Wow, CVARC sure had a really fantastic Field Day this year! Once again we had what was possibly the largest group in the country – a “21 Alpha” – which means that 21 radio stations all went live together at 11 A.M. on Saturday morning. Be sure to watch this YouTube video of our team at start time to get a sense of the excitement.
This amazing accomplishment would not have been possible without the many volunteers in our club who worked so hard and put so much time into pulling it off – planning, setting up our little radio “village” in an empty field near Lake Sherwood, lending tables, chairs, and canopies, providing water and food, welcoming visitors…not to mention the dozens of radio operators who were busy making contacts and were training newer hams in the various modes on their first Field Day.
Shortly after 11 AM Sunday as the team took a quick photo break before tearing down “21 Alpha!”
We have so many great photos from CVARC’s Field Day on June 22nd and 23rd that they are broken up into three photo galleries. Click on “Continue Reading” to view the galleries. Most of the photos were taken by Gary-K6GPS. There are also contributions from Martin-AJ6CL, Huston-KK6WT, Ron-K6CPR, Pedro-K6MIL, and Andy-K6AGL.
Enjoy K6GPS’s video of the first minutes of Field Day 2024:
The next regular club meeting will be held on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 7:30 P.M. at the East County Sheriff’s Station.
Topic – Activating Anacapa: Bill Willcox-KF6JQO discusses a planned expedition in August to conduct a quadruple activation (POTA, IOTA, Boats on the Air, and Lighthouses on the Air) of the National Park island off the coast of Ventura County.
Special note: if you can’t attend the meeting in person you can still participate via ZOOM, details below.
Members gather as early as 7:00 p.m. to socialize.
CVARC held a VE session on June 9, 2024. There were 11 candidates, and 9 new licenses or upgrades were earned: 5 Technician, and 1 General and 3 Extra. Among those who earned new licenses or upgrades at the session were:
Ventura County hams were recognized for their community service by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday, June 18. The board issued a proclamation at the televised event declaring the month of June as Amateur Radio month in Ventura County.
Can you feel the excitement? Field Day is almost here! On June 22nd and 23rd, CVARC will once again hold one of the largest, if not the largest, ARRL Field Day setups in the country, with 20 stations transmitting from our location near Lake Sherwood on Potrero Road (see below). Plans are well underway to make this another fun and successful event.
For new hams or the uninitiated, Field Day is an event held every year since 1933, during which hams set up amateur radio stations in public places all over North America and contact each other over a 24-hour period to earn points. It’s a way to demonstrate what we do, practice using our radios in remote locations, and have a great time with other hams and visitors. For CVARC’s event, we will set up the stations in large tents in a field at a lovely location with views of oak trees and rural surroundings. The public is welcome to visit, observe, and give radio a try. On Saturday we will take a break for an evening barbecue (be sure to buy your tickets in advance if you plan to join the meal), and some members will stay overnight making radio contacts until the event ends at 11am on Sunday morning. We encourage everyone to come by sometime Saturday or Sunday and see what it’s all about.
Besides Field Day, don’t miss our general meeting where Martin Hickey-AJ6CL will demonstrate how to make radio contacts using satellites, a skill we expect to use during Field Day. In addition, there is a special event being held on Tuesday the 18th at 10:00am by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors where all Ventura County Amateur Radio operators will be recognized with a proclamation honoring their service to the community. I plan to attend, and I encourage any hams who are available to come out to the Ventura County Government Center and share in this special honor.
73!
Daphne-KN6TXX
Field Day information:
Saturday, June 22nd, 11:00am (start time) to Sunday, June 23rd, 11:00am (end time)
Sherwood Development Company Field
377 W. Potrero Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
Many hands are needed to help set up and break down – contact Keith Elliott-W6KME at keith@w6kme.org if you would like to participate.
CVARC is now offering merchandise for “CVARC Field Day 2024” designed to create a cohesive look for the event.
Central to the collection is a black t-shirt featuring a vibrant, detailed illustration of a field day scene with mountains in the background, complemented by similar designs on a long sleeve t-shirt and a cap, both in matching dark tones.
Shirts are available in white, Irish green, black and orange The event branding continues on a special CVARC Field Day 2024 tumbler and on a square mouse pad. Show off your CVARC pride, while making our 2024 Field Day look great!
All proceeds from the sales go to the CVARC Field Day fund to defer the costs of the event. Make sure to be at the May CVARC General Meeting to see all the merchandise in person! To check out and purchase the CVARC Field Day swag go to https://cvarc.printify.me
Please plan to attend the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting at 10 A.M. on Tuesday, June 18, where all Ventura County Amateur Radio operators will be recognized with a proclamation honoring their service to the community.
This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our presence and to receive recognition for the many activities we engage in throughout the year. The meeting is televised and it’s also a great way to promote our Field Day activities later that week. Call sign badges and tasteful ham-related apparel would be good to wear if you have them.
The next regular club meeting will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 7:30 P.M. at the East County Sheriff’s Station.
Topic – How to Work Amateur Satellites: Lately many CVARC members have been making contacts using the ISS repeater and other amateur radio satellites. Martin Hickey-AJ6CL will demonstrate how easy and enjoyable this can be, without using expensive dedicated equipment. Satellite contacts are also a source of extra points for Field Day, so be sure to see how we can all take part at the CVARC Field Day site this year!
Special note: if you can’t attend the meeting in person you can still participate via ZOOM, details below.
Members gather as early as 7:00 p.m. to socialize.
Field Day 2024 is upon us! Our plan this year is very similar to 2023, when we were the largest setup in the entire country. There are still some Band Captain positions open. This year we’re also looking for several people to act as team leaders for various setup tasks on Friday, like the masts, antennas, tents, parking layout, etc. As usual we have an online spreadsheet where you can see who is doing what and what positions need filling.
