News

Calling All WVARA Members!

Calling All WVARA Members!

This Saturday is WVARA’s turn to host the Silicon Valley Electronics Flea Market!  We need volunteers for a number of key jobs.

Please CLICK HERE to view the online sign-up sheet and sign up for jobs:

–Load the van on Friday–Collect payments from vendors at the gate bright and early on Saturday–Set up the snack tent Saturday morning–Sell Donuts and Coffee Saturday–Tear down the snack tent Saturday afternoon–Help participants clean up after themselves Saturday afternoon–Remove chalk marks in the parking lot, and make sure the parking lot is in better shape than we found it–Haul cardboard to a recycling center–Unload the van on Saturday afternoon
Also, if you have items to sell, please bring them with you, we will set up WVARA sellers tables, free to WVARA members.

Questions? Please send a note to Greg, N6GD, at g.desbrisay@ieee, or chat with me at the club meeting this evening!

73

Greg, N6GD
_._,_._,_

Activity, Field Day

Winter Field Day 2020

WVARA members: Please complete this short survey about your potential interest in Winter Field Day 2020:

[ https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9WBRHZX ]

Winter Field Day, the event is held in late January (the next one is
1/25 – 1/26). The emphasis is on a contest that can prepare operators for emergency communications deployments in harsh environments.

More details are here:

[ https://www.winterfieldday.com ]

–… …–
SteveSgt, KC6ZKT

Activity, Contests

SF 5th annual 2 meter FM QSO Party

The San Francisco Radio Club has announced its 5th annual 2 meter FM QSO Party on August 24th.https://www.sfarc.org/2019-2m-fm-qso-party.html
 This is a fun event — hams head to the hills in SF and try to contact as many zip codes all around SF and in the Bay Area as they can.  One end of the QSO has to be in San Francisco but there are plenty of zip code “mults” out there both inside and outside of SF.   
 73, Mark W6IA

Activity, News

WVARA Annual BBQ

When: 11am – 12:30pm, Saturday, August 17, 2019

Where:  Sunnyvale’s Baylands Park, Pickleweed Place #1

(When you get to Baylands Park, turn right after going through the main gate.)

There won’t be an evening WVARA meeting in August.  Instead, we are having our annual WVARA BBQ.  Our location (see map below, the reservation is under “WVARA”) includes multiple tables, grill, an AC outlet, and a covered awning for shade.  There is an entry fee per car at Baylands Park, so you may prefer to carpool.  We’ll have hot charcoal and condiments — please bring your own meat to grill.

 Our BBQ coincides with the SSB portion of the North American QSO Party (NAQP) which means this is an ideal opportunity for a really fun portable radio operation.    (NAQP Contest rules are at: http://www.ncjweb.com/NAQP-Rules.pdf).  We can’t put up any big Field Day-style antennas at Baylands, but we can still string up an NVIS dipole and/or put an HF whip on top of the metal awning and have some fun in the contest.  Let me know if you are interested in volunteering to be in charge of either of the following two tasks:

  • Setting up an HF SSB station. 
  • Setting up a VHF station for event coordination through the WVARA repeater 

– Jim, K6EI

Sunnyvale Baylands Park Map
Sunnyvale Baylands Park Map
News

Electronics Flea Market

Hello West Valley members,

As you are planning your family’s summer schedule, please keep in mind that West Valley ARA has the concession for the Electronics Flea Market on Saturday, September 14th.

We will set up the parking lot, deploy out garbage cans, set up tables and the refreshment tent, sell cold drinks, coffee and doughnuts and clean up afterwards.  As such, we will need as much help as possible. Many hands spread the work around.

As many of you know, WVARA does not meet in July or August and the September meeting will be just a few days before the Flea Market, so as the time approaches, reminders will be posted and sign-ups will be solicited.  This is our major fund-raising effort for the year.

Please remember, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 at Fry’s Electronics in Sunnyvale, starts early.

— 

Dave Schultheis
WB6KHP San Jose
Director, WVARA

News

Field Day 2019

Once again, a photo of WVARA’s Field Day operation on Mora Hill has landed within the pages of QST.  Take a look at page 88 of the May issue.  (And congrats to Bill Frantz for his excellent photographic talent!)

ARRL Field Day 2019
Field Day, News

Field Day June 21-23

Field Day is June 21-23, and this year WVARA will be participating in the 9 Alpha Battery category. Here’s a tentative list of the HF band captains and equipment based on last year’s event.  

Feel free to let me know if you have additional information or suggested changes:

Band     Mode  Captain    Rig            Laptop
20/160   SSB   Jack B     K3 (Jack’s)    Jack
40/10    SSB   Mark S     K3 (Mark’s)    Mark
80/15    SSB   Jon K      K3 (Jon’s)     Jon

20       CW    Greg O     K3 (Greg’s)    Bill Fehring
40       CW    Jim P      K3 (Jim’s)     Bill Fehring
80/15    CW    Jim P      KX3(Jim’s)     Bill Fehring

TBD  Digital  Bill AE6JV  K3 (AE6JV’s)   AE6JV
TBD  Digital  TBD         TBD            TBD

GOTA    SSB    Kevin      KX3 (AE6JV’s)  TBD

Jim Peterson

Activity, News

70th International DX Convention

The 70th International DX Convention in Visalia is coming up soon:  April 12-14, 2019.
Online pre-registration closes this Saturday, March 30th at 5:00 PM PDT.  If you register before the deadline, we’ll have your nice registration packet waiting for you in Visalia and you’ll be eligible for a special pre-registration prize.
Currently 558 avid DXers (and contesters) have pre-registered for IDXC, including 40 DX visitors and 79 first-time attendees. http://www.dxconvention.com/pages/attendees.html
Why do folks attend IDXC?
• Learn something new 
• See the latest ham radio gear
• Get QSL cards checked
• Meet a famous DXpeditoner
• Take home a nice raffle prize
• Operate the special event station
• Experience the latest hotel cuisine : >)
• Eyeball QSOs: just happy to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones
Raffle prizes ?  Check out this awesome list — pure Eye Candy.http://www.dxconvention.com/pages/prizes-major.html
Go for it.  Pre-Register now:  http://www.dxconvention.com/pages/registration.html
Hope to CU there !
73, John Miller, K6MM
Rich Seifert, KE1B
Co-Chairs, IDXC 2019

Activity, News

Electronics Flea Market

I want to alert all of you that the Electronics Flea Market season is starting very soon.

We have received an agreement from Fry’s Electronics to hold the flea market at their Sunnyvale location again for 2019.

We have looked at the costs for 2019 and determined that the fee for this season will be $600 per event. You should use this number for planning and budgeting purposes. We will begin sending out the official invoices to the first groups early next week once the ASVARO board has approved it.

The following is the planned schedule for the flea market in 2019:

2019 Schedule – Electronics Flea Market

Saturday Mar.   9Flea Market – Hosted by Palo Alto Amateur Radio Association. 
Saturday Apr.  13Flea Market – Hosted by South Peninsula Amateur Radio Klub. 
Saturday May  11Flea Market – Hosted by Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association. 
Saturday June   8Flea Market – Hosted by Southern Peninsula Emergency Communications System. 
Saturday July  13Flea Market – Hosted by Foothills Amateur Radio Society. 
Saturday Aug. 10Flea Market – Hosted by Silicon Valley Emergency Communications System. 
Saturday Sep.  14Flea Market – Hosted by West Valley Amateur Radio Association. 

— Mikel Lechner
ASVARO

W6PIY