Category: club

Club posts and pages maintained by the Club Officers and Board Members.

Field Day 2020

Posted on by w6tj-admin

Riverside County Amateur Radio Association Field Day 2020

This year due to public health guidelines and restrictions the warning label around any Field Day gathering should probably be changed from our normal 

to the more timely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As such, the Board and membership have made the painful choice to abandon our normal Field Day park gathering and “Class A” operation in favor of promoting Field Day on an individual operator level.

As such, please check the ARRL Field Day rules for what class you will be operating under.

That said – Please check back as the RCARA Board will be discussing some challenges and contests for our members.  We may have to be away from each other but that does not mean we have to be out of reach!

Stay Safe and keep making contacts!

Remote VE Testing Information

Posted on by w6tj-admin

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

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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

Simplex Social Breakfast

Posted on by w6tj-admin

Please join us on the third Saturday of the month for a for a social simplex breakfast Net!  Grab your coffee and bagel or other breakfast items, get on your rig and be social!  Our original Net plan is to be a round robin Net with relays from operators that are able to hear a weak signal and pass on the traffic where possible.

This Net will be a once a month Saturday morning Net to hone your Amateur Radio skills in Simplex communications.  The frequency being used will rotate from month to month, please see the frequency plan below. 

Take a break from counting TP squares and join us on the air!

 

When: The third Saturday of the month at 11:00 AM

Where: Your choice

How: 11:00AM to 11:30 AM Simplex – Simplex mode, No offset / No PL tone

Monthly Frequency Plan

Month Band Frequency Coordinator
January 70 CM 446.00 Mhz
February 2 M 147.510 Mhz
March 70 CM 446.00 Mhz
April 2 M 147.510 Mhz Alan KM6KPW
May 70 CM 446.00 Mhz Alan KM6KPW
June 2 M 147.510 Mhz
July 70 CM 446.00 Mhz
August 2 M 147.510 Mhz
September 70 CM 446.00 Mhz
October 2 M 147.510 Mhz
November 70 CM 446.00 Mhz
December 2 M 147.510 Mhz

Additional Net Coordinators are needed!  If you are interested in hosting a net, please notify Alan (KM6KPW) or any other Board member know.

 

Donated Equipment for sale (Club Members Only)

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March 4, 2020

Following is a list of items for sale.  Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing any of this equipment.  They will be on display at the March 12, 2020 meeting.

Proceeds from the sale will go to the Repeater Fund

All prices are approximate as-is or for parts.

  1. Inductor – make offer
  2. VHF FM Amplifier – make offer
  3. 110V relay – make offer
  4. Autek research active filter QF1 – $200
  5. Yaesu FT227R 2 meter parts only – $25
  6. Yaesu Landliner – $50
  7. Yaesu FT 208R HT with NC 8A battery charger – make offer
  8. Daiwa RF Speech Processor $90
  9. Drake W7 Watt Meter  $120
  10. Drake TR7 Transceiver – $350
  11. Drake PS7 power supply (dated 1980) – $75

~Marlene KK6CTX

xmadamxx@aol.com

 

Club Officers for the year 2020

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Riverside County Amateur Radio Association

Elected Officers for the Year 2020

 

Alan Serl KM6KPW

President

km6kpw @ scrnet.com

Mike Yasmer KM6LOR

Vice-President

coyotegrad @ gmail.com

Jim Wiley AG6EA

Treasurer

jameswiley757 @ gmail.com

Margaret Albanese KC6UDH

Secretary

malbanese @ dslextreme.com

 

Ron Braley KE6RYX

Director of Communications

(951) 369-5149

 

 Marlene KK6CTX

Director of Membership

xmadamxx @ aol.com

Appointed Positions for 2020

Pending

Sunshine Chair

 Rick Schirmer KK6CTT

Photographer

rngr86 @ juno.com

 Alan Serl KM6KPW

Webmaster

km6kpw @ scrnet.com

 

Ham License Study Guides

Posted on by w6tj-admin

Here are some of the Ham License Study Guides that our club members have found useful:

Get your FRN number

Register with the Federal Communications Commission to obtain your FRN number.  Every Amateur Radio Operator needs to have a FRN at the test time.

eHam.net

The practice exams on eHam.net are up to date pools of questions.  This is great for checking your readiness for a real test.

Ham Test Prep (Android App)

This is a great practice test app.  Webmaster comment – “I used this to study for the General exam on lunches and breaks at work”

 

Testing at Field Day 2019 – One Tech and Two General!

RCARA 10 Meter Net

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Please join us on Tuesdays nights at 7:00 PM on 28.420Mhz USB for a 10 meter Round-Table Net.  If the frequency is in use the alternate is 28.410MHZ USB.  Antenna polarization: Vertical.

The purpose of the 10 meter Net is to develop and improve our skills in bands of radio communications that are available but unfamiliar to many club members.

Technician Class license holders have Voice (Phone) privilege on 10 Meters between 28.300 Mhz and 28.500 Mhz meaning all licensed operators can participate.

Because of the sunspot activity is limiting 10 Meter propagation, our RCARA Net coverage area is expected to include Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Anyone interested in taking a turn as Net Coordinator, please contact KM6KPW (Alan).  Feedback (negative and positive) is greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks & 73!

Alan – KM6KPW

 

Tally for the Tuesday Night 10 Meter:

May 26, 2020 June 2, 2020 June 9, 2020 June 16, 2020 June 23, 2020
Regular Check-ins: 4
Guests/Visitors: 0
TOTAL CHECK-INS: 4
Coordinator: Alan KM6KPW Alan KM6KPW Alan KM6KPW Alan KM6KPW Alan KM6KPW

* Subject to audit