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The Adventures of Pete and Woodie at the January 2019 VHF Contest

During the third weekend of January, Pete Heins-N6ZE and Woodie Woodward-WA6WDY spent 16 hours roving around SoCal to have fun…and that’s what they did!

Pete Heins-N6ZE/R holds a 23cm (1294.5 MHz VJB Cheapie Yagi) and an ALINCO DJ-G7 triband FM handheld atop a ridge in the Santa Monica mountains (DM04qb) on Saturday of the January 2019 VHF Contest. VHF/UHF propagation conditions to the San Diego area (Grid DM12) were what one would normally expect during summer months: 10 watt VHF/UHF stations with only whip antennae were easily worked. Best distance worked was with K6PFG (DM12mt) at 130 miles. The temperature inversion which produced the enhanced summer-like conditions is clearly in view behind N6ZE and just above the water surface of the Santa Monica Bay. (Woodie Woodward-WA6WDY is wearing the “Radio” T-shirt. He frequently roves with Pete.) Note that two years ago, during January ‘17 VHF Contest, typical winter propagation conditions existed and no San Diego stations were heard.

Pete and Woodie entered the ARRL’s January 2019 VHF Contest in the “Rover” category because they utilized six VHF/UHF bands: 6 meters on 50.125 MHz USB & 52.525 MHz FM; 2 meters on 144.200 MHz USB and various FM Simplex frequencies from 146.52 –> 146.61 MHz; 135 centimeters on 223.5 MHz FM; 70 centimeters on 432.1 MHz USB & 446.0 MHz FM; 33 centimeters on 927.5 MHz FM; and 23 centimeters on 1294.5 MHz FM.

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New Event – Need Volunteers

Are you flexible?  I need operators who are willing to be flexible as to positions assigned and changes due to conditions and coordination of the event (about 20 operators).

The event is the Malibu GRANFONDO cycling event. It will be on Saturday March 16th 2019 (fast turnaround) from about 8:00 AM to about 4:00 PM. It will Start/Finish at the Four Seasons hotel in Westlake Village. It will go through Thousand Oaks to Camarillo and the long race goes up to Saticoy and back – then down to Pacific Coast Highway and through Malibu and up to Agoura and finish at Thousand Oaks. There will be about 400 participants including several World Class cyclists.

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February Club Meeting Information

The next regular club meeting is Thursday, February 21, 2019  (always the third Thursday) at the East County Sheriff’s Station’s Community Room 2101 E. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks at 7:30 pm.

Talk-in coordination is on the Bozo repeater, 147.885 ( – 127.3).

Topic/Guest Speaker:  Antennas:  Ben Kuo-AI6YR has found a way to make almost anything into a serviceable ham radio antenna, even an old bicycle wheel!  Ben will talk about his experimentation with antennas and show us some examples of low cost antennas any ham can make with just a little understanding of the basics.

Raffle Prizes: ICOM IC-H16 VHF Transceiver, Samlex 250W AC Inverter, Heil Handie-Talkie Headset

Pre-Meeting Dinner: Join fellow club members for a pre-meeting dinner at 5:00 pm, at The Dugout Sports Grill, 109 W Cochran St, Simi Valley.  805-955-9200

Upcoming CVARC Programs

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CVARC Winter Field Day

CVARC hosts several portable operating events each year.

The first event this year is Winter Field Day,  January 26, 2019, from 10 AM to 4 PM at Dos Vientos Park Picnic Pavilion, 4801 Borchard Road, Newbury Park.  

CVARC has reserved the pavilion from 8 AM to 5 PM, so please plan on setting up no earlier than 8 AM.  (We may want to use this venue again, so we don’t want to anger the Recreation and Parks Gods.) We’ll have pizza and drinks available around lunchtime.

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President’s Message

Happy New Year!  I’d like to again thank outgoing Board members Tim Wheeler-K6POI, Steve Gillis-KZ6H, Joe Sprissler-AI6MW and Ben Herrera-W6JWZ for their service to the club, and again welcome new Board members Brett Price-KM6VFW, Paul Van Zuyle-K6PVZ, Kat Hunley-K6VQN and Diane Wainwood-KJ6JEJ.  The Board has already had it first meeting of the new year, and we’ve started planning for 2019.  I think you’ll enjoy what’s to come. 

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Magnetic Loop Antenna Project Finished

Adrian Jarrett-K6KY

With remarkable teamwork and precision, a dozen mag loop antennas were finished December 29, 2018 after two full days of work. The project was led by Adrian Jarrett-K6KY. All the antennas were tuned and tested and Adrian says they should work particularly well on 20 meters as well as 30 meters and 17 meters. We haven’t had any reports of the antennas on the air yet, but you are sure to see some at CVARC’s Winter Field Day event on January 26th. Continue reading for pictures from Day 2 of the build.

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Upcoming Mini-Field Day & Picnic

The next Mini-Field Day & Picnic is scheduled for January 26, beginning at 10:00 am. ARRL’s Winter Field Day begins at 11:00.  It’s at the same location as last time, Dos Vientos Community Park, 4801 Borchard Rd., in Newbury Park.

If you’re new to the hobby or the club, this is a great opportunity to check out other people’s gear, ask questions, and get on the air. Hope to see you there!

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Summary of N6ZE/K1FJM ARRL September 2018 VHF Contest Operation

Pete Heins-N6ZE/K1FJM (right)

For many years, I have been a fairly active VHF/UHFer and particularly enjoy operating in VHF/UHF Contests and like to encourage others to do the same. Knowing that many local area hams have been licensed for just a short period of time or have never participated in a VHF/UHF contesting event, I traditionally clog local ham radio chat rooms with announcements for these operating opportunities.

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