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Seasoned Solos Amateur Radio Club Perhaps not surprisingly, I had a stereotyped vision of members of the Amateur Radio Club as being a group of techno-geeks playing with their HAM radios, tweeking their high gain antennas, and chatting away in code comprehensible only to their buddies at the other end of the ether. It wasn���t until I attended a presentation by the Communications Team of the Emergency Preparedness Program (EPP), that I began to understand more about the Amateur Radio Club��� and how the two types of club members: licensed HAM Radio Communicators, and non-licensed FRS (Family Radio Service) hand-held radio users, can play a signi���cant role in supporting our community during the event of an emergency or disaster. When a neighboring community held an Earthquake Drill this summer, I was 34 fortunate to be invited to ���observe��� how they would respond to an emergency. It was then that I truly grasped the necessity for our community to have at least one volunteer communicator in each neighborhood/district. This volunteer should be someone who is trained in the use of FRS radios, and able to communicate neighborhood status and any special requirements should the need arise. Also needed are a group of licensed communicators who know how to use HAM radio to communicate with external Emergency Services such as Hospitals, City of Beaumont Incident Commander, Red Cross, etc. So I resolved to dust off my old WalkieTalkie and joined the Amateur Radio Club. Since then, I���ve learned much more about the various features of my hand held radio, the correct way to operate it, and the etiquette and protocols used FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2013 | CLUBS & GROUPS when communicating. In addition, I���m able to keep up my operating skills and utilize my new found knowledge with the weekly FRS communication exercises conducted by the club. Most of all, I���ve made new friends with a talented and smart group of men and women, with a great sense of humor, who are bound together by a common purpose to help our community in times of emergency. Being an ARC member has been a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for me��� it could be yours too! Come and join us at our next meeting on Friday, Jan. 25, at 10 am at the Lodge. Our meetings are always fun to attend and all are welcome. ~ Bernadette Chance Travel News You are invited by Pam Morales, a resident of Four Seasons, to join her on a 7-night Alaska, Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier cruise sailing round trip from Seattle leaving Aug. 23. You will be sailing aboard the Celebrity ship Solstice and the ports of call you will be visiting are as follows: Seattle; Ketchikan, AK; Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier, AK; Juneau, AK; Skagway, AK; Alaska Inside Passage; and Victoria, British Columbia. Costs for this trip are: Category 1A Verandah: $1649.78 pp double occupancy Category 1B Verandah: $1639.78 pp double occupancy Category 1C Verandah: $1629.79 pp double occupancy Other types of cabin are available upon request. Airfare and trip cancellation insurance is not included and insurance is strongly recommended. A deposit of $500 per cabin is due within 7 days of reservations. Book now for best cabin availability. Final payment is due May 30. For more information or to make reservations please contact Lenna Welling at Frosch Classic Cruise and Travel at (818) 936-2000 or (800) 688-8500 or Email lenna. welling@frosch.com. ~ Melody Seewoster Happy New Year! Come join us for planning activities for the New Year. We meet the ���rst Friday each month at 6 pm in the Craft Room at the Lodge. Outings scheduled for January are: Jan. 10: Lunch at the Elephant Bar Restaurant in San Bernardino Jan. 18: Quilting exhibit at the Museum of History and Art, Ontario Jan. 22: Visit The Living Desert in Palm Desert Jan. 26: The College of the Desert Street Fair in Palm Desert Info., Toby Davis, (951) 7692380 or Roxanna Morrow, (951) 769-6877. ~ Roxanna Morrow CLUBS & GROUPS | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2013 35

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