12/20/2006: December 2006 San Francisco Section News
KH6GJV, SF Section Manager
Where has the year gone! Time sure seems to pass faster each year.
I'll recap 2006 in this and next month's news.
After the wet beginning of the year, Northern California remembered the
100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake that started the chain of
events that devastated San Francisco and leveled most of Santa Rosa.
The San Francisco ARC and ARES unit had a booth on Pier 39 during San
Francisco's event. It was designed and staffed by George Hughes W0WEB
and Dave Gomberg NE5EE. The Sonoma County ARES unit, headed by DEC Rich
Freitas KF6SZA, had a display at the event held in downtown Santa Rosa
on April 22nd. The event was well attended and had displays from many
of the organizations that would be active in a disaster.
Congratulations to the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club in Eureka for
re-qualifying as an ARRL Special Service Club. It was well earned!
Special Service Club status is bestowed on affiliated clubs that meet a
long list of criteria involving education, service to the Amateur Radio
community and public service. These clubs are the cut above. Only two
clubs in the Section have qualified as Special Service Clubs. HARC is
shares the limelight with the Valley of the Moon ARC in Sonoma, another
"go get 'em" club. Many thanks to the membership of both clubs for
their dedication.
EmComm West 2006 occupied the first weekend in May in Reno at the
Atlantis Hotel. Once again, it was a great gathering of seminars,
vendors and comradery. The Atlantis offered a more modern hotel with
great restaurants and numerous meeting rooms for the conference. I met
with an old friend of mine from my Las Vegas days and literally dragged
him into the VE session. He entered knowing the material, but was test
shy. Needless to say, Jack showed up later with a grin from ear to ear
having passed the Tech test. Jack had wanted to get his license from
childhood, but finally got around to it in retirement. He is now
KE7HTY. And, he has gone to town buying new toys and installing
antennas on his 42 acres. His wife cusses me out (kiddingly) each time
I call and ask about his latest toy. Watch for info on EmComm 2007 at
http://emcommwest.org
The first weekend in June had the Humboldt County clubs once again
putting on the San Francisco Section convention. Held at the Ferndale
Fair Grounds each year, it is a great excuse to drive north and enjoy
the beauty of the far north. They have swap tables set up, various
vendors, interesting seminars and, of course the capstone, the Saturday
banquet put on by Marci Campbell KE6IAU and her team. Look for the
announcement of the 2007 convention or visit their website at
http://www.humboldt-arc.org
After promising an old highschool chum from Honolulu, Clay, and his
wife that I'd show up for SeaPac in Seaside, OR, I had to honor my
promise and headed north. I landed in Portland and had lunch with a
college buddy who lives in the area. Then I drove off to catch up with
Clay and family. Clay was in the radio club in highschool. Now his
wife and both daughters have their licenses. Anyway, SeaPac was
outstanding! The little community of Seaside is a tourist destination
and there is a lot to do both in and outside of the NW Division
convention. The indoor swap was the best I have seen in a while and the
vendors were well represented with lots of goodies to stuff into
luggage. Clay and family and I played tourist for a few extra days
before heading back to our respective homes. If you have a chance to
travel way north, try to plan it to coincide with SeaPac. You won't
regret it!
At the end of June was Field Day! I had the opportunity to visit a
number of clubs in the southern part of the section. I started off at
the San Francisco ARC. Field Day was planned by George Hughes W0WEB,
but George was attacked by his appendix. George won, but his prior
planning had SFARC's Field Day going on smoothly without him. The next
stop was to the Marin Amateur Radio Society's site at the Marin Rod and
Gun club, right on the bay. The crew was hard at it with various
setups. From there, I visited with the Hamilton Wireless Association at
their hilltop site. Valley of the Moon ARC was set up in a local park
and worked on batteries. They looked very comfortable in their location
and equipment setup. The Sonoma County Radio Amateurs held their Field
Day in an open field alongside Highway 12 between Santa Rosa and Sonoma.
Their stations were set up under the trees and the field had plenty of
room for antennas. Congrats to all for their Field Day effort. It's
the fun, not the points, that counts!
That's about it for now. The rest of the year in the January 2007
column. If I don't mess it up, look for photos of the above events on
the Section site at http://www.arrl.org.
Thank you to all the San Francisco Section staff for all that you do to
promote Amateur Radio. I wish everyone a joyful and safe Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2007!
73,
Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV
Section Manager
San Francisco Section, Pacific Division, ARRL
