At our June meeting, SPARC members and guests discussed our preparations for Field Day 2026. Carol, KE6SRN gave a presentation about our station plan, operating objectives, and the opportunity for volunteers. The presentation slides are embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our special guest speaker was David Hodge, N6AN. David previously spoke to SPARC about his homebrew antennas for SOTA activations. As one of our most dedicated Field Day operators, David spoke about his background in radio and his evolution as a world-renowned contester. Here is a brief summary of what he shared:

David became interested in amateur radio when his convalescing brother was loaned a Hallicrafters S-38 receiver to pass the time. David showed more interest in the radio than his brother did, and consequently studied for and passed a Novice license exam in 1969, including a 5 WPM Morse code test. He upgraded to General class 18 months later (13 wpm). Traffic handling introduced him to contesters and higher speed telegraphy. Soon he was operating several contests every year. David has also participated from a number of countries on five continents. Extra class was reached in 1977 and the call AA6RX chosen. He obtained his current call sign, N6AN, in 2001, much shorter than previous calls XE1/AA6RX or WB6KJI.

There are many types of contests. The CQ World Wide DX contests are 48 hours in duration. All operators contact each other around the globe. The goal is to make as many contacts as possible in as many countries and CQ zones (there are 40) during the contest period. One class of entry is called multi-multi. A team of operators spends the 48 hours making contacts on the six bands, 160-10 meters, for as long as the bands are open, often simultaneously.

A good operator is smooth, fast, and efficient. The ability to copy even very weak signals through QRM and QRN is an important skill.

Likewise, operators in our upcoming Field Day should strive to be efficient. Start by asking “Is this frequency in use?” as a courtesy. Then, begin asking for contacts. There is little need to say “CQ,” but rather just “N6P, November Six Papa, Field Day.” You might say “Again, Again” if their call or exchange is not heard. Omit pleasantries such as “Please copy,” or “Good luck in the contest,” and treat this as message handling exchanges such as might be used in an emergency. Contesting helps train efficient operators, so come give Field Day a try.

Below is a guide prepared by Jim Marr, AA6QI that elaborates on best practices for the Field Day exchange.

After David’s talk, Efren Batayola, KN6YYN, shared his impressive mobile radio setup which includes both a battery and solar controller.

In lieu of a traditional meeting in July, our tradition is to march in the South Pasadena Festival of Balloons parade on July 4th. Join us on Saturday, July 4th at 10 a.m. by the South Pasadena library if you would like to participate.

Field Day 2026 Presentation

Dear SPARC Members and Friends,

Thank you to everyone who attended last night’s in-person meeting of the South Pasadena Amateur Radio Club. We especially appreciate everyone who helped with setup and teardown of the tables and chairs before and after the meeting.

We were also very pleased to welcome several visitors:

• The White family: Garrett and Ryden
• The Sun family: Ashley, Crystal, Justin, and April

A special thank you goes to our members who made an extra effort to welcome our visitors and explain what we were doing in an accessible and engaging way for non hams. Kevin KB7JYF, Steve KN6ZOO, Mark WB6CIA, and Rick KI6ZKM all went out of their way to help make the evening enjoyable and educational for everyone.

Last night’s activities focused on our ongoing 6 meter project work and testing. Topics and demonstrations included:

• Discussion of the 6 meter antenna builds from the prior two meetings
• Review of the importance of testing standing wave ratio (SWR) before operating an antenna system
• Demonstration of the RigExpert 500 MHz Antenna Analyzer
• Testing of 6 meter simplex operation on 51.5 MHz
• Testing of 6 meter repeater operation through the Mt. Harvard repeater (53.62 MHz, -0.5 MHz offset, PL 107.2)

We also tested several newly-built 6 meter antennas for Colleen NR6M, Vince KF6FLJ, Efren KN6YYN, and John AC6VV. All antennas performed very well, with resonance near 51.0 MHz and SWR remaining under 3.0 through approximately 53.0 MHz.

In addition, we tested several 6 meter radios provided by Jeff W2JCL, Efren KN6YYN, and Stan KR6CV.

Our attempts to use the Mt. Harvard repeater were successful, although operation was somewhat hampered by desensitization. Because the repeater input and output frequencies differ by only 500 KHz, and our transmit and receive antennas were separated by only a few feet, local interference effects were significant during testing.

Finally, everyone is invited to join next Wednesday’s simplex net on May 13 at 7:30 PM. We will:

1. Begin on our usual 2 meter simplex frequency, 145.6 MHz
2. Switch to 6 meter simplex on 51.5 MHz
3. Then switch to the Mt. Harvard 6 meter repeater: 53.62 MHz, -0.5 MHz offset, PL 107.2

Please program and test the repeater settings in advance of the net if possible.

Thanks again to everyone who attended and contributed to another successful SPARC meeting.

73 de Jeff W2JCL