ORIGINAL POST HERE

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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)

The post 2025 TCARES COMM TRAILER BUILD appeared first on TCARES.

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)

The post TCARES Christmas Party SAT DEC 6 appeared first on TCARES.

HOW TO USE: Find all the frequencies for the system.

Background

For more than several decades, TCARES has established and maintained five repeaters across Tuolumne County. We have recently finished an inspection and survey of the systems and performed some FCC licensing updates as well as renewing some repeater coordinations with NARCC. You can view our current repeater set up here.

While the repeaters are holding up fairly well, especially for such old installations. we determined that Tuolumne County could be better served. Currently, someone trying to get help from the wilderness, may find no-one listening on an isolated repeater. TCARES members are advocating we upgrade our system with a linked system so that effective communications from remote locations are achievable and reliable. The result should be a very impressive network for emergency communications!

In late 2019, the TCARES Board of Directors approved a plan to research linking some repeaters together so communication is possible across linked repeaters between remote regions of the vast terrain of Tuolumne County’s 2,200+ square miles of hilly and Alp like mountainous terrain. Communications can also work from as far as parts of the Bay Area and extreme north and south of the Central Valley.

The Project Research

As part of the research, Greg, WA6HNA, performed a propagation survey via software. He layered each repeater together in a single graphic showing wide coverage when all three repeaters are used together. Greg presented the linking concept during the January 2020 American Red Cross Ham Radio Workshop in Sonora.

Additionally, Greg, Phil WB6GGY, Craig KM6NCU and Rich KN6HSR have each been meeting with repeater location sponsors and trustees: Tuolumne County OES, Mi-Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Station, Dodge Ridge Ski Resort, Tuolumne Utilities District, and Columbia College STEM to review existing agreements and memorandums, update them or create new ones.

The current plan involves both adding a linking capability, plus moving two repeaters. The Telegraph Hill repeater will be relocated to the 6,000 foot elevation Duckwall location. The current Mt Lewis repeater (.115/HUH) will be relocated to the Mi-Wuk Fire Station.

If you would like to see a google Earth tour of the existing and planned locations, watch this video, and scroll down further to learn more about the project and how you can participate.

DONATE Direct link to Pay Pal / Credit Card page.

Simulation Tour of the Planned System

Duckwall Mountain Site Visit

The Moccasin and Dodge Ridge sites have been in place for a very long time. Duckwall Mountain will be our next location. A site tour was arranged and Greg, Jerry, Marc, Todd and Gabe all visited the Hetch Hetchy controlled communications site at the summit of Duckwall Mountain.

During the site visit, the team inspected the rack space and determined where TCARES would be placed, which battery we can utilize, where we would mount the antennas and where the feed line would run into the vault. After final approval MOU is provided by County OES, we will be ready for the installation project.

TCARES and the County OES both agreed that TCARES can provide members from time-to-time to assist with work at the location to provide a safety person or perform soldering, etc.

Greg performed an airborne survey at 7000′ above Duck Wall to verify that 147.945 won’t be conflicting with other nearby repeaters with success.

Remaining Project Tasks

• Finalize and test the Hub repeater and controller
• Test the link with the current Telegraph Hill 2 meter repeater
• Finalize MOU with County OES
• Perform Duck Wall Installation as 147.945 repeater and link hub.
• Turn Down Telegraph Hill Repeater
• Relocate MT Lewis (.115/HUH) repeater to Mi-Wuk Fire Station
• Develop MOU with Dodge Ridge for regular access
• Update Dodge Ridge repeater to join the linked system.
• Finalize and test full syatem
• Educate the local Amateur Radio Community on how to use the new system.

How you can help!

We have several ways you can help get this project finished this year.

• Make a donation of any size Online via above DONATE button.
• Write a check to TCARES, Inc for any amount, write “Repeater Fund” in the memo and mail it in to our PO Box.
  • TCARES PO BOX 3555, Sonora CA, 95370
• Let us know about some Amateur Radio gear you would like to donate to the club. We are able to re-sell it and donate the proceeds to the Repeater Fund.
• Associate your Amazon Account to our Smiles account and we will get a percentage of your spending donated to our club.
• Spread the word!!!

If you have a donation of gear, please complete the following form, Thank You!

UPDATE: Here’s the new TCARES Pinecrest/Dodge Ridge repeater undergoing testing and bring-up at the WA6HNA QTH

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