ARRL SACRAMENTO VALLEY SECTION NEWS FEBRUARY 2015
There will not be a regular Sacramento Valley Section Net until perhaps April due to travel by W6KJ.
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The Redding ARRL VE Team announces that our next exam session will be held on Saturday March 21st, at BloodSource in Redding. Candidates are asked to be there by 10:00 AM. We are holding our regular VE exam sessions in odd-numbered months. More information can be found at www.reddingve.com or by contacting Steve K6KS at sjmosconi@gmail.com .
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Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club, Auburn, CA, reported by Carl, WF6Z:
Hamfest - Saturday, March 14th starting at 7:30am - This is the first "swap" of the year. Get your stuff together and come sell it or bring cash and buy things. Donuts & Coffee, $10 for a 10 x 10 space for sellers, FREE Parking and admission for Buyers.
VE Testing - continues to yield new Hams. This month's crop, nine new Hams! Nine Techs and four Generals.
Tests are first Saturday, Monthly at Raley's in Granite Bay. On-line course to study on the website at: http://w6ek.org/veexams.html
Meeting - Monthly the 2nd Friday at the Auburn City Hall, Rose Room at 7:30pm. Come visit us and meet the membership. Usually have a "Tech for Ten" short talk on something new, regular program, break and drawing. Recent programs covered: remote HF operation, ARES operations.
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Richard, K6TM, our Nevada County EC, reports:
For the past few weeks, I've been participating in a daily packet net conducted by the Nevada NW Packet group to test propagation and their ability to get information into and out of their area. The tests let them know their paths are open and their systems are working. Interested participants can get more information at http://sacvalleyares.org/. Look about 1/3 of the way down the page to “Daily Packet Net to test paths to Nevada”.
A packet training class is planned for 3/4/15 at the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services. The focus of the class will be on the use of a program called “Outpost” by ARES personnel in Emergency Communications situations. Also, on 3/18/15 Vic Ferrera, OES Manager, will be registering ARES personnel as Disaster Service Workers (DSW) which is a form of Workman’s Compensation for volunteers.
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From the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society: GEARS will be holding a Technician License class starting some time in March. The Class will be either Tuesday or Thursday from 6:30pm to 9:pm. Their will be no charge for the class but their will be a charge for the manual. I expect that this will be around $23, Right now the class will be held at the Search & Rescue building on Morrow Lane in Chico. If you know any one who would like to become a Ham please have them E-mail their name to wa6zrt@sbcglobal.net. The class should last about 7 weeks & GEARS will arange for a test session at the end of classes. Thank You for getting the news out.
Gene Wright WA6ZRT
Chico
530 345-3515 H
530 519-2519 M
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Here is a helpful hint from Dave, N06NO, at the SFARC:
The FCC has decided to cease issuing paper amateur licenses. The 'Official Record' of your license is the ULS listing on the FCC site.
They say it is easy to download an 'Official Copy' of your license from their site. Not True!
Anyone who tells you it is easy to download an 'Official Copy' of your License, probably has never done it or has just downloaded an 'UNOfficial Reference Copy' (and even that is not easily found)
Here is the procedure to obtain the 'Official Copy' (I downloaded a copy of my license and documented what I had to do to successfully complete the task.
Click on this link
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp
Enter your FRN and password.
(If you have a license, you have an FRN. Look it up in the ULS license search – If you don’t know your password (they assign you a password when you get an FRN, but don't tell you what it is) click on the forgot password and then select a security question. You may need to wait for an email from the FCC with a link that allows resetting password and selecting a security question)
Click Submit
Click on your Call Sign
Click on Download Electronic Authorizations on the left hand menu
Your License will appear in the ‘Filter by Radio Service Box’
Click to highlight it
Click add
Click to highlight your license
Click the Download Button
Your “official copy” License will appear in a PDF
Print it.
Have Fun. Dave, NO6NO.
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We hear from Dan, KJ6WYW, the new EC in Amador County: “I am the new EC for Amador County. We are working hard on expanding the ARES membership for this county. We are currently at 20 and are adding 3 new members this month. There are several big events coming up in the near future.
“The first is a joint exercise with Calaveras County on April 16th. We have been preparing for this over the last six months We will providing communications support for shelters located in Amador county as well as backup to Calaveras County for shadow communications for the various responders participating in the drill. We anticipate that we will need between 15 to 20 radio operators to support all the activities.
“We will also be supporting the Party Pardee bike ride held by Bike Hikers in Amador County on April 4th. We support four rest stops and ten Sag Wagons with net control located at Howard Park. This event utilizes about 20 radio operators and covers an area of roughly 1600 square miles of varying terrain. We equip each vehicle with Tiny Trackers and deploy Digipeaters at strategic locations to track their movements.
Daniel L Edwards
209-295-4744 Home
408-398-9625 Cell
KJ6WYW
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The Friends and Amateur Radio Communications Enthusiasts, F.A.R.C.E., is an ARRL affiliated club dedicated to providing operations, maintenance & support of the Amateur Radio station KF6NNM equipment & antennas installed at the State of California, Office of Technology’s data center for use in disaster communications.
Established on April 1st, 1997, F.A.R.C.E. is a small club of former and current employees of the State of California. The group meets at various places monthly for lunch, participates in the ARRL Field Day weekends as a Sacramento Valley 2F or 3F operation, and the members install/maintain & operate the radio equipment & antennas that support the disaster communications mission at the data center located there in the Emergency Communication Center (ECC).
Photos of the FARCE crew appear in our photo page at the bottom of Section News. Photos were taken by Bob Fitzgerald, WA6FGU, Webmaster
Much more info, including who & what F.A.R.C.E. is all about and what/when our upcoming events will be held can be found on our web site at www.KF6NNM.net along with many photo albums of past campouts and other activities. …. Photos by Bob Fitzgerald, WA6FGU, Webmaster 2/20/2015
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Operating frequently from Hong Kong as well as Israel. 20 meter is rather poor after sunset, but 10, 15, & 12 are dynamite during the day when unfortunately I am in Board of Directors meetings.
Dave Angel. WA6TJM
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duanewyatt@hotmail.com (WA0MJD) needs your recent QST and CQ magazines to handout to people at events he exhibits at for their perusal and interest.
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From the W6SFM SFM ARC:
The W6SFM Samuel F. Morse ARC welcomed 10 members to this months SFMARC in-person monthly meeting. Thank you to all who have helped support the club and the preservation of CW on the bands! All members of the SFM ARC receive a W6SFM.COM email addresses and personal Member webpage where they can proudly display their bios to the public. We encourage our members to post news, photos and other information about themselves as well as their hobbies. Feel free to visit our new members page found in the members section of the W6SFM website.
Reports of our January in-person meeting:
Mike N6MQL read the months budget report and announced the final funds available after all active members had completed payment of their 2015 yearly dues. Included was one $10 donation. These donations will be used for the purpose of organizing PR booths such as the Kids Day in the Park event, Ranch Cordova and other events where the SFM ARC introduces Ham Radio and Morse Code to Children and the general public. If you would like to contribute to this cause please feel free to visit our home page for a PayPal link to donate.
Topics of Discussion included the new band plan announced for the country of Japan. Members were interested to see what areas of the HF band were available to JA DX stations and which areas they are allowed to use for voice communications. Some in the American CW portions. A donation to the KPH / K6KPH maritime radio historical society was discussed. It seems that KPH is in desperate need of donations to help with their Rhombic antenna restoration project. The SFMARC also discussed training and operations for Night of Nights to be held at the K6KPH station HQ. Members were invited to attend and operate for the event. The Kids Day in the Park event was discussed in preparation of attending and who would be available. If you would like to participate with our PR booth spreading the word on CW please feel free to contact the club through our w6sfm.com webpage. Members also discussed the Novice Rig Roundup event to be held Feb 6-Feb 13th with members reporting their contacts at next months meeting.
Chris AI6U reported on this months On-Air Net check-ins. The net is held each Tuesday evening on 80 meters. With propagation having been good lately we have been finding a much larger attendance with members spanning across the country reporting in.
The dates for the W6SFM CW BEGINNERS CLASS was announced. The CW beginners class will start on Tuesday night April 14th and concluding June 16th just in time to allow completing class members to get on the air at the clubs annual ARRL Field Day event. We are still actively looking for students for this seasons CW Morse Code Class. If you or someone you know are interested in learning Morse Code with the potential to send and received Morse Code at as much as 15 WPM by course end, please feel free to contact Mike, N6MQL via email at n6mql @ w6sfm.com We hope to see you there this Spring! We ask that Students sign up by April 1st.
For our tech portion of the January meeting member Rob, N6KIX brought in some interesting composite material formally used at the USPS that he has been able to very nicely adapt into Vibroplex and other brand key finger paddles. Also brought for display was his 1914 Horace Martin Vibroplex Original bug. This bug was very unusual as it had a different pivot pin and assembly as well as a very fine movement for it’s design.
Our next SFM ARC in-person meeting will be held at it’s normal time and address. As a reminder the club has now moved to a larger space to accommodate our growing club. Our upcoming March 5thSFM ARC in-person meeting will be held in the Howard Crowley room upstairs. Current events, News regarding Amateur radio and other ARRL items will be discussed. As always we will have our Tech portion where members and visitors are asked to share Ham Radio related items they find of interest. Feel free to visit our In-Person meeting with items that you purchased or were given that you would like to share with the group.
Each Tuesday of the week 8:00 PM on 3.545 MHz the SFM ARC enjoys getting on the air with CW for our weekly Nets. You do NOT need to be a member of the SFM ARC to check into our nets. Although our nets usually run around 13 wpm code, we are all happy to accommodate those that are slower and need us to oblige. If you are unable to copy Morse Code or need some code practice please feel free to visit our on-line LIVE streaming broadcast of both the Audio and a CW to Text decoding of the meeting. That link can be found on our home page of the website. Those visiting the on-line site are welcome to make themselves known by using the ‘contact us’ link to let the net op (NCS) know you are there. This of course is not mandatory, it just lets everyone feel more involved in our on-air nets.
Do you or someone you know need a Ham Club to call home? For those that want to learn Morse Code, are interested in CW or already know and use it, the SFM ARC would love to be your new Club home. Our in-person meetings are held each 1st Thursday of the month at 7PM. The SFM ARC meets in the "Howard Crowley" room of the Carmichael Presbyterian Church in Carmichael, CA. The church is Located at 5645 Marconi Ave. For directions to the meeting visit our clubs home webpage www.w6sfm.com. Please use the rear parking lot and entry for best access to the meeting. A map and directions can also be found on our website.
We hope to see you at our next meeting! 73,
Michael
N6MQL
W6SFM Club President
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From the River City ARCS: At our February Meeting, The River City ARCS heard from Roger Ince, WF6SHP, Coordinator of the Sacramento County Office of Emergency services. He challenged us to work together with local RACES and ARES to assist in an area communications emergency. River City ARCS has finalized an MOU with the Sacramento Amateur Radio Communications Reserve allowing them to use our N6NA repeater in case of emergency.
Carol Milazzo, KP4MD demonstrated the recently completed “fox” transmitter we will use at the Club’s spring picnic
Join us at our March meeting.
March 3 Meeting: ARRL SV Section District 3 Emergency Coordinator Greg Kruckewitt KG6SJT will present an introduction and live demonstration of 2 meter Packet Radio and its role in routine and emergency message traffic.
April 7 Meeting: Rick McCusker, WF6O so Sacramento SHARP will discuss fox hunting. This will help us for our Annual Picnic and QRP field operation which this year will include a fox (transmitter) hunt.
May 5 Meeting: In addition to our program, we will hold our annual mobile show. We are also encouraging members and guests to bring their radio go kit.
The club will be operating at the Rio Linda farm and Tractor Day May 9-10 and at the same location for Field Day. We encourage guests to come operate with us.
Bob Woodward, N6PGQ
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Greetings from the Western Placer Amateur Radio Club:
We have three nets every Wednesday (Today!) with 2 on 2 meters and one on HF. On 2 meters we have one at 10:00 AM and one at 7:30 PM. They are both on the CLUB Repeater at 147.300 (+) 179.9. This is the first week we will have all our nets on the club repeater and this is a permanent change. K6PAC is working very well at its new location. Bill KJ6YCO or Katy KJ6YCP will be net control on the AM net and Scott KJ6FAV will be net control on the PM net. We will have an HF net 5 minutes after the close of the PM 2 meter net and we will be on 80 meters tonight at 7.225 MHz. The HF nets for the next 4 weeks are:
February 25 – 80 Meters (3.855 MHz)
March 4 – 10 Meters (28.410 MHz) A good chance for Techs to join in!
March 11 – 15 Meters (21.355 MHz)
March 18 – 40 Meters (7.225 MHz)
The check ins on all nets have dropped quite a bit in the last two months. If you have any suggestions on how to make the nets more interesting or changes you think might increase participation please email me or Dennis KI6HHA (email address below). The nets are for the club members and we need you to tell us what you want to have in a net.
Last week I neglected to mention that Frank KB6KYK was one of the workers at Gary's when we were doing the upgrades to the repeater. Frank has a really strange hand held electric hacksaw that works like a bandsaw and works well at cutting antenna masts!
Last week at the club meeting Clay K6AEP gave a very good and informative talk on JT65 which is a really cool low power HF digital mode. The software – JT65-HF – was initially written by Joe Taylor K1JT as JT65 (http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/) and is now maintained by Joe Large W6CQZ (formerly W4CQZ). Joe has a good .pdf about JT65-HF at www.packetradio.com/pdfzips/jt65-hf-setup.pdf FIRST, a warning! JT65-HF is 100% key down for 47 seconds. Be very careful with your finals. You can smoke your radio in a heartbeat with a full power setting. JT65 is a low power mode and 10 – 20 watts is more than enough to make contacts around the world. In fact, Sunday night I hit Cuba(!), Russia, China, Japan, and Venezuela on 20 watts using a Hustler 6BTV vertical antenna. Clay also made a contact with a ham in Antarctica – 5 watts and 9,600 miles! Many people just use milliwatts with it.
There are a number of sites that offer a JT65-HF download but be careful where you download it. Make sure it is a trusted site or one you are familiar with from previous experience. Some unscrupulous sites hijack the software and add installers that put tons of unwelcome junk on your computer such as web menu bars, search bars, change your home page or search engine, malicious programs, viruses, and much more. The ARRL is a good resource for info on JT65 and a search of their site brings up lots of info.
If you decide to try JT65 you will need an interface between your rig and computer. There are many options such as the SignaLink USB, RIGblasters, and MFJ-1275. I have a SignaLink USB and I like it because it has its own internal sound card which simplifies setup and uses a straight USB cable so you don't need a serial-USB converter.
You also need to make sure your computer clock is dead on accurate. The operating system software on computers is not accurate enough so you need to download a program to synchronize your PC with a NIST clock. A popular (and free) program is D4 (Dimension 4) by Thinking Man Software http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4/. I have been using it for more than 20 years and it is definitely trusted.
There is also a great monitor site for digital modes called PSKreporter http://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html. It is selectable for band, mode, and specific call sign so you can see where you are being heard. There are a number of monitors that show up and anyone who is on the air also shows up so you can see if that rare DX from Antarctica is on the air. It also shows anyone you have had a QSO with in the last x number of hours and draws lines between you and them. It is a very cool program and I have it up most of the time.
In addition to all the above, there is a version of JT65-HF that integrates with Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) http://www.ham-radio-deluxe.com/. Until last year HRD was freeware but was bought up by some hams to better maintain it as the original authors, Peter PH1PH and Simon HB9DRV, had some health problems. It is now $100 for an annual subscription and has excellent support but version 5, the last free version, is available on line but does not offer any support. I think renewals are $50/yr. As with any software, please be very careful where you download it. HRD is very popular and there are a number of sites that have hijacked it and add viruses or other unwanted software in the download. If you can't find a site you trust, I have a copy of version 5 and I can give it to you on a CD. It is fully legal to share it.
There is a program called Web of Trust (WOT) https://www.mywot.com/ that installs in your browser and gives ratings of site security based on millions of users experience. I use it and it is very reliable, especially if you are downloading from a site you are not familiar with or suspect may be evil. It is an add on to most browsers and I highly recommend it. It also works on search results. If a site has a green circle, it is most like safe. You can also rate sites you access for several different categories.
An additional part of JT65 is your location. The program uses Maidenhead Grid Locator system. The name derives from the town outside London where the scheme was devised and it is based on latitude and longitude. The entire earth is divided into approximate rectangles that are 1 degree of latitude by 2 degrees of longitude (many people call them Maidenhead Grid Squares but they are not square, they are fields. Longitude lines are not parallel so each division has an odd shape.). As an example, I live in CM98iu. The C indicates latitude, the M longitude, the 9, 8, i, and u indicate squares and sub squares in the location. Any position in a grid is less than 12 km from any other position in the grid. There is a good explanation of the system in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System
The important thing to remember with JT65 and its offshoots is that there is a specific communications protocol to be observed in every QSO. Fortunately, when you set up the program on your computer you input the information for the QSO and then just have to click on a button when it is your turn. If you don't follow the protocol exactly, you won't show up in PSKreporter as it depends on a specific sequence of characters. There is much more info available on the web sites listed above. It is an interesting method of communicating. Some people love it, some aren't interested after trying it. Give it a shot. I'm having a blast with it. Again, thanks to Clay for his talk on JT65.
Another reminder – don't forget that the annual membership fee was due by January 31. The dues are the same as always - $24 for single membership, $36 for family membership, and $14 for active military personnel and members under 18. We haven't raised the dues. Ever. You can bring your dues to the February meeting or if you are paying by mail, the address is: WPARC, P.O. Box 1173, Lincoln CA 95648.
Mark Saturday June 6th on your calender. That is the date for our next Tech Hamcram. It will be at the Sutter Roseville hospital. More details and enrollment information is available from Dennis KI6HHA – ki6hha@aol.com. These classes are an excellent way to review and prepare for the exam and we have been very successful with them. As always, there will be a VE exam session at the end of the class and all exam levels are available.
Club President Jim W6JMF has a Kenwood HF rig for sale:
Kenwood TS-940 $550
Has been gone through by AVVID Kenwood service including VCO unlock work (Dots in display)
Serial (RS232 style from PIEXX) added for computer interface.
100w SSB 120v
Many signal breakouts including IF, line in/out and separate receive antenna jack.
Comes with LP-PAN Panadapter and Firewire sound adapter for 96K wide view (other USB based adapters can be purchased)
Includes audio isolation box to run digital modes off your computer sound card.
Minor paint wear and photos available on request
Bruce K6OJI has a Kenwood TH-F6a HT for sale. He has lots of accessories with the radio. They are great little HTs (I have one and love it) that cover 2 meters, 1.25 meters (220) and 70 cm (440) with 5 watts on all bands. They also receive HF and with an external antenna you can hear a lot. L.C. N7VQC has one and monitored our HF net one night just using the internal ferrite antenna. That is the radio he used to talk to the repeater from Vallejo, Vacaville, and Davis with just 5 watts. k6oij@yahoo.com
Former club member Paul Bacchi has some equipment for sale. The items are:
ICOM 706MKIIG - 600.00
Yaesu Handheld, 2m - 75.00
MFJ 934 Antenna Tuner - 100.00
Astron Power Supply RS-20 amp - 50.00
Heathkit Amateur Band Receiver - 50.00
Misc. lengths of coax.
All items in good to new condition. Light use.
Contact Paul – 916-786-3107
paulbacchi@comcast.net
I am brokering the sale of a Kenwood TS-990S for $6,500 for another club member. If you are interested let me know. It is in great shape with just a minor scratch on the right side. The TS-990S will blow your socks off – it is a stunning engineering tour de force from Kenwood. The Kenwood site is http://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/ts-990s/ It is available at a fair market price and only has very light use.
I found out recently that you can have a percentage of any purchases at amazon.com go to the ARRL! Amazon.com will donate 0.5% on eligible items to the ARRL. Just go to the link and choose the ARRL for your charity. I changed my amazon.com account a few weeks ago and when I log in it asks me if I want to change to the ARRL donation page. You can sign up at http://smile.amazon.com/
The Sierra Foothills ARC will be sponsoring their first annual Ham Swap on Saturday March 14th 2015 in Loomis which is handy for WPARC members. The first SFARC Swap Meet will take place at the Historic Loomis Train Depot Plaza, 3640 Taylor Rd, Loomis. Starts at 7:30am. Put this on your calender!
If you know of any other Ham Swaps, Hamfests, or any other ham related events in northern California or western Nevada, email me and I will add them to the newsletter.
Thinking of the events in the Sacramento Valley Section reminded me that there are lots of nets in the area that are sponsored by other clubs. There are many different kinds of nets including HF, VHF, UHF, digital, and SSTV. For a full listing go to this link maintained by Assistant Section Manager Les W6TEE. Les does a great job of keeping the page updated: http://www.qsl.net/w6tee/nets.html.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints about the club please talk to a club officer. The club officers are:
Jim W6JMF – President mntredhed@gmail.com
Bill KJ6YCO – Vice President entertainangles@surewest.net
Michael K6BUK – Secretary mrbuck@pacbell.net
Scott KJ6FAV – Treasurer shaskins65@gmail.com
Clay K6AEP – Board Member abramsc@pobox.com
Gary WA6IKE – Board Member gtalent@live.com
Dennis KI6HHA – Board Member ki6hha@aol.com
Ben N3BEN – Alternate Board Member soperbenjamin@gmail.com
The International DX Convention in Visalia will be April 17 – 19 this year. This is a big event and a lot of people from the WPARC attend. If you are interested in carpooling let me know and I will start a list. The web page is http://www.dxconvention.com/
The ARRL does a lot for the ham community, especially when it comes to spectrum preservation. They are always working to keep the ham frequencies in our hands. There is a lot of good information on the website arrl.org. They also send out weekly letters on various topics which are very interesting. In addition, Ron W6KJ sends out a monthly newsletter with information about and from clubs in the Sacramento Valley section. Definitely worth subscribing to for good information. This is the 100th year of the ARRL. Join today to make sure it is still here for the next 100 years and fighting to protect our share of the spectrum. The ARRL is also leading the fight to pass H.R. 4969.
The ARRL has a presence in social media and you can find lots of information on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Here are some sites where you can connect with the ARRL:
For Facebook go to: www.facebook.com/ARRL.org
For Twitter there are several addresses. Try @arrl for primary information.
If you are interested in community events, emergencies, and disaster communications follow: @ARRL_ARES
For the latest on ARRLs media and to follow the ARRL Public Relations Manager follow: @ARRL_PR
If you are interested in DXCC follow: @ARRL_DXCC
For the young people in your family have them follow: @ARRL_Youth
To find out what's new with the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, follow: @ARRL_W1AW
The ARRL offers lots of YouTube videos on a variety of topics go to:
www.youtube.com/ARRLHQ
I also discovered that the ARRL has a presence on Linkedin and there are several ham oriented groups too. If you use Linkedin log in and search for ARRL or ham/amateur radio groups. Club past president Kent K6AXP is active on Linkedin. This week there is a discussion about Logbook of The World (LoTW).
If you know of any upcoming events in the area let me know and I will add them to the newsletter.
Many new members have been asking how to purchase the club ID badge. There is new information on the club website WPARC.US that covers how to order, how to specify the correct badge, etc. Thanks to Herman KD6BQH for putting this info together. I once belonged to a club where if you didn't wear your club badge to the meeting you were fined $1.00 at the door!
Speaking of club ID, we now have official club business cards. The board decided that with the growth of the club we needed them and they will be available at club meetings. I banded up sets of 5 to hand out at meetings. The cards have club information on the front and have lines for name, call sign, and phone number on the back for handing out to prospective members or for any other use. We have 1,000 of them so we shouldn't run out any time soon.
There is an unofficial club breakfast every Saturday at Kim's Country Kitchen in Lincoln at 7:30 AM. The new address since the renaming of Highway 65 to Lincoln Blvd. is 490 Lincoln Blvd. It is opposite the (now closed) Ace Hardware which I saw today is now a Family Dollar Store. Lots of members show up for breakfast and there are plenty of interesting topics discussed. Bright and early at 7:30 AM. Kim's has good food at good prices and is a strong supporter of the club (Kim's was our original meeting place until we outgrew it several years ago).
Remember, our website is wparc.us.
Regards,
Michael
--
Michael Buck
K6BUK
mrbuck@pacbell.net
916.543.0032 Home
916.765.5910 Cell
www.wparc.us
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Some Douglas County Amateur Radio Team members met each Monday for our EMCOMM I class. We still held weekly nets even though several members are in the class. A regional packet meeting in Reno took place this month also.
Sheila Clement, ka7ajq
Alpine, CA and Douglas County, NV ARES Emergency Coordinator
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Hamfest - Saturday, March 14th starting at 7:30am - This is the first "swap" of the year. Get your stuff together and come sell it or bring cash and buy things. Donuts & Coffee, $10 for a 10 x 10 space for sellers, FREE Parking and admission for Buyers. This location is the Historic Loomis Train Depot Plaza, Latitude 38.49N Longitude 121.11W for all you old SAC navigators out there. This is northeast of Sacramento or southwest of Auburn. On I-80 take the Horseshoe Bar Road exit North to the Taylor Rd. stoplight. Thence straight into the HAM FEST. Buyers follow the signs to parking. Sellers turn right at the stoplight then into the sellers parking area. See you there.
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The February meeting of OARS, Oroville Amateur Radio Society, (http://w6af.org) took place on Friday the 13th with 18 in attendance for the debut of Ron, KD7UHF, as President. Topping
the agenda was a proposed change to the day of the monthly meeting; as the
second Friday of the month is currently imbedded in the club bylaws, it will
be necessary to make a change in them for this to be possible. Erik, AF6EF,
gave a webmaster report about updates and upgrades in progress on the OARS
website. The program, presented by Vice President Joe, WA6CAL, was devoted
to the remote control of a home station via the Internet, which included a
very successful live demonstration. The Waffle Shop was named as the venue
for the last Saturday of the month breakfast.
From the Oroville area, K6CUA, K7XE and W7XZ made it into the log of K1N,
the Navassa Island DXpedition, earlier this month. Sacramento Valley
Section certificates for the 2014 ARRL DX Contest went to K7XE (Single Band
15M Phone) and W7XZ (Single Band 10M CW).
The OARS Monthly Breakfast took place on the 28th at The Waffle Shop in Oroville with 19 in attendance.
The March meeting of OARS will be, once again on Friday the 13th. The bylaw
and meeting night changes are expected to be high on the agenda.
73,
Jim, W7XZ
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Don Keith, N4KC has written a very good article in the recent issue of the American Legion Magazine. In it he explains the hobby in a way to encourage new members by talking about a little history and a little of current activities of hams in service to the community. His audience, of course, is to American Legion members, but it is interesting and valuable in terms of explaining how to become a ham in an enticing way. A copy, with the proper attribution citation is available from John Stettler, Section PIC, KI6DWP@yahoo.com.
Scott Peterson, KE6VUS, Emergency Coordinator for Butte County, has allowed the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society to share his very extensive publication on the development and use of IRLP. It is great for anyone who wants to understand that mode better and get involved with it. It is a long article but has great information. It is available, with the proper attribution citation, from John Stettler, Section PIC, KI6DWP@yahoo.com.
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Greetings, don't forget to remind your members that the International DX Convention is in Visalia, California, April 16-19, and advance registration ends on April 8. 73, John Stettler, Section PIC
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This unusually complete Section News is the result of active ham operators sharing their activities and fun they are having with the rest of us. Please let them know if you enjoyed reading about what they are doing and if your news did not get in yet, please send it to me at rbomb52@gmail.com and I will put it up front, or in the middle or just before the last article.
