Category Archives: Articles

Articles written by club members, officers, and local hams

VP Sez – January 2025

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Happy New Year 2025! As your club Vice President, I will focus on program planning, as well as supporting our president, Dave AI6VX. My first action is to obtain great speakers and topics for our monthly meetings. I have used our groups.io website to reach out to everyone with a poll, asking for volunteers to present. I have also contacted local hams (and YouTubers) directly, who have expertise in technical subjects. Finally, I have contacted various ham-related businesses who have or might want to provide our group with important information. Members Clement Alberts KM6OKZ, Tim Tenopir KN6JGB, Dave Schmidt AI6VX , Phil Cohen WA6BUZ, Mark Thompson AE6GD, Pat Anglum N6XTM, Geoffrey Dann N3CFX, Paul Strauss WD6EBY and John Kitchens NS6X have already volunteered to present, as well as YouTuber Stu AG6AG and businessman (antenna engineering professor) Ed Fong WB6IQN. Additionally, Cory Gibson of DX Engineering is presenting NVIS at our… Continue reading →

Upcoming Contest and Club Competition: CA QSO Party

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Image of Jacques KN6VVQ

Hello all, In case you haven’t figured it out by now with my Groups.io posts or VP Says messages on the K6MEP website, I really enjoy HF contesting. I think contests are a great opportunity to: get on the air without having to worry about rag chewing; find your on-air voice and hone your HF operating skills; figure out what works and what doesn’t work with your station; compete against yourself; work stations in states/countries you might not have QSOs with otherwise; and have fun! Well, we have a great contest coming up for us California stations. The CA QSO Party (CQP) is a little over two weeks away. It starts at 9:00am Saturday, October 5th and ends at 3:00pm Sunday, October 6th (if my GMT to Pacific Time math is correct). Like most HF contests, it’s SSB and CW on 160m-10m (no WARC bands). Now, why is this such a great contest for us… Continue reading →

Pres Says – Sept 2024

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Boston Dynamics Spot with person

September 2024 President’s message Welcome to September – we’re in the last 1/3rd of the year.  Kids are back in school, which should make my commute to work easier, and soon we’ll be seeing pumpkin drinks sold everywhere.  There are only 3 more club meetings before Decemberfest and our last picnic for the year is less than 2 weeks away.  Fall equinox comes just days afterwards, and our days will be shorter than the night for 6 months.  If you’re wondering if you missed reading the August 2024 Prez Says post, you most certainly did.  Of course I helped by not writing one.  I tried no fewer than 3 times but could not muster enough energy or words to complete any of them.  Have you ever had that one project that you just can’t get around to completing?  No? Just me? I am writing this message two days after The… Continue reading →

Ventura County Board of Supervisors Declares June “Amateur Radio Month” on June 18, 2024

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ARRL Field Day 2024 logo

Waiting for the Amateur Radio Proclamation to be Announced by Supervisor Kelly Long District 3 Chair of the Board of Supervisors Jeff Reinhardt AA6JR Public information Coordinator ARRL – Santa Barbara Section listens as Rob Hanson W6RH Ventura County ACS Radio Officer and Ventura County ARES District Emergency Coordinator speaks to the Board of Supervisors about the Auxiliary Communications Service and Amateur Radio Emergency Service community service. Andy Ludlum K6AGL Assistant Section Manager ARRL – Santa Barbara Section presents details of amateur radio volunteers and projects in the Ventura County community. Jeff Reinhardt AA6JR Public information Coordinator ARRL – Santa Barbara Section presented a slide show about amateur radio and its contributions to the nation as well as our local communities. This slide depicts three club’s Field Day locations and Jeff invited all attendees to come out and see for themselves how emergency communications can be established under field conditions.

An Engineer Looks at Science Part 4

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Image of Reese West KQ6TTA

By Reese West KQ6TTA lot of the life of an engineer is solving problems which are inadequately stated, withinadequate data, time, and money. This note is one engineer’s look at what scientists havebeen doing with their time and effort. If you read it you will find: This idea is easily attacked so let me add fuel to that. Although we see time as thingshappening ‘now’, there can exist precognition, conscious knowledge of an event before ithappens. Also, I believe that lightning is partially in NTNS. If you want to understand spritesand ball lightning, at least examine NTNS. This effort and writing are dedicated to Robert Shank KM6RSS, who encouraged andhelped read and polish my efforts over several years.L. West KQ6TT DEC 5, 2023