Calendar

Monthly Meetings

MCACS holds a meeting via Zoom at 8 PM on the first Tuesday of each month. Members should receive a Zoom invitation via email prior to each meeting. Please keep the meeting link handy, as it is different each month.

Net Schedule

ARES® Training nets are held on all other Tuesdays at 8 PM, usually on the MARC 146.955 (156.7) repeater. If the MARC repeater is not available, look for us on the 443.900 repeater or 146.445 simplex.

wdt_ID Date Program Type Topic Net Control Operator
74 04/04/2023 ZOOM MEETING - NO NET TONIGHT TBD n/a
82 03/14/2023 Exercise Hospital Radio Exercise this evening. n/a
84 03/21/2023 TBD Have a topic you would like to share? Please contact any board member. Please volunteer!
77 03/28/2023 TBD Have a topic you would like to share? Please contact any board member. Please volunteer!
85 03/07/2023 ZOOM MEETING - NO NET TONIGHT TBD n/a

Other Upcoming Events

Date Time Event Notes wdt_ID
04/19/2023 1900 - 1930 Maryland/DC Section monthly HF Hospital Radio Net 3820 kHz. See details below. 26
04/10/2023 2000 - 2130 MCACS Board Meeting* -- 24
05/08/2023 2000 - 2130 MCACS Board Meeting* -- 44
03/14/2023 Maryland-DC Section Monthly Winlink Challenge See details below 45
03/14/2023 1930 - 2030 Maryland State RACES Monthly Commex Contact K3CSX if you would like to participate. 38
04/11/2023 1930-2030 Maryland State RACES Monthly Commex Contact K3CSX if you would like to participate. 52
03/14/2023 1900-2030 Montgomery County Hospital Radio Test We will be checking out the radios at our participating MC hospitals in advance of the MDC Quarterly Hospital Drill scheduled for April 6. 58
03/22/2023 1900 - 1930 Maryland/DC Section monthly HF Hospital Radio Net 3820 kHz. See details below. 36
04/11/2023 0000-2359 (any convenient time) Maryland-DC Section Monthly Winlink Challenge See details below 49
04/06/2023 1900-2100 MDC Quarterly Hospital Drill This quarterly drill focuses on testing simplex communications paths between participating hospitals across the Maryland-DC section. 57

* Board meetings are held by teleconference (usually on the second Monday of the month) and are open to members. We welcome your involvement. If you are interested in taking a more active role in the organization, or have ideas for the board to consider, please join us.  Contact any board member for access information.

Monthly HF Hospital Nets

Our ARES colleagues in Prince Georges County sponsor 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. Most hospital EOCs in the DC/Maryland area are not equipped for HF operation. The concept of operations is as follows. In the event that a hospital needs to communicate with an entity outside of VHF/UHF range, the traffic will be passed to a nearby HF-equipped ham via VHF/UHF, then forwarded to the distant entity via HF radio. In other words, the home-based HF station serves as a relay point for the hospital traffic.We encourage such home-based hospital relay stations to equip themselves with Winlink capability so that record traffic can easily be relayed, but voice-only stations are welcomed to participate.These exercises are normally scheduled on the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month at 7:00 PM local time. (That’s because the PG ARES group has its monthly meeting on the third Monday of the month.) If the frequency is busy, tune  ± 5 kHz.

Maryland-DC Section Monthly Winlink Challenge

The Maryland-DC Winlink 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.) One purpose of the Challenge is to encourage the regular use of Winlink among amateur radio operators. It’s easy to participate — all you have to do is send a Winlink message to tactical call sign MDCWINLINK-1, asking to be added to the mailing list for the challenge. You’ll receive a Winlink message each month with instructions for that month’s exercise.

Most exercises do not require you to be on a certain frequency at a specific time. Rather, a range of time is specified, and you complete the activity at a time of your choosing within the specified time span.

Do you have a suggestion for a program?

While we look to guidance for a number of sources to develop topics for weekly nets, monthly Zoom meetings, and other training programs, we are always open to suggestions from members regarding topics you would like to learn more about. Click here if you have an idea you would like to share.