Speaker Topic for this Month:

“W6TRW Field Day 2026″

Mark KD7DTS

W6TRW will again be operating QRP Field Day from Campo Alto campground , a drive-up

campground on the summit of Cerro Noroeste, elevation 8,200 feet. Distance from Los

Angeles is about 100 miles. Last year was a blast! Gearing up to do it again in 2026.

Biography

Mark is W6TRW Amateur Radio Club Secretary, originally licensed in the late 1990s. After moving to California, he started volunteering as a forest ranger with the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association (SGWA). He modified his original Yaesu FT50R, to get back on the air while in the mountains – and discovered an amazing SOTA and POTA community. Mark is our tireless Chairman for QRP Field Day 2026. Please sign up to help him this year!

When: Tuesday, June 9th 2026 at 5:00 PM

Speaker Topic for this Month:

“HF Propagation Prediction”

Bill Shanney, W6QR

In this talk, Bill will cover propagation prediction with some basics of VOACAP

(Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program). It will also be timely to talk about

how things will change as the solar cycle wanes over the next few years.

W6TRW welcomes our most prolific and longtime Elmer, Bill Shanney, W6QR. A ham operator

since 1960, Bill has written many technical articles and talks for W6TRW and stays current with

ham radio items of interest for beginners to the most advanced operators.

Biography

“My first call was WV2RDG in NJ. I became WA2RDG when I got my general in 1961. I operate 99.5% CW on 160-6M. After a long period of inactivity (career and family), I upgraded to extra class in 1988 and became very active. That is also the year that I joined the TRW ARC. I have a BSEE from NJ Institute of Technology and worked for 45 years in RF and microwave design. I retired from NG/TRW in 2007 after 31 years with the company.” 

When: Tuesday, May 12th 2026 at 5:30 PM

Speaker Topic for this Month:

“Stop Waiting, Start Transmitting:

How I Got Started in Ham Radio”

Presenter: Ashley LaGue (KO6BKR)

Our guest speaker for the February meeting will be Ashley LaGue (KO6BKR). Her talk this month will include sharing how she got involved in ham radio, encourage newer ham operators to get started and get involved in a ham radio club/community, as well as showcase some of her completed projects (i.e, mobile setup and HF go-box) and share her planned future projects.

Ashley LaGue was first licensed as a technician operator in September 2023, obtaining her General license a year and a half later. Ashley obtained a bachelors in Biochemistry at California State University, Fullerton. Presently, she is employed at an aerospace company in Southern California as a Configuration Analyst. She loves the outdoors, photography, and any ocean-related activities.

When: Tuesday, February 10th 2026 at 5:30 PM

Speaker Topic for this Month:

“The Gain Collinear Antenna“

Presenter: Edison Fong, WB6IQN

Our guest speaker for the January meeting will be Ed Fong (WB6IQN).  His talk this month will be the DBJ-UHF 5dB gain base antenna (US patent – 2,124,424).  This antenna was featured in CQ Magazine in Summer of 2012. The DBJ-GMRS is a highly effective 5dB base antenna at only 37 inches tall and no radials.  There have been over 8,000 sold since its introduction  twelve years ago.  It requires no radials and is a DC shorted design so no lightning arrestor is needed.

Ed Fong was first licensed in 1968 as WN6IQN.  He later upgraded to Extra Class (when 20 WPM was required ) with his present call of WB6IQN.  He obtained the BSEE and MSEE degrees from the Univ. of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. from the Univ. of San Francisco.  A Life Senior Member of the IEEE, he has 13 patents and over 50  published papers and books in the area of communications and integrated circuit design.  Presently, he is employed by the University of California,  Santa Cruz (previously with Berkeley from 1997-2010) as an instructor teaching graduate classes in Antenna Design,  RF design and high speed interface.  

Speaker Topic for this Month:

“History of Spectrum Analyzers“

Presenter: Dr. Doug Millar, K6JEY

The talk will be about the most important advances in spectrum analyzers from the early pan-adapter days of WWII to the present. Bring your stories to share as well. 

Dr. Doug Millar was first licensed in 1957 as KN6JEY. He is the ARRL Technical Advisor in Metrology, having written the 26th chapter in the ARRL Handbook on Test Equipment and Procedures (1995-2014), and keeps a home lab for measuring frequency, resistance, and RF power. K6JEY enjoys HF CW, AM, boat anchors, and microwaves. Doug has radios on bands up to 122 GHz. He holds an EdD in Educational Technology and is a semi-retired professor.