Mountain Empire Amateur Radio Club

Communications Trailer

Fire and Emergency Resources Links

PO Box 342 Campo, CA 91906-0342

KK6FBC

Who we are. The Mountain Empire Amateur Radio Club, AKA the MEARC is a disorganized bunch of Amateur Radio Operators in the Eastern most part of San Diego County, CA, U.S.A. Our members are scattered over an area of 900 square miles where around 2% of the Counties 3.5 million population lives.

Our Mission. Advance the art and fun of amateur radio.

Repeater

The MEARC Repeater is on the air. June 2019.
This repeater is open to all Hams.

Location, 3M east of Campo, 3000'. Grid Square DM12TP.

146.610, - offset, TX & RX PL 100
Battery backed
Yaesu DR1-X accepting C4FM and/or Analog

MEARC Repeater coverage. Click map for larger image.

Meetings

Our general meetings are the 3th Saturday of the month.
Meetings held at the Campo Cafe 1247 Sheridan Rd Campo, CA, 12 Noon.
Arrive at 11:30 AM to order before the crouds.

If you are an old, new, or want to be, Ham radio operator and would like more information on our group
give me a call at 619-806-4146 or email to .

Radio Lending Library

The Mountain Empire Amateur Radio Club has a radio lending library. We have VHF/UHF HT's and 100 watt HF radios to lend to Hams
who have upgraded their license and have not decided which radio to buy or are waiting for a radio to be repaired.

View or download our Constitution and ByLaws here.

Club application:
Click here for the application in Excel format. fill out and email to
Click here to download an application to fill out and mail, Adobe.pdf format.

At the end of 2020 there were over 778,597 Amateur Radio Operators in the U.S.A.

Mountain Empire Communications Plan

We support the SD County Fire Authority
Southern Division CERT

2024 Upcoming Events, Training Sessions

Future Classes
Wildland Fire safety class.
The Incident Command system (ICS) for Hams and working with First Responders.
Introduction to Public Safety Radio and your scanner.
Advanced Public Service Radio.

Training sessions as requested by members
Email Craig if you wish to setup a training class.

2022 Pacific Crest Trail Run

From the ARES Newsletter.

ARRL San Diego Section -- Mountain Endurance Race Rescue
On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the air temperature had climbed above 90 degrees and runners were dropping out of the rugged Pacific Crest Trail 50-mile, 10-hour mountain endurance race in droves when reports came into a remote aid station of a runner in distress a mile up the trail. The lead ham at the aid station, J Rollins, KM6NUY, handed an FRS (Family Radio Service) radio to the non-ham aid station captain who then sprinted up the trail to the distressed runner to evaluate his condition. Attempts to cool the runner failed, so the aid station captain used the loaned FRS radio to ask the ham team to summon EMS. With no cell phone service in that remote area, this request for aid was relayed from the aid station by radio operator Caleb Rollins, KN6ODW, through a Mountain Empire Amateur Radio Club (MEARC) 2-meter repeater in Campo, California, to the event net control near Buckman Springs, California, where net controls Gary Holmes, KM6LKP, and Lori Palmer, KE6ZLV, coordinated the emergency response. A few minutes after placing the call for aid, the responding medics called to ask for driving directions because they could not use the GPS latitude and longitude provided to find the location on the side of a mountain, far from marked roads. Local resident Craig Williams, W6CAW, provided driving directions for the responders. During the emergency, back at the aid station, Mark Warrick, KM6ZPO, and Julie Warrick, KN6AOC, continued to track runners passing through the aid station and explained ham radio to inquisitive onlookers while other hams dealt with the emergency. With the help of EMS, the runner made a full recovery. Lessons learned included the value of using FRS as a communications link for non-hams, depth on the bench, and the need to tabletop with emergency responders before an event. -- Thanks, Rob Freeburn, K6RJF, San Diego, California; and ARRL San Diego Section Manager Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC

2021 Pacific Crest Trail Run

Finally after 2 Virus delays the 2021 run happened in October!

2019 Pacific Crest Trail Run

Net control in our Communications Trailer. Morning rain. Afternoon sunshine.

Dales Kitchen. Rain, hail, sun. Great test of your rain gear.

Fred Canyon

Fred Canyon. MEARC on the left race crew on the right.

2018 Pacific Crest Trail Run

Fly by of Bolder Oaks start point.

Fred Canyon aid station

November 2017 Fry's Operating Day

Over 175 visitors and Hams at the event.

May 2017 Club Picnic ( Same for the August Meeting ) We love our picnics.

Thanks to Jon, KJ6NTB, for a great setup.

For the 2017 PCT50 Jon, KJ6NTB, updates the trailer lighting.

MEARC at the April 2017 County Wide CERT Drill

March 2, 2017
Community Disaster Fair, ME High School.

( Only 40 Public showed up but we had fun.)

March 21, 2015
MEARC SANDRA Hi Pass Repeater Paint and Cleanup

Follow this link for more.

This photo is too pink. Better color in the link.

Your President promotes MEARC at the September ARRL San Diego Convention

MEARC at the annual Pacific Crest Trail Run May 2014. Click here for details of our outing.

Ditto for 2015, through 2019 so far!

Richard and Marilu at the ready

Follow this link for more photos.

MEARC Joins the 2013 ARES Field Day

On October 19, 2013 the San Diego / Imperial ARES conducted a "Field Day" We took the MEARC Trailer to the local
Cafe B restaurant to join in the fun. Primary antennas were an 80M Windom folded for 40M for HF and a Comet VHF/UHF
base station antenna. We mount the antennas on those surplus fiberglass poles you see everywhere.
Follow this link for more photos.

MEARC Goes to Julian