Having experienced a few earthquakes while living in San Jose and realizing Portland, too, was located in earthquake country, Rochelle took a weekend PCC class on preparedness. The one thing she took away was that ham radio would be the only way to communicate during and after a disaster.
A simple search pulled up McARES, and so the journey began with a new volunteer organization. She has a Yaesu VX-8R handheld and a Kenwood D710 at her home station that runs a Winlink gateway.
“It’s impossible to be bored – especially on the Mike team! There is always something to learn and something fun to do with ham radio.”
In fact, Rochelle is now the new coordinator for Connected, the MCARES newsletter. She hopes you enjoy the new format!