HARC

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hughes Amateur Radio Club?

The Hughes Amateur Radio Club was formed in the early 1907's by employees of Hughes Aircraft Company who loved ham radio. The club held monthly meetings and most years they participated in Field Day. There were even some employees who would travel to Clipperton Island to hold special radio events. Even though Hughes Aircraft Company as we knew it no longer exists, the Hughes Amateur Radio Club still exists. Although a number of club members used to be employees of Hughes Aircraft, and later Raytheon, there is no restriction on who can be a member of the club. Note that you do NOT need to hold an amateur radio license in order to be a member, but we do encourage it!

How do I become a member?

You can download a copy of the Membership Form here.
Overview:
Full Member: $20.00
Retired Member: $15.00
Associate Member: $15.00
Family Member (covers all family members): $5.00
New Members are requested to pay an additional $5.00 to hel defray the cost of a new badge.

When and where are meetings held?

Meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month in the El Segundo Library in the lower level meeting room.

How can I get help or learn more about radio?

One of the primary purposes of the club is to be a public service to help support those interested in ham radio. We have individuals who are very good at teaching others about ham radio. For historical reasons they are called "Elmers". Should you vae any questions whatsoever about ham radio, contact any club member. (We will have a n email link available soon to accommodate this.)
We also provide Technician Amateur License radio classes from time to time whic teach everything there is to know in order to obtain your radio license.
From time to time we have a "skills day". We will usually meet in a local park and have hands-on demonstrations of varoius aspects of ham radio.

Whom do I contact to see if the club can help me?

Who can use the repeater?

The repeater is open to all licensed amateurs. We ask that you repsect nets that have priority.

What are the various weekly club nets?

Wednesdays 7:30 p.m.
Weekly W6HA club net open to everyone
Use repeater then afterwards simplex net on 146.550 or 146.580
Thursdays at noon Raytheon Emergency Communications Net (ECT)
First Tuesday of the month at 7PM LAFD-CERT South Bureau Net
Everyone listening (even if not CERT) can check-in
Mondays 1:30PM King Harbor Yacht Club K6HYC
Weekly net open to anyone, join us

Please provide a clear frequency for the operation of these Nets.

Guidance for Net Control Operators

As net control operator you control who communicates when to make best use of the communication channel. The following are guides:

Ensure your signal has good clarity - aim for a full quieting signal
Speak clearly and slowly enough that people can understand/copy what you say
Be prepared to listen as people respond - have pencil and paper ready
Use the script - don't ramble
Acknowledge people calling using their full call sign using standard phonetics
After they check in acknowledge them with their name and say thank you to be welcoming

The net script

I have an announcement. The Hughes Amateur Radio Club Net will be held on this repeater in about 5 minutes. Feel free to use the repeater for short contacts in the meantime. This is standing by until the net.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is the Hughes Amateur Radio Clubs weekly net that meets on this repeater every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM local time. This repeater operates on 445.62 Mhz with a standard negative offset and requires a PL tone of 127.3 Hz. It is located high above the LAX airport and is open to all amateur radio operators whether or not you are a member of the club.

This net is intended to give our club members and others a chance to get a signal report, share amateur radio news and information, practice your operating skills, and get to know each other. We will also attempt to answer any questions that you might have regarding the Hughes Amateur Radio Club, how to use your equipment, or ham radio in general. Information about this club and the repeater may be found at W6HA.com. You may ask questions of the officers and technical experts in this club by sending email to TBD.

The Hughes Amateur Radio Club meets at noon on the third Tuesday of each month at the El Segundo Public Library in the community room on the lower level. The library is located at 111 W Mariposa Avenue where it intersects with Richmond Street in El Segundo. Visitors are always welcome. Our next meeting will be on _____________.

Before I take check-ins, if there is any emergency or priority traffic, please call now.

This is acting as net control. This is a directed net, so please transmit only when I invite you to do so, unless you have emergency or priority traffic.

So, lets get started - - Anyone wishing to check into the Hughes Amateur Radio Club net, please say just your call sign clearly one at a time. I will acknowledge each check-in and ask for any additional information and provide you with a signal report. Please wait a second after you key up before saying your call so I can copy your call prefix. This is standing by for the first check-in if your call suffix begins with A thru F (G - L) (M - S) (T - Z) (A - Z).

Recognizing . May we have your name and location, please? Thank you, . Your signal sounds . Next check-in (_ thru _).

(Repeat for each check-in.) Now accepting check-ins for suffixes beginning with ____.

This is I have the following announcements: _______________

Does anybody else have any announcements for the net? Please call now.

Are there any questions for the net? Please call now.

Thanks to all the members and guests who joined us tonight. The net is now closed at ______. We invite anybody to meet right now at 146.550 MHz simplex. 73 and good night. This repeater is now available for normal use. This is clear.

Acronyms

Ham radio is full of acronyms. A few are listed here:

ARRL	American Radio Relay League, a national organization
CW	Continuous Wave communication using Morse code
GOTA	Get On The Air, a type of radio station used on field day
HF	High Frequency, the frequencies between 3 and 30MHz providing long range communication
JOTA	Jamboree On The Air, an annual radio event sponsored by Boy Scouts of America and ARRL
NPOTA	National Parks On The Air, an ARRL sponsored 2016 radio event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the national park system
QSO	The Q code for a 2 way radio contact
RF	Radio Frequency
SOTA	Summits On The Air, an international program to encourage radio operation in the field from major mountain peaks
UHF	Ultra High Frequency, the frequencies between 300 and 3000MHz, normally used for line of sight communcations
VHF	Very High Frequency, the frequencies between 30 and 300MHz, normally used for line of sight communications, though longer range is sometimes possible
YAGI	A type of beam antenna with high RF gain