Archived news items will be posted here, with the most recent items at the top.
On Saturday, December 17th, a test session was held in Ukiah. Of the three people that tested, one earned their technician-class license and one upgraded to extra-class.
A test session will be held at 9:30 AM on Saturday, December 17th at the Redwood Academy in Ukiah. If you are interested in testing or would like to be a volunteer examiner, please register here.
For links to last summer's technician class video recordings, click here. The question pool has changed since then but most of it still applies.
If you have questions regarding the license test sections covered in the videos above, click here.
For study materials and copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in the classes, contact Nick KI6RIT.
ALERT: Effective April 19th, the FCC will be implementing a $35 application fee for new license applications. Upgrading an existing license to a higher class is exempt. The fee is in addition to the $15 test fee. Volunteer examiners (VEs) won't be collecting the application fee; you will need to make payment to the FCC directly. Click here for more information.
Greetings Mendocino County Hams,
With the terrain and distances in Mendocino County, we have problems with countywide communications even with the great repeater system Greg, WA6RQX, has established. The problem is especially true with communications between inland Mendocino and both the south coastal communities and with the north inland areas. This gap in our communications system might be able to be addressed using HF radio.
McARCS and MACS are proposing that we conduct a test during the month of September to see if this communications gap can be resolved using HF radio frequencies. We invite all members who have an HF radio to participate.
The tests will be conducted for the four (4) weeks in September as follows:
On Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM (1830), the initial check-in will be on 80m on 3.910 MHz LSB or 3.920 MHz LSB depending on use.
After the initial check-in on 80m, we will switch to 40m on 7.235 MHz LSB or 7.245 MHz LSB for a second signal check.
On Thursday mornings at 10:00 AM (1000), we will conduct the same test as listed above using the same bands and frequencies.
I will function as net control and will call for stations in community order similar to the Wednesday night countywide emergency check-in net.
By running this test over a four (4) week period using multiple bands and frequencies, we should be able to determine if the use of HF for an emergency communications system within the county is feasible and the best bands and frequencies to use.
Looking forward to hearing you during the test,
73, Mike KC6MGM
| Lakeport | Fort Bragg | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Lake County Office of Education 1152 S. Main St. (parking and test room accessible from K St.) | Redwood Coast Senior Center 490 N. Harold St. |
| When | August 13th @ 9:30 AM | August 13th @ noon |
| Info | No walk-ins, pre-registration required, $15 test fee | |
| Registration contact | Ken AI7NG | Jonathan KK6RPX |
For links to last summer's technician class video recordings, click here. Note that the technician class test question pool changed on July 1st, so the questions on the current test may be slightly different than the material covered in the videos.
If you have questions regarding the license test sections covered in the videos above, click here.
For study materials and copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in the classes, contact Nick KI6RIT.
ALERT: Effective April 19th, the FCC will be implementing a $35 application fee for new license applications. Upgrading an existing license to a higher class is exempt. The fee is in addition to the $15 test fee. Volunteer examiners (VEs) won't be collecting the application fee; you will need to make payment to the FCC directly. Click here for more information.
On Saturday, June 25th, a test session was held in Lakeport. Of the two people that tested, one passed their technician-class test.
Field Day was held on Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, June 26th this year. Well over a dozen hams participated, with a few making their first HF contacts! Here's the statistics:
Total contacts: 123
Contacts by band
Geography
To view a map of the sections worked (generated by the excellent N3FJP Field Day logging program), click here.
Thank you to everyone that participated, the Willits Amateur Radio Society, and the Mendocino Auxiliary Communications Service!
Willits Amateur Radio Society (WARS), McARCS, and Mendocino Auxiliary Communications Service (MACS) will be jointly participating in this year's ARRL Field Day event on June 25th and 26th at the Baechtel Grove Middle School in Willits. The event takes place from 11 AM Saturday to 11 AM Sunday. Whether you want to participate in the event on the radio, ask questions on anything ham radio-related, or just want to hang out, come on down!
A test session will be held at 9:30 AM on June 25th at the Lake County Office of Education in Lakeport. If you are interested in attending, please register with Ken AI7NG.
For links to last summer's technician class video recordings, click here.
If you have questions regarding the license test sections covered in the videos above, click here.
For study materials and copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in the classes, contact Nick KI6RIT.
ALERT: Effective April 19th, the FCC will be implementing a $35 application fee for new license applications. Upgrading an existing license to a higher class is exempt. The fee is in addition to the $15 test fee. Volunteer examiners (VEs) won't be collecting the application fee; you will need to make payment to the FCC directly. Click here for more information.
A test session will be held at 9:30 AM on May 14th at the Redwood Academy in Ukiah. If you are interested in attending, please register with Ken AI7NG.
For links to last summer's technician class video recordings, click here.
If you have questions regarding the license test sections covered in the videos above, click here.
For study materials and copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in the classes, contact Nick KI6RIT.
ALERT: Effective April 19th, the FCC will be implementing a $35 application fee for new license applications. Upgrading an existing license to a higher class is exempt. The fee is in addition to the $15 test fee. Volunteer examiners (VEs) won't be collecting the application fee; you will need to make payment to the FCC directly. Click here for more information.
The annual Mendocino Coast 50K run will resume this year. This is a 50k run through the Jackson Demonstration Forest starting and ending at Big River beach. Due to a lack of cell phone coverage along the route, they have requested ham radio support for their event to provide information to the race officials on race status and safety issues.
We are looking for six or seven volunteers who are willing to staff the checkpoints. It is a fun experience and a chance to practice your skills operating on a radio net.
The event will be on Saturday, April 23rd and has a net control station at the start/finish line and five checkpoints along the route. The race begins at 0700 from the start point and normally lasts approximately 9.5 hours. The check points are staffed in succession as the race progresses with the start point and station one being staffed at 0700. We normally do a split shift for the net control with a 0700 to noon operator and a noon to 1700 operator.
We are also looking for a few radio operators who might like to accompany the race sweep along the course. This would involve running one of the legs of the course with the sweep. Since the sweep cannot pass any of the competing racers, they run the race at the slowest pace. So, if you are a ham and runner, this might be a nice occasion to use both of your skills.
You can learn more about the event at https://mendocinoultra.com/
For additional information or to volunteer for the event, contact Mike KC6MGM.All volunteer positions have been filled. Thank you to everyone that stepped up!
On Saturday, March 5th, a test session was held in Ukiah. Of the 13 people that took a test, 11 passed. 5 of those were residents of Mendocino County. 4 of them earned their technician-class license and one upgraded to extra-class. Congratulations to everyone!
The test session that was scheduled for March 12th in Fort Bragg was unfortunately canceled due to lack of sign-ups.
Test sessions in Ukiah and Fort Bragg have been scheduled!
| Ukiah | Fort Bragg | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Redwood Academy 1059 N. State St. | Redwood Coast Senior Center 490 N. Harold St. |
| When | March 5th @ 9:30 AM | March 12th @ noon |
| Info | No walk-ins, pre-registration required, $15 test fee | |
| Registration contact | Ken AI7NG | Jonathan KK6RPX |
For links to last summer's technician class video recordings, click here.
If you have questions regarding the license test sections covered in the videos above, click here.
For study materials and copies of the PowerPoint presentations used in the classes, contact Nick KI6RIT.
The US Forest Service is proposing to implement a statutorily required annual fee for new and existing communications use authorizations to cover the costs of administering its authorization program. The Forest Service proposal results from requirements set forth in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
Some repeaters in the county are on USFS land, such as the Anthony Peak repeater in Round Valley. If the fee increase takes effect, it will become prohibitively expensive to keep the equipment at many of these sites.
Hams are encouraged to submit comments to the USFS either online or via mail. All comments must include the identifier RIN 0596-AD44. The deadline for submissions is February 22nd.
Click here for more information.
We participated in the annual Tsunami drill exercise on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. We sent sending coast watchers to report on the activation of the tsunami warning sirens in the 11 AM to Noon time frame.. We also sent coast watchers to report coastal conditions at potential tsunami inundation sites should there be an actual tsunami forecast. Teams coordinated the observations using the linked 146.820 MHz and 147.030 MHz repeaters and reporting the results on the county-wide linked repeater system to the alternate EOC location.
Here is a link to the Mendocino County potential Tsunami inundation zones https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/tsunami/maps/mendocino
Tsunami warning sirens are located near the Pt. Arena pier, at the Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, and in the Pudding Creek estuary and beach area in Fort Bragg..
Day 1 - Section 5 (Electrical Principles) and Section 6 (Electrical Components)
Day 2 - Section 3 (Radio Wave Propagation) and Section 9 (Antennas & Feed Lines)
Day 3 - Section 7 (Station Equipment), Section 8 (Signals & Modulation Modes), and Section 10 (Electrical & RF Safety)
Day 4 - Section 2 (On-air Operating Procedures) and Section 4 (Amateur Practices)
Day 5 - Section 1 (FCC Rules & Regulations)
In lieu of these classes, we suggest self-study using the Gordon West, WB6NOA, Technician Class license study guide available on Amazon and elsewhere and taking practice tests on-line at www.aa9pw.com or at https://hamexam.org/
As the result of a general shutdown of the AC power grid on October 26, 2019, an informal net was formed using the county-wide linked repeater system keeping everyone informed of fire hazard, power status, and fuel and grocery stores open during the period until AC power was restored on October 30. Every station participating was on some form of emergency power including the repeater sites (except for the repeater on Cahto Peak which has none). During this period most, if not all, local nets operated as usual and the county-wide Technical, Digital, Emergency, Swap Meet, and YL nets operated as usual. The station at the county Emergency Operations Center was not activated due to equipment issues at that location.
On October 8, 2017 very late a wildfire broke out in Redwood Valley. As the result of that fire or possible heavy equipment brought in to fight the fire, the fiber optic cable connecting the greater Willits area and perhaps points north were cut off from telephone, cellular telephone, and all cable based internet access. By early morning Monday October 9 the amateur radio community in Mendocino County was mobilized to provide communications between all hospitals, certain health centers, and yet to be established Red Cross shelters and the forming Emergency Operations Center operations. Click here for an update on the ham radio response to the Redwood Complex fire. redwood.pdf
A letter from CHP to all commands states, in part: For the purposes of Section 23123.5(f) CVC, a radio installed and mounted in a vehicle with a wired hand microphone (e.g. business band or citizen band [CB] radio) is not considered a wireless communication device, nor is it considered a specialized mobile radio device, and therefore is not subject to enforcement under this section.
To see the whole letter, go to:CHP-Enforcement-of-Section-23123pdf
Every mobile operator is advised to keep a copy of this letter in their vehicle and show it to an officer if stopped. Be polite. Note this will not include a hand held radio held up to the face. Use a microphone!
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