Newsletter (Proof of Concept)

By: Aaron Bond (W1ATB)
Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club | President

  • Welcome to April!

    Wow, what a month March was. We had a fabulous Hamfestevent that was very well attended with somewhere in the 450+ number. We sold somewhere in the neighborhood of $2400 in prize tickets and $1400 in items at the club table. Elmer tours, presentations, test bench, and of course all the vendor tables! The parking lot was full and I’m not sure there was even any available spot left. What a great event!

    And then there is The Coffee Break Net… where we hit 45,000 check-ins in March and Jim KN6OONI mean W6JCZ was the prize winner for his fortuitous timing. AND… we celebrated the Coffee Break Net’s 4th anniversary on March 20th! Congratulations to all of those that make the net so popular and successful!

    In April the SFARC board will be hosting “Donuts and Coffee in the Park” at the beautiful Meadow Vista Park on April 20th at 9:00 AM. Come out, have a donut and some coffee, bring your family, and play some radio with friends…

    The next big club event will be of course Field Day coming up later this year. More details on this event will be published soon –see you there! Thank you all for coming out and supporting all these events. I want to give a special thanks to all of the volunteers who helped put on the Hamfest this year… we could not of done it without you.

    Aaron W1ATB

By: Jim Zheng
Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club | Vice President

  • Welcome to 2025! May the new year bring you good times and lasting memories! Here at SFARC, the new year means more opportunities to engage with the community and demonstrate the many uses of amateur radio.

    One of the best ways to do just that is through our monthly VE sessions, the first of which will take place on the 6th. I love meeting up with everyone for the pre-session dinners, and getting together with the candidates to discuss what interests them in ham radio always opens up new perspectives into the hobby. I highly encourage you to help out by Elmering candidates at the VE sessions because everyone has something to share. Help someone out, and perhaps even learn a thing or two yourself.

    Our next club meeting will take place on January 10th at 7:30 PM at the Confluence Church Gym in Auburn, California and on Zoom at zoom.w6ek.org. Please welcome Scott (KM6RFB), who put together a comprehensive portable communications backpack inspired by medic bags. We all have plenty of radio gear, and sometimes it can be difficult to pack it all together for field use and transport. Come join us as Scott tells us about the items he used to get everything organized, where you can obtain them, and how easy it can be to tidy up your equipment for that next casual outing or an emergency event that requires rapid response and deployment. After hearing about what he’s done, I’m excited to build something like that myself so I can make better use of what I have and hopefully reduce the time it takes to set things up for outdoor operations.

    For the contesters out there, January comes with two major events, the North American QSO Party. The CW contest starts at 10 AM on the 11th, and the SSB contest starts at 10 AM on the 18th. Both run for 12 hours, and the playing field is leveled by limiting the maximum transmitter power to 100 W. If you’ve never participated in a contest before or are interested in making contacts with hams all over the world, give the rules a read and get your station set up. It’s also a great way to learn about and experience for yourself how HF propagation is affected by the time of day as the different bands come alive and go quiet.

    We finish up the month with our club breakfast at 7:30 AM on the 25th. This month’s breakfast will be at Mel’s Diner in Auburn, and following the breakfast we’ll go on a fox hunt. After a rainy December breakfast, I’m looking forward to better weather and a well-attended radio direction finding event this time around.

  • ×

    Wednesday January 15

    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    Elmer Net
    Wednesday January 15
    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    Elmer Net
    W6EK 2M Repeater / AllStarLink: 51018

    The Elmer Net meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month, and is devoted to answering your questions, solving puzzling issues related to ham radio, and scheduling help for all Hams. No question is stupid. We encourage everyone to ask away so we can all learn and grow our knowledge together.

    More information can be found @ https://www.w6ek.org/repeaters/nets

    Thursday January 16

    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    SFARC Weekly Net
    Thursday January 16
    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    SFARC Weekly Net
    W6EK 2 Meter Repeater / Allstar: 51018

    Every Thursday starting at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (PT). Our nets are held on the club repeater. Everyone is invited to check-in. The net features a Mystery Question, the ARRL Report, Satellite Report, DX Report, and other activities. Operators are encouraged to talk about their recent operating or other ham activities.

    Friday January 17

    7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
    Friday Night Trivia Net
    Friday January 17
    7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
    Friday Night Trivia Net
    W6EK 2 Meter Repeater / Allstar: 51018

    Friday Night Trivia is hosted by Dawn (KG6FZZ) and Simon (K6DXN).

    Dawn and Simon recently moved to Northern California and Simon joined SFARC in January. They previously hosted trivia night on a Southern California repeater system for 15 years.

    Saturday January 18

    10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
    North American QSO Party (SSB)
    Saturday January 18
    10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
    North American QSO Party (SSB)
    160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters only

    *Contest Period* : 1800 UTC Jan 18 to 0559 UTC Jan 19

    *Mode* : SSB only

    *Bands* : 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters only

    *Exchange* : Operator name and station location (state, province, or country) for North American stations; operator name only for non-North American stations. Multi-operator stations are required to use a single name throughout the entire contest.

    *Contact* : Stations may be worked once per band. Duplicate contacts on a band will not receive credit as a valid contact. A valid contact consists of a complete, correctly copied and logged two-way exchange between a North American station and any other station.

    *Output Power* : Maximum of 100W from the output of the final amplifier. QRP (5 W or less) entries will be recognized in the results.

    *Logs* : Entries must be received no later than 7 days after the end of the contest. Cabrillo-formatted logs must be uploaded via web form (use for all modes): http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit ( http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit )

    Sunday January 19

    7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
    Placer County ARES Net
    Sunday January 19
    7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
    Placer County ARES Net
    W6EK 2 Meter Repeater / Allstar: 51018

    Monday January 20

    6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    All-Nodes Net
    Monday January 20
    6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
    All-Nodes Net
    W6EK 2 Meter Repeater / Allstar: 51018

    Every Monday at 6:00 PM PT, this net is the place for discussions related to the setup, configuration, and operation of digital nodes and the associated hardware.
    *A great place for noobies and experienced users alike.*

    Wednesday January 22

    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    In The Shack (Online)
    Wednesday January 22
    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    In The Shack (Online)
    https://meeting.w6ek.org/

    Open to all … no SFARC membership needed. Join in on fun discussions and presentations about projects around the ham shack.

    http://zoom.w6ek.org/
    Meeting ID: 962 6167 5605
    Passcode: SFARC

    Thursday January 23

    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    SFARC Weekly Net
    Thursday January 23
    7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
    SFARC Weekly Net
    W6EK 2 Meter Repeater / Allstar: 51018

    Every Thursday starting at 7:30 PM Pacific Time (PT). Our nets are held on the club repeater. Everyone is invited to check-in. The net features a Mystery Question, the ARRL Report, Satellite Report, DX Report, and other activities. Operators are encouraged to talk about their recent operating or other ham activities.


    FULL EVENT CALENDAR

    Welcome new SFARC Members!

      • Haven Courtney (KN6URM)
      • Garritt Darling (KO6BMA)
      • Adam Gothard (KN6YSQ)
      • James Malley (WA0HYS)
      • Chuck Nungester (KO6CRZ)
      • Gregory Phelan (KO6CWF)
      • Chris Robinson (KF6NFW)
      • Forest “Sandy” Shoemaker (K6MJ)

    Members Up For Vote

      • Robert Calvo (KO6DXL)
      • Kristoff Church (KO6DLT)
      • Elijah Gilberg (KO6DSQ)
      • Joe Denton (KD6HON)
      • Robert Sanders (K6ON)
      • James Keffer (KA3VGM)
      • Michael Kostic (KN6VWS)
      • Allan Breller (KJ6ZH)
      • Randy Silverman (K8TR)
      • Joel Miller (W6ACE)
      • Charles Ricthie (KK6PAS)
      • Dudley McFadden (KO6DRM)
      • Alex Smith (KO6DXO)
      • Kevin MacDonell (KO6DQS)
      • Charles Peavy II (KO6CVD)

    • Called to order: 1802 PST by Aaron W1ATB

      Approve February, 2024 Board minutes – approved as corrected

      Present:
      President: Aaron Bond W1ATB
      Vice-President: Jim Zheng W6JCZ
      Treasurer: Brian Fulkerson KM6MDM (correct callsign)
      Secretary: Dave McBrayer N6OJJ
      Director: Greydon Hicks KC6SLE (2 years)
      Director: Mark Koehler W2MWK
      Director: Jim Jupin WA8MPA (3 years)
      also present: Brian AI6US; Greg KO6TH; Bob K6ZLY;
      Gary KB7QWC; Clyde AB4CC; Smitty WB1G; Scott KM6RFB
      introductions around

      Quorum: minimum 1 Director + 4 Officers = MET

      Officer & Board Member Reports
      Jim Zheng W6JCZ – advert items at back of newsletter: motion by Smitty “ Motion: The “sponsor/special” thanks section in the SFARC Newsletter be reserved for advertisements from members in good standing, limit one ad per member, free of charge.“. second by Greydon KC6SLE. Motion carried by acclamation.
      Dave McBrayer N6OJJ – nothing to present
      Brian Fulkerson KN6BKB – bank statements uploaded to Groups.io in board files folder. annual insurance premium paid.
      Directors:
      Greydon KC6SLE – noting to present
      Jim WA8MPA – nothing to present
      Mark W2MWK – nothing to present

      COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORTS
      Repeater (Station Trustee) – Clyde AB4CC – 220 repeater going back to vault.
      Repeater Committee – Jeff KM6RGO – awaiting contractor bids.
      Newsletter – Bob, K6ZLY – Newsletter posted
      Webmaster / Social media / PIO – Smitty WB1G –
      social media site: FB at 500 members. fox hunt promo
      PIO: hamfest promotion,
      Groups.io / Dropbox – Dennis WU6X stepping down, need new chair –
      Groups.io at 293 members.
      Membership – Jeff KM6RGO) – 8 new applications to vote on tomorrow;
      Currently enrolled: 311 members. 6 (2023) members did not renew.
      meeting quorum = 62.
      VE exams – Brian, AI6US – March 4: 14 elements administered.
      7 new Technicians; 2 new upgrades.
      next exams: April 1, 2024.
      Volunteer Events Coordinator – Chip, KM6MDF – not present
      Contests – Dennis, WU6X – not present. stepping down, need new chair
      Scholarship Committee – Earl, K6GPB – not present.
      Jeff KM6RGO: Daniel Fogart Scholarship (existing) and one more.
      Drawing – Ray, KK6AM – not present
      Refreshments – Mark, W2MWK – plenty of water on hand
      Nominations – Gary, KB7QWC – needs 1 more committee member.
      Hamfest 2024 – Aaron, K6ABJ – 3rd Sat. in March., 3-16. walk thru next
      Thursday, 1700.
      ByLaws Committee – TBA

      Field Day / Hot RF Nights 2024 – Jeff, KM6RGO / Greydon KC6SLE –
      time to dust off spreadsheets. First FD zoom meeting on March 28 at 1800. All welcome.
      Hot RF Nights – Greydon
      Picnic chair 2024 – open
      Coffee & Doughnuts in Park 2024 – open
      X-mas party – open. confirmed: Dec. 8, 2024.

      OLD BUSINESS
      Elmer/Mentoring: Pamphlet for VE and Club Meetings, QSL Card,
      “How to become a Ham”. Smitty, WB1G, met with Greydon, KC6SLE.
      Repeater Committee: 1st and 3rd Monday’s on Zoom @ 1930. RFP
      sent out for repeater work.
      Position Duties: 2023 officer input due soon.
      Financial Audit: nothing to add.
      Scholarship Committee: Committee has not met recently.
      X-Mas Party date: Dec. 8, 2024. Confirmed with Church Pastor.
      VE items: Brian AI6US, new VE handout being refreshed.
      Club Asset Inventory: Jeff KM6RGO developing a spreadsheet.
      Scott KM6RFB approved for his monthly net on W6EK repeater.

      NEW BUSINESS
      Scott KM6RFB, PCARES MOU for W6EK repeater use. discussion.
      Motion of support by Greydon, 2nd by WA8MPA. passed by
      acclamation.
      Brian AJI6US – Coffee & Donuts in Park event – April 20, 0900-1100.
      Brian AI6US – Camp out 2024 – Sept. 21 at Stampede. board support for group site? carry over to next month.
      By-laws Committee – begin recruiting efforts
      General Meeting – Jim WA8MPA – what donations does the pantry
      need? paper towels, toilet tissue, kleenex, canned chicken/tuna,
      cereal, pasta.

      Events/Upcoming
      Hamfest walk-through meeting: March 14, 1700 at the Loomis Depot
      parking lot.
      Sat. Breakfast: 30 March, 0730 at Mel’s Original Diner, Grass Valley
      Hwy at Luther Road, Auburn.
      Fox Hunt: 30 March, 0900 after breakfast.

      Next Board meeting: 11 April 2024, 1800 PT. on ZOOM

      Adjourned: 1930 PST

    • President Aaron W1ATB welcomed individuals to this monthly meeting.

      The event was called to order at 1930 by President Aaron, W1ATB who opened the meeting by leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

      Board members present:
      President- Aaron, W1ATB.
      Vice-President- Jim, W6JCZ
      Treasurer- Brian, KN6BKB
      Secretary- Dave, N6OJJ.
      Director- Greydon, KC6SLE
      Director- Mark, W2MWK
      Director- Jim, WA8MPA

      Club Business
      Quorum met: YES 50 in person + 13 on ZOOM = 63
      311 members / need 62 ‘present’ to meet quorum.
      January General meeting minutes have been distributed. Accepted by acclamation as amended by members present.

      New Members acceptance vote: 8 new applications:
      Haven Courtney KN6URM Garritt Darling Ko6BMA
      Adam Gothard KN6YSQ James Malley WA0HYS
      Chuck Nungester Ko6CRZ Gregory Phelan Ko6CWF
      Chris Robinson KF6NFW Forrest “Sandy” Shoemaker K6MJ
      Acceptance by acclamation of those present.
      revised membership count=319.
      ———
      The Informational parts of the meeting continue below:
      Repeater needs a new antenna pole (wood). Bid requests sent out.

      Jim W6JCZ introduces:
      Program 1: “Vacuum Tubes”, Greg Ko6TH

      BREAK

      Program 2: “Loomis Hamfest overview” Aaron K6ABJ

      Committee Chair Reports:
      Repeater – Clyde, AB4CC- not present. AI6US- 220 repeater installed
      this weekend.
      Greeter/Sunshine – Pam, KN6GTK.
      VE Exams – Brian, AI6US exam on March 4. 14 elements administered.
      7 new Technicians; 2 new upgrades to General.
      Next exam session: April 1, 2024.
      Volunteer Events – Chip, KM6MDF- nothing on the volunteer events list until Spring. None pending.
      Exam classes – Orion AI6JB: Extra Class session 4, 11 students.
      Next Technician class: April 23.
      Newsletter – Bob, K6ZLY – newsletter distributed by email & on homepage.
      Satellite – Greg, KO6TH – nothing to report.
      PIO – Smitty, WB1G –
      Website – Smitty, WB1G –
      Social Media – Smitty, WB1G – FB members now at 500.
      Groups.io / Dropbox sites – Dennis, WU6X stepping down – currently:
      293 participants. Smitty WB1G taking role in short term. Need new chair/admin.
      Contests – Dennis, WU6X – CQWW WPX RTTY this weekend,
      ARRL International DX on Feb. 16.
      Membership – Jeff KM6RGO – Currently 311 members + 8 new tonight.
      Nomination Committee – Gary KB7QWC, need 2 more members.
      By-laws Committee – vacant, will be recruiting
      ARES – Scott KM6RFB. Effective 1 March, will be ARES EC for Placer County.
      Refreshments – Mark W2MWK – nothing to add.
      Drawing – Ray, KK6AN – nothing to add.
      Hot RF Nights – Greydon KC6SLE
      Hamfest – Aaron K6ABJ – need Presentation, Test Bench, Logistics,
      Sanitation, Parking coordinators.
      Field Day – Jeff KM6RGO / Greydon KC6SLE
      1st meeting 1800, March 28 on ZOOM.
      Scholarship Committee – Earl, K6GPB –
      Equipment Donations / Library – Jim, WA8MPA – thank you to all for tonight’s donations.

      Calendar of club events:
      Mar. 14 – 1700, Hamfest team meeting (Historic Loomis Depot)
      Mar. 16 – 0700-1100, Hamfest opens at Historic Loomis Depot parking
      lot
      Mar. 30 – 0730, Club breakfast at Mel’s, CA-49 at Luther Road
      Mar. 30 – 0900, Foxhunt. Meet at Mel’s Diner
      April 11 – 1800, next SFARC Board Meeting, on ZOOM
      April 12 – 1930, next Club Meeting
      April 20 – 0900-1100, Coffee & Donuts in Meadow Vista park
      June 22-23, ARRL Field Day, Georgetown Airport Campground
      Dec. 08 – SFARC X-Mas party

      Nets (on W6EK repeater, 145.430, PL=162.2):
      Daily: 0730-1000, Coffee Break Net on W6EK repeater
      1st Sunday/month: 1930, Placer County ARES Net on W6EK repeater
      Monday’s: 1800, All-Node Net
      Wednesday’s: 1930-2030, 1st/3rd, Elmer/Mentoring Net;
      1930, (ZOOM),2nd / 4th, In the Shack
      Thursday’s: 1930-2030, SFARC Weekly Net

      Adjourned at: 2118 PST

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