Returning to in person meetings

July 12, 2021

Hi All,

This virus has been a real kick in the backside, hasn’t it!  I for one am very glad to be seeing lockdowns and quarantine restrictions moving into our rearview mirror.

We planned the 2021 Field Day with the possibility that the COVID restrictions might be extended which translated into a one day park event without our normal banners, advertising and public table.  Although we kept a lowered profile we still had a few visitors.  John (W7RSO) made his chili and while the “secret ingredient” still needed to steam off it was darn good!

For the first time in over a year, we have had an in person meeting.  We had to change our venue but the feedback I’ve received from the members in attendance was encouraging.  Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Riverside Seventh Day Baptist Church for the use of their Fellowship Hall.

We covered planning of the club’s upcoming 66th Anniversary and Carrie (N6LMA) gave us a great presentation on Net Etiquette.

Please join us for the August meeting to help celebrate 66 years of Ham Radio in Riverside County!  Watch your email for an RSVP from Juan (AJ6PH), we need to know how much pizza we need to order.  We will have a “show and tell” so bring out your projects and brag about your endeavours!

73

Alan / KM6KPW

Remote VE Testing Information

During the 2020 COVID-19 isolation lockdown the Ham Radio community has seen the need to continue with VE testing.  New licensees testing for their Tech license as well as those upgrading their license ticket while they have time to study.

The Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group VEC has created a protocol for VE remote testing.  Below are two documents contributed by our members that are VE’s participating in the GLARG testing:

Remote VE Testing  Short Overview and the Long Version

Study hard and when you are ready to test, get on the GLARG’s calendar.

 

Thank you to Doug (KK6D) and Jim (AG6EA) for filling in the blanks!

First ‘Meeting on the Air’ success

To the RCARA members,

Holy cow, we did it!  This thing really worked!

Thank you all who made this “Meeting on the Air” a success.  We had a good working check in round and an even better round of discussion about the 2020 Field Day.  The discussion for all the ideas worked out great with members contributing to all sides of Field Day in world where we all have to live in our own isolation bubble. 

I want to say a sincere “Thank You” to the members that pointed out the faults and flaws in some of the ideas brought up – “It’s easy to stay quiet and go with the flow but pointing out the bad idea and why it’s a bad idea is honestly just as important.  Sometimes more so.”

Thank you Rick KK6CTT for turning the “Parking Lot Picnic” into the “Mobile Simplex Breakfast“.  You turned a good intentioned idea into a working Ham Radio exercise that we can still keep as a social event within the club.  Please join us this Saturday (Apr 11, 2020) for breakfast in your driveway!

73!

Alan KM6KPW

Field Day 2019

 

ANNUAL AMATEUR RADIO / EMERGENCY PREPARATION

FIELD DAY 2019

June 22 – 23 2019

 

*** Field Day 2019 Shining Stars! ***

 

The community is invited to join the Riverside County Amateur Radio Association at Martha McLean Anza Narrows Park, 5759 Jurupa Ave., Riverside, CA for a weekend of outdoor Amateur Radio. The event is open to the public and is free of charge. The activities begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and run through 11:00 a.m. on Sunday

Martha McLean - Anza Narrows ParkThis is a great opportunity to learn about Ham Radio and how you too can be prepared for emergency communications when disaster strikes.  Additionally, ham radio is a great hobby for all ages and affords many opportunities to utilize the airwaves to communicate with others who have similar interests.  Ham operators are service oriented and often help out when needed during events such as marathons, races, search and rescues, as well as communications after major storms, flooding, fires, etc. 

Several organizations will join us to help demonstrate survival techniques, emergency preparedness, safety methods and other helpful resources.  There will be many opportunities to learn how to become a licensed ham operator and experience several features of the new trends and digital functions of radio communications.

Come join us and see what it is that we do and how to do it.  When a disaster strikes, we can communicate without electricity, cell phones or computers relying only on battery, generators or solar power.

February 14, 2019 Meeting Presentation – DMR

The title of our February presentation will be “DMR The Mysteries Exposed”

Our featured guest speaker will be Michael Rickey AF6FB.  He has been a licensed ham since about 1982 and is now an Extra.  He knows and lives DMR, but more important he can bring it down to the simplest of levels.

Michael is well versed in Motorola and the Chinese radios on the market today and can answer many of your questions.

His web site can be found at http://mrickey.com/

Michael says he is mostly active on UHF – Analog, D-Star, and DMR.  You will frequently find him on the DMR using the SoCal (31066) or California (3016) talk groups.

Please join us and bring a friend or two to hear about the current trends in DMR.  You know you want to learn more and this is the best of the best.

Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and location is at the La Sierra University Church, 4937 Sierra Vista Ave. in Riverside, CA.  Talk in is on the w6tj repeater.

🎄 A YEAR IN REVIEW – RCARA 2018 ⌛

A YEAR IN REVIEW …

Congratulations to the new and returning RCARA 2019 Board of Directors and Appointed Positions:

• President – Michael Anderson W6OSO
• Vice President – Alan Serl KM6KPW
• Treasurer – Jim Wiley AG6EA (continuing)
• Secretary – Margaret Albanese KC6UDH
• Director of Communications – Ron Braley KE6RYX (continuing)
• Membership Chair – TBD

• W6TJ Trustee – Don Williams KD6UVT (continuing)
• Web Master – Alan Serl KM6KPW (continuing)
• Sunshine Chair – Art Sutorus – AA6CA (continuing)
• Club Photographer – Rick Schirmer KK6CTT (continuing)

Your service to RCARA is greatly appreciated and we wish you well in your leadership roles. Please don’t hesitate to call on the former/past Board Members for assistance and advice. We will be happy to help in any way we can.

Appreciation was received for the outgoing 2018 Board Members:

• President/Membership Chair – Marlene Odebralski KK6CTX
• Vice President – Rick Golden NI6AU
• Secretary – Carrie Smith N6LMA

Thank you for doing a great job.

The Annual Christmas Party was another fun and successful event with approximately 40 guests in attendance. We shared a lot of laughter, congratulatory acclaim, award presentations as well as some unique items in the gift exchange. The food and service was good as was the camaraderie.

Recipient of the 2018 Harry Crawford W6TJ Award was presented to Alan Serl KM6KPW for his outstanding work as the Web Master. He has done an exemplary job in restoring, updating and maintaining our web site.
The 2018 LeJo Perpetual Award went to Rick Schirmer KK6CTT for always being at the wrong place at the right time or vice versa. Rick is one of those “doers” who will always lend a helping hand, solve problems and give back to the ham community in too many ways to count. Both awardees are well deserving for their many contributions.

Nathan Albanese, son of proud parents Phil and Margaret Albanese was welcomed as the newest and youngest club member having passed his Tech test the day before the party. We welcome you and look forward to many good things.

The victors of the 4 door prizes (Three $100 gift certificates for HRO and a Baofeng HT) are:

• Madeleine Haas KM6QCF
• Loreen Wynja KF6ACY
• Donna Beveridge KK6UDF
• Don Bower AG6HQ (thanks to Ted KM6AYC for the donation)

The next club meeting will be on Thursday, January 10, 2019. Check the web site for updates: w6tj.org

In conclusion, I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you for your support during the past year. We planned, implemented, celebrated and enjoyed many facets of ham radio … friendships were made; information was shared and support was given to one another. May we continue to grow and harvest what we do in a positive direction.

With all good wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year, de.

~Marlene KK6CTX