NEWS BULLETIN!
You are invited to attend the ARES Ham Radio Activity Day which will be conducted at five San Diego-area locations simultaneously on Saturday, August 29 (0800 to 1200). Visitors are welcome. Bring a friend, licensed or unlicensed. Bring a chair, sun hat, and hydration.
The Activity Day will include ham radio basics demonstrations, Winlink Peer-to-Peer (P2P) training, and ARES Task Book sign offs.
El Cajon: Harry Griffen Regional Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa, CA.
Start set-up at 0800. Talk-in 145.570 simplex. Bring a chair, hat, sunscreen, water, and a desire to learn or share what you know.
POC Patrick K6PFG <>
South Bay: Cottonwood Park, 1778 East Palomar Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913
Talk-in 146.445 MHz
POC Fred KI6GRO <>
Carlsbad: Holiday Park, 1055 Chestnut Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008
POC Roger W6CVA <> 619-607-8522
Kearny Mesa: Kearny Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong Street San Diego, CA 92111
Meet in the parking lot BEHIND the Rec Center Pool, BEHIND the sports fields. Drive to the end of the cul-de-sac and look for the radio antennas
https://www.google.com/maps/place/32%C2%B048'07.2%22N+117%C2%B010'03.0%22W/@32.8020045,-117.1696887,17z
At the Kearny Mesa location there will be VE License Testing. VEs assemble at 0900; exams start at 0930.
Fallbrook: Fallbrook hams will operate independently from Fallbrook-area homes using mobile, portable, and base station equipment.
County-wide coordination: K6RRR repeater system 449.440 MHz PL 107.2 and 449.260 MHz PL 107.2
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Event: ARES In-Person General Meeting - visitors are welcome!
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026, 8 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Location: Sharp Spectrum (Kearny Mesa), 8520 Tech Way, San Diego, CA 92123
Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/8520+Tech+Way,+San+Diego,+CA+92123/
Building entrance location: https://w3w.co/seats.units.spends
Parking: Park in free visitor parking, then look for people wearing yellow shirts.
The Meeting Agenda will include:
-- Recap and analysis of ICS Form 213 Accuracy Exercise conducted at the August Meeting.
-- Discussion forum with our ARRL Southwestern Division (AZ & Southern CA) Director Dick Norton, N6AA, who will speak on the ARRL and current happenings in Amateur Radio.Dick Norton, N6AA, was first licensed in 1955 as KN2PHF. Initially active in traffic nets and DXing, he is mostly active today on-the-air in contests. Operating in CQ WW DX Contests from all of the 40 zones has given him an opportunity to see the world and meet with amateurs from all corners of the globe. Dick is currently ARRL Southwestern Division Director as well as president of the Southern California Contest Club. He has spoken frequently at Dayton, Visalia, and other conventions. He resides in Topanga, CA.
Name badges: Please wear a club or ARRL name badge, if you have one.
Welcome to the San Diego Section of ARES!
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. It is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) in the United States and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC). The San Diego / Southwestern Section provides services to the San Diego and Imperial Counties of California.
Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization, is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training and credentialing may be required to participate fully in ARES activities. Please inquire at the local level for specific informaton. 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. Emergency Coordinators do need to be a member of ARRL.
The primary function of SDGARES is to provide Emergency Communications for:
- Declared Emergencies
- Public Safety Incidents
- Served Agency Mutual Assistance (ARC, EMS, CDF, CERT, Beach Rescue)
- Public Safety Mutual Assistance (Miramar Air Show, Special Olympics)
- Public Safety Drills
San Diego ARES meets the 2nd Saturday of each month.
General Information
- For information on getting or upgrading a ham radio license, see GLAARG and Ham Study.
- All ARES members should print for review and action a paper copy of the San Diego ARES Task Book available at SDGARES.groups.io.
- Hams who are not ARES members are welcome to listen to ARES nets and may check in as guests during weekly nets and during emergencies.
- Hams should never self-deploy to an emergency because well-intentioned spontaneous volunteers can overwhelm first responders.
- Here are a few ham radio training videos on YouTube.
- You can check out previous San Diego ARES meetings on YouTube.
- To join ARES:
1.Click on the "Join ARES" link on the left navigation bar and fill out the Membership Application form.
2. After you submit the Membership Application, visit https://sdgares.groups.io/ to subscribe to the SDGARES email reflector.