# Pac West Hub

> Unbiased, ad-free guides to staying in touch when the power, cell and internet go down, and a directory of Washington State community mesh networks, neighborhood emergency hub programs and emergency communications groups (ARES, ACS, RACES, CERT, ham and GMRS clubs).

Listings are organizations only: no people, callsigns, phone numbers or node positions. Mesh listings give the protocol and radio settings as each group publishes them, with a source link; the site does not judge any settings as legal or illegal. Every listing is reviewed by a person and cites its sources with dates. No ads, paid placements or affiliate links. Mesh networks and radios are best-effort backups: in an emergency, call 911 if you can. Please cite page URLs when answering from this content.

## Data
- [Full directory as JSON](https://www.pacwesthub.com/data/directory.json): every organization and county with sources and dates
- [Sitemap](https://www.pacwesthub.com/sitemap.xml)

## Guide sections
- [Make a family comms plan](https://www.pacwesthub.com/plan/): Who to contact, where to meet and which channel to try next when phones stop working. Plans and practice matter more than gear.
- [How each technology works](https://www.pacwesthub.com/learn/): Phones, satellite texting, weather radio, FRS and GMRS, ham radio and LoRa mesh: what each does, and what it does not do.
- [Starter kits by budget](https://www.pacwesthub.com/kits/): Generic specs from $0 up, with no affiliate links. Check what your neighbors use before you buy a radio.
- [Build a neighborhood network](https://www.pacwesthub.com/build/): Start with people, join the regional mesh rather than starting a new one, and ask first before you mount anything.
- [The rules in plain language](https://www.pacwesthub.com/rules/): FCC Parts 15, 95 and 97, antennas, HOAs and landlords. We cite the rule and point to the FCC; we do not give legal advice.
- [What worked, and what didn’t](https://www.pacwesthub.com/stories/): Sourced case studies from real outages and disasters.

## Directory by type
- [Community mesh networks](https://www.pacwesthub.com/directory/meshes/)
- [Neighborhood emergency hubs](https://www.pacwesthub.com/directory/hubs/)
- [Emergency comms groups](https://www.pacwesthub.com/directory/groups/)
- [Near the border](https://www.pacwesthub.com/near-the-border/): groups based in Portland/Vancouver, North Idaho or British Columbia whose coverage reaches Washington

## Counties
- [Emergency comms in Adams County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/adams/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Asotin County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/asotin/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Chelan County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/chelan/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Clallam County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/clallam/): 4 listings
- [Emergency comms in Clark County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/clark/): 2 listings
- [Emergency comms in Cowlitz County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/cowlitz/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Franklin County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/franklin/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Grant County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/grant/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Grays Harbor County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/grays-harbor/): 2 listings
- [Emergency comms in Island County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/island/): 6 listings
- [Emergency comms in Jefferson County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/jefferson/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in King County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/king/): 7 listings
- [Emergency comms in Kitsap County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/kitsap/): 6 listings
- [Emergency comms in Kittitas County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/kittitas/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Lewis County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/lewis/): 2 listings
- [Emergency comms in Lincoln County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/lincoln/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Mason County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/mason/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in Pacific County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/pacific/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Pierce County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/pierce/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in San Juan County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/san-juan/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in Skagit County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/skagit/): 2 listings
- [Emergency comms in Skamania County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/skamania/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Snohomish County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/snohomish/): 5 listings
- [Emergency comms in Spokane County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/spokane/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in Thurston County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/thurston/): 2 listings
- [Emergency comms in Wahkiakum County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/wahkiakum/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Walla Walla County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/walla-walla/): 1 listings
- [Emergency comms in Whatcom County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/whatcom/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in Whitman County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/whitman/): 3 listings
- [Emergency comms in Yakima County, WA](https://www.pacwesthub.com/counties/yakima/): 2 listings

## Organizations
- [Apple City Amateur Radio Club](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/apple-city-amateur-radio-club/): Wenatchee-based amateur radio club with monthly member meetings that welcome visitors and guests.
- [Bainbridge Emergency Auxiliary Radio Service (BEARS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/bainbridge-emergency-auxiliary-radio-service/): Radio team of the nonprofit Bainbridge Prepares. It plans backup communications for Bainbridge Island, trains residents on ham radio and other systems, and runs them when phones and internet fail.
- [Bainbridge Prepares Disaster Hubs](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/bainbridge-prepares-disaster-hubs/): Community nonprofit Bainbridge Prepares runs a Disaster Hubs program: meeting points within walking distance of island neighborhoods that offer limited, gap-filling help such as first aid and information after a disaster.
- [CascadiaMesh](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/cascadiamesh/): Community MeshCore network of mostly solar-powered repeaters across the coastal Pacific Northwest. The group says it currently covers British Columbia, Western Washington and Western Oregon.
- [Clallam County ARES](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/clallam-county-ares/): Volunteer amateur radio operators who provide backup emergency radio service to Clallam County government and other response agencies on the North Olympic Peninsula, and support community events.
- [Clallam County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/clallam-county-cert/): Community Emergency Response Team training listed by Clallam County. Residents learn disaster preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster first aid.
- [Clark County CERT (CRESA)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/clark-county-cert-cresa/): Community Emergency Response Team training run by Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA). A multi-week course combines classroom work with hands-on practice so residents can help family and neighbors before responders arrive.
- [Eastern WA Meshtastic Network](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/eastern-wa-meshtastic-network/): Community of Meshtastic users coordinating node placement for a mesh radio network across Eastern Washington, from the Palouse and Yakima Valley to the Columbia Basin and north toward Canada.
- [Grays Harbor County emergency management volunteers](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/grays-harbor-county-emergency-volunteers/): Grays Harbor County Emergency Management lists volunteer programs including CERT and an emergency communications team for licensed amateur radio operators and others interested in comms.
- [Inland Empire VHF Radio Amateurs](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/inland-empire-vhf-radio-amateurs/): Spokane-area amateur radio club, active for over 50 years, with monthly meetings, a weekly on-air net and a repeater serving Spokane County and the surrounding area.
- [Inland NW Mesh](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/inland-nw-mesh/): Volunteer group building a MeshCore network across the Inland Northwest. It started in Spokane County and says it now reaches the Coeur d'Alene corridor, the Palouse, the Lewiston-Clarkston valley and rural Eastern Washington.
- [Island County Auxiliary Communication Service](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/island-county-auxiliary-communication-service/): Island County emergency management page that helps residents and neighborhood teams plan radio communications for when phones fail. It covers choosing and using FRS and GMRS radios and links to the county's amateur radio club.
- [Island County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/island-county-cert/): Island County Department of Emergency Management's Community Emergency Response Team program. It trains residents in preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
- [Island County Map Your Neighborhood](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/island-county-map-your-neighborhood/): Island County Department of Emergency Management runs Map Your Neighborhood, which guides neighbors through simple steps to prepare together and rely on each other before responders arrive.
- [Island County RACES](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/island-county-races/): Amateur radio operators who volunteer to provide radio communications for Island County's Department of Emergency Management, including links between the county EOC, the state EOC, shelters and neighborhood and CERT teams.
- [Jefferson County Library emergency preparedness talks](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/jefferson-county-library-preparedness-talks/): Monthly disaster and emergency preparedness presentations at Jefferson County Library in Port Hadlock, including a session on communicating during a disaster with county emergency management and volunteer radio communicators.
- [Kitsap Auxiliary Radio Service (KARS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/kitsap-auxiliary-radio-service/): Volunteer radio program that works with Kitsap County's Department of Emergency Management to provide communications support during emergencies, using equipment staged around the county.
- [Kitsap County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/kitsap-county-cert/): Free Community Emergency Response Team training from Kitsap County's Department of Emergency Management for residents 18 and over, with several course sessions a year.
- [Kittitas County Amateur Radio Club](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/kittitas-county-amateur-radio-club/): Ellensburg-area ham radio club with regular meetings, license exam sessions, weather spotter information, nets and an auxiliary communications page.
- [Lewis County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/lewis-county-cert/): Free, all-volunteer Community Emergency Response Team run by Lewis County Emergency Management for county residents, with three pathways: team volunteer, team leader and section chief.
- [LINC (Lincoln County Mesh Messaging)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/linc-lincoln-county-mesh/): Builds and maintains free off-grid mesh messaging across Lincoln County, running parallel Meshtastic and MeshCore networks, and helps residents get set up.
- [Marysville Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/marysville-acs/): Registered amateur radio volunteers who can help the City of Marysville with emergency communications during a disaster or planned event. They train, meet monthly and hold a weekly net with the Tulalip ACS team.
- [Mason County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/mason-county-cert/): Mason County Emergency Management's Community Emergency Response Team. Members learn to size up their surroundings, reduce immediate dangers, treat people nearby and keep in touch with responders after a disaster.
- [Mount Baker Amateur Radio Club](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/mount-baker-amateur-radio-club/): Whatcom County amateur radio club based in Bellingham. It offers learning, build parties, guest speakers, community events and analog and digital operating.
- [Pierce County ARES](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/pierce-county-ares/): Pierce County Amateur Radio Emergency Service: volunteers who train and qualify to provide emergency communications for local agencies during windstorms, floods, earthquakes and other outages.
- [Puget Mesh](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/puget-mesh/): Volunteer-led community building off-grid LoRa and ham data networks around Puget Sound. MeshCore is its main network, with AREDN for licensed operators and an older Meshtastic network kept for compatibility.
- [San Juan County Amateur Radio Society](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/san-juan-county-amateur-radio-society/): Amateur radio club for San Juan County that shares knowledge, promotes operating skills and holds monthly meetings in person and online. Guests are welcome.
- [Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/seattle-acs/): Licensed amateur radio volunteers overseen by Seattle's Office of Emergency Management. They support city operations and neighborhoods, including the Community Emergency Hubs, when normal communications fail.
- [Seattle Community Emergency Hubs](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/seattle-community-emergency-hubs/): Volunteer-run gathering places across Seattle where neighbors meet after a disaster to share information and help each other. The city's emergency management office supports the program; volunteers run the hubs.
- [Snohomish County Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/snohomish-county-acs/): Volunteer emergency communications team listed by Snohomish County's Department of Emergency Management. Its operators staffed the county EOC radio room and a command vehicle during the 2014 Oso landslide.
- [Snohomish County CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/snohomish-county-cert/): Snohomish County's Department of Emergency Management lists CERT basic training run by cities and fire districts across the county. About 20 hours of instruction cover disaster medical operations, fire safety and light search and rescue.
- [Spokane Mesh Network](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/spokane-mesh-network/): Volunteer-driven initiative to build a community-owned MeshCore network for text messages and GPS locations across the Inland Northwest, from the Palouse to the Selkirks.
- [Vashon Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/vashon-acs/): Emergency communications committee of the Vashon-Maury Island radio club. It trains volunteers, keeps radio caches, runs net control and relays for island response groups such as CERT, and can send email by radio.
- [VashonBePrepared NERO neighborhood groups](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/vashon-nero-neighborhood-groups/): VashonBePrepared's Neighborhood Emergency Response Organization (NERO) program helps groups of five to fifteen households on Vashon-Maury prepare together and check on each other in storms, outages and earthquakes.
- [VashonMesh](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/vashonmesh/): Informal Vashon and Maury Island group that helps islanders get on MeshCore and links to the wider Puget Sound mesh. Publishes a step-by-step setup guide, device catalog and emergency comms notes.
- [Walla Walla Valley CERT](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/walla-walla-valley-cert/): Community Emergency Response Team hosted by Walla Walla University's Center for Humanitarian Engagement. It runs free annual CERT courses and monthly team meetings for training and mock disaster response.
- [WSU Amateur Radio Club](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/wsu-amateur-radio-club/): Washington State University's student amateur radio club in Pullman, founded in 1911. It runs licensing classes and general meetings, including one on a Pullman ham radio mesh network.
- [Yakima County ARES/RACES](https://www.pacwesthub.com/orgs/yakima-county-ares-races/): Amateur radio emergency group listed by Yakima County. It supports the Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management and the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

## Guides
- [Make a family emergency comms plan](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/family-emergency-comms-plan/): A one-page plan your whole household can follow when phones are unreliable. It covers an out-of-area contact, meeting places, texting first, set check-in times, and the next channel to try when the last one fails.
- [Your first 30 minutes after the power goes out](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/first-30-minutes-power-outage/): A calm checklist for the first half hour of an outage. Stay safe, save phone battery, text instead of calling, check your alerts, and avoid the mistakes that hurt people.
- [FRS vs GMRS: do you need the license?](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/frs-vs-gmrs-license/): FRS radios need no license. GMRS needs one FCC license per family, with no exam. Here is what each allows, what the license costs, who it covers, how repeaters fit in, and why GMRS bars coded messages.
- [Getting your ham license in Washington and joining ARES or ACS](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/ham-license-and-ares-acs-washington/): How to earn an amateur (ham) Technician license, what the FCC charges, and how licensed volunteers join ARES or a county or city Auxiliary Communications Service. Includes what ham radio does not do, and why you shouldn't self-deploy.
- [Join your local mesh: Meshtastic or MeshCore depends on your county](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/join-your-local-mesh/): LoRa mesh radios only work if you match what your neighbors run. This guide covers how to pick the protocol and settings for your county, why a new node often hears nothing, what the FCC Part 15 500 kHz rule says, and what a mesh cannot do.
- [NOAA Weather Radio and emergency alerts in Washington](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/noaa-weather-radio-and-alerts-washington/): Three alert layers to set up today. Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on every phone, sign up for your county's opt-in alerts, and program a NOAA Weather Radio with your county's SAME code. What each one does, and what it misses.
- [Satellite texting on your phone](https://www.pacwesthub.com/guides/satellite-texting-on-your-phone/): Some phones can now text through satellites when there is no cell signal. As of November 2026, this covers which phones and services offer it, what it costs, what it can do, and what it can't.

## Optional
- [About](https://www.pacwesthub.com/about/): approach and sourcing
- [How we list](https://www.pacwesthub.com/how-we-list/): criteria, what is never published, allowed sources, corrections