Category: µField Day

It’s time for µField Day again…and at last, it looks like the weather is on our side. It’s expected to be a bright sunshiny day in the mid 70s. Same location, the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center. Thanks again to the Ventura County Fire Department as well as Dan Dicke KE6NYT for arranging the site (details below). The event is Sunday, April 21 from 1100 to 1500.

Sunday is also the ARRL’s Rookie Roundup, which is a fun low-pressure contest just for people that have been licensed for three years or less, with any license. And to get as many people on the air as possible, Ventura County Amateur Radio Society VCARS will be there with equipment and Elmers. So even if you’ve never come to µFD because you don’t have an HF setup, you should come this week. As we say on the net every morning, it’s an opportunity to exchange ideas, share news, ask questions, practice skills, make announcements, and most of all hang around with some good people. We may also have one of the YouTube personalities that are slated to speak at the µExpo there to stream for a while.

Put “34.2087, -119.0726” into your phone and it will get you there, or use what3words timeless.budget.glitter. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate.

Turn right again and look for the hams.

ARRL Rookie Roundup http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup

VCARS http://www.vcars.org/

Keith W6KME

keith@w6kme.org

theborednet.net

It’s on…µFD (Micro Field Day) will be March 24th from 1100 to 1500 or so. Back again at the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport.

As always, µFD is open to EVERYONE, all hams, all clubs, all people with or without licenses interested in ham radio and having a good time with like-minded people. Try new things, get questions answered, maybe try some Random Metal Objects of your own after seeing Keith’s talk on the subject at the CVARC General Meeting March 21st. Plus, we’ll be showing off some of the merch N6XEW has designed to help support the µExpo coming up on August 31st.

Put “34.2087, -119.0726” into your phone and it will get you there or use what3words timeless.budget.glitter. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then to the right and come to a gate. Turn right again and look for the hams.

Keith W6KME

keith@w6kme.org

theborednet.net

Micro Field Day is back again at the VCFD training center at the Camarillo airport, from 1100-1500 on Sunday, January 21. There’s a possibility of some rain, but nothing heavy predicted. Plus, last year we got POURED on at the airport and still had a great time. Keith will bring a couple of pop-up canopies. Bring more if you’ve got one.

The following week is Winter Field Day, so it’s a good chance to haul out your Field Day rig and make sure you remember how it works 😉  We’ve got a couple of people planning to activate some nearby SOTA peaks as well. Last month we took part in that, and several people had their first HF contacts, as well as a chance to try some Morse Code. If you’re wondering how to set up your own shack, or curious about what other hams are doing for portable setups, µField Day is a great place to be. Plus it’s always a good hang.

Put “34.2087, -119.0726” into your phone and it will get you there, or use what3words timeless.budget.glitter. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate.

Turn right again and look for the hams.

Keith Elliott W6KME

http://theborednet.net

Novemeber’s µFD was a success at the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport, so we’re going back. Temps will be in the 70s, wind will be mild, the sun will be shining…it’s almost unfair to have such nice weather four days before the winter solstice, isn’t it?

Sunday the 17th, from 1100 to 1500 as usual. As always, the purpose of the event is to hang out with hams from all over the area, and play with radios! Could there be a better way to spend an afternoon? Plus, it’s a chance to make sure you keep your familiarity up with your portable gear over the winter.

For SOTA enthusiasts, December 31st is “Zulu New Year” at 4 in the afternoon, so here’s a chance to give the gear a shakeout before heading out for that double-dose of points. If you still haven’t come to a Micro Field Day yet, we typically have 10-15 stations operating and 40-50 people just having a nice time. Last month, we had representatives of 5 different clubs on hand.

As before, the easiest way to find the spot is to put 34.2089, -119.0707 into your favorite GPS navigator. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate. Turn right again, the two very short blocks to Post. Make a left and drive to the end.

Keith Elliott-W6KME

The BORED Net µField Day is ON for November! We weren’t able to get one in last month between my sudden trips out of town and availability of a suitable site, but the long wait is finally over thanks to Dan Dicke-KE6NYT. Dan has arranged for the use of the Ventura County Fire Department’s Regional Fire Training Center at the Camarillo Airport, which will certainly top the list for unusual and special places we’ve operated.

The event is Sunday, November 19th, from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. The easiest way to find the spot is to put 34.2089, -119.0707 into your favorite GPS navigator. Take the 101 to the Las Posas exit and head South to Pleasant Valley Road, and turn right/West. Then turn right on Airport Way (there’s a traffic light there.) Take that a few short blocks until it ends, and make another right on Durley. It will curve first to the left and then the right, and come to a gate. Turn right again, the two very short blocks to Post. Make a left and drive to the end.

If you’ve never come to FFD before (say “micro field day”), this is really the time. The latest QST magazine has the 2023 ARRL Field Day final results, and HALF of the top 6 operations in the entire country were here in Ventura County. Portable ham radio is what we seem to do very well in these parts. It’s not a club event…or you can say it’s an event for ALL clubs. I think of it as something for any and all hams and anyone else who is interested or curious. I’ve never seen a better place to practice your portable skills, try out equipment, steal ideas, and find advice. Personally, I have never failed to have a great time hanging around with my fellow hams. To top it all off, the weather is expected to be pretty nice. See you Sunday!

Keith Elliott-W6KME

We’ve all survived ARRL Field Day, so it’s time for…another field day! The next µField Day will be this Sunday, July 16th, from 1100 to 1500 as usual, at the Rancho Potrero West parking lot again. CVARC is currently holding a General License class, and the students will be there to get a taste of HF radio and start deciding what will be going into their shacks. I’m hoping for a good turnout with a lot of equipment to show off.

We’ve had a mild spring and early summer, but this weekend will probably be hot. Bring plenty of water and, if you can, something to provide some shade. On maps it’s the “Rancho Potrero West Entrance”. This is next to the horse rental/boarding facility on Potrero Road in Dos Vientos, up the hill from Cal State Channel Islands. The GPS location is 34.155935, -118.982024. If you’re familiar with what3words.com, it’s barbershop.state.ribbing.

Don’t pull into the horse facility — it’s one more driveway to the west, with the large yellow gate. There are restrooms at the site, but no electricity so bring those batteries. Hope to see you all there!

Keith Elliott-W6KME

Another special edition of µField Day is coming with the Ventura County Amateur Radio Club, at their wonderful home digs at the Dudley House in Ventura. It was a fantastic location last year, with plenty of room plus all mod cons like restrooms and a kitchen. Lots of trees for antennas, lots of really great people. And this year is special. VCARC is holding a VE session at the same location just before µFD, so all those new hams and new upgrades will be able to step right out the door and get on the air! The club is also firing up the barbecue on the site, so bring your own food and have it cooked up in style. As always, everyone is welcome…come rub elbows with hams from all over the county.

Continue reading “May 13 µField Day”

The February µField Day was a surprise…despite rain (and being just one day after a historic downpour), 30 people showed up at Freedom Park at the Camarillo Airport. A lot of good operating, but the highlight had to be AI6YR’s torchiere lamp antenna on 15m. I’d love to see someone model that.

This month – March 19th we’re back at Rancho Potrero from 11:00 to 3:00pm.

It looks like we’ll have neither rain nor wind for a change! The Point Mugu Airshow will be going on at the same time, so we’ll be likely to get a bit of an airshow ourselves. ARRL Field Day is approaching. If you’re planning to participate in that, THIS is the time to be hauling all that gear out.

But as always, it will be fun whether you bring a rig or not.

On maps it’s the “Rancho Potrero West Entrance” This is next to the horse rental/boarding facility on Potrero Road in Dos Vientos, up the hill from Cal State Channel Islands. The GPS location is 34.155935, -118.982024. If you’re familiar with what3words.com, it’s barbershop.state.ribbing. Bring your own refreshments. There are restrooms at the site, but no electricity-so bring those batteries. Hope to see you there!

Keith Elliott-W6KME

Ready for another µField Day?

Back in May, we had an amazing time joining up with the CSUCI Amateur
Radio Club for a µField Day on campus, and actually had 16 HF stations
set up with over 40 visitors. We took June off (I seem to recall there
were several alternative remote operating events to choose from!) and
in July, we had over 30 people come by Rancho Potrero for one of our
regular parking lot events. We had members of SSARC, LVARC, VCARC, CVARC and VCARS in attendance.

Saturday, August 13th, at 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. is another special
event. We’ve been invited by the Lake Sherwood Homeowners Association to use Maid Marian Park, right on the lake, and CVARC is putting the event
on with us. Every ham in the county is invited, any club, no club,
everybody. In addition to being a good chance to play with radios, it’ll
be a good opportunity to meet members of other clubs.

Continue reading “µField Day Set For August 13”