Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club
An ARRL Special Service Club since 1970
Members have been asking to take a closer look at the presentation made at the last meeting by Ken Larson-KJ6RZ on the solar cycle and its impact on HF radio communications. You can view his presentation by clicking here or you can find it anytime by clicking “Links” and then selecting the “Technical Articles” drop-down.
The February CVARC VE session served 20 candidates. Among those who earned new licenses or upgrades at the session were:
Continue reading “CVARC VE Session Report – February 9, 2020”
Everyone had a good time at CVARC’s Winter Field Day event at Dos Vientos Community Park in Newbury Park on January 25th. Read more to see pictures and video of the event.
Continue reading “Photos and Video From Winter Field Day”
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
The ARRL January 2020 VHF Contest was held on January 18 – 19, 2020. N6ZE/R, operated by Pete Heins-N6ZE and Woodie Woodward-WA6WDY, made just over 250 QSOs on 6 bands from activating four Ventura and Los Angeles county grids. Our 7-hour stint at our Saturday location in the Santa Monica mountains (DM04qb) yielded 150 QSOs.
Continue reading “N6ZE/Rover in the January VHF Contest”
The next regular club meeting is Thursday, February 20, 2020 (always the third Thursday) at the East County Sheriff’s Station’s Community Room, 2101 E. Olsen Rd, Thousand Oaks at 7:30 pm. Talk-in coordination is on the Bozo repeater, 147.885 (- 127.3)
Topic/Guest Speakers – Solar Cycle: Ken Larsen – KJ6RZ discusses sunspots which have a profound effect on HF radio communications. HF communications are excellent during solar maximum (lots of sunspots), but not so great during solar minimum when few if any sunspots are visible. Why is this? Why do the number of sunspots follow an 11-year cycle? What are the predictions for the upcoming solar cycle?
Raffle Prizes: Viaboot Rasberry PI 3 Complete Kit – 16Gb, Samlex 250W AC Inverter, Heil Handie-Talkie Headset
Pre-Meeting Dinner: Join fellow club members for dinner at 5:00 p.m. at Junkyard Cafe, 2585 Cochran Street, Simi Valley.
Join us for CVARC’s first mesh network “flashmob” on Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East County Sheriff’s Station’s Community Room, 2101 E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks and outside areas as appropriate.
This event is intended to give CVARC members hands-on experience setting up a wireless mesh network for a public service event or as an emergency communications activity.
Continue reading “Mesh Network Live Demo “Flashmob””
CVARC’s Winter Field Day will be held Saturday, January 25, 2020.
Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Please setup no earlier than 9:00 AM. The Park District will charge us extra if we occupy the space outside of our permitted hours.
Location: Dos Vientos Community Center, 4801 Borchard Road, Newbury Park CA 91320
Continue reading “CVARC’s Winter Field Day January 25th”
The next regular club meeting is Thursday, January 16, 2020 (always the third Thursday) at the East County Sheriff’s Station’s Community Room, 2101 E. Olsen Rd, Thousand Oaks at 7:30 pm. Talk-in coordination is on the Bozo repeater, 147.885 (- 127.3)
Topic/Guest Speakers – High Places Ham Radio – Summits on the Air (SOTA): Scott Hanley -WA9STI will talk about SOTA, which is HF and VHF operation from mountain and hill tops. Since 2014 Scott has operated ham radio from 200 summits in 24 states and Ireland and has communicated with over 2200 hams from the summits. He will talk about the radios, antennas, batteries, and hiking gear that he takes on his trips. The talk will also cover the use of APRS, a hiking plan, and the 146.52 MHz Wilderness Protocol.
Raffle Prizes: TBA
Pre-Meeting Dinner: Join fellow club members for dinner at 5:00 p.m. at Stonefire Grill, 3635 E Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village.
Written by Bill Willcox-KF6JQO
The Monstrosity Solar Generator is an ongoing project to provide a semi-portable, high-capacity, 12 VDC power supply for amateur radio and limited power for household appliances.
I’ve coined the name because it consists of bits and pieces spliced together like Frankenstein’s monster.
Continue reading “The Monstrosity Solar Generator”
The 2020 CVARC Board of Directors was elected by members attending the November 21, 2019 general meeting. These board members will serve for one year terms beginning January 1, 2020.