October 3 @ 8:30 am – 11:00 am PDT

THIS IS A FREE CLASS, limited to the first 25 people. REGISTER BELOW.

Learn how to use your handheld radio during a simulated emergency. This class will give you hands-on radio experience by simulating 2 different emergency situations: 1) your own family; and 2) your neighborhood/community. By the end of the class you will also learn more about how to get the best performance out of your handheld radio. Finally, you will develop a plan to take home with you, on how to use a handheld radio during an emergency, for your situation.

If you have a handheld radio (FRS/GMRS/Amateur (Ham)), bring it to the class. If not, we will have extra radios for use. 

Hands-on skills training will get you up and transmitting right away, with instructions on emergency communication.

STAY INFORMED when cell phones are down and power outages occur.

RADIO CLASS AGENDA

• Introduction to Planning for an Emergency – Developing a Personal/Family Plan
• How to Get the Best Performance Out of Your Handheld Radio
• Simulation of an Emergency Using Handheld Radios on Simplex (Radio to Radio)
• Simulation of an Emergency Using Handheld Radios and a Local Repeater (Directed Net)
• Discussion & Lessons Learned
• Turn in a Copy of Your Personal/Family Plan

OPTIONAL: Tuolumne County has 6 GMRS, and 5 ham radio repeaters on hill tops that allow wide communications across the county and parts of the Central Valley. A GMRS and/or Amateur Radio license is required for repeater usage. Apply for your GMRS license today. One GMRS license will cover your entire extended family, even if they don’t live in the same home. There is NO TEST, only a FCC $35. application fee. Follow these step by step instructions to get your NO TEST GMRS License. FCC processing time usually takes one to three days and has a $35.00 fee. START NOW.

• OCT 3, 8:30 AM (about 2.5 hours) Please check in by 8:15, thanks!
• Limited to the first 25 people
• TBA

REGISTER NOW AND SAVE YOUR SEAT! (Link forthcoming…)

October 3, 2026 is the TENTATIVE date for the class. Once confirmed, this will be updated.

The post Training on How to Use Your Handheld Radio During an Emergency appeared first on TCARES.

The California QSO Party (CQP) is held every year on the first weekend of October.  The first CQP took place in 1966. Since 1974, the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) has sponsored CQP.  CQP has traditionally opened the annual contest season by providing an opportunity for contesters to prepare for the ARRL November Sweepstakes since the format is similar.

Stations outside of California, worldwide, work stations in California only. The 58 counties of CA are the multipliers. California stations work all stations in or out of CA. The 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces/territories are the multipliers.  Stations outside of Canada and the US add to one’s QSO total but do not count as multipliers. See the full set of CQP Rules for more details.

This year the event will be hosted by Mike, W6MVM, at his QTH. Contact him for more information and details at mvmcginty@gmail.com.

The post California QSO Party (CQP) appeared first on TCARES.

October 16 @ 8:00 am – October 18 @ 5:00 pm PDT

Easy Day Trip from Sonora on Saturday OCT 17th, 2 hour drive, $35 entry for a full day of learning!

REGISTER: www.pacificon.org

Pacificon℠ gives you three great days of activities for one low cost:

* A full slate of outstanding Forum presentations about a wide range of amateur radio topics

* An all-day Antenna Seminar (additional fee required)

* Gordon West, WB6NOA: Author, educator, speaker and irrepressible promoter of all things ham radio

* Vendor and Nonprofit expo filled with exciting products and exhibits

* Events including an outdoor Swap Meet hosted by livermoreark.org.

* QRP Low Power Activities

* Youth Activities including Scouting

* Parachute Mobile contacts

* 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 W1AW/6 where you can operate and contact other hams worldwide, even if you don’t have a license, hosted by paara.org.

* Emcomm Vehicle Showcase: San Ramon Fire, Alameda County Sheriffs, Fighter cockpit exhibit from USS Hornet, SATERN Van

* Our wonderful Banquet & Keynote Speaker (additional fee required)

* Our annual Wouff Hong Initiation ceremony

* A chance to hear about and discuss important national amateur radio issues with ARRL leaders

* A chance to win radios and other great prizes throughout the convention

* M17 digital voice mode (patent free) and MMDVM. M17 is supported by our repeater W6CX.

* First annual conference held 1920 in San Francisco.

The post 2026 Pacificon Ham Radio Convention in San Ramon California appeared first on TCARES.

October 17 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am PDT

All are welcome, JOIN US! Come to the back room around or just before 9 AM to order your breakfast…or just a cup of coffee. At 9:30 we will begin our formal agenda.

The post TCARES Monthly Breakfast and Club Meeting appeared first on TCARES.

November 7 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm PST

This is in conjunction with a Tech Ham Cram that begins at 08:00. The Ham Cram is free but if you wish to attend, please email af6hl@arrl.net so we can have enough copies of the handouts available.

011/07/2026

Register at HamStudy.org. This will help streamline the process.

Sponsor: Motherlode VE Team
Date: November 07 2026 
Time: 3:00-5:00 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
Contact: Herb
408-483-7968
Email: herbert_lewis@sbcglobal.net
VEC: Motherlode VE Team

Location: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1111 E A St
Oakdale, CA 95361
United States

MAP

 1.  MANDATORY BEFORE THE EXAM
           FCC Registration Number (FRN):  Examinees are required by 
           the FCC to submit your FRN with your license application form. 
           New license applicants must create an FCC user account and 
           register their Social Security Number (SSN) in the FCC Commission 
           Registration System (CORES) before attending exam sessions.  
           Registrants will be assigned an FRN which will be used in all license
           transactions with the FCC. For instructions on how to register your
           SSN and receive an FRN from the FCC, visit the CORES Registration
           page and the FCC’s Registration instructions page.
           Per FCC rules, a valid email address is also mandatory on the 
           application form to receive FCC correspondence, including the official
           copy of your Amateur Radio license.

      2.  One legal photo ID (identification): 
           a. State Driver’s License
           b. Government issued Passport 
           c. Military or Law Enforcement Officer Photo ID card
           d. Student School Photo ID card
           e. State Photo ID card 

      3.  If no photo ID is available, two forms of identification:
           a. Non-photo State ID card (some states still have them)
           b. Birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
           c. Social security card
           d. Employer’s wage statement or Minor’s work permit
           e. School ID card
           f. School or Public Library card
           g. Utility bill, bank statement or other business correspondence that 
               specifically names the person; or a postmarked envelope addressed
               to the person at his or her current mailing address as it appears on
               the Form 605.

      4.  Students/minors without a photo ID need to bring only one of the 
           above items if a legal guardian presents their photo ID; otherwise  
           two non-photo IDs are required. ARRL will cover the one-time FCC 
           application fee for new license candidates younger than 18-years 
           old for tests administered under the ARRL VEC program. 

       5.  If applicable, bring a printed copy of your Amateur Radio license
           or be able to show proof of the license in the official FCC database.
           Acceptable copies or printouts of licenses are available from the
           following sources: the official license or reference license printed 
           from the FCC website or license data printed from the ARRL website 
           or QRZ website. The original(s) and photocopy(s) of any Certificates 
           of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) you may hold from 
           previous exam sessions. If your license has already been issued by 
           the FCC, the CSCE showing license credit is not needed. The 
           candidate is require to show proof of the current license to the team  
           but the team is no longer required to submit the proof to the VEC.
           Expired license proof must be submitted to the team and to the 
           VEC for processing to FCC. These photocopies will not be returned. 
           Instructions on how to obtain an official FCC license copy are on 
           our Obtain License Copy web page.

       6.  Two number two pencils with erasers and a pen for in-person sessions. 

      7.  A calculator with the memory erased and formulas cleared is allowed.  
           You may not bring any written notes or calculations into the exam session. 
           Slide rules and logarithmic tables are acceptable, as long as they’re free 
           of notes and formulas. Cell phone must be silenced or turned off during  
           the exam session and the phones’ calculator function may not be used.
           In addition, iPhones, iPads, Androids, smartphones, Blackberry devices 
           and all similar electronic devices with a calculator capability, may NOT 
           be used.

      8.  No need to bring a check, a money order or cash to cover the exam, since it is free.

      9.  Be aware that some information about you will be made publicly available 
           on the FCC’s website (FCC Licensee Privacy) including a felony conviction 
           status. All applicants must answer the Basic Qualification Question (felony 
           conviction status question) on the 605 Form at the exam session. 
           Applicants that answer “YES” for the question must follow these FCC 
           procedures: FCC qualification question instructions

The post Ham Radio FCC Testing Session appeared first on TCARES.

November 21 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am PST

All are welcome, JOIN US! Come to the back room around or just before 8:30 AM to order your breakfast…or just a cup of coffee. At 9:00 we will begin our formal agenda.

The post TCARES Monthly Breakfast and Club Meeting appeared first on TCARES.

November 21 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST

There will be a TCARES Board Meeting following the monthly club breakfast meeting. Feel free to attend!

The post TCARES Board Meeting appeared first on TCARES.