Welcome to the website for the Ventura County Auxiliary Communications Service/Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ACS/ARES).
The Ventura County ACS mission is to serve the County in support of any possible communications need in an emergency. ACS members act as emergency communications reserves to support the County in providing reliable, point-to-point voice and data communications anytime, anywhere. In addition to emergency activations, ACS is involved in promoting emergency preparedness.
Click here to view the basic requirements for ACS/ARES membership.
If you would like to know more, please contact ACS Radio Officer/ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Rob Hanson – W6RH at ec@vccomm.org.
This month we will have the privilege of meeting in a new facility that is the headquarters for the Ventura County Fire Department. This is an opportunity to see something new, catch up on our activities, and meet friends. The meeting will start promptly at 19:30 (07:30 PM) Local time. You are encouraged to arrive at 19:00 for a bit of social time before the meeting. Yellow shirts are appropriate. Either the County provided or one of the ARES shirts. Wearing your ACS ID is suggested since it is a county facility.
The meeting is open to all. members, non-members, and the curious. Anyone interested in what we do is encouraged to attend. Feel free to pass on this information to others you believe might be interested.
We will review progress on our systems, release new information about upcoming events, and review recent events. • Progress reports on EOC and infrastructure systems. • Upcoming and completed events • An update on the ACS-ARES web portal • Info on the HF net • An overview of Winlink activities. • A report from ARRL Section Manager
If you have a subject that you would like to discuss or have discussed, please let me know and I will put it on the agenda. Please join us if you can. 73 Rob – W6RH
With sadness we report Steve Gillis-KZ6H passed away at the age of 79 on August 28th.
Steve is survived by his wife Gail and two children, Andrew and Kristin. He has four grandchildren. He served in the Navy for four years and then went to college earning a BSEE from UC Davis and an MBA from Stanford. He worked for GE Medical Group and was involved with the Ventura Coast Imaging Group. He also was involved with other companies and started a staffing company in Camarillo.
Steve earned his ham license as a teenager and was an active contester for several years. He joined Amateur Radio Emergency Service in 2016 and then Auxiliary Communications Service in 2017. He was a valued net controller for several years at the East County Sheriff’s Station Emergency Operating Center and was assigned to other radio rooms for Operational Readiness Tests.
Steve became a member of the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club in 2015 and was the founder of the CVARC MORSE Group. The MORSE Group is a friendly “club within the club” dedicated to promoting interest in CW and encouraging hams to learn and build their skills in sending Morse code. His group has grown to over 30 members and thrives today with monthly gatherings and a weekly “Friendly Slow-Code CW Roundtable.”
No public memorials are planned. Steve will be missed by the amateur radio community.
The next ACS-ARES meeting is set for Monday, September 9, 2024 at 7:30 P.M. You are encouraged to arrive at 7:00 for a bit of social time before the meeting.
Yellow shirts are appropriate. Either the County one or ARES shirts. Wearing your ACS ID is suggested since it is a police facility. The meeting is open to all, members, non-members, and the curious. Anyone interested in what we do is encouraged to attend.
The meeting will be held in the Camarillo Police Department Community Room. Detailed instructions are located below. The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 P.M. You are encouraged to arrive at 7:00 for a bit of social time before the meeting. There are no mask, testing, or vax requirements, but you are welcome to take any precautions that you wish. Yellow shirts are appropriate. Either the County one or ARES shirts. Wearing your ACS ID is suggested since it is a police facility
Ventura County hams were recognized for their community service by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday, June 18. The board issued a proclamation at the televised event declaring the month of June as Amateur Radio month in Ventura County. Read the entire proclamation here.
Please plan to attend the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting at 10 A.M. on Tuesday, June 18, where all Ventura County Amateur Radio operators will be recognized with a proclamation honoring their service to the community.
This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our presence and to receive recognition for the many activities we engage in throughout the year. The meeting is televised and it’s also a great way to promote our Field Day activities later that week. Call sign badges and tasteful ham-related apparel would be good to wear if you have them.
We will also stream the meeting via Zoom. To get Zoom credentials please refer to our discussion group at: https://vc-acs.groups.io/g/main.
If you haven’t see the ACS station there, you are missing out on an excellent example of a Ham operation.
The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 P.M. (1930). You are encouraged to arrive at 7:00 for a bit of social time before the meeting.
Talk-in frequency is the county repeater (channel 9) 145.200 – PL 127.3
The meeting is open to all – members, non-members, and the curious. Anyone interested in what we do is encouraged to attend. Feel free to pass on this information to others you believe might be interested. This is a chance to put a face to the people you may only know as a voice on the radio.
We will review progress on our systems, and new information about upcoming events will be discussed.
• Progress reports on EOC and infrastructure systems
• An update on the ACS-ARES web portal
• Info on the HF net
• An overview of Winlink activities
• Report on past events and information on future ones
If you have a subject that you would like to discuss or have discussed, please let me know and I will put it on the agenda.
