Centralia Amateur Radio Emergency Services will host its "Solar Eclipse Special Event Station" next Monday, August 21st.  The partial eclipse, as seen here in Centralia, will begin at 9:07 am with maximum coverage at 10:19 am.  At that time, nearly 96% of the sun will be covered.  The solar eclipse will end at 11:38 am.

To celebrate this event, our ARES team will set up a special event station at the Mellen Street park and ride and will be on the air between 8:00 am - 1:00 pm.  We will attempt to make as many contacts on the high frequency bands as possible AND we will be on both the K7CEM and BawFaw Repeaters.  

Those working the radios at the park and ride will receive a special Solar Eclipse Special Event certificate.  Hams contacting us on the K7CEM repeater will receive a special one of a kind QSL card.  If you contact our station on the BawFaw repeater, you will also receive a special, but different,  one of a kind QSL card.  If you want both QSL cards, contact on both repeaters will be necessary.

There will be "Lunar Cookies, Moon Pies and Solar Shots (coffee)" available at the park and ride.  There will be some give away items from the police department and we have 20 NASA approved solar eclipse safe glasses that will be given away on a first come - first serve basis.  

If you are scheduled to work Monday, at least take your HT to work and give us a shout so you can get these great QSL cards.  If you're not working, come on down to the park and ride and give us a hand or just join us for the goodies and we'll watch the eclipse together.  If it's cloudy and we can't see the eclipse for some reason, we'll just make radio contacts and still have some fun.  QSL cards will be available for HF contacts as well.

Let's get together and make history!

73, Jim

I'd rather have a mind opened by wonder, than one closed by belief.... Gerry Spence