We had a great Field Day for 2019! Thanks to all who participated!
Riverside County Amateur Radio Association
Serving Hams in the Inland Empire of Southern California since 1955
We had a great Field Day for 2019! Thanks to all who participated!
RCARA’S MVPs:
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR SERVICES:
Thank you to all the folks who contributed to the potluck picnic. There was an abundance of food and goodies to more than please the most discerning tastes.
MUCH APPRECIATION TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED, CONTRIBUTED AND DEDICATED THEIR TIME, EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES TO MAKE FIELD DAY 2019 A HUGE SUCCESS. If I forgot anyone, please remind me and forgive me for the oversight. We had a great team of volunteers… your time and efforts have not gone unnoticed.
The July 11, 2019 RCARA meeting will consist of an “AFTER ACTION REVIEW” for the purpose of discussing Field Day 2019 … goals, what was accomplished, what was successful, what went wrong and what the club can do to make future Field Days better.
Please come prepared to critique the FD but be mindful that if you have a criticism, you are expected to follow it up with a solution.
This is a meeting to help iron out some of the “wrinkles” that were observed followed by a suggestion for change to those areas that are in need of “fixing”.
Plan ahead and bring your constructive thoughts and solutions.
APPRECIATIVELY,
~Marlene
KK6CTX
If you wish to volunteer for specific duties or as needed, please sign up at the June 13 meeting OR contact Marlene
Boy Scouts from Troop 116 will facilitate the Opening Ceremonies at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday
Volunteers needed:
Members Only – Field Day 2019 (Updated 6-18-2019)
If you wish to volunteer for specific duties or as needed, please sign up at the June 13th meeting.
Boy Scouts (Troop 116 – not confirmed) will facilitate the Opening Ceremonies at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday
RCARA Field Day 2019 Technology Plan
Volunteers needed:
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.
On March 14, 2019 the meeting presentation will be on MESH Networking. Details TBD.
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.
IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ:
Check in to the RCARA Public Service Net tonight, 7:00 p.m. on the w6tj repeater.
Thursday, November 8th is the final FORMAL meeting of 2018 for RCARA. It is probably one of the most important meetings of the year because elections will be held for the new Board of Directors for 2019.
Please consider volunteering or nominating someone who is willing to be a part of the planning and implementation of club activities. Without these dedicated members, RCARA could cease to sustain the status of an outstanding and functional radio club. Nominations can be made from the floor at the November meeting prior to the election.
All positions are open for nominations. The following club members have volunteered to serve:
APPOINTED POSITIONS: All positions are open. The following members have volunteered to continue in their present roles:
Annual Club Dues for 2019 are coming up. There has been a change in the dues structure and amount as well as in the application methods. You can find the information on the w6tj.org web site in the Club Membership Link.
November 8 is the last day to submit your nomination letter for the Harry Crawford W6TJ Memorial Award or the LEJO Perpetual Award.
The Annual Christmas Party is scheduled for FRIDAY, December 14, 2018 at Kountry Folks Restaurant, 3653 La Sierra Avenue, 6:00 p.m. Further details on the web site in the Upcoming Events link.
Michael McBride K6MJM has come up with an “On Line Tech Class” using specialized software and will share details at the meeting. We will need a couple of volunteers to assist.
SOCIALIZING IS FUN TOO
Several of us meet prior to the meeting, 4:00 p.m. for dinner at the Kountry Folks Restaurant before proceeding on to the meeting. Everyone is invited to join us.
Tuesday, November 13 the Hungry Hams Lunch Bunch will gather at the Back Street Café, 3735 Nelson Street at Brockton, 11:00 a.m. Join us for some further socializing and camaraderie.
Your attendance at the November meeting is very important for the reasons stated above. I look forward to your attendance and participation.
Sincerely,
~Marlene
KK6CTX
FIELD DAY BEHIND THE SCENES:
W6TJ’s Field Day eQSL Cards
The tradition of exchanging post cards (QSLs) to confirm radio contacts goes back to the very first ham radio operators. The cards usually bore the call sign, and station and contact information, of the station sending. Many ham shacks even today have these cards plastered on their walls. ARRL Awards such as Worked All States, DX Century Club etc. required the submission of these cards as proof of contacts made. The ARRL manages bureaus for incoming and outgoing paper DX QSL cards, primarily for this purpose. For information go to ARRL.org web site.
In recent years online electronic QSLs have become popular through eQSL.cc.
These are often received in one’s inbox, shortly after a contact is made. Registration and use, is free, and set up is easy. Check it out at www.eQSL.cc.
For the past twenty years, Clair, K6LG, has been managing the W6TJ eQSL account. We have received many (800 to date) from our Field Day contacts, and other public demonstrations . All incoming eQSLs have been sent the W6TJ QSL shown below. Some of the incoming eQSL’s for Field Day contacts are also shown: