Race season is almost here and that means it’s time to dust off your go-bags and charge up your HTs — we’ve got three ultra marathons on the calendar this summer and we need YOUR support!
This is some of the best real-world training you’ll find anywhere: rugged terrain, dynamic net control operations, and the genuine satisfaction of keeping athletes safe out on the course. Oh, and it’s also just a fantastic time. Here’s what’s on the schedule:
- Wy’east Wonder — June 28 (Mt. Hood)
- Mt. Hood Trail Run — July 11 and 12 (Mt. Hood)
- Volcanic — August 1 and 2 (Mt. St. Helens)
Sign Up Here!
Now, for the sharp-eyed observers among you — and let’s be honest, that’s most of this group — yes, you noticed it: the Wy’east Wonder falls on June 28. Field Day. We had absolutely nothing to do with the scheduling. That’s the day the race organizers picked. But honestly? What better way to celebrate Field Day than spending it on Mt. Hood, radio in hand, keeping people safe in the mountains? We’d argue that’s the spirit of Field Day in its purest form.
Sign up to support one race, two races, or go full rock star and join us for all three. Every position matter and every operator make the operation better.
Thank you to all who helped with this year’s Walk MS event! Communications were very successful and despite a few rain showers everyone seemed to enjoy the event. We did have a few new members helping out which is great practice. This was our 13th year supporting the Walk MS folks.
Our May and June monthly meetings will be in person and on Zoom and we will switch our location to Warner Pacific University (SE 68th and SE Division St). This month our guest speaker, Etienne K7ETN, will be talking about Summits on the Air (SOTA) for emergency communications.
We will be handing out our latest grant items, warm winter beanies, to all members. We were hoping these would arrive last fall however there has been much delay with funding issues. Better late than never as they will be useful this coming winter.
We were also able to purchase new Windows11 laptops for our go-kits. We are excited to add bigger screen size (14 inches) and faster operating systems as an upgrade from the old ones in the kits.
We are still looking for volunteers for the summer Ultra Marathons You can sign up here.
Please look at our upcoming events as we have scheduled several new dates and activities!
A new year is upon us and we are looking forward to adventures and activities to keep our radio skills sharp. The annual Winter Field Day (WFD) on January 24 is a great start.
Natural disasters are unpredictable and can strike when you least expect them.
Your training and operating skills should not be limited to fair weather scenarios.
Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event.
Ham radio operators should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments as the potential for freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards present unique operational concerns. WFD is formatted to help increase your level of preparedness for disasters and improve your operational skills in subpar conditions. You can learn more about WFD by visiting their website.
MCARES likes to make this a fun event with an emphasis on fellowship and trying new things. Most of our usual activities only use VHF/UHF and this event is geared toward HF which is different and much more challenging. We will set up portable tents and use only battery or generator power. Scouters Mountain Nature Park is a perfect location with a picnic shelter and great rest rooms. We will provide lunch (chili and hotdogs) and plenty of hot coffee, cocoa, and tea. You are welcome to bring food to share as something about colder weather makes one a bit hungrier.
We hope you will stop by for a visit and a turn on the radio if you choose. Scouters Mountain Nature Park is located at 11000 SE Honorable Way, Happy Valley, OR 97086. We will begin setup at 9 AM and we will close operations around 3:30 PM. When you come to the parking lot there is a short trail through the woods that will lead you to the picnic area.
This winter we expect to hold at least one Winter Storm Net, either because a storm is forecast or just for practice. More details will be provided when we announce the Winter Storm Net.
Goals of Winter Storm Nets
- Supporting fellow MCARES members when weather or other conditions make the situation potentially dangerous or normal communications difficult.
- Providing a social connection when we’re housebound during or after a winter storm or something similar.
- Collecting informal situation reports to get a better handle on the scope of the situation.
The Winter Storm Net may be activated if the weather forecast includes features that may create power outages or loss of internet or cell phone service, such as:
- High winds
- Freezing rain
- Heavy snow
- Infrastructure issues like grid power outages, interruption of cellular
phone or internet service, low water pressure, low natural gas
pressure, flooded roads, or road closures.
If these conditions occur by surprise, (were not forecasted), the Winter Storm Net may also be activated.
MCARES leadership will determine, based on the above criteria, when a Winter Storm Net will be activated. They will assign net control operators and email MCARES members announcing when a net is planned. Winter Storm Nets will be held on the MC-3 (147.180 + offset, tone 103.5) repeater at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 8:00 PM unless otherwise stated in the email. A backup repeater or a simplex frequency may be included.
This month’s monthly meeting will be one week early, on Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 PM because of the Thanksgiving holiday. This month’s meeting will be a Winlink review with Dylan, N4LYD. We are transitioning to online Zoom meetings for the next several months. We will not have a December meeting.
The Leadership Team meets for a planning session for 2026 and review of 2025. We would welcome your comments and suggestions for possible training topics! You can email leadership [at] multnomahares [dot] org.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving with friends and family!
Well, it seems official that we have fallen into Fall. Brrr! There are some pretty chilly mornings of late.
Thanks to all who participated in the Great Shakeout Winlink exercise on October 16!
We are looking forward to meeting in person at Portland Community College Southeast Campus Community Hall this Thursday, October 23, at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be a hybrid with Zoom available to those who are unable to attend in person. This will be the last in person meeting until Spring. This month’s meeting will be our annual message handling and forms refresher course with Eli W7ELI.
Thanks to all who participated in the annual Team Field exercise on September 6! It is important that we test the go kits and train on how to use them on a regular basis. For the most part this exercise went well and we will flush out a few issues that we found with the Bravo team kit. It was also great that the Alpha team operated from the county EOC to introduce a few new members of the operations there.
The new 2025 Oregon Regional VHF/UHF template is now published on our website. You can access it here. There are no changes to the Multnomah County frequencies however there are changes for our neighbor counties. Please program your radios to match the new 2025 template.
We are looking forward to meeting in person at Portland Community College southeast Campus/Community Hall on September 25 at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be a hybrid with Zoom available to those who are unable to attend in person. The Ultra Marathon planning team will be giving an overview of this season’s events. Joe, WA7FWC, will be on site to program go kit radios. Bring your radio or handheld and programming cable!
The new 2025 frequency templates have been posted to the website (Resources > Frequency Lists).
Please reprogram your radios soon!
We will not have our usual 4th Thursday meeting on August 28! Instead, we will have a Go Kit Show and Tell on Saturday, August 23 from 10 AM until 12 PM at the Portland Fire & Rescue Training Center at 4800 NE 122nd Avenue.
We are very excited to have both of our ARES trailers at this event. Many of you have not seen the west side “Red” trailer and now is your chance to see the amazing transformation by Joe and other Charlie team members. Please try to stop by for a tour of both trailers and bring and share your go kit design. If you are still planning to build one this is a great place to get a few ideas from your fellow members.
We have completed our summer 2025 Ultra Marathon race season. Thanks to all who helped out and a special thanks to our planning team: Jeff, Robert T., and Phyllis. The three races that we provided communications for seemed to go quite smoothly this year thanks to their oversight and planning! We hope to encourage more of our members to participate next year.
The GPS food drive this past weekend sure was fun and we were able to collect lots of much needed food items to donate to the Snowcap food pantry. I know the need is even greater this year with the lack of funding. Thank you to all who participated and helped us collect 235 pounds of food!
We are planning to be back at PCC Community Hall for our September and October meetings. Please plan on participating in our annual team field exercise on Saturday, September 6. Details will be coming soon.
This Saturday is our annual Member Appreciation Picnic! We hope you will join us at Wilshire Park, NE 33rd Avenue and NE Skidmore Street in Portland, at Picnic Area A, from 11:30 AM until 3:00 PM. We will be cooking up burgers and hot dogs, and will have plenty of cold drinks. Bring the family and a side dish or dessert to share if you would like. The weather is looking good for a mid-day gathering!
Thanks to all who helped out at the Mt. Hood Ultra-marathon this past weekend!
We will not be holding a General Meeting in July.