All posts by Smitty (WB1G)

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Elmer’s Corner (Page)

WHAT IS AN “ELMER”?

Image of Greg helping out at the Technician Class Lab.

Posted by  on May 1, 2019, at 8:33 pm @ Read More

Say the word “Elmer” to a non-Ham and two thoughts spring to mind: glue for elementary craft projects and a bald-headed rabbit hunter who has trouble pronouncing his Rs (see Barber of Seville). In the Amateur Radio realm, Elmers hold a high place of esteem. The word means an experienced operator who takes a novice under his or her wing, providing personal guidance and answers to the thousands of questions that confront the newbie. It can also be used as a verb, as in, “Elmering an aspiring operator is a cherished tradition that goes back to the early days of the hobby.”

The word has relatively recent origins. It first appeared in a 1971 QST article by Rod Newkirk, W9BRD, in which he bemoans the all-too-familiar story of an eager student who falls off the Amateur Radio wagon once his mentor moves away. He wrote, “Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: ‘Oh, I almost got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of lost interest.’”

ASK AN ELMER!

Need Help? Click HereIf you are a new ham and looking for an Elmer, fill out the form below. Once we get your info, we’ll match you with an Elmer from our club.  Want to be an Elmer to an upcoming ham? Send us your information.

MEET THE SFARC ELMERS

Name Preferred Name Callsign License Class
Thomas S Bautista Chip KM6MDF EXTRA
Theta Y Brentnall WA6EWF GENERAL
Gerald J Brentnall Jr Gerry WA6E EXTRA
Frank Calvillo KG9M EXTRA
Clyde D Campbell AB4CC EXTRA
Douglas S Chandler Doug W2VX EXTRA
Gary L Cunningham KQ6RT EXTRA
Gregory D Dolkas Greg KO6TH EXTRA
Steven M Foley KO6EBQ EXTRA
Brian R Gohl AI6US EXTRA
Dennis H Gregory WU6X EXTRA
Donald L Hay Don WB6LPJ EXTRA
Greydon H Hicks KC6SLE EXTRA
James R Jupin Jim WA8MPA EXTRA
Jonathan Kim Jon KI6RT EXTRA
Mark W Koehler W2MWK EXTRA
James A Leighton KK6USM EXTRA
Jeffrey A Morgan Jeff KW6U EXTRA
Thomas J Newman Tom NN6H EXTRA
Evan M Phillips AJ6OR EXTRA
Anders H Rehnvall NR6H EXTRA
Mike Smith Smitty WB1G EXTRA
Jim Zheng W6JCZ EXTRA
DOWNLOAD PDF
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Communications Plan (Page)

SFARC Communications Plan

The following is the current published communications plan for the Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (SFARC). If you’re volunteering to help at an event, make sure you have these programmed on your radio.

*Before an event, an officer of SFARC (W6EK) will notify the repeater owner of its use.

CH

DESIGNATION

Frequency (Offset)

CTCSS

1

W6EK (Repeater)

Auburn and Surrounding Communities

145.430 (-0.6)

CTCSS 162.2

2*

W6SAR (Repeater)
Western Placer County

Low-level repeater with excellent HT Coverage in Rocklin, Roseville, and Loomis up to Auburn.

146.640 (-0.6)

CTCSS 156.7

3*

K6IOK (Repeater)

Greater Sacramento Valley

145.130 (-0.6)

CTCSS 114.8

4

TAC 01 (Simplex)

146.430

5

TAC 02 (Simplex)

146.490

6

TAC 03 (Simplex)

146.535

7

TAC 04 (Simplex)

146.550

8

TAC 05 (Simplex)

146.565

9

TAC 06 (Simplex)

441.000

10

TAC 07 (Simplex)

446.500

11

SPECIAL EVENT (Simplex)

Example: Campout / Meal Announcements, Local Simplex, High-Power ASL connected to W6EK 2M-Repeater

147.555

CTCSS 100

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About SFARC (Page)

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club of Auburn, California was founded to support and promote the Amateur Radio Service. We are a voluntary, non-profit association of FCC licensed amateur radio operators and others who share interests in developing and promoting the knowledge and advancement of operating techniques and the technical skills related to radio communications.

ARRL Special Service Club ImageWe accomplish these goals through training and practical experience in the Amateur Radio Service, participating in public safety exercises, and through emergency preparedness and international goodwill. We are recognized by the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) as a special service club for our commitment to the local community and emergency

Click To Enlarge

SFARC is a non-profit 501(c) organization serving Auburn CA, containing 366 active members from all over Placer County and beyond including Meadow Vista, Foresthill, Grass Valley, Georgetown, Nevada City, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Granite Bay, Loomis, Newcastle, Antelope, Carmichael, Colfax, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Sacramento, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Placerville, Rancho Cordova, and several communities in between.

If you’d like more information about the Sierra Foothills Amateur Club, send us a message using the form below.

MAKE A DONATION AND HELP SFARC

Donate To The General Fund
Donate To The Repeater Fund

OR
If you’re old school, you can mail a check to our PO Box.
Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 6421
Auburn, CA 95604

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Hamtrak (Page)

WHAT IS HAMTRAK?
NOW BOARDING …

Hamtrak is a biennial (every two years) trip that a large group of SFARC members takes to Reno by Amtrak. While it’s not an “official club event”, it deserves its own space on our website. We take the California Zephyr on a beautiful and scenic ride from Roseville to Reno, a 5-hour journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. If we’re lucky, we even get snowed on; it’s a truly wonderful trip.

Departing: February 24, 2027 @ 10:41 AM
Returning: February 25, 2027 @ 9:32 AM

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  • You book your train ticket directly with Amtrak from Roseville to Reno on the California Zephyr. Train number, departure and return times, and an Amtrak link are listed below.
  • You book a room in Reno for the night of February 24th, 2027. Folks usually stay at the Silver Legacy, Circus Circus, or the El Dorado — all connected and part of the same complex.
  • We’ll be doing a group dinner together (informal) at the Silver Legacy.
  • And That’s It!

LINK

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Fox Hunt (Page)

WHAT IS A FOX HUNT?

Fox Hunts are a fun outdoor activity. Regional hunts may involve driving around and taking bearings with a Yagi to triangulate on a hidden transmitter. Low-power hunts may involve walking through parks  & neighborhoods to find one or more hidden transmitters. Fox hunt equipment ranges from simple TOA (time of arrival) devices, Yagi antennas, and or Doppler techniques.

SFARC runs monthly Fox Hunts where members hone skills in locating hidden transmitters. Fox Hunting skills are not only fun but may be useful in situations where a transmitter needs to be located (e.g. search & rescue or tracking down interference).

DON’T HAVE EQUIPMENT?
SFARC has equipment for anyone to borrow > CLICK HERE

DON’T HAVE A LICENSE?
An amateur radio license is not required to participate in a Fox Hunt.

For more information, contact Fox Hunt coordinators Greydon (KC6SLE) or Doug (W2VX) using the form below. Guidelines and Fox Hunt Files are available below.

Fox Hunt Guidelines

Fox Hunt Files

I’M READY — WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE?

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Fall Picnic in the Park (Page)

The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club invites you to our annual Fall Potluck in the Park, where the only thing better than a clear signal is good food and even better company. Bring a dish to share, pull up a chair, and swap your best stories from the airwaves. Maybe it’s that impossible DX contact, the antenna project that almost worked, or the field day that turned into legend. It’s a chance to put faces to callsigns, catch up with old radio friends, and make a few new ones under the crisp early-October sky with no propagation forecast required. Just show up, dig in, and enjoy an afternoon of fellowship, laughter, and the kind of ragchewing that never needs a repeater. 73 and good eats await.

CHECK OUT WHAT OTHERS ARE BRINGING AND SCROLL DOWN TO TELL US WHAT YOU’RE BRINGING!

Fall Potluck In The Park

📅 10-10-2026 4:00 PM
📍 Auburn Recreation Park, 123 Recreation Dr, Auburn, CA 95603

Fall Potluck

Open

7 signed up

NameCallsignHow many in your party are attending?What dish do you plan to bring to the potluck?
ThetaWA6EWF2Carrot Cake
KenNB6S2Chinese chicken salad
Brian & LinAI6US2Potato Salad
Ed GibsonKB6ED2Green Bean Casserole
JIM JUPINWA8MPA1Fruit Salad
Scott ReadKM6RFB1Pie (Apple)
Mark KoehlerW2MWK1Korean spicy pork BBQ 데 지 불 고 기 (dadji bulgogin)

Sign Up

WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE 2026 EVENT?

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Hot RF Nights (Page)

WHAT IS HOT RF NIGHTS?

Hot RF Nights is an annual SFARC event that promotes the use of Amateur Radio on the go and in emergencies. It’s a chance to show off mobile rig installs and go-kits, and to build fellowship among Northern California amateur radio operators and groups.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HOT RF NIGHTS?

SFARC decided this year to take a hard look at future Hot RF Nights (HRFN) events. Based on feedback from both the organizers and the participants last year, it was decided that the event had strayed far from its original objective, was not serving well the emergency services groups who attended, and had become, frankly, very volunteer-intensive and costly to plan and implement.

We took on the task of creating a new vision for Hot RF Nights and presented it to the SFARC Board earlier this month. I am pleased to announce that the Board accepted and embraced the new vision for HRFN. The Board also discussed whether there was time, under this new vision, to squeeze in an HRFN 2026 within the very busy remaining SFARC 2026 Calendar of Events. It was decided that there was not a viable opportunity to schedule, plan, and host HRFN 2026. Therefore, we are taking a break from HRFN this year, but it will be back in 2027.

So, what does this new vision for HRFN include?

  • Get back to the roots (original purpose) of HRFN.
  • Keep HRFN simple and solely focused on Amateur Radio.
  • The main participant focus for HRFN will be SFARC membership, but we will invite and welcome our neighboring amateur radio clubs.
  • HRFN is a celebration of ham mobile and field-based equipment creativity, design, and implementation.
  • HRFN will be scheduled in conjunction with a regularly scheduled SFARC second-Friday-of-the-month General Membership meeting, at the regular General Membership meeting location.
  • HRFN should be simple to plan and implement at a minimal cost, and exciting and fun to attend and participate in.
  • HRFN should be a no-cost event for participants to attend and participate in.

The next step is to get Hot RF Nights 2027 on the SFARC calendar for 2027. I am looking forward to it, and I have agreed to head up this event for the Club next year. There will not be a large need for volunteers, as in the past, but there will be a need for a few. If you are interested in joining the HRFN 2027 Team, please drop me a note. Your service will be most valued and appreciated.

73,
Greydon (KC6SLE)
Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club

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Parks on the Air (Page)

WHAT IS A POTA?

Parks on the Air® (POTA) started in early 2017 when the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air special event ended. A group of volunteers wanted to continue the fun beyond the one-year event, and thus, POTA was born.

The golden rules of POTA are to have fun and keep it simple.

General information about the program is available at parksontheair.com, so we highly recommend checking out the information there. You may also want to join the POTA Slack Channel or the POTA Facebook group, where you can easily interact with the POTA community online. POTA also maintains accounts on Twitter and Mastodon if you prefer to interact on those social media platforms.

Got an idea of a cool park we should consider?
Chime In and let us know!

More information about Parks on the Air can be found @ https://parksontheair.com/. While you’re there, create an account (It’s free) and get started.