Activities

This year’s Holiday Party will be held the evening of 20 December at Torrance Memorial Medical Center (3330 Lomita Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505) at 6:30pm in the Health Conference Center, Room 1.

The schedule of side dishes we are asking our members to provide is as follows: A – G: Salad. H – P: dessert. Q – Z: Side dish such potatoes or vegetables. This is the first letter of your last name. Dish should cover about 5-8 people. The club provides ham, turkey and drinks incl cider.

We would also like to ask you to bring either the real mccoy poinsettia or artificial for decorating and enjoyment during our dinner. Plants will be presented to the hospital afterwards to be distributed throughout the hospital by the volunteer staff.

Please let Joe, WB6MYD know how many there will be in your party. jmlanphen@gmail.com

On January 14, 2017 the South Bay Amateur Radio Club was able to provide a 5 hour CPR training session for members and family at the Torrance Memorial Medicine Center. The training was arranged by our very own Dr. Bruce Jackson, KK6BJ. We had an amazing turnout, and had an opportunity to learn about both adult/infant CPR, as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise, which encourages emergency communications preparedness among ham radio enthusiasts. Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday. Some of the goals include making as many contacts as possible using different modes of operation on different bands in a 24 hour period.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club holds their Field Day event on the top floors of the West Parking Structure at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Preparation begins weeks in advance, collecting and testing gear, validating procedures, finding volunteers, etc. Set up begins Friday afternoon and continues Saturday morning so that operators at various stations using different modes and frequencies can get on the air promptly at 11am PST.

Many participants stay late into the night, or around the clock. The club takes “food” seriously. There are donuts in pink boxes, subway sandwiches, a taco bar, and a tasty and delicious pancake breakfast. The event is a great opportunity for getting acquainted with your gear and operating procedures. At Field Day everyone learns a lot, and has a lot of fun. Please come visit us on Field Day and we will show you why we love our hobby so much.

The ARRL SW Division Convention, HamCon is hosted in the Los Angeles Area every few years. We have recently hosted HamCon in 2015 and 2017 at the Torrance Marriott Hotel. There are presentations, an exhibit hall, a banquet, flea market, raffle prizes and a radio station. The South Bay Amateur Radio Club has taken pride in setting up the radio station outside in the parking lot for the last two conventions. We have worked closely with the Hughes Amateur Radio Club (HARC), who kindly lends a hand by providing their trailer/tower and by assisting with set up of the tower and main antenna.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club holds Ham Radio License Exams every other month at The Torrance Memorial Medical Center, in the Health Conference Center Room 4. The months that we hold exams are: February, April, June, August, October, and December. The exams begin at 9am. Please consider taking your next exam with our very own Volunteer Examiners, or consider getting trained as a VE and volunteering your services.

Please see our Ham Exam / VE Testing page for additional information.

Each year the Boy Scouts hold a Jamboree on the air (JOTA). This event is held internationally and is intended to give the scouts an introduction to ham radio. The scouts can earn a JOTA merit badge for taking a short course in radio theory and making a QSO on the air. With more studying and a test, they also can get a ham radio merit badge. We support both these badges, as well as allow the scouts to get on the air and chat a while.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club has supported JOTA at the Cabrillo Youth Center in San Pedro for the last several years. We set up and operate two or three radio stations from their patio and allow the scouts to get on the air. We typically are able to have them talk to other scouts across the nation and around the world. We set up antennas and radios, and provide licensed operators for one day during the event. We interface with the scouts directly, helping prepare them for their first QSO and coaching them through their time on the air. We also answer whatever questions they may have about the hardware and theory.

Last year we had scouts talking to other scouts on the east coast, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and as far away as Australia. The delight of these scouts, as well as the questions they ask, show us that these young growing minds might someday be the hams of the future. It is very rewarding to see this and to know that we may have a hand in showing them the way towards our hobby.

Chuck – K6CSH

The W6TRW Swap Meet is always on the last Saturday of the month. The swap meet hours are 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM. The Swap Meet is located on the southeast corner of Aviation Blvd. and Space Park Drive (one traffic signal south of Marine Ave.). Ample parking is available. The South Bay Amateur Radio Club has a regular both at the Swap Meet. Please stop by the booth and see what treasures Chuck and Tom have for sale. If you have items for donation, or are willing to volunteer, just let one of them know.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club holds their monthly meeting on the third Thursday of the month at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center from 7:30pm – 9:30pm in Room One of the Health Conference Center. See our FAQ regarding our meeting to learn all about what takes place at our meetings.

This month’s luncheon will be Saturday, 11 November at noon at Hoff’s Hut (23635 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance). This month Hoff’s Hut is providing 20% off for Active Military and Veterans with valid military ID or proof of service.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club usually has one – two picnics per year. In 2016 we managed to have two, and this year in 2017 we had one. Traditionally, the picnics are held at De Portola Park, 25615 Lazy Meadow Drive, Torrance, close to the intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and Rolling Hills Road. We set up in the morning, get together around 10:30am, have lunch at noon, and break things down around 2:00 – 3:00pm. Activities include: transceiver fox hunting, making HF connections from the picnic table, and interesting conversations, all in a beautiful area. Stop by and enjoy barbecued hot dogs, chips and soda. Bring your own camping chair for comfort, bring your dog – it’s a lot of fun for all. Look for the antenna, and that’s where we will be.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club has a weekly net, every week except the third Thursday of the month when we meet in person at The Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Please join us on W6SBA 224.38, minus offset, and the PL at 192.8hz at 7:30pm. If you don’t have a 220 radio you can arrange to use Echo Link. Please see our Echo Link page regarding how to get started.