New to OAUSA

[wb6twl]

Hi Everyone,

I just joined this board. I found out about it at the meet & greet at HRO in San Diego. I'm also a member of 4x4HAM.com and I'm looking into TDS as well.

73,
Steve, WB6TWL

[cruiserlarry]

Welcome aboard, Steve - glad you could join us...

Tell us a little more about yourself and your ham / outdoor hobby interests...

[DaveK]

Hey Steve,

Think about joining us for our Summer Fest/Field Day event in June.

Welcome aboard.

[wb6twl]

Hey Y'all,

I used to be into off-roading years ago but ran out of time (and money). I've been licensed as a ham since 1973 and my current ham radio interests are R.A.C.E.S. for San Diego County SO, SKYWARN and mobile/portable operation including digital modes both HF and VHF/UHF.

I'm thinking about getting back into off-roading not as the focus itself, but more as a way to get to interesting venues for sightseeing and ham radio operations. I'm not really interested in catching air time or crawling rocks since my only 4x4 is my daily travel vehicle and besides, my kidneys are getting too old.

My XYL is also licensed as a Technician but she uses it more for comms with me via Cactus Intertie (and simplex when we go shopping). She's not much into primitive camping but who knows what will happen.

I would like to join all y'all for FD but, I'm working that weekend this year and couldn't get the days off.

I usually volunteer at the MCAS Miramar Air Show with SDSO RACES, so if any of you are at the show, just look for the SDSO Comm Truck (usually next to the USMC Military Police unit) and stop by and say Hi.

73,
Steve, WB6TWL

[salad_man]

Welcome, great background

[BorregoWrangler]

Welcome to the forum, Steve. If you do get back into off-roading, you don't have to worry about getting into anything too difficult around here. There are plenty of easy, scenic trails that are fun to drive and take you to interesting areas.

[OLLIE]

Welcome aboard Steve. I'm sure you could provide some valuable knowledge here. You have quite a background there. How does one go about joining RACES SDSO?

[BlueFJ]

Welcome aboard, Steve!

[wb6twl]

S.D. County RACES is co-sponsored by the San Diego Co. Sheriff's office and the San Diego Co. Office of Emergency Services. The General meeting is the first Monday of the month excluding holidays at the San Diego County E.O.C. in Kearny Mesa. (Controlled access facility with limited parking-so carpooling is encouraged).

There are 4 levels of participation:
Level 1-Management Staff
Level 2-Members who have passed a background investigation (we have access to certain government systems and equipment)
Level 3-Members whose priority response is to another agency or organization and secondarily to RACES or have not yet passed a background investigation. Some people are not interested in going through the background process and that's fine. You can be a radio operator and have fun assisting the public and the County.
Level 4-Non Amateur Radio members who are support staff or are in the process of obtaining their ham radio licenses.

Generally, you have to live in San Diego County and be a person of good character and have a willingness to serve the community. We always welcome visitors and new members.

If you are interested in coming to the meeting or for more information, you can contact me via email:

WB6TWL@arrl.net

and I will forward your inquiries to the management staff. There is a website but I'm not sure if it has links for new members, however, here it is:

http://www.races.sandiego.ca.gov/

BTW,
Thanks for the warm welcomes. It's nice to see people combining two very different hobbies for even more fun.

73,
Steve, WB6TWL

[Dennis David]

I see the hobbies as different but complimentary.