River City Amateur Radio Communications Society

Photos taken while I visited thirteen #ARRLFD Field Day sites this weekend throughout the Sacramento Valley Section.

At this hour, Field Day 2021, a 24-hour event when Ham Radio/Morse Code/Amateur Radio enthusiasts and experts gather and connect with others across our region a...nd the globe is about 1/2 done. Official events began at 11 a.m. today and continue until 11 a.m. tomorrow. Ham radio/Morse code skill is a key ally in times of disaster because these low voltage systems can be run from a car battery or solar panel so when power fails or cell towers go offline, these systems can still get through. The annual Field Day event aims to promote the many facets of the amateur radio hobby, keep skills sharp, and inspire camaraderie across all practitioners In and around my local Assembly District, today I visited 5 active Field Day sites: 1) The Samuel F Morse Amateur Radio Club in Carmichael, 2) River City Amateur Radio Comms Society in Fair Oaks, 3) The World Radio Club in Latrobe, 4) North Hills Radio Club in Sloughhouse and 5) Friends and Amateur Radio Communication Enthusiasts (FARCE) in Rancho Cordova. http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Heat Exposure Precautions for this Field Day Weekend. Here are a few tips from the UCI Dept of Environmental Health and Safety: Wear light colored, loose clothes that block the light. Use sunscreen of at least SPF 15. Wear a wide brim hat to protect the neck, forehead, ears, eyes, nose and scalp. Limit direct sunlight exposure between 10 am and 4 pm when the sun's UV rays are strongest. ... Drink lots of water or sports drinks, about 1 cup every 15 minutes. Avoid alcohol, caffeinated beverages, or heavy meals - these adversely affect your tolerance to heat. Rest regularly in the shade or a cool place. Know the signs of heat related illnesses. Monitor yourself and others for symptoms such as: headache, light-headedness, dizziness or fainting, weakness, moist skin, muscle cramps and mood changes such as irritability or confusion. Persons at greater risk from heat illness include: young children, the elderly, persons with heavy build, and those with certain medications and medical conditions such as obesity, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.

The #HamRadioOutlet Sacramento store will open its doors for retail business on June 15! https://photos.app.goo.gl/BGG75D8w5z7i7ESP9

The new #HamRadioOutlet Sacramento sales staff is hard at work unpacking & stocking shelves in preparation for opening later this month. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BGG75D8w5z7i7ESP9

Carmichael Elks Ham Swap attendees can win an Alinco DJ-VX50 dual band hand held radio! Door prize courtesy of #HamRadioOutlet Sacramento. Winner must be present for drawing at 10:30 AM. Carmichael Elks Lodge, 5631 Cypress Ave, Carmichael, CA, Sunday, May 30, opens at 7 am for buyers.

Watch our November 3 meeting online! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTaMkYldDT8

River City ARCS SSTV Net Wednesday nights at 9 PM PT on N6NA 441.300 MHz repeater in Sacramento CA. YouTube Live Stream on https://www.youtube.com/c/N6NAorg/live

Our October 7 meeting video is now online! Guest speaker Joe Eisenberg, KØNEB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IYyV6dRkLQ

The International Space Station is now broadcasting SSTV images in PD120 on 145.800 MHz FM. (Except Oct. 5 UTC) Check https://www.amsat.org/track/ for overhead pass times. I just turned on my Yaesu FT-8800R in time to catch this image from ISS flying over us at 2:14 PM PT (2114 UTC). Please join our River City ARCS SSTV Net this Wednesday at 9 PM PT on the N6NA 441.300 MHz repeater as we share pictures we receive from the ISS. http://www.n6na.org/nets/sstv-net

News from https://www.ariss.org/ An ARISS Slow Scan TV (SSTV) event is scheduled from the International Space Station (ISS) for early October. The event is scheduled to begin on October 4 at 14:00 UTC for setup and operation and will continue until October 8 ending at 19:15 UTC

Here are a few images shared during our SSTV nets Wednesday nights on the N6NA 441.30 MHz repeater. https://photos.app.goo.gl/WXUDRc8AY5nkLYik7

#ARRL Sacramento Valley Section-Wide Net Thursday Sep 17 approx 7:30 pm PT on 146.085 MHz +0.6 MHz offset and CTCSS 127.3 Hz WD6AXM repeater, HF net to follow on 3880 kHz LSB. Full information on http://arrlsacvalley.org/ #svnet

145.25 MHz Simplex Test Sept. 19 at 7:30 pm Please join the River City ARCS Health and Welfare Net for a test of our ability to contact each other on 145.25 MHz without using our N6NA repeater http://www.n6na.org/repeater. At 7:30 PM, Saturday Sept. 19, we will be holding an informal test to see which Amateur Radio stations can hear other stations. We are working to determine if there are any gaps in the Sacramento area where an individual radio operator can not hear or be he...ard. The test procedure will begin with a short description of the process and then testing will commence. We will be calling participating stations in groups like the Wednesday net (A-D, E-H, I-M, N-R, S-V, W-Z). Each participating station will transmit on 145.25 simplex and give their call and a 10 count. The station will return to the repeater and indicate they are finished transmitting. Other participating stations, organized by call suffixes, will then report they heard the transmitting station. The listening station response will be yes. It should speed up the process to hear only those who accurately heard the sending station - We don’t want to hear reports like I knew the station was there but couldn’t understand. We are looking for reliable communication. This process may take a while as the test has been publicized in the area. Please plan to participate fully. To prepare: Be able to quickly change from our repeater frequency 145.250 MHz with a PL of 162.2 with a minus offset to the simplex frequency of 145.250 MHz Have paper and pencil to take notes Have a fully charged radio if you are using a hand-held Test your gear before the activity If the N6NA repeater is not operating, we will postpone the test.

Description and aftermath of August 18 LNU Lightning Complex Fire damage with surveillance video at the N6ICW Repeater Site atop Mt. Vaca. N6NA has one of its remote receivers at this site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMdjhlZR1ng

The "Ray Baum's Act" of 2018 requires that the FCC switch from a Congressionally-mandated fee structure to a cost-based system of fee assessment for licensing of all radio services. The FCC has proposed a $50 fee for new, renewal and vanity call amateur license applications. The period for public comment on MD Docket No. 20-270 is now open. http://www.arrl.org//fcc-proposes-to-reinstate-amateur-rad

Our September 1 meeting video - Homebrew Night - is now posted! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4vw9y8sm3Y

Our Tuesday September 1 7:30 pm online membership meeting will be Homebrew Contest Night. Club members can compete with a brief description of a homebrew project, with pictures, slideshow or video. We will award first and second place cash prizes with another prize reserved for an entry-level member. Homebrew projects can include, but are not limited to: antennas, Go-kits, mobile rig installations, station accessories, Arduino and Raspberry Pi devices, QRP rigs and custom ham radio software. All are welcome to attend the meeting, but only current River City ARCS members are eligible to compete for prizes! http://www.n6na.org

Tonight at 6 PM Pacific Time - QSOTodayHamExpo Keynote Speech: COVID-19: Amateur Radio’s Impact On Problem Solving To Create A Global Response To The Pandemic - Dr. Scott Wright, K0MD Log in at https://qsotoday.vfairs.com/

Last year, our August meeting was a "Night with the Elmers" https://photos.app.goo.gl/6vp1sR4BzjpWAdZG9