Watts Up This Week
Hey SFARC Members and Friends,
We’ve got a big weekend ahead. We’ve got our monthly club meeting coming up this Friday (05/08) at the Placer County Health and Human Services conference center (11434 B Ave, Auburn, CA 95603) @ 7:30PM.
If you can’t attend in person, join us at Zoom at w6ek.org. We also have our club board meeting this Thursday (05/07) @ 6PM on Zoom.
THIS WEEKEND, HAVE DONUTS AND COFFEE WITH US! — SATURDAY, MAY 9TH @ 9 AM
SFARC and the Coffee Break Net presents our annual Donuts and Coffee in the Park. Free donuts and coffee will be served at the Auburn Recreation Park picnic pavilion by the Coffee Break Net control operators. Bring a chair and have a fun start to the weekend, hanging out in park with your ham radio friends. Maybe even bring your POTA gear and show off your gear!
FIELD DAY T-SHIRT DESIGN SELECTED
A B1G congratulations to Smitty (WB1G) for this years Field Day T-Shirt contest design. T-Shirt sales will begin soon so keep your eyes locked on https://fieldday.w6ek.org and here for more information on how to order.
A B1G congratulations to Smitty (WB1G) for this years Field Day T-Shirt contest design. T-Shirt sales will begin soon so keep your eyes locked on https://fieldday.w6ek.org and here for more information on how to order.
73,
The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK)
(530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org
Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org | twitter.w6ek.org | linkedIn.w6ek.org | instagram.w6ek.org | youtube.w6ek.org
Amateur Radio Exams / Special Second Opportunity in June!!
Looking for a local, comfortable, friendly, and inviting atmosphere to help you successfully pass your ham radio exam? Sierra Foothills Volunteer Examiner Team provides monthly in-person exam sessions with mentors on hand to answer your questions about equipment, local resources, clubs, and events. You’ve successfully passed your ham radio exam, now what?
SFARC Elmers are here to help and guide you!
The Sierra Foothills VE team offers many scholarships. Free exams and Free FCC licenses for all students, youth, and young adults ages 25 and under! Military and First Responders receive a 50% discount on exams!
For more information and to pre-register for an upcoming session, CLICK HERE.
NEXT IN-PERSON DATE: June 27, 2026 @ 2 PM (Georgetown California Airport Campground)
** JUNE 27TH SESSION NOTE ** If you plan to attend this session, please read. Once you’ve arrived at the Georgetown Airport (6245 Aerodrome Way, Georgetown, CA 95634), follow the SFARC signs to the to the indoor hangar. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/qgdzpcbKN3P9Qsry9
May 2026 Newsletter
Watts Up This Week
We’re going to keep it short and sweet this was. We’ve got a lot going on with some important dates and times to remember.
- Field Day T-Shirt Contest. We are taking submissions now. You have until Sunday, April 26th @ 23:59. Link -> https://www.w6ek.org/fieldday/tshirtdesign
- The Canyons Endurance Runs are coming up this weekend. Priority usage of the W6EK 2M repeater for the Canyons Endurance Runs event traffic: April 24, 10am (Friday) – April 26, 2am (Sunday morning). During this time, the repeater will only transmit local RF traffic. AllStar and Echolink connections will be in monitor mode. No Coffee Break Net on Saturday April 25th.
- Club Breakfast, THIS SATURDAY (4/25) @ 0730 at Mel’s Diner in Auburn.
- Donuts and Coffee in the Park (5/9 @ 0900) — SFARC and the Coffee Break Net presents our annual Donuts and Coffee in the Park. Free donuts and coffee will be served at the Auburn Recreation Park picnic pavilion by the Coffee Break Net control operators. Bring a chair and have a fun start to the weekend, hanging out in park with your ham radio friends. Maybe even bring your POTA gear and show off your gear.
73,
The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK)
(530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org
Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org | twitter.w6ek.org | linkedIn.w6ek.org | instagram.w6ek.org | youtube.w6ek.org
May 2026 Meeting Presentation
For the May meeting, Greg KO6TH will be discussing the art of charging LiFePO4 (LFP) based batteries. It is, indeed, an art, something that we too often mistakenly try to turn into a trip to Ikea. Tab A into Slot B it is not. Separating Science from Marketing, this talk will reveal some of the fundamental realities of charging this particular breed of battery, which if followed should lead to long term success for both the battery and your well being. Can you get away without knowing this? Probably. Many do. But after understanding what’s going on, at least you’ll know what to expect.
Watts Up This Week
Hey SFARC Members and Friends
We heard from Greg (KN6WGV) and there’s a real need for volunteers to help support the Canyons Endurance Runs. They’re still looking for some aid station and net control operators. Can you help? If so, please contact us @ https://www.w6ek.org/aboutsfarc/contactus. The race starts next Friday, April 24th so please don’t hesitate.
Hungry for some donuts?
Have the Coffee Break net controllers serve you free coffee and donuts on May 9th @ 9AM. Bring a chair, play some radio with us, or just shoot the breeze with your radio friends. I heard a rumor that we might even setup a rig for POTA.
In other news, the Field Day T-Shirt Contest is underway and we’ve already received a few cool designs. You can check them out now @ https://www.w6ek.org/fieldday/tshirtdesign and even upload your own! We’ll continue to take entries until 11:59PM on Sunday, April 26th with the winner being announced at or around May 1st.
The camp out may seem far far away but we’re seeing a lot of activity with folks reserving sites. As mentioned before the meeting, there is plenty of space at Logger Campground. However, if you’re one of those people that wants to be near base camp, now is the time to reserve your spot (campsite map below).
Summer Field Day Is Coming …
DID YOU KNOW SUMMER FIELD DAY IS A LITTLE OVER TWO MONTHS AWAY?
For 2026 we’ve brought back our annual SFARC Field Day T-Shirt Design Contest.
AI and original designs are welcome.
Amateur Radio Exams / VE Testing: May 4, 2026
Looking for a local location to take your amateur radio license or upgrade exam? Sierra Foothills VE Team provides in-person exam sessions on the 1st Monday evening of the month.
Scholarships are available for students currently enrolled in Elementary, Middle, High School, or Undergraduate College programs and are 21 years of age or younger as of the date of the exam. Upon passing an exam, the student will be eligible for an instant $14 refund for the cost of the exam and also awarded the $35 FCC licensing fee.
NEXT IN-PERSON DATE: May 4, 2026 @ 7 PM
Need more information before signing up? CLICK HERE
Watts Up This Week
We hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend, no matter how you celebrate.
In less than a month, SFARC and the Coffee Break Net presents our annual Donuts and Coffee in the Park. Free donuts and coffee will be served at the Auburn Recreation Park picnic pavilion by the Coffee Break Net control operators. Bring a chair and have a fun start to the weekend, hanging out in park with your ham radio friends. Maybe even bring your POTA gear and show off your gear! The fun starts at 9AM on Saturday, May 9th.
THE NEW PHOTO UPLOADER IS ONLINE
We’ve made it easier for you to upload videos and photos to SFARC. Check out the all new Photo Gallery and Uploader at w6ek.org. To get you even more excited, we’re giving away a $100 HRO gift certificate to one lucky photographer for the best photo of 2026. The prize will be awarded at the SFARC Christmas Party in December.
THIS FRIDAY, CLUB MEETING, 7:30 PM
Jim (WA8MPA) will do a technical dive into Common Mode Currents, the skin effect in coax cable, and how to visualize it all with a Nano VNA. Got a kink in your garden hose, and wonder how that works with your cables? What kind and how many ferrite beads cause a given result? They’re not all the same, and with apologies to Yogi Berra, if you don’t know what you have, it’s probably going to do something different! Come to the April meeting and find out how to make sense of all of this, and keep the currents (and garden hoses) flowing the way you want them to. But wait! There’s MORE! Our April SFARC General Meeting will have a SPECIAL “Help yourself” opportunity for those attending. We have a large quantity of items from our recent HamSwap that will be given away FREE!
FIELD DAY 2026 UPDATE
We’re a little over 60 days away from ARRL Field Day 2026. This is one of the biggest events of the year for SFARC. Maybe you’re not a big contester? NO BIG DEAL! While working a station at Field Day is encouraged, many come up to visit, eat some good food, and enjoy a fun weekend of camping. If you plan to attend, we need your help. The Field Day Resource Center has a TON of information so check out https://fieldday.w6ek.org/. Keep an eye on the website, social, and of course email
