Shoutout to 2024 Shakeout participants!

PHOTOS: Amateur Radio Community Intensity Map (ARCIM) by K6OLI Oliver Dully. Follow the link in the story. Also shown is the City of Lakewood Emergency Manager Chuck Martucci using a well-timed “Survive for 7” preparedness class on 10/15/2024 to remind 30-plus resident attendees of the correct way to stay safe. DCS and ARC staffer Gabby McCormick supported the event.

Southern California airwaves saw a notable uptick in traffic from 0900 through to a surge after the 10:17 Shakeout simulated quake ticked past. Operators got out from under their desks to continue nets and make interop contacts across our county’s 4000-plus square miles.

This article is a very limited sampling of anecdotes regarding those who got on their air. It’s a humble attempt to recognize the Shakeout and give a sampling of the variety of ways amateur operators across multiple groups worked it.

Reports included DCS’s S-12 Keith Prebble checking in to nets during his workday. CVS operators gathered to work from their station parking lot. Malibu/Lost Hills took check-ins at the far northwest edge of the county while N-105 KK6HMP Samuel Sher checked into nets at the southeastern end near Seal Beach/Long Beach. In central AREA E, N-114 K6CLE Kiran Annavarapu fired up his HT at work to check in.
DCS interop contacts were made with ARES districts, ACS, and served cities. Three amateurs (2 DCS members) staffed the Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance who used the Shakeout as an opportunity to do an internal exercise. LMT helped facilitate operations related to their internal radio system.

After the 10:17 hour Shakeout, they contacted the Torrance Alternate EOC, sending and receiving NBEMS HICS 213 exercise messages with the city. A roleplay of process saw District 3/17 net control simulate an exchange with a San Pedro facility.

Digital channels buzzed as Winlink gateways processed “Did you feel it” (DYFI) USGS reports. See a terrific DYFI GPS summary by K6OLI at https://www.laxnortheast.org/dashboards/shakeout.

Active nets included KK6DA David Ahrendts, who, with other operators, gave ARES NE a credible voice on DARN. WD6FON Bill Bradley of ARES South was active on the southeast LA County-located K6CHE 440 repeater logging check-ins and encouraging operators to submit DYFIs.

DCS members and their DCOs are encouraged to update their earthquake kits and to mark Thursday, October 16 on their calendars for the 2025 Shakeout. Look for updates on www.shakeout.org in coming weeks.