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Desert RATS Newsletter
July 2026
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Presidents Message
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Hello and welcome to a very hot and humid July! The summer is upon us for sure, and if you are one of our snowbird or visiting members, we wish you safe journeys and a wonderful summer. Remember that you can still check in on Mondays using Remote Hams!
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If you are a true DESERT RAT and live here all year, LISTEN: two liters of water a day should be your minimum. The desert only has one goal, and that is to kill you. Stay hydrated!! Also, come join us for our informal breakfast meetings this month on Saturday, July 25 from 9a to 11a at the Denny’s in Thousand Palms, repeating in August. No speaker or agenda, just a fun gathering and a way to stay connected!
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Thanks to everyone who participated in our annual Field Day event held on June 27 at the Cathedral City Library. We gained a few new members and otherwise had a great turnout, not to mention some good press and TV coverage. We truly were great ambassadors for amateur radio!
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ARES News. ARES will go quiet during the summer months, although you can probably expect an unannounced drill! If you are staying in the desert for the summer, stay prepared. My daily FEMA email briefings tell me that the formation of tropical storms in the eastern pacific is quite prolific already, and these are the kinds of storms that can track north and affect our weather. In any widespread storm or incident, ARES would activate an on-air net so we could share resources. Remember to monitor our club repeater!
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Looking Ahead. If you are a part of the LGBTQ community as many of our members are, you may not be aware that we have a small lunch group that meets periodically. If you would like to join us, please email me at prez@desertrats.us for more information. Our next lunch gathering will be on Wednesday, July 22.
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EVEN MORE Volunteers needed! We are still looking for a few interested people to help with special interest groups! It’s not a big job…just see who is interested and put together some activities. Right now I would love to find someone to take on a Meshtastic Special Interest Group as well as someone for a POTA/SOTA Special Interest Group. Training will be provided for these simple roles. Let me know if you can help!
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Well RATS, thats about all I have for now. Till next time, keep your batteries charged and I will see you on the radio.
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June Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Saturday, July 25th at 9:00 a.m.
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It will be an in-person meeting. Note the Time.
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July and August are social meetings and provide an ideal opportunity for us to all get together in an informal environment. Spouses and SO’s are welcome.
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Saturday July 25th , 2026
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Membership
We have several new members for May and June:
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Sergio Villarrel - KO6JFC
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Tom Breslin (Life) - K6TCB
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David Hendrickson - KO6OGS
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Please welcome them to the RATS!
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Dues for 2026 are due. Besides PayPal or check, Zelle can now be used. It is also very helpful to fill out a membership form to confirm contact information. When using Zelle, please note your name and call in the notes.
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Radio CodePlugs Now Available
One of the most common requests from new Hams (and beginners in general) is how do I get started with programming my new radio? In many cases, programming a new radio is an error prone and tedious business, and codeplugs provide a ready-made database that can be directly uploaded to the radio.
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We have implemented a page that has downloadable plugs for many of the most common radios (Beofeng, Icom, Yaesu). These contain many of the most common frequencies in use throughout the Coachella Valley and provide a ready-made source for getting started with a new radio.
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These plugs are available to Club Members on our new codeplugs page here.
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Note: you must be a member and have an online account to access our CodePlug Page. If you are not a member, you can join up here. If you are a member and do not have an online account, you can get one here.
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If you have additional codeplugs that you would like to contribute, please contact us here. We can support the following formats: Comma Delimited (.csv), tab delimited text (.txt), or RT Systems format.
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Thanks to Rick, N6PSP for getting us started with his codeplug contributions!
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San Bernadino Communications Center Video
This short video is a tour of the San Bernadino Valley Communications Center, which will provide modern technology, expanded coordination space, enhanced communications capabilities and co-located emergency response functions, including both the Sheriff’s Department and CONFIRE 9-1-1 dispatch centers that support law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and behavioral health response.
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Thanks to Desert RAT Candice, KG6WNW for sharing this interesting tidbit.
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Amateur Radio vs. CB. vs. GMRS
"This license lets you communicate when phones and Wi-Fi can’t, and it's easy to get."
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This is an interesting article comparing the pros and cons of three types of communications licenses when the conventional communications systems go down in an emergency. It's pretty unbiased and offers a clear descriptions of the three differents modes of communications.
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The article is available here.
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RATS Summer Field Day a Huge Success
The RATS held their annual Summer Field Day at the Cathedral City Library. We had several tables, including an interesting historical display of radio equipment through the years from Glenn, WB6RLC, an ARES table with a variety of communications equipment from Don, N1GAY and demonstrations of digital modes from Earl, KJ6DQR.
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Various Coachella Valley emergency services groups were also represented, including the Cathedral City Fire Department and the Coachella Valley Disaster Network.
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Over 60 attendees were present and the event attracted Valley wide news coverage.
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Examples of the TV coverage including interviews are available here and here.
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Upcoming Events
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Desert RATS August Meeting
The August meeting will be in-person at the Thousand Palms Dennys on Saturday August 22nd 9:00 a.m.
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As we are technically dark in August, this will be a social meeting. Hope to see you there!
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Want To Know What's Happening?
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The best way to be fully informed about Amateur Radio activities here in the Coachella Valley is to tune into the RATS Monday Night Net.
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The net is conducted every Monday at 7:00 p.m. on the Edom Hill repeater (146.94 – 107.2) and features announcements about club and ARES activities.
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A Note on Amateur Radio Testing Resources
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Remote Testing for amateur licensing is available from the Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group (GLAARG)
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GLAARG is one of the 14 FCC-recognized Volunteer-Exam Coordinators conducting amateur radio exams. GLAARG is a VEC testing organization, not a radio club. Our exam fee is $10 for remote exams and $10 for in-person exams. Exam fees are waived for minors, students with a current ID, first responders, Active Military, Veterans, and GLAARG VEs upgrading to Extra.
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For more information on times for the online testing please see the GLAARG website here.
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Note that GLAARG also offers in-person testing when COVID regulations permit.
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Other Testing Resources
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The ARRL is facilitating video supervised on-line examinations. This testing is made available by video from a number of Clubs.
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For more information, the ARRL website for remote testing is available here.
Also, Marc – N9WIB has assembled a series of technician class license tutorials. There are 20 presentations covering all the topics related to getting your initial ham radio license and all are posted on YouTube. This content is free and open to all Amateur Radio Clubs to use as an educational tool. Links and further information are available on his website here.
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ARRL Podcasts Schedule
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The On The AIR podcast is a monthly companion to On Air magazine, a magazine for beginner-to-intermediate ham radio operators, produced by the ARRL. The podcast and other interesting publications are available here.
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Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features.
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The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts.
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Club President: Don Stouder, N1GAY
Club Vice-President: Rick Lee - N6PSP
Club Treasurer: Jim Haggerty - KN6QLC
Club Secretary: Gavin Schutz – K6GAV
Directors
Guy Chabot - KS6F
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Mark Johnston - KD6SEC
Shane Meyer - KO6JGR
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President Emeritus: Glenn Morrison – WB6RLC
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Membership: Anne Larson - KJ6QWC
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