The month of March is filled with fun and excitement, starting off with the ARRL’s SSB International DX Contest. It’s an excellent opportunity to fill your log with international (DX) stations and put your equipment and skills to the test. Our first club event of the month is the VE session on the 3rd, where I’ll be Elmering the candidates. It’s always a great experience to mentor someone as they explore the amateur radio hobby, and often times I learn about things I hadn’t thought of before.

I’m really looking forward to Hamtrak, a trip to Reno and back by train. I hear the scenery is beautiful, and I’m always down for some relaxed sightseeing. A big thanks goes out to Gerry (WA6E) for organizing and promoting the event!

This month’s club meeting on the 14th features Aaron (K6ABJ) and the SFARC Hamfest crew, who will be showing us all the activities and festivities that will take place during the area’s first hamfest of the year. Local communications team leads will also discuss all the upcoming opportunities to volunteer in community events as on-location radio operators. Whether you’ve volunteered in these events in the past or are interested in exploring ways ham radio can serve your community, consider helping out and making a difference.

Our club-sponsored hamfest will take place on the morning of the 22nd at the Loomis Train Depot, and I’m really excited to meet up with everyone and help set up the venue. The swap meet always attracts hams from all over, and what’s more important that the awesome variety of equipment and parts to peruse are the people you’ll be able to talk to and catch up with.

We finish out the month with our club breakfast on the morning of the 29th, followed by a radio direction finding exercise. I haven’t had the opportunity to participate in the past two months, so I’m planning on getting back in the game this time and dusting off the fox hunting equipment.

There are plenty of excellent talks lined up for the coming months, so stop by and get your fill of interesting and insightful ideas!

It’s hard to believe we’ve already made it a month into the new year! The shortest month brings with it a few events of note, starting off with our club VE session at 7 PM on the 3rd. We’re always looking for volunteers to help with mentorship of test candidates both before and after their exams, so come on by and give a little back to the ham radio community. Our meeting will take place at 7:30 PM on the 14th, and the monthly breakfast at 7:30 AM on the 22nd. Keep an eye out for information on our website about the radio direction finding exercise right after breakfast.

I’m really looking forward to several major activities coming up, especially Hamtrak II. A big thank-you to Gerry (WA6E) for organizing the event once again, and I hope to meet up with you all for a memorable trip.

At last but not least, our annual hamfest in March is always a huge event, and this year’s will be no different. Long before the sun comes up, I’ll be out helping set up and enjoying great chats with hams all around the area (and perhaps beyond).

73, and I hope to see you at our many club activities in the near future!

Jim Zheng
W6JCZ