On Saturday August 12th, CVARC held a group antenna building project at the East County Sheriff Station. The results were light-weight and low-profile end-fed wire antennas capable of handling up to 100 watts. Thanks to NS6X and KN6QQW for the photos.
July went by quickly and boy was it a warm month! August promises to be the same. The sunspot cycle is still on the upswing. Get on the air and make some contacts. In late July I had several amazing contacts, not on FT8 but on phone. That’s right, single side band to Australia and South Africa! The conversations lasted only a few minutes, but they were clear and booming. Both stations were S9 and they were receiving me at S5. Not bad for 100 watts and a wire. So, turn that radio on and tune around the bands. Propagation always sucks when the radio is turned off.
CVARC past president and longtime club member Tim Wheeler-K6POI has passed away. For the last several years he has been living with increasing problems due to Parkinson’s disease. He was 81.
Tim is remembered by Norm Campbell-AB6ET as a friend, mentor, and “all around good guy” both in person and on the air. James Smith-KK6YAM recalled, “Tim was the first person I met when I joined the club. He saw I was new and came over and welcomed me.” Wendy Joffe-WB6ADC, who attended the ham radio classes he taught remembered Tim’s “kind smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he’d share a joke.” ACS Area 2 Emergency Coordinator Zak Cohen-N6PK described Tim as a good friend and regular dinner companion who was knowledgeable and helpful in his role as an Assistant Emergency Coordinator.
Memorial plans have not been announced. Tim’s family has created a tribute page on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website. Contributions in honor of Tim to the foundation’s Parkinson’s research would be welcome.
Venue for the CVARC Drive-Up SOTA Chase and Activation Adventure
On August 19th from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M., CVARC will hold its first-ever “Drive-Up SOTA Chase and Activation Adventure.”
For this event, no hiking is necessary! The location is a beautiful hilltop venue in the Camarillo Heights area to which we can drive our cars. It will be a fun CVARC party!
The next regular club meeting will be held on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the East County Sheriff’s Station.
Topic: Chasing SOTAs. Most of us have heard about SOTA (Summits on the Air) activations where amateurs originate portable operations from mountain tops. Ron Topolinsk-K6CPR introduces us to radio fun you can have without all the hiking – chasing SOTAs!
First off, a huge thank you to all those who participated in CVARC’s Field Day! Keith Elliott-W6KME and the Field Day Committee did a wonderful job with the planning and execution of the Field Day activities. Secondly, a thank you to the Sherwood Development Corp. for the use of Dicken’s Patch as our Field Day site once again. CVARC had an impressive 18 stations operating for the event (not a contest.) The score, so far, for the CVARC Field Day is 8,208 points! That’s a 3,000-point gain from last year.
Around 0200 on Sunday, June 25. Pictured is Adrian Jarrett-K6KY and Yoshio, a guest operator.
CVARC had a successful and fun Field Day on the weekend of June 24-25. Click on “Continue Reading” to see the entire photo gallery. Please email me your pictures and I’ll add them to the collection. (Thanks so far to: AJ6CL, AA6JR, W6KME, N6XEW, K6AGL, KN6QQW, K6MIL, W0UFC, NS6X.)
CVARC held a VE session on June 11th. There were 6 candidates, and 5 new licenses or upgrades were earned: 1 Technician, 3 General, and 1 Extra. Among those who earned new licenses or upgrades at the session were:
Rob Hanson-W6RH received the proclamation from Board Chair Matt LaVere.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors proclaimed June 2023 as Amateur Radio Month in Ventura County. The June 20th presentation was held in the supervisors’ hearing room in the Hall of Administration at the County Government Center in Ventura. The event was well attended by ACS volunteers, CVARC and other ham radio club members, and amateurs from throughout the county.
The next regular club meeting will be held on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the East County Sheriff’s Station.
Topic: Go Kits Return – Last year’s hit program returns! The newest approaches to mobile operation – go-kits -will be set up and displayed and the advantages of each will be discussed.
Special note: if you can’t attend the meeting at the Sheriff’s station you can still participate via ZOOM, details below.