Billy Denton, N4WXI
Central Alabama
June 6, 2022

For most of my forty-plus years as an amateur radio operator, I have been involved mostly in Emcomm work. I spent a number of years with the Navy Mars program until it went defunct due to satellites, cell phones, and the internet. They are now beginning to see the error of shelving HF operations and are slowly coming back to the world of HF. I predict great things coming in the future. I have worked with a number of first-class organizations over the years.

Today I would like to take a moment and introduce you to SEEN, AmRRON, and the Ch3 project.

AmRRON (American Redoubt Radio Operators Network) is a Nationwide Emergency Communications Network for Patriots and other Liberty loving radio operators who have volunteered to keep each other connected when other means of communications are unavailable or unreliable.

AmRRon’s primary “energy” is on nationwide and regional communications — encouraging local communities to develop their own emergency communications plans. SEEN, (the Southeast Emergency Network), was created to provide that local communications group for the Southeast region — initially starting in our local communities in Central Alabama, but providing a framework to grow throughout the Southeastern US. SEEN works alongside AmRRON as a local affiliate — providing interoperability with the established framework of a well-organized national network.

Find out more about the Ch 3 project by viewing the video.

The primary goal of SEEN is the establishment of a highly functional regional network of local networks — YES, a network of networks of radio operators willing to carry out AmRRon’s mission on a local level — to volunteer to keep each other connected when other means of communication are unavailable or unreliable. We are building a framework for local networks to build upon, with a mechanism to plug into the southeastern region to share knowledge, tools, and resources. SEEN aims to operate both voice and digital networks as well as maintain a VHF packet network to ensure that local and regional priority traffic can flow unimpeded in the worst of situations. We will work closely with AmRRON to plug into larger area communications, and we encourage participation in AmRRON practice nets and exercises. We seek to do this outside of using any type of hardline, cellular, or any other systems controlled by outside sources. We are very aware that these systems under cyber-attacks or other attacks will render them useless as we have seen in the past.

So — you may be asking yourself — why another “radio club”, or “is this group for me?

SEEN is not a radio club. If you are an operator that is looking for one more net to check into each week — we are not your group. Our voice net is not another weekly roll-call. We utilize the block of time on our “net” to do real-world training on skills, tools, and protocols that we will implement in real-world situations as well as prepping now before we are faced with a major disaster be it by nature or man. We will, from time to time, simulate scenarios where these skills, tools, and protocols will be put to the test, and then improve where we fail. We will mobilize, when necessary and available, to put our training to work.

In addition to weekly practice radio nets, we plan to have regular exercises and simulations which will further develop the capabilities of the network. This group will challenge you to become a better operator. So, if this sounds like a group you’re interested in, we are glad that you found us here and would like to welcome you to our group.

We encourage you to invite other like-minded operators to join us and be a part of a growing network of highly skilled radio operators. Think of skills you’d like to develop — but not only those skills…think of scenarios where those skills may be used in an emergency.

We have given a high-level overview of the plan for SEEN. We will elaborate on this a little more in future blogs, focusing on the initial goal of developing a local packet network, our training plan, and an introduction to the AmRRON Ch3 project. For anyone who is currently HF capable and would like to jump right in, we will begin to monitor on 3.585 using JS8Call as well as Contestia and FSQ. We will do specific training on this in the very near future — but in the meantime, feel free to coordinate and work through getting online with JS8Call.

Look for us locally in Central Alabama in Jefferson, Shelby, and Chilton counties on the WA4CYA repeater 444.700 PL156.7
Simplex  146.420 (Nationwide AmRRon Frequency)
SEEN on the TGIF DMR network. TG31911
WRBW485 GMRS repeater 462.675 / 467.675 PL156.7 Bessemer Alabama

All of the HF AmRRon nets are listed here. Both voice and digital nets are explained.

SEEN also utilizes 3585 USB as its local, state, and region-wide HF frequency where we operate
JS8Call, Contestia, and FSQ. We invite you to check in on Wednesday night via Contestia 4/250 or JS8Call at 2000 hours or 8 PM CDT.
Be sure and add @SEEN to your group call in JS8Call.

If you are in the state of Alabama we would really like to have you join us. But of course, we are open to anyone that has an interest in emergency communications.

Feel free to leave your comments or questions.

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