Hey guys,
I am attending a SAREX as an MRO. What should I expect?
Long periods of waiting punctuated by flurries of activity at the top and bottom of the hours, and always at least one "missing" sortie.
About every 30 minutes or so, several field assets will say this on the radio.
"ops normal, over"
They might give you their position.
Oh, and there will be one aircrew that can't figure out the radio in the plane,
and will say it doesn't work, despite the fact that he didn't do a ground check,
and the sortie before and after will have no issue.
I definitely agree with all of this. Comms can be dead for hours on end, it will pick up and be as busy as you've ever seen it, then die again. Just don't get overwhelmed! Make sure you keep good logs, as anyone can come and ask for them (especially the IC!). Just be confident! If you have any questions, PM me!
C/Lt Col Capmonkey
Quote from: Eclipse on March 14, 2019, 10:08:07 PM
Oh, and there will be one aircrew that can't figure out the radio in the plane,
We've been discussing this at our Squadron lately and are about to start regular refresher courses on the CAP radio as well as the Becker unit. When studying over the materials to get ready to renew my F91 last month, it shocked me as to how I couldn't remember enough about the Becker. I've used it well in the past. But if you don't use it, you lose it. And one or two SAREXes a year isn't enough practice to keep it fresh.
The secret is...
...just tell the CUL you aren't comfortable and have them come out to the plane with you, show you the panel
and do a ground check.
We brief that every mission and there is always at least one crew.
A few tips:
1. Have a marker board or a large pad of paper to keep track of the ops checks. Followup if any are missed.
2. Write down the sortie numbers along with the callsigns (you will need them for WMIRS).
3. Make a list of the repeaters that you will be using with both the mobile channels and the aircraft channels (note airplane CAP radios use 3 digits).
4. If you are not regularly using the CAP radio, re-watch the Icut videos.
5. Write down the caller's callsign first along with the time then read back that call when responding. Occasionally you will have several calls in quick sequence so a paper log will help when updating WMIRS. It's better to have two people in comms so one can use the radio and the other update WMIRS.
6. For aircraft, use FlightRadar24 to have situational awareness. It has filters that will show only CAP airplanes.
7. I make it a practice to prep these things the day before the mission (to minimize murphys laws!) and print the ICS205.
Hope this helps.
All these are good tips, but the majority are the responsibility of the CUL.
An MRO's focus is just that operating the radios.
Wait for the repeater hook.
Speak clearly.
Ask for repeat when necessary.
Don't filter or interpret, provide complete message as you here hear it.
[FTFY]
I am a CUL and amateur extra so I try to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It doesn't hurt to be ready and then pleasantly discover that the CUL was prepared.
Quote from: Eclipse on March 14, 2019, 11:34:43 PM
The secret is...
...just tell the CUL you aren't comfortable and have them come out to the plane with you, show you the panel
and do a ground check.
We brief that every mission and there is always at least one crew.
Why/how would an MRO know how to operate the A/C radio?
Quote from: SarDragon on March 15, 2019, 02:58:43 AM
Why/how would an MRO know how to operate the A/C radio?
I said "CUL", and a/c radios are in their wheelhouse.
I've never been on an exercise of consequence where there weren't several people familiar with the radio stacks in the comm shack.
Quote from: Eclipse on March 14, 2019, 11:42:24 PM
Don't filter or interpret, provide complete message as you hear it.
On the other hand, don't blindly log messages that make no sense. If something sounds amiss, ask for clarification. If you still have concerns, share them with those upstream.
You're a member of the team, not a robot.
Quote from: EMT-83 on March 15, 2019, 11:38:07 AM
Quote from: Eclipse on March 14, 2019, 11:42:24 PM
Don't filter or interpret, provide complete message as you hear it.
On the other hand, don't blindly log messages that make no sense. If something sounds amiss, ask for clarification. If you still have concerns, share them with those upstream.
You're a member of the team, not a robot.
Still need that log entry.
Bring your own ICS/CAP forms. You just might be the hero of the day when someone remembers they forgot those and you have a giant stack ready.
Here is a link to the NIMS ICS Forms Booklet
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103505 (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/103505)