Monthly Section News Summaries
Monthly Summary for May 2009
San Francisco Section News - June 2009
I had the opportunity to go to SeaPac, the North Western Division
convention in Seaside, OR. Ok, I’ve been there before, but this year was
special. While there I was able to connect with an old high school chum from
my Honolulu days. Of course, Clay Jackson N7QNM and I were in the school
radio club and were able to reminisce. He attended with his youngest
daughter, Rachel W9RAJ. His wife Jeannie KD7ULH was not able to attend.
Eldest daughter Rebecca K7BOO was married last year and lives on the east
coast. So, as you can see, it is a fully integrated Ham family.
Also there was my friend from my Las Vegas days, Jack Larason KE7HTY
and his wife Pam. After talking about it for over thirty years (me prodding
him), Jack took his first exam in 2006, passed and has really taken off with
the hobby. Fortunately, he has a very understanding and supportive wife as
his 42 acres, as Jack puts it, looks like a spider web from the sky with the
antennas he has erected. Yes, Pam is very understanding..... I hope she
never finds out how many radios Jack has now....
I also spent a day in Portland with an old college buddy from the
University of Hawaii. Dave lives in the area and we headed on down to the
Evergreen Aviation museum near McMinnville, home of the Spruce Goose.
Actually, it is two museums, one for aviation which includes Howard Hughes’
big bird and the other is a space museum with some really interesting
exhibits on the history of space exploration. Between the two is an IMAX
theater. If you ever have a chance to visit the museum, go. Plan on a full
day to really enjoy the experience.
The ARISS telebridge at the Santa Rosa Junior College has been fairly
active. On March 2nd, the team handled an ISS contact for the Padthaway
Primary School in Padthaway, Australia. This was followed by the Carl
Sandburg Elementary School in Kirkland, WA, on April 2nd. The station is
manned by Tim Bosma W6MU, Herb Sullivan K6QXB, Don Dalby KE6UAY, Jeff Basham
KK6JAB and yours truly. The station has been active since 1995 in the SAREX
and now ARISS program. By the way, Herb just retired from the SRJC. But,
Herb has no plans about slowing down. He has a lot to do with the antique
cars he restores and he will continue teaching. Happy retirement, Herb.
The Valley of the Moon ARC held its annual hamfest on April 25th. As
usual, it was worth the drive, especially for the breakfast served up by Ed
Jacobson W1EJ and his masterful kitchen crew. I saw a lot of table weights
finding new homes. Put his on your calendar for next year. Keep an eye on
their website for details. www.vomarc.org
There is a new high school club in San Francisco, the Washington
Amateur Radio Club at George Washington HS in the Richmond district.
Organizing fireball is 14 year old Nathan Ng KI6PVO. Nathan’s Elmer has been
Dean Straw N6BV who lives near by. Dean got Nathan interested by attending a
Field Day in 2008 in the East Bay. By the fall of that year, Nathan was now
a Freshman at the high school and was actively working to interest other
students and forming the new club. Nathan and Dean arranged a class for the
students on a weekend masterfully put on by John Breckenridge WB6FRZ of
Windsor. Rich Freitas KF6FRZ, Brian Torr N6IIY, both of Santa Rosa, and I
assisted. The VE team was provided by the East Bay ARC. Sorry, I lost my
list of participants! Five students eventually earned their licenses and
Nathan upgraded to General. So Nathan, what’s new?
In March, ARES DEC Rich Freitas KF6SZA provided radio communications
training for the Roseland School District in Santa Rosa. Rich, whose
speciality is putting together training programs for ARES, was asked to put
together a simplified program for the District’s chosen communicators who
will be using FRS and GMRS radios for EmComm when needed. Most of those
taking the workshop had never held a radio before so Rich had to start from
the beginning and provide basic radio procedure training. His presentation
was so well received that the District has asked for more sessions. Way to
go, Rich.
The first weekend in May brought us the combined EmCommWest and
Pacificon 2009 in Reno, NV. This year’s attendance was more than double of
the year before with some really big names present. Riley Hollingsworth was
the main speaker and provided some insight into his replacement at the FCC,
Laura Smith. In short, Riley said that he would not want to be the subject
of her attention in an enforcement action. The seminars, vendors and events
were great and informative. There was something for just about everyones’
Amateur Radio interests. Plan on attending next year. Watch their website
for announcements. www.emcommwest.org
The Anchor Bay Amateur Radio Club has become an affiliated club with
the ARRL. At their May 18th meeting, their affiliation certificate was
presented to club President Jack Haverty K3FIV. It was a well attended
meeting and it is a great and active group! They also know the best BBQ
restaurant. Yumm... Welcome to the ARRL family of clubs! Check out the
photos at the SF Section website at ARRL.org.
CQ Field Day! My favorite time of the year - Field Day is upon us!
Where are you going? Use the Field Day locator at the following web address:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php
Be sure that your club puts their FD site on the locator so everyone can find
them. I’m running out of space here to write about individual club
activities for FD, so check individual club websites for information (yes,
they limit the size of our reports). Remember, to add 100 points to your
score, be sure to send your Field Day message to me via any station that will
receive it. Please be sure that it is in NTS format (good practice). Also,
if you want a report of your club’s Field Day in the Section News, send me an
article with pictures. I’ll get it in.
Save the date - The 2009 San Francisco Section Convention will be held
on Saturday, September 26th, at Saint Bernard’s High School in Eureka. This
year it will be a one day event capped by their famous dinner banquet. For
more information and reservations, check the website www.humboldt-arc.org
One of the things I really enjoy about this job is visiting other
clubs. Recently, I visited the San Francisco Ham Radio Club and made
presentations at the Redwood Empire DX Association and the Anchor Bay Amateur
Radio Club. Looking for a guest speaker for your meeting? Maybe I can help.
I generally have a subject I can present that would be of interest to the
members. Let me know if you would like a visit!
That’s it for now. More news as it comes in! CQ FD CQ FD.... Will I
hear you?
73, Bill
Page last modified: 11:07 PM, 17 Jun 2009 ET
Page author: kh6gjv@arrl.org
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