Huntington Beach RACES

The Echolink training is set for Monday June 25 at 6pm in the EOC. This training will be in the form of a workshop. I’m not really that much of an expert on Echolink (particularly on Android) so I hope some of you that do know Echolink will come share your knowledge. I do not plan to hold a lecture or provide any handouts. I will have a computer on the big screen if needed.

Please bring your mobile device whether PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android. Bring materials to take notes. This will be a fun get-together and a chance to talk about ham radio and computers. Beginners, experts and everybody in between is welcome. Please come. See you there.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release date: June 13, 2012

For more information, contact:
Wayne Yoshida, Huntington Beach RACES Public Information Officer
949-500-9256
wyoshida1@att.net

Huntington Beach Radio Volunteers Demonstrate Emergency Preparedness in Nation-Wide Drill at Pier Plaza

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — June 13, 2012 — On Saturday, June 23, 2012, the Huntington Beach Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) group will be participating in a nationwide amateur radio “Field Day.”

RACES (pronounced “RAY-sees”), is an auxiliary communications group of volunteers administered by the Huntington Beach Fire Department. During an emergency, normal lines of communications can fail leaving amateur radio communications as the only means to communicate.  RACES members  support public events such as the Surf City Marathon and the Fourth of July Parade, and participate in the National Weather Service weather spotter program.

RACES members use personal equipment and volunteer time and skills to provide this service at no cost to the City. There are 18 city RACES groups within Orange County, operated under their respective city and county emergency management departments.

During Field Day, amateur (ham) radio operators from the US and Canada will practice their emergency communications skills over a 24 hour period with the goal of demonstrating portable and completely independent communications. The public and the news media are invited to observe and even participate in the radio exercise. The group will be at the 6th Street beach parking lot, on Saturday, June 23 from 11 AM to Sunday, June 24at 11 AM.

For more information, contact Wayne Yoshida, Huntington Beach RACES Public Information Officer, at 949-500-9256 or e-mail at wyoshida1@att.net. You can also visit http://www.hbraces.org.

About City of Huntington Beach Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)

The Huntington Beach Fire Department Emergency Services Office administers the RACES team. RACES (pronounced “RAY-sees”) is not a club, it is a volunteer group within a government agency. There are 18 city RACES groups within Orange County, operated under their respective city and county emergency management departments. Using the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the California Office of Emergency Service (OES) adds additional support during wide-scale disasters such as earthquakes and forest fires. If you are a licensed ham operator, you may wish to join our group. Visit the HB RACES website for more information.

To learn more about HB RACES, go to http://www.hbraces.org

About Amateur Radio

Ham radio is an interesting public service as well as an educational technical hobby. Whether it’s contacting someone across the street or across the globe, or even outer space, ham radio operators are ready to supply reliable communications when normal lines fail. Ham operators range from ordinary citizens to astronauts and athletes to film stars and musicians.

More ham radio information is available via the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) http://www.arrl.org

Last summer, the City of Huntington Beach RACES team exchanged dozens of simulated emergency communications contacts from similar stations in Orange County and as far away as New York, Kansas City and Chicago. The City’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Volunteer Management Response trailer unit was deployed for the first time during last year’s emergency exercise. Huntington Beach RACES volunteer Steven Albert, Sr. (left) explains the drill to PBS SoCaL station cameraman George Barker.

Please see the attached PDF document for instructions about using the marathon sag wagon APRS trackers. It very important to follow these instructions to effectively use the units and to prevent damage to the transmitter.

SAG.WAGON.TRANSMITTER

kg6zdp, kc6zow, and n6sld Surf City Marathon Command

MOVIE: Surf City Marathon Command

The next Shadow drill is coming up this September 18th. We will be supporting PD as well as FD this year. Please plan to attend. We’ll need all the people we can get.

A Motorola radio will be installed in the Senior Center July 21 @ 9am. Please let us know if you’d like to help.

W6O: Huntington Beach, CA RACES

Operating 6A in ORG this year. Our traditional location over-looking the Pacific Ocean once again provided plenty of public exposure. This year, we deployed the City’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Volunteer Management Response Unit for the first time.

The air conditioned trailer is equipped with two-way radios for the fire and police department, and includes VHF and UHF Amateur Radio gear and an ATV system as well as generators, battery power and lighting.

A highlight of our operation included a visit from George Barker, NA1F, an ex-ARRL Hq. staffer, and Public Television cameraman. We look forward to seeing our 15 minutes of fame on upcoming video productions in the near future.

73 and see you next year,

Wayne KH6WZ
Huntington Beach RACES PIO

Wanye KH6WZ also posted this to the ARRL web site.

Huntington Beach RACES received the Mayor’s Award in recognition of it’s service to the Huntington Beach PD 2011 Baker to Vegas running team. Congratulations to all!!