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�CARES Radio Systems �Overview��Steve Jensen KE7GXC�Emergency Coordinator� Clackamas County��CARES-EC@clackamasares.org�

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September-2026

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Communications During an Incident

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    • An ICS-205 Communications Plan will be issued

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    • CARES ICS-217 Communications Resource Availability Worksheet is used to develop the ICS-205

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Communications During an Incident

  • Area repeaters:
    • CLAC 7 (Highland Butte linked to CLAC 8)
    • CLAC 8 (Crutcher Bench linked to CLAC 7)
    • CLAC 11 (Barlow Trail simulcast repeater system)

-- form the backbone of our communication system

  • Local repeaters:
    • OC Boynton OC 1
    • LO & WL -- LO 1 (Cooks Butte) and West Linn WLIN 2 (linked repeaters)

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Communications During an Incident

  • What about these repeaters?
    • CLAC 1 (Mt Hood linked to eastern Oregon)
    • CLAC 2 (Portland)
    • CLAC 4 (Goat Mtn)

These are CARES public facing repeaters

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Digital Communications During an Incident

  • Winlink VHF/UHF:
    • CLAD 4 (KD7ZDO-12 VARA)
    • CLAD 5 (KD7ZDO-11 VARA)
    • CLAD 6 (KD7ZDO-10 Packet)
    • Others (reserve frequencies)
  • Other area RMS stations

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Communications During an Incident

Reminder -- You may receive a ICS-205 as a

    • “spreadsheet”
    • or “fillable PDF”
    • May change hourly -----

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CARES Monthly Meeting

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How is Clackamas county ARES organized

    • ARES – Amateur Radio Emergency Service
    • Clackamas county ARES (CARES)
    • We are a SERVICE organization

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How do we organize and communicate with Clackamas County Disaster Management (CCDM) ?

    • ICS – Incident Command System

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CARES Monthly Meeting

Clackamas County Disaster Management (CCDM)

Sheriff

Fire Dept

County Health

“other”

Clackamas county Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES)

Oregon Emergency Management (OEM)

Lake Oswego sub-unit

West county sub-unit

Oregon City sub-unit

East county sub-unit

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CARES Monthly Meeting

We serve a large county with many towns, villages …

Clackamas county Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES)

Lake Oswego sub-unit

West county sub-unit

Oregon City sub-unit

East county sub-unit

OC Police

Hoodland

Estacada

Sandy

Gladstone

Milwaukie

Boring

Damascus

Welches

Willamette View

Mulino

Molalla

Colton

Happy Valley

Molalla Police

Colton FD

Wilsonville EOC

LO EOC **

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CARES Monthly Meeting

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Clackamas County Disaster Management (CCDM) may ask for our assistance in communicating with:

    • Hospitals
    • Sheriff dept
    • Fire dept
    • Road dept
    • Cities / government such as:
      • Lake Oswego
      • Oregon City
      • Sandy

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    • Others !

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CARES Monthly Meeting

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Clackamas County Disaster Management (CCDM) may ask us to operate / provide communications using:

    • HAM radio equipment on HAM radio frequencies
    • GMRS radio equipment on GMRS radio frequencies
    • Public Safety radio equipment
    • Others !

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

Communications During an Incident

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CARES Area repeaters:

    • CLAC 7 (Highland Butte linked to CLAC 8)
    • CLAC 8 (Crutcher Bench linked to CLAC 7)
    • CLAC 11 (Barlow Trail simulcast repeater system)

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Barlow Trail Simulcast System (RED)

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Highland Butte / Crutcher Bench (YELLOW)

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Barlow Trail

Highland Butte / Crutcher Bench

Boynton

West Linn

Cooks Butte

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Cooks Butte

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West Linn

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Boynton

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

Communications During an Incident

  • Local repeaters:
    • OC 1 Boynton
    • LO 1 Cooks Butte and WLIN 2 West Linn (linked repeaters)

These repeaters form the backbone of our communication system

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Cooks Butte

West Linn

(linked)

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Boynton

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

Communications During an Incident

  • Auxiliary: AREDN (5.8GHz MESH data network)

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AREDN is being used as another “backbone”, an auxiliary one ---

Much of AREDN is still a bit experimental ---

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

Digital Communications During an Incident

  • Winlink VHF/UHF:
    • CLAD 4 (KD7ZDO-12 VARA)
    • CLAD 5 (KD7ZDO-11 VARA)
    • CLAD 6 (KD7ZDO-10 Packet)
    • Others (reserve frequencies)
  • Other area RMS stations

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

Winlink Operating modes:

  • VHF/UHF/HF – 2m, 70cm, HF (several bands), 6m (*new)
    • Packet
    • VARA
    • Pactor II / IV –
  • AREDN – post office and backup of PDX area PO’s
  • “Text messages” service - MeshCore 910 MHz (*new technology, developing)

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CARES Radio Systems Overview

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Questions?

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