Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club
An ARRL Special Service Club since 1970
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
I went out for about half an hour last Tuesday evening to see who was participating in the Fall 2020 135 cm (222.1MHz SSB/223.5MHz FM) Sprint. In 25 minutes of operating, I contacted seven stations, all located in Ventura County.
Continue reading “The Fall 135 cm (222MHz/223.5MHz) Sprint”
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
The fourth of the major yearly VHF contests was held during the second weekend in September. I’d known for months that it would be significantly affected by the COVID-19 virus because multi-operator and two-person rover operations would be nearly impossible to achieve. Then high temperatures and dense, polluting smoke from the wildfires further inhibited the contest event.
Continue reading “ARRL September 2020 VHF Contest”
Operators hiked to local hilltops or worked the VHF bands from home shacks, cars and even bicycles for the CVARC “Virtual Picnic” Sprint on Saturday August 29, 2020. Sprint organizer Keith Elliiot-W6KME said 24 operators reported scores. A remarkable total of 455 QSOs were made during the three-hour VHF contest.
Continue reading “CVARC “Virtual Picnic” Sprint a Big Success!”Pete Heins-N6ZE used the Fall 6-Meter Sprint as a warmup for the CVARC Virtual Picnic and Sprint scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2020.
Continue reading “6-meter Warmup for the CVARC Virtual Picnic Sprint”
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
For several reasons, the August 222MHz and Up Distance Contest was a unique and different contest for me. Several clubs in the local area had made special plans to help less experienced hams gain operating experience by utilizing 2 meter handhelds and mobile rigs to make QSOs during this year’s COVID-19-modified Field Day. They also encouraged operation on 6 and 2 meters during the “CQ VHF Contest.” For this reason, I heavily promoted this year’s “ARRL 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest” to encourage local area stations to participate and gain more experience in this part of the hobby.
Continue reading “August 222MHz and Up Distance Contest”The August 2020 ARRL 222 MHz & Up Distance Contest runs from 11 A.M. PDT on Saturday, August 1, 2020 until 11 A.M. PDT on Sunday, August 2, 2020. Contacts made on all frequencies 222 MHz (135cm) and up are permitted. As usual, repeaters may not be utilized.
Continue reading “Practical Hints for Participants in ARRL’s 222 MHz & Up Contest”
New hams – particularly those with Technician licenses and hand-held radios – may wonder if they can get much out of Field Day (June 27-28) with their operation limited mostly to the VHF band. CVARC and the other Ventura County amateur radio clubs have been encouraging these new hams to get involved on Field Day through the VHF Initiative where experienced operators will be monitoring VHF simplex frequencies to make Field Day QSO’s with the new hams.
Continue reading “VHF Initiative: What You Can Do With an HT on Field Day”
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
The 2020 Spring Six Meter SPRINT, the final one until fall 2020, was held on Saturday, May 9, 2020, and what a SPRINT it was:
The Spring 2020 Microwave SPRINT was held on Saturday, May 2nd. Five seasonal SPRINT events, sponsored by the Central States VHF Society, are held in the Spring and Fall to encourage use of and foster simplex activity on the VHF/UHF bands.
During four hours of operation from three locations, Pete Heins-N6ZE made 14 contacts on 23cm and 33cm with 10 different stations. He made two additional contacts with N6VI from another location, but only the furthest distance counted for points.
Continue reading “Spring 2020 Microwave SPRINT”
By Pete Heins-N6ZE
On Wednesday evening, April 22, 2020, the 70 cm Spring SPRINT served as a “highlight of the day” to escape today’s issues. The weather was great: T-shirt weather, with calm winds and great visibility. The activity level was a pleasant surprise with many stations worked throughout Ventura County.
Continue reading “N6ZE’s 70 cm and 135 cm Spring SPRINT Results”