MDARC - Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club

10/08/2026

Hello All:

The developer of QSO One has rolled out updates to his product.

QSO One now supports AllStar, DMR ( to multiple networks), P25, D-Star, YSF, M17 and EchoLink.

At this time it is a Windows and Android product only, but IOS and Mac Desktop are coming.

It has an audio test feature, that allows different levels and shaping, to be adjusted for your microphone, for each mode.

The only thing that is missing is NXDN.

It can be downloaded from:
https://qso1.net

I recommend this product.

73,
Tim Barrett
K6BIV
[email protected]

ARRL - Life Member
QCWA Member - Chapter 228
Director of Spectrum Management - NCDCC
www.ncdcc.net
D-Star Reflector 14 - Admin
NorCal-Link - Admin
https://www.norcal-link.org/
K6PIT Pittsburg DMR Trustee
440.1375Mhz +5.000Mhz Color Code 2 BM
K6MDD Mt. Diablo DMR Trustee
144.9750Mhz +2.500Mhz Color Code 1 BM
Admin: Contra Costa Fusion Network Room (80280)
K6BIV Pittsburg Fusion
441.9250Mhz +5.000Mhz
DG-ID 00

AllStarLink, EchoLink, IAX Direct, DMR, System Fusion, and M17 in one free app for Android and Windows. Sign up with your callsign and get on the air.

09/29/2026

My Fellow Hams,
Coming up this weekend on October 4, 2026, is the Mt. Diablo Challenge, an action-packed bicycle race UP Mt. Diablo from the Athenian School in Alamo to the summit of the mountain. We will be observing the riders as they competitively race to the top. We will be looking for reports of broken bicycles and injured riders, both of which need to be reported to Net Control for resolution. It is a fast-paced athletic adventure that will give us practice in emergency communication. A free BBQ lunch is available to all volunteers after this event.

An RSVP for this event may be communicated to , if you are interested in participating in this event. We welcome your participation in these events. So, please join us for this event to practice your ham radio operating skills, and support a worthwhile cause, Save Mt. Diablo.

If you are interested in participating in this event, go to the Mt. Diablo Challenge (MDC) website and register for the MDC event.

https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/882259372055/false #/invitation

Click on “Radio Operators”, to register and sign up for the lunch and for a T-shirt.

I look forward to seeing every one of you at this MDC event.

73,

Larry, KI6LNB

09/27/2026

Hi MDARC guys and gals:
I urge you to encourage any friends or relatives you know who might be interested in getting their Technician ham radio license to sign up for the One Day Technician License Class at the Pacificon 2026 Amateur Radio Convention on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. The class is actively taught by Rich Harrington, KN6FW, and Paul Shinn, K6FRC – real good guys (see photo below!) This is an excellent opportunity, and Rich and Paul are both excellent instructors!

For those who also want to get their Technician License that same day, a specially scheduled license examination will be given soon after the One Day Class ends around 4:00 p.m. The great majority of students who take the class and test that same day are able to pass and get their license! If not, you can always re-test.

Due to room size, enrollment for the class is limited to a total of 30 students, which usually fills up. There is still room in the class at this time. Anyone who is interested in signing up should go to the webpage on the Pacificon website at the link below:
https://www.pacificon.org/education/license-classes/technician-class

To take the class you must also purchase a General Admissions registration for the Pacificon 2026 Amateur Radio Convention, which can be obtained through the link below:
https://www.pacificon.org/registration/attendees

And by the way, if you haven’t yet bought your own ticket for this great 3-day Convention (October 16 -18), which is produced and presented by our club, check out the great activities, forums, vendors and the many stories of Pacificon at: https://www.pacificon.org/home (website information continues to be updated).

Pete Harris, KE6ZIW
Pacificon 2026 One Day Class Coordinator
[email protected]

09/23/2026

Greetings from California Historical Radio Society in Alameda!

I’d like to share an interesting program with you I’m hoping may be of interest to some, especially if you have Girl Scouts in your family.

We’ve created a partnership with Girl Scouts of NORCAL to deliver a series of ‘badge’ opportunities with one of the first focused on Morse Code – see
https://californiahistoricalradio.com/event/girl-scouts-junior-detective-badge-workshop-2026/

We are delivering this content within our Sound Bites program (STEM activities for KIDS) which occur throughout the year, so I will also share a note with you the next time it’s planned in our events schedule.

Thanks very much!
Best,
Michael
California Historical Radio Society

Earn the Junior Detective Badge at California Historical Radio Society. Junior Girl Scouts will learn observation, problem-solving, and investigative skills as they gather clues, analyze evidence, and solve mysteries through hands-on activities.

09/13/2026

Hi fellow club members!!
The Pacificon 2026 Convention coming up in San Ramon October 16-18, 2026. If you haven’t yet gotten your ticket for this amazing 3-days of events that our club has produced since 1992, consider doing so. It is one of the premier amateur radio conventions in our country. Feel free to share this with others, whether they are hams or not.

General Admission*
$35 in advance online until October 1 – for all 3 days! Youth 17 and under admitted free and college students with a valid student ID (25 and under) $5. Mail-in registrations must be postmarked by September 24.
*Some events have additional cost

Forums and Programs
Pacificon 2026 features a full slate of interesting forums and presentations from some of the most well-known and respected names in amateur radio.

For events, schedules, and online registration visit www.pacificon.org.
Events are subject to change.

Come and Experience the Many Facets of Ham Radio!

• Meet ARRL leaders and program representatives.
• Meet Gordon West, WB6NOA: ARRL National Instructor, author, and speaker. Attend the Saturday “Breakfast with Gordo”, and “Ham Instructor Academy”.
• All-day Friday Antenna Seminar.
• Friday evening open MDARC meeting with special presentation.
• Full slate of outstanding forums on Saturday & Sunday, covering a wide range of amateur radio topics.
• Saturday & Sunday: Transmitter hunts, with prizes.
• Saturday Banquet with special keynote speaker.
• Large vendor and nonprofit expo filled with exciting products and exhibits.
• Outdoor Sunday Swap Meet.
• Youth activities including Scouting merit badge classes.
• Parachute mobile contacts.
• Electronics kit building and soldering instruction for all ages.
• One-day amateur radio license prep class on Saturday (sign-up online).
• Two days of License Testing.
• Three days of special QRP activities, featuring demonstrations and forums by six renowned QRP experts.
• Special Events Station W1AW/6 where you can operate and contact other hams worldwide, even if you don't have a license.
• Annual Wouff Hong initiation ceremony.
• Win radios and other great prizes.
• ARRL Forum and Grand Prize Drawing on Sunday afternoon.

For details and registration go to:
https://www.pacificon.org/home

See images from last year’s Pacificon:
11636522@N06/albums/72177720330064359" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://flickr.com/photos/11636522@N06/albums/72177720330064359

Pete Harris, KE6ZIW
Pacificon 2026 Planning Committee

See you Friday, October 16 - Sunday, October 18, 2026 San Ramon Marriott 2600 Bishop Drive San Ramon, CA 94583

09/10/2026

09/02/2026

Hi Fellow Hams:
I urge you to encourage any friends or relatives you know who might be interested in getting their Technician ham radio license to sign up for the One Day Technician License Class at the Pacificon 2026 Amateur Radio Convention on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. The class is actively taught by Rich Harrington, KN6FW, and Paul Shinn, K6FRC – real good guys! This is an excellent opportunity, and Rich and Paul are both excellent instructors!

For those who also want to get their Technician License that same day, a specially scheduled license examination will be given soon after the One Day Class ends around 4:00 p.m. The great majority of students who take the class and test that same day are able to pass and get their license! If not, you can always re-test.

Due to room size, enrollment for the class is limited to a total of 30 students, which usually fills up. There is still room in the class at this time. Anyone who is interested in signing up should go to the webpage on the Pacificon website at the link below:
https://www.pacificon.org/education/license-classes/technician-class

To take the class you must also purchase a General Admissions registration for the Pacificon 2026 Amateur Radio Convention, which can be obtained through the link below:
https://www.pacificon.org/registration/attendees

And by the way, if you haven’t yet bought your own ticket for this great 3-day Convention (October 16 -18), which is produced and presented by our club, check out the great activities, forums, vendors and the many stories of Pacificon at: https://www.pacificon.org/home (website information continues to be updated).

Pete Harris, KE6ZIW
Pacificon 2026 One Day Class Coordinator
[email protected]

09/01/2026

My Fellow Hams,

Now that Moonlight on the Mountain has been completed, the next event that we have is in Tilden Park in Berkeley.

Tilden Park is a developed park, with a lot of developed areas, as opposed to the Lake Chabot area which is mostly trees and trails.

A new race organizer, Inside Trail Racing, has come to us requesting situational awareness and emergency communication at its Aid Stations and at certain junctions along the race path on Saturday, September 12, 2026. They have realized that there are certain areas in Tilden Park that do not have cell phone coverage, and they need a reliable communication system to keep track of all of their racers and their needs.

You are invited to join the communication team for the Berkeley Trails Adventure.

Please contact Larry Loomer, KI6LNB at to be welcomed onto the communication team.

Most of our assignments are drive-up assignments.

73,

Larry, KI6LNB

08/07/2026

PACIFICON 2026 is coming soon!
Want to hear about what's happening at PACIFICON 2026? Of course you do...

Pacificon℠ gives you three great days of activities for one low cost:

* A full slate of outstanding Forum presentations about a wide range of amateur radio topics.

* An all-day Antenna Seminar (additional fee required).

* Gordon West, WB6NOA: Author, educator, speaker and irrepressible promoter of all things ham radio.

* Large vendor and nonprofit expo filled with exciting products and exhibits.

* Events including an outdoor swap meet hosted by livermoreark.org.

* QRP Low Power Activities.

* Youth activities, including Scouting.

* Parachute mobile contacts.

* Electronics kit building and soldering instruction.

* A One-Day license prep class to prepare you to pass the amateur radio Technician license examination and get your first amateur radio license.

* Two days of license testing.

* A Special Events station W1AW/6 where you can operate and contact other hams worldwide, even if you don't have a license, hosted by paara.org.

* Emcomm Vehicle Showcase: San Ramon Fire, Alameda County Sheriffs, Fighter cockpit exhibit from USS Hornet, SATERN Van.

* Our wonderful banquet & keynote speaker (additional fee required).

* Our annual Wouff Hong initiation ceremony.

* A chance to hear about and discuss important national amateur radio issues with ARRL leaders.

* A chance to win radios and other great prizes throughout the convention.

* M17 digital voice mode (patent free) and MMDVM. M17 was supported by our repeater W6CX and will soon be supported again.

* First annual conference held 1920 in San Francisco.

And perhaps the best part - a chance to interact and share information with lots of other amateur radio enthusiasts to further (or begin) your own knowledge and to advance the hobby.

Registration is now open!
https://www.pacificon.org/registration/attendees

Registration : Attendees | Hotel | Non-Profit Registration | Speaker Proposals | Vendor Registration | Vendor Particulars | Volunteers

08/04/2026

My Fellow Hams,

Our next Public Service event is coming up on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Moonlight on the Mountain is an auction and fund raiser dinner on Mt. Diablo for the Save Mt. Diablo group.

We put the dinner guests onto buses, and they are taken up a one lane dirt fire road to the dinner site. We guide the movement of the buses on the one lane road.

We hams are fed dinner as well.

After the dinner the guests are transported in the buses back down the mountain to their cars. This event service goes to 9:00 or 10:00 o'clock in the evening.

Give it some thought. Put this event on your calendar. We could use your help! If you're interested, please contact me at [email protected].

73,
Larry, KI6LNB