Author: davew6dps

We will be holding a class for anyone interested in upgrading to the General License. The classes will be held Monday evenings from 6PM to 8PM, starting February 5. This class will be held on Zoom.

We will be using the ARRL General Class License Manual. The manual is usually available on Amazon for a lower price than the actual ARRL store. Be sure to get the current book, for 2023 to 2027. This is the 10th edition.

If you are interested in this class sign up using the form on the license class page.

BARC holds license classes periodically to support those interested in getting into our hobby, as well as current hams looking to upgrade. If you are interested in a class, or know someone who is interested, please use the link below to sign up. BARC membership is no required and the classes are free.

Starting September 7th, we will be holding license classes on Zoom twice each month. Classes will be 6PM to 8PM (ish) on the first and third Wednesdays.

The plan is to begin with the Technician license materials and continue directly into the General and Amateur Extra materials.

Anyone interests should fill out the form on classes and testing page. Those who sign up will be sent a link to the Zoom class.

To recognize the contributions to the community made by radio amateurs, the city council has declared this Amateur Radio Week. BARC members at our regular Friday morning breakfast posed with the official proclamation.

Members of the Barstow Amateur Radio Club meet each Friday morning at 7AM for an informal breakfast. Any hams, or those interested in becoming hams, are welcome to join us at Denny’s, 1200 E Main Street in Barstow.

Field Day is less than two weeks away, June 25 to 26.

Any licensed Amateur is welcome to join the club’s Field Day effort.

We will have a special “Get On The Air” (GOTA) station to encourage Hams to do just that. If you are a Technician, licensed less than a year, or even someone without a license but interested in what Hams do, you can try operating on HF bands with support from a licensed and experienced coach.

You can also participate even if you don’t come to our Field Day site. WA6TST will be operating on VHF and UHF, so anyone with a transceiver can contact us. Even a dual band HT that can reach the area of the hospital can contact us on simplex frequencies, such as 146.52 and 446.00 MHz, as well as various bands and modes on HF.

Remember, give us a try between 11AM Saturday and 11AM Sunday, June 25 to 26.

Don’t miss the May meeting is Thursday, May 12. We will be having a brief presentation introducing the use of a NanoVNA for ham radio. We will also be discussing specifics of our Field Day plan and be able to flesh out some of the details. Please plan to attend at 7PM on Thursday, May 12, at the American Legion Hall, 2181 Armory.

The ARRL Field Day page has been updated with location and other details. We are planning a three-station club entry (3A) located at Barstow Community Hospital. All hams are welcome to participate, and we will be having a “GOTA” station to allow anyone interested in amateur radio to try it out, as well as allow Technician class hams to experience HF operation. We will also have a VHF/UHF station, to allow contacts with local hams. No matter what class of license you have, or for those who don’t have a license yet, there will be opportunities to join the fun.

We will be holding actual meetings again, at the Barstow American Legion Hall, 2181 Armory Road. Hope to see everyone there!

We will continue to have breakfast meetings at 7AM on Friday mornings at Denny’s at 1200 E. Main in Barstow. All hams welcome!

The ARRL has released a video about Field Day. It includes basic information and some specific for this year. The video is a bit over 8 minutes, and worth watching. This year Field Day will be June 26 to 27, as always the fourth full weekend in June. We will be planning our Field Day entry shortly, and hope to have an actual Field Day event like we have had historically. Be sure to attend the April and May club meetings if you are interested in helping with the planning. All ideas welcome!

Link to ARRL Field Day 2021 Video

Starting today the club has a new Post Office Box for receiving QSL cards, dues checks, etc. If you mail a dues check (hint, hint) please make it payable to Barstow Amateur Radio Club. Note the Zip Code. Our new mailing address is:

Barstow Amateur Radio Club

P.O. Box 2141

Barstow CA 92312-2141

The FCC published a rulemaking notice that email addresses will be required on applications. When you include an email address they will send a link to an official copy of your license grant. You can also update your ULS listing with an email address when you log in.

Effective on June 29, 2021, amateur radio licensees and candidates must provide the FCC with an email address on all applications. If no email address is included, the FCC may dismiss the application as “defective.”

For more information: http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-to-require-email-address-on-applications-starting-on-june-29-2021