Food and Supplies:

It is always a good idea to bring everything with you, but if you do forget something, you can probably find almost anything at one of our favorite local businesses, located just south of the intersection of 18 and 247:
Lucerne Valley Market and ACE Hardware (they even sell some model rocket motors!)
32946 Hwy 18
Lucerne Valley, CA 92356
(760) 248-7311

Amateur Radio Information

Quite a few ROC members are licensed amateur radio operators (“hams”). To make it easier for us to contact one another at launches, we’ve published the following information.
Common Frequencies
* 146.535 MHz (2m band): Simplex, usually monitored on the lakebed
* 145.180 MHz (2m band): Repeater (-0.6 MHz/PL 123.0) local in Lucerne Valley
For talk-in use the repeater, as that will give us the best chance of always being able to connect. After making contact on the repeater, if you are within range of the lake bed, you can switch to simplex operation to free up the repeater for other users.

Wide area coverage:

•  147.885 MHz (2m band): (-600 KHz/PL 151.4) Barstow Amateur Radio Club, linked to 147.180 MHz (+600 KHz, PL151.4) located East of Barstow and covering Lucerne Valley, the 18 up to Holcomb Valley, The 247 from Barstow to Johnson Valley, I40 and I15 North of Barstow, and much of the surrounding area.
• 147.330 MHz (2m band): (+600 KHz/PL 131.8 Hz) on Big Bear Mountain

Guidelines to Minimize Interference To and From Other Spectrum Users for Radio Tracking devices

Anyone using radio frequency tracking equipment is responsible for ensuring they are properly licensed for the equipment they are using, and take necessary precautions to prevent harmful interference to others. These suggestions are intended to make flyers aware of normal use and applicable band-plans at the ROC launch site.

2 Meter Band
For APRS avoid 144.39 for rockets, unless time between beacons is at least 2 minutes. Use 145.01, 145.03, 145.05, 145.07, or 145.09. Most of the 2 meter band uses 15 KHz spacing, but these are digital (packet) frequencies still set aside, but with little use.
Beacons should be on an FM simplex frequency including 146.49, 146.505, 146.55, 146.58, 147.525, or 147.54.

You should AVOID:

• 146.52, National Calling Frequency
• 146.535 (used by ROC on the lakebed)
• 146.43 (ATV talk back)
• 146.565 (set aside for Foxhunts and frequently busy on weekends)

1-1/4 Meter Band
APRS rocket trackers should be on 223.46 or 223.48.
For beacons avoid frequencies below 222.13. Use Odd 10KHz buffer frequencies between the FM voice frequencies. California uses 20 KHz spacing with FM voice on even 10 KHz center frequencies.

70 Centimeter Band
APRS should be between 431.00 to 431.60 MHz or 448.90 to 449.98 MHz, 20KHz even spacing.

Beacons should be above 444.15, and use even 10KHz buffer frequencies.

The bandwidth from 434.00MHz to 440.00MHz should be avoided, as this is the input for a nearby Amateur Television repeater,

33 Centimeter Band
APRS allocations on 33 Centimeters are on simplex frequencies, 927.500, 927,600, and 927.700.
Beacons must avoid 902.1 weak signal allocation! Should be between 903 and 905 MHz or 925 to 928 MHz.