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VCARC FIELD DAY 2024 INFO

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Graphic logo with the text "K6MEP Ventura County Amateur Radio Club California USA". Image is a cartoon drawing of the islands off the coast of Ventura, with seagulls and 1 sailboat

The Ventura County Amateur Radio Club will be holding our annual ARRL Field Day event this weekend from 11am Saturday June 22nd through 11am Sunday June 23rd at Oxnard College. Club members will be setting up their equipment in the field adjacent to parking lot B (corner of Bard and Rose), and during the 24 hour period, will be making contact with as many other ham radio operators as possible. Map to event is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gr8xajyJHbaCBfZn8 If you have been curious about ham or emergency communications, this would be the perfect event for you to stop by, see what is possible, and ask questions. We will even have a GOTA (get on the air) station set up where you can experience the fun of making contact with another ham operator. With the current solar cycle, we’ve had great success in reaching far away stations such as Australia with just 50… 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.

Slides From June 14th 2024 Club Meeting

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ARRL Field Day 2024 logo

Thank you all for coming out to our club meeting Friday June 14th. We had a good working meeting to go over our Field Day 2024 plans. As promised, here is a link to the slides presented out our meeting. Slide 15 has the details on loading N3JFP logging software onto your laptop. Slide Deck A Zoom invite for our meal planning and N3FJP tutorial will be listed on our club calendar and over Groups.io Field Day 2024 is right around the corner! Dave AI6VX

President’s Message – June 2024

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Boston Dynamics Spot with person

President’s Message – June 2024 Field Day 2024 is here! What seemed so far off in the distance is now a mere 2 weeks away.  Our June club meeting will be 100% focused on final Field Day planning.  To help with the planning, and to get the latest information, please try to attend this meeting in-person or over Zoom. Our HF nets are taking off!  The last few 40M nets have been amazing.  Strong signals locally and up and down California.  We even have a non-club member check in regularly from the South Western tip of Utah.  We had 16 check-ins at one of our recent 40M nets, 13 of which were from outside of our area!  If you haven’t been working the HF bands, give it a try!  And don’t be afraid of calling out CQ.  I’ve noticed there seems to be a lot of friendly folks that tune… Continue reading →

VP Message – June 2024

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Image of Jacques KN6VVQ

Hello Ventura County Hams, Can you believe that we are just over two weeks away from Field Day, how has the first half of this year gone by so fast? Our Field Day Committee has been busy planning all the technical aspects of handling one of the largest turnouts in the country, and we are looking forward to a fun 24 hours of operating at Oxnard College. We started the day with 12 stations last year, let’s try and make it 13 this year! Even if you haven’t attended any of the Planning Committee or General Membership meetings, that doesn’t mean you can’t participate. On the contrary, we would love to have you come out and operate with us! There will be plenty of great food, camaraderie, and on-air time for all. No rig? No problem. There will be lots of radios for you to jump on the air and… Continue reading →

VP Says – May 2024

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Image of Jacques KN6VVQ

Hello Ventura County Hams, We continue to creep ever closer to our big event of the year, Field Day! If you haven’t alreadystarted planning what antennas and gear you are going to bring, now would be a good time tostart. We are hoping for another big turnout this year, which means we will all have to worktogether to get as many people on the air as possible. Expect some more updates as the monthprogresses. Last month we had two CQers Club get togethers at Ventura State Beach. The second one wasthe day before the M2B Marathon, which made it difficult for some people to attend. Thismonth I probably only have one weekend day to get out again, so we will tentatively scheduleour next outing for Sunday, May 19th . Keep an eye on Groups.io for more information as themonth progresses. I attended the International DX Convention in Visalia last month… Continue reading →

Pres Says – May 2024

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Boston Dynamics Spot with person

Welcome to the month of May!  Can you believe that one third of the year has passed?  I for one am glad that the rain is behind us and the weather has been warming up. What did we do in April?   What do we have planned for May? Is there anything else you want to learn at this event?  How to use a multimeter?  Test batteries?  Let me know and I’ll try and add it in. See you guys at the May 10th club meeting!

The Keyer Has Been Retired

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Image of an antique morse key, mounted on stained wood

The Keyer has been a monthly Ventura County Amateur Radio Club newsletter containing articles, information on past and upcoming club events, and news about the club and ham community. Written by members, officers, and local hams, this newsletter has been tirelessly assembled by many editors over its 88-year history. Today, with the internet, we no longer have to wait until the next newsletter to provide you with up-to-date information. Within minutes an article or news item can be posted on our new website, and include vibrant photos and clickable links. Because our new website duplicates many of the functions the Keyer provided, the Keyer has been retired. The April 2024 issue was the last one. A big thank you to all the Keyer editors over the years, and especially to Robert KM6RSS – our most recent editor. Your work will live on in the archives. Dave AI6VX

CQ’ers Club – Another Successful Meeting!

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On Saturday April 20th, Jacques KN6VQ held a successful CQ’ers club POTA activation/meeting at Ventura State Beach Park. In attendance was Jacques, Larry K6LWG, Burt KA6BJA, Peter W6PJG and Dave AI6VX. Though the sun never came out, other hams around the world did. Working 10M and 20M a total of 52 QSO’s were logged. Many out of state QSO’s were made, including GA, WA and OR. A few DX QSO’s were also made with Jacques winning the distance record by capturing Australia, Overall we all had a great time while also practicing calling CQ, listening through pileups, and working with logging software. If you would like to join in on the fun, you’re in luck! The next CQ’ers Club meeting will be Saturday April 27th, again at Ventura State Beach. You can park for free by using the street adjacent to the park by the Marriott, or by parking on… Continue reading →

Field Day 2024 Planning Meeting

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ARRL Field Day 2024 logo

Are you planning on participating in our 2024 Field Day event? If so, please attend our first planning meeting over Zoom this Thursday April 18th at 7pm. Zoom details can be found on our calendar, or for those on Groups.io, in the reminder email that will be sent out the day of the meeting. Field day this year is June 21 – 23, and there are many ways you can participate. Come and help us make this year’s Field Day fun and engaging.