Looking Forward April 2025
Welcome to April! What’s coming up next is no joke, because Hot RF Nights, our annual ham radio themed car show, will take place in May! That’s right, on May 17 amateur radio operators and emergency communications personnel from all over the area will spend an afternoon checking out each others’ setups, exchanging ideas, learning a thing or two, all while enjoying great food and social time. Whether it’s you car, truck, van, or RV, bring it by so we can all admire your work and get inspired to take radio out into the field. No mobile install? No problem, because go kits big or small have stories to tell! Whatever it is you’ve got, come show it off and be a part of the action. Need something to get you in gear? SFARC will be there to strut our newest rigs, just in time for Field Day in June!
Closer than all that is the club VE session on the 7th, a club meeting on the 11th, and our monthly breakfast and radio direction finding exercise on the 26th. We’re not quite through with events after that, because this month we’ve got a special special session on the evening of the 30th with Craig (KM6LYW), developer of the DigiPi, a complete ham radio digital interface built around the Raspberry Pi. Operate APRS, WinLink, FT8, RTTY, and a whole lot more with one ultraportable device that integrates neatly into your existing station. This is one event you won’t want to miss, and even if you’re a seasoned DigiPi user there’s always an opportunity to learn about how others are using theirs and show all the cool things you’ve done with yours!
Hope to see you around, whether it’s in person on online!
Jim Zheng (W6JCZ)
SFARC Vice President
Back By Popular Demand
Hey SFARC Members and Friends,
When we redesigned the website a few years ago, the original website masthead was retired. I’ve thought about different ways to reflect our community and have come up with a new masthead design that rotates between over 20 different views from within Placer County. I know we have many photo enthusiasts in the club so if you have a scenic picture from within the county, I’d love to use it in the new masthead.
What is a masthead?
Any and all feedback is appreciated.
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, Smitty (WB1G) The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
When we redesigned the website a few years ago, the original website masthead was retired. I’ve thought about different ways to reflect our community and have come up with a new masthead design that rotates between over 20 different views from within Placer County. I know we have many photo enthusiasts in the club so if you have a scenic picture from within the county, I’d love to use it in the new masthead.
What is a masthead?
Any and all feedback is appreciated.
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, Smitty (WB1G) The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
Watts Up This Week, EXTRA Helping
FOX HUNT UPDATE
I was notified after I sent this week’s email, this weekends Fox Hunt is cancelled. Please check the website for more details on the April Fox Hunt.
73,
The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK)
(530) 492-0920
The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK)
(530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org
Groups.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social:
facebook.w6ek.or
twitter.w6ek.org
linkedIn.w6ek.org
instagram.w6ek.org
youtube.w6ek.org
On Mar 24, 2025, at 12:09 PM, SFARC Club Communication <qst@w6ek.org> wrote:
WHAT A HAMFEST!!!
This was the biggest and best yet for SFARC. A big thanks to the over 50 volunteers at Hamfest last Saturday and Aaron (K6ABJ) for his amazing leadership. We sold over 2,000 tickets for the drawing and sold out every seller spot we had.
Don’t forget to upload your photos @ https://www.w6ek.org/media/upload
Don’t forget to upload your photos @ https://www.w6ek.org/media/upload
WARM UP THE NIGHTS WITH SOME HOT RF!
HOT RF NIGHTS PLANNING MEETING, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26TH @ 6PM ON ZOOM
On May 17th, we’re bringing back the newly improved Hot RF Nights! Our first planning meeting is THIS Wednesday in the club Zoom room at 6PM.
FOX HUNT, THIS WEEKEND!
Our next Fox Hunt will be Saturday 29. We are still looking for a Fox Tender for this weekend so go to www.w6ek.org/activities/foxhunt and send us a message.
Our next Fox Hunt will be Saturday 29. We are still looking for a Fox Tender for this weekend so go to www.w6ek.org/activities/foxhunt and send us a message.
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
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
Watts Up This Week
WHAT A HAMFEST!!! This was the biggest and best yet for SFARC. A big thanks to the over 50 volunteers at Hamfest last Saturday and Aaron (K6ABJ) for his amazing leadership. We sold over 2,000 tickets for the drawing and sold out every seller spot we had. Don’t forget to upload your photos @ www.w6ek.org/media/upload
WARM UP THE NIGHTS WITH SOME HOT RF! HOT RF NIGHTS PLANNING MEETING, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26TH @ 6PM ON ZOOM On May 17th, we’re bringing back the newly improved Hot RF Nights! Our first planning meeting is THIS Wednesday in the club Zoom room at 6PM.
FOX HUNT, THIS WEEKEND! Our next Fox Hunt will be Saturday 29. We are still looking for a Fox Tender for this weekend so go to www.w6ek.org/activities/foxhunt and send us a message. _ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
WARM UP THE NIGHTS WITH SOME HOT RF! HOT RF NIGHTS PLANNING MEETING, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26TH @ 6PM ON ZOOM On May 17th, we’re bringing back the newly improved Hot RF Nights! Our first planning meeting is THIS Wednesday in the club Zoom room at 6PM.
FOX HUNT, THIS WEEKEND! Our next Fox Hunt will be Saturday 29. We are still looking for a Fox Tender for this weekend so go to www.w6ek.org/activities/foxhunt and send us a message. _ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
Watts Up This Week, Hamfest Extra Helping
Apologies for the extra email… I left out a important piece of information…
HAMFEST / LAST PLANNING MEETING / THURSDAY (03/20) @ 5PM / IN PERSON AT THE TRAIN STATION
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
HAMFEST / LAST PLANNING MEETING / THURSDAY (03/20) @ 5PM / IN PERSON AT THE TRAIN STATION
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
Watts Up This Week, The Hamfest Edition
HAMFEST IS HERE … … and the forecast for Saturday looks GREAT with high temps in the mid 60’s. More importantly, none of that wet stuff falling from the sky.
HAMFEST / LAST PLANNING MEETING / 5 PM / IN PERSON AT THE TRAIN STATION
A reminder for those who plan to help at Hamfest on Saturday. Don’t forget: * Safety Vest * An HT programmed with the SFARC Com Plan found here @ www.w6ek.org/complan o Talk-In / CH 03 / K6IOK Repeater 145.130- CTCSS 114.8) o Volunteers / CH 04 / TAC 1 Simplex o Parking / CH 05 / TAC 2 Simplex o Vendor / CH 06 / TAC 3 Simplex * Sunblock, Hat and Sunglasses * Headlight for the early morning * SFARC Name Badge * $$$ MONEY – LOTS OF IT 🙂 * Print out of the com plan just in case. 🙂 Even though sellers are due to arrive at 0600, they will be earlier. A good recommendation is to be onsite at 0430 if you’re part of the early crew. We can all but guarantee we will see the first of the sellers by 0530 if not earlier.
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
HAMFEST / LAST PLANNING MEETING / 5 PM / IN PERSON AT THE TRAIN STATION
A reminder for those who plan to help at Hamfest on Saturday. Don’t forget: * Safety Vest * An HT programmed with the SFARC Com Plan found here @ www.w6ek.org/complan o Talk-In / CH 03 / K6IOK Repeater 145.130- CTCSS 114.8) o Volunteers / CH 04 / TAC 1 Simplex o Parking / CH 05 / TAC 2 Simplex o Vendor / CH 06 / TAC 3 Simplex * Sunblock, Hat and Sunglasses * Headlight for the early morning * SFARC Name Badge * $$$ MONEY – LOTS OF IT 🙂 * Print out of the com plan just in case. 🙂 Even though sellers are due to arrive at 0600, they will be earlier. A good recommendation is to be onsite at 0430 if you’re part of the early crew. We can all but guarantee we will see the first of the sellers by 0530 if not earlier.
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
April 2025 Meeting
Our next club meeting will take place on May 9 at 7:30 PM at the Confluence Church Gym in Auburn, California and on Zoom at zoom.w6ek.org. With so much of our lives happening on digital devices, it’s important to safeguard our data. Smitty (WB1G) has an excellent presentation on how to store, preserve, and ultimately retrieve important data so you’re left with peace of mind in case emergencies arise. Come join us and learn all about how you can take control of your digital assets and make sure it’s all there when you need it!
Watts Up This Week
You’ve heard it here first, we’ve gone and lost our MINDS!!! We’re finalizing plans for Hamfest 2025 and still looking for volunteers. Now more than ever is the time we need your help. Maybe you can’t even make the event, no problem, YOU CAN STILL HELP. Make a QST on each and every net you attend. We’ve prepared a simple script too, found here: www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/qstscript
Print and hand out the event flyer (www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/flyer www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/flyer) or send people to the website (hamfest.w6ek.org hamfest.w6ek.org)
NEXT PLANNING MEETING IS TONIGHT (03/12) @ 6PM in the club Zoom room at www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting
A FEW OTHER REMINDERS THIS THURDAY (03/13/2025): SFARC Board Meeting | 6PM, SFARC Zoom Room | www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting THIS FRIDAY (03/14/2025): SFARC Club Meeting | 7:30PM, In-person or Zoom | www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting THIS SATURDAY (03/15/2025): Extra Class Antenna Build Lab | In-Person | Contact the advancement team @ www.w6ek.org/aboutsfarc/coursesandtraining
Print and hand out the event flyer (www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/flyer www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/flyer) or send people to the website (hamfest.w6ek.org hamfest.w6ek.org)
NEXT PLANNING MEETING IS TONIGHT (03/12) @ 6PM in the club Zoom room at www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting
A FEW OTHER REMINDERS THIS THURDAY (03/13/2025): SFARC Board Meeting | 6PM, SFARC Zoom Room | www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting THIS FRIDAY (03/14/2025): SFARC Club Meeting | 7:30PM, In-person or Zoom | www.w6ek.org/activities/meetings/jointhemeeting THIS SATURDAY (03/15/2025): Extra Class Antenna Build Lab | In-Person | Contact the advancement team @ www.w6ek.org/aboutsfarc/coursesandtraining
_ ___ _ ___ _ ___
73, The Sierra Foothills Amateur Radio Club (W6EK) (530) 492-0920
Website: www.w6ek.org www.w6ek.org Group.io: groupsio.w6ek.org
Social: facebook.w6ek.org facebook.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org twitter.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org linkedIn.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org instagram.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org youtube.w6ek.org
Watts Up This Week
HAMFEST IS GOING TO BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!
With Hamfest fast approaching we have another planning meeting scheduled for THIS Wednesday @ 6P in the club Zoom room. If you can’t attend the planning meeting but would like to help in some form or fashion, go to www.w6ek.org/activities/hamfest/volunteering
ALL ABOARD FOR HAMTRAK! THIS THURSDAY AT A TRAIN STATION NEAR YOU
The train pulls out Roseville at 10:51 AM on Thursday. Are you on the fence? There are still tickets as of this morning. 🙂 If you plan to attend but you haven’t RSVP’d, this is the last call. 🙂