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
ARES BootCamp
This event is available to anyone interested in Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
Where:
Cathedral City Library Community Room
Cathedral City CA
When:
10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Saturday, April 25th.
What to expect:
Please review materials here specifically (bottom of page):
- CV ARES Emergency Operations Plan
- ARES Information Sheet for Emergency Managers
Please bring any deployable HT or other go-box type equipment with you.
If you use Winlink in a portable-deployable configuration please bring laptops and other gear with you. We will have a Winlink gateway-server available at the event.
If there is anything else you would like to bring related to emergency communications please feel free to bring it for show and tell.
There will be a lunch break so feel free to bring your lunch or there is a convenience store right across the street.
Bring a notebook, pen, and anything else you need to be comfortable.
Expect a lively, “all teach-all learn” environment.
Please RSVP to Don N1GAY at prez@desertrats.us as soon as possible.
The Beacon Exercise (April 30, 2026)
When:
Thursday, April 30th, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
What to expect:
A statewide earthquake drill that includes information/resource nets, passing voice and Winlink traffic between simulated shelters/EOCs, damage assessment, and checking on critical infrastructure.
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)
