Roundtable Pizza 6:30 pm Hrs Local 27N Main St. Angels Camp, Ca.

HAMFEST 2024

8TH ANNUAL LOOMIS HAMFEST
LOOMIS HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT, LOOMIS, CA

The date is set for Hamfest 2024!

Mark you calendars, in ink, for Saturday, March 16th, 2024!

Join us for the first Hamfest of 2024 at the historic Loomis Train Depot.  We will have plenty of coffee and donuts for you to enjoy while you shop for gear at our Club Table and swap meet, attending our presentations.  Come on out rain or shine!!

Address

Historic Loomis Train Depot

5775 Horseshoe Bar Rd

Loomis , Ca.

A favorable forecast gave us the green light to set up a station in Avery, Ca. Below are Mark N6IV, Walt K6WGY and Mike KB6USJ the outing photographer(not pictured). Propagation especially on 15 M kept us busy logging stations from the mid west to eastern parts of the country. When the operation was completed the group of three came away high spirited. Not bad working 100 watts and a dipole.

Additional Information can be found by clicking the Link below

https://www.winterfieldday.org

Contest Objective: For amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz. Stations outside the US & Canada (and their possessions) may only work stations in the US (and its possessions) and Canada.

Dates: The third or fourth full weekend in January as announced. (January 20-22, 2024)

Contest Period: Begins 1900 UTC Saturday, ends 0359 UTC Monday.

Rule Changes for 2024: Participants in the FM Only category can now count contacts made on 902 MHz and 1.2 GHz toward their scores. Previously, only contacts on the four lowest VHF bands (50, 144, 222 and 432 MHz) counted toward participants’ scores in this category.

Click Here for Complete ARRL January VHF Contest Rules (PDF)

For contest information contact contests@arrl.org or (860) 594-0232

Auction: February 10, 2024

The next TARC auction has been scheduled for February 10, 2024. Doors will open at 8 AM and the auction will start at 9 AM. Lunch will be provided by the Salvation Army, donations appreciated. For more information, please check the auction page.

A Day on January 6th for Youth to be on the air especially on the HF frequencies as well as some local repeaters. Many of the kids participating may be with a school STEM club, or grandkids, scouts or kids of Amateur Radio Operators etc. Get your headphones on and your HF rig warmed up during the Winter WX, say hello and a copy all HF frequencies will be active

It could not be better said from our Breakfast Hosts Dee KM6ELE and Mike N6AXQ that this was the best Breakfast gathering ever. The jovial spirit of the CARS members made the event very special and memorable. Just take a look at the pictures below, it can’t be denied this group of Hams were having fun!

Sam – WS6P

ARES Emergency Coordinator – Calaveras County

RACES Radio Officer – Calaveras County

Hm: (209) 293-4010

1^st Net Cell: (209) 418-9207

W6WPT Repeater  440.100 + T100

WIRES-X node 33432

When an earthquake or other major incident occurs, frequently the infrastructure in the surrounding area is knocked out.  This creates a so-called “doughnut hole” where people in the most-impacted area cannot provide reports via internet or cell phones.  Because of this, USGS partnered with Winlink to provide a way for “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) reports to be submitted via radio.  When Winlink DYFI messages are received by USGS, these reports are parsed automatically, and the information is added to their database giving a near-real-time picture of the extent of damage.  The SHAKEOUT exercise on October 19 will give USGS a good measure of how effective the Winlink radio reporting system is.

In addition to providing information to USGS, the SHAKEOUT exercise also is being used by FEMA and other agencies to gauge the effectiveness of amateur radio at providing ground truth during incidents.  This is from the September 26 FEMA bulletin, which went to all FEMA Regions for their stakeholders:

“Our primary aim of participating in the October 19th SHAKEOUT ‘Did You Feel It’ (DYFI) exercise is to underscore the remarkable proficiency of Winlink. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) will use this Winlink ‘Did You Feel It’ ground truth data to contribute to the calculations of their earthquake intensity assessments when modeling the Modified Mercalli (MMIS) Intensity Scale, a standard index used for earthquake severity (see Figure 1). This data will contribute to event response products, like PAGER, a system that provides fatality and economic loss impact estimates following significant earthquakes, worldwide, and is used by governments, agencies, NGOs, private companies, and citizens.

“A secondary and extremely important purpose for emergency management at all levels to participate in this exercise is to illustrate the capabilities of the Winlink system to provide situational awareness ground truth regardless of the specific information gathered.”

DYFI Winlink submissions will go to USGS, the Winlink team, and partner agencies.  They will produce maps showing points of submission, and they will generate summaries for the AAR which will be sent to FEMA, DHS, SHARES, and other interested groups.

In addition to U.S. hams, Winlink DYFI reports will be sent by CISA SHARES members, Air Force MARS members, and hams in Europe, Scandinavia, and other parts of the world.

You can find detailed instructions about how to fill out a Winlink DYFI report and send it via radio at this site.  Note to specify QUAKE-23 as a CC address to your submission.

https://winlink.org/sites/default/files/ShakeOutWinlinkExercise_cm6.pdf

On a cool and cloudy day the Arnold Rim Trail Run took place, here are a few photos of Ken, Mark and RJ(paramedic on duty) . Many runners took the opportunity to get out on the trails, and view the scenic vistas. The full complement of the CARS crew were Andy, Helen, Dave, Pascal and Walt kept a keen eye on the safety of the participants. Most importantly all ACCOUNTED FOR!

Photos Courtesy of Ken Sanders AE6LA