so i just joined my local ARES group about three months ago and i've been going to the monthly nets and did the introductory training but i just got a message that there's a potential activation next weekend for a county-wide flooding exercise and honestly im not sure what to expect. like i know the theory but actually showing up and doing it feels different.

i have my technician and just upgraded to general last month so im still pretty green. the EC asked if i could staff a shelter position which sounds straightforward but i dont really know what that means in practice. do i just sit there with my HT and wait for someone to talk to me, or is there more setup involved? my go-bag has my vx-6r, a spare battery, some coax, and a mag mount but im not sure if thats enough or if i should bring more stuff. any advice from people who've done activations before would be really appreciated

Oh man shelter positions are actually pretty great for newer folks to start with. Basically you're the comms link between the shelter and the EOC or served agency net, so yeah you'll be on your radio a lot but its not like youre just sitting there twiddling your thumbs. Youll probably be logging message traffic, maybe handling welfare messages if the shelter manager asks, and just keeping the net control updated on headcounts and conditions at your location.

Your gear sounds fine for a starting point honestly. The mag mount on whatever surface you can find works, though sometimes shelters are weird buildings with metal roofs that kill signal so be ready to improvise. I'd bring extra food and water for yourself because shelter assignments can run way longer than the exercise schedule says they will. And bring something to write with — actual paper and pen, old school, because digital stuff fails and net control will want written logs from you.

Biggest thing I'd say is just introduce yourself to the shelter manager when you arrive, ask them what they need from you, and don't be invisible. Non-ham shelter staff sometimes don't even know why you're there so a little explaining goes a long way. You'll do fine, first activations feel intimidating but usually end up being pretty calm.

yeah what he said. also just make sure your EC has your cell number in case the net goes sideways and they need to reach you directly. happened at our last drill, repeater went down for like 45 minutes and half the team was just sitting there confused. simplex fallback frequency should be in your briefing packet if they gave you one.

dont overthink the gear situation for an exercise, the vx-6r is plenty capable. worry more about knowing your ICS forms — like at minimum know what an ICS 213 is and how to fill one out because some EMs actually want that done properly even on drills