The Carrier  

The joint SFARC-MDARC campout will take place starting on Friday, June 10th and end on Sunday, June 12th at the Sugar Pine Dam Recreation Area. It is one of the most beautiful spots in Placer County. This will be a joint venture between the Club and a another group of radio amateurs who have meeting for this annual event for the last 30 years. We are limited to 50 people at this site so get your reservations in early.

At approximately 3,000 feet above sea level, the campground has water and restroom facilities, no hookups, but nice spaces for trailers, tents and motor homes. There are three large barbecue pits available at our site as well as a large recessed pit for a grand campfire. There are plenty of trees as well as open space for stringing a G5RV and a double extended zepp for your HF station if it is your desire to bring one. However there are plans for at least one active HF station from WA6UHA (weather permitting). We will be using the club call, W6PW. Tentatively our stations will be active on 40 and 75 meters, during the day on 7253 khz and the Noon Time Net frequency of 7268.5 khz (Friday afternoon and all day Saturday) and at night (Friday & Saturday) on 3908 khz (the WARFA frequency). It's time to pack up and enjoy the great outdoors and warm up for Field Day coming three weeks later. VHF and UHF paths for both Bay Area and Sacramento television and FM stations are quite good even with simple antennas. Obviously, working 2 meters and 440 into Sacramento and the Bay Area repeaters is not difficult especially during the early morning hours when path conditions are ideal.

The Sugar Pine Lake is just a 1/2 mile from the campsite. A hiking trail leads to the water and connects to another trail that follows the perimeter of the lake. The main swimming area is located on the opposite side of the lake and is accessible by hiking or by a 10 minute drive.

Friday, June 10 -  Between 12 noon and 1 PM, the forest ranger will arrive to unlock the gate for access to our site. The gate will remain open through out our stay. Also during this time and throughout the afternoon and the early evening the 145.43 repeater (PL 162.2hz), K6MDD-B D-star, and 146.49 simplex will be monitored. When you arrive, park at any of the available spaces. There are plenty. That evening, you are on your own for dinner. Use your Weber or the barbecue pits provided at the site.

Saturday, June 11 -  In the morning, you are on your own for breakfast after which, if you desire, join us for a hike to and around the lake. Weather pending, the view will be picture postcard as we make our way around. We will pass the swimming area and cross the dam as we make our way back to Rocky Ridge. The hike should take approximately 2 hours. After arriving back at the campsite, you are on your own for lunch if you desire but most of us would probably settle for a tall cold one. Later on you can scrounge around for wood for the campfire that night. Around 4:30 the full socializing begins and the bar is open. Bring out the appetizers and munches which is part of the pot luck. Also during this time, the host supplied charcoal will be prepared and the barbecue pits will be lit. However, before dinner as an idea conceived by Fred Townsend AE6QL, we will have a champagne cork popping contest. To participate in this event, bring your own champagne ...AND NO BOTTLES WITH SCREW-ON CAPS...CORK ONLY. As for dinner that follows, the hot coals will be provided for cooking your choice of meat. Please bring out a side dish, salad, rolls for dinner and dessert to share, and don't forget there will be great music for everyone's taste provided by Dave, WA6UHA. After dinner, the camp fire will be started so bring your own marshmallows. The sticks will be provided by the campsite. Enjoy the fire as we sing, chat, or whatever you would like to do at this time. Plus we will have a real space odyssey with a few astronomical telescopes set up.

Sunday, June 12 - At approximately 8 am, preparation will be underway for the host provided barbecued pancakes. Two kinds will be provided, plain and Oregon Blueberry. After many years of research we were able to come up with a process that prevents the pancake batter from seeping through the grill and on to the charcoal. Supply your own beverages and sides and share if you like. In the late morning, it's cleanup time and we say our good-byes until next year.

From San Francisco, drive east on Interstate 80 through Auburn and exit at Foresthill. Head east on Foresthill Road crossing the mile long panoramic American River Bridge. Continue heading east for about 20 miles and you will reach the town of Foresthill. After passing through town continue east for another 10 miles and turn left at Sugar Pine Dam Road. There should be sign just before you reach the junction. Once you are on Sugar Pine Dam Road (Route 10), follow the road carefully, there are a few turnoffs that can possibly throw you off course. If you have any questions while on Foresthill or Sugar Pine Dam road, you should be in simplex range. Monitor 146.49. The 145.43 (PL 162.2) Auburn repeater should also be available and it will be the primary talk-in to get you to the site. In any case, stay on the blacktop. Eventually you approach a junction with the main road going slightly to the left and a road going slightly to the right with a gate which should be open for us. This is also the junction where route 10 ends as indicated by a sign even though the road continues. As you go past the gate, there is a sign posted there marking the reserved group campsites. Follow the signs for the Rocky Ridge site which will be reserved for us. The total drive time from San Francisco to the campground should be approximately 3 hours if you avoid the Bay Area and Sacramento rush hours.

Cost is just $40 per family!! The more the participants...you might not have to dig so deep into your wallet...

Just an update on the antenna(s) project. On Sunday October 24, 2010 in the late afternoon, with an overabundance of enthusiasm, I began to add another 10 feet to my current mast and also stick a 9.5 foot Diamond 2m antenna on top.

My old mast is made up of two sections of 10 foot heavy wall, 2 inch conduit, with another 5 to 6 foot section of 1 inch water pipe on top.

My wife, Misa KJ6BUE and my son, Lou, tried to help me separate the two sections that are bolted into place on the side of my house - to no avail. I ended up just removing the entire assembly and moving it to my backyard and add all the new components. Once in my backyard and the 25+ feet of mast and antennas laying on the level, I was able to add another 10 foot section of heavy wall conduit, move my two ATV 1200 MHz antennas down the now taller mast, install a pulley and rope near the top, and add the Diamond 2m antenna at the top.

The entire assembly weighed quite a bit, and it was pretty unwieldy. I tied off a piece of rope about 2/3 the way up the mast and climbed onto my roof to maintain a position of better leverage. My son and wife were on the ground and walking the antenna up towards vertical. When we got to about 30 degrees elevation, it was beyond what my helpers could handle. I held on for dear life, but the mast swung over a part of my roof. and came to rest. It did no damage to my roof, but the sun had now set, and I could not longer thoroughly inspect the antennas that were pre-placed on the mast. The ATV antennas appeared OK, but I was unsure about the 2 meter antenna. My team was starting to lose confidence in their leader - which actually shows their great wisdom. In any case, the mast was now in a better position for me to walk over and start walking it up to vertical.

The entire unit was now way too heavy to safely carry over my roof to my side yard, so once vertical, we lifted and moved the mast about 6 to 12 inches at a time around half my house. It went back into position pretty well, and we secured it down and put away all our tools for the night.

The next morning, I went out bright and early to see what "she" looked like. Well, the 2m antenna did sustain some damage. I am sure that it is functional, but neighbors will now know why it's called "amateur" radio!

I had the mind to pre-attached the 9913 cables with appropriate N or UHF connectors to all the pre-installed antennas. I made up a new cable for my off-center fed (OCF) dipole and thoroughly tested it for continuity and impedance. I attached the OCF dipole balun/center section to my pre-installed rope/pulley setup and hoisted away. I unfurled the coiled wires from each side of the dipole in the direction that they would ultimately be attached to "something", and had to go to work.

The next morning, bright and early, I installed the short section of the dipole. It ran from the top of the mast down to a tree trunk in my backyard. I tied a small, loose fitting rope around the trunk of the tree with a pulley attached. I tied off the end of the dipole to a rope that fed through the pulley and was tied off to an old red brick. The brick provided a nice tautness to the wire. Time to go to work.

The following morning, I installed a 6 foot x 1 inch water pipe to the top of my front fence on the opposite side of my house. Again, I tied off the "long" side of the OCF dipole to a rope and passed the end of the rope through a pulley, again, attached to the top of the 6 foot tall water pipe. I, again, used a brick to provide tautness to the wire.

I went out front and looked at my handy work - and, and, and the bricks and OCF antenna wires seem to be pulling my mast over. Reinforcing the "amateur" in amateur radio...

I am going to have to guy the mast (which I think I knew anyway), and my XYL told me she knew! Yesterday, between the Thursday 1930 MDARC Net and the 2000 MDARC ATV Net, I drilled an additional hole in my pass-through board into my shack (bedroom) and have fed all the coax into the shack. That part looks like a fine business and works well.

This weekend will be "guy" time. I am hoping that I can climb to the tippy-top of my ladder, placed on the top of my roof, and using a long, extend-able paint pole, push up/over the Diamond 2m antenna to appear more "normal" and properly polarized.

My XYL has indicated that even though I am half Italian, another leaning tower of Pisa is not necessary in our side yard! That's what I know now. I am certain that my Elmers out there reading this are shaking their heads, and laughing - but I am getting the job done, and hope to get back on the air really soon!