N1CC RACES Experiences

This page provides notes on N1CC's RACES efforts from 1956-2007.

My first experience with R.A.C.E.S was in 1958, and was in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. I operated as K6SXX from the Forest Service Fire Command Post in Yreka California in support of the "Slate Mine Fire" by providing VHF-Forest Service Base Station operator and linking with other R.A.C.E.S stations under the command of the Siskiyou County Radio Officer (Ed-W6NQA).

RACES was pretty new in 1958, however, for small rural clubs the program was a booming success. Siskiyou County was issued a surplus "Military Radio Vehicle". This was a Korean-war era 2.5 Ton truck with a built-up operations center and a 75-40 Meter AM transmitter and receiver with mobile whips built into the truck. The 1.5 ton trailer carried a 3 kW AC generator that provided power. The truck was based in Yreka, where the county seat was and the county saw that it was kept painted, oil changes, tires and engine work.

The most active radio club in the county was the Mount Shasta Radio Club (W6BML) and the truck was used on Field Day by the club for many years, before it finally slumped into dust from old age. I don't know what kind of vehicle and radios are used there today, the idea was good and provided a service to the county that was very positive.

When I came to Dallas County in 1968 I became acquainted in person with Johnny Davis, K5LZA (K5JD now) who was, and is today the Dallas County RACES Radio Officer. I worked with Johnny and the establishment of Skywarn in the early 70's and was given the RACES callsign Alpha-29 when I completed phase 2 of the National Weather Service (Now NOAA) spotter training, so that means I was the 29th ham in Dallas County RACES. I participated in many Skywarn exercises and training sessions until I moved to Connecticut in 1978. Some highpoints that I recall:

• An explosion and fire (1976-77?) in Garland next to I-635 where a train derailed, went into a storage building complex and set off some "stored explosives" in one of the stalls. The resulting fireball was observed by myself in Ponder TX, 50 miles north as a massive event. I immediately went to DARC 146.88 Repeater and joined in the early communications, by the time I had gotten to my home in Garland there was no need for more hams at the site so I monitored from home. There was a call for "breathing masks" for the firemen. A local National Guard outfit volunteered to bring "Mask, Protective M17" for the fighters, and that was accepted. I immediately called the RACES NCS, K5JD on the phone and advised him that M17 is for field concentrations of war agents, such as mustard, nerve gas, and other poisen gases ... none of the chemicals on the train would have been stopped by the masks as they are not intended to protect against the higher concentration of unusual gases that accompany a chemical fire. Johnny was able to intercept the masks and keep them from being used at the site and thereby avoided any injury or death by their inappropriate use.
• The Carrollton Tornado in 1977 caused widespread damage. Bill Nolte WA5_ _ _ (Now Kb5KB?) and I went to the site, were not allowed to bring Bill's Volkswagon Bus to the site and we walked to the command post, there we saw Chief Gene Spillman (Dallas FD) and he sent a fireman back with us to the perimiter and we were allowed to bring the vehicle and radios to the command post. At that time there was no common communciations set up between the FD, PD and Public Works. We managed 25 hams on site to provide hams with officials so that we could assist. This was a very good example of how RACES can help any community.
• From 1978-2007 I was mostly inactive on RACES due to my work career. When I returned to Texas in 2000 I found that I was living in Denton County, and that all of their activity seemed to be 30 miles from my home so I did not reactivate. From 2004-2005 I moved between Dallas and Tarrant counties, and then to Henderson County Texas. I am looking for a RACES organization and have not found one in my area. This is very rural East Texas, few hams, many clubs have failed from "lack of members" over the past three years.