The Livermore Amateur Radio “Klub” (LARK) is providing a free class for those interested in obtaining an amateur radio Technician Class license. Immediately following the class, an examination will be available. There is no cost for the class and classroom materials, but the ARRL VEC test fee is $15.

The class will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2010, from 8 AM to approximately 4 PM. The testing will follow immediately afterward. The instructor will be Rich Harrington, KN6FW. It will be held at the Livermore City Council Chambers, 3575 Pacific Ave, Livermore, California. (GPS Location: N37° 40.565′ W121° 45.254′)

Rich teaches a fast paced, informative class and averages about a 90% success rate. Rich has taught students from all walks of life. He starts with the basics, and quickly expands into the complexities of ham radio knowledge students need. While the information is fresh, the LARK Volunteer Examiners show up to administer the Technician class 35-question multiple choice exam. No Morse code test is required. The exam covers basic regulations, operating practices, and electronics theory, with a focus on VHF and UHF applications.

If you would like to register for the class, or have questions, please send an email to Mike Haas at AD6TA@ARRL.net. Or call the instructor, Rich, at 925.462.1467.

What do you need to bring to the exam session? You should bring a picture ID (drivers license, passport) OR, when no photo ID is available, two forms of identification must be presented (birth certificate, report card, library card, Social Security card, utility bill, bank statement, etc.). Students may bring a school ID, and/or a written note from a legal guardian. To be prepared you should also bring two number two pencils with erasers and a pen. A calculator with the memory erased is allowed. You may not bring any written notes or calculations into the exam session.

Psst! Do you want a head start in the class?
Be able to answer these questions:
What is Ohm’s Law?
What is a picoFarad?
What is a microAmp?
What is a milliHenry?
What is a kiloWatt?
What is a megaOhm?
What is gigaHertz?

In preparation for two Alameda Emergency Preparedness Exercises (April 24, 2010, Fall 2010), I’d like to announce an upcoming ARES Emergency Communications class.

This class will be a review of lessons learned from our January exercise and a discussion of operations and procedures to be used by Alameda
ARES.

While it is not a beginners EmComm class, all interested radio operators are welcome to attend. You don’t have to be an ARES or ARCA member.

The date for the first ARES EmComm class is Saturday February 27th at 8:00 AM. While I have reserved the classroom for three hours, the class itself will last two hours including Q&A.

Attendees should have basic emergency communications knowledge; I plan to conduct the class in a review/Q&A/Discussion format.

The basis of the review portion is to cover lessons learned from the January drill followed by proposals for correcting problems encountered.

During the review session I will specifically review the following:

1. Initial Resource net procedures

2. Procedures upon arriving at the assigned site (EOC, OPS center, Shelter, etc.) and ICS structure (light review)

3. Conducting and participating in Tactical Nets

4. Message handling and tracking

The Q/A portion will be specific to the review, but also an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about other EmComm topics.

The discussion portion would be specific to the April 24th exercise and to discuss ideas on other types of exercises.

For those who cannot attend the Saturday morning class, I plan to conduct an identical session on the evening of Monday, March 15th at
7:30 PM.

If necessary; we may have planning session for the April 24th exercise on Saturday April 10th.

Please let me know if you are planning to attend, and if you prefer a Monday evening class or a Saturday morning class

73,

Sandy Lavine, KO6JF
ARES Emergency Coordinator, City of Alameda

The Salvation Army together with the Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club will be holding an 8 week course where you can upgrade your Amateur Radio License to General Class

The General Class license is your gateway to all the world-wide bands of excitement on Amateur Radio …and you do NOT need to learn Morse code!

Classes begin on…
Wednesday March 10th
At 7-9 pm
Note there will be a Class Break 4/12-4/20
The Salvation Army
3950 Clayton Road, (at West St.)
Concord 94520

Registration is recommended.
Class is FREE and ARRL Textbook if needed about $23.

To join, contact:
John Primus, AF6RJ AF6RJ@arrl.net
925 825-7670
Or Chuck Graham, KI6DCD KI6DCD@gmail.com

Thirteen Amateur Radio operators from the Amateur Radio Club of Alameda (ARCA) and ARES® participated in a disaster-response shelter exercise in the City of Alameda on Saturday January 9, 2010, at the request of the American Red Cross Bay Area. The exercise tested the ability of the City of Alameda’s CERT volunteers to open and operate shelters and an Emergency Volunteer Center for the city under Red Cross guidelines. It was assumed that telephone and Internet communications were unusable, so participants were able to use only Amateur Radio volunteer services for communications among the simulated exercise units: the City EOC, the Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC), two shelters, and the Red Cross command center.

For the Amateur Radio volunteers, the exercise began as they checked in on a Resource Net on the ARCA K6QLF 70cm repeater. Available ham resources were directed to the exercise site where they received assignments as net control operators or embedded communications resources. The operators set up and managed two tactical nets on simplex frequencies. Those nets successfully carried simulated message traffic among the exercise units, allowing the CERT volunteers to obtain needed resources and manage their operations successfully.

Participants met in a post-exercise “hot wash” to review what worked well and what needed improvement. The exercise underscored the importance of Amateur Radio in times of disaster, and it confirmed needs for continued training and for future joint exercises involving disaster preparedness groups serving the City of Alameda.

ARES and ARCA participants included Ron Bigelow KF6LSY, Fred Blas KI6BES, Garret Conklin KJ6GEC, Anthony Disalvo KI6TZG, Bruce Gillis KI6CYT, Shari Goforth-Eby K6AVW, Rose Kennedy K6LEZ, Sanford Lavine KO6JF, Chris Machini KI6TYY, Mike Piper KI6NHE, Flavia Rogers KJ6BIQ, Marianne Schenone KI6MYU, and Michael John Torrey KF6YRG.

Sanford Lavine KO6JF
Emergency Coordinator for the City of Alameda, East Bay Section
ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio™
www.arrl.org