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Field Day 2018 Wrap Up

Field Day 2018 was a fun-filled twenty-four hours of outreach, learning and socializing. Hams from SPARC, Pasadena Radio Club, JPL Amateur Radio Club and Caltech Amateur Radio Club joined forces to operate seven different stations atop the Arroyo Seco at the Art Center College of Design. PRC’s Jim Marr AA6QI was our Field Day captain coordinating volunteers from the four clubs. SPARC was proud to run a Get on the Air (GOTA) station where visitors could try out a radio and make contacts without needing a license. We answered lots of questions and encouraged curious guests to take the plunge into our hobby.

Here are the reported number of contacts (QSOs) from each station.

  • 80-10m CW (Morse code): 1114 QSOs covering all 50 states
  • 40m single sideband (SSB):  354 QSOs covering 41 states
  • 75m/20m/15m SSB: 266 QSOs covering 44 states
  • 160m-10m digital mode station (FT8, PSK-31 & RTTY): 51 QSOs covering 21 states
  • VHF/UHF: 121 QSOs, all in California
  • GOTA: 25 QSOs from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday

Huge thanks to Jim Marr for making everything run so smoothly. To all the participating volunteers and to all the eager visitors, thanks for making Field Day 2018 such an enjoyable and memorable experience. Hope to see you soon at a meeting and hear you on the air!

2 GOTA future ham
A future ham gets on the air.
3 GOTA red shirt
Making that first QSO.
4 GOTA hello
Open for business!
5 JPL van exterior
The JPL EmComm Van
6 JPl van Stan
SPARC president Stan KR6CV and JPL’s Jonathan KF6RTA adjust the Cushcraft ATB-34 tri-band Yagi.
7 JPL van full antenna
Antenna deployed!
8 JPL van interior
Jeff W2JCL and Jim AA6QI work 15m inside the JPL van.
8a Welcome to Ham Radio signs
A handmade introduction.
9 Bob battery box
Bob WB6YJJ set up a personal station powered by his SPARC battery box.
10 Logging contacts
Working VHF/UHF.
11 Satellite antenna
A motorized satellite-tracking antenna operated by Tom WA0POD.
12 SunspotViewing sign
Science!
13 SunspotViewing telescope
Observing sun spots at the astronomy station.
14 Pot Luck Dinner
Pot luck dinner time.
15 Jeff and Eric night
Jeff W2JCL and PRC president Eric K6EJC working the night shift.

Our local paper, the South Pasadena Review, ran an article on the GOTA station in its July 6 edition.

SPARCinSPR070618

Photos by John KK6ZVQ and Tom WA0POD.

Updated 07/08/18 with links to South Pasadena Review article.

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HF on a Budget Guide by KE6MT

California-based ham Rex Vokey KE6MT runs a blog chronicling his SOTA activities. A recent post outlines the low-cost solutions he’s currently using:

I believe that we are indeed in the midst of a golden age for amateur radio. Never before have we had such easy access to information, parts and kits needed to get on the air and to experiment.  From microcontrollers to easily available parts and information, never have there been more possibilities for experimentation.  With ingeniously-designed inexpensive kits, it’s easier than ever to get on the air.

Rex describes low-power (QRP) kits and antennas ideally suited for carrying up summits and making contacts. He is a big advocate of CW (Morse code) and the 40-meter band. If you’ve been thinking about exploring HF work and Summits on the Air, Rex’s post provides a great introduction. (Thanks to Al Williams at Hackaday.com for linking to the post.)

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Speaker for June Meeting Postponed Due to Volcano

Madam Pele

How often do you get to write that headline?

IMG_9835_0
Veronica Verde

The speaker at our June 6 meeting was scheduled to be Veronica Verde, External Affairs Officer for FEMA Region 9. Ms. Verde travelled to Hawai’i to deal with a record-breaking flooding event in April. And now, thanks to the eruption of Kilauea, her assignment has been extended. We look forward to talking with Ms. Verde at some future point after the wrath of Madam Pele has subsided.

In the meantime, we will use our June meeting to discuss Field Day (June 23-24) and other upcoming activities. We will return to our traditional meeting location at the SPFD Emergency Operations Center, 817 Mound Avenue, at 7:30pm. See you there.

Lava photo by George F. Lee for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Veronica Verde photo by Wayne Yoshioka for Hawai’i Public Radio.

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Join Us for Field Day 2018 on June 23 & 24

Field Day is ham radio’s open house. During this annual event, amateur radio operators set up temporary stations in public locations to demonstrate our hobby. As the American Radio Relay League phrases it, Field Day is an opportunity to explain radio’s “science, skill and service to our communities and our nation.”

This year SPARC is proud to join with the Pasadena, Caltech and JPL Radio Clubs to sponsor a station at Art Center College of Design. The station will operate from 11am on Saturday June 23 until 11am Sunday June 24. The address is 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, 91103. Below is a flyer for the event put together by the PRC (click for PDF version).

Field Day 2018 flyer

Field Day is always a fun and family-friendly event, a perfect opportunity to see experienced operators in action, learn about radio gear, and even get on the air yourself. To learn more about Field Day, read this ARRL guide. Stop by and say hello!

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Community Turns Out for Earthquake Presentation

Just under seventy people attended our monthly meeting on May 2 and heard a presentation by Dr. John Vidale, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. Dr. Vidale explained the science of earthquake detection and the mechanics of ShakeAlert, the west coast’s early-warning system. ShakeAlert is a network of thousands of sensors constantly monitoring ground motion. It is already operational although its organizers would like to see it expanded as soon as funding is available. The system was in the news six days after our meeting thanks to a quake in the Gorgonio Knot area north of Cabazon. Rong-Gong Lin II reported in the LA Times that USGS scientists in Pasadena — about 80 miles from the epicenter — received twenty-six seconds of warning before the shaking arrived. (For more on the Gorgonio Knot earthquake, click here.)

SPARC extends its thanks to Dr. Vidale for his time and to all the guests who asked such interesting and engaging questions!

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Special Meeting May 2nd on the Earthquake Early Warning System

Please join us on Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30pm for a special presentation by John Vidale, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center at USC. He will discuss the capabilities of the Earthquake Early Warning System, what it can and cannot do. Anticipating a larger-than-usual crowd, our meeting will be in the South Pasadena Library Community Room at 1115 El Centro St. rather than our normal location at the fire department.

John Vidale has been a professor at USC and director of the Southern California Earthquake Center since 2017. He earned his PhD from Caltech, worked for UC Santa Cruz and the USGS in Menlo Park, then taught at UCLA for a decade. Prior to taking his current position, he was a Professor at the University of Washington, Director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and the Washington State Seismologist.

We hope to see you at the library for this exciting opportunity to hear from one of our region’s top seismic experts. (Community Room photo via SouthPasadenan.com)

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April Meeting Recap: Digital Modes and Baker to Vegas

We had a full house at tonight’s monthly SPARC meeting, which featured two informative presentations.

Tim's presentation
Understanding digital radio

Tim WA0PTC explained the pros and cons of the three major digital radio modes: D-STAR, C4FM/Fusion and DMR. Eric K6EJC added that, based on the volume of business he sees at Ham Radio Outlet, DMR growth has soared in the past two years. Bob WB6YJJ and Rick KI6ZKM demonstrated the vocal clarity of Fusion using their handhelds.

IMG_1341.jpg
How hams help B2V run smoothly

Oliver K6OLI reported on his service as a volunteer at the annual Baker to Vegas relay race — as he put it, “a near Death Valley experience.” With no cell service for huge stretches of the race, amateur radio is vital to the safety of over 8,000 runners, guests, family members and support staff.

AREDN mesh kit
Example mesh deployment

B2V also presented an opportunity to test mesh networking capabilities. Thanks to a portable Verizon satellite link, Oliver and his team were able to connect their laptops and VoIP phones to the regional mesh networks in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. This has exciting implications for the future of emergency communications since mesh go kits are fairly inexpensive and extremely portable.

Our May 2 meeting is scheduled to feature John Vidale, Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. On June 6 our guest will be an administrator from our local FEMA district. Hope to see you there — any changes will be posted on SouthPasRadio.org. 73!

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Are You in a Hazard Zone?

Los Angeles Times quake reporter Rong-Gong Lin II is back with an epic article headlined “The ‘Nightmare’ California Flood More Dangerous Than a Huge Earthquake.” Lin describes a scenario that USGS scientists have named the ARkStorm or “Atmospheric River 1,000-year Storm.” In summary, it would be bad. He uses the phrase “inland sea.” Given that this model is a “1,000-year storm,” you probably don’t need to run out and buy a raft, but you may be tempted.

One reader comment promoted by the Times editors links to a service called MyHazards hosted by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Once you input your address, the service tells you what hazards may impact your home, including fire, flood, tsunami and earthquake. Take a look, and then take action to prepare for an emergency. Because there are plenty of scenarios short of a 1,000-year storm that could disrupt your community.

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Climb into Summits on the Air

SOTA is an award scheme for radio amateurs that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. It’s not just for mountaineers. There are awards for activators (those who ascend to the summits) and chasers (who operate from home, a local hilltop or are even Activators on other summits). You can monitor past and upcoming SOTA activity at SOTAwatch.org.