First Saturday of each month at the Think Cafe at 302 W. 5th Street, San Pedro, CA
All members, their guests, and ‘Hams at large’ are welcome to join us.
Contact with KV4WJ/AM
Today was a good day for K6AA, which really got better. Having just checked into the YL System Net, I was listening to the check-ins when out of the blue I heard KV4WW/AM. He came in real strong. I had a chance to make a contact with him, we were both 59. The OP was David, a UPS MD-11 Captain at 36,000 ft heading to Portland. It was a great contact and really made my day! An Aeronautical Mobile contact is always enjoyable, but the really strong signal this guy had made it great! When you read this, Dave, I want to say “thanks for the contact!”
Navy Day 2015
URAC would like to welcome the 3 Navy vessels to the Port of LA. Today they started onboard tours. While tours are sold out for this weekend, for a great view take a Harbor Cruise and get a good look at them from the water. That’s what I did.
Here are a few photos I took during my Harbor cruise …
URAC Field Day 2015
There was a good showing of URAC members for this year’s FD. With only two stations in operation, one Phone and one CW, our Class was 2A. The weather was nice, but a storm threatened and it was a bit humid. Total score still to be counted, but a good time was had by all.
URAC February Meeting
There was a good member turnout at the February URAC meeting, held in the LAMM Break Room. Following fomalities, our speaker for this evening was my Dad, Dr. Jacques Linder, who gave us a very interesting talk on Astronomy. We learned of telescopes in use today, and future telescopes we’ll see in coming years. He presented photos taken from the Hubble Space Telescope and from the W.M.Keck Observatory (near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii). He showed how telescopes work with the lenses that are used.
First URAC Meeting of 2015
There was a moderate showing for URAC’s January meeting in the LA Maritime Museum Break Room. Commencing as usual at 7:00pm, our guest speaker was Howard Rogers, KF6NOR.
This was a very interesting look into a battery’s chemical makeup, how to charge depending upon type, what type to use depending upon purpose, and how to maintain personal safety with their use. Presented were the many types and how they function, with explanation of the appropriate selection for space craft vs cars, cameras vs flashlights, etc.
Thank you, Howard, for a Great Talk!
URAC November 2014 Meeting at the VTS/Marine Exchange
Fifteen URAC members and guests attended the November meeting. Held at the Marine Exchange of Southern California which, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, runs the Vessel Traffic System (VTS), refreshments of cookies from Scotty K6ZNL and coffee from our host were provided.
Following official business, which included election of officers for 2015, our Guest speaker was Capt J Kipling (“Kip”) Louttit, Marine Exchange Executive Director.
Rich in history going back to the early 1900s, Capt Louttit gave lots of detailed information on how the Marine Exchange evolved to keep ships at sea safe as they enter and leave the port, as well as tidbits concerning its location on old Fort MacArthur.
“From horseback runners and lookouts waving signal flags and using flashing signal lights — to today’s highly professional MX-VTS technicians operating state-of-the-art electronic radar tracking equipment, radio communications and computer database functions — the Marine Exchange of Southern California has evolved into one of the world’s foremost such organizations, becoming a world-class entity serving the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, El Segundo, San Diego and Port Hueneme as well as the maritime business communities throughout the Southern California region.” (http://www.mxsocal.org/Our-History.aspx)
Following the presentation, we visited the Control Center upstairs to observe the VTS in operation. It was a spectacular evening for viewing the port and ship activity.
With park gates to close and lock at 10:pm, the last of our guests didn’t depart until almost ten; a sure sign of a most interesting evening.
A Big Thank You to Captain Louttit for his hospitality, presentation, and tour of his operation!!
October 2014 URAC Meeting
There was good attendance Friday night for URAC’s October meeting, held in the LA Maritime Museum’s Break Room. It was quite interesting. Our speaker, Brian Thorson from Edison, gave a talk on RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). He had a very nice powerpoint presentation and a few noise making demos as well. There were plenty of Q&As after the meeting.
URAC Monthly Breakfast
Do to prior scheduling, The URAC Breakfast will be on the 2nd Saturday of this month sept 13th Saturday at the Think Cafe, We look forward to see everyone there! We meet at 8AM at the Think Cafe in San Pedro and Guests are welcome.
URAC BBQ & Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend 2014
August 15th was a beautiful sunny day for many URAC and Coast Guard Auxiliary members who gathered at the Point Fermin Lighthouse for the yearly International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend. Located with a great view overlooking the ocean, good food and camaraderie were shared by all.
