Subject: GMRS License, 3-31-21 For any of you out there that have been thinking of getting your GMRS License, but haven't gotten a Round To-It, mark your calendar.  On April 19, the FCC is lowering the cost of a GMRS license from $70 to $35. 

The license is good for 10 years, it covers your extended family, whether they live with you or not, and there is no exam.  You can apply for it online and get it in about 48 hours.

In the next few weeks, we expect to have the Cosumnes River Neighborhood Radio Watch repeater operating from the top of Mt. Aukum, a much better location.  We also plan to have new Neighborhood Radio Watch repeaters operating in the Placerville and Camino/Pollock Pines areas. 

Once you have your license, we will help you get a radio that will work for you.  Time to get on board before fire season is upon us.

While the Neighborhood Radio Watch Program is sponsored by the El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club, it is not Ham radio.  GMRS radios are inexpensive and easy to operate.  We recommend the same type of radios used by law enforcement, which we buy, recondition, reprogram, and sell at our cost.  We charge nothing for our services.

Colton Meyer  WD6CWM, WRDD814

Subject: Cosumnes River Neighborhood Radio Watch Mt.Aukum Repeater Test March 18 2021

Today the El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club, as part of it's Neighborhood Radio Watch public service project, tested a new repeater location on Mt. Aukum. This GMRS repeater, hosted by the Kehret Vineyards, will be used by the Cosumnes River Neighborhood Radio Watch to serve the communities of Mt. Aukum, Omo Ranch, Fairplay, Sand Ridge, Outingdale, Somerset, and Grizzly Flats. The results of the test exceeded expectations. While some locations will require base stations, the vast majority will only require a simple hand held radio. It is possible that even portions of Happy Valley will be able reach this repeater, although that hasn't been verified. The Neighborhood Radio Watch uses General Mobile Radio Service, GMRS, for two-way communication by non-Hams during emergencies when other means of communication fail. For more information, feel free to contact me.

Colton Meyer 

Introduction to Neighborhood Radio Watch Programs Feb 24, 2021

The El Dorado County Neighborhood Radio Watch is a public service project of the El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club, but is not on amateur (Ham) radio. The EDCARC is planning several Zoom presentations of an Introduction to Neighborhood Radio Watch Programs. There are currently three Neighborhood Radio Watch groups in the county, with more planned. The Coloma-Lotus NRW covers that area and vicinity. The Oak Hill NRW covers Oak Hill and parts of Logtown, Sand Ridge, Somerset, and Pleasant Valley. The Cosumnes River NRW covers parts of Grizzly Flats, Omo Ranch, Mt. Aukum, Fairplay, Somerset, Outingdale, and Sand Ridge. All three Neighborhood Radio Watches hold weekly nets, where members check in by radio. The Introduction to Neighborhood Radio Watch presentations will be scheduled to precede the weekly nets. A live net will follow the presentation on Zoom, followed by a question and answer period.

The first presentation, in conjunction with the Coloma-Lotus net, will be at 6:30 pm on February 24th. The other presentations are tentatively scheduled for March 9th and 24th in conjunction with the Oak Hill and Cosumnes River nets. I will post the Zoom meeting link when available. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate in any or all of the presentations, regardless of your location.

Radio for the Rest of Us! from Alan Thompson.

We've posted additional Neighborhood Radio Watch support materials on our web site at http://www.EDCARC.net.

Stay Tuned for Date and Time of these upcoming Workshops

from Alan: Thank you so much for your participation in our Radio For The Rest of Us Webinar For The Oak Hills Area Fire Safe Council yesterday.
I'm following up to send you links to the video and audio files we used in the Presentation that did not play well during the Webinar. My apologies for the low sound quality (This was my first time running a Zoom Webinar!).

01. Paradise 911 Calls where callers were repeatedly told there was no danger to Paradise: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6uccjdjenz2she/Video%2001-%20Camp%20Fire%20911%20callers%20told%20repeatedly%20no%20danger%20to%20Paradise.mp4?dl=0
02. Sonoma County District 4 Supervisor James Gore about the need for Self-reliance During Disasters: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ltmjswxruua9av/Video%2002-James%20Gore%20_Forging%20Resilient%20Community%20Through%20Imperfect%20Relentless%20Progress.mp4?dl=0
03. A High and Awful Price Documentary by Chris Smith on the limits of calling 911 during an emergency, and the disparity between the number of First Responders and evacuees: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zeb2pgp2ejfpe98/Video%2003%20A%20High%20and%20Awful%20Price_%20Lessons%20Learned%20From%20the%20Camp%20Fire%20-%20YouTube%20-%20Google%20Chrome%202020-01-10%2009-31-01.mp4?dl=0
04. NewsPager Alert Tone and Audio Message Example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/48x51dc64ggvi77/ARES%20PAGER%20ALERT.wav?dl=0

Please feel free to send me any questions or comments. And, if you would like a Webinar presentation for your group, please feel free to Email me.

For more background information about these Presentations and the work our Club is doing to enhance Community Safety, see: http://www.alanthompson.com/Phones_Fire_Failures.asp

Best Regards,

Alan
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Alan Thompson - W6WN
Public Information Officer
The El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club
EDCARC.net
M. (530) 417 1451