Tony, K6TTP recommends checking out SpaceWeather.com. On a recent day, the site covered, “WWV time shift during eclipse, asteroids near us, and space weather balloons — the ones that the USAF thought were Chinese intel spies.”
At our April member meeting, SPARC welcomed ARRL LAX Section Manager Diana Feinberg, AI6DF. Diana has served the local ham community as section manager since 2016 and in numerous other capacities before that. She is currently president of the Palos Verdes Amateur Radio Club, and she was formerly president of the 220 Spectrum Management Association of Southern California. She has chaired the Los Angeles Area Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, served as the chair of the HAMCON hamfest, and has been active in the Los Angeles County Disaster Communication Service.
Diana opened by discussing what is new with the ARRL both nationally and locally. Topics included:
The second part of her presentation was titled “Surprises in Amateur Radio.” It covered the aspects that make our hobby unique, including the constant improvement of its equipment and development of new modes such as the M17 standard.
As a gesture of our thanks, we presented Diana with a bag of Li’l Sparky’s Blend whole beans (actually the Lost Parrot Blend from Jones Coffee Roasters).
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARRL SSB Rookie Roundup, 4/21
For the purposes of the event, a Rookie is defined has having been first licensed in the current calendar year or the previous three calendar years, regardless of license class. You can also be a Rookie if you haven’t made any contest contacts on the contest mode (in this case, SSB).
May Meeting, 5/1
We’ll be discussing CW and Morse code. Do you have an interesting Morse key, bug, or paddle? Bring it in for a show and tell.
The Southern California Antique Radio Society announced an estate sale this week, 4/4 – 4/6. LOTS of vintage gear and parts. Full info here.
Tony K6TTP sent us this article on the end-fed half-wave antenna written by John VA3KOT for Ham Radio Outside the Box. “This is probably the best overview article on end-fed half-wave antennas I’ve read in many many years. It broadly addresses in brief the fact and opinion that exists in the EFHW world, and explains the complexities, alternatives, and some variations on the type.” It’s a great introduction for anyone considering constructing one of their own. The caption for the image accompanying this post reads, “49:1 showing 2xFT140-43 ferrite cores. No case, insulated wire protects windings from moisture.”
You can tell us about your antenna building adventures on Instagram, Threads and Mastodon.
SPARC was proud to provide communication assistance to South Pas Active Streets during a community cycling event on Saturday, March 16. Jason KM6WJQ and David KK6DA, two active members of ARES LAX NE who recently worked the Firecracker 10k in a similar capacity, lent their considerable expertise. Together with John KK6ZVQ, they monitored the progress of a bike caravan along Mission Street and informed ride marshals whenever the group became split up by red lights or delays.
South Pas Active Streets organized over eighty bicyclists to ride from Garfield Park to the South Pasadena Nature Park and back. Over half of the riders were children, many of whom had never visited the Nature Park or Arroyo bike path before. Several community groups participated in activities at both parks, including South Pasadena Beautiful, Friends of the South Pas Nature Park, the D.U.D.E.S., a local Lionsheart chapter, and The Hive which provided a craft station. Mayor Evelyn Zneimer and Councilperson Janet Braun joined the group and spoke about the importance of community involvement with our civic planning.
Below are two embedded Instagram posts showing a selection of photos from the event.
We look forward to helping with similar events in the future!
At our March 2024 meeting, SPARC welcomed Joe and Sandra Fekete to discuss vintage and antique radio restoration. Joe Fekete is an active member of SCARS, the Southern California Antique Radio Society. He was a ham in 1970s and has served as an FCC liaison. He currently lives in Monrovia with his wife Sandra who is a self-described “conehead,” which in the restoration hobby means someone who specializes in repairing speakers.
Joe and Sandra demonstrated their techniques for restoring old radios to appear “right off the assembly line.” For example, when stuffing capacitors they recreate vintage labels to preserve technical information and capture the look of the original components.
The meticulous couple spent three years restoring the radio of a 1957 Corvette on behalf of Cerritos collector Kent Browning.
Here are a few resources the Feketes mentioned for anyone interested in attempting a restoration:
If you’re interested in acquiring a vintage radio, SCARS will hold a swap meet in Burbank on June 15.
Several SPARC members have extensive experience with vintage ham equipment. Bob WB6YJJ brought in two beautiful vintage radios and an oscilloscope, seen below.
The gleaming transmitter on the right is a working Johnson “Viking Valiant” from the late 1950s. Rick KI6ZKM brought a Hallicrafters rig that he plans to repair.
Tony K6TTP shared several tips for anyone embarking on a restoration:
Tony recommends Old Radio Parts for obtaining replacement components and the website HiFiAudio.com for its many kits and guides. Tony is restoring a Hallicrafters SX-140 with help from HiFiAudio’s guide.
Mark WB6CIA suggested building a collection of vintage tube substitution books. He also consults SAMS Photofact manuals which can be ordered online or found in vintage bookstores.
SPARC thanks the Feketes for a fascinating presentation, and thanks all the members who shared their equipment and wisdom.
Flying around the web, I found this useful booklet created by Noël Martin, F4JJD. It’s called, simply enough, the Amateur Radio Booklet 2024 Edition (3.3 MB PDF). It includes:
Noël maintains the booklet as a project on GitHub. According to his personal site, he’s a ham and software engineer in France. You can follow him on Mastodon here.
TNX to Cale K4HCK, and his great newsletter Amateur Radio Weekly, for the link!
Back in October of 2021, SPARC welcomed Jim Wilson, K5ND to discuss 6 meters, the “magic band” of amateur radio. Jim has recently released a new edition of his book Magic Band Revealed. Available in paperback or as a PDF, Jim’s book is one of the most trusted sources of information on 6 meter DXing.
Our February 2024 meeting was held via Zoom and featured Clint Bradford, K6LCS presenting “How to Work Amateur Satellites with Your HT.” Clint has been a ham since 1994. His niche in the hobby is working amateur satellites with minimal equipment and spreading the word on how to do it. He has served as a liaison between NASA, the ARISS team, and schools coordinating amateur radio contacts between the International Space Station and students. Clint has created a support Web site at work-sat.com that’s a one-stop source for all the citations, equipment recommendations, and software suggestions made in his presentation. He also maintains a Groups.io list at work-sat.groups.io. He resides in Jurupa Valley, California, with his wife Karen, who expertly handled Zoom duties during the meeting.
Some notable Clint quotes:
Some slides from the presentation:
Other useful links besides work-sat.com:
Software recommendations:
SPARC thanks Cliff and Karen for an informative (and funny!) evening.
OTHER CLUB BUSINESS
UPCOMING MEETINGS
73!
Thanks to all the SPARC members, friends, and guests who came to Eddie Park for Winter Field Day 2024. We made 46 contacts and worked five bands.
(And introducing our new mascot Li’l Sparky, illustrated by Dyna Moe.)
