Notice

The content of this site will now be largely historical as a service to all Ham operators. The new club leadership wishes a different site, however they did copy much of the material created for this site onto their new site.

Thanks to Mike, N6MDV, for creating this site and maintaining it for the last 5 years. His vision and leadership initiated the W6HA Hughes Amateur Radio Club web site, its training classes, and skills day to build practical skills. Check back occasionally as new material may be added.


What is the Hughes Amateur Radio Club - W6HA?

The Hughes Amateur Radio club was founded by Hughes Aircraft employees around 1970 to promote amateur radio, improve technical skills, and to provide community service. Today, the club is open to any amateur radio operator as well as to anyone who has an interest in amateur radio. One does not need to be an employee of Hughes. Members today work for or have worked for many different companies - some of which have a traceable legacy to Hughes Aircraft and many not.

How do I become a member?

To become a member, complete the Membership Application and forward it to the club treasurer, either at one of the monthly meetings or by mailing it to w6ha at w6ha.com. Then bring a check made out to the Hughes Amateur Radio Club for your dues to a club meeting.

When and where are meetings held?

The club meets at noon on the third Tuesday of each month at the El Segundo Public library in the lower level meeting room. Visitors are welcome.

How can I get help or learn more about radio?

The club has many members willing to help answer questions, help program your radio, or mentor. These are sometimes called elmers - experienced Hams that help other Hams. The club also teaches licensing classes each year open to all interested parties. Also at the monthly meetings there are often technical topics of interest that build knowledge. Finally, once or twice a year we hold a "skills day" in the park to give Hams a chance to learn more and use radios.

What is Field Day and why should I care?

Field Day is an annual event held the fourth full weekend in June. It is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. During field day radio operators across the country, Canada, and even foreign countries practice setting up radios in emergency conditions and making radio contacts.

Our club sets up multiple radio stations at Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. We use emergency power - generators, batteries, and solar power. We have a public information table, put on classes, and give demonstrations. We encourage licensed Hams to participate in the setup and radio operation. We have a special station set aside for the public to come observe and try radio operations under the guidance of a licensed Ham.

Field Day is a weekend of learning and skill building. It is a great time to learn more about what amateur radio can do. It is a great time to try new things and develop new skills. Plus it is a wonderful time to meet other Hams.

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

The simple answer is just email us at w6ha at w6ha.com and ask us whatever you like.

Or for technical help, send email to: elmer at w6ha.com

The club focuses on community service - emergency communications, teaching skills, and helping organizations with health and safety communications.

Who can use the repeater?

The repeater is open to all licensed Hams. We do request that you not use the repeater when it is being used by emergency net activities.

What is the weekly club net?

The purpose of this net is to enhance the communication skills of participating Ham operators; through assessment of communication clarity (signal reports), practice being a net control operator, and through asking questions and getting helpful responses to radio related questions.

The net will be a scheduled, directed net. Each week a different club member will take a turn at being the net control operator. See guidelines for being an effective control operator and script below.

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

HARC Net Script Click here for PDF of 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 Elmer@W6HA.com.

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:

ARRLAmerican Radio Relay League, a national organization
CWContinuous Wave communication using Morse code
GOTAGet On The Air, a type of radio station used on field day
HFHigh Frequency, the frequencies between 3 and 30MHz providing long range communication
JOTAJamboree On The Air, an annual radio event sponsored by Boy Scouts of America and ARRL
NPOTANational Parks On The Air, an ARRL sponsored 2016 radio event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the national park system
QSOThe Q code for a 2 way radio contact
RFRadio Frequency
SOTASummits On The Air, an international program to encourage radio operation in the field from major mountain peaks
UHFUltra High Frequency, the frequencies between 300 and 3000MHz, normally used for line of sight communcations
VHFVery High Frequency, the frequencies between 30 and 300MHz, normally used for line of sight communications, though longer range is sometimes possible
YAGIA type of beam antenna with high RF gain