One of the popular digital modes is VARA. It comes in many variations, VARA HF , VARA FM, VARA chat, and more. This isn’t a tutorial on how to use VARA, but rather a note on how to get some practice using VARA. If you are new to VARA, you can start at https:/ /winlink.org where you can find a link to download the VARA program. And then there is Youtube!

I have been using VARA HF usually on 40 meters with Winlink. I have found Winlink RMS (Remote Message Server) stations both in Livermore, and Strawberry. Connections are propagation dependent, and VARA includes a menu item that lists predicted propagation quality for RMS stations near you.

To get started try the California Coastal Winlink Net. Each month they have a simple check in. You compose and send a brief message, as shown below, and send it via VARA. You can send the message on multiple bands, and via multiple modes. It is also possible to send it via TELNET , if you can’t send it via VARA. The send window lasts for a week. Check back, using VARA, Winlink, and a RMS station after the net is over to see a message with the net results.

Here is the format.
CHECK IN FORMAT:
T o: CAL-COASTAL
Subject: California Coastal Winlink Net check-in
YOUR CALL
In the message body enter callsign, first name, city,
state, mode, and RMS. See examples below.
K6SDR, Steve, San Rafael, CA, VARA FM, K6SDR-10
N6NKT , George, San Jose, CA, Telnet
KB6VTU, Josh, Truckee, CA, VARA, HF Node AJ7C

WINLINK THURSDAY

The EmComm Training Organization (ETO) continues the popular Winlink Thursday exercises to foster Winlink-knowledgeable operators across the country. See https:/ /emcomm-training.org/. Join EmComm-Training@groups.io for exercise and training announcements. People who would like to join the net can send Jay, (W2AFE), a Winlink message, or email him at jayhking@yahoo.com. I like to have their name, city/state, and email.

73, Sparkie
—–

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• System-wide and county-level outage data;
• A clearer layout for the status of current and future planned outages;
• Information on storms, Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and rotating outages directed by the California Independent System Operator; 
• Enhancements to find information for a specific address; and 
• An outage status tracker that shows step-by-step updates during the restoration process of an outage. 

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For those interested in Neighborhood Radio Watch (NRW) programs, here are links to two Facebook pages + a webpage: 

1) Columbia College GMRS Group (NRW nets on Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm);

https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaCollegeGMRS

2) Groveland GMRS Radio Watch (NRW nets on Saturday nights at 7 pm):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/885555812498346

and 3) TUOLUMNE COUNTY GMRS Radio Repeater webpage:

https://tuolumnecountygmrs.weebly.com

Twain Harte Area – check in on GMRS , channel 18 (no tone) Wednesday evenings 7:00 PM.

With the potential for massive failures of our land lines and mobile phone infrastructure, during a wildfire, there is increased interested in developing neighborhood based radio watch groups.

Everyone in a neighborhood can participate with a Family Radio (FRS), General Mobile Radio (GMRS) or Ham Radio and enable local area or county-wide communications without physical infrastructure. When all else fails, these radios will work.  The cost of the radios range from $20 (FRS) to $40 (GMRS) to $100 (Ham).

Key to success is identifying interested individuals from each local neighborhood throughout the entire county. If you would be interested in seeing this happen in your local neighborhood, please click on the button below and fill out a short form to register your interest in the program.

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Residents of Tuolumne County interested in Fire Safety and Emergency Communications are invited to an online presentation by Alan Thompson, Satellite Internet Field Engineer of El Dorado Networks of Placerville. Alan helped restore Internet service at several downed cell-phone towers in Paradise shortly after the Camp Fire. What he saw there and learned later about the colossal emergency communications failures during the fire, turned him into an “Accidental Advocate” for fire safety and communications resilience. Since 2019, Alan has given over 100 presentations before Civic Groups, Fire-safe Councils and Homeowners’ Associations, detailing the clear and present danger we now face from an over-dependence on vulnerable Internet and telecom services, and the urgent need for backup emergency-communications systems.

This will be a 45-minute online presentation via Zoom on Monday, November 22nd , time is 4 PM. Those interested should email Rich Combs at richsfpd@gmail.com, and he will send you a link to the meeting and the time. Please don’t wait until the last minute! You can ask questions at the same address.

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04/13/2021

Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, island residents were awakened to another column of volcanic ash creating a thick blanket, obscuring part of the eastern sky as the volcano continues to erupt violently.

“Almost all residents in the Red Zone have been evacuated, save for a few diehards who will not move, for reasons unknown,” he said. Since the effusive eruption began last December, local hams have been in a state of readiness via 2-meter networks and regional networks via HF. A 24-hour regional HF network and vigil has been active since the violent eruptions began 4 days ago, to provide communication support should telephone service be disrupted by the volcanic hazard. This includes a twice-daily link-up on HF with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

There is also a 2-meter gateway via EchoLink on the J88AZ node. The other active VHF repeater is the main resource for domestic communications. The Grenada repeater, which is linked to St. Lucia and Barbados, is also accessible by hams in Tobago, Trinidad, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

The La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent began a series of explosive eruptions on April 9, sending clouds of hot ash some 20,000 feet into the air, blanketing much of the island in ash and causing water and power outages. The volcano is “a constant threat,” according to CDEMA. — Thanks to The Daily DX

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With 2020 ARRL Field Day – one of the biggest events on the Amateur Radio calendar – just about 12 weeks away, ARRL officials are monitoring this situation with the coronavirus very closely and paying close attention to all of the information and guidance being offered by the CDC’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html). 

At its core, Field Day is a local event and an opportunity for local amateur radio clubs to showcase the skills, science and technologies that make radio communication such a wonderful hobby and a valuable public service. Since the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been very different in different parts of the country, we recommend that all amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day be in regular contact with their local or state public health officials for their advice and guidance on hosting Field Day activities. This also offers an opportunity for amateur radio clubs to bolster or re-establish their relationships with local and state public health and emergency management officials. 

Because of the unique circumstances presented this year, this can be an opportunity for you, your club and/or group to try something new.  Field Day isn’t about doing things the same way year after year – use this year to develop and employ a new approach that is in line with our current circumstances.

Local club officials are the most appropriate people to be making decisions about their specific Field Day programs. We are all concerned about protecting the health and safety of those participating in or attending Field Day activities, and so we trust local club officials to take the appropriate steps to monitor local conditions and make decisions in the best interest of their communities.

ARRL officials strongly believe that following the guidelines of local, state and national health care professionals will help ensure everyone’s safety in the coming weeks and months.

TEMPORARY RULE CHANGES

1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points.

     Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as “Home stations,” including stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count contacts with other Class D stations for QSO credit.

     2) In addition, for 2020 only, an aggregate club score will be published, which will be the sum of all individual entries indicating a specific club (similar to the aggregate score totals used in ARRL affiliated club competitions).

     Ordinarily, club names are only published in the results for Class A and Class F entries, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows participants from any Classto optionally include a single club name with their submitted results following Field Day.

     For example, if Podunk Hollow Radio Club members Becky, W1BXY, and Hiram, W1AW, both participate in 2020 Field Day — Hiram from his Class D home station, and Becky from her Class C mobile station — both can include the radio club’s name when reporting their individual results. The published results listing will include individual scores for Hiram and Becky, plus a combined score for all entries identified as Podunk Hollow Radio Club.

The temporary rule waivers were adopted by the PSC on May 27, 2020.

ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio calendar, with over 36,000 participants in 2019, including entries from 3,113 radio clubs and emergency operations centers. In most years, Field Day is also the largest annual demonstration of ham radio, because many radio clubs organize their participation in public places such as parks and schools.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many radio clubs have made decisions to cancel their group participation in ARRL Field Day this year due to public health recommendations and/or requirements, or to significantly modify their participation for safe social distancing practices. The temporary rule waivers allow greater flexibility in recognizing the value of individual and club participation regardless of entry class.

ARRL is contacting logging program developers about the temporary rule waivers so developers can release updated versions of their software prior to Field Day weekend. Participants are reminded that the preferred method of submitting entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules include instructions for submitting entries after the event. Entries must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

The ARRL Field Day web page includes a series of articles with ideas and advice for adapting participation this year.

The post 2020 Field Day Rule Changes appeared first on TCARES.

Download this Tuolumne County Resources Booklet

——-

**Interfaith is offering food delivery from items they have in stock in their food pantry.  Must be 65 or older.  Food is free, donations are accepted. Please call 532-0905 to sign-up. 

**The Senior Center is offering to-go meals for seniors age 60 and over.  Please call 533-2622 by 9am to reserve your meal.  

**Area 12 – Home-Maker Program provides a grocery shopping service for seniors. Please call A12 at: 532-6272 and ask for the Home-Maker program.

**Dollar General in Soulsbyville is having Senior Only Hours, 8:00am – 9:00 am;

**Save Mart is offering Senior Only Hours on Tuesdays/Thursdays 6:00am-9:00am;

**Safeway is offering Senior Only Hours Tuesdays/Thursdays 7:00am-9:00am

**Nancy’s Hope, 1000 Technology Dr Columbia, is offering food & hygiene products for delivery or curbside pick-up.  Please call (209)533-2647 for more information.

**Twain Harte Market has senior days and hours. Those days are Tuesday and Thursday between 7am and 8am. 

**Mar Val in Groveland has senior hours and days. Those are on Tuesday and Thursday from the hours of 7am to 8am. Mar Val also offers shop for you and curb side pickup. Everyday from 10am to noon. 

**Tuolumne County Transit, is operating a General Public Dial-a-Ride for essential trips! Fares for the service have been eliminated.We are limiting passengers to 1-2 per bus and then wiping buses down after each trip.Here is what is being considered essential travel:

 1.    To obtain medical supplies or medication, visiting a health care professional, or obtaining supplies they need to work from home.

2.    To obtain necessary services or supplies for themselves and their family or household members, or to deliver those services or supplies to others

3.    To engage in outdoor activity, provided the individuals comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined in this Section, such as, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, or running

4.    To perform work providing essential products and services at an Essential Business or to otherwise carry out activities specifically permitted in this Order, including Minimum Basic Operations.

5.    To care for a family member or pet in another household

6.    For trips to work for or obtain services at any “Healthcare Operations” including hospitals, clinics, dentists, pharmacies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, other healthcare facilities, healthcare suppliers, home healthcare services providers, mental health providers, or any related and/or ancillary healthcare services.

7.    For  trips to provide any services or perform any work necessary to the operations and maintenance of Essential Infrastructure.

8.    For first responders, emergency management personnel, emergency dispatchers, court personnel, and law enforcement personnel, and others who need to perform essential services performing or accessing “Essential Governmental Functions,”

Please call our office if you have any questions about the trip that you need to make. 209-532-0404.

Thanks for your support of our vulnerable populations and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to call me.

Please forward this notice on to others you work with that will benefit from this information.

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TCARES MEMBERS REGISTER HERE

Amateur Radio Emergency Service Transitioning to New Online Reporting System

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will phase out the traditional ARES report forms later this year in favor of an online system called ARES Connect, a volunteer management, communications, and reporting system. The new system will allow information to be logged by ARES members and managed through the Field Organization. The advent of ARES Connect was among other highlights in “The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) 2017 Annual Report,” released this week.

“ARES Connect is a volunteer management system that covers event signup, reporting, and roster management,” ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said. “It does not change how ARES operates when serving a partner entity; it is simply a system that will make managing volunteers and events easier.” Beta testing of ARES Connect will begin in March. ARES made changes to its report forms last year to make it easier to process information at ARRL Headquarters and to standardize the format for all forms. ARES Monthly Reports have been posted to the ARRL website, providing regular information on Amateur Radio public service communication activity, the report noted.

According to the 2017 report, ARES membership stands at 31,332, up by nearly 13% from 2016. The number of emergency operations events reported was up by 665 from the previous year, with 1,913 reported in 2017. The top three states in terms of ARES membership in 2017 were California (2,265), Texas (1,930), and Ohio (1,858).

Reported ARES events amounted to 51,673 in 2017 — a 4% increase — accounting for 718,930 volunteer hours at a calculated value of more than $17.3 million.

“There was a noticeable increase in reported activity during August through November,” the ARES 2017 Annual Report said. “During this period there was Amateur Radio response activity for hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria; wildfires in the western states, and the total solar eclipse that occurred on August 21.”

What is ARES Connect?

ARES Connect is a volunteer management system that will allow each ARES group to manage their roster, create and staff events, and track nets and training. Each ARES group and ARRL Section will have a unique page on the platform with appropriate admin control given to the ARES Emergency Coordinator.

ARES members will be able to create a user profile that connects them to their local ARES group. Through their profile they can register for ARES (pending EC approval), sign up for events, log volunteer hours, and log training.

Reporting will be different through ARES Connect. As users log activity, data is created that allows ECs, DECs and SECs to run custom reports. The current ARES report forms will continue to be used through 2018 as the system is being built, but our current plan is to shift all reporting over to ARES Connect.

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