts about upcoming community meetings. b. The Wolf Creek Emergency Response Communications (WCERC) Net is scheduled for every Thursday night at 9:00 on GMRS Channel 19. Net Control is provided by the general Wolf Creek community, and all neighborhoods inside this northern section of Ogden Valley are speci昀椀cally invited by the Net Controller to participate. Important “tra昀케c” generally includes any discussion that a participant chooses to mention including announcements about pending activities, community developments, emergency concerns, requests for assistance, and other matters of interest to the area. Once completed, the Net Controller reaches out to larger areas outside of the Wolf Creek community. For example, participants are then heard from the Durfee Creek HOA, Eden, Nordic Valley, Middle Fork, and Huntsville area, etc. Please help us to function more effectively. We respectfully seek your assistance in dealing with important emergency developments within Ogden Valley. If normal communication systems (such as iPhones) become inoperative, GMRS most likely will become the “fallback” communication mode of choice for local emergency managers. Both our neighborhood and Valley-wide emergency communications teams predictably use two GMRS channels both for practice and to effectively manage real-time situations. Casual GMRS users who do not intend to monitor or participate in these emergency GMRS networks are hereby asked to refrain from transmitting on GMRS Channels 17 or 19 during the noted timeframes. A large number of other GMRS channels are available for your routine use. We regret that persistent and/or defiant abusers must be referred to the FCC. Thank you for your support concerning this issue. Only in Ogden Valley…. Photo by Tim Ludlum of Liberty. Jenn Martinez of Liberty wrote, “This is something I thought I would never see at my house! Taking my dog Miso out this morning [Aug. 30, 2023] at 5:30 a.m. (I always take a flashlight with me), he suddenly stopped right as we stepped out the door and looked to our right. I put my flashlight in the direction he was looking and looked right into this buffalo’s eyes that were feet away from me! For a split second I didn’t believe what I was looking at! Seriously, a buffalo at my house? I’ve seen bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, moose, tons of deer, and wild turkeys, but not a buffalo. We immediately went back inside the house and made a few phone calls because we knew this guy could really cause some damage if he wandered back onto the roads. It took a few hours of wrangling to get him through the neighborhood and pastures to a cattle gate corral to load him into a trailer. Then he decided he wasn’t having it, so he jumped over the cattle gates and headed home the way he came. I was told he belongs to the bison that are owned by a gentleman… whoBuffalo on the lamb stops for a break at Liberty sells them in Liberty. A happy ending!” home. Anniversary Sale 20% OFF your entire purchase! TWO DAYS ONLY Friday, September 15, 2023 Saturday, September 16, 2023 |