Net Control from a cafe

Helping out OCRACES today on a Red Flag Patrol - its definitely more comfortable to be in an air-conditioned cafe at a table with my laptop than in my hot car!

Setting up two portables with mics and connecting them to a left-right earphone splitter works pretty well.

A fireproof home

Yesterday on fire patrol we stopped by the side of the road and talked to a construction worker; they were rebuilding a home that was burned down two years ago in the Santiago Fire of '07.

What's interesting is that all the walls are made of concrete and structural steel, from 10 to 16 inches thick! And there's a fire-lookout room on top with windows all around! The concrete-made stones used for decorative siding have heat-resistant properties too.

Now that sounds more fire-proof!

At Red Cross EOC for SONGS Graded Exercise

This morning I helped out with the Orange County Red Cross for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) graded exercise.

This was a drill simulating an emergency event, training how the Red Cross would respond.

I sat at the radio desk monitoring traffic and keeping a log.

Red Flag Warning prompts OCRACES Fire Patrols

A local Red Flag Warning starts tomorrow thru Thursday, and the OCRACES group will activate and perform our fire patrols.

We'll focus on Patrol Areas 2 & 3, Santiago Cyn areas and the Ortega Hwy. At a previous training, OCFA advised there was active arsonist activity in those areas.

Beginner's HF Rig Installed

I finished installing and tuning ny first HF rig, after many trips to the hardware and radio stores for parts and advice.

I found that the dipole antenna works best when strung out straight - 'flat-top' it is called (see roof picture); the automatic tuner seems pretty picky but has tight tollerances.

I've heard contacts across the nation and made my first brief contact yesterday from Missouri

Hopefully the rig will give me much good use.