Changes in the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section and Pacific Division

Our Directors, supported by the Vice Directors, serve on the governing board of ARRL and guide the direction and future of the League.  Congratulations to both John and Carol on their new roles, and feel free to work with both of them on matters concerning the decisions of the Board.

I have accepted the position of Section Manager for the Sacramento Valley Section replacing Carol. I am stepping into big shoes previously filled by her, and I will rely on her advice as I settle into my new role. Carol will certainly be just as involved with local activities as she has always been.

You may have questions or need further answers after reading all of this, and we invite you to contact us. Me, John, Carol, and all of you, are ARRL. We all work together for the benefit of our League and our hobby.

John Litz - Director, ARRL Pacific Division - NZ6Q@arrl.org

Carol Milazzo - Vice Director, ARRL Pacific Division - KP4MD@arrl.org

Jay Ballinger - Section Manager, ARRL Sacramento Valley Section - N6SAC@arrl.org

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ARRL Sacramento Valley Section

Section Manager: James R Ballinger, N6SAC

n6sac@arrl.org

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Amateur Radio Special Event Station K6C at the California State Fair!

K6C Special Edition QSL Card

To request our downloadable Special Edition QSL Card confirming your successful contacts with K6C, enter your correct QSO information on this webpage.  

QST de KP4MD

ARRL SV Bulletin 08 ARLBSV008

FROM CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA

August 7, 2025 

To all SV radio amateurs ARRL SV BULLETIN 008 

QST To All Radio Amateurs:

On Thursday, August 21, 2025, ARRL Sacramento Valley Section will hold a Section Wide Net, first on the WD6AXM FM repeater atop Sutter Buttes near Yuba City on 146.085 MHz, plus 600 kHz offset, tone 127.3 Hz.  Please wait for Net Control to call the 2 meter ARRL Section Net after the 7 pm Yuba-Sutter ARES net has closed, usually around 7:20-7:30 pm Pacific Time.

For those who are unable to access the WD6AXM repeater, our HF net will commence IMMEDIATELY after the VHF SV net signs off, on the 80 meter frequency of 3880 kHz LSB +/- 3 kHz for QRM.

Important:  If you do not hear net control over your radio, please check in anyway and listen for net control to acknowledge you via the Half Moon Bay WebSDR or the Northern Utah WebSDR.

All ARRL members, club presidents, Section appointees, and all appropriately licensed radio amateurs are encouraged to join us for the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section nets. Section News and items of regional and national interest to all radio amateurs will be the topics of discussion.

ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Wide Nets are conducted only on the third Thursday of such months as announced via official bulletin and on www.arrlsacvalley.org 

August Sacramento Valley Section Announcements

Our Thursday evening, August 21, our ARRL Sacramento Valley Section VHF and HF Nets will be conducted, first on the WD6AXM FM repeater on 146.085 MHz, then on 3880 kHz LSB +/- 3 kHz for QRM.

August Major Operating Events:

• Aug 2-3 - North American QSO Party CW

• Aug 9-10 - Maryland-DC QSO Party

• Aug 16-17 - ARRL EME Contest, ARRL 10 GHz & Up Contest, & North American QSO Party SSB

• Aug 23-25 - HI QSO Party & OH QSO Party

• Aug 30-31 - CO QSO Party & KS QSO Party

Items from the Estate of Les Kratz, KX6Q, Silent Key, near Redding, CA

Buddipole founder Budd Drummond, W3FF, of Redding CA sent us the following.  Please contact Budd via email if interested.

Here is a list of items Les Kratz's family has asked me to offer to other hams.

If you could share this list with others We would appreciate it.

Budd in Redding

W3ffbudd@gmail.com

>

> Completely rust-free and operational US Tower HDX555 with MD-75 motorized crankup and tiltover features.  Still sold new at DX Engineering and by US tower.

> Cost now with accessories is over $10K.  Will take a crane to put it on a trailer.

> $5000 would be a fair offer.

>

> Force 12 C-4 SXL YAGI.   Look it up:  40 M dipole and Yagi with two feed lines.

> 20/15 and 10 M.   $300.

>

> HF radio:  Yaesu FT-900 AT.  Excellent condition.  $500

>

> Amps:  Henry 2D Classic HF linear amp.  Uses two Eimac 3-500z's

> set up for 220 V.   Check out E-Ham reviews.   $500

>

> Mirage 30/16   2 Meter amp.  Tested.  $150.

>                   --------

> Accessories:

> Astron RS-70 M  $270

> Astron RS-20 A   $125

>

> Swan WM-6200 Wattmeter  200 watts $50

> Palomar Engineers M-827 watt/SWR meter   $60

>

> Wm Nye HF manual tuner. A true classic..heavy   $250

> Kenwood speaker SP-930  $50

>

> High Sierra screwdriver and controller   $250

>

> ==============

>

> All items are from a friend's estate.   You will need 220V to check out the amp.

>

> Budd Email:   W3ffbudd@gmail.com 

Club News

The Berryessa Amateur Radio Klub announces their repeater at Berryessa Peak has a new call sign:  K6BER.  The prior call KE6YUV has served from 1995 but had no relationship to the club.   All other details remain the same. For full details on the repeater and the club visit:  https://www.barkradio.org.   The repeater features an Early Morning Round-table chat net at 7:00 AM Monday through Friday.  All are welcome.

Bill Ragsdale K6KN,  BARK President 

Golden Empire ARS Parks on the Air Media Hit

W6VET is our callsign (pronounce phonetically: Whiskey-Six-Victor-Echo-Tango).  We have been operational since 2018.  We are grateful to have a dedicated space for our station within the Veterans Home of California-Redding. 

A visit from the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Manager, Carol Milazzo, KP4MD, has enhanced the operational capacity and "scope of activity" at the club station of the Redding Veterans ARC.  This hobby is usually thought to be recreational communication.  Yet, the application of digital messaging: information can be sent from computer-to-radio and then sent-over air-to another radio receiver-and to another computer, which translates the digits back into the original message.  WOW!  But, this is a way to get a complex and detailed message sent from one place to another without mistakes during poor HF propagation.  Once this software (Vara HF Winlink) is on the harddrive of the computer, internet connection is not necessary.  Carol installed Winlink Express and VARA software and configured it to function properly on the club computer and radios.  I received some practice in using the Vara HF Winlink digital messaging with the assistance of Greg Kruckewitt, KG6SJT.  As well...registered to check into STARES, SHASTA-TEHAMA AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICES and the weekly Norcal Winlink Training nets.  We began investigation to establish the same arrangement for a Kenwood FM dual band TM V-71 at the club station.  

Station Advisor, Butch Ascherman, KI6WAC, and Station Trustee, Steven Mosconi, K6KS, also reviewed Winlink high frequency digital radio transmission messaging software: the specifics of checking into nets.  The 2-meter digital setup is still on the table.  Michael, K6WK, a new ham, was the recipient of some training in proper station etiquette, software and equipment usage.  The Redding Veterans ARC, W6VET, is honored to introduce ham radio to senior veterans and all others across northern California.  We are grateful to have a dedicated room to house our station within this senior-living facility, though we are independent of their organization. 

More information about past and future events can be viewed on the internet website:  https://www.qrz.com/db/W6VET

Weekly NorCal WinLink Net Practices EmComm Messaging

NorCal Winlink Net Manager Michael Ellithorp, KF6OBI, conducts a weekly NorCal WinLink Net for EmComm messaging practice.  Please contact Mike if you wish to participate.

Watch WinLink author and developer Oliver Dully, K6OLI's, session on Vara FM for messaging via WinLink, a network of amateur radio and authorized government stations that provide worldwide email via radio.  The WinLink network extends global messaging capability to HF and VHF operators anywhere, even in the absence of internet access, and is ideally suited for routine and Emergency Communications (EmComm) message traffic.

Radio amateurs are organizing direction finding (DF) teams in various localities to collect evidence of these incidents for further action. 
If you experience intentional interference, here below are several ways that you can immediately assist:

1. Dealing with a deliberate jammer is emotionally difficult. But if we’re to successfully get rid of them, everyone involved (and I do mean every single ham) must remain calm. We must also be patient, as it can take a while.

2. This may be the most important of all; do not attempt to engage with the jammer, or even acknowledge their presence. Although some of them may do what they do because they have a beef with the repeater owner, club, or another ham; most jammers do it for the same reason others engage in destructive behavior; to get attention. We must deny them that attention. So, control your anger and don’t tell them to stop, threaten them or even acknowledge that the interference is occurring.

3. If the level of interference allows it, continue with your QSO or net as if the interference was not there.
   If conversation is not possible, you may be able to QSY to an alternate frequency.  Otherwise, just sign off as if you’ve naturally finished and go radio silent until the jammer leaves. They may return when you do, so you’ll have to do this several times, until they get the message that they won’t get the satisfaction they’re looking for.

4. Do not discuss the jammer on the air, even when jamming is not present.  Understand that just one ham losing control and engaging with the jammer or acknowledging the interference, even in passing, is enough to undo the efforts of everyone else.

5. In cases of repeater interference, each repeater owner has the ability--or should have the ability--to constantly monitor the repeater and if all else fails shut it down in instances of abuse.   Running a repeater is not much different than allowing access to your home base station by anyone who wants to use it.

6. Control operators can and should immediately disable the repeater when any illegal activity occurs, and keep it disabled until attempts at the illegal activity end. They can monitor the repeater’s input frequency for this.

7. You should report a repeater's failure to control intentional interference to the ARRL-FCC Volunteer Monitor (VM) program. 
   Collect and submit recordings of the interference marking the date, time and frequency as evidence. 
   The ARRL-FCC VM program has the resources to motivate owners to control their repeaters responsibly.

How To Report A Possible Violation to the ARRL-FCC VM Program

To report clear violations of FCC Part 97, particularly instances of unlicensed operation, repeated deliberate interference, and operation outside of a licensee’s authorized frequencies, send the report via email to Riley Hollingsworth (K4ZDH), ARRL Volunteer Monitor Administrator, at K4ZDH@arrl.net.

Important: include the following information in your report…

- Frequency (MHz) of incident:
- Time of incident (UTC):
- Date of incident:
- Call sign(s) of station(s) being reported:
  - If a repeater, call sign of repeater involved:
- Description of alleged incident being reported:
- Your full name (person submitting report)
- Your call sign:
- Your email address:
- Your phone number:

All reports will be acknowledged, reviewed, and the person submitting the report will receive a response as quickly as possible.

Incidental Radio Frequency/Electromagnetic Interference (RFI & EMI)

posted February 3, 2018

ARRL and the FCC have a cooperative agreement in radio frequency interference matters. You may submit interference reports together with your supporting documentation to ARRL EMC Engineer Mike Gruber W1MG who then files the report with the FCC Gettysburg office.

You may also contact our Section Technical Coordinator Bob Wortman, WB6VYH for assistance. More information is posted under the "From the Section Manager" notes in the November 2016 Section News - Carol KP4MD

Bob Hess, W1RH, shares this helpful web page by NK7Z for identifying sources of incidental Radio Frequency Interference http://www.nk7z.net/rfi-snapshots

Each licensee has the final responsibility for the lawful operation of his or her station.  Unfortunately, the increasing automation in our radios has apparently accustomed some to falsely assume that the radio will correct for operator carelessness and ignorance of regulations.  Our cooperation with NTIA requirements is essential for our continued access to the 60m channels and for possible future access to the new ITU worldwide 60 meter allocation at 5351.5 to 5366.5 kHz. (See http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-asks-fcc-to-allocate-new-5-mhz-band-retain-channels-and-current-power-limit and http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-invites-comments-on-arrl-petition-to-allocate-new-5-mhz-band). Please be aware of these requirements if you intend to or currently operate CW or digital modes on our shared 60m allocations. The ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program is documenting this matter and wishes to raise its awareness in the wider amateur radio community.

-Carol Milazzo, KP4MD

*The NTIA is the federal authority that coordinates radio spectrum use for the US military and federal government while the FCC serves in this capacity for US civilian radio spectrum users.

E-mail compliments, suggestions and submissions for inclusion in our Section News to kp4md (at) arrl.org

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