After a multi-year hiatus, the Willits Amateur Radio Society will once again be participating in the ARRL June VHF contest. Operating under the club call W6MMM, WARS will try for a top ten finish in the ARRL San Francisco section. Below you'll find answers to the five W's along with an invitation to join in on the fun.
What?
The ARRL hosts several VHF and UHF contests each year, with the June contest being one of the most popular. Operating on bands 6 meters and up, hams across the county will be trying to make contact with other hams from their homes, mobiles, or mountain top locations.
When?
The contest this year will run from 11:00 PDT on Saturday June 11 until 20:00 PDT on Sunday June 12. It’s a full weekend of radio fun. The tentative plans are to have someone on-site from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening.
Where?
The plan is to set up a “mountain top” operation from Walker Ridge, just north of Highway 20 on the Lake-Colusa county line. From the 3575-foot elevation, one can see the top of Mount Shasta to the north down to Mount Diablo to the south. The site is a little over 80 miles from Willits, taking about 2 hours to reach by car. The first 75 miles are on pavement, but the last 8 to 9 miles are over rough gravel roads. The gravel road is passable with a sedan, at 15 to 20 MPH, but a bit more suited to truck travel. Both the road and the site can accommodate 5th wheel or pull trailers. Here is the lat/long for the site, so you can look it up on Google Earth
39.098419°
-122.488541°
Please note that this is an undeveloped, DRY camp, on Bureau of Land Management lands, with the closest running water and restrooms a few miles away.
Why?
There are more reasons to participate than I can list. First and foremost, it's just plain fun. In the late 1990's Richard WD6HDY and Len WA6KLK talked me in to coming over to Walker Ridge on a contest weekend and I was immediately hooked. I want to share that experience with other local (younger) hams, and attempt to pick up the torch from Richard. I can't think of a better way to honor Richard than to have W6MMM on the air on contest weekend.
I guarantee that operating from Walker Ridge will change your perception of VHF/UHF propagation. It is definitely NOT limited to line of sight!
Who?
Everybody is welcome to be part of it. If you can't make it over to the site, please consider giving us a contact during the contest.
As it currently stands, Jonathon KK6RPX and I are planning to camp at the site. I expect to spend Friday and Saturday nights, but will need some additional company to make it safe. If you are willing to spend one or both nights on-site, please let me know right away. Jonathon and I are planning to supply the antennas, radios, and batteries to make it all happen.
Day visitors will be welcome both days. Stop by and operate, log, or just observe. Be prepared for heat and intense sunshine. The tradition was to end the contest with a tri-tip feast, supplied by Richard, on Sunday night. This year the tri-tip dinner will take place on Saturday evening, to give more folks the chance to participate.
Tired of being at home? I am sure many of us have caught up on many things around our homes during this SIP time, but due to ongoing restrictions of gatherings we have been unable to plan meetings and/or BBQs. As many of you may have heard Old Mission Pizza has sold, I will be contaccting the new owners to ensure we will continue to have a meeting room when we can safely resume. They own Slam Dunk Pizza in Ukiah and are very community minded so I don't anticipate any changes.
I sincerely hope everyone is doing well, and if you find yourself needing assistance feel free to reach out and let us know.
WARS is an ARRL affliated club and therefore must continue to have the majority of their members also support the ARRL with membership. This is an organization that actively supports legistation for the benefit of amateur radio, currently trying to get legislation for HMOs to allow reasonable antennas. As a member you would be able to insure your radio equipment at a very inexpensive rate, get QST magazines every month with very interesting and informative articles, and support lobbying for the continued use and betterment of ham radio. WARS actually is able to have a liability insurance policy through ARRL that provides coverage for all of our activities and if we lose our ARRL affiliaton we lose that policy. Please consider joining ARRL and supporting all that they do for the radio community and at the same time help WARS to be an affiliated club.
ARRL's Mission Statement: To advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.
ARRL is the national association for Amateur Radio in the US. Founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim as The American Radio Relay League, ARRL is a noncommercial organization of radio amateurs. ARRL numbers within its ranks the vast majority of active radio amateurs in the nation and has a proud history of achievement as the standard-bearer in amateur affairs. ARRL's underpinnings as Amateur Radio's witness, partner and forum are defined by five pillars: Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership.
As the national association for Amateur Radio in the United States, ARRL:
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Effective January 1, 2017, Section 23123.5 of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) was amended by Assembly Bill 1785, which substantially expanded the scope of Section 23123.5 CVC, from simply prohibiting the use of a wireless phone to text while driving, to prohibiting holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device while driving.
However, a driver may still use a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communication device while driving when:The handheld wireless communication device is mounted to a windshield (in compliance with Section 26708[b] CVC), dashboard, or center console in a manner which does not interfere with the driver s view of the road, and; The drivers hand is used to activate or deactivate a feature with a single tap or swipe of the drivers finger. Pursuant to Section 23123.5(f) CVC, the definition of an electronic wireless communications device includes, but is not limited to: a broadband personal communication device, a specialized mobil radio device, a handheld device or laptop computer with mobile data access, a pager, or a two-way messaging device. Section 23123.5 CVC does not apply to manufacturer-installed systems which are embedded in the vehicle,nor does it apply to an emergency services professional using a wireless telephone while operating an authorized Emergency vehicle, in the course and scope of employment.
For the purposes of Section 23123.5(f) CVC, a radio installed and mounted in a vehicle with a wired hand microphone (e.g., business band or citizen band [CB] radio) is not considered a wireless communication device, nor is it considered a specialized mobile radio device, and therefore is not subject to enforcement u nder this section.
We have some members that are interested in getting their tickets and possibly an upgrade, so here are local test sessions found posted by using our zipcode at ARRL License Exam Sessions
Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, please verify that an exam session is being held from the website above.
We want to extend a huge 'THANK YOU' to Greg Glavich WA6RQX, for his dedication in maintaining and repairing all of the repeaters in the countywide linked system. HAMs from Humboldt County in the north, south to Sonoma County, and east to Lake County can regularly make contact and impart information. Without folks willing to put in hours of their time and energy not to mention funds, we that use the repeaters would be much more limited on VHF/UHF.
So ... if you hear Greg on the radio or happen to see him in person be sure to thank him for all his time and effort!
Every Friday starting at 8:00 A.M. come to Lumberjacks; located at 1700 South Main Street, Willits. We are encouraging everyone to come out and enjoy some coffee, breakfast or just conversation and if 8 is a bit too early, come later! We are very casual with stating times and usually there until 10 or thereabouts.
For those on the coast, every Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. come to Angelina's, 400 South Main Street, Fort Bragg for breakfast, coffee or conversation.Let's try to make one, all, or some, to meet and share ideas!
