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Join us for a casual Parks On The Air (POTA) meetup at Elizabeth Peak in Cedar Ridge, Tuolumne County, on Saturday, May 2nd (Note: Date changed from April 28th, due to weather forecast). See the events calendar on the tcares.net home page for details.

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by Richard Combs

Pinecrest Expedition Academy is a very outdoors oriented hands-on school. So, under the guise of giving a presentation about amateur radio, a few of us arranged for a Fox Hunt for the students. Those in the know realize this is not an actual fox hunt, but rather an exercise in radio direction finding. With the help of Greg Kiyoi KN6RUQ and “Fox Master “Brian Zoraster KA6ZED, foxes were found, and students educated.

My task was talking about radios, its history, and how they work. There were two groups young K-3 and older 4-7 graders, somewhat of a challenge for me. Both groups were however, inquisitive and engaged. We started with some tin can phones, then I cut the string and said “Now what?” After a little history and some more discussion, we eventually headed out for the hunt. Brian Zoraster had 3D printed two custom tape measure Yagi antennas, and after some instruction the students were off for the hunt. None of the foxes got away, and the students seemed to have fun, expressing surprise when they located the fox/transmitter. 

Special thanks to Brian and Greg who made the trip up to the school near Pinecrest early in the morning. The next challenge will be to try and monitor the ISS transmissions with the antennas Brian left with the school. 

You can see Brian’s antennas and setup at Pacificon.  On with the hunt!

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Scroll through this presentation or download the whole file to view it any way you prefer. Enjoy.

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TCARES seeks to increase its mobile communications capability with a small cargo trailer customization project, built in phases, that would be used in community events and in emergencies. The trailer will have two main purposes 1) Marketing and Recruitment (with Training) and 2) Emergency Preparedness and Awareness.  The cargo trailer will be purchased new and be small enough to tow with any SUV or truck. The sidewalls will be utilized to emblazon with bill-board style branding and Radio related Logos. It should be tall enough inside to stand in and have two radio workstations with chairs inside.  Funding will come from Grants, Fundraising and Member donations. The budget will be in phases, (P1) $10,000  (P2) $15,000, TCARES is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. EIN: 77-0266803

Membership and Recruiting

With a highly visible and branded Comm Trailer and participation in public events like parades, runs, festivals, etc, TCARES can inspire and recruit members of the public to investigate what radio is and how it benefits them. Recently, TCARES has been visible with a canopy and small vinyl banner with a small public info table. Each year we get numerous new people on our newsletter and licensed.  We know we can get more attention with a larger, attractive, highly visible Comms Trailer.

Get On the Air Program

The comms trailer can be taken to local schools on Science Fair days for demonstrations and Get On the Air events.  The comms trailer can also serve as a base for hosting a school contact with the ISS.  During field day and contest events, we will go to a public park and invite Scouting groups to come for a tour and get on the air, and help them earn their radio merit badge.

STEM Learning and Youth Outreach

During school visits or Scouting events, youth will start by understanding how the radio spectrum is used every day around them. TV channels, garage door openers, weather stations, RC cars, all use a frequency. Once they learn what the frequency spectrum is, and how it is used, they can understand where Amateur Radio fits into the spectrum. The Trailer will serve as a base station for observing and discovering what is in the ‘radio-waves’ all around them and how wireless communication is used across industries and hobbies.

EMComm Training and Public Service

TCARES is a club in Tuolumne County and is in a high wildfire risk area.  When a fire starts, the power goes out, the cell phone towers are overloaded.  TCARES has been helping with GMRS repeater installations in addition to our Ham repeaters. The more visibility we can get, the more families can be prepared to have a radio in each home and vehicle to aid them in coordinating their evacuation when all other communication means are overloaded or failed.

Fundraising for Phase 1

Are able to donate to this project? The link below will accept any dollar amount you enter. We accept PayPal and Credit Card. Any amount is very appreciated!

2025 TIMELINE (ESTIMATE)

• JAN 3 ORDER CUSTOM TRAILER
• FEB 20 INSTALL MARKETING WRAP
• MAR 8 GET READY FOR FIRST RUN EVENT (EVEN IF EMPTY)

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December 8 @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm PST

Come join fellow TCARES members and enjoy a holiday feast with roasted turkey and ham with tasty side dishes, raffle for ham radio items, live holiday music and much much more! This is our biggest social event of the year. We will also announce who won the election to the board of directors. 

18375 Fir Ave, Tuolumne, CA 95379

Come and bring your family, a side dish, a raffle item, money to buy raffle tickets…see you there!

MENU:

• Diestel Turkey (Diestel Family Ranch)
• Ham (donated)
• Side dishes you can bring (examples)
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Green Beans
  • Rolls
  • Salad
  • Deserts
• Drinks are provided

Free (bring a side dish and an item for the raffle)

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Results/Feedback/Lessons Learned:

• 40+ Local hams checked in!
• Good coverage across the county
• Some stations had difficulty checking in from Pinecrest and Moccasin
• We want to test the SWR on all UHF/VHF antennas at the EOC.
• Need more stations Winlink Capable.
• Should have announced some frequencies and tones for linking.
• Need to rethink the checkin method and have smaller groups.
• Prioritize checkins from High Country, specific repeaters, etc.
• Repeat back full message to confirm accuracy.
• Have HF running as an option with another net control.
• Identify which antenna is highest at EOC.
• Conduct monthly drill on Thursdays at noon in this manner.

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