Nevada Ham Plays Role in Rescue

Read story here.

ARES/RACES of Churchill County Events

Monthly Meeting: 2nd Saturday of the month. For actual date, time, and whereabouts contact iceman47@charter.net

ARES Net: Sunday at 7 p.m. on the 145.35 Repeater PL 123.0

Exercise: NAS Fallon & Churchill County are planning a simulated air crash and hazmat event. ARES/RACES group will be involved in communications. For more information contact iceman47@charter.net

Wings of Change

Wings of Change is an airshow and open house at the Minden-Tahoe airport on June 22-24, 2007. Douglas County Amateur Response Team (DCART) is providing communications for the show.

Other volunteers are needed. Lunch and a T-shirt are provided for all volunteers.

Operation "Safe Neighborhood"

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Washoe County Sheriff Office, and the Emergency Management Office lead a multi-jurisdictional full scale exercise to test and improve the regional interoperability. Part of this testing included a hazardous materials event and evacuation of residents in Incline Village. The EAS system was also being tested to provide information to the residents. It was going to be an ambitious project.

Otto Tune, KV7J, Washoe Emergency Manager's Radio Operator, and Ron Hood, Exercise Controller, is in the above picture.


At Incline Village, the air was clear and crisp, but it didn't take long for the day to heat up to 72 degrees. Reno Fire Department and Placer/Truckee Hazmat Teams waited at the staging area for the call for help. Controllers and workers mingled as they waited for their cues in this exercise.


Aaron Kenneston KE7GFF, Washoe Emergency Manager, and Ed Atwell KB7UHM, Head Exercise Controller, conversed on what needed to happen next for a smooth exercise.




The Washoe ARES group (SNARS) was there to provide alternate emergency communications. They shadowed the Washoe Emergency Manager, and provided communications at the hospital. The ARES net control set up their operations at the evacuation site at Diamond Peak.




Bob WA6MTY, ARES EC, tested a digital link (packet) to the Tahoe repeater. Doug KA7FOO and Frank KE7AJO were emergency communicators. Glen WB6W, ARES DEC, was net control. This booth was set up at the Diamond Peak evacuation area.

Don Carlson KQ6FM, Nevada's ARES SEC, also helped with net
control duties.

About 11 a.m., the Salvation Army fired up the grill and provided a barbecue for all the workers, supporters, and participants.

At the end of the exercise, both the I.C. and Washoe EM expressed their appreciation for the 'hams' performance.

Thanks to all of the other ARES members who participated in this exercise.

Let's do it again.

Why Should You Care About Amateur Radio?

"Wireless is a thrilling pastime. Fancy a boy sitting in his room at home with his fingers on a telegraph key and a telephone receiver to his ear listening-in to the news of the world as it is flashed out from the great coast stations or by ships far out at sea! It's a great experience. Yet thousands of boys are doing this wonderful thing every day and night of the year, and you, my young friend, can do it as easily as they, for any boy can own a real wireless station, if he really wants to."--A. Frederick Collins, The Book of Wireless, 1915.
Pioneering Amateurs

I received my Novice license in the mid 1980's because I was interested in emergency communications. A friend of mine, Lannie Carlin, had a huge amateur radio station in her back bedroom. She would pass messages from Utah to the next receiving station--California or Colorado. Sometimes she would let us talk on her radio.

In 1988, I joined the Navy and became a member of the MARS station (NIG) at Correy Station. I learned how to take voice messages over the air. These messages were Health and Welfare messages from sailors to their families.

Even with the advent of the personal computer and the internet, the beginnings of email, amateur radio did not die. There are so many facets to this hobby besides sending messages through the airways.

Here are a few aspects of amateur radio:

1. Learn electronics
2. Repair equipment
3. Contest dx (talk to operators all over the world)
4. APRS/GPS
5. Digital Communications over high frequencies
6. Emergency Communication
7. And much more

Amateur radio is only limited by your imagination.

Amateurs have bounced signals off the moon. They have brought their radios on space stations. They have sat on a deserted island with a ham radio and contacted the world.