Tuolumne County OES and Sheriff will be testing 5 Sirens in the following locations: Groveland, Tuolumne City, Twain Harte, Cold Springs and Strawberry. The County has asked TCARES if we can monitor the locations and report what was heard in a live Net that day. WHEN: TUESDAY APRIL 30 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (exact schedule TBD) WHERE: Groveland, Tuolumne City, Twain Harte, Cold Springs and Strawberry (We need some Hams to drive up to Cold Springs and Strawberry and listen and call into the repeaters.)
Training
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By David McNeil 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 […]
By Mike, W6MVM Hi, the first question is “Is CW dead?!?”. Code is no longer required to get a license. Does anybody still use it? It was dropped from the requirements because the military no longer needs trained operators. For many years it was thought essential for national defense to have trained Morse Code operators, but not in the age of digital communications. But is it dead? Not hardly. As I’m writing this column, I’m tuned to the 20 meter band. Looking at the lower CW portion with my Flex 6300. The spectrum is set to cover the whole CW area […]
TCARES members Rich Combs, KN6HSR; Ned Sudduth, K6NED, and Toni Sudduth, K6TNI, reported that the October 2023 Great California ShakeOut exercise was an “outstanding” success. Here is their story as reported to the ARRL News (11/03/2023): K6NED / WRPM781 “This is a drill. Drop! Cover! Hold on!” was the mantra for the Great ShakeOut exercise on October 19, 2023, at 10:19 AM in Tuolumne County, California. The Great ShakeOut is an annual international event that promotes awareness of how to prepare for and react to an earthquake. For the past 2 years, TCARES has used this event as an opportunity to test our […]
Here is the slide show from Jeff’s excellent presentation at the last breakfast meeting. Download and view the presentation to get more details or see what you might have missed if you missed the meeting. THE MAP
California Shakeout Drill UPDATE #2THURSDAY OCT 20, 2022 12:30 PMYou can participate in a special annual emergency net with organizations across California. TCARES and TC Office of Emergency Services are planning an emergency NET to demonstrate the TCARES repeater infrastructure during a simulated communications outage following a simulated major earthquake incident. We are looking for MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION!Our goal is to see check-ins from Pinecrest to Jamestown, from Mariposa to Angels Camp, and from Modesto to Yosemite National Park! (AND ALL POINTS IN-BETWEEN) ALL TCARES REPEATERS WILL BE LINKED, Use the one that works best for you. CHECK-IN format.It will be a directed net, but we will not have a roll call. We will request check-ins by Alphabet Sequence […]
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), […]
Monday NOVEMBER 22, 4PM on ZOOM. Email Rich Combs at richsfpd@gmail.com for link. 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 […]
Disaster Communications Exercise 5 May 2020 After Action Report Executive Summary By Jim Piper K6MEDDST Radio Communications Volunteer American Red Cross CA Gold Country Region The DST Radio Communications component of the CA Gold Country Region “activates” during disaster responses to augment communications between the headquarters DOC in Sacramento and service sites. It does so by way of coordinating with our partners in the amateur radio community to “be there” when we need them to assist in moving our disaster messages when the public telecommunications infrastructure has suffered an outage from a disaster and Red Cross or public utility response teams […]
PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 DA 20-467 ORIGINAL PDF FILE Released: April 30, 2020 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU CONFIRMS THAT AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE OPERATOR LICENSE EXAMINATIONS MAY BE HELD REMOTELY The Amateur Radio Service provides opportunities for self-training, intercommunication, and technical investigations for qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. To operate an Amateur Radio Service station, an operator must have an FCC license. The Commission issues three classes of operator licenses, each authorizing a different level of privilege.1 The class for […]
This workshop is for all interested in becoming a ham radio operator, or is a new ham radio operator. This is an informational workshop with live demonstrations. Additional study before or after is recommended. Sign up at the bottom of this page. AGENDA: When all else fails…. Emergency Preparedness What is an FCC License? How to prepare and take a FCC test Basics of a Transceiver How to operate and use a radio How repeaters work Repeater demonstration HF Demonstration Go Kit Demo FAQ, your questions answered!! Get started with this $23 radio. Buy it on Amazon and bring it to […]
TCARES was asked by the Motherlode Bike Coalition, on short notice, to provide radio communications for a bike event on Saturday August 24. More info about the event can be found here. A request went out to the club for 2 or 3 hams to assist. N4NED, KM6NCU and WA6N volunteers to work the Old Priest Grade from 6 am to 9 am. The CHP closed the road and were stationed at the top and bottom of the grade. We set up three stations along the route and help the race organizers communicate between the start and finish and we also […]
Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise, widely sponsored by IARU regions and member organizations, encouraging emergency communicationspreparedness[1] among amateur radio operators. In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year. Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 18:00 UTC Saturday and running through 20:59 UTC Sunday. Since the first ARRL Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). Operations using emergency and alternative power sources […]
I have only been a licensed ham operator since August 23, 2011, so most of the history of the hobby comes from what I hear from other hams who have been in the hobby longer than I have. But I have been in the emergency services as a fire fighter and medic for 38 years. I have observed the evolution of the emergency services in America generally and in California specifically over that time. My observations have lead me to think that perhaps The Future of Amateur Radio will be different from its past. Learning about the history of the ham […]
DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE Have you ever wondered what Ham Radio is all about? Come to this FREE Saturday workshop to learn about Ham Radio. See demonstrations and equipment, talk to local Hams, see what you will need to learn to get your own license, You can even talk to other Hams on our radios, take practice examinations using the FCC questions and take the FCC exam if you want. Self-paced study guides will be available for $23 if you want to learn more and study for the FCC test. Workshop Agenda: Why Ham radio? (when all else fails, radio works) Radio […]
Is TCARES Teaching? The Tuolumne County Amateur Radio & Electronics Society (TCARES) is planning a class that will teach interested folks the basics of amateur radio necessary to pass the FCC required Technician Level Amateur Radio Examination. This class is in the planning stages, tentatively commencing in the spring of 2019. It will be about 10 weeks long with one class meeting each week, most likely on Saturdays. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) training material will be used for the curriculum. Students will be asked to purchase their own License Manual for about $34 (or at a small discount through […]
Decibels: Pesky Little Critters In our telecommunication careers, we may have all used dBs in our work. Here is a little background and how we use them in amateur radio. Decibels are a form of mathematical shorthand using logarithms. Logarithms probably originated with the ancient Greeks. Logarithms have the property expressing large values or ratios in more easily understood human terms. Decibels originated when the engineering of analog telephone circuit became more complicated. The Bell System of fond memory in the 1920’s needed a way to design telephone circuits taking into account cable and component losses plus the gain of amplifiers. One […]
Sonora Radio Communications Class Beginners: Learn radio communications for all ages. Advanced: Study for the Technician and General license. Cost: FREE! (sign up below) When: JAN 5, 2019, 9 AM til Noon. Where: 14535 Peaceful Valley Road, Sonora CA (New address) How will you communicate with family during emergencies? Learn how to use all types of hand held mobile and base station radio equipment. Find out what frequencies you can use without a license and start communicating right away. This class offers guidance on starting a Neighborhood Watch program for your area. How will you communicate with family and loved ones during […]
By Jim, N6TP, n6tp@arrl.net We are familiar with the formula for a half-wave dipole. It appears in the antenna handbooks and in various test questions for amateur radio license exams. It goes like this. Divide the operating frequency in MHz into “468” and the answer comes out in feet. For example: 468 divided by 7.150 MHz equals 65.5 feet! If we do a little rounding, we will cut our half-wave dipole to 65 feet 4 inches. Let’s look a half-wave dipole. As the name implies it is a half-wave antenna resonant at its operating frequency. We choose to make it a half-wave dipole as […]
Pacificon, San Ramon, CA. * A full slate of outstanding Forum presentations about a wide range of amateur radio topics * A large Vendor Expo filled with exciting products and exhibits * An outdoor Swap Meet, QRP activities, Youth Activities * Electronics kit building and soldering instruction * A One Day License Prep Class to prepare you to pass the amateur radio Technician license examination and get your first amateur radio license * Two days of License Testing, A Special Events Station where you can operate and contact other hams worldwide, even if you don’t have a General or Extra Class license, A wonderful Banquet with […]
On Sunday, August 5, 2018, TCARES was contacted by Red Cross officials from Sacramento and Sonora, requesting Amateur Radio support for the Sonora Red Cross Shelter for the purposes of providing back up communication services should commercial services become disabled. Members of the club quickly responded by setting up a UHF/VHF radio station with an external antenna for local voice communications and is preparing a WinLink station for national Red Cross communications, as a back up to commercial methods, should they fail. Channel 19 (Univision) happened to stop by and film the shelter prior to heading up the hill to the […]
The Incident Command System is Useful in Both Emergency and Routine Incidents Join Ham Operators in a day of basic / refresher training on the Incident Command System (ICS) on Saturday, August 25, 2018. A working knowledge of ICS and how it might impact amateur radio operators will be the subject of an all-day workshop at the Tuolumne County Library. This workshop will be presented by Craig Konklin, a retired Battalion Chief and Training Officer from CAL FIRE. There is NO CHARGE for this workshop; however, RSVP (to KJ6QVI@yahoo.com) / sign-up (during weekly TCARES Nets) will be appreciated, to ensure that […]