GOTAhams Amateur Radio Club

Marconi Net
2026-07-11 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-06-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-05-09 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-04-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WG6OTA, 34.186747, -117.701456, Claremont, CA, 91711, United States
The WG6OTA repeater will be linked to the GB3IW repeater on the Isle of Wight. On the second Saturday of the month at 1900UTC.

The Marconi Net is a cooperation between GOTAhams and the Isle of Wight Radio Society, UK. We will celebrate the fellowship between UK and US hams with the MARCONI NET. The WG6OTA repeater on Sunset Ridge, North of Claremont, in Southern California, will be linked to the GB3IW repeater, near Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, in the UK. The KS7MC repeater (Spirit Mountain Amateur Radio Club) in Fort Mohave Arizona may also be linked during these nets. These are open repeaters, and we welcome guests. As usual, we encourage all participants to completely ignore (do not acknowledge in any way) any intentional interference during this or any other net.
The net will always start at 19:00 UTC (which is 12 noon in California and Arizona and 8pm in Cowes, UK during the summer). The net start time is specified in UTC time to avoid any confusion as U.S. Daylight Savings Time and British Summer Time change on different weekends. (In the Winter it will be; 11am in California, 12pm in Arizona, and 7pm in Cowes, UK)
No special radio programming is required, just access the WG6OTA repeater as usual and it will be linked to GB3IW.
Keep transmissions to less than 2 minutes and allow time for a FULL carrier drop (by the repeater) between transmissions. We do ask that participants pay special attention to avoid time outs.
For information about the clubs, please check out their respective web sites at:
https://gotahams.com
https://iowrs.org
For information about the net, contact: Bill Appleton, KF4MCG at kf4mcg@hotmail.com
See the maps below for information on the locations of WG6OTA and GB3IW.

Approximately 5,425 miles between repeaters.

Club Meeting
2026-07-09 19:00 - 21:00 | El Ranchero, 984 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, 91711
Please join the GOTAhams for our monthly Club Meeting. We will be at EL RANCHERO Restaurant at: 984 West Foothill Blvd. in Claremont.
If you are meeting at the restaurant, they will expect you to order a meal so, come by 6pm so you can order and eat before the meeting. As usual, the meeting will start at 7pm.
If you wish to attend on Zoom you can use the information in the membership e-mail as usual. If you are not a member send an e-mail to Tim N6DLC at: tim@wnbnet.net if you want to join the club meeting on Zoom.

Independence Day
2026-07-04
We will have the nightly net as usual.

License Testing at Brackett Field
2026-06-27 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-30 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-04-25 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-28 13:00 - 17:00 | Brackett Field, 1615 McKinley Avenue, La Verne, CA, 91750, United States
VE testing at Brackett Field

GOTAhams is delighted to be sponsoring Frank Westphal’s team of ARRL-VEC examiners operating monthly in-person testing. Tests will be held on the LAST Saturday of each month (EXCEPT DECEMBER) at 1PM in the Pilots Lounge of the Brackett Field airport in La Verne (map below). Walk-ins are allowed, but you are strongly encouraged to contact Frank at 909-257-7205 in advance. Please leave a message with your contact information and indicate which license level(s) you are pursuing. Please bring $15.00 for the A.R.R.L. VEC exam fee. ($5 if under 18). Payment must be cash or check – no credit cards or electronic payment methods. Also, please review the ‘preparation’ link below to ensure that you have completed the other required preparations for a successful test. You MUST bring an FCC FRN number to the test event – contact us if you need help with creating this on the FCC website. Successful candidates will be contacted by the FCC for payment of any additional fees due before issuance of the license. There is no test at the end of December due to the holiday season.
GOTAhams is grateful to Frank and his team for their commitment to continue this long-standing
volunteer effort, having conducted hundreds of prior exam sessions.
Contact: Mr. Frank C. Westphal at 909-257-7205 or K6FW@ARRL.NET
Time: Last Saturday Every Month, 1PM
Preparation: Please review this page: http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session
Exam Fee (collected at test): $15.00 ($5.00 if under 18).
Information on FCC License Fees (NOT collected at test): https://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee
Map and Directions:
The pilot’s lounge is located in the terminal building also housing Norms Hanger Coffee Shop. Enter the front entrance and turn to the left just after the gift shop. The meeting room where the exams are held are one door down on the left.
Brackett field la Verne Click for directions

Field Day
2026-06-27 - 2026-06-28
Field Day is a public demonstration of amateur radio. It is a great opportunity to see what amateur radio is all about. You can watch, learn, or give it a try. We will have licensed and experienced operators that will help and guide you to operate a radio and communicate over the air.
For a Rules, Frequencies, Scoring, FAQ’s, and more information. see this PDF from ARRL: 2026 Field Day Packet.
We will be at the Bonelli Bluffs RV Park & Campground: 1440 Camper View Rd, San Dimas, CA 91773, sites B146 and B148. The GOTAhams will be operating from 11am Saturday, June 27th, till 10am Sunday, June 28th. Anyone and everyone is invited to come visit. See directions below.
We have plans for 4 stations plus a GOTA station. The GOTA station is specifically setup for unlicensed visitors to use with the help of one of our licensed coaches.
Setup will begin at 3pm on Friday, June 26th. Clean up will will start around 9am on Sunday, June 28, leaving the operating stations as late as possible. We plan to be done by 11am. We can use all the help we can get. If you are bringing equipment for use at field day be sure it is marked with your callsign, or name and phone number, so we cam be sure it gets back to you.

Directions
Google Maps Link to our exact location.
Our site is not inside Bonelli Park. Don’t try to use Via Verde Dr. from the 57 FWY, Bonelli Park may be closed. Even if it is open by then you will need to pay the park entrance fee just to drive through. We will be monitoring the WG6OTA repeater as much as possible, so call if you plan to park at the site to drop off, can’t find us, or just want someone to pick you from a parking spot farther up the road.

Turn on to Via Verde Dr. from Fairplex Dr., Then turn right on Camper View Rd, just before you come to the guard shack for Bonelli Park.

Just before you get to the park you will come to the guard shack for the RV Park. Let them know you are here for the GOTAhams Field Day, you should not have to pay if you are just visiting.

Once at the RV Park, you will continue straight at the intersection. We are at sites SB146 &SB148.

Parking

Once at the RV Park, you may be able to park in the area marked by the yellow lines. We may have space at the site that we are reserving for dropping off people or equipment, please don’t occupy this space for long. We will also try to keep a car at the site for shuttling people from other parking places. If you park far away or need help to carry things to the site just call on the repeater and we may pick you up or make a space for you. We are at sites SB146 &SB148, the area marked in pink below.

Simplex net
2026-06-24 18:15 - 19:00, 2026-05-27 18:15 - 19:00, 2026-04-22 18:15 - 19:00, 2026-03-25 18:15 - 19:00
The Simplex net will be on 146.580MHz starting at 6:15pm.
A great way to explore the reach of your 2 meter equipment without benefit of repeater, both receiving and transmitting.
Bring a pad of paper and record signal reports for all you hear. We will collect and collate these.
Use this scale for your reports:
1=Nothing at all heard, not even noise or hiss suggesting a specific signal is present.
2=It was apparent that a signal was present but communication is impossible even with reasonable re-tries.
3=Communication possible with noise and possibly some re-tries to cover drop outs.
4=Good communication though with some noise or other artifacts, but generally solid copy.
5=Solid copy, little or no noise, full or nearly full quieting.
Be patient during silences as there will probably be participants you cannot hear and net control is likely communicating with those stations during silences.

Club Meeting - Field Day Plans
2026-06-11 19:00 - 21:00 | El Ranchero, 984 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, 91711
Please join the GOTAhams for our monthly Club Meeting. We will be at EL RANCHERO Restaurant at: 984 West Foothill Blvd. in Claremont.
If you are meeting at the restaurant, they will expect you to order a meal so, come by 6pm so you can order and eat before the meeting. As usual, the meeting will start at 7pm.
If you wish to attend on Zoom you can use the information in the membership e-mail as usual. If you are not a member send an e-mail to Tim N6DLC at: tim@wnbnet.net if you want to join the club meeting on Zoom.
This month we will be discussing our Field Day plans.

Cancelled POTA
2026-06-06 08:00 - 17:00
No POTA today. We might schedule something later this month.
We also will not be doing a July 4th POTA. So the next POTA will be August 1st, unless we schedule something later this month.
You can find more information about POTA here: parksontheair.com
For more information contact Marco, KN6SJQ@gmail.com

Memorial Day
2026-05-25

Field Day Planning
2026-05-21 18:00 - 19:00
This will be a virtual meeting to discuss plans for Field Day 2026. Club members may join to find out what we are planning, participate or make suggestions. We need people that want to make Field Day fun and successful for everyone.
We will meet on the Zoom Lounge at 6pm. You can use the same link or meeting ID and password that is in the Reference PDF sent out with the weekly e-mails. The info will also be sent out in the weekly email on May 17th.

Radio In The Park - Claremont
2026-05-16 10:00 - 15:00 | Larkin Park, 660 N Mountain Avenue, CA, Claremont, CA, 91711, United States
Radio In The Park

Radio in the Park is a social event to meet up with other hams and Get On The Air. Folks bring their HF radios, portable power systems, Antennas and attempt contacts all over the country/world. We look forward to seeing everyone there, all interested parties are welcomed, no need to be licensed, or a club member, we look forward to sharing the hobby with anyone interested and welcome any/all questions!

Practice your EmComm skills or just enjoy the day in the company of other Hams! You may want to bring a chair and some water. Some people may bring food or snacks. We encourage you to bring and set up your radios and antennas!

Larkin Park, Claremont, CA, 660 N Mountain Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Larkin Park has shade trees and a few tables. If you are bringing a radio you may want to bring a table. We meet near the Northeast section of the park near 7th street.

As usual remember to listen to the WG6OTA repeater before or on the way to the park, just in case there is a change in plans. See you on the Air!

Club Meeting - Marty VK4KC
2026-05-14 19:00 - 21:00 | El Ranchero, 984 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, 91711
Please join the GOTAhams for our monthly Club Meeting. We will be at EL RANCHERO Restaurant at: 984 West Foothill Blvd. in Claremont.
This month we will have Marty VK4KC with a presentation live from Australia. He will show us some products for portable operations.
If you are meeting at the restaurant, they will expect you to order a meal so, come by 6pm so you can order and eat before the meeting. As usual, the meeting will start at 7pm.
If you wish to attend on Zoom you can use the information in the membership e-mail as usual. If you are not a member send an e-mail to Tim N6DLC at: tim@wnbnet.net if you want to join the club meeting on Zoom.

ARDF (Fox hunt) - Not a GOTAhams event.
2026-05-09 09:30 | Hillcrest Park, 1200 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA, 92832, United States
Every spring, hams in Orange County organize an outdoor day in the park where they operate radios, find hidden transmitters and eat lots of good food. The annual “Antennas In The Park” (AITP) event is organized by the Fullerton Radio Club. This year, AITP will take place at Hillcrest Park in Fullerton on Saturday, May 9.
As usual, this year’s AITP brings an opportunity to get involved in on-foot radio-orienteering, also called ARDF. All ages are welcome, so bring the family. AITP transmitter hunts are simple and informal. They are suitable for beginners, but more advanced hunters can treat them as a “sprint.” There will be no charge for participation in the hunts, which will begin around 10 AM and continue until 1 PM. Be sure to bring your two-meter handi-talkie and know how to program it to any frequency in the two-meter band.
If you don’t have the antenna/attenuator system for on-foot foxhunting on two meters with your ham radio handi-talkie or scanner, a limited amount of equipment will be available for loan. Better yet, you can easily make your own during this session. Beginning at 9:30 AM, Marvin Johnston KE6HTS will conduct a clinic for building his kits for measuring-tape yagis and for 90 dB offset-type attenuators. An assembled/tested attenuator in a special housing that goes inside the boom of the yagi is also available. (See photo at right). If you want one or more kits, please register in advance by sending e-mail to marvin-at-west.net, so he will have the kits reserved in your name waiting for you.
It takes about an hour to put the antenna and attenuator kits together with tools and soldering irons that will be provided. If you’re not an electronic technician, don’t worry because there will be plenty of experts to help you. We want you to succeed! Then with your HT and the kitbuilt equipment, you will be all set to hunt.
Besides the transmitter hunts, Fullerton Radio Club members will probably have at least one HF ham radio station on the air. A barbecue lunch is also being planned. A few canopies and tables will be set up, but for eating and sitting around, please bring your own lawn chair.
Hillcrest Park in Fullerton is bounded on the west by Harbor Boulevard, on the north by Brea Boulevard, on the east by Lemon Street and on the south by Valley View Drive. From the 91 Freeway, take the Harbor Boulevard exit and go north about 1.8 miles to Valley View Drive.
We will gather at the Izaak Walton League Cabin in the southwest area of the park. You can park in the lot north of Valley View, midway between Harbor and Lemon (blue arrow in partial park map below). Look for the orange and white orienteering flag at the entrance to the parking lot. (Example at left.) Walk north through the playground into the lower picnic area and then west up the hill to the cabin (red arrow). You can also drive the one-way road through the park and park in the lot north of the cabin or along the road northeast of the cabin. Talk-in is on K6QEH/R, 146.97(-) PL 136.5 or 446.44(-) PL 114.8.

POTA Activation
2026-05-02 08:00 - 17:00
We will be doing a POTA activation. Everyone is welcome to come to the park or participate from home.
Come to the park at [LOCATION TBA]. Setup your own a station, help with other stations, or just come to watch.
To participate from home (Hunters) all you have to do is check the POTA website here: https://pota.app/#/ and look for WG6OTA or look for [LOCATION TBA] Listen to the frequency the Club POTA group is using. Then make a contact. That is it. Signing up for your own account or logging your contacts at the POTA website is not required but optional if you want to keep track of your POTA contacts..
You can find more information about POTA here: parksontheair.com
For more information contact Marco, KN6SJQ@gmail.com

Canceled - Big Bear HamEscape - Canceled
2026-04-24 - 2026-04-26
Not a GOTAhams event.
Big Bear HamEscape, an event for amateur radio enthusiasts.
It seems this event has been canceled for 2026. May be back in 2027.

World Amateur Radio Day / Radio In The Park - La Verne
2026-04-18 10:00 - 15:00 | Las Flores Park, 3175 Bolling Avenue, La Verne,, CA, 91750, United States
World Amateur Radio Day
April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.
https://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day?_zs=SQvQm&_zl=IE0H3

Radio In The Park

Radio in the Park is a social event to meet up with other hams and Get On The Air. Folks bring their HF radios, portable power systems, Antennas and attempt contacts all over the country/world. We look forward to seeing everyone there, all interested parties are welcomed, no need to be licensed, or a club member, we look forward to sharing the hobby with anyone interested and welcome any/all questions! Practice your EmComm skills or just enjoy the day in the company of other Hams! You may want to bring a chair and some water. Some people may bring food or snacks. We encourage you to bring and set up your radios and antennas!
Las Flores Park 3175 Bolling Avenue La Verne, CA 91750
Las Flores Park has a lot of shade trees but not a lot of tables. If you are bring a radio you will want a table. We are usually, towards the Southeast corner of the park. As usual remember to listen to the WG6OTA repeater before or on the way to the park, just in case there is a change in plans. See you on the Air!

Field Day Meeting
2026-04-16 18:00 - 19:00
Thursday, April 16th at 6pm we will have a Field day meeting. Just join the regular Zoom Lounge at 6pm to find out more. Link to join is in the weekly email.

Club Meeting - Kevin Zanjani - Bioenno Power - Zoom Only
2026-04-09 19:00 - 21:00
Please join the GOTAhams for our monthly Club Meeting. This month we will be on Zoom only, not in the restaurant.
If you wish to attend on Zoom you can use the information in the membership e-mail as usual. If you are not a member send an e-mail to Tim N6DLC at: tim@wnbnet.net if you want to join the club meeting on Zoom.
This month we will have Kevin Zanjani from Bioenno Power. Keven has sent us MULTIPLE DOOR PRIZES, to be raffled away to some lucky club members during this Zoom meeting.
Winners will be picked from members in the Zoom meeting on April 9th. List of prizes and the link to join the Zoom meeting will be in the weekly e-mail on April 5th.

POTA Activation - Bolsa Chica State Beach
2026-04-04 08:00 - 17:00
We will be doing a POTA activation. Everyone is welcome to come to the park or participate from home.
Come to the park at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Setup your own a station, help with other stations, or just come to watch.
To participate from home (Hunters) all you have to do is check the POTA website here: https://pota.app/#/ and look for WG6OTA or look for US-3411 Listen to the frequency the Club POTA group is using. Then make a contact. That is it. Signing up for your own account or logging your contacts at the POTA website is not required but optional if you want to keep track of your POTA contacts..
You can find more information about POTA here: parksontheair.com
For more information contact Marco, KN6SJQ@gmail.com

Radio In The Park - San Dimas
2026-03-21 10:00 - 15:00 | San Dimas Canyon Park, 512 Sycamore Canyon Rd, San Dimas, CA, 91773, United States
Radio In The Park

Radio in the Park is a social event to meet up with other hams and Get On The Air. Folks bring their HF radios, portable power systems, Antennas and attempt contacts all over the country/world. We look forward to seeing everyone there, all interested parties are welcomed, no need to be licensed, or a club member, we look forward to sharing the hobby with anyone interested and welcome any/all questions!
Practice your EmComm skills or just enjoy the day in the company of other Hams! You may want to bring a chair and some water. Some people may bring food or snacks. We encourage you to bring and set up your radios and antennas!
San Dimas Canyon Park 512 Sycamore Canyon Rd San Dimas, CA 91773
Park has a lot of shade trees and a few tables. If you are bringing a radio you may want to bring a table. Depending on who else is where, we are typically among the shade trees alongside the large linear parking lot that parallels North San Dimas Canyon Road as it heads North-East. Look for antennas in roughly the area circled below.
As usual remember to listen to the WG6OTA repeater before or on the way to the park, just in case there is a change in plans. See you on the Air!

Field Day Planning
2026-03-19 18:00 - 19:00
This will be a virtual meeting to discuss plans for Field Day 2026. Club members may join to find out what we are planning, participate or make suggestions. We are looking for more input and people that want to make Field Day fun and successful for everyone.
We will meet on the Zoom Lounge at 6pm. You can use the same link or meeting ID and password that is in the Reference PDF sent out with the weekly e-mails. The info will also be sent out in the weekly email on March 15th.
