Click Below For Newsletter Postings
See The Current ARACC Newsletter
See The Past ARACC Newsletters
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WorldRadio Founder Armond Noble, N6WR Silent Key
(from ARRL)
Click Below For Newsletter Postings
See The Current ARACC Newsletter
See The Past ARACC Newsletters
________________
WorldRadio Founder Armond Noble, N6WR Silent Key
(from ARRL)
WorldRadio was published monthly from July 1971 until the end of 2008, when Noble sold the magazine to Hicksville, New York-based CQ Communications Inc. With its February 2009 edition, the publication was renamed WorldRadio Online and became the first online-only major Amateur Radio publication.
(Armond Noble shown here receiving a plaque from ARACC President Kim/KF6ZSW in 2006)
Noble -- an ARRL Life Member -- had a long and distinguished career in communications. From 1953-1955, he served in the US Army with a VHF radio relay unit. He went on to positions at commercial radio and TV stations around the United States, including: KTWO-TV and KATI in Casper, Wyoming; KOOK-TV in Billings, Montana; KTVB in Boise, Idaho; KERO-TV in Bakersfield, California; WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and KCRA Radio in Sacramento. During the Vietnam War, Noble was a reporter-photographer for TIME Magazine and the Milwaukee Journal. He also served in the TIME-LIFE bureau in Sacramento. -- Thanks to CQ for the information
New Rules for 5 MHz (60 Meters) To Go Into Effect March 5
(from ARRL)
Details can be found at,
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/03/2012-2477/amateur-radio-use-of-the-allocation-at-5-mhz
In summarizing the new rules, the FCC explained that the new rules amend the current rules to facilitate more efficient and effective use by the Amateur Radio Service of five channels in the 5330.5-5406.4 kHz band (the 60 meter band): "Specifically, and consistent with our proposals in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in this proceeding, the Commission replaces one of the channels with a less encumbered one, increases the maximum authorized power amateur stations may transmit in this band and authorizes amateur stations to transmit three additional emission designators. The Commission also adopts an additional operational rule that prohibits the use of automatically controlled digital stations and makes editorial revisions to the relevant portions of the Table of Frequency Allocations and our service rules."
The Amateur Radio Service in the United States has a secondary allocation on 60 meters. Only those amateurs who hold General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class licenses may operate on this band. Amateur stations must not cause harmful interference to -- and must accept interference from -- stations authorized by any administration in the fixed service, as well as mobile (except aeronautical mobile) stations authorized by the administrations of other countries.
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2012 Dates Set For The DX Convention, M2 Open House, Pacificon, 100th Anniversary Of The Titanic.
M2 continues its annual FREE Open House in Fresno -- March 17
The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster Museum Special Events Station -- April 14, 15
The Annual International DX Convention in Visalia -- April 20, 21 & 22
Pacificon 2012 at the Marriott Hotel in Santa Clara -- October 12, 13 & 14
For more details go to the Clubs and Organizations Link at the bottom of this page.
FCC Issues A Reminder That Hams Are Not Affected By Narrowbanding Mandate
FCC Releases New Rules for 60 Meters
(from ARRL)
November 18, 2011 -- The FCC has released a Report and Order (R&O), defining new rules for the 60 meter (5 MHz) band. These rules are in response to a Petition for Rulemaking (PRM) filed by the ARRL more than five years ago and a June 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). In the R&O, the FCC replaced one of the channels in the band, increased the maximum authorized power amateur stations may transmit in this band and authorized amateur stations to transmit three additional emission designators in the five channels in the 5330.6-5406.4 kHz band (60 meters).
The Amateur Radio Service in the United States has a secondary allocation on 60 meters. Only those amateurs who hold General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class licenses may operate on this band. Amateur stations must not cause harmful interference to -- and must accept interference from -- stations authorized by any administration in the fixed service, as well as mobile (except aeronautical mobile) stations authorized by the administrations of other countries.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES HAVE NOT YET TAKEN EFFECT. These new rules will take effect 30 days after they are published in the Federal Register. The ARRL will announce on its website when the rules are published. Additional information can currently be found on the web at,
http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-releases-new-rules-for-60-meters
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"THE LAST VOICE FROM KUWAIT."
"THE LAST VOICE FROM KUWAIT."
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Hurricane Watch Net Seeks New Members
(from ARRL)
"The Hurricane Watch Net relies on volunteer operators -- our members -- who serve as our net control stations," Harding said. "HWN members are hams who have above-average stations, are capable of effectively conducting HF net operations and are willing to commit their time to operating in support of the HWN's mission during Net activations." The HWN net operates on 14.325 MHz, so prospective members must be able to legally transmit on that frequency to participate.
Harding said that the HWN is looking for new members with stations that can effectively communicate with Central America and the Caribbean, Mexico and South Texas on the 20 meter band. "As we head into the 2011 hurricane season, we're looking for qualified amateurs who are located anywhere within North America or the Caribbean," he said. "We are also looking for bilingual hams. We recognize that some Latin American operators hesitate to check in and send reports to us if they aren't fluent in English, so we're also interested in hearing from hams who are fluent in both Spanish and English. When we're working storms that are either affecting or threatening areas where Spanish is the language of choice, we always try to have one or more bilingual HWN members on hand to help with reporting."
Harding explained that the Hurricane Watch Net is generally activated when a named Atlantic basin storm is within 300 miles of landfall. Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean runs from June 1-November 30, peaking from late August through September; the Pacific Ocean season runs from May 15-November 30. Of course, hurricanes may occur at any time of the year. National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center predicts that the 2011 hurricane season will see above-average activity with 12-18 named storms, with 6-10 of those storms becoming hurricanes. Of these storms, three to six could develop into major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a normal hurricane season as having 11 named storms -- including six hurricanes -- with two becoming major hurricanes.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Hurricane Watch Net, please visit the HWN website at http://www.hwn.org for further information.
Revised Spread Spectrum Rules to Go Into Effect April 29,
2011
(from ARRL)
Details on the revisions can be found on the web at, http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-adopts-spread-spectrum-rules-changes
Adopted February 22 and released March 4, 2011, the Report and Order eliminates the requirement that amateur stations transmitting Spread Spectrum use Automatic Power Control (APC) to reduce transmitter power. The Commission also reduced the maximum power of a Spread Spectrum emission from 100 W to 10 W PEP.
The Question Pool Committee of the National Council of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators has removed a related question, E1F13, from the Amateur Extra Class Question Pool. (SEE NEXT ARTICLE)
NCVEC Deletes Question from Amateur Extra Question Pool
(from ARRL)
In March 2011, the FCC -- acting upon a 2006 Petition for Rulemaking filed by the ARRL -- eliminated the requirement that amateur stations transmitting Spread Spectrum use Automatic Power Control (APC) to reduce transmitter power. At the same time, the Commission reduced the maximum power of a Spread Spectrum emission from 100 to 10 W PEP.
Anders encouraged those who administer Amateur Radio license exams to remove question E1F13 as soon as possible, but advised that it must be removed when the rules change goes into effect. The changes to Sections 97.311 and 97.313 of the Commission's Rules will be effective 30 days after the Report and Order is published in the Federal Register. The current Amateur Extra class question pool is effective through June 30, 2012.
ARRL Files Petition for Partial Reconsideration with FCC
Regarding Vanity, Club Call Signs
From ARRL News
In the R&O, the FCC took into consideration some of the ARRL's comments, but not all. The ARRL found it "disappointing" that the Commission refused to consider in this proceeding "a series of reasonable proposals aimed at increasing the available pools of Group A call signs." The ARRL, in its comments, asked the FCC to consider several changes that could be made "that would increase the number of desirable call signs available for assignment, both sequentially and in the vanity call sign program, and which would provide greater flexibility in the temporary assignment of special-event call signs in the Amateur Service."
While the ARRL did not seek reconsideration of this refusal, it noted that the Commission's "tersely stated dismissal of these proposals" should, however, be reevaluated in the near term in a separate proceeding. As such, the ARRL urged the FCC to remain open to "future, near-term proposals to address improvements to the sequential, vanity and special event call sign systems; to preclude abuses of the vanity call sign assignment system; and to remedy the serious shortage of available Group A call sign permutations."
The Petition for Partial Reconsideration can be found on the web at, http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021025735 .
New Amateur Radio Bill Introduced in Congress
From ARRL News
Rep Jackson Lee first introduced the bill -- HR 2160 -- in the 111th Congress in April 2009. It gained an additional 41 co-sponsors but did not progress out of the committee of jurisdiction. A similar bill introduced in the Senate -- S 1755 -- made it all the way through that body in December 2009, but likewise was not taken up by the House.
The objective of the bill -- which is supported by the ARRL -- is for the Secretary of Homeland Security to study the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio communications in emergencies and disaster relief and to identify and make recommendations regarding impediments to Amateur Radio communications, such as the effects of private land use regulations on residential antenna installations.
"We are hopeful that this early start will lead to success in the new Congress," commented ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ.
HR 81 can be found on the web in PDF format at, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr81ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr81ih.pdf.
New Rules Governing Vanity, Club Station Call Signs to Take
Effect February 14
From ARRL News
Thirteen months ago, the FCC announced its intention of modifying Part 97 as it applies to the vanity call sign system and club station call signs, aligning the rules to prior Commission decisions. Last month, the Commission released a Report and Order (R&O), outlining its decision. Along with the changes to the call sign rules, the FCC made "certain minor, non-substantive amendments" to portions of Part 97.
Software Defined Radio Dominates the 2010 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference
09/27/2010
By Ward Silver, N0AX
The turnout was excellent for the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference September 23-26 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington.
The three day conference included technical presentations on both Friday and Saturday, and an optional tutorial seminar on Sunday morning. Both Yaesu and ICOM attended as commercial vendors. Although not present at the conference, Kenwood contributed door prizes.
Software Defined Radio (SDR) was the dominant technical theme of the conference. Along with independent SDR developers, the Open SDR group gave a status update, George Heron, N2APB, introduced the SDR Cube www.sdr-cube.com/ project and the conference even featured an “introduction to SDR” forum. Another discussion that attracted a great deal of attention was a project to adapt analog radios to SDR at the IF.
Other conference highlights included a presentation by Rick Muething, KN6KB, on the status of WINMOR, www.winlink.org/WINMOR the sound-card-based HF digital protocol recently incorporated into Winlink’s RMS Express software package. WINMOR promises performance that rivals PACTOR III at a tiny fraction of the cost. Rick also discussed development of this new V4 protocol for keyboard-to-keyboard communication and was at the podium again Sunday morning with his DSP tutorial.
One of the most anticipated talks was given by Bruce Perens, K6BP, on the new Codec2 digital voice codec. This is an open source project that makes significant advances beyond the AMBE vocoder family without any of the licensing and patent issues that have hindered development of Amateur Radio digital voice systems. Bruce stated that by this time next year, the codec should be ready for late-beta deployment on the HF bands.
The complete list of presenters and topics is available at the TAPR Web site www.tapr.org
* Rick Muething, KN6KB.
* Mel Whitten, K0PF...
* N2ADR’s “All Di
All photos by N0AX
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FCC Allows Government Drills Without a Waiver as of September 3
Part 97 is the portion of the Commission's rules that govern the Amateur Radio Service. In the August 4th edition of the Federal Register, the FCC issued a summary of the R&O entitled Amendment of the Commission's Rules Regarding Amateur Radio Service Communications During Government Disaster Drills -- noting that the effective date of these new rules will be September 3, 2010.
“Experience has shown that amateur operations can and have played an essential role in protecting the safety of life and property during emergency situations and disaster situations,” the FCC noted in the R&O. “Moreover, the current Amateur Radio Service rules, which permit participation in such drills and tests by volunteers (ie, non-employees of participating entities), reflect the critical role Amateur Radio serves in such situations. However, as evidenced by recent waiver requests, state and local government public safety agencies, hospitals and other entities concerned with the health and safety of citizens appear to be limited in their ability to conduct disaster and emergency preparedness drills, because of the employee status of Amateur Radio licensees involved in the training exercises. We therefore amend our rules to permit amateur radio operators to participate in government-sponsored emergency and disaster preparedness drills and tests, regardless of whether the operators are employees of the entities participating in the drill or test. We find that extending authority to operate amateur stations during such drills will enhance emergency preparedness and response and thus serve the public interest.”
In order to allow participation in non-governmental disaster drills -- such as those sponsored by ARES® or private hospitals -- the FCC will now allow amateurs employed by an agency participating in such a drill to participate up to one hour per week. In addition, they may also participate in up to two exercises in any calendar year, each for a time period not to exceed 72 hours. “This time limitation, which is consistent with the timeframes contained in the waiver requests filed with the Commission, should serve to further ensure the use of Amateur Radio for bona fide emergency testing,” the R&O stated. “We emphasize that the purpose for any drills we authorize herein must be related to emergency and disaster preparedness. By limiting the purpose in this manner, we further ensure that such drills will be appropriately limited.”
In amending the Amateur Radio rules, the FCC reiterated that it does not intend to disturb the core principle of the Amateur Radio Service “as a voluntary, non-commercial communication service carried out by duly authorized persons interested in radio technique with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest. Rather, we believe that the public interest will be served by establishing a narrow exception to the prohibition on transmitting amateur communications in which the station control operator has a pecuniary interest or employment relationship, and that such an exception is consistent with the intent of the Amateur Radio Service rules.”
The effective date of the R&O is to be determined and will be at some time after its publication in the Federal Register. A more detailed story will be forthcoming from the ARRL.
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The FCC Proposes to Eliminate Spread Spectrum APC Requirement,
and other actions
(From ARRL Headquarters)
Spread spectrum techniques are methods by which the information signal of a particular bandwidth is intentionally spread in the frequency domain. At any point of bandwidth the SS emission occupies, either the power spectral density of the transmitted signal is reduced to a comparatively low level or the duration of a transmission on any frequency in the frequency segment is very brief. Consequently, stations in the same area can transmit SS signals without causing harmful interference to or experiencing harmful interference from each other or a station transmitting a non-SS signal over the same spectrum segment.
Back in 1985, the FCC authorized Amateur Radio stations to transmit SS emissions with a maximum transmitter power limit of 100 W PEP. To emphasize the experimental nature of spread spectrum as well as some of the potential benefits associated with it, the Commission authorized such transmissions on a secondary basis to other amateur service communications. At that time, the Commission noted that "to reduce the likelihood that SS transmissions from an amateur station could be made for the purpose of obscuring the meaning of a message, the Commission permitted only frequency hopping and direct sequence spreading techniques."
Fourteen years later, the FCC eliminated restrictions on spreading techniques "to allow amateur stations greater flexibility and permit them to use the SS techniques used in other communications services." The Commission also required stations transmitting SS communications with a transmitter power greater than 1 W to utilize APC to limit the transmitter power in accordance with a specific formula (permissible power is determined by the use of the ratio, measured at the receiver, of the received energy per user data bit [Eb] to the sum of the received power spectral densities of noise (No) and co-channel interference (Io); average transmitter power over 1 W shall be automatically adjusted to maintain an Eb/[No + Io] ratio of no more than 23 dB at the intended receiver).
In 2006, the ARRL petitioned the FCC, requesting that the APC requirement be eliminated, asserting that the APC provision has proven to be "virtually impossible" as it requires the operators of the transmitting stations to determine the transmitter power received at distant receivers and that this requirement has proven to be " something of a barrier to SS experimentation." The League further contended that the APC requirement could be eliminated without increasing the risk of harmful interference because:
* The station licensee or control operator of the station transmitting the SS emission would still be obligated under Section 97.313(a) of the Commission's Rules to use the minimum power necessary to conduct communications.
* Under Section 97.311(b) of the Commission's Rules, SS communications are already secondary to other Amateur Service communications.
In the NPRM, the FCC agreed with the ARRL that the APC requirement "may be unnecessarily impeding Amateur Radio operators in advancing the radio art," but the Commission does not propose to simply eliminate the APC requirement. Noting that the purpose of the APC requirement is to limit interference to other stations, the FCC pointed out that commercial broadband Internet service providers operating in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands argue that the APC requirement should be maintained in order to prevent interference to other users. They also referred to suggestions maintaining that if the APC requirement is eliminated, the FCC should lower the maximum power limit on amateur stations transmitting SS emissions so that interference is minimized.
Given these concerns, the FCC proposes to eliminate the APC requirement and reduce the maximum transmitter power output amateur stations may use when transmitting SS communications from 100 W to a peak of 10 W.
"We believe that this approach is consistent with both the ARRL's request that we eliminate a requirement that may be impossible to implement and the intent of the APC requirement to limit interference to other stations," the FCC stated in the NPRM. "We also believe that the proposed rule change would (1) encourage individuals who can contribute to the advancement of the radio art to more fully utilize SS technologies in experimentation, (2) balance the interests of all users in mixed-mode and mixed-service frequency bands until sharing protocols are sufficiently developed to avoid interference and (3) promote more efficient use of the radio spectrum currently allocated to the Amateur Service." The Commission is seeking comments on this proposal.
In the Order, the FCC made amendments "to correct the Amateur Service rules or conform them to prior Commission decisions." These revisions will take effect once they are published in the Federal Register.
The FCC noted that when they authorized Novice class and Technician Plus class operators to transmit in certain portions of the 80, 40, 15 and 10 meter bands in 2006, they intended to limit those stations' power in those bands to 200 W PEP, "but the implementing amendment to Section 97.313(c) inadvertently applied that power limitation to all frequencies authorized to Novice and Technician Class licensees. We therefore correct Section 97.313(c) to clarify that the limitation applies only in those bands."
The Commission also revised Sections 97.301 and 97.303 related to the 40 and 60 meter and the 70 cm and 9 cm bands to conform to the Table of Frequency Allocations (Table), and to references within the relevant sections of the rules. They also revised the frequency sharing requirements in Section 97.303 "to limit the summary to those frequency bands that are allocated to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis, and to present the requirements more clearly."
In addition, the FCC moved transmitter power limit information from Section 97.303(s) to Section 97.313, the section concerning transmitter power standards. Section 97.103(c) was amended to delete the cross-reference to Section 0.314(x) that was removed in 1999. They also removed the entry "1260-1270 MHz" from Section 97.207(c) that lists the frequency bands authorized to amateur space stations "because footnote 5.282 to the Table limits the use of that segment to Earth station transmissions."
Pursuant to Sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's Rules, interested parties may file comments on the NPRM on or before 30 days after date of publication in the Federal Register and reply comments on or before 45 days after date of publication in the Federal Register. Based on previous experience, the ARRL expects publication of the NPRM and Order in the Federal Register sometime in early spring. Instructions on how to file comments on the NPRM only are listed on pages 6-7 in the NPRM. The NPRM can be found on the web at,
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-38A1.pdf.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION REPORT
SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC KF6FIR, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
- Summer is here for sure--
I'm getting all the Field Day summary reports in all the newsletters. I have to say a fine job by all. Most operations covered the operational bands, had GOTA stations and attempted to get visitation and public access. Locations were varied, some high, others in local parks or at an EOC. Some were in large back yards!
They all had this in common: They had good company, good food and RADIO. Each site ran the gambit of complex to ultra simple. Multi-element arrays on 40+ foot masts perched atop higher elevations to NVIS wire antennas in wheat fields. Low power green sites, high power sites and even one with extra curricular entertainment that could be considered explosive!
My first Field Day was in 1964 and it was fun. The next year I was licensed for the next Field day. The memories are still with me.
73; Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here.
You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator (w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director (k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: The 2011 Southwestern Division Convention is 9 September. Please check www.hamconinc.org for information.
The Clovis ARP Amateur Radio and Electronics Swap Meet is September 24, 2011, from 8 AM to 11 AM, at the New Hope Community Church. Check www.k6arp.org for information.
The California QSO Party is October 1-2, 2011. Check www.cqp.org for information.
PACIFICON 2011 will be October 14-16, 2011 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara CA. Check for more information at www.pacificon.org.
The Turlock ARC Fall Auction is October 22, 2011. Check www.w6bxn.org for information.
The International DX Convention is April 20-22, 2012 at Visalia. Check www.dxconvention.org for information.
EMCOMMWEST 2012 will be May 4-6, 2012, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno NV. Check www.emcommwest.org for information.
The QCWA National Convention is September 24 to 27, 2012, in Reno. Check www.qcwa.org for information.
The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
The K6RAU (our Section Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
NEWS:
John K6YK who got first place in SJV for 222 and 902 MHz in the 2010 June VHF contest.
Ted K6XN just received an ARRL Contest Award for FIRST PLACE, SINGLE OPERATOR LOWPOWER, PACIFIC DIVISION, for the 2010 ARRL August UHF Contest with additional endorsements as Winner 222 MHz and Winner 902 MHz.
Top SJV Scores in the 2011 ARRL CW DX Contest were 1st N2NS, 2nd K6AAB, and 3rd N6EE.
W6IYS of Santa Rosa won the Pacific Division Low Power CW Plaque in the 2011 ARRL CW DX Contest. The Central California DX Club sponsors this plaque.
W6DPD has DXCC on 10 Meters.
HK1X won the 14 MHZ World Wide Phone Plaque in the 2011 ARRL Phone DX Contest. The Central California DX Club sponsors this plaque.
Contests:
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint 0030Z-0230Z, Aug 10
MMMonVHF/DUBUS 144 MHz Meteor scatter Sprint Contest 0000Z, Aug 12 to 2359Z, Aug 13
WAE DX Contest, CW 0000Z, Aug 13 to 2359Z, Aug 14
Maryland-DC QSO Party1600Z, Aug 13 to 0400Z, Aug 14 and 1600Z-2400Z, Aug 14
SKCC Weekend Sprint 0000Z-2400Z, Aug 14
SARTG WW RTTY Contest 0000Z-0800Z, Aug 20 and 1600Z-2400Z, Aug 20 and 0800Z-1600Z, Aug 21
ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest 0600 local, Aug 20 to 2400 local, Aug 21
Russian District Award Contest 0800Z, Aug 20 to 0800Z, Aug 21
North American QSO Party, SSB 1800Z, Aug 20 to 0600Z, Aug 21
ARRL Rookie Roundup, RTTY 1800Z-2359Z, Aug 21
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest 0100Z-0300Z, Aug 22
RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB 1900Z-2030Z, Aug 25
Hawaii QSO Party 0700Z, Aug 27 to 2200Z, Aug 28
SCC RTTY Championship 1200Z, Aug 27 to 1159Z, Aug 28
Kansas QSO Party 1400Z, Aug 27 to 0200Z, Aug 28 and 1400Z-2000Z, Aug 28
Ohio QSO Party 1600Z, Aug 27 to 0400Z, Aug 28
All Asian DX Contest, Phone 0000Z, Sep 3 to 2400Z, Sep 4
Colorado QSO Party 1200Z, Sep 3 to 0400Z, Sep 4
QCWA Fall QSO Party 1800Z, Sep 3 to 1800Z, Sep 4
Tennessee QSO Party 1800Z, Sep 4 to 0300Z, Sep 5
ARACC ++ Visit the Club website for some nice pictures and 6 months of events. Included is: Operating W6M at the Fossil Discovery Center in Madera, The awarding of a Scholarship at CART School in Clovis, new ham recognition and the support for the “Climb to Kaiser” bicycle event on Field Day. www.aracc.org
Clovis ARP ++ Mr. president Rob AE6GE, reports their fundraiser, a Fireworks Stand was a success. He also states the Picnic and Camp-a-long, will highlight the rest of the Month. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ Joe W0PJD, was recognized for his description of the aromatic Dayton Hamvention printed in the July Skip newsletter. Perry K6XJ talks about the QRP Field Day and the W6TO Field Day highlights are in the August Skip. www.w6to.com/
Kern County Central Valley ARC ++ The W6LIE 5A Field Day sported a visit from the Blackboard Free Press who was given a tour by Larry, KF6JOQ. Led by Nathan, WT6V and Mark, WI6J, 46 hams were listed in their logs. Good show, people. www.w6lie.org
Los Banos ARC ++ The July “Frequency” shows AA6LB's Field Day was a walk in the park! This accomplished by the Antenna launching artillery. The pictures show some great food too. www.aa6lb.org
Mountain ARC ++ Joe KI6IQY (Pres.) has some fine programs over the next couple of months. July was Search and Rescue Communications-Sgt Bernardi Sheriffs SAR, August will be on the ISS and September is WWII Radio. www.w6bw.org/
SIERRA ARC ++ Gene W5DQ offers a nice commentary on Field day for Ridgecrest. The next meeting is an Ice Cream Social! www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/
SEQUOIA ARG ++ Next meeting is October 8 and there will be Skywarn Training for Amateur Radio Operators and the public. www.sarg-krv.org
STOCKTON Delta ++ On July 16, 19 local hams from the Stockton, Manteca and Tracy clubs joined forces at Victory Park to track the elusive hidden transmitter. Mike K6MDS, from the Manteca Radio Club, started the hunt with a quick training session. www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ On July 24th, in Chowchilla, Grady K6IXA picked up needed radio equipment, from Guss Keith, KF6ZXO. This will enable the WB6BXN digi to cover Modesto area more efficiently. Guss requested that this donation be accepted in memory of his late wife Marlene, KG6DAK. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: Rick W6VFZ and Nick K6QPE. They will be missed.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages.
Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. This one is probably not in operation at this time.
The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time.
The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ.
Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time.
The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time.
Northern California Net 2 (NCN2) The slow speed training session of NCN, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills.
The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for July 2011:
ORS: WS6P 43, W6DPD 0, K6RAU 7, WB6VRJ 0, Total 50
PSHR:WS6P 120, K6RAU 56 Total 176
CTN (Calif Traffic Net): [June] 30 sessions; 524 msgs; 1247 ckins
CTN (Calif Traffic Net): [July] 31 sessions; 190 msgs; 1146 ckins
NNNNN
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Dan Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
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SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of June 2011:
SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC KF6FIR, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
-Just in time for Field Day, we say, “Hello triple digit temperatures!”
Although summer has finally arrived, many clubs and groups were faced with the task of finding new sites this year due to the remaining snow pack or the flood warnings. Those lucky enough to revisit their former plans found things a little easier. Still some changes caused small catastrophes. After all, Field Day was designed to be a challenge of portable operation.
Created in 1933, having just been allowed to operate portable without a special license, hams realized the need for practice off the power grid (and the fun of the challenge). As a non-contest, it sets goals to be attained. As an event and demonstration, we are able to practice our skills under abnormal but plausible conditions. This also exhibits our craft to the public and the powers that be. During the future planning of disasters, the Public and our leaders will remember the obvious uses of Amateur Radio, especially the fun part!
Now we will all have after action reports to discuss what worked and what did not. Please include your Public Information Officer or other public relations staffer. We all need to improve on our Advanced Notice of Field Day and how the Public can come visit. After looking at the Field day Locator Site on ARRL, I realized most of the accessible sites were not listed. Please consider this as your first stop next year.
73; Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here.
You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator (w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director (k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: The 2011 Southwestern Division Convention is 9 September. Please check www.hamconinc.org for information. The Clovis ARP Amateur Radio and Electronics Swap Meet is September 24, 2011, from 8 AM to 11 AM, at the New Hope Community Church. Check www.k6arp.org for information. The California QSO Party is October 1-2, 2011. Check www.cqp.org for information. PACIFICON 2011 will be October 14-16, 2011 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara CA. Check for more information at www.pacificon.org. The Turlock ARC Fall Auction is October 22, 2011. Check www.w6bxn.org for information. The International DX Convention is April 20-22, 2012 at Visalia. Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST 2012 will be May 4-6, 2012, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno NV. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. The QCWA National Convention is September 24 to 27, 2012, in Reno. Check www.qcwa.org for information. The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
The K6RAU (our Section Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
NEWS:
If you have a desire to help shape the future band plans for the VHF and UHF bands please join us at the Spectrum Management Committee or SMC for short. We can be found on the Yahoo Groups page, narcc-spectrum@yahoogroups.com. Everyone who uses the VHF or UHF bands are encouraged to get involved in your spectrum changes. Contact the Chairman of the Spectrum Management Committee, Shorty K6JSI at spectrum@narcc.org if you would like to participate. Your voice counts and we want to hear it.
Top SJV scores in the 2010 ARRL 10 Meter Contest were 1st KA6BIM, 2nd N6EE, and 3rd K6AAB. AA6K and W6DPD contacted all 13 colonies in the 2011 13 Colony Special Event.
W6XK earned the 75th Anniversary Worked All Zones Award.
After review, the ARRL and the National weather Service (NWS) renewed their Memo of Understanding (MOU).
The ARRL Homebrew Challenge will be accepting entries for the 6 and 10 meter CW/SSB transceiver (either single of both bands) until 1 November 2011
The Level One Emergency Communications course is open for sign ups until 17 July for the 29 July start date.
Welcome Phil Steffora, K6TT, the newly appointed Section Manager for Santa Clara Valley.
Contests:
+ IARU HF World Championship 1200Z, Jul 9 to 1200Z, Jul 10
+ ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint 2000Z-2359Z, Jul 10
+ QRP Fox Hunt 0100Z-0230Z, Jul 15
+ DMC RTTY Contest 1200Z, Jul 16 to 1200Z, Jul 17
+ CQ Worldwide VHF Contest 1800Z, Jul 16 to 2100Z, Jul 17
+ North American QSO Party, RTTY 1800Z, Jul 16 to 0600Z, Jul 17
+ RSGB Low Power Contest 0900Z-1200Z and 1300Z-1600Z, Jul 17
+ CQC Great Colorado Gold Rush 2000Z-2159Z, Jul 17
+ Run for the Bacon QRP Contest 0100Z-0300Z, Jul 18
+ RSGB IOTA Contest 1200Z, Jul 30 to 1200Z, Jul 31
+ US Counties QSO Party 1200Z, Jul 30 to 0600Z, Jul 31 and 1200Z-2359Z, Jul 31
+ ARS Flight of the Bumblebees 1700Z-2100Z, Jul 31
August 2011
+ European HF Championship 0000Z-2359Z, Aug 6
+ TARA Grid Dip Shindig 0000Z-2400Z, Aug 6
+ 10-10 Int. Summer Contest, SSB 0001Z Aug 6 to 2359Z Aug 7
+ ARRL UHF Contest 1800Z, Aug 6 to 1800Z, Aug 7
+ North American QSO Party, CW 1800Z, Aug 6 to 0600Z, Aug 7
+ SARL HF Phone Contest 1300Z-1630Z, Aug 7
Clovis ARP ++ CARP will be taking a summer vacation from regular club meetings. Be sure to watch the CARP website for activities and happenings. The next regular club meeting will be Friday, October 7th, 2011. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ Joe, W0PJD submitted an excellent commentary on the Dayton Convention. His observations included even the aroma, hi hi. There were great pictures from Field Day and an enlightening article on the Voice Of America site in Delano, CA. www.w6to.com/
Kern County Central Valley ARC ++ Mark WI6J forwarded Field Day pictures to me that told the story of a fun group, in a public park, making eyeball contacts as well as Qs. VE testing for new hams was provided and participation from the local disaster agencies was seen. www.w6lie.org
Los Banos ARC ++ The AA6LB Field Day was at the City Park. I received the Field Day Message to the SM via digital and Winlink from W6YD. Thank you. www.aa6lb.org
Mountain ARC ++ Alan, W6LSU, hosted the Mountain Club Field Day above Oakhurst. He reported a very pleasant outing and submitted an article to the local Newspaper. I think it is also of note that they teamed up with Mariposa CDF to run fire patrols during the 4th of July fireworks event. Thank you Alan W6LSU, Simon KB6CLV, Don W6WWT and others that took the time to help guard against the improper use and errant incident of fire in the forest. www.w6bw.org/
San Joaquin Valley ARS ++ Carole W6TTF and Jason N6EY reported a good Field Day, in spite of loosing some equipment to a recent fire. Also they are laying plans for their annual Extra Class to be completed by the 13 August VEC session. www.sjvars.com
SIERRA ARC ++ Summer is the time when the club goes “dark” for July and August. The next newsletter will be September. Hopefully I will be able to report on their Field Day at Upjohn Park. www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/
SEQUOIA ARG ++ For those that want to see pictures of a contented Field Day, look in the Kern River Voice, hi hi. Somewhere, at every Field day Site, there should be the place where the group gathers and exchanges tall stories. Great job people!!. www.sarg-krv.org
STANISLAUS ARC ++ A nice reminder of the amateur Radio Operator Ethics. The newsletter has a great spread on a tower and antenna installation. It is very reminiscent of the “Barn Raising” of yester year. For those interested in receiving FEMA credentialing take note that IC 200 and 800B are being offered during July, so check that out. www.saraclub.net
STOCKTON Delta ++ Charlie WB6NVB’s wheat field was the site for another great Field Day. I think it notable that the success they experience is directly due to the tried and perfected plan and cooperation exhibited at the June meeting. An example to follow and that they use in all the events that they participate. Also, a good job on the new Voter repeater site! www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ Technology: E-books and I-gadgets with e-Readers have access to Ham Radio books on the cheap. Very fine pictures of Field Day at Lake McSwain. Comfort and Top of the line equipment are very evident. Grady K6IXA shows great poise, and Ken KF6IDK (Merced ARES EC) has a serious toy box full of equipment. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: John KA6LNO, Dave WB6GJG, and Arthur WB6NTF. They will be missed.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages.
Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. This one is probably not in operation at this time.
The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time.
The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ.
Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time.
The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time.
Northern California Net 2 (NCN2) The slow speed training session of NCN, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills.
The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for June 2011:
ORS: WS6P 0, W6DPD 0, K6RAU 12, W6SX 5, WB6VRJ 0, Total 17
PSHR:WS6P 0, W6SX 28, K6RAU 66 Total 94
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Dan Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
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SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of December 2010: SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC KF6FIR, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
QST! Happy New Year!!
Yes, another calendar is filed in the round file and we are anxiously trying to fill up the New 2011 Calendar as fast as we can. All the anticipation starts anew as we contemplate renewing eyeball QSOs at the recurring Fests and Conventions. I want to recall some high points for me during this last year, just to slow the slippery decent into 2011.
I'm grateful to be able to join with dedicated Section Managers in the Pacific Division and I enjoy promoting Amateur Radio in all the forms and modes available. I am also proud to be associated with organizations that provide Public Service to our communities, and I intend to continue to support these activities.
I like to offer my personal gratitude to all those individuals that expend immense amounts of personal energy to help inform the public about Amateur Radio. They are the same ones that involve all who are not as able, but create the bond we call Ham Radio.
I think we mended some Emergency Communication irregularities and are growing there. We have started to get the word out a little more. We have also recognized some things we need to improve. So here are my Goals in 2011:
+ A uniform Public Information especially to the Youth.
+ More contact with the Clubs (I missed a few last year!)
+ Better Networking and Trafficking using Amateur Radio.
+ Your input is also needed, how do we enjoy the hobby?
I am looking forward to Communicating and helping others do the same. That means having Fun!
73; Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here.
You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator
(w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director
(k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: Palm Springs Hamfest 2011 is 29 January. See desertrats.am for information. The International DX Convention is April 15 to 17, 2011. Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST is May 6 to 8, 2011 in Reno. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. SEA-PAC is June 3 to 5, 2011. Check www.seapac.org for information. The 2011 Southwestern Division Convention is 9 September. Please check www.hamconinc.org for information. PACIFICON 2011 will be October 14-16, 2011 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara CA. Check www.pacificon.org for information. The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
The K6RAU (our Section Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
NEWS:
New vanity call-sign rules take effect February 14, 2011
New General Class Question Pool released on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 will take effect July 1, 2011.
Contests:
+ MI QRP January CW Contest 1200Z, Jan 8 to 2359Z, Jan 9
+ North American QSO Party, CW 1800Z, Jan 8 to 0600Z, Jan 9
+ ARRL RTTY Roundup 1800Z, Jan 8 to 2400Z, Jan 9
+ EUCW 160m Contest 2000Z-2300Z, Jan 8 and 0400Z-0700Z, Jan 9
+ ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes 1900Z, Jan 22 to 0359Z, Jan 24
+ NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint 0130Z-0330Z, Jan 27
+ CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW 2200Z, Jan 28 to 2200Z, Jan 30
+ SPAR Winter Field Day 1700Z, Jan 29 to 1700Z, Jan 30
+ Vermont QSO Party 0000Z, Feb 5 to 2400Z, Feb 6
+ 10-10 Int. Winter Contest, SSB 0001Z, Feb 5 to 2359Z, Feb 6
+ EPC WW DX Contest 1200Z, Feb 5 to 1200Z, Feb 6
+ Minnesota QSO Party 1400Z-2400Z, Feb 5
+ Delaware QSO Party 1700Z, Feb 5 to 0100Z, Feb 7
Clovis ARP ++ The clubs online newsletter is one of the most current knowledge bases I've seen. Their articles cover subjects that highlight modern technology from a Ham's point of view. Mainly responsible is Rob AE6GE. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ 2011 Officers: Pres- Tom KG6KYU, VP- Craig K6QI, SEC-Jim WA6NIF, TREA-Ron N6MTS. Thanks to Dave, W6TE, who has retired as the Editor for SKIP, and to John K6MI for taking on the challenge. This month reports on the Christmas Dinner and awards recipients. www.w6to.com/
Los Banos ARC ++ The editor of The Frequency, graciously accepted a plaque in recognition of his efforts of the clubs newsletter. Attaboy George, W6YD! www.aa6lb.org
MANTECA ARC ++ Officers for 2011: Pres-John AF6JP, VP-Mark, W6MRK, Sec-Mike, K6MDS, Treas-Mark, W6MEM.
SEQUOIA ARG ++ 2011 Officers are: Pres-Mike KA6IYS, VP-Chuck KI6GOG, SEC- Marty, KC6RIZ www.sarg-krv.org
STOCKTON Delta ++ Repeater repairs completed. A valuable lesson in the “Ham denied entrance to heaven”. 2011 Officers are: Pres-John NQ6Z, VP-John KD6FVA, TREA-Peter KD6CPA, SEC-Bev KG6EFD. www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ 2011 Officers: Pres-Bobby WB6BRU, VP-Darren K6RDJ, SEC-Phyllis N6KAK, TREAS-Mike KG6VLF. As always a very enlightening stories in the ARCOVER. Many examples of Ham Radio from connecting D-Star to 6L6 tubes, Christmas Floats, DX contacts of over 20 years and 3 generations. Thank you. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: Bennicha ex KE6UOL and John WA6VML. They will be missed.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time. The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time. The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for December 2010:
ORS: WS6P 85, W6DPD 0, K6RAU 10, W6SX 20, WB6VRJ 2, Total 117
PSHR:WS6P 98, W6SX 44, K6RAU 81 Total 223
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Dan Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
>> SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of November 2010:
SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC VACANT, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
Fellow Hams;
It was a bit of a sobering experience, taking stock of all the hams that attended the Directors meeting on Saturday. There were recently licensed hams, hams that have had their ticket for many years, hams that were engineers, and hams that were filled with questions. One thing that they all had in common was (to be gentle) maturity! I know I did not see anyone under 40 and most were well advanced of the half century mark!
Now the discussion that developed from this realization was that more than 50% had been bitten by the “bug” early in life. We all tried to reason why there were so few young hams today. The consensus was that we are keeping it a secret. We do not demonstrate the hobby enough. The comments reported were, “...ham radio, is that still around?” Also, “I used to do CB radio, same thing right?”, other similar ear piercing static of the like.
How did we find out about Radio? Where did radio go? Most people see it as talk radio on the broadcast band, some actually believe it as CB, or the more modern FRS, GMRS or MURS version of communications. They don't connect modern technology with Amateur Radio, even though we use computers, build communication devices, operate remotely and use all kinds of repeater linking protocols.
We were shown radio when compactrons and acorn tubes were state of the art. We were taught about twisting filament leeds, drawing schematics and calculating wavelengths. All had to be learned, but there was always someone to ask, and it is still done that way.
OK, what is the point; we need to show off! Work within your club or group and set up a station in a public venue. Invite Scouts, students, relatives and their friends to meetings and events. Take the parents out to the shack with their children. Echolink can be done from anywhere, to anywhere. There is a regular Youth Net out of East Bay Section, in our own Pacific Division, every Saturday, 2:00 PM local time Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737. Have some fun!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, 73; Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here.
You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator (w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director (k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars:. Palm Springs Hamfest 2011 is 29 January. See desertrats.am for information. The International DX Convention is April 15 to 17, 2011. Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST is May 6 to 8, 2011 in Reno. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. SEA-PAC is June 3 to 5, 2011. Check www.seapac.org for information. The 2011 Southwestern Division Convention is 9 September. Please check www.hamconinc.org for information. The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
Contests:
ARRL 10-Meter Contest 0000Z, Dec 11 to 2400Z, Dec 12
International Naval Contest 1600Z, Dec 11 to 1559Z, Dec 12
Russian 160-Meter Contest 2100Z-2300Z, Dec 17
OK DX RTTY Contest 0000Z-2400Z, Dec 18
Lighthouse xmas Lights QSO Party 0001Z, Dec 18 to 2359Z, Jan 2
The K6RAU (our Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
ARACC ++ The Quarterly Bulletin was stocked with all their activities from bicycle races/tours, involvement in the Army MARS program and Microphones of every shape and size. New officers for 2011 Kim KF6ZSW, Pres. Randy K6VAU, VP. Gene W7POR Treas. Dan KI6FLR, Sec. www.aracc.org
Clovis ARP ++ The Clovis Club is getting proficient with their T-Hunts and are talking of expanding them make them accessible to more hams. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ The Fresno Club highlights their annual Swapmeet. The up coming Christmas Dinner and the San Joaquin Field Day top 15 or so, scores. www.w6to.com/
KINGS ARC ++ Skywarn Recognition Day preparations at WX6HNX, are covered in depth. The first reports show a great turn out and great contacts on a “Long” 75 Meter band. Headed up by Bruce KD6DRU, the coordinator, participants from at least 3 counties made it a great 24 hours. www.qsl.net/ka6q
Los Banos ARC ++ The Frequency talks of thanking our Veterans in the month of Thanksgiving. Glad to hear about helping with the Christmas Parade. www.aa6lb.org
SEQUOIA ARG ++ Excellent cartoon indicating a Happy-Face Sun to represent good sunspots, hi. www.sarg-krv.org
STOCKTON Delta ++ New officers: Pres John NZ6Q,VP John KD6FVA and Treas Peter KD6CPA. A new twist to learning the code, “ZEN AND THE ART OF RADIOTELEGRAPHY” is reviewed. www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ Support for the 'Move Your Bones' and 'Turkey Trot' charitable events are described. Grady K6IXA sums up some new happenings with TAPR and RMS mail. We are looking forward to pictures of the Christmas Parade Float. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report:
Patricia KG6APE, Dan KI6CEH and Jack KG6ZYT. They will be missed.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time. The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time. The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for November 2010:
ORS: W6DPD 0, K6RAU 14, W6SX 12, WB6VRJ 3, Total 29
PSHR:WS6P 145, W6SX 36, K6RAU 91 Total 272
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Daniel L Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________________________________
>> SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of August 2010:
SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC VACANT, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
Hey, Where did the year go!
Halloween stuff on the shelves, and the Holidays are next. We had some wind here the last couple of days, which reminded me to check my guys and weather seals.
Before I forget, Congratulations to Bob Vallio W6RGG, for being re-elected as Pacific Division Director and Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT as Vice Director. We can expect his consistent and diligent stewardship throughout his next three years.
September is National Disaster Preparedness Month and traditionally ARRL sponsors an Amateur Radio Awareness day. This year is a little special with the ARES 75th Anniversary. Please send anything you have on your activities for this event. Also the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) guidelines are out. Please feel free to contact me regarding them.
Pacificon seems to be shaping up nicely, this year. I’m looking forward to learning, meeting and catching up with friends. As usual the speakers and the food will be excellent.
A personal observation on band conditions has given me some pleasure on 15 Meters. The openings are there and it has been great operating during those times. Contacts are reminiscent of a time when they were more than just 59 and 73. I had a great time operating during this last AA contest while mobile on vacation. Do not forget 10 and 6 meters either!
Enjoy the change in the weather. Ours dropped over 30 degrees! I had to find long pants and a sweater, hi hi.
Ham it up!
73,
Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here. You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator (w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director (k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: Southwestern Division Convention 17 September 2010. Check www.sandarc.net for more information. The Clovis ARP Swap Meet in September 18, 2010. Check www.k6arp.org for information. The California QSO Party is October 2-3, 2010. Check www.cqp.org for information. The California Historical Society (CHRS) Central Valley Chapter Swap Meet is 9:00 AM on October 2, 2010, at Building B4 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock. Check www.californiahisrtoricalradio.com for information. Pacificon 2010 is October 15-17, San Ramon Marriott. Check www.pacificon.org for more information. The Turlock ARC Auction is October 23, 2010. Check www.w6bxn.org for information. The International DX Convention is April 15 to 17, 2011. Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST is May 6 to 8, 2011 in Reno. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
Contests:
Friday, September 10- Straight Key Party.
Friday & Saturday, September 11 & 12 – ARRL VHF QSO Party
Friday, September 19- North American SSB Sprint.
Saturday & Sunday, October 2 & 3 – California QSO Party
RESULTS:
2010 ARRL International DX Contest (Phone)for SJV
# Call Score # Call Score
1 KT6YL 198,468 10 W6DPD 22,680
2 AA6K 170,328 11 K6YV 21,762
3 N2NS 126,405 12 K6LE 14,175
4 N6YMM 109,500 13 K6CSL 7,560
5 KE6SHL 71,595 14 NA6G 3,321
6 N6ZM 43,845 15 K6MI 510
7 N3RC 32,562 16 K6UMO 432
8 K6AAB 29,388 17 KD6CPA 12
9 W6SX 26,112
The winner of the Don Wallace W6AM Memorial Award for World Wide 14 MHZ Phone in the 2010 ARRL International DX Phone Contest was F6KHM operated by F8DBF. This award in sponsored by the Central California DX Club, W6MEL.
The K6RAU (our Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
BARA ++ Doing some downsizing. Check out their site for SWAP items. www.w6bar.org/
Clovis ARP ++ CARP is having a Swap meet, 18 September. Contact Rob ae6ge@k6arp.org for details. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++. The annual Picnic is well documented in SKIP. An Inverted V made with 450-ohm ladder line is described. www.w6to.com/
KERN/CENTRAL VALLEY ARA ++ PSK was the program for the meeting. National wildlife Week will be celebrated with a special event station on October 10th and on the 16th. N6W will operate on 14.240 +/-. See www.nwrweek-radio.info for details for the 5 station certificate and stations operating the whole week. www.w6lie.org
KINGS ARC ++ Overhaul is now complete, the N6DL repeater 147.330 is up and running and sounds great! www.qsl.net/ka6q
Los Banos ARC ++ September 11 is SWAP Night. Details were discussed at Pizza night while reviewing pictures of the Ice Cream Social. I like your style, hi hi. www.aa6lb.org
SEQUOIA ARG ++ A concise discussion of recommended resources for emergency supplies. I'll look these up myself. www.sarg-krv.org
SIERRA ARC ++ Program for Sept will be "Are you smarter than a non-ham". A group quiz, can you still pass your test? What a great idea. www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/
SJVARS ++ Exhibitions of kit projects have been regular meeting programs. Nice to see the Hands on approach. www.sjvars.com
STOCKTON Delta ++ Very nice story about a recently acquired WRL VFO. NCCC 40th Birthday will yield a certificate by contacting 40 members signified by stroke 40 calls (call sign/40). www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ Turlock Amateur Radio Club Fall Auction is Saturday, October 23, 2010. The club is the proud recipient of a Genie Man lift. What an asset! www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: Fred, KD6DYH, Don, WB6TFU and Ron, K6ZL. They will be missed.
Please support HR 2160, The Amateur Radio Emergency Enhancement Act of 2009, please go to this link for information: www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/12/10818 . Senate Bill 1755s also needs your support.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time. The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time. The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for August 2010: ORS: W6DPD 0, K6RAU 14, W6SX 3, WB6VRJ 0, Total 17
PSHR: K6RAU 81, W6SX 24 Total 105
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Daniel L Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
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SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of July 2010:
SM Dan Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC VACANT, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
Greetings, and Happy Vacation!
It seems to be that time of year when we are thinking about “Getting Out Of Dodge”. Many of the Clubs are doing Picnics, Ice Cream Socials and Camp-outs. Here we are, over half the year is gone, the weather is great, and the first thing that comes to mind is Radio? Well, I guess I'm a Ham because everything I do includes, “How can I check in on the net from the road”, or “How much gear can I hide in the car before the wife boots me out” and being an old SWL, “How many SW Broadcast Stations can I copy, in English, and MW AM Broadcast stations while under the starlight of the night sky”. Yes, I have plans later this year, and it includes radio.
It would be great to get some comments and stories from Hams of the San Joaquin Valley. There may be some already out there from Field Day or from a contest site. Some are exciting, like being chased by bears or bees. Mostly, they are the special moments we enjoy about a QSO or project. Also we have those personal goals that include contests, awards and the elusive DX. These are what lures new hams and keeps them interested.
On another subject, I attended a volunteer oriented discussion regarding the annual 'Great Shakeout' disaster drill, held in October. If anyone is participating in this, please keep me apprised of your involvement by emailing me. Put “ Great Shakeout” in the subject line. www.earthquakecountry.org
I'm happy to report Ed Hanna KF6FIR, SJV's New DEC is effectively working with the ARES groups in the North as Hal Clover KC5LUB has been as DEC in the South. Please feel free to contact the DEC in your area for all ARES and EmComm concerns.
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here. You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator (w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director (k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: Santa Barbara Section Convention 14 August 2010. Check www.sbarc.org for more information. Southwestern Division Convention 17 September 2010. Check www.sandarc.net for more information. The Clovis ARP Swap Meet in September 18, 2010. Check www.k6arp.org for information. The California QSO Party is October 2-3, 2010. Check www.cqp.org for information. Pacificon 2010 is October 15-17, San Ramon Marriott. Check www.pacificon.org for more information. The Turlock ARC Auction is October 23, 2010. Check www.w6bxn.org for information. The International DX Convention is April 15 to 17, 2011. Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST is May 6 to 8, 2011 in Reno. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. The ARRL National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara in October of 2012.
Contests:
10-10 Int. Summer Contest, SSB Aug 7 – 8
North American QSO Party, CW Aug 7 – 8
ARRL UHF Contest Aug 7 - 8
ARRL Rookie Roundup, SSB 1800Z-2359Z, Aug 15
SCC RTTY Championship Aug 28 - 29
The K6RAU (our Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau. No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and following the instructions.
The Turlock ARC celebrated 60 years of ARRL Affiliation in July 2010.
Top SJV scores in the 2010 International DX Contest (CW) were 1st AF6EV, 2nd K6YK, and third W6SX.
KK6LT earned Phone DXCC.
AA6K and W6DPD contacted all 13 Colonies special event stations between July 1 to July 5, 2010. They earned the clean sweep on their certificates. This special event is on the air from July 1 to July 5. They have a different certificate subject each year. Check www.13colonies.info/ for information on the special event.
ARACC ++ Led by Gene W7POR and Randy K6VAU, the club worked with the Kaiser Pass Bike Race Team. -- EDITOR'S NOTE:-- President Kim KF6ZSW shared Base Control and says more than half the ARACC membership participated. Don W6WWT, with his 'Have repeater, will travel', ensured coverage for the mountainous course. www.aracc.org
Clovis ARP ++ Picnic this week, then it's off to the mountains, with radios in tow. Rob AE6GE has the activities planned like a cruise director. A monthly T-Hunt also, with Rob and Dave W6TE as the fox. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ Field Day pictures in the 'Skip' show some of the gear and operators. There is a reprint of the history of first VHF contact between W and KH6 in 1957. www.w6to.com/
KERN/CENTRAL VALLEY ARA ++ Field Day pictures in their newsletter, capture the moments of Boy Scouts and wide-eyed youngsters beside hams spanning multiple generations. The Ham Cram was also a success. www.w6lie.org
KINGS ARC ++ Nominations for the BOD are open and they are looking to complete the repeater upgrades and be operational by the months end. Check out the details at: www.qsl.net/ka6q
Los Banos ARC ++ Field Day pictures depict a genuine fun feel. www.aa6lb.org
SEQUOIA ARG ++ The newsletter photos of Field Day show a pristine site. A very intense discussion of a “Genderless” Battery is worth reading. It got my attention! www.sarg-krv.org
SIERRA ARC ++ The Ice Cream Social will be held on 11 August at 7 pm. Things have been a little warmer than some places, (wild fires) so we wish them the best. www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/
SJVARS ++ Mr. President Jason N6EY (a new TS), is delegating Club projects that cover all aspects of Ham radio. His constituents are doing club Programs, kit building and currently Carole W6TTF is leading an Extra License Class. www.sjvars.com
STOCKTON Delta ++ Wow, on the Wheat Field Pictures. A restored all wooden minesweeper will soon moor in Stockton. The vintage radio room needs restoration. AA6K's 13 colony Certificate is displayed in the August newsletter. The club PICNIC is 14 AUGUST. www.w6sf.org
TURLOCK ARC ++ A very detailed description of Field day is in the Arc-Over. Very nice thank you from the Merced County EMS to the Merced ARES EC Ken KF6IDK. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: Vinton WA6VZG and Glenn KA6WBY. They will be missed.
Please support HR 2160, The Amateur Radio Emergency Enhancement Act of 2009, please go to this link for information: www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/12/10818 . Senate Bill 1755s also needs your support.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:00 PM local time. The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time. The Young Ham Net every Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R 271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for July 2010:
ORS: W6DPD 0, K6RAU 17, W6SX 15, WB6VRJ 6, Total 38
PSHR: K6RAU 78, W6SX 38 Total 116
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Daniel L Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of June 2010: SM Dan
Pruitt, AE6SX- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC VACANT, OOC N1VM, STM
K6RAU, PIC K6QI, TC W6TE.
Field Day, great stuff!
I think every other sentence this month, contained ‘Field Day! I
know my thoughts were focused toward that end. Now that 2010 is in the
bag, I’m still thinking of what needs to be fixed for 2011, hi! Have
to keep the successful parts also! It was fun to just operate,
casually and enjoyed our host’s fair, and the improved conditions
over last year. W1AW was heard on many bands, and they claim over 3K
Qs, including Left Coast contacts. I know we heard them on the bands.
Some changes in the Appointments. There will be a new Section
Emergency Coordinator next month. Hal Clover KC5LUB accepted the NEW
position of District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) serving from Madera
County South, in San Joaquin Valley. One of his first duties will be
to replace “TEX” N6RDN, EC of Western Kern County. As of 30 June
Tex has retired and “Escaped” back to Texas, naturally, hi hi.
Thank you Tex for all you have done, 73!
A Northern DEC will be named also in July. Both of these positions
should work directly with the State and NGO Regional control outlines.
In the meantime I am assuming the duties of SEC so feel free to contact
me for any of your ARES EmComm issues. I will also be making
excursions into the North San Joaquin Valley in the near future.
Please send a couple of snaps from your Field Day. I would like to
show the diverse locations and styles, ty.
73; Dan AE6SX
As space allows I will enjoy relaying any events or occurrences that
illustrates Amateur Radio as a hobby and public asset. It need not be a
newsletter, if you think it important, it probably should be here.
You should also send your newsletter to the Affiliated Club Coordinator
(w6dpd@arrl.org) and the Director (w6rgg@arrl.org) vice director
(k6jat@arrl.org) and to ARRL HQ (clubs@arrl.org).
Mark your Calendars: Santa Barbara Section Convention 14 August 2010.
Check www.sbarc.org for more information. Southwestern Division
Convention 17 September 2010. Check www.sandarc.net for more
information. The Clovis ARP Swap Meet in September 18, 2010. Check
www.k6arp.org for information. Pacificon 2010 is October 15-17, San
Ramon Marriott. Check www.pacificon.org for more information. The
Turlock ARC Auction is October 23, 2010. Check www.w6bxn.org for
information. The International DX Convention is April 15 to 17, 2011.
Check www.dxconvention.org for information. EMCOMMWEST is May 6 to 8,
2011 in Reno. Check www.emcommwest.org for information. The ARRL
National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa
Clara in October of 2012.
Contests:
IARU HF World 10-11 July 1200Z.
CQ WW VHF 17-18 Jul 1800 to 2100Z.
North American QSO Party, RTTY 17-18 Jul 1800 to 0600Z.
RSGB IOTA 24-25 Jul 1200Z.
European HF 7 Aug 0000Z.
10-10 Int’l SSB 7-8 Aug 0001Z to 2359Z.
The K6RAU (our Traffic Manager) Morse Code Instruction Course is
available at www.kj6art.com or www.pdarrl.org/k6rau.
No need to know a "dit" from a "dah", simply with paper and pencil, and
following the instructions.
BARA ++ Nice ideas about preparedness and EMP protection in May, and
Field Day was at a member’s house in June.
www.W6bar.tripod.com/index.htm
Clovis ARP ++ Tune in to see how the CARP club survived their
fundraiser. www.k6arp.org/
FRESNO ARC ++ Jim W6ALE has a great article on RC Aircraft in Fresno.
Also LOTW is discussed by Chuck W6DPD and 12V battery back up by Jim
WS6X. www.w6to.com/
KERN/CENTRAL VALLEY ARA ++ Looks like they will be moving their club
meetings, most likely to the Veterans Hall on Ridge road.
www.w6lie.org
KINGS ARC ++ King’s Club joined with the Skywarn guys at WX6HNX for
Field Day and a Bar-B-Q. Santa Rita Peak repeater work is still
progressing. www.qsl.net/ka6q
Los Banos ARC ++ Field Day in the park, cool! Now the Ice Cream
Social 10 July, hi. www.aa6lb.org
SARA ++ Field Day pix galore. What more can you ask; Good site, Bon
fire, food and “Man’s best friends”, good job. www.saraclub.net
SEQUOIA ARG ++ Fire Safety and Field day at 8K feet, were discussed,
well done. www.sarg-krv.org
SIERRA ARC ++ One day Sprint style Field Day focusing on the NEW Hams
on the GOTA station and operating 2B. www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/
SJVARS ++ Field Day was a repeat of last year in Centerville, lite on
CW but heavy on PSK. Good Public announcement and even a tickle from
the media. www.sjvars.com
STOCKTON Delta ++ The Flysheet has good pictures of Field Day and a
great link to practical Antennas. Looking forward to seeing the report
on their NVIS ops during Field Day. AUGUST 14 is the date of the club
PICNIC. www.w6sf.org
TULARE Co. ARC ++ See the outstanding story of a new hams first Field
Day by Gloria W6NRS. Also a fine description of the phonetic alphabet.
www.tcarc.net
TURLOCK ARC ++ Summary of Root Beer Floats and swap meet plus an n
excellent description of mutual aid and Search and Rescue are
described. www.w6bxn.org
The following Amateurs became Silent Keys since the last report: N6BWW
Frank and KG6DAK, Marlene. They will be missed.
Please support HR 2160, The Amateur Radio Emergency Enhancement Act of
2009, please go to this link for information:
www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/12/10818 . Senate Bill 1755s also
needs support.
Need to take an Amateur exam? Are you having an exam? Check the ARRL
web page, www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml for exam information.
You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area and register
your exam. Instructors can also register classes there.
Card Checking in the Section: You can get cards checked for awards
within the section. W6XK, K6ZZ, and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC
in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may
now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160-meter cards or
cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their
discretion, check cards for WAS, WAC, and VUCC. W6DPD and K6ZZ can
check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, Field, and Prefixes. The card
checkers may also check applications for the IARU Region 2 Award. ARRL
Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF
Awards Manager for VUCC.
The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets
nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training
session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time.
Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The
Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or
near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and
6:00 PM local time. The Noontime net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net
handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets
nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets
nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time. The Young Ham Net every
Saturday 2:00 PM local time 145.230 –0.6 PL 100 or Echolink KR6DD-R
271122 or N6WN-R 477737
Traffic for June 2010:
ORS: W6DPD 0, K6RAU 25, W6SX 0, WB6VRJ 13, Total 38
PSHR: K6RAU 87, W6SX 20 Total 107
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ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section
Section Manager: Daniel L Pruitt, AE6SX
ae6sx@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MARS Gets New Name As It Fine Tunes Mission
(From ARRL)
The DoD defines a "military auxiliary" as "an organized body of volunteers prepared to supplement the uniformed services or any designated civilian authorities by provision of specialized autonomous services when called upon or when situations warrant," and gives the Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary as examples of auxiliaries.
In the past, MARS had focused primarily on emergency communications and health and welfare support. The DoD's Instruction now directs the three MARS services to provide "contingency radio communications" to support US government operations, DoD components and "civil authorities at all levels," providing for national security and emergency preparedness events. MARS units will still continue to provide health and welfare communications support "to military members, civilian employees and contractors of DoD Components, and civil agency employees and contractors, when in remote or isolated areas, in contingencies or whenever appropriate." MARS must also be capable of operation in "radio only" modes -- without landlines or the Internet -- and sustainable on emergency power (when public utility power has failed); some MARS stations must be transportable for timely deployment.
The Instruction, however, does not mention which of the three MARS services will take the lead when responding to events. According to sources, this has been seen as a critical issue in conforming to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that calls for "unity of command." As now constituted, the three separate MARS services are supposed to "interoperate," but command-wise, each operates independently. Some MARS members had urged clarification on this issue to avoid confusion during an emergency, sources said.
The Secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy are to encourage participation in MARS, the Instruction states, saying this may be accomplished "by establishing and funding an active MARS program within each Military Department, which shall then assign a MARS-licensed staff representative to manage operations, readiness, planning, procedural and technical development, documentation, standards, training, equipment, program and membership administration, and other matters necessary for mission accomplishment."
The Secretaries are also tasked with bringing new personnel into their MARS services. The Instruction calls on them to establish programs "to promote civilian interest, recruit qualified volunteers, sponsor them for basic background checks and furnish them suitable training in contingency support communications."
The Instruction also dictates that MARS leaders will now report to three DoD officials; before this revision, they only reported to one person. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security and Americas Security Affairs (ASD [HD&ASA]) now has primary responsibility for the MARS Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission. In addition, MARS leaders will report to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration/DoD Chief Information Officer (ASD[NII]/DoD CIO) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness (ASD[L&MR]). In the 1998 charter, oversight of MARS was assigned to a single top official, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence.
This revision -- which was years in the making -- keeps the Navy/Marine Corps MARS intact; until now, members of this MARS service were concerned that their part of MARS might be terminated by Navy commanders.
The Instruction also gives some new perks to MARS members. Active duty military personnel who are affiliated with MARS may be able to earn Reserve points based on service in MARS and, in cases of permanent change of station, qualify for weight exemption for transportation of MARS communications equipment. All members may be considered for benefits associated with DoD civilian service, such as access to DoD morale, welfare and recreation Category C recreational facilities and access to DoD credit unions.
Membership in any of the three MARS services is open to qualified active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel, as well as those in civilian agencies who report to civil authorities or their supporting organizations (including nongovernmental organizations) and private US citizens who meet age, education and other criteria -- such as an FCC-issued Amateur Radio license -- imposed by a DoD Component MARS office.
________________
MARS Cuts Ribbon on New Pentagon Station
(From ARRL)
MARS, which began in the early 1950s, started as a worldwide network of shortwave radio enthusiasts who would spring into action in the event of a nuclear war or natural disaster. Thousands of civilian and military ham radio volunteers manned the system. With service members deployed far from home, or even overseas, MARS provided health and welfare messages called MARSgrams, allowing soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to keep in touch with their families back home. Today, those shortwave broadcasts have been superseded by the Internet; many service members use cell phones and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to speak with loved ones.
In the event of an emergency, high-frequency communication is generally the first to recover, and even the most modern technology can get overloaded. At the ribbon cutting ceremony, PARC member Allan Hubbert, KH6ILR, noted that there were communication problems during President Barack Obama's inauguration earlier this year: "During the inauguration, there were so many people on cell phones that it system was overloaded. We [hams] could still operate, and we helped back up the system down on the [National] Mall." More than 60 volunteers help to man the Pentagon MARS station.
With more than 6000 volunteers worldwide serving Army MARS, Air Force MARS and Navy-Marine Corps MARS, the system now backs up the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "There have been many crises or disasters that have struck where the first word out of an area is via [Amateur Radio], and someone has their little gas generator going," Grimes said. "That's not likely to change any time soon." -- Thanks to the Department of Defense for some information
________________
"The following article is reprinted as a reminder of the important changes the branches of the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) are playing in serving the public interest. Hams who decide to volunteer in the MARS program, are involved in a high level of service to their country."
MARS to Assist TSA "When All Else Fails"
(From ARRL)
"This is an extensive area and will require member support across the continental United States," Harrison said in a broadcast announcement to Army MARS participants. "We will need many volunteers to man teams assigned to specific geographical areas, starting with airports throughout the hurricane corridor." She called for "physically capable" Amateur Radio operators to volunteer for the assignment.
The first airport emergency support teams will be located at four airports in the Florida hurricane belt: Miami, Ft Myers, Jacksonville and Pensacola, Harrison said. She added that recruiting will immediately follow for nine additional potential hurricane targets from Washington, DC to Houston. In a later phase -- but as soon as possible -- additional teams will be recruited for other hurricane locations including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and after that, the remainder of the continental US.
The emergency support teams -- each consisting of four members of MARS -- are being assembled under joint sponsorship of MARS and the TSA, with deployment assignments determined by the TSA when and if the government's communication systems fail. "Volunteers should be within a reasonable traveling distance to the airport. It will be their responsibility to get to the site when activated," said Harrison.
The Memorandum of Understanding, which is already in place, calls for using MARS networks, personnel and equipment to maintain communication during the first 72 hours of incidents involving aircraft, mass transit and pipelines. Seventy-two hours is considered the maximum time needed for federal response organizations to deploy internal emergency communication systems.
The MoU spells out the most extensive MARS support mission since the development of the Essential Elements of Information (EEI), which date to the 1994 Northridge earthquake that devastated parts of California's San Fernando Valley. EEIs are alerts to the Pentagon of a natural disaster or other incident that might require a federal response.
In a memo to MARS personnel, Harrison included the following points:
The Navy-Marine Corps and Air Force MARS organizations are included in the call for volunteers, via their separate chains of command.
Army MARS state directors will be responsible for formation of the joint teams.
All deployments will be by team, each with a combination of equipment and operator capabilities and members ready to work 12-hour shifts. Some locations may ultimately require more than one team.
Required equipment for each team will include HF and VHF radios with voice and digital capability, Pactor/Airmail digital messaging, phone patching and emergency power.
Some locations may have TSA radio gear and emergency power supply to augment the hams' personal equipment. A particular MARS responsibility will be to provide communication interoperability with local, state and national networks, such as the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and Shared Resources (SHARES). A separate web of national and regional HF radio networks, SHARES links federal agencies under the DHS's National Communications System (NCS), of which MARS already is a primary participant.
The pact calls for a reliable back-up solution "to ensure the continuity of TSA's command and control function during the first 72 hours following any incident interfering with normal communications channels and to provide local, regional and nationwide TSA communications during that time." The existing Army MARS emergency communication network offers such a solution immediately and at no additional cost to the TSA, the MoU points out.
Under the MoU, the TSA agrees to provide MARS volunteers with access to its facilities and space for radio equipment. It further agrees to integrate MARS capabilities into its emergency planning and exercises. The Army's commitment includes providing "volunteer MARS radio operators, equipment, and use of the MARS radio networks" and developing "alert procedures and a communications support plan" that "will identify specific frequencies, call signs, and radio operator level duties." Harrison stressed that the decision to volunteer rests with the individual. "The Army has no liability over a member who reports to a disaster site; members will be responsible to TSA personnel."
Harrison told the Army MARS membership that she's "very excited" about the new agreement. "This will be a fast-moving recruitment/development action, and I request your support in filling these teams."
The chiefs of Air Force and Navy-Marine Corps MARS also are onboard with the new agreement and have messaged their respective memberships to signify their participation and cooperation with Army MARS. Air Force MARS Chief Don Poquette, AGA3C/KE9XB, has pledged his members' support. "AF MARS will assist to accomplish this mission," he said, pending working out logistical details.
Harrison says she and her headquarters staff met recently with TSA and DHS representatives to formalize the details of the cooperative arrangement. She said MARS area coordinators will provide specific requirements to state MARS directors to recruit members and equipment capabilities to support TSA.
Signing the MoU on behalf of the Army was Col Mary Beth Shively, chief of staff, Network Enterprise Technology Command/Ninth Army Signal Command. James Schear, general Manager, Operational Plans and Programs, endorsed it for the TSA. Headquartered at Ft Huachuca, Arizona, the Ninth Army Signal Command oversees the Army MARS mission. -- Bill Sexton, N1IN
NARCC REJECTS 2-METER REPEATER BAND CHANGES - SETS THREE YEAR MORATORIUM & STUDY
(Gene Davis/W7POR)
As discussion developed, it was obvious there were several not-so-hidden agendas at play by the proponents of the ICOM and JARL technology called D-STAR. This is a digital speech method, considered to be generally incompatible with firmly entrenched analog FM. It had earlier been disclosed that their attempts to locate D-STAR devices in the spectrum reserved for Packet and digital data, had been side tracked by a Federal Communications Commission ruling that a repeater is a device which retransmits a signal at the same time it receives it. Therefore it was not allowed in the digital spectrum. It had been a victory for Packet users represented by the Northern California Packet Association (NCPA).
The D-STAR promoters concluded there was no place for them to go in the two meter band. They subsequently convinced the NARCC Technical Committee, and much of the Board of Directors, that changes had to be made in the coordinated band plan to open up channels for them. Possibly influenced by a recent FCC mandate to force commercial channels to reduce their bandwidth to 12.5 KHZ, the committee apparently believed Amateur repeater owners should follow that directive, even though the FCC has not imposed such a plan on Ham Radio Repeaters. A sour note was injected when the authors of Plan A,B and C concluded ,”NO WHINING ALLOWED.,” a warning evidently directed to anyone who disagrees with them.
There was apparent disregard to the economic and technical hardship imposed on repeaters and their users to move their frequencies, modify radios and re-tune duplexers and cavities. There was no mention of the specter of creating complicated intermodulation components resulting from new sets of mixes in high radio frequency environments. It was also disclosed that many user radios are not capable of squeezing down to 12.5 KHZ band widths and readjusting deviation to below 4 KHZ.
Members were reminded that NARCC is not an enforcement agency. It has been involved in coordination and conflict resolution and is only authorized by the FCC to do that. A close look at NARCC’s own repeater list sees substantial numbers of repeaters who have chosen not to join, but otherwise are in compliance with the long standing band plan. Those representatives evidently were not consulted nor allowed to participate, as only dues-paying members could vote. It was pointed out that NARCC’s coordination credibility would be further impaired if it enacts such a sweeping plan, simply to satisfy a handful of wishful channel seekers.
A claim was made that NARCC coordinators are stressed by a “waiting list” of people who want to secure their own two meter channel. Several members reminded the group there is no such thing as a waiting list, and it has always been up to the individual to do research, find a repeater pair, give it a try, and if there is no conflict, seek coordination. So, the waiting list myth was rapidly dispelled, and was probably used to justify band changes. The question was posed as to the meaning of “full.” No matter how much room you create, it’s probably only a matter of time until “full” is attained again. What happens then?
There was considerable discussion about so-called Paper Repeaters, i.e., those which are not on the air, even though they are listed in directories. Complaints also were voiced about repeaters which regularly announce the time, but have little actual activity. It could be suggested here that users should maintain repeater activity to show we’re on the air. Steve Allred, K6SCA, of Fiddletown,CA, who finally withdrew his support for the Technical Committee’s re-farming plan, said he had received FCC and ARRL statements that such quiet repeaters could be unilaterally removed from the coordination list. Others disagreed, saying there is no rule defining low or sparse activity in order to sustain coordination. Others reminded the group that while their machines may be quiet, they quickly spring into action to serve the public in an emergency situation. It was decided that NARCC will seek an official, legal, written opinion on its powers, and not rely on personal statements made on the telephone to one individual.
One final note – High marks go to Sue Allred, K6SZQ, of Fiddletown,CA, the new NARCC President. She conducted one of the most productive and organized meetings I have witnessed in several years.
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