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.
We had a large number of visitors including some special guests like the Ventura County Sheriff, the local Fire Department, and several elected officials and their representatives. The weather was very hot on both days, providing an additional challenge, but we all made it through safely and got the site nicely cleaned up thanks to all the volunteers who stuck around and who came to help at the end. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered, visited, or participated in this year’s Field Day in any way. I would like to recognize Keith Elliott-W6KME for his tireless work in coordinating this hugely successful event. Great job, Keith!
In other news, at our June general meeting we all enjoyed Martin Hickey-AJ6CL’s informative and entertaining presentation on how to make satellite radio contacts, and look forward to Bill Willcox-KF6JQO discussing activating Anacapa Island at our July 18th meeting. As anyone who has attended a CVARC general meeting lately knows, we are facing parking and seating challenges at our meetings due to construction and changes at the East County Sheriff’s station, along with the growth of our club membership. I’m hoping we can figure out some solutions or workarounds soon so that everyone who wants to come can do so without being inconvenienced. While we do offer Zoom as an option, it’s a good sign that our members enjoy each other’s company so much!
73!
Daphne-KN6TXX