Southern Peninsula Emergency Communications System
SPECS serves the communities of Palo Alto, Stanford, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View and Sunnyvale by helping to recruit, train, and maintain a crew of amateur radio operators ready to provide emergency communication services in a time of need.
To learn more about the importance of amateur radio in a time of need, read this article from The Atlantic and this article from PAARAgraphs related to the recent PSPS power outages, titled "Do Hams Still Matter?"
We welcome participation from anyone with an interest in volunteer emergency communications who lives or works within our service area on the San Francisco peninsula in California. For more information, please browse the links on this site. If you already have an amateur radio license, please join us on the Monday night net.
installed December 2006
Sign up or Renew your Membership
Dues are still only $5.
Any payment after Nov 1 will be applied to membership for the next year.
The online payment system uses Square, but you don't need a Square account - just use your credit card. The form asks for Call Sign, whether or not you are an ARRL member, and your contact information. Click the button below to join or renew for your membership.
You can also renew by snail mail. Send a check and the membership form to the address below. Make your check out to SPECS.
Southern Peninsula Emergency Communications System
4546 El Camino Real B10 #762
Los Altos, CA 94022
Events and Classes
SPECS Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting was held Saturday, January 13, 2024 at El Camino Hospital. Read about it and view pictures here.
Outreach, Our SPECS Outreach Coordinator, Stiv Ostenberg, has created a meetup group to reach out to hams in the area. They recently had a successful event "Packet in the Park", where hams learned about packet and tried it out for themselves. You can find out about upcoming events by clicking on the link below.
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Monday Night Net: every Monday night beginning at 19:30. Members check in on UHF and/or VHF. Learn more
Weekly Packet Practice: Every week from Tuesday at zero hours through Monday at 7:00 pm. Practice with various forms and various BBS's. Learn more.
Trainings: A list of trainings offered by Santa Clara County ARES/RACES is available here.
Subscribe to our Trainings Opportunities list.
We use this list to send announcements about training opportunities that may be of interest to our members and ham radio operators in our area. We send emails about once a week listing trainings and events available in our area. You will be able to opt out if you wish to in the future. Click on Join Trainings Announcements
Amateur Radio Classes and Licensing
HAM CRAM Classes
Several cities and radio clubs in the area offer classes on becoming a ham and earning a "technicians" license. Some also offer opportunities to take a test for a "general" license. Visit our page on Becoming a Ham to view details on what is available locally.
Search for a class: http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session
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