The post The TCARES Winter 2025 Newsletter is Here! appeared first on TCARES.

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.

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
—–

The post California Coastal Winlink Net – KN6HSR appeared first on TCARES.

W6PHO

We are now entering the “Solar Maximum” part of Solar Cycle 25, which could mean four years of excellent conditions for DXing. Maximum solar activity increases ionization in the “F” region of the ionosphere (150-250 miles up) which facilitates daytime 20 to10-meter propagation and nighttime 40 through 10-meter propagation.

If you’re wondering when to look for DX, the SN (Sunspot Number) may help. While the SN is the result of observation and calculation with some tricky statistics thrown in (for a “smoothed” number), it is often a good indicator of conditions for DXing. The highest SN count in 20 years was this past June, at a level of 163.4, but higher values are predicted for late 2023 and early 2024.

Another indicator is the SFI or Solar Flux Index. This is strongly correlated to the degree of ionization of the F2 region.

Finally, the K-index quantifies disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field that cause, for us, background radio noise. When this index is 2 or less — and the SFI has been at 150 or more for a few days (to “charge” the F2, DX should be great!

A K-index over 3 can mean high absorption, i.e. poor reflection of radio waves, and a K of 5 to 9 means a geomagnetic storm is probably going to cause interference. The A-index, a summary of world K-index readings, also relates to geomagnetic stability, and low (1-6) numbers are best, 11 up worst). The Boulder K index, updated every three hours on WWV, is probably the most accurate one to use at our latitude.

Current solar data (SN, SFI, K, A, etc.) are readily found at QRZ.com, and a full page of current information is at the K7RA solar update. The ncdxc.org/propagation/ page also has alert messages about strong space weather (solar storms) that may lead to radio blackouts. Finally, spaceweather.com is an interesting resource. For activity on the sun and what it means for us, check out Dr. Tamitha Skov’s podcast (spaceweatherwoman.com).

Space weather charts will indicate which bands are good, poor, or closed for DX contacts. You can also figure this out by listening for beacons, digital signals, and WWV stations. You can generally tell from others’ spots (see below) if the band is open for us. You can also learn, e.g. from spaceweather.com, about CMEs and flares that can shut down the bands. For more information and links go to arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals.

How about where to look?

If you want help finding DX, try a spotting service. I like to use DXSummit.fi, which will give you VOACAP propagation predictions when you put in your location (e.g. CM98tb for Columbia). It will also show where you and the desired station are on the map AND in relation to that magic “gray line” when there may be an especially strong connection with that DX station. Note that this will apply to any station in the same geographic area.

So how do I find DX?

Be sure to look for DXpeditions, especially in the Pacific region that’s relatively easy for Californians to reach, especially in the late afternoon or evening.

A fuller list — going into 2024 — can be found at ng3k.com; thanks to Pat, WA6SCW, for this. The ARRL puts out a weekly DX bulletin. Information on propagation was inspired by George, N6GEO’s, recent “3rd Tuesday TCARES Tech Net” (@ 7:30 pm). Errors and confusions are of course my own!

How do I work DX?

DX-pedition stations are much sought after, and there will be pileups of US stations calling them. Finding the pileups can be a shortcut to finding DX, but be sure not to tune up on a calling frequency or, worse, on top of the DX station! DXing often requires operating “split,” with you calling up a kHz or more. The DX station will specify “up.”

Use your operating skills to figure out what frequency the DX is listening on! Another place to find DX (and pileups) is in contests. A couple of these that are useful for grabbing DX and coming up in the next few months are the CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB Oct. 28-29 and CW Nov. 25-26). A full contest list is found at WA7BNM’s page (times/dates in UTC).

You can also find DX from a spotting site, by hearing a CQ, or calling CQDX yourself. These are the most satisfying contacts and may involve more conversation than the minimum signal report required for a confirmed contact!

There are 340 DX entities currently on the official list, and 64 that have been withdrawn, mainly for political reasons. Most are familiar countries (e.g. UN member states), some are remote territories, or some uninhabited reefs or islands. You learn a lot of geography while DXing!

By the time of the next Newsletter the solar maximum should be close to its peak. Please send reports of your ATNOs (all time new ones) and what you’ve observed of the bands and times that are especially good for DX, so I can share them with the club in the next Newsletter.

Get out those world maps and start marking places you’ve contacted! Please write to dmcneil36@gmail.com with your comments, questions, and reports of your DX successes for inclusion in a future column.

The post Chasing DX – CYCLE 25 IS HERE. WHAT’S THAT MEAN?! appeared first on TCARES.

His years growing up were rich with the closeness of family and many beloved cousins that doubled as best friends!

He grew up working hard with his family in the peach orchards and on the ranch. And from a very early age, Wally pursed a God-given love of electronics and communications, building mail-order radio kits and components. Wally used to say he was “born with electrons in his blood”! 

Although Wally experienced the tragic loss of his father and then older sister at a young age, he always had the God-given gift of optimism and a grateful heart!

Wally graduated from Livingston High School; took courses in electronics at Modesto Junior College; received his FCC certification in communications; and served in the USAF Reserves/California Air National Guard specializing in radio communications. 

Starting in his teen years, Wally pursued his love of wireless communications through the hobby of amateur radio, raising in license status to General Class with an FCC call sign of W6FEJ.  He continued his love of Amateur Radio (‘Ham Radio’) throughout his life, including building and providing/maintaining infrastructure equipment for his local club, who comprised many of his closest friends in the valley and up in the hills.

In 1968 Wally married the love of his life, Carolyn Louise Smith, in Atwater, CA. They both had been given grace to wait for God’s choice…and the Lord blessed them ABUNDANTLY in a marriage of more than 55 years!

In 1968 they built a home on Wally’s family ranch and moved in as newlyweds. Carolyn worked as a cosmetologist and Wally worked as a two-way radio communications technician for Mobile Communications in Merced. Wally also drove A.M. school bus routes (which he began at age 18) for Livingston High School District, and then later Atwater High School District; and in his ‘spare time’ he continued to repair televisions and install towers and antennas (as he had done for many years) for relatives, friends, neighbors, etc.

In 1970 Wally and Carolyn welcomed their firstborn daughter, Kelly Lee. Kelly shares in the same clever and funny ‘wit’ that Wally is known for.  

In 1972 Wally and Carolyn welcomed their second daughter, Heidi Lee.  She, like her father, has a cheery nature and loves to talk! Heidi and Wally shared in the business of communications, which in later years led to the Lord’s gift to Wally of Deputy Sheriff Jeff Perlewitz (N6FEJ) as his son-in-law.  

Wally and Carolyn always partnered together, working hard to love and serve others. In 1979, this spirit of partnership led them to move the family to the Sierra foothills (“God’s country” as Wally called it) to start their business Columbia Communications & Avionics, which later evolved to Columbia Communications, Inc.  They have worked with many treasured and beloved partners & staff members along the ongoing journey.

Wally and Carolyn worked VERY hard together through both tough and abundant times, to grow both a family and a business successfully!

Since 1979, Wally has been a pioneering force in engineering and providing wireless communications serving the Sierra Foothills communities, including public safety, education and private industry!

Through long hours and unwavering commitment, Wally rode in helicopters, hiked miles through snow, and even rode mules – anything needed so that those serving and protecting others could communicate!

Wally and Carolyn are so proud of the present staff of Columbia Communications, Inc. who continue to serve the Foothill communities with that same standard and representation.

Wally was also active for many years serving through the Sonora Lyons Club, where he & Carolyn made many more cherished friends.

Wally lived this life as a GENEROUS man of FAITH, joyful and funny (and sometimes onery).  

Wally is WEALTHY in God’s gifts of family, as well as all those treasured friends who are family to him.

Wally’s ‘FATHER’S HEART’ covered, protected, provided for, and loved many, far beyond his two daughters and son-in-law!

Wally is a man whose true citizenship has always been in the Kingdom of God, and as of February 12th, 2024, Heaven is where he now resides!  

You are warmly invited to celebrate the life and Homegoing of Wally:

Friday, April 12^th

1:00 p.m. (*See below)

1:30 p.m. (Celebration of Life service)

Sierra Bible Church

15171 Tuolumne Rd.

Sonora, CA

*You are also invited to come early at 1:00 p.m and join the family, joyfully worshiping the Lord in music and song.

**Because Wally loved life, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Foothill Pregnancy Center at www.fpcsonora.com

The post W6FEJ – Wally – Silent Key – Service April 12 appeared first on TCARES.

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.

TCARES BOARD of DIRECTORS:

The Corporation has seven ( 7 ) Directors, consisting of : The four (4)

executive Officers and three (3) Directors at large. Elected from the

membership, these seven (7) board members will be known as the

Board of Directors.

ELECTION Process:

1. Nominations shall be collected during October.

2. Elections will be held in November.

3. Balloting will end on November 30.

4. Elected Board Members will be announced in December.

To nominate a member to serve in a position, download and complete this form:

TCARES Nomination sheet 2020

Who are the current board members?

The post 2020: Nominate your board members! appeared first on TCARES.

Please fill out this form here.

TCARES membership is open to everyone. As a member of TCARES, your dues help support a variety of club activities. Membership fees provide for maintenance fees for the club repeaters across the county. Funds are also used to support TCARES’ portable communication gear, and pay for printing and the club marketing materials. In addition, your dues help TCARES provide emergency service training, education and testing for license upgrading and community service.  

Members joining as a new member in April, May or June, may skip the annual dues payment due on July 1.  

New hams that pass an ARRL Ham test hosted by TCARES are granted free membership for the current year.

The post Please renew your membership appeared first on TCARES.

On Saturday, April 27, TCARES members presented a workshop oriented toward new and potential Amateur Radio Operators (Hams) and to the general public who might not have a good understanding of what Ham Radio is all about. The workshop commenced at 0900 hours and ended about 1500 hours with topics including what to expect as you study for your FCC license exam, practice exams, demonstration stations, and mingling with current Hams of all stripes.

For the first ever workshop of this type, we have a great turnout of eight folks interested in learning more. The excitement and interest was palpable and there was no shortage of questions about all aspects of the hobby.

I want to especially thank all the TCARES members who showed up to help in any small way: Grayson KE6KYI, Mike W6MVM, Larry W6LDB, Ned N4NED, Sterling AE6RN, Lou WA6N, Dave W6PHO, Melissa KD6FFX, Doug KM6VYI. A very special thank you to Tuolumne County Sheriff Bill Pooley and the Community Services Unit for graciously permitting us the use of its facility in the Junction Shopping Center.

Watch this newsletter for the next Workshop, or perhaps a bone fide training program to teach folks the basics of Ham Radio at the Technician Level.

The post TC Sheriff CSU Ham Workshop Results. appeared first on TCARES.