Dec 21

Club Meeting Tuesday January 12 – Eric Christensen, K6EJC from HRO

Tuesday, January 12 at 5:30 PM

Round Table Pizza, 4330 Redondo Beach Blvd, Torrance

Eric Christensen, K6EJC, from HRO Burbak showing Ham Radio Toys

 

HRO LogoIn 1971, a CHP officer and veteran of the Navy signal corps, who happened to be a ham, came into possession of a little radio emporium on a wood train platform in Burlingame, CA. Bob Ferrero, who was then K6AHV (and later became W6RJ), loved ham radio and was determined to make a go of starting a business selling amateur radio products.

Today HRO is a family owned business with 14 sales locations throughout the U.S., making it the Largest Ham Radio dealership in the world. HRO recently opened their newest store in Plano Texas.

Eric Christensen K6EJCGuest Speaker: Eric (K6EJC) Christensen, Manager of the Burbank HRO, will bring an assortment of popular Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Alinco, Powerwerx/Wouxun HTs and mobiles, plus a few popular accessories like antenna analyzers, sound card units, scanners, etc.

K6EJC has been with HRO since 1985; manager of HRO Burbank store, about 10 years.

Eric holds an extra class license, beginning in 1979. His main interests are public service and emergency communications: Asst District Communications Officer for LA County DCS at Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station, former DEC & Asst SEC for ARES North West, communications volunteer for PSJMC/Providence St Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, and former City Radio Officer for Burbank Fire Corps/BEARS. Eric is an active member of San Fernando Valley ARC, Pasadena ARC, Crescenta Valley ARC, Independent ARC, Conejo Valley ARC, plus he has worked Baker to Vegas police race for over 20 years.

K6EJC also worked part time as a security officer at Knott’s Berry Farm since 1995.

View and download a PDF flyer for this meeting HERE.

 

Dec 03

Club Meeting Tuesday, December 8th – Jim Harrison, K6OUE – Radar and the Doppler Effect

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 @ 5:30 pm

Round Table Pizza, 4330 Redondo Beach Blvd, Torrance

“Radar and the Doppler Effect, Counter-measures & Counter-Counter-Measures”

The Doppler effect is used in Radar to accurately measure the velocity of a target. It can also be used to spoof an enemy radar, or to figure out if the enemy is spoofing you. W6TRW welcomes veteran club member: K6OUE, (a.k.a. Jim Harrison) who will shed light on a very relevant topic, these days.

k6oueHow did I get started in Ham Radio: Like a lot of hams, my father was a ham. When I was little, my dad was practically always in his “shack” which was a bench in the garage. I loved playing with all of his junk, electronic parts, and WWII military surplus with big knobs to turn and switches to play with, gazing into the innards of vacuum tubes.

My father got interested in radios, while he was a pilot for the Navy. With no formal training in electronics; he figured out how to modify these surplus things into ham gear, and to build his own antennas. He gave me a little Hallicrafters SX-38 short wave receiver that I kept by my bed and would listen to at night. We built lots of Heathkits together.

I loved the smell of melting solder. This exposure to radio and electronics was one of the major influences that got me into the electronics engineering profession. Because radios seemed so mysterious and it seemed like magic, that you could speak to someone on the other side of the world instantaneously, I was determined to someday learn how a radio worked… eventually getting an electrical engineering degree.

To learn more about K6OUE’s inspirational story, see:

https://w6trw.com/misc_documentation_articles/how_i_got_started/jim_harrison_k6oue/k6oue.html

View and download a flyer for this meeting HERE

If you’d to give a presentation, please contact Greg Shreve or Janice for the next open General Meeting. We’d like to hear from our club members!

 

Nov 19

W6TRW SWAP MEET TO STAY IN REDONDO BEACH

IMPORTANT NEWS

The W6TRW Amateur Radio Club is pleased to announce that the monthly Swap Meet will not move and will remain at its present location for the foreseeable future.

We will continue to hold the Swap Meet at its present location at the Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach on the last Saturday of every month.  We will not need to shut down or move the Swap Meet to a new location.

The club has worked very hard over the past year to build relationships and demonstrate the benefits of the club and the Swap Meet, and all that effort has paid off.

We know that everyone in the Ham Radio community joins us in celebrating this great news.

Sep 23

W6TRW 49th Annual Awards Banquet – November 14th

Saturday, November 14, 2015

5:30 – 10:00 PM

Bluewater Grill, 665 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach

 

It’s time again for the W6TRW Amateur Radio Club Banquet! This will be our 49th Annual Awards Banquet and it will take place on Saturday, 14 November 2015.

This year’s banquet speaker is Gordon West, WB6NOA !!  Don’t miss it!  We are very happy to have Gordo at our event again! 

gordon-west

Please download and print out the reservation form.  Final RSVP date is 31 October 2015, but we would like to home in on the headcount by 23 October.  There is a chance that we could fill all the reservation slots.

The banquet is for current W6TRW club members and their guests.  If you want to attend, but are not a 2015 member, please download the W6TRW 2015 application form.  Annual dues are only $5.

BANQUET RESERVATION FORM

W6TRW MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

 

Sep 23

Club Meeting Tuesday October 13 – Duane Mariotti, WB9RER – The Future of Emergency Communications

Tuesday, October 13, 2015, 5:30 PM

Round Table Pizza, 4330 Redondo Beach Blvd., Torrance

 

In less than 20 years, cell phones have gone from a basic communications device to a handheld multi-functional communicator. Significant funding has supported statewide integrated two way voice and data radio systems. Does amateur radio have a role with the new technical changes that will continue to improve the emergency communications infrastructure?

If you missed Duane’s appearance at Hamcon 2015 as a Tech Talk Speaker, now is your chance to meet WB9RER. He will answer your questions.

WB9RERDuane Mariotti, WB9RER, has been an amateur radio operator for over thirty years and involved in emergency response for over 40 years. Duane was a paramedic, EMT and fire fighter, and has been a college course level instructor in electrical engineering, hazardous materials and biomedical technology. Duane is an electrical engineer with an emphasis in biomedical technology. He is currently employed by a major hospital group where he is responsible for implementing medical technology systems to support safe patient care.

Duane is a frequent lecturer and has several publications related to emergency communications and biomedical engineering. He has served on several Washington State and Federal committees post 9/11 related to disaster healthcare preparedness. Duane is currently a volunteer coordinator for KPARN (Kaiser Permanente Amateur Radio).

For more information: http://www.kparn.org/

View and download a flyer for this meeting HERE.

 

Sep 22

Hamcon 2015 Communication Vehicle Display Photos

HAMCON2015 __049On Saturday, September 14, 2015, three mobile communications vehicles were on display at the ARRL Southwestern Division Convention.

The W6TRW Amateur Radio Club communications truck was shown by several members of the club.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff had a communications truck and did recruiting for the Disaster Communications Service (LA-DCS).

The LA County DCS Lost Hills Station also brought out their communications van.

Also on hand was the W1AW/6 Special Event Station manned by volunteers from the South Bay Amateur Radio Club and the Hughes Amateur Radio Club.

All photos by Wendy Khoo, W6NDY.

 

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Sep 22

September 2015 Swap Meet Update

DSC_0049The W6TRW Amateur Radio Swap Meet will continue to be held at Northrop Grumman – as usual – through December 2015. The dates for the Swap Meets are:

    September 26

    October 31

    November 28

    December 26

The future beyond this is still up in the air.  We are working with Northrop Grumman as well as pursuing other potential locations. Some good progress has been made but we are not able to make any definitive announcements at this time.  We anticipate continuing the Swap Meet after the first of the year.

Ensuring the future of our Swap Meet is a top priority for the Club.  Many people are working behind the scenes to make that happen and it just takes time to line everything up and get all the pieces in place.  Please be patient with us and know that we will let you know what is going to happen as soon as possible.

In other swap meet news…

We heard from many people at our August Swap Meet the the Chino Hill High School Electronic Swap Meet has been closed down.  Unfortunately, the rumor is true.  I spoke with a representative from the school and received an email from the organizers and here is the official word:

***Notice*** All Chino Hills High School Electronic Swap Meets have been temporarily suspended. The CHHS Music Department is hopeful that appeals made to the Superintendent of the Chino Unified School District will result in reinstating the fundraiser. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and hope to see our ESM family again soon. For updated information about our ESM Fundraiser, please visit our band website at: www.marchinghuskies.com.

We wish the folks at Chino Hills the best of luck in getting their swap meet back.  We don’t look at them as competitors but as partners in that we both serve the ham radio community.

Rich Sauer, N6CIZ

W6TRW Swap Meet Manager

 

Sep 14

Volunteers Wanted: Special Olympics Fall Games

Special Olympics BallFrom Scott Marsiglia, KI6KWI

The Special Olympics Fall Games will take place in Fountain Valley the weekend of November 14th and 15th. The Special Olympics has appreciated the amateur radio operators participation for the past few years and I would like to continue that effort for this worthy cause.

I have already sent an email to our members that volunteered for the Summer Games though I wanted to see if any other club members might be interested volunteering for this event.

Special Olympics Southern California would not exist today without the expertise, time, and enthusiasm of its volunteers.

The Fall Games attracts more than 1,100 athletes from across Southern California who will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals and ribbons in six sports. Fountain Valley Recreation Center and Sports Park will host soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. You can visit the Southern California Special Olympics Fall Games web site: https://www.sosc.org/fallgames

Anyone interested in signing up needs to contact me for the official sign up online form. This detail is working directly under the direction of Special Olympics staff and this detail requires a simple background check due to the close proximity our operators have with the athletes. Any additional operators will be very appreciated, lunch and refreshments are provided to anyone working the full shift.

My contact information is Scott Marsiglia (310) 370-5215

smarsiglia1@msn.com

Thank you in advance,

Best Regards,

KI6KWI
Scott Marsiglia

 

Sep 09

Volunteers Wanted: W6TRW Comm Truck at ARRL Convention September 12

hamcon2015logo-TransparentThe ARRL Southwestern Division Convention – HAMCON 2015 – will take place on September 11-13 at the Torrance Marriott Hotel. You do not need to be an ARRL member to attend.

You’ll find all kinds of great stuff going on at the convention including ham radio manufacturers and vendors with deals on their goods, exhibits, and technical talks. There will be door prize raffles, VE testing, A T-Hunt and a W1AW Special Event station operated by volunteers from the South Bay Amateur Radio Club.

Our 2 meter and 440 repeaters may be used as talk-in frequencies for the convention.

The W6TRW Amateur Radio Club is going to display its communication truck outside the convention hall along with some other communications vehicles on Saturday, September 12. Volunteers are needed to staff the truck and show it off to visitors from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

If you are interested please contact Ray Enriquez, KD6IGI or use the Contact Form on this website to let us know.

Information on HAMCON 2015 can be found on their website at hamconinc.org

 

Sep 09

My Volunteer Experience – Special Olympics World Games 2015

DSC04523 By Mike Hamada, KF6UCN,

After the W6TRW Swap Meet on the last Saturday in July, I prepared for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, as a volunteer for 5 days (35 hours).

Briefing was on Thursday, 7/23. On Sunday, 7/26, I assisted Spectator Services at the Special Olympics World Games Sailing practice event held at Belmont Pier in Long Beach.  I had my Marine Hand Held, which I purchased at the W6TRW Swap Meet for the monitoring of emergency channels and weather channels.

On Tuesday, 7/28 through Friday, 7/31, I had to be at Long Beach Marine Stadium at 06:30.  I worked as a Team Lead Person for Spectator Services, assisting with any safety issues, crowd management issues, and Spectator Services issues.  I was also responsible for making sure Spectator Services personnel had water, snacks, and shift breaks, similar to what I do for the W6TRW Swap Meet.

Long Beach Fire Dept. was called on the last day and was requested to arrive on the Support Services side, since it was closer to the Medical Tent.   I saw the Long Beach Fire Dept. arrive, then another Long Beach Fire Engine arrived from the opposite direction.  I notified all personnel on the radios that Long Beach Fire was also approaching from my location.  Everything worked out and the Special Olympics World Games Awards Ceremony continued.

The spectators and athletes had a good time and it was a fun event for me.  I used what I learned from previous Special Olympics So Cal events, W6TRW Swap Meet events, and various South Bay City and County events.

73, Always Have a Back Up Plan.

Be Prepared.

 

Mike Hamada

KF6UCN

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