Riverside County Amateur Radio Association
Serving Hams in the Inland Empire of Southern California since 1955
Riverside County Amateur Radio Association’s Field Day 2024
Our Field Day event will be held at:
Fairmount Park, Picnic Shelter #1
2601 Fairmount Blvd
Riverside, CA 92501-2113
Shelter 1: Large gated shelter on the east side of the park near the intersections of
Locust Street, Fairmount Boulevard, and Bowling Green Drive.
Saturday, June 22nd 11:00 AM to
Sunday, June 23rd 11:00 AM
(RCARA will operate for 24 hours)
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
This 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.
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 …
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