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SoCal ARDF @ Bonelli Regional Park Nov. 23, 2019

http://homingin.com/joemoell/bonelli1119.html

Our friends from Homing In will be holding a Transmitter Hunting educational/practice session at Bonelli Regional Park on Saturday November 23rd 2019. We need to show our support by Logging in to their website, registering for the event and if you would like to build your own tape measure Antenna let them know. While your there, add yourself to the ARDF mailing list to stay informed about whats happening at “Homing In”.

GOTAhams will be serving a picnic lunch at this event. Even if you are not planning on “hunting” Come out, have something to eat, socialize with other Hams and their families, watch others “Fox-Hunt”! I’m sure you will learn something new, and may be inspired to use some loaner equipment to try your hand at Transmitter locating (ARDF). Bring your friends! this is a “receiving” only mode so No License needed! so bring the Kids/Grandkids. If you are planning on attending Please send a e-mail to Kathi KD6CAF (kd6caf@gmail.com) to RSVP, We look forward to seeing you ALL there!

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Homing In ARDF training/practice

“Homing In” has an extensive Website that covers all aspects of “Radio Orienteering” from the basics into serious international competition. Your time will be well spent researching this very useful aspect of our hobby.

Kathi KD6CAF, Mark KM6AHY and myself spent time at an ARDF training session at Fullerton, Joe Moell KØOV and Marvin Johnston KE6HTS are terrific “Elmers” and took great pride in showing us “Newbies” the basics of Radio Fox Hunting.

Saturday Oct 26, Antennas in the park! 10:00AM San Dimas Cyn.

Saturday Oct 26th is our plan for “Antennas in the Park”. A antenna planning, building, testing but also learning soldering techniques and testing what we’ve built etc. We will also have a transmitter “Fox” to try our hand at some “T-hunting” and most importantly Socialize! We’ll enjoy the fresh air while we “Get On The Air”.

Kathi and I met Vicki Zumwalt N6KLS of Next Generation Antennas at Pacificon. She requested we contact their station on Saturday, the weekend of the CQ World Wide contest. This dictates that we have a HF station “On The Air” during our event and will allow our attendees to get on on HF with the Club Call WG6OTA. With plenty of “control operators” everyone will get a chance.

If you are looking for something to do Saturday, Want to learn a new skill, brush up on old ones or just want to hang out with other Hams or curious non-hams ? Meet us Saturday at San Dimas Canyon Park (east side as usual) at approx. 10:00am ’til ?

Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Kindron, KJ6VGX at the Claremont swap meet. Bob is the Operations Section Lead for ACS and informed me that they will be holding Technician classes in Rancho Cucamonga starting in January 2020. He also informed me that many participants he speaks to are looking for a local Amateur Radio Club in the area and was glad to have seen our booth at the swap meet. After a nice conversation and a quick exchange of information, Bob grabbed a few of our flyers to hand out at their future events. The Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) functions as a community service organization and a disaster or emergency service asset consisting of highly-skilled volunteers using amateur (ham) radio to accomplish stated and implied missions. For more info about ASC and the next Technician classes in January, see www.tricityacs.net! ’73 Mark KM6AHY

Pacificon Saturday, what we’ve learned & who we met?

Our morning started early again at “Breakfast with Gordo” leading directly into his “Ham instructor Academy” where Kathi and I found ourselves up on stage with Gordon West delivering some of his “Classic”? tongue in cheek jokes. We learned a lot about ways to promote/improve attendance pitfalls to avoid and keep students involved and focused during our presentations. Gordon asked for the longest licensed Ham in the room to help him and wouldn’t you know? Bob Heil!

  • Bob Heil Sending 120V “Code” into a stack of pickles!
  • Gordon shows a better way to present a “Band Plan”
  • Gordon explaining Tropospheric ducting
  • Eplaining open Circuit
  • Explaing Closed circuit
  • Current/Voltage as flow
  • Lighting ip some LED strip lights

Bob Heil followed Gordo with “Understanding Human Speech articulation” which is Bob’s secret code for “We dont listen well as Hams”! Kathi and I came away with a new found appreciation for those of us that “Pull out” those nearly unintelligible stations during our field operations! (Scott, yes I’m referring to You). We learned much about speaker enclosure construction, how certain Microphones change the game, and how simply increasing mid-range (2.5 khz) brings out the weak signal stations.

The most Storied Ham, and the Ham with the most stories

We also learned from Kristen McIntyre that SWR does matter, sort of? and after a lunch break we learned about Digital Amateur Television (wait I didn’t get a chance to try Analog Amateur TV). We followed with another presentation from Dr. Bob Heil concerning “Cheap and Easy 40/80 meter phased array”. We continued on to “Elmering in the age of Devices” presented by Jim Aspinwall NO1PC, the founder of facebook group “Amateur Radio Elmers”. he made some interesting points but I believe the GOTAhams could give him some pointers? we’ve run across Randy K7AGE, Jeri Ellsworth, and Amy Henron, also Dr. Fong, this is a VERY active convention. We are having a wonderful time, learning a lot, at this writing we are preparing for the Saturday evening Banquet.

  • Yes CALfire is here also!
  • CALfires Ham radio CommVan
  • The Youth kit building area,
    AHH the smell of solder in the Morning

As a Side note, yesterdays Views of our website set a new record for visits by nearly double! Kathi believes she had some influence by handing out several GOTAhams tokens, I’m hoping today is better with our Swapmeet Goats spreading the word. Keep it up GOTAhams, make us proud and we’ll represent on the North side (c; ’73 Ken KC6WOK

Friday Opening at Pacificon

Kathi and I Started our day early here at Pacificon. The registration desk opened at 7:00 AM, the hotel cafe opened at 6:00, rise and shine, had a nice breakfast buffet, scurry over to registration and collect our conference ID’s and other passes/raffle tickets etc. The Volunteers at registration said they were having trouble with organization but from our side of the desk it wasn’t apparent. This Fest seems well organized, on track and everything started on time. I personally was very impressed with our Bay Area hosts.

Friday’s single seminar was a day long antenna seminar presented by 7 speakers covering many aspects of arguably the most important subject in Amateur radio. We sat in a room of about 400 Hams focused on each speaker, 50 minutes at a time, with ten minute breaks between. I wasn’t sure I could focus on a single subject that long but with varied topics and different speaking styles the only thing I nodded out slightly on was “Antenna Modeling”.

During a lunch break we got to view the Special Event station, connected to the antenna array from the photo in the last post. This station sports a collection of Band pass filters and multiplexers sharing three antennas on a single tower with at least six stations from 80 through 10 meters on multiple modes from CW through digital. These folks know how to put on a field operation along with their skills as Hamfest hosts.

The “Vendor Hall” opened at 3:00 PM and Kathi was excited to meet some old friends and hopefully some new ones? She got her chance in a hallway outside Vendor Hall when she bumped into David Brackett KE6OPK our friend from TCARA and the Covina parade work. Gordon West WB6NOA Kathi’s buddy from Quartzfest and YUMA. A new friend was hanging out in the HRO booth with Gordo was Bob Heil, of course everyone is charmed by our hard working GOTAhams secretary so I got photos of Kathi with her freinds.

Enjoy these photos and I will try to keep everyone up to date on our exploits at Pacificon ’73 Ken KC6WOK

Pacificon 2019, We are Here!

Kathi KD6CAF and I are up early to drive to “Pacificon”! We want to get an early check-in and hopefully attend the Friday antenna seminar. We’ve already met a few Hams and got eyes on some interesting fixtures (Antenna Tower) supporting a multiband Beam and two dipoles that will feed their “Special Event” station. I got a nice photo of Kathi standing next to their portable tower trailer.

We wish you could all be here with us, but we will do our best to represent GOTAhams and get some photos with more of our “Honorary” Goats! I will do my best to keep you posted on our adventure! ’73 Ken KC6WOK

GOTAhams makes a strong showing at San Diego Hamfest

I couldn’t be prouder of the GOTAhams members that helped support Lakeside Amateur Radio Club. We were apparently the largest Club group represented at the San Diego event, at least by a showing of Club badges! other than the sponsoring club.

Our officers and members were not only attendees but represented in Vendor booths also. Scott KG6ABF was working with our friend Bob Brehm of Palomar Engineers, our other Friend Kevin of Bioenno Power was manning that booth, Myself and our Secretary Kathi KD6CAF, Mark KM6AHY and our Hospitality officer Vilma attended as did our Treasurer Jack KM6UNQ and our membership committee Chris KI6AMK and Karen Argueta.

Several of us attended seminars on subject from RFI generated by our Neighbors Solar installations to how easy it is to get started in satellite operations (a general meeting topic?) along with some of us supporting the vendors indoors and outside at the Swap meet, I personally bought a new Palomar Bullet 80 antenna, Mark added to his portable power system with a folding Solar charger and charge controller from Bioennopower and Jack got himself a Heil microphone (looks new) from the swap meet.

We have few Amateur radio “events” in southern California, when these rare events happen it is best that we try to support them. I personally would like GOTAhams to find a Venue that would allow us to host an event like this and partner with other local clubs to assemble a simple one day event like Lakeside did Saturday. (Thinking out loud again)

Kathi and I will attend “Pacificon”, a three day event in San Ramon this month trying to expand our Amateur horizons, learn more about “Elmering” and meeting up with some of the “Famous Hams” that we have met in the past and that have been so supportive in us Beginning this Journey we call GOTAhams.

“Now go out and GOTA” ’73 Ken KC6WOK

Tuesday Oct. 8th GOTAhams general membership meeting

We Meet @ https://gotahams.com/events/gotahams-meeting-location/

Our presenter this month is Chris Argueta KI6AMK on antennas, Chris is an Amateur Extra, GROL, and a Senior Communications Electrician for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department. He is well versed in commercial and Aamateur Radio antenna installation, can explain the theory, mathematics and practical application of Radio antennas. Chris has titled the presentation “Antenna Basics” based on the ninth chapter of ARRLs Amateur extra study guide.

We will also be Hosting Bruce Bolton AG6YS, Committee member from the Covina Christmas Parade. He is seeking Volunteer communicators to work at this years parade on Saturday December 7th. Kathi KD6CAF and Myself have served for the last two years as operators, it has been a great experience and has helped us become better communicators. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there. Members and all guests are welcome, Mark your calendars!

Happy GOTAhams at Septembers General Membership meeting

October is a busy month with Hamfests, the San Dimas Rodeo, Pacificon, Radio in the Park but we have one Saturday at the end of October for Something Completely different! Antenna building in the park anyone?

Our tentative plans are for the construction of some foxhunting and dual band hand held satellite antennas, with prior notice we can order some Foxhunting attenuator kits and HT adapter cables. with the completed antennas we can do some transmitter hunting and Show you how to build a T-hunt “Fox” with an MP3 player and that Baofeng that doesn’t really work as a transmitter hunting tool. To use a dual Boom Dual band satellite antenna you will need two radios or a full duplex dual band HT? two HT’s require two radio to antenna adapter cables, the full duplex radio will need a diplexer and supporting cables.

If you would like to try some other antenna builds, bring those Ideas to Tuesday’s meeting and let us know!