The ARRL has posted this year’s Field Day results. While we all recognize that Field Day is not a contest, the scores still get published each November.
We were in the 12 Alpha Battery category and finished with 2,878 QSOs completed and a final score of 27,570 — a 30% jump from our score in 2022. Awesome job!
And in case you were wondering, that score puts us at #2 out of all 4,445 submitted logs from this year’s Field Day, with the only score ahead of us being from the Potomac Valley Radio Club (W3AO) — their final score was 35,633.
In 2022 we were likewise #2 nationwide, and our score was 35% below that of the Potomac Club. In contrast, this year our score was only 23% behind the Potomac team. So I guess you can say we’re gaining on ‘em.
So start thinking about ideas for Field Day 2024. We’ll hold our annual brainstorm session in January or early February.
The 24 attendees at our meeting were treated to an intuitive explanation of PLLs and phase noise as well as a very interesting demonstration of phase noise by Ed and his spectrum analyzer.
Paul Wesling the speaker from our March meeting has edited-down the video from his presentation and put it on IEEE’s server – he has included some of the comments by Woz at the end, and put in additional photos. Check out the Q&A starting at 48:00: https://ieeetv.ieee.org/video/origins-of-silicon-valley-roots-in-ham-radio
The next WVARA meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday, June 14, in Meeting Room 3 at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. Social time begins at 6:40pm with the formal meeting starting at 7pm. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
BTW, a half dozen of us meet nearby for dinner prior to the meeting at 5:30pm nearby at Disn-N-Dash (2551 N. 1st St. San Jose): https://dishdash.com . Feel free to join us.
Meeting Topic: AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) — Come hear about RF Microwave Networking here in the South Bay Area. We will learn about what exists now, and how AREDN can be expanded for experimentation, community support, and emergencies. This will also be an opportunity for WVARA members to ask questions about setting up multi-Mbps systems at home, portable, and at key community locations.
Our speaker, Jim Moss, N9JIM, is working with a small group of hams to establish a microwave backbone around the SF Bay Area — in particular the South Bay. The first mountaintop station was established in 2013 on 3GHz and demonstrated IPphone & text messaging to flyaway portable setups. In 2022, Jim helped establish a 5GHz mountaintop node with AREDN firmware. BTW, Jim also holds the current (2020) 122GHz distance record holder with K6ML & KB6BA. They operated from Mt Umunhum (near San Jose, CA) to Mt Vaca (near Vacaville, CA) a distance of about 80 miles using 18″ dishes and about 1mW. Jim is also active on 1.2GHz EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) communications using 500w and a 1.5m dish. Very cool!
If you can’t wait until June 14 to learn about AREDN, then check out the AREDN website at: https://www.arednmesh.org/
Regarding our June 14 meeting, three things to remember: • Since the west side entrance to the Red Cross Building is always locked, we recommend entering the Red Cross Building through the main entrance situated on the north side of the building. • The Red Cross locks the main entrance at 7pm sharp, so please come early in order to get access to the building. • We will be in Meeting Room 3 — about 100 feet from any entrance. As a result, late comers who knock on an outside door won’t be heard from our meeting room. If you need help getting in the door, you can my cellphone: 408-636-6172.
Although we will be meeting in person, Jim’s presentation will also be streamed via Zoom. Zoom instructions will be sent via WVARA reflector and can likewise be obtained by contacting K6EI — his email is available via QRZ.
Our next WVARA meeting will be held in-person on Wednesday, April 12, in Meeting Room 3 at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
BTW, several of us meet for dinner prior to the meeting at 5:40pm nearby at Disn-N-Dash (2551 N. 1st St. San Jose): https://dishdash.com . Feel free to join us.
Kristen McIntyre, K6WX
This month’s speaker will be Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, who will discuss “A Wire in the Air: What Matters Most”. The magic of radio happens when we couple RF into the fabric of spacetime. We do that with an antenna. These devices are simultaneously simple and complex. It’s easy to get lost in the theory or fooled by the latest anecdote. Let’s look at what’s important in antenna choice and design. There are things that matter more than others, and it’s never perfect. And a bit of theory will guide us. Radiation resistance, loss, pattern gain, terrain, polarization, coupling, loading – they all play a role. Join us to find out what happens and what matters when we put a wire in the air.
Social time will begin at 6:45pm, with greetings and club business at 7pm followed by Kristen’s presentation. Kristen has been interested in radio since she was about 5 years old. She started in Amateur Radio in 1979 getting her ticket while at MIT. Kristen has worked in many diverse areas from analog circuit design to image processing to starting and running an ISP. She is currently working at Apple in Core Networking, and spent many years at Sun Microsystems Laboratories where she was researching robustness and emergent properties of large distributed computer systems. She is a long time denizen of Silicon Valley and has worked at or consulted for many of the usual suspects. Kristen is an active ham and loves to chase DX on HF with her Elecraft K2 which she built while visiting her mother in Florida. She is ARRL Pacific Division Director, president of the Palo Alto Amateur Radio Assoc., the Q&A columnist for Nuts and Volts magazine, and is active in many local clubs. Kristen was recently inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.
Three things to remember:
Since the west side entrance to the Red Cross Building is always locked, we recommend entering the Red Cross Building through the main entrance situated on the north side of the building.
The Red Cross locks the main entrance at 7pm sharp, so please come early in order to get access to the building.
We will be in Meeting Room 3 — about 100 feet from any entrance. As a result, late comers who knock on an outside door won’t be heard from our meeting room. If you need help getting in the door, you can call Tim, KN6FGH, at 408-929-9311.
Although we will be meeting in person, Kristen’s presentation will also be streamed via Zoom. Zoom instructions will be sent via WVARA reflector and can likewise be obtained by contacting K6EI — his email is available via QRZ.
This month’s WVARA meeting will be held in-person at 7pm on Wednesday, February 8, in Meeting Room 3 at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
This month’s presenter is none other than our own Steve Sergeant, KC6ZKT. Steve will cover some of the highlights of our recent Winter Field Day adventure, followed by a fascinating presentation, “The Model-T of Computers”. This talk explores two ground-breaking examples of technologies that changed our society. Each one changed important things about how people lived and how civilization worked. As we evolve our technical skills, can we resist the social changes that they bring? Should we?
Steve Sergeant holds an Amateur Extra class license, and is a third-generation ham. He has held lead technical roles for companies that brought digital audio to the music industry and digital video to the largest television broadcasters. Steve currently works as a senior staff engineer at Dolby Laboratories, helping manufacturers design the next generation of high-end audio/video equipment. His colleagues there like to call him their “expert generalist.”
BTW, several of us meet for dinner prior to the meeting at 5:45pm nearby at Disn-N-Dash (2551 N. 1st St. San Jose): https://dishdash.com Some WVARA members also dine at Panera Bread a few miles further to the south at 503 Coleman Avenue at Autumn Parkway at the San Jose Market Center. Feel free to drop by either location for dinner.
Although we will be meeting in person, Steve’s presentation will also be streamed via Zoom.
This month’s WVARA meeting will be held in-person at 7pm on Wednesday, January 11, in Meeting Room 3 at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
Two things to remember:
1) The Red Cross locks the exterior doors at 7pm sharp, so please come a few minutes early in order to get access to the building.
2) We will be in Meeting Room 3 — about 100 feet from the side door. As a result, late comers who knock on the side door won’t be heard from our meeting room. If you are late and need access, you can call my cellphone (408 636-6172) and someone will come let you in. But please try to arrive before 7pm to avoid this hassle.
To start the new year, we will have a presentation by Kaitlyn Handelman (KN6MAN) on Cybersecurity and Radios In Space. Radio transmitters surround us on the ground, in the air, and increasingly in space. Space is the place for amateur radio, telecommunications, and scientific transmissions. Space is awesome, but what could happen if a bad actor decided to attack satellite systems? More importantly, what fun can good actors have exploring satellite transmissions?
Kaitlyn Handelman (KN6MAN) is an offensive security engineer at Amazon where she secures ground, air, and space-based hardware. Kaitlyn has previous experience securing air and space systems at NASA.
BTW, several of us meet for dinner prior to the meeting at 5:45pm nearby at Disn-N-Dash (2551 N. 1st St. San Jose): https://dishdash.com Some WVARA members also dine at Panera Bread a few miles further to the south at 503 Coleman Avenue at Autumn Parkway at the San Jose Market Center. Feel free to drop by either location for dinner.
Although we will be meeting in person, Kaitlyn’s presentation will also be streamed via Zoom. For Zoom log-on details contact Jim at k6ei at earthlink.net
Where: Silicon Valley Red Cross Building Patio on the east-facing side of the facility. We can shift indoors to Room 3 if it rains. The Red Cross building is at 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
There won’t be an evening WVARA meeting in December. Instead, we are having a Holiday BBQ. We’ll have hot charcoal and condiments — please bring your own meat to grill, and maybe a desert or side dish to share.
And of course, the WVARA tradition of a Holiday Raffle is good to go. Santa Claus is making arrangements for some great door prizes — including a donated (used) Hex Beam for 6/10/12/15/17/20. So be there or be square!
This month’s WVARA meeting will be held in-person at 7pm on Wednesday, November 9, in Meeting Room 3 at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street at Plumeria Drive (southwest corner) in San Jose. We will be holding elections for next year’s club officers. If you haven’t been to the Red Cross in a while, “talk-in” is usually available on the Association’s repeaters. Best choice would be 2m/220.
WVARA’s Winter Field Day Team: January 2022
In addition to holding elections, we will have a presentation by Steve Sergeant, KC6ZKT, regarding WVARA plans for Winter Field Day 2023. Winter Field Day, to be held on January 28-29, is an emergency communications exercise focused on providing communications services in some of our area’s most challenging conditions. You can learn more about WFD at [ https://www.winterfieldday.com/ ].
Steve Sergeant is a third-generation ham. Originally licensed Novice class in 1972, his licensed expired and later in 1991 he was granted KC6ZKT as a Technician, and has since upgraded to Extra. Steve has a long career in audio engineering for professional and later consumer audio system integration. He currently works at Dolby Laboratories as an Applications Engineer. Steve is on the boards of the WVARA and the Nature Sounds Society. He is also a volunteer backpacking instructor for the Sierra Club, and a Uniformed Volunteer for California State Parks.
Three things to remember:
1) The Red Cross locks the exterior doors at 7pm sharp, so please come a few minutes early in order to get access to the building.
2) We will be in Meeting Room 3 — not our traditional meeting room. Room 3 is about 100 feet from the side door. As a result, late comers who knock on the side door won’t be heard from our meeting room. If you are late and need access, you can call my cellphone (408 636-6172) and someone will come let you in. But please try to arrive before 7pm to avoid this hassle.
3) The Red Cross policy is that everyone must wear a mask when entering the building, but that masks are optional once you are in a meeting room. Please be considerate to others regarding COVID.
BTW, several of us meet for dinner prior to the meeting at 5:45pm nearby at Disn-N-Dash (2551 N. 1st St. San Jose): https://dishdash.com Some WVARA members also dine at Panera Bread a few miles further to the south at 503 Coleman Avenue at Autumn Parkway at the San Jose Market Center. Feel free to drop by either location for dinner.
Although we will be meeting in person, Steve’s presentation will also be streamed via Zoom. Zoom instructions have been sent via WVARA reflector and can likewise be obtained by contacting K6EI — his email is available via QRZ.
