Welcome to the Home of the Desert RATS
Welcome to the home of the Desert Radio Amateur Transmitting Society. We are located in the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California and serve Amateur Radio operators in and around the Coachella Valley, including the cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Coachella and Indio.
Upcoming Meetings
October Meeting
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 P.M.
It will be a Zoom meeting and the Zoom details will be sent out to the newsletter list on Monday prior to the event. If you would like to sign up for our newsletter, click here.
“HF Propagation – The HYPE”
Bill Mader K8TE will be giving the presentation
About Bill:
First licensed in 1960 as WV2RBF, Bill started chasing DX when he became DX in 1974 as KZ5WA. He found contesting a great way to work DX from the Canal Zone, and later Canon AFB NM, especially on 10 meters during Cycle 22. He now chases DXpeditions with vengeance since Cycle 25 has provided such good propagation.
Bill has been the ARRL New Mexico Section Manager since 2016. He represents the Field Organization for ARRL Headquarters throughout the State. A member and officer of the Albuquerque DX Association, he helps motivate members to get on the air, regardless of their antennas and equipment. He has worked over 100 countries in a weekend with just dipoles and a vertical and even worked DX running 5 Watts to a mobile antenna!
A prolific writer and presenter on many topics related to Amateur Radio, Bill is an enthusiastic representative of our great avocation. His primary focus is to train and educate all current and prospective hams in the art of Amateur Radio to become better hams and have even more fun doing what they love to do.
Upcoming Events
California Great Shakeout Drill – October 17th
Coachella Valley ARES will be taking part in the annual Great Shakeout which happens this year on October 17, 2024 at 10:17am. Millions of people around the state will participate in various ways, and in our case we will conduct the first local ARES drill in quite some time, I am told.
Our drill will be of the “tabletop” variety; no one will be leaving their QTH. Slightly after 10:17, I will activate ARES on all of our club repeaters with instructions on gathering for an information and resource net on the San J, 146.760 – 107.2 repeater. We will convene that net at 10:30am, and you can expect the drill to last less than one hour.
The objectives of this drill will be to activate a resource and information net, initiate the Incident Command System (ICS), catalog the resources of participating communicators, find out if APRS can be useful to us in tracking resources, and see if we can pass traffic out of the area. It will be fun and educational, and if we are lucky, we will all learn something.
I want to emphasize that you do not need to be a member of ARES to participate in the drill. The more the merrier. The only thing you need is an Amateur Radio license. Hit me at N1GAY@arrl.net if you have any questions. See you on the radio!
Members of the Desert RATS club try our best to live by this code at all times.
The Radio Amateur Is:
* CONSIDERATE…never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.
* LOYAL…offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally.
* PROGRESSIVE…with knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and knowledge above reproach.
* FRIENDLY…slow and patient operating when requested; friendly
advise and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit.
* BALANCED…radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community.
* PATRIOTIC…station and skill always ready for service to country
and community.
