Monthly meetings and speakers
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the COVID-19 situation, our usual meeting location is currently unavailable. Therefore, we will VIDEO-CONFERENCE our monthly meetings using ZOOM. If you are a member of our Group at groups.io, look for an invitation email via that Group. Or you can contact aa6qi (at) arrl (dot) net for more info.
Our club holds a general meeting of members and visitors on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m., except in December, at the Walnut Center location of Kaiser Permanente, 393 E. Walnut Street, Pasadena. Click here for a map and directions. The Club's Board of Directors meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:15 p.m., except in December, at the same location.
Enter at the public/visitor entrance at the southern end of the parking structure on Los Robles Ave, just north of Walnut Street. The parking attendant will open the gate for you, or the gate may be already open. (There is no charge for parking.) Enter the building on the first floor and sign in at the desk. General meetings are usually held in Room 1D in the northwest corner of the first floor of the building. Board meetings are usually in Room 1B.
Each general meeting includes general business (with introduction of visitors) and a featured speaker. Below is information about forthcoming and previous speakers.
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
Tuesday, January 26, 2021: Matthew Bennett AC6X: Elevating your DX and HF contesting performance, literally
It's a well-known fact that raising the height of an HF antenna will extend the range and strength of your signal, but obtaining optimal heights at one's home station is not always affordable, achievable, or even allowed under community restrictions. While it may feel like a mountain you just can't climb, climbing a mountain may be the solution you're looking for! Matt Bennett discusses how your local mountain or foothill make even a modest antenna perform like a "boomer", and how tools like HF Terrain Analysis (HFTA) can be used to evaluate and optimize your station's propagation performance for any location.
Matt Bennett AC6X has been a ham since 1999. He was primarily involved with amateur satellites in the mid-to-late 2000s, building ground stations at several universities and high schools to support small satellite missions and ARISS contacts. He also managed two university CubeSat projects, designing and manufacturing the antennas for both missions. His experience helped him get his dream job at JPL in 2010 where he has been designing instruments to study elements of climate change from the International Space Station. Matt's main interest for the last five years has been HF contesting and finding new ways to be more competitive through experimenting with indoor, outdoor, and mobile antenna designs. Matt is a regular at Field Day, CQ WW SSB, and CA QSO Party contests.
PREVIOUS SPEAKERS
Tuesday, November 24, 2020: Matt Bennett, AC6X, and Jean-Pierre de la Croix, KN6DVC: Small magnetic loop antennas: Theory, design, assembly, RESULTS
Tuesday, October 27, 2020: David Hodge N6AN: Is my band open? Propagation tools for yesterday, right now, and tomorrow
Tuesday, September 22, 2020: Doug Clark WA6IFY: 2m tape measure Yagi antenna
Tuesday, August 25, 2020: Jim Marr AA6QI: Antenna Analyzers, Feedlines, and Antenna Tuners
Tuesday, July 28, 2020: Jim Marr AA6QI: HF Digital Voice
Tuesday, June 23, 2020: Jim Marr AA6QI: Troubleshooting methodology with examples
Tuesday, May 26, 2020: Mike Newman KM6KAQ: Surface mount technology
Tuesday, April 28, 2020: Frank O'Donnell K6FOD: Adventures in FT8
Tuesday, March 24, 2020: Stephen A. Townes WB4ILW: Deep Space Communication and the Deep Space Network
Tuesday, February 25, 2020: Bruce Nolte N1BN: Power-user tips for repeater operation
Tuesday, January 28, 2020: David Hodge N6AN: SOTA??? What's that?
Tuesday, November 26, 2019: Triple event meeting: Dinner, Show-and-Tell, Elections
Tuesday, October 22, 2019: Jim Lux W6RMK: Ionospehric models and HF propagation
Tuesday, September 24, 2019: Diana Feinberg AI6DF: The Government Affiliated Disaster Amateur Radio Groups of Los Angeles County
Tuesday, August 27, 2019: Bruce Nolte N1BN: W6KA Field Day 2019 Movie
Tuesday, July 23, 2019: Jim Lux W6RMK: The NASA/JPL FINDER Project
Tuesday, June 25, 2019: Rob Smith W6GRV: Getting Started with Amateur Satellites
Tuesday, May 28, 2019: Ed Fong WB6IQN: VHF/UHF Dual Band J-Pole
Tuesday, April 23, 2019: Dick Norton N6AA: ARRL and ham radio happenings
Tuesday, March 26, 2019: Jim Marr AA6QI: Inter-station interference during multi-station operations
Tuesday, February 26, 2019: Marty Woll N6VI: Mobile radio operating
Tuesday, January 22, 2019: PRC Holiday Dinner: at Coco's in Arcadia
Tuesday, November 27, 2018: Scott Hanley WA9STI: Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Tuesday, October 23, 2018: Richard Saunders K6RBS: ARRL Official Observer for Southern California
Tuesday, September 25, 2018: Bruce Nolte N1BN: W6KA Field Day 2018 — the movie
Tuesday, August 28, 2018: Scott Bovitz N6MI: Almost 50 years in the dirt: Portable contesting and transmitter hunting with N6MI
Tuesday, July 24, 2018: Gary Wong W6GSW and Oliver Dully K6OLI: Mesh networking
Tuesday, June 26, 2018: Chandler Friedman W2NP: The FT8 digital mode
Tuesday, May 22, 2018: Courtney Duncan N5BF: Moon Bounce: 1.2 GHz EME
Tuesday, April 24, 2018: Allen Wolff KC7O: Troubleshooting
Tuesday, March 27, 2018: Rick Fearns K6VE: RF coordination for TV productions, and more...
Tuesday, February 27, 2018: Dick Norton N6AA: ARRL and Amateur Radio Happenings
Tuesday, January 23, 2018: Tom Mikkelsen WA0POD: Ham radio satellites and “A Fleet of FM Arrivals!”
Tuesday, November 14, 2017: Michael Rickey AF6FB: Digitial Mobile Radio (DMR)
Tuesday, October 24, 2017: Kathryn Hoxsie KC8CLO: Weather events in Southern California
Tuesday, September 26, 2017: Bruce Nolte N1BN: World Premiere! Field Day 2017 - the Film
Tuesday, August 22, 2017: David Goldenberg W0DHG: How to install NBEMS/FLDIGI on your computer
Tuesday, July 25, 2017: Clint Bradford K6LCS: You can work amateur satellites with just your HT
Tuesday, June 27, 2017: Mike Jones KK6EZP: The EMCOMM BOX — the why, what, and how of emergency communication
Tuesday, May 23, 2017: Gurbux Singh W6BUX: Amateur radio in Burma
Tuesday, April 25, 2017: Jonathan Kramer W6JLK: "I'm from the Government (Planning Department) and I'm here!"
Tuesday, March 28, 2017: Marty Woll N6VI: NVIS — the ultimate backup in reliable regional communication
Tuesday, February 28, 2017: Diane Feinberg AI6DF: Why the 222-225 MHz amateur band is finally having its day
Tuesday, January 24, 2017: Allen Wolff KC7O: Now For Something Completely Different – 3D Printing
Tuesday, November 22, 2016: Jim Walls K6CCC: Listening to scanners and how to program them
Tuesday, October 25, 2016: Kevin Zanjani, KI6DHQ: An overview of lithium iron phosphate battery technology
Tuesday, September 27, 2016: Bruce Nolte N1BN: Field Day 2016 — the Film
Tuesday, August 23, 2016: Scott Edson W6EDS: Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and County Disaster Communications
Tuesday, July 26, 2016: Bob Brehm AK6R: ABCs of RFI for hams
Tuesday, June 28, 2016: Chris Wilson N0CSW: Yaesu's Fusion digital radio system
Tuesday, May 24, 2016: Allen Wolff KC70: Coax, not just a RF hose
Tuesday, April 26, 2016: Jim Marr AA6QI: Building a quadrifilar helicoidal antenna for satellite work
Tuesday, March 22, 2016: Don Minkoff NK6A: Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Tuesday, February 23, 2016: Gary Wong W6GSW: The Winlink global messaging system
Tuesday, January 26, 2016: Arnold Schatz N6HC: The TX3X DXpedition
Tuesday, November 24, 2015: Paul Gordon: Paul's Potpouri and Potluck Dinner
Tuesday, October 27, 2015: Tom Mikkelsen WA0POD: Ham radio satellites and the new Fox-1A
Tuesday, September 22, 2015: Duane Mariotti WB9RER: The Future Obsolescence of Amateur Radio Emcomm
Tuesday, August 25, 2015: Bruce Nolte N1BN: Field Day 2015 — the movie
Tuesday, July 28, 2015: Doug Millar K6JEY: Sidewalk EME (Earth-Moon-Earth)
Tuesday, June 23, 2015: Mark Weiss K6FG: Remote ham radio over internet
Tuesday, May 26, 2015: Brian Thorson AF6NA: How Much RF is Too Much? — A Look at Low-Level Radio Frequency (RF) Exposure and Current Science
Tuesday, April 28, 2015: Allen Wolff KC7O: J-pole antenna construction
Tuesday, March 24, 2015: Charlie Sufana AJ9N: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015: David Malin AA6RV: An introduction to DSTAR
Tuesday, January 27, 2015: David Ziskin AG6E: Maritime radio
Tuesday, November 25, 2014: Dave Glenn N6TEB: VHF rovering
Tuesday, October 28, 2014: Ray Day N6HE: Rancho Palos Verdes ARC activates Catalina Island IOTA NA-066
Tuesday, September 23, 2014: Diana Feinberg AI6DF: Amateur Radio's International Lighthouse & Lightship
Tuesday, August 26, 2014: Bruce Nolte N1BN: Field Day 2014 — the movie
Tuesday, July 22, 2014: Arnold Shatz N6HC: Dxpedition doctoring
Tuesday, June 24, 2014: Harold 'Skip' Bolnick KJ6Y: Towers and antennas
Tuesday, May 27, 2014: Travis Williams: Radioscouting: What's in it for me?
Tuesday, April 22, 2014: Joe Moell K0OV: Hidden transmitter hunting for the whole family
Tuesday, March 25, 2014: Dennis Kidder W6DQ: Grounds — facts and fantasy
Monday, February 24, 2014: Gary Wong W6GSW: Broadband Hamnet
Tuesday, January 28, 2014: Bruce Nolte N1BN: Ham radio websites and apps
Tuesday, November 26, 2013: Art Goddard W6XD: Amateur radio in the 21st century … mainstream or backwater?
Tuesday, October 22, 2013: Walter Clark: Two demonstrations that help visualize radio waves, in this case mirowaves
Tuesday, September 24, 2013: Dr. Kate Hutton K6HTN: The Great California ShakeOut: What and Why?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013: Allen Wolff, KC7O: 1B Field Day. Why? A personal journey
Tuesday, July 23, 2013: Bruce Nolte, N1BN: Field Day 2013 — the film
Tuesday, June 25, 2013: Tom MIkkelsen: The KX3 All-band/All-mode tranceiver
Tuesday, May 28, 2013: Tom Mikkelsen: Dayton Adventure 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013: K4M Video: Midway Atoll 2009: The Official DXpedition Video
Tuesday, March 26, 2013: Tom Berne: Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs): What hams should know!
Thursday, February 28, 2013: Marty Woll N6VI: Field day — strategies, tactics, and techniques
Tuesday, January 22, 2013: David Greenhut, N6HD: The 2012 NH8S Swains Island DXpedition
Tuesday, November 27, 2012: Bob Millard, KE6JI: Live keyboard-to-keyboard using PSK-31 and other digital modes
Tuesday, October 23, 2012: Ray Overman, KJ6NO: QSLing, Awards, and Wallpaper
Tuesday, September 25, 2012: Roundtable Discussion with Bruce, Phil, Kate, Paul, John and Graham: Ham Radio Websites and Smart Phone apps
Tuesday, August 28, 2012: Bruce Nolte, N1BN: Field Day 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012: Braddock Gaskill: The AMSAT Fox-1 satellite
Tuesday, June 26, 2012: David Greenhut: Portable DX contesting from Guatamala
Tuesday, May 22, 2012: Wayne Overbeck: A mouse that roared: How a little club in East Texas outscored all the big eastern clubs in a VHF contest
Tuesday, April 24, 2012: Scott Bovitz: The building and operation of an ultimate contesting van
Tuesday, March 27, 2012: Charles H. "Chip" Margelli, K7JA: Quick deployment antennas for field day or emergency communications (actually 2012)