[Mldxcc] Fw: WPARC - The Hamfest Count Down Is ON! & Net Reminders

[Rick Samoian]

From: Michael Buck 
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2014 3:37 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: WPARC - The Hamfest Count Down Is ON! & Net Reminders

Greetings:




The Count Down is on! Only 10 days to the big WPARC Hamfest! The excitement is building! The big day is Saturday September 6th starting at 7:00 AM at McBean Park in Lincoln. A flyer for the event is on our website wparc.us. Vendors can set up at 6:00 AM. We are expecting a big turnout with that special treasure you are looking for somewhere in the park. I know one WPARC member will have a really nice, original Heathkit SB200 for sale. Could this be the one you are looking for? Steve N6HTV will have several tables full of goodies that everyone needs. What will you buy or sell?




Directions: From Roseville and areas west, take I-80 E to CA-65 North and exit at the Lincoln Blvd ramp. Turn right onto Lincoln Blvd and follow it to McBean Park Drive/CA-193 East. Turn right on McBean Park Drive. The park entrance is on the right side opposite A Street.




>From Marysville and points north – Follow CA-65 South. Turn left on Riosa Road. Take the first right onto Old Highway 65. Turn left on McBean Park Drive. The park entrance is on the right side opposite A Street.




>From Auburn and areas east – Take I-80 W to CA-193 exit toward Lincoln. Merge onto Taylor Road. Turn left onto CA-193 W. McBean Park will be on the left just past East Avenue (by the fire station). Or take I-80 to CA-65 North and exit at the Lincoln Blvd ramp. Turn right onto Lincoln Blvd and follow it to McBean Park Drive/CA-193 East. Turn right on McBean Park Drive. The park entrance is on the right side opposite A Street.




We have a great list of drawing prizes. The drawings will be at 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00 AM and you need not be present to win (but you are responsible for picking up your prize). Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. What a deal! Check out all these great prizes (which one will you take home?): 




1 – GRAND PRIZE – Yaesu FT-2900 75 watt 2 meter mobile rig

1 – GRAND PRIZE – Superantenna MP1 HF Portable Antenna (http://newsuperantenna.com/ is owned by WPARC member Vern W6MMA – more info on this great little antenna is at the website listed).

2 – Baofeng UV-5R HT radios

2 – $50 ARRL Gift Certificates

2 – $25 ARRL Gift Certificates

3 – Maui Jim VIP Gift Cards – 85% off a pair of sunglasses, non-RX lenses only

3 – Starbucks $15 Gift Cards

3 – Subway Sandwiches Gift Cards

3 – Folding Pocket Knives

3 – Yaesu Hats




We also have 20 additional Yaesu hats that go to the first 20 people who buy 10 or more drawing tickets (The hat is a $10 value).

We will have coffee, donuts, and water for sale by the club and the Lions Club will be selling hot dogs, burgers, and drinks. I know a lot of people will be meeting at Kim's Country Kitchen for breakfast (Kim opens at 5:30 AM) before heading to the Hamfest. See the end of this email for the address.




We are fortunate to be able to offer VE sessions now at the Hamfest. The sessions will be in the Community Room at the Raley's in Lincoln and Dennis KI6HHA is the contact person for all VE information. It is important to register for an exam before the Hamfest so Dennis and the VE team have room for you as space is limited. Email Dennis at ki6hha at aol.com for information and to register. There will be specific start times for each session.




An interesting announcement from the ARRL letter is that they now have an exam review site – http://arrlexamreview.appspot.com/. The new site offers on line test exams and they are free to anyone – you don't have to be an ARRL member to use them. I checked it out and really liked it. This is a good resource for all of the new Techs if they are interested in upgrading to General or Extra. The site offers a couple of modes. You can take practice exams or work in the review mode. Review mode allows you to study by chapter or section or what you want to review in particular. The review mode has references to the appropriate page in the ARRL study guide so if you are having problems with questions you can go directly to the study area in the manual. The site works on tablets and smart phones in addition to full size computers so you can take the tests with you. The site is in beta form and the ARRL is asking for feedback on how well you like the site, how well it works, etc. Check it out!




We have three nets today (Wednesday) with 2 on 2 meters and one on HF. On 2 meters we have one at 10:00 AM and one at 7:30 PM. They are both on the 146.640 (-) 156.7 repeater with Bill KJ6YCO as the net control for the AM net and Scott KJ6FAV as the net control for the PM net this week. There is an HF net 5 minutes after the end of the 2 meter net. As this is the last Wednesday in August we will be on 80 meters at 3.855 MHz and I will be the usual net control. The schedule for this week and September is:




August 27 – 80 Meters (3.855 MHz)

September 3 – 10 Meters (28.410 MHz) A great chance for our Techs to get on HF!
September 10 – 15 Meters (21.355 MHz)
September 17 – 40 Meters (7.225 MHz)
September 24 – 80 Meters (3.855 MHz)




You can be a net control for either net. Just email Dennis (ki6hha at aol.com) or me.




Last week at the club meeting I gave a slide show on my folding “stealth” flag pole antenna. I have photos available if you are interested. I will try to post them on the website in then next week or so. I also showed a bunch of slides of my shack. One feature we would like to include in future club meetings is slides of members' shacks. It is a good way to share information and to pass on ideas about setting up and organizing your shack to other members. I know I have seen some features in other shacks that started me thinking about changes to my shack, or ideas about equipment that would be useful. If anyone else wants to show slides of their's email Jim W6JMF (mtnredhed at gmail.com).




Remember that the September club meeting is Tuesday September 16th at 7:00 PM at the Woodcreek Oaks Golf Club in Roseville. More information is on our web page. Come early for good food and drink!




The September Board meeting is the week before – September 9th at 7:00 PM at the Pizza Roundup in Lincoln. All club members are welcome to attend and participate.




Some bad news – the annual Tour de Rocklin bike ride is cancelled for this year. The organizer has some health issues and is not able to coordinate the event. That is too bad as it was a nice ride and a lot of fun for us.




We have a request to support another event. Every year the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce holds a party called the Lincoln Showcase. It is September 21st and is from 6:30 to 10:00 PM and is for 21 and older only. People buy a ticket and wander around Beerman Plaza to sample local beer, wine, and food and there is a band for dancing under the stars. Our role in the event is currently undefined as they want to know if we can help and get our input before any assignments are made. We expect to have more information Friday when I meet with the organizer and I will share it in future newsletters.




We will be supporting the Holiday Parade in Lincoln on December 6th at 4:30 PM so add this date to your calender. As I noted last week, Roger was the primary organizer and contact with the CoC for the July 4th parade. We would be hard pressed to find anyone who does a better job than Roger when it comes to organizing an event but we are burning him out and we can't afford to lose a resource as valuable as he is. We seriously need some new people to step up and organize events. Roger no more finished organizing Field Day when he had to start the July 4th parade. He is adamant it is his last event of the year. We have all the paper work you need to follow to run an event and we offer lots of support to anyone who wants to try to be a leader. Talk to any club Officer if you want to volunteer.




The move to pass HR 4969 is gaining a lot of traction. HR 4969 is the “Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014” and is important to the ham community. The ARRL is pushing support and will have a webinar tonight for ARRL members. They also have information on their web site – http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969. Many hams across the country live in new development which are governed by CC&Rs. CC&Rs are Codes, Covenants, and Restrictions and they are killers for ham radio. Most CC&Rs prohibit the installation of ham antennas and as you all are aware, you can't operate HF without a good antenna. The FCC determined that states, counties, and cities can't prohibit the erection of antennas but did not carry their edict to cover CC&Rs, leaving that change for guidance from the U.S. Congress. HR 4969 currently in the House of Representatives will allow a reasonable accommodation for a ham antenna for someone who is governed by CC&Rs. We all know someone who is affected by the restrictions but now we can do something to help. There is a petition at change.org that requests that the House pass the bill and we need every ham in the country to sign it. Please forward this link to all your ham friends (or anyone else you think might sign it). Since the petition started a few weeks ago and over 8,000 (up 1,000 from last week) and counting hams have signed it to support their fellow hams. You don't need to be a ham to sign so please enlist the help of all your friends. Several members of the House of Representatives have also signed on to support the ham community. You can sign the petition at: 




http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-house-of-representatives-co-sponsor-hr-4969-the-amateur-radio-parity-act-of-2014




There is a problem brewing caused by some people who oppose HR-4969. They are trying to spread a poisonous rumor that the bill will eliminate ALL CC&Rs. We need to write our Congress people and let them know the truth and that thousands of hams are counting on their vote. Check your email for a form letter to send.




Phil KK6ZNV is anxious to jump into HF and is looking for a good Kenwood TS-940SAT or similar rig. He would like to buy one from someone local so he can check the unit out so he can talk to the owner and perhaps have a demo of the radio's operation. If you can help Phil out email him at pjmlmer at gmail.com. Or he can check some rigs out at the Hamfest....




Steve N6HTV has a couple of radios for sale. If you are looking for something, email him at sotoole at sotoole.com.




A few weeks ago I mentioned that Dennis KI6HHA has a check list he uses to prepare for events such as parades and bike rides. His list is now posted on the club website. Also, I received the Nagoya NA-771 HT antenna I ordered through eBay. It came from China in less than a week and seems to work better than the stock antenna (something that was pretty well proven by Dennis at the July 4th parade). It feels like a quality antenna with good flex and rebound so for $4 it is hard to go wrong.




The ARRL does a lot for the ham community, especially when it comes to spectrum preservation. They are always working to keep the ham frequencies in our hands. There is a lot of good information on the website arrl.org. They also send out weekly letters on various topics which are very interesting. In addition, Ron W6KJ sends out a monthly newsletter with information about and from clubs in the Sacramento Valley section. Definitely worth subscribing to for good information. This is the 100th year of the ARRL. Join today to make sure it is still here for the next 100 years and fighting to protect our share of the spectrum. The ARRL is also leading the fight to pass H.R. 4969.




The ARRL has a presence in social media and you can find lots of information on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Here are some sites where you can connect with the ARRL:




For Facebook go to: www.facebook.com/ARRL.org




For Twitter there are several addresses. Try @arrl for primary information. If you are interested in community events, emergencies, and disaster communications follow: @ARRL_ARES



For the latest on ARRLs media and to follow the ARRL Public Relations Manager follow: @ARRL_PR 




If you are interested in DXCC follow: @ARRL_DXCC 




For the young people in your family have them follow: @ARRL_Youth




To find out what's new with the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, follow:




@ARRL_W1AW




The ARRL offers lots of YouTube videos on a variety of topics go to:

www.youtube.com/ARRLHQ




I also discovered that the ARRL has a presence on Linkedin and there are several ham oriented groups too. If you use Linkedin log in and search for ARRL or ham/amateur radio groups. Club past president Kent K6AXP is active on Linkedin. This week there is a discussion about Logbook of The World (LoTW).




Thinking of the events in the Sacramento Valley Section reminded me that there are lots of nets in the area that are sponsored by other clubs. There are many different kinds of nets including HF, VHF, UHF, digital, and SSTV. For a full listing go to this link maintained by Assistant Section Manager Les W6TEE. Les does a great job of keeping the page updated: http://www.qsl.net/w6tee/nets.html.




If you know of any upcoming events in the area let me know and I will add them to the newsletter.




Here is a recap of upcoming club events:




Club Hamfest – September 6

Lincoln Showcase (tentative) September 21

Tour de Rocklin – CANCELLED!

Lincoln Holiday Parade – December 6

Lions Club Food Distribution – December 20 (I think – add it to your calender and I will let you know if there is a change of date. Frank KB6KYK manages this event so please let him know if you can help out. We manage the traffic control for lots and lots of cars!)




Also, we need some presentations for club meetings to take us through the year. Club VP Jim W6JMF is the person to talk to if you have a suggestion for a presentation or would like to give a presentation. One suggestion is to have virtual shack tours so we can see what type of equipment others are running and what their setup is. I'm for that one and have some great photos of my tilt-up antenna I would like to share. It is a flagpole type but folds down in seconds (literally) when not in use or for adjustments. It is great for our CC&R communities. If you have a suggestion of a topic you would like to hear about at a club meeting or if you would like to present on a topic please contact any board member. I think one of the things that is helping to increase membership is the quality of the presentations we have at meetings.




Many new members have been asking how to purchase the club ID badge. There is new information on the club website WPARC.US that covers how to order, how to specify the correct badge, etc. Thanks to Herman KD6BQH for putting this info together.




Speaking of club ID, we now have official club business cards. The board decided that with the growth of the club we needed them and they will be available at club meetings. I banded up sets of 5 to hand out at meetings. The cards have club information on the front and have lines for name, call sign, and phone number on the back for handing out to prospective members or for any other use. We have 1,000 of them so we shouldn't run out any time soon.




There is an unofficial club breakfast every Saturday at Kim's Country Kitchen in Lincoln at 7:30 AM. The new address since the renaming of Highway 65 to Lincoln Blvd. is 490 Lincoln Blvd. It is opposite the (now closed) Ace Hardware. Lots of members show up for breakfast and there are lots of interesting topics discussed. Bright and early at 7:30 AM. Kim's has good food at good prices and is a strong supporter of the club (Kim's was our original meeting place until we outgrew it several years ago).




Remember, our website is wparc.us.

Regards,

Michael
-- 
Michael Buck
K6BUK
mrbuck at pacbell.net
916.543.0032 Home
916.765.5910 Cell

www.wparc.us
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly – Dalai Lama
Rules are for the interpretation of wise men and the obedience of fools - Colin A.B. Chapman