Training

Joining our program is just the start of learning how to communicate during an emergency.  It is imperative that you self-train using many of the free resources listed on this page.

During a disaster, amateur radio operators seem to "come out of the woodwork" with great intentions on helping.  Unfortunately, an untrained radio operator can actually do more harm than good during an emergency.

You need to understand who to talk to, on what frequency, and convey information (or receive it) in a calm, cool, collected fashion.

To that end, listed below are all of the online training resources you will need.  All this information is free (with one notable exception), although you may need to register on the site first.

We also hold monthly meetings in which we handle organization business, training, and exercises.  These are the 2nd Saturday of each month at 2:30 PM ET at the Red Cross building at 1540 West Park Ave., Tinton Falls, NJ.

 Step 1: Download the ARRL ARES Standardized  Training Plan Task Book from this location:
http://www.arrl.org/ares

You'll see there are two versions on their website, a fillable PDF file and a Word file.  Print it out and place it in a 3-ring binder.  You'll be filling it out and getting it signed off, so pick whichever version is more convenient for you.

Step 2: Some of the training in the task book has prerequisites in FEMA training.  The FEMA training courses are available free, online.  The first thing you do is register for a FEMA Student ID (SID), here:  https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid

Once you have the ID, you can begin taking courses as outlined in the Task Book.  Most of them are relatively short, a few hours each, with a short test at the end.  Once you pass the test, you will have a certificate issued to you for the course and sent to your SID account.  Download the certificate to your computer (PDF file) and print it out to include in your Task Book.
FEMA courses are here:  https://www.firstrespondertraining.gov/frts/npccatalog

Search on each course number

Step 3:  Work through the task book in order, performing all of the "Required" items.  There are also Optional and Encouraged activities... while you don't need to do these, they are icing on the cake and will better prepare you for an activation.  You will do many of them just as a matter of operating an amateur radio station.  Your goal is to do all of the Required activities in the Basic and Intermediate training levels.

Step 4: After filling in the task book and including your certificates from your passed training classes, print out the whole book and bring it to an MCARS meeting where it will be reviewed and signed off.

Skywarn: Skywarn training is held mostly in the late winter or early spring in preparation for thunderstorm season.  MCARS hosts this training every two years at the Red Cross building in Tinton Falls, NJ.  Our next planned training session will be in 2027.  The class is run by the Warning Coordination Meteorologist from the Mount Holly, NJ office of the NWS.  All who have an interest in the Skywarn program are encouraged to attend any training class available to them.  Watch the NWS website at:

https://www.weather.gov/phi/skywarn

and click on "Training Schedule" for the latest details.

Link to training slides:  see our Google Drive folder for training slide decks...  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lhrtM-zAjH04O8d3kS3Plt3gYTA0b6aT?usp=drive_link