All posts by Smitty (WB1G)

About SFARC (Page)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

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.

We 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

SFARC is a non-profit 501(c) organization serving Auburn CA, containing 371 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)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

WHAT IS HAMTRAK?
NOW BOARDING …

“Hamtrak” is a biennial (every two years) optional trip for members to ride the rails together on Amtrak’s California Zephyr. It’s a beautiful, scenic five-hour journey through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, ending in Reno. If we’re lucky, we might even get snowed in.

Along the way, we sightsee, chat with each other on the radio, and do everything we can to make the folks not on the train wish they were. Once we reach Reno, we check in, make dinner plans, and enjoy each other’s company.

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

HOW DOES THE EVENT 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 all 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.
No RSVP Needed.
Book refundable train tickets now, no risk.
We’ll be doing a group dinner together (informal) at the Silver Legacy.
And That’s It!

Train Schedule

AMTRAK TRAIN #6 — SACRAMENTO/ROSEVILLE → RENO

According to the Amtrak schedules in effect as of the date of this email, Amtrak #6 leaves Roseville at 10:51 AM and arrives in Reno at 3:27 PM. If it’s more convenient, you can board the same train at Colfax, Sacramento, Davis, or other stations, although the departure times will be different. This train is usually on time or close to on time since it originates in Emeryville.

AMTRAK TRAIN #5 — RENO → SACRAMENTO/ROSEVILLE

Amtrak #5 is scheduled to leave Reno at 9:24 AM and arrive in Roseville at 2:14 PM. If you’ve never ridden Amtrak, the return train will likely be delayed since it originates in Chicago, IL.

TICKETS

Tickets for this trip from Roseville are $62 each way if purchased in advance. You will want to reserve your tickets on the Amtrak website.

PHOTOS

Hamtrak II, Back On Track 2025

Roseville CA to Reno, NV - Ridding the Rails

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Fox Hunt (Page)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

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)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

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

12 signed up

Name	Callsign	How many in your party are attending?	What dish do you plan to bring to the potluck?
Theta	WA6EWF	2	Carrot Cake
Ken	NB6S	2	Chinese chicken salad
Brian & Lin	AI6US	2	Potato Salad
Ed Gibson	KB6ED	2	Green Bean Casserole
JIM JUPIN	WA8MPA	1	Fruit Salad
Scott Read	KM6RFB	1	Pie (Apple)
Jim Templeton	KE6POR	1	Pasta salad
Greydon	KC6SLE	2	Baked beans
Dan Quistgard	KO6LMZ	2	Sliders
John & Millie Geyer	WB6UBK	2	Broccoli Salad
Evan Phillips	AJ6OR	1	Pumpkin Pie
Mary Main	N6BLO	2	Brockley Chese soup

Sign Up

Name *

Email *

Callsign *

How many in your party are attending? *

What dish do you plan to bring to the potluck?

Protected by reCAPTCHA — Google Privacy & Terms

WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE 2026 EVENT?

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Hot RF Nights (Page)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

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)

August 30, 2026 Smitty (WB1G)

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.

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