Posts by Al Taylor
Takoma Park 4th of July Parade
The organizers of the 4th of July Parade in Takoma Park have again reached out to ask us to provide communications support for the parade, as MARC and MCACS members have done for many years. The parade has the well-deserved reputation of being the premier home-grown Independence Day parade in the DC area. Many of…
Read MoreMonthly Hospital Drill – June 9
On June 9, 2026 at 7:30 pm, MCACS will conduct our monthly Hospital Drill. This drill will run less than two hours and will include the facilities listed below. You will want to arrive a half-hour before net time to sign in with security and get set up. Should you need access more than a half-hour before net…
Read MoreNext Steps …
This page is work in progress. We expect to have a fully functional registration process up and running by the middle of April. Until then, please hold off on completing the application form. Thank you for confirming your email address. Below, we ask for some basic information to help us to confirm that you qualify…
Read MoreNew MCACS Website
You are viewing the new, improved MCACS website, which went live on March 31. It remains a work in progress, but the same familiar content is available. Your old login no longer works on the website. We are still fine-tuning the logic underlying the registration and profile creation process. By mid-April, we expect to be…
Read MoreEquipment Sale Has Ended
MCACS was conducting a sale of donated equipment to raise operating funds. The equipment sale has ended. As of today, 17 items (out of 221) have been sold. The donation committee has found an intermediary who is going to sell the remaining items on a consignment basis. We believe that engaging the services of a…
Read MoreDonated Equipment For Sale
–UPDATE–(Rev 2026-03-24) The equipment sale has ended. As of today, 17 items (out of 221) have been sold. The donation committee has found an intermediary who is going to sell the remaining items on a consignment basis. We believe that engaging the services of a professional will result in a better return for MCACS, and…
Read MoreAmerican Red Cross Regional Comm Drill
The regional office of the American Red Cross periodically conducts communications exercises with support from amateur radio organizations. Montgomery County ARES and MCACS are regular participants. In these exercises, participants set up portable HF stations at various Red Cross facilities throughout the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake region and exchange messages using Winlink, simulating an…
Read More2025 NCI Emergency Preparedness Fair
The National Cancer Institute held its annual Emergency Preparedness Fair on Wednesday, August 20. Montgomery County ARES members, along with members from the NIH Radio Amateur Club (NIHRAC) demonstrated amateur radio communications capabilities from HF to microwave frequencies. The MCACS van was on display with its complement of HF/VHF/UHF equipment. We set up a broadband…
Read MoreMDC Digital Emcomm Challenge
The Maryland-DC Digital Emcomm Challenge is a monthly training activity sponsored by Maryland-DC ARES to familiarize operators with advanced features of Winlink and other digital modes that are useful for emergency and disaster communications. All ARES members in the MDC section are encouraged to participate. (We have a few participants from neighboring sections as well.)…
Read MoreMaryland-DC Section Monthly HF Hospital Net
Maryland-DC ARES sponsors the monthly Maryland/DC HF Hospital Net on 3820 kHz LSB. Despite the name, all local amateurs are invited to check into the net from your home station. The concept of operations is as follows. Most hospital EOCs in the DC/Maryland area are not equipped for HF operation. In the event that a…
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