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W6SD .-- -.... ... -..
Founded in 1946 at the end of WWII, our club has been true to one simple philosophy --
help others and have fun doing it.

January 2012 Carrier Graphical

It's that time of year again to renew. Click on the link below for the form:
SFVARC Membership Application & Renewal Form

Latest News

Morse Road #CW #MORSE #HAMRADIO


The Palm Springs Hamfest is soon approaching. On January 28 plan on being there! Just $2 gets you on the grounds and access to all there is to see and do!

This years event has enough stuff to keep you entertained most of the day. It promises to be one of the most fun Hamfests of the season! Make this a Club outing or bring a Buddy or rendezvous with your RAG Chew Group!

Palm Springs rings of nostalgia (no we don't have the RAT Pack) Palm Springs Hamfest invites you to add to the fun by coming in your RAT ROD / Hot Rod or Classic Beauty. Special parking area to show off your beauty. Or come in anything on wheels or on foot, hi hi! Our food concession brings you back to by gone days of the burger joint hangout and Soda Jerk era. Great breakfast, not so greasy Lunch and even a healthy food menu all day long. The Desert RATS' Club XYL's are whipping up some good ole fashion cooking to remind you of bygone days! Have a coffee with home baked goodies to go ..or .hang out and Rag Chew under the shaded veranda.

Over 35 top notch commercial vendors and more ... too many to mention here so go to our Forum at http://desertrats.17.forumer.com/ to find out all the things going on. To mention a few...See Yaesu, Alinco , HRO, RF Stuff, DX Store, AMSAT, CQ Magazine , Bud's Engraving (everyone needs a new name tag this year Right?) and quite a few Demos, plus Plus more.

Special Guest / Wagon Master from QUARTZFEST on Friday Gordon West will be there all Saturday. He's written many articles for Magazines like CQ Magazine and you probably took his Course / book to get your license. Podcast host of Ham Twits with Leo LaPorte... Gordon's also hosting a Celebrity ride up the Tram on Mount San Jacinto on Sunday morning so sign up at the Hamfest entrance and get the details for a Sunday morning outing to please your YL & XYL and give her/him a special remembrance of Hamfest.

The Air waves are A-Buzz now and will be past January 28 the day of the event. Talk about it on your weekly NET or on air or eyeball meeting and help us promote this grand event! Make this a Club outing and come on down ..... join us under the Palm Trees at Gary's place.

Talk-in is on our Repeater 146.940 - PL 107.2
We will also be having a daily NET beginning Thursday at 6PM then Friday through Saturday at 8 AM 12 PM & 6PM so join us on air! His will be an inframational Net about Hamfest where we will try and answer your questions about all the goings on over the weekend.

See the Military Radio Museum of rare and unnusual radios from all the Wars since Ham radio began ...Michael has added to his one of a kind rare collection. Ever heard of the Canteen Transmitter used in German concentration Camps by POW's. Michael has one to show you. Want to see a one tube transmitter you can build yourself ask him he'll give you a how to set of instructions.

Demos all day long.... RAFFLE DRAWS ALL DAY LONG Come see guest Announcer Chip Wallace 4 time Emmy and 3 time Golden Mike award winner!

ALINCO IS INTRODUCING THEIR NEW HF RADIO THAT IS SELLING FOR UNDER $550 dollars! Try it out right there.

The Desert RATS 2nd Hand Store will have dozens of bargains and will sell your used gear for only a 10% commission... sell your used quality gear and buy some more! bring it in early to get best chance of selling your stuff during 9AM to 4PM

Our SWAP MEET is no charge for Vendor Spots --- Just show up for the SETUP TIME 7 AM Saturday JAN 28
It will open to the Public and Hams 9AM-4PM

So come and join in a good old Fashioned Hamfest in warm Palm Springs. Rendezvous with your on air Buddies. Last year over 700 Happy Hams had a blast! The first year if you came then we only had about 250 register.

Check out our Web site for more details and a map to find your way there http://desertrats.am see PS Hamfest page.

2 METER Talkin FREQUENCY 146.940 -PL 107.20

SPECIAL Desert RATS HAMFEST NET Thursday 6PM Friday and Saturday at 8AM 12PM 6PM on same freq.

see you at 4193 Matthew Drive in Palm Springs ..follow the signs and antennas to Gary's Place by the edge of South Palm Springs.
WE expect over 800 to join Us in sunny warm PALM SPRINGS hope to SEE YOU THERE again!

BECOME A MEMBER ...JOIN THE DESERT RATS CLUB ! one of the most fun Clubs in ARRL
Memberships available online at our Web Site or at the entrance of our Event! Snowbirds especially welcome! We have members from all over North America .

Join other groups like ARRL, ARES, RACES, CERTS, MARS, Civil Air Patrol, San Bernardino Microwave Society, LA ATV Group. ( which has a repeater covering from the Coast to into our valley & Western Arizona, come and find out how you can get more involved in our hobby! Make friends and influence people [ well maybe?] you get my drift! Lets just have fun....... the more the merrier

Check out our online RATS Merch. Store and buy, use and wear Ricki.D.RATS Designer Clothing and merchandise (Mugs , Pet wear, ladies/Men's/ kids/ Baby T-shirts and hoodies are our best sellers).


Morse Code built into the wheels of new Mars Rover!
Can you see what it spells?

The Hong Kong Electronics Fair opened today,
October 13, and runs through October 16.
Courtesy of: http://www.handiham.org/node/941

Amateur radio is about to be introduced to a brand-new entry in the mobile dual-band radio category, the Wouxun KG-UV920R. Although at this time we have little in the way of product specs, the Wouxun dual-band handheld radio that was demonstrated at Handiham Radio Camp early this year created quite a lot of interest because of its built-in speech frequency readout for blind users. The KG-UV920R features dual-frequency display and cross-band repeater capability. It comes with more than a thousand memory channels. It also includes an unusual receiver that covers the short-wave bands! We are waiting for a more detailed specification document so that we can tell if speech frequency readout will be a feature - and we sure hope that it is! At this time, no pricing is available. The USA dealer http://www.wouxun.us says on its website that the rig is "coming soon". The KG-UV2D HT is featured on that website.
Large Picture of the KG-UV920R
http://wouxun.us/

How do you pronounce "Wouxun?"

Monthly Meetings
General Meeting third Friday of every month at 7:30pm.
We are located at the Northridge Medical Center Hospital.
18300 Roscoe Blvd
Northridge, CA 91325
5th floor Penthouse

Monthly Luncheon
Our next lunch will be at the Pizza Cookery, in Woodland Hills,
6209 Topanga Cyn Bl, 818-887-4770. Enter on Erwin St, west
of Topanga, behind Shelley's Stereo. Sat, Feb 11, at 11:30am.
See you there! Elaine

Lunch at Denny's every Thursday @ 11:00am
Several members of the club gather for lunch on:
Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. at Denny's.
16575 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA 91406-3732
(818) 994-0952
Everyone is welcome to attend.

The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club offers, to a licensed ham, a simplex net on 2 meters. The net is held every Tuesday evening at 20:00 local time on 145.570 MHz. All amateurs are welcome to check-in.

We hold 2m Repeater Net every Thursday Evening (with some exceptions) at 20:00 local time on the Magic Mountain Machine at 147.735 MHz, with a transmit offset down (-) 600 KHz and a PL tone of 100 Hz. If Magic is down or unavailable, we will meet on the Duck Mountain Machine at 147.240 MHz, with a plus (+) transmit offset and no PL tone. All amateurs are welcome to check in.

A High Frequency Net on Wednesday Evenings at 20:00 local time. This net takes place at 28.310 MHz +/- QRM. This is in the Upper Side Band Mode. All amateurs are welcome to check in.

The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club would like to extend a special thanks to the owner of the Magic Mountain Repeater, Dennis, KB6C, for allowing us to use his repeater each and every week for our nets.

Every year we participate in the ARRL Field Day. This year it is June 26-27, 2010 (Always The Fourth Full Weekend In June)

SFVARC Membership Application & Renewal Form