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Book Recommendation: Ham Radio Boost by Lucien Koch-DH7LM

James Smith-KK6YAM recently picked up a copy of Ham Radio Boost written by a German ham Lucien Koch-DH7LM.

James said “although it is a non-technical book, I think many hams can find it helpful to get some pointers on ham radio, keep motivated to make contacts, and not get drawn down into the nuts and bolts of the hobby. I found that I picked up some great ideas on focusing on enjoying ham radio and not over engineering things.”

James added that “if you find yourself buried in projects and parts as I have, this book can be your way back to being a ham station operator.”

Whether you are an experienced ham or just beginning your amateur radio journey, this book encourages you to try new things, and think differently about the hobby. Koch reflects on his own radio lessons and provides tips and tricks to overcome your stumbling blocks – and bring your ham radio experience to a new level.

The book is available in paperback and e-book formats on Amazon.

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2024 CVARC Board of Directors Elected

The 2024 CVARC Board of Directors was elected by acclamation at the November 16, 2023, General Meeting. Board members serve for a one-year term beginning January 1, 2024.

President: Daphne Vandervalk – KN6TXX

Vice President: Ed Zimmermann – N6XEW

Secretary: Craig Grimm – KD6NFD – (Keith as backup)

Treasurer: Christian Ylagan – K6CAY

Operations: Martin Hickey – AJ6CL

Technical: James Smith – KK6YAM

Publisher: Andy Ludlum – K6AGL

Social: Mike Felio – K6MJF

Education: Keith Elliott-W6KME

Public Relations: April Taylor – KN6QQW

Member at Large: Zak Cohen-N6PK

Member at Large: Warren Wegerer-K6WKW

Member at Large: Huston Herman-KK6WT  

Member at Large: Ron Topolinski-K6CPR

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Field Day Results Published

The Field Day results have been published in the December edition of QST Magazine. And once again CVARC had the biggest operation in the country at 18A. Those of you who worked Field Day probably experienced having operators asking to reconfirm “18-Alpha,” probably thinking they were not hearing correctly. Congratulations to our Field Day Chair Keith Elliott-W6KME, the band captains and everyone who worked so hard to pull off another great Field Day. Above you can also see the results from the other Ventura County clubs. VCARS and Simi Settlers worked at 11A and VCARC was 12A.

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President’s Message

Hello CVARC members, families, and guests!

Ed Zimmermann-N6XEW

October is in the books. 10 Meters was still on fire! Get on the air and make contacts. The CVARC Extra Class starts in November. Also starting up is an ZOOM self-paced General Class.  

The CVARC Picnic was Sunday, October 22nd at Conejo Community Park in Thousand  Oaks – and wow, what a great location! Beautiful surroundings, plenty of room to spread out and as usual Mike Felio–K6MJF did an excellent job grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs. As it was potluck, there were some wonderful homemade dishes presented and consumed.  A great, and filling, time was had by all who attended. Thank you all for making this a success. And thanks to Martin Hickey–AJ6CL for scouting and reserving the location. I am sure we will be there again very soon. 

November is another busy month.

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Results of the October 8th VE Session

CVARC held a VE session on October 8th. There were 5 candidates, and 4 new licenses or upgrades were earned: 1 Technician, 1 General, and 2 Extra. Among those who earned new licenses or upgrades at the session were:

Mel Chandler                   Extra                      AK6DK

Huston Herman             Extra                      KO6AFN

Daniel Armitage            General                 KO6BSL

Shannon Porter             Technician           KO6BSK

CVARC conducts exams on the second Sunday of each even-numbered month. The next session is scheduled for Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 8:30 A.M. at the East County Sheriff’s Station. All applicants must pre-register.  No walk-ins will be permitted. To register, please email Andy Ludlum at agludlum@gmail.com. Call him at 818-370-3402 with any questions.

CVARC VE sessions are sanctioned by the ARRL VEC and are made possible by a team of experienced Volunteer Examiners. Participating Volunteer Examiners at the session included: Ken Sandberg-KS3I, Zak Cohen-N6PK, Noel Van Slyke-K6NVS and Keith Elliott-W6KME.

CVARC Volunteer Examiners donate their time to help advance amateur radio and their assistance is greatly appreciated.  VE sessions are one of the components that help CVARC qualify for the ARRL’s Special Service Club designation.

Submitted by Andy Ludlum-K6AGL, CVARC VE Session Coordinator

Upcoming VE Sessions

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URGENT NOTICE: New Location for November Meeting

Due to remodeling at the East County Sheriff’s Station, we had to move the location of the Thursday, November 16th club meeting. It will be held in the Oak Room at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza/City Hall. (Those of you who are ACS members know this room as the Thousand Oaks EOC.)

The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is located at:
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

  • From the 101 freeway take the Hampshire off-ramp. 
  • Go north to Thousand Oaks Blvd.
  • Go 3/4 miles west on Thousand Oaks Blvd. to the Civic Arts Plaza on the left.
  • Go to the “theater area” on the 2nd level of the Civic Arts Plaza.
  • The EOC is in the Oak Room at the east end of the Reflecting Pool.
  • There are no events at the Fred Kavli Theater Thursday so parking should be available in the City Hall parking lot.

The next regular club meeting will be held on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 7:30 P.M. at the Oak Room at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza/City Hall.

Topic – Gadgets For Your Shack, Radio Gifts for Yourself: The CEO of DX Engineering, Tim Duffy-K3LR, an active ham for over 50 years, will talk about new and upcoming products – everything you’ll need to complete your holiday shopping wish list!

Special note: if you can’t attend the meeting you can still participate via ZOOM, details below.

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Tickets Go On Sale for Holiday Party and Big Raffle

Now is the time to get your tickets for this year’s CVARC Holiday Party on Thursday, December 21, 2023. The event will begin at 5:30 P.M. at the Best Western Posada Royale, 1775 Madera Road, Simi Valley. The party is not to be missed with a festive banquet, raffle prizes and the naming of the Hugh Bosma Award winner.

Tickets are $33 per person. You can buy tickets starting the October meeting or reserve your seats now with Zak Cohen-N6PK at n6pk@cvarc.org.

The winners of two raffles will be announced at the party. The first winner will be drawn from all the raffle tickets that have been sold at our monthly meetings this year. The prize will be a $100 DX Engineering gift certificate. You must be present at the holiday party to win.

The second raffle – our “Big Raffle” is for a $300 DX Engineering gift certificate.  You DO NOT need to be present at the party to win the “Big Raffle.” Tickets are $10 each or (best deal) three tickets for $25. You can purchase your raffle tickets beginning at the October meeting.

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Register Now for November Amateur Extra License Class

Zak Cohen-N6PK

It’s time again for CVARC’s Amateur Extra License Exam course, taught by Zak Cohen-N6PK. The classes will be at the East County Sheriff Station at 2101 E. Olsen Road as usual, from 8:00 A.M. to noon, on November 4, 11, 18, 25, and December 2. CVARC will be holding a license exam session on December 10th. The class covers all the exam questions and topics and removes all the mystery. If you haven’t upgraded to Extra yet, now’s the time!

We’ll be using the ARRL’s Extra Class License Manual, 12th Edition. It’s available directly from the ARRL as well as other online sellers.

To save a spot in the class, email Keith Elliott-W6KME, at keith@w6kme.org.