Q. Where can I find out more information about RACES and ARES?

Lake County RACES/ARES© Meetings

Q. When are Lake County Ill meetings held?

Q. Where are Lake County Ill meetings held?

Q. How do I find the Lake County Ill EOC (Emergency Operating Center)?

Membership
 
Q. How do I become a member?

Q. How much are annual dues?

Q. How do I obtain the County Photo ID?

Q. Can I belong to other amateur radio clubs and still belong to RACES?

RACES Pagers
 
Q. How do I obtain a RACES pager?

Q. What are "RACES" pagers used for?

Q. What is the cost?

Q. What if I break, lose or damage the pager?

VE Testing
 
Q. How do I find ham radio test sessions?

Q. I passed my test, how and when can I find out my callsign?

Other Questions

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General Information

Q. Where can I find out more information about RACES and ARES?

More information on the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES)
can be found here.

More information on the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) can
be found here.

Meetings

Q. When are meetings held?

A. RACES/ARES Group general membership meetings are held the first Monday of the month, October through June. General membership meetings are not held in July and August. In September, the general membership meeting is the second Monday due to Labor Day. All meetings start at 7:00PM. In December, the monthly meeting is the Annual Holiday Party, location announced on the RACES Website.
 
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Q. Where are meetings held?

A. Meetings are held at the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management Agency's (EMA) Emergency Operating Center (EOC).
 
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Q. How do I find the EOC (Emergency Operating Center)?

A. The EOC is located in Libertyville on Milwaukee Ave, half way between Route 137 on the north and Route 176 on the south. It is west of I-94 and east of Butterfield Road and Route 45. The entrance to the parking area is off Winchester Rd. 1/8 mile (2nd driveway) west of Milwaukee Ave. The entrance to the building is in the is in the rear (northwest side). Follow the signs to the EMA Classroom.

For a map view, look here.

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Membership
Q. How do I become a member?

A. Refer to the Membership Page for information on Joining

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Q. How much are annual dues?

A. Annual dues are $20 and are collected each January.

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Q. How do I obtain the County Photo ID?

A. The County ID cards are prepared by the County in Waukegan. We request cards for qualified members through the EMA Director.  Check the certification page to see if you qualify.

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Q. Can I belong to other amateur radio clubs and still belong to RACES?

A. Yes, you can.

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RACES Pagers

Q. How do I obtain a RACES pager?

A. Contact John Gilbert, KA4JMC. Email: johng@comm.mot.com. John usually has pagers in stock and can activate one for you and bring it to the next club meeting.

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Q. What are "RACES" pagers used for?

A. Races pagers are one-way Motorola Advisor Elite pagers that are activated on the Verizon 900 MHz paging network. These pagers are setup with an individual 847 area phone number to allow numeric messages to be sent to the pager via any touchtone phone. These pagers can also be sent alphanumeric pages via Internet email or via a dial-up modem. The pagers include "group address" capability to receive special weather bulletins provided by a subscription service as well as from our club officers. Another group address can be used by club officer for emergency notification of club members.

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Q. What is the cost?
 
A. The pagers cost $116 annually. With a damage deposit which will be returned when the pager is returned to RACES.

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Q. What if I break, lose or damage the pager?

A. Damage due to normal wear and tear is covered by your annual fee. A pager that is damaged beyond repair or that is lost will be assessed a $100 fee. For a broken pager, contact John and he will exchange your pager for a working one. There is no need for you to change your pager phone number when doing a pager exchange.

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VE Testing

Q. How do I find ham radio test sessions?
 
A. Lake County RACES conducts VE testing every month of the year on the second Monday of the month (3rd Monday in September due to Labor Day) at the Lake County EOC in Libertyville. The sessions start at 7:00 PM. Pre-registration is appreciated. For more information, follow the VE EXAMS link on the home page of this site. You can find additional test locations at the ARRL web site here.

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Q. I passed my test, how and when can I find out my callsign?

A. The QRZ ham website maintains a list of newly issued callsigns on their website. Go to http://www.qrz.com/new_hams.html and watch for your name. A similar list is published at http://www.vanityhq.com (pick New Hams from the menu). It usually takes about 7 to 10 days for any new license or upgrade action to make it through the government bureaucracy. These lists are updated daily.

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Other Questions

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