WEEKLY PACKET CHECK-IN

General Information

Weekly packet check-ins are conducted by the two main emergency communications service groups in Santa Clara County:

• SPECS - the Southern Peninsula Emergency Communications System - http://www.specsnet.org (Monday)
• SVECS - the Silicon Valley Emergency Communications System - http://www.svecs.net (Tuesday)

Check-in messages may be sent anytime between 0000 and 1959 hours (midnight - 7:59pm) on Monday or Tuesday in order to count for that evening's total.  Check-ins close at 2000 hours (8pm).  It is best to not wait until the last minute to send your message since forwarding your message across the BBS network does take a short but finite amount of time.

Everyone is welcome to check-in on either or both nights.

Setup

• Outpost Users: Should use the standard "SCCo Packet" integrated installer
• BBS Selection: Connect to the county packet BBS assigned to your city or agency. Packet BBS assignments and frequencies are listed on the packet page of the county web site: http://www.scc-ares-races.org/packet.html.  Click on the "Packet Frequency and BBS Information" link.
• Identification: Individual users should log in using their FCC call sign.  City or agency EOCs may log in using their assigned tactical call sign.

Check-In Message

Weekly check-ins can be done using simple text messages or any of the PacFORMS forms. The use of PacFORMS is encouraged. It is also recommended to follow the PacFORMS schedule listed below so you become familiar with and verify operation of all of the various formats.

• BBS: Your assigned BBS. See the above link for assignment information
• From: Your call sign or tactical call
• To:
  • PKTMON  (for Monday night check-ins) or
  • PKTTUE  (for Tuesday night check-ins)
  • You can add additional recipients on the To: line if you wish.  For example, you could use the same message to check-in to a city net.
• Subject:
  • PacFORMS will automatically format the subject line in Outpost.
    • If you are using a PacFORMS form which contains a subject line in the form, put the following information in the PacFORMS subject line:
      • Check-in <date> - <call-sign> - <first-name> - <city-or-agency>
    • If the PacFORMS form does not contain a subject line in the form, place the above information in the appropriate place(s) within the form fields.
  • If you are sending a plain text message, the following subject line format is recommended:
    • Check-in <date> - <call-sign> - <first-name> - <city-or-agency>

PacFORMS Schedule

Please use the designated PacFORMS form according to the schedule below. If you have difficulty with PacFORMS, you can still check-in with a plain text message. But the use of PacFORMS is critical to EOC operations and is strongly recommended for weekly check-ins.

Month	Recommended PacFORM
January	Message Form
February	City Scan
March	Logistics Request
April	Message Form
May	City Scan
June	Logistics Request
July	Message Form
August	City Scan
September	Logistics Request
October	Message Form
November	City Scan
December	Logistics Request

If you have Packet Information that you would like to have included here,
please contact the Webmaster, Phil Henderson