Public Service
MISSION
The mission of the Island County ARES/RACES Group (ICARES) is to support governmental and non-governmental agencies in Island County in times of emergency and when requested, to support non-emergency public service events like the Whidbey Marathon and Tour de Whidbey.
ICARES OPERATIONS
ICARES supports both the ARES and RACES systems and general ICARC public service activities.
For emergencies, ARES-RACES operates under the Island County Department of Emergency Management (DEM). It is headed by the Emergency Coordinator/Radio Officer (EC/RO). ICARES conducts regular, weekly nets to practice net procedure and basic communications. ICARES also provides training in emergency radio operations and portable radio equipment.
ICARES also participates in periodic drills and public service events to develop communications skills and procedures.
ICARES Events can be found on the ICARC Calendar
Monthly ARES / RACES Meeting
1st Tuesday of every month, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Greenbank Progressive Club in Greenbank, WA
3090 S Firehouse Rd, Greenbank, WA 98253
Joining ICARES
The only requirement to join ICARES is an amateur radio license (any class) and a desire to help your community when normal communications are not functioning. You may join by requesting a member registration form from icares-info@w7avm.org. Upon receipt of the member information form, you will be invited to join the ICARES Groups.IO site where you can find more information about training and operations.
Weekly Nets
The weekly ARES-RACES VHF net meets Sundays at 7:30 pm local time on the W7AVM 146.86/147.22 MHz W7AVM repeater system with backup frequencies of 146.86 MHz simplex and 147.22 MHz simplex if there is a repeater failure.
A UHF net will follow the VHF net on the N7KN repeater at 441.425 (+) PL 110.9.
The ARES/RACES HF Net meets at 7:45 pm or immediately after the UHF net on 28.410 MHz (USB).
Net Control Roster Feb 23 - Sept 20, 2020
OTHER EMERGENCY NETS
The Washington ARES Region 1 OPS 2 net meets each Tuesday morning at 9:30 am on the 146.86/147.22 W7AVM repeater system. Individual operator check-ins are taken after the roll call of fixed stations. Indicate your callsign and number of operators present at your location when recognized by Net Control. Following the net on 146.86/147.22, a replica net is run on the N7KN repeater on 441.425 (+) PL 110.9
Washington State Emergency Net (WSEN): Saturday morning 9:00 AM Pacific on 3.985 MHz LSB
Washington State EOC to EOC Net: Saturday Morning at 10:00am Pacific on 60M Channel 1: 5.3305 MHz USB