Group meetings have been covering a variety of topics. Band conditions have been poor, but we did record higher sunspots of 73 and 77 on August 28^th and 29^th. Dan, KN6DRN, earned his “Diamond Award” from POTA, contacting 50 separate Parks, good job! DX contacts have been made successfully using the digital mode FT8 and include Fiji, Japan and New Zealand. We have completed the research on the Repeater and have submitted paperwork to NARCC for authorization for the frequency pair of 147.030 and 147.630, with a PL Tone of 167.9. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in Amateur Radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 147.030 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

August meetings were hot but fun as we continued to discuss our latest Ham radio experiences. Several members have made digital contacts known as DX contacts as far away as Australia, Fiji, Poland and Romania. Dan, KN6DRN has enrolled in Parks On The Air (POTA). The main idea behind this is to take your radio and go out to State or Federal Parks and make as many contacts as possible. If an operator makes 10 successful contacts (QSO’s) then that Park is “activated.” It’s a great way to combine Nature and technology. Dan was able to activate Auburn State Recreation Area and enjoy Lake Clementine with his wife, Anita. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in Amateur Radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 147.030 MHz, 167.9 PL.

Field Day 2021 was hot but we accomplished a lot and had fun. Antennas went up early and by 11:00 AM we were on the air. We erected two Verticals and one End Fed Antenna and worked 20, 40 and 15 Meters. Our Banner and Visitor Log In sheets were proudly displayed. Several folks stopped by and information was shared. We had a total of 183 QSO’s (contacts) 56 on SSB and 127 on Digital. Our coverage was widespread, covering 29 States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Our total score of 1,490 is a Club high. Dan’s, KN6DRN, Grandson, Caleb, made his first contact and then another 5! At seven years old, he was very successful and had big smiles throughout. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in Amateur Radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 147.030 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

Club meetings near the Sports Pavilion are a mixture of technical talk and nature inspiring views, a great combination. The Repeater is performing well thanks to John, NQ6Q and L.C, N7VQC. We are continuing our discussions with Management to find the best home for it. In the event of an emergency, it is critical that communications within our Community is far reaching, clear and consistent. Thanks to intense testing and experimentation, ideal locations have been identified. Congratulations to Dan, KN6DRN for earning his 17m Digital Worked All States award. Field Day preparations were underway at the time of this writing and we will report on the results next month. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in Amateur Radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 443.2250 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

Our recent meeting was a reunion of sorts, as we conducted our pre-net meeting outdoors. Keeping socially distant and obeying other safety guidelines, we were able to discuss the Repeater status and field ideas on where the best site for it could be. A donation of equipment and books related to Amateur Radio was received. The members were excited and grateful with the show of support from the Community. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in Amateur Radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 443.2250 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

We are happy to announce the Group’s Repeater is back on the air. Thank you John, NQ6Q and L.C., N7VQC for your hard work. Special thanks to the Western Placer Amateur Radio Club for allowing us to use their Repeater during the down time. We continue to test and research to find the best antenna and location for the Repeater, stay tuned (no pun intended). Some of the Members spent time watching the ARRL Ham Virtual Expo on their computers. Presentations were given covering an incredible wide range of topics. Sun Cycles, Propagation, How to Solder, 3D Printing, and about 80 other topics were available for the user to select from. The Worldwide SSB Contest was held and contacts were made to the East Coast and North to Canada. We continue to Zoom our pre-Net meetings every Monday night at 6:30 PM. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in amateur radio, please check out the LHARG. Our club conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 443.2250 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

Keeping with the spirit of “Spring Cleaning” our Repeater has been taken down for maintenance and clean up by L.C., N7VQC. This important job has been undertaken to improve the coverage to our Lincoln Hills Community. In the event of an emergency, it is critical that our voice transmissions can be clearly heard. John, NQ6Q has been testing various antennas and compiling those results for analysis. Thank you L.C. and John. Special thanks to the Western Placer Amateur Radio Club for allowing us to use their Repeater during the down time. We continue to Zoom our pre-Net meetings every Monday night at 6:30 PM. If you are looking for a way to engage in the community and have an interest in amateur radio, please check out the LHARG.  The LHARG conducts a weekly radio network at 7:00 PM every Monday on the W6LHR Repeater at 443.2250 MHz, 167.9 PL. For more LHARG information visit our Website, the URL is: lharg.us or email dlehrer72@gmail.com

This year’s Field Day was quite different than all past Field Days. Like most Clubs and Groups across the Country, we chose to participate from our homes due to Covid-19 health concerns. Despite the lack of camaraderie and pizza, it was fun and productive. Five of our members made contacts from their home base. A variety of modes, bands and power sources were employed. CW and phone were the main modes and Commercial and Battery power were utilized.

We recorded 143 contacts in 15 different States and 25 different Sections. Two rookie members, Paul KN6DRM and Dan KN6DRN, participating in their first Field Day, recorded a combined contact list of 69 stations. Well done! This was a Field Day to remember with unique circumstances. We look forward to a more traditional event next year when we can all be together.

After recently learning the the Association has not approved the Sports Pavilion area open for Club activities, we have decided to participate in Field Day from our individual homes. The ARRL has approved this manner of logging contacts and submitting them under the Club’s name for aggregate credit. We hope everyone stays safe and has fun making as many contacts as possible. Further information can be found by clicking on the below link.