Next µFD Set For March 24th

It’s on…µFD (Micro Field Day) will be March 24th from 1100 to 1500 or so. Back again at the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport.

As always, µFD is open to EVERYONE, all hams, all clubs, all people with or without licenses interested in ham radio and having a good time with like-minded people. Try new things, get questions answered, maybe try some Random Metal Objects of your own after seeing Keith’s talk on the subject at the CVARC General Meeting March 21st. Plus, we’ll be showing off some of the merch N6XEW has designed to help support the µExpo coming up on August 31st.

Put “34.2087, -119.0726” into your phone and it will get you there or use what3words timeless.budget.glitter. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then to the right and come to a gate. Turn right again and look for the hams.

Keith W6KME

keith@w6kme.org

theborednet.net

ACS-ARES Meeting Set For March 04, 2024

The next ACS-ARES Meeting will be held on Monday, March 4 at the Camarillo EOC.

Camarillo Police Department Community Room

3701 East Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA 93010

From the 101 Freeway, head northeast on N Lewis Rd and travel 2.2 miles. Turn left onto E Las Posas Rd and travel 0.6 miles. Destination will be on the right.

The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 P.M. You are welcome to arrive at 7:00 P.M. for a bit of social time before the meeting.

Continue reading “ACS-ARES Meeting Set For March 04, 2024”

µField Day Sunday, January 21st

Micro Field Day is back again at the VCFD training center at the Camarillo airport, from 1100-1500 on Sunday, January 21. There’s a possibility of some rain, but nothing heavy predicted. Plus, last year we got POURED on at the airport and still had a great time. Keith will bring a couple of pop-up canopies. Bring more if you’ve got one.

The following week is Winter Field Day, so it’s a good chance to haul out your Field Day rig and make sure you remember how it works 😉  We’ve got a couple of people planning to activate some nearby SOTA peaks as well. Last month we took part in that, and several people had their first HF contacts, as well as a chance to try some Morse Code. If you’re wondering how to set up your own shack, or curious about what other hams are doing for portable setups, µField Day is a great place to be. Plus it’s always a good hang.

Put “34.2087, -119.0726” into your phone and it will get you there, or use what3words timeless.budget.glitter. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate.

Turn right again and look for the hams.

Keith Elliott W6KME

http://theborednet.net

µFD Set for December 17th

Novemeber’s µFD was a success at the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport, so we’re going back. Temps will be in the 70s, wind will be mild, the sun will be shining…it’s almost unfair to have such nice weather four days before the winter solstice, isn’t it?

Sunday the 17th, from 1100 to 1500 as usual. As always, the purpose of the event is to hang out with hams from all over the area, and play with radios! Could there be a better way to spend an afternoon? Plus, it’s a chance to make sure you keep your familiarity up with your portable gear over the winter.

For SOTA enthusiasts, December 31st is “Zulu New Year” at 4 in the afternoon, so here’s a chance to give the gear a shakeout before heading out for that double-dose of points. If you still haven’t come to a Micro Field Day yet, we typically have 10-15 stations operating and 40-50 people just having a nice time. Last month, we had representatives of 5 different clubs on hand.

As before, the easiest way to find the spot is to put 34.2089, -119.0707 into your favorite GPS navigator. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate. Turn right again, the two very short blocks to Post. Make a left and drive to the end.

Keith Elliott-W6KME

µField Day Set for Sunday, November 19th

The BORED Net µField Day is ON for November! We weren’t able to get one in last month between my sudden trips out of town and availability of a suitable site, but the long wait is finally over thanks to Dan Dicke-KE6NYT. Dan has arranged for the use of the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport, which will certainly top the list for unusual and special places we’ve operated.

The event is Sunday, November 19th, from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. The easiest way to find the spot is to put 34.2089, -119.0707 into your favorite GPS navigator. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate. Turn right again, the two very short blocks to Post. Make a left and drive to the end.

If you’ve never come to FFD before (say “micro field day”), this is really the time. The latest QST magazine has the 2023 ARRL Field Day final results, and HALF of the top 6 operations in the entire country were here in Ventura County. Portable ham radio is what we seem to do very well in these parts. It’s not a club event…or you can say it’s an event for ALL clubs. I think of it as something for any and all hams and anyone else who is interested or curious. I’ve never seen a better place to practice your portable skills, try out equipment, steal ideas, and find advice. Personally, I have never failed to have a great time hanging around with my fellow hams. To top it all off, the weather is expected to be pretty nice. See you Sunday!

Keith Elliott-W6KME

ACS/ARES Meeting Set for Monday, November 6th

The next ACS/ARES meeting will be held Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3701 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, CA 93010.  

We will also stream the meeting for those who don’t wish to attend in person. Zoom login details are available by joining our discussion group: https://vc-acs.groups.io/g/main.

The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 P.M. You are welcome to arrive at 7:00 P.M. for a bit of social time before the meeting.

Yellow shirts are appropriate, either the County one or ARES shirts. I will have ACS-ARES patches if you want to add them to your clothing or gear. Wearing your ACS ID is suggested.

The meeting is open to all, members, non-members, and the curious. Anyone interested in what we do is encouraged to attend.

We will review progress on our systems, and new information about upcoming events will be discussed.

  • A report on our activities with a review of upcoming and recent events
  • Progress reports on EOC and infrastructure systems.
  • An update on the ACS-ARES web portal
  • Info on the HF net
  • An overview of Winlink activities.
  • A report from ARRL Section Manager
  • You will have a chance to tour the ACS radio installation at the station.

If you have a subject that you would like to discuss or have discussed, please let me know and I will put it on the agenda.

Directions from the 101 Freeway:

  • Head northeast on N Lewis Rd and travel 2.2 mi
  • Turn left onto E Las Posas Rd and travel 0.6 mi
  • Destination will be on the right

Please join us if you can.

73 Rob – W6RH

Next ACS-ARES Meeting September 11

The in-person meeting will be at the City of Thousand Oaks Emergency Operations Center which is located in the Oak Room at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza/City Hall.

2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks CA 91362

If you haven’t seen the ACS station there, you are missing out on an excellent example of a ham operation.

The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 P.M. (1930).

You are encouraged to arrive at  7:00 for a bit of social time before the meeting.

Continue reading “Next ACS-ARES Meeting September 11”

Tim Wheeler-K6POI, SK

Tim Wheeler-K6POI, SK

ACS member and past CVARC President Tim Wheeler-K6POI has passed away. For the last several years he has been living with increasing problems due to Parkinson’s disease. He was 81.

ACS Area 2 Emergency Coordinator Zak Cohen-N6PK described Tim as a good friend and regular dinner companion who was knowledgeable and helpful in his role as an Assistant Emergency Coordinator. Tim is remembered by Norm Campbell-AB6ET as a friend, mentor, and “all around good guy” both in person and on the air. James Smith-KK6YAM recalled, “Tim was the first person I met when I joined the club. He saw I was new and came over and welcomed me.” Wendy Joffe-WB6ADC, who attended the ham radio classes he taught remembered Tim’s “kind smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he’d share a joke.” 

Memorial plans have not been announced. Tim’s family has created a tribute page on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website. Contributions in honor of Tim to the foundation’s Parkinson’s research would be welcome.