Coachella Valley ARES
About ARES
Don Stouder, N1GAY ARES Emergency Coordinator
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) if the field service organization of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), a private, non-profit organization for amateur radio operators. ARES began operations in 1935 and is designed to provide emergency communications support to any agency, public or private.
ARES consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in the ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio service, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.
ARES members may also serve their own neighborhoods and communities as needed during a disaster. In the Coachella Valley, ARES is sponsored by the Desert RATS Club. If you would like more information or to join, please reach out to Coachella Valley ARES Emergency Coordinator Don Stouder at N1GAY@arrl.net.
A revised version of the Coachella Valley ARES Emergency Operations Plan is now available. Download it here.
ARES News
On Saturday, December 6, a group of communicators from our ARES team participated in the Festival of Lights Parade in downtown Palm Springs. This was our second parade this year, and our mission was to provide extra eyes and ears as well as back-up communications for the production company, Upbeat Parade Productions. Using the Incident Command System, we provided incident command, net control and situational awareness using volunteers at their home QTH, shadowing of key staff, complete coverage of all staging and broadcast areas, and an ARES member at every major intersection along the parade route.
Thankfully, there were no significant incidents, and we all got to enjoy a terrific parade. The production company has asked us back for both parades next year, so I guess we made a good first impression. These kinds of events help all of us stay sharp as ARES communicators as well as help us identify shortcomings in our equipment that might need attention. All of which is to stay, they help us maintain readiness for a true emergency. And that, of course, is the whole point.
Special thanks to Mark KD6SEC and Rick N6PSP for providing excellent net control and situational awareness from their homes. And thanks of course to all of the “boots on the ground” including Glenn WB6RLC, Earl KJ6DQR, Julie KJ6FYY, Steve KM6HWX, Kevin KN6EWP, Allan KB7THX, Richard KJ7OTK, Shane KO6JGR, Guy KS6F, and Patsy KJ6GKS.
Our next ARES activity (in addition to our regular nets) will be some equipment demos and an on-air drill during Winter Field Day on January 24, 2026. Until then, all my best for a wonderful holiday season. Keep those radios charged and ready, and I will see you on the radio!
ARES Net
Coachella Valley ARES NET meets the 1st and 3rd Monday Nights of each month on 146.760 (-) PL 107.2 at 7:30 PM. This net will be run by a different ARES member. Visitors will always be welcome.
If you wish to be a NET CONTROL OPERATOR please check out this example PREAMBLE for your use by clicking on this sentence. Please keep track of check-ins on your own.
Master list of Check-ins is updated once a month and will be e-mailed out to everyone that runs the NET. All check-ins need to be reported to the NET Manager Steve KM6HWX at stevemc5123@gmail.com so that the master list can be updated.
Coachella Valley ARES and Interop Frequencies
These are repeaters that provide good communications throughout the Coachella Valley on any typical 5 watt HT, as well as frequencies that would be useful to monitor in an incident or emergency. Absent a life or property-threatening emergency, remember to only transmit on the frequencies for which you are licensed.
| REPEATER | LOCATION | FREQUENCY | OFFSET/PL | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRATS 1 | Edom Hill | 146.94 | -107.2 | Main Desert RATS repeater. Upgraded battery back-up. PRIMARY ARES REPEATER. |
| DRATS 2 | Edom Hill | 449.24 | - No PL | Wires X-C4FM repeater. Upgraded battery back-up. |
| DRATS 3 | Edom Hill | 224.48 | -110.9 | Desert RATS 220 repeater. SOLAR POWER BACK UP. |
| DRATS 4 | Edom Hill/Indio Hills | 445.64 | 107.2 Edom Hill 131.8 Indio Hills | WB6RLC repeater. Privately owned, ARES agreement in place. |
| DRATS 5 | Simplex | 146.52 | None | National Simplex Calling Frequency. |
| DRATS 6 | Digital Simplex | 145.5625 | None | C4FM Simplex/Group Monitor Mode. |
| DRATS 7 | San Jacinto Peak | 146.76 | -107.2 | San J-CAP. Privately owned. Open repeater. |
| RACES Tram 1 | San Jacinto Peak | 145.48 | -107.2 | RACES + City and County EOC when staffed. |
| RACES Tram 2 | San Jacinto Peak | 145.2 | -131.8 | |
| RACES 220 | JW Marriott | 224.92 | -156.7 | |
| PAPA 18 | Edom Hill | 445.86 | -103.5 | Coachella Valley ARES has an agreement with the PAPA System to have PAPA 18 taken off network for our use if our primary systems fail in an emergency. |
| PAPA 7 | Toro Peak | 447.84 | -103.5 | Coachella Valley ARES has an agreement with the PAPA System to have PAPA 7 taken off network for our use if our primary systems fail in an emergency. |
| PAPA Digital | Various | The PAPA system has DMR, P25, and D-Star digital repeaters covering the Coachella Valley at Edom Hill and Toro Peak. See their website for details. papa.org | ||
| DARN 20 | Edom Hill | 447.24 | -136.5 | Coachella Valley ARES has an agreement with the DARN System to have DARN 20 taken off network for our use if our primary systems fail in an emergency. darn.org |
| DARN 14 | Toro Peak | 445.28 | -114.8 | Coachella Valley ARES has an agreement with the DARN System to have DARN 14 taken off network for our use if our primary systems fail in an emergency. darn.org |
| CV GMRS | Indio Hills | 462.65 | + DCS 072 | cvgmrs.com. Diesel generator back up. |
| MTN Radio Net | Santa Rosa Peak | 145.34 | -107.2 | n6mrn.org |
| SC Intermountain | Snow Peak | 445.16 | -67 | http://scirainc.org/repeaters.php |
| Palm Springs Fire | 154.355 | 123 | Dispatch Frequency | |
| Cathedral City Fire | 154.415 | 131.8 | Dispatch Frequency | |
| RivCo Fire RRU 3 | 151.13 | 94.8 | Dispatch Frequency | |
| RivCo Fire Cmd 9 | 154.175 | 167.9 | DHS, Interstate 10 | |
| RivCo Fire Cmd 10 | 154.755 | 167.9 | Indio, Coachella, La Quinta | |
| RivCo Fire Cmd 12 | 154.8 | 167.9 | Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells | |
| Coachella Valley Disaster Net | 155.145 | 167.9 | Governments, RACES, schools, public agencies, tribes, community EOC’s all monitor. Tested monthly. | |
| Calcord | 156.075 | 156.7 | On—scene interagency. Used frequently by Helos locally. | |
| RivCo SAR | 155.16 | 151.4 or 110.9 | County-wide Search and Rescue + Riverside Mtn SAR | |
| JTNP Tram | 169.65 | 146.2 | National Park Service, Joshua Tree. Linked repeaters. | |
| VSAR16 | 155.16 | Open | Natl Interop FEMA Freq SAR, also Marine Channel 16 | |
| VLAW31 | 155.475 | 151.4 | Natl Interop FEMA Freq Law Enforcement | |
| VFIRE21 | 154.28 | 156.7 | Natl. Interop FEMA Freq Fire Service | |
| VFIRE22 | 154.265 | 156.7 | Natl. Interop FEMA Freq Fire Service | |
| VFIRE23 | 154.295 | 156.7 | Natl. Interop FEMA Freq Fire Service | |
| VFIRE24 | 154.27 | 156.7 | Natl. Interop FEMA Freq Fire Service | |
| VFIRE25 | 154.2875 | 156.7 | Natl. Interop FEMA Freq Fire Service | |
| Winlink VHF | Edom Hill | 145.63 | Open |
ARES Training and Resource Links
NEW!
Incident Command System for On The Air Video
ARES Riverside County Emergency Operations Plan
RIVCO Riverside County Emergency Operations Plan (2024 Update)
