Oakland A.R.E.S. Newsletter April 5, 1997

Minutes of the March 1, 1997 Meeting

Attendance Sheet

Special announcement: The June 7th meeting will be held at the Kaiser administrative offices, 1950 Franklin St, 2nd floor conference room F

<Announcements / Calendar>

<RACES Report>

Jim, N6OIK will choose an acronym for the city's amateur radio stations: OARS - Oakland Amateur Radio System or RACERS - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Radio System, unless you come up with a better one. He outlined three strategic goals for the coming year: 1) Activation protocols for the LOU. The fire patrol manual needs maps 2) The EOC: The building budget snags do not affect radios. The interim EOC at 505 14th St. is a bad location. and 3) Equipment enhancements: ongoing fire station maintenance; placing the 30 extra antennas at shelter sites, use of packet/APRS and ATV.

The ARRL is seeking a change in FCC rules to relax regulations regarding ARES and RACES. The league proposes to allow mutual aid communications between various emergency groups during emergencies and drills and to increase the time limit on RACES training drills and tests to up to five hours per week.

Oakland RACES participation in the CORE drill is still in flux as of the newsletter. Plans will be formulated at an April 3 meeting and presented at our April 5 meeting.

<AEC Reports>

Training: There will be a power connector party after the April meeting. Bring the diagram from the February newsletter. The Northern California Emergency Response Institute is conducting an emergency communications training conference on May 17-18, 1997 in Sacramento. To register by mail send a check for $20 with your name and address to: ERI '97 P.O. Box 301 Fair Oaks, CA 95628.

Operations: The Red Cross building is in escrow. David, WB6NER has reserved the Kaiser administrative offices 2nd floor conference room F for the June meeting. 1950 Franklin St is between 19th and 20th St. A public parking lot or bicycle mobile are alternatives to meters. Enter near the pedestrian overpass and sign in at security. Other locations discussed were: Lake Merrit Garden Center, Dunsmuir Carriage House, Rockridge Library, Summit Hospital. We will need a team to relocate the Red Cross radios.

Liaison: Our group is seeking out a liaison to the Oakland Police Dept.

<Special Events>

M.S. Walkathon: Chris, KQ6JZ thanks all who have signed up so far for the April 13 event and reminds those who are working the event with bicycles to practice operating bicycle mobile and work out the kinks of mounting and using the rig, antenna, and power pack in advance of the event.

Baker to Vegas: Modular connectors between radios, TNCs, GPS and power are the key to making the communications kits portable and parts interchangeable. Jim, KB6MYV will bring in an example of one of these BARF boxes to the April meeting to demonstrate the setup.

Senior Lecture: Brian, W6LL will be giving a short talk about the role of Ham Radio in emergencies to resident seniors at Piedmont Gardens, 33 Linda Ave. on April 17 at 5PM.

Bay to Breakers: The Red Cross is looking for Mobile Assistant Team communicators during the infamous San Francisco footrace on Sunday May 18. Each MAT team patrols up to a mile of the race course looking for downed runners flagged by spotters. The EMTs in the team provide immediate medical assistance while the communicators call for help. Mike, KD6PLN has participated in this event for the last 3 years and highly recommends the experience. Chris, KQ6JZ will bring registration forms to the meeting.

Field Day: Field day is a time when everyone pulls together and shows what ham radio is all about - camaraderie. It takes more than just operators for a successful Field Day. It takes organizers, station builders, equipment suppliers, cooks, emergency power folks, media people, packet radio gurus, and anybody else you can think of.

The equipment folks find and line up rigs, lights, keyers, microphones, paper and pencils, computers, tables, chairs, tents, etc. Generator people supply the necessary electricity to power the equipment. Operators fill the logs with QSOs. We need antenna experts, public relations wizards, packeteers, and more. All these subgroups intertwine and rely on each other to get the job done. Start asking yourself now: Where can I help?

Reprinted with permission Nov 96 QST ARRL

<Tidbits>

Web sightings: Association of Bay Area Governments earthquake maps are at: http://www.abag.ca.gov/

< Band Threat: The little LEOs were slowed but not stopped. The WRC97 committee buried their proposal together with arguments against it into an annex to the draft proposal for consideration and disposition at a higher level.

YLRL: Elaine, K6SZT put out a call for women to join the Young Ladies Radio League.

<Attendance Sheet>

The Oakland ARES meeting came to order at the Oakland Red Cross at 9:00 AM. Present were:

Debbie Barragan

KE6MRK

Roger Gilbert

KE6STE

Chris Peeples

KE6MQW

A.J. Benham

KF6EUJ

Richmond Harding

EL2BG

Barbara Pickering

KF6CWW

Adele Bertaud

KE6HKY

Dave Harnish

KF6EQA

Jim Ploss

KB6MYV

Herbert Bowen

WA6CUY

Steve Healy

KF6GYP

David Pompa

pending

Chris Burgardt

KQ6JZ

Alan Horn

KF6GYW

Mike Pompa

KD6PLN

Elaine Carter

K6SZT

Roger Jung

KE6STB

Tim Roberts

KF6BYG

Susan Chan Rogers

pending

Marvin Kay

K6GHE

Greg Rogers

KD6FPP

George Chong

W6BUR

Edward Kilmartin

KE6WPG

Bernard Schormann

KE6TYY

Louis Cobet

K6MDH

Bob Mayes

KE6DVT

Wayne Schuette

KF6HEW

Willy Denninger

KE6EMX

Dave McGuinnes

KF6EPQ

Donald Street

K6EHQ

Jose Diaz

KM6NY

Art McLaughlin

W6THD

Jim Tiemstra

N6OIK

Kathy Dodge

KF6GZY

Cherie Morris

W6BBK

Brian Treusch

W6LL

Bob Firehock

KE6IUE

Gerald Morris

AC6GF

Curtis Floray

KA6MJO

David Otey

WB6NER

Meetings are normally held on the first Saturday of each month.

The next meeting will be Saturday, April 5, 1997 at 9:00 AM
at the Red Cross Headquarters, 2111 E. 14th Street, Oakland 535-2800

The June 7th meeting will be held at the Kaiser administrative offices, 1950 Franklin St, 2nd floor conference room F