This is the second year in a row that we did the Santa Net for the children of the Kittitas County EMS, police and sheriff's deputies families. The kids were great! Santa, Mrs. Claus and Santa's Ham Radio Elves had a great time. Special thanks go to George, KK7AHR, and Chanelle from Kittcom who put this all together.

The Kittitas County Auxilliary Communication Service (KCACS) participated in the State EOC to EOC test on Dec 17, 2022. Don, KI7JLK and Bob, AI7CS stood up and ran the Kittcom EOC, while David, KI7DZK, and Steve, KE7EIK, stood up the Cle Elum Fire Department Station. Winlink Packet P2P messages were successfully exchanged, as were messages with the state. Picture by George, KK7AHR.

We had three hams show up for the POTA Support Your Parks weekend on October 15, 2022. George, KK7AHR and his family, David, KI7DSK and his sons, and Bob, AI7CS. Dave, KI7GMG brought Chéri over from a first aid class, and Jeremy from KCSAR also showed up early to see what we were doing. Thanks to David for bringing a stove and making some excellent hot dogs! It was a really nice day on Lake Easton, and it was not crowded at all.

From Bob Smith, AI7CS: I realize that this is long after the race. However I would like to express my appreciation for all who participated for communications for the race. This was a success, thanks to your help and participation.

These pictures are from hams who spent long hours out in the National Forest, in some areas requiring a technical 4WD to get to. Thanks to everyone who provided pictures, and to all of you who provided their time. Enjoy!

The Field Day Results were posted to the ARRL website, and they are marked as complete. The submission deadline is July 25, 2022, so the final standings are not available yet. You can go to the ARRL Received Entries page, select Club Name for the display, and then scroll down to look for Kittitas County Amateur Radio Communication Service to find the listing. You'll find 4 entries there, and our aggregate score should be a little above 1900 points.

Thanks to Gary, W7DVB, for organizing Field Day for us. He organized the location, people, food, publicity, purchased a new club banner and much more. We had 4 operating stations, and probably about a dozen or more people were there. We had representation from one of our served agencies, the Washington State Guard by Master Sergeant Butch McConnell. Our thanks to all who came out and participated!

Below are some photos from George, KK7AHR, Bob, AI7CS, and his wife Maryann. It turned out to be a great day, with great weather and good company.

From Randy, K7RHT: Overall the race was a great success, we got kudos from many MANY of the racers themselves, some too tired to stand grabbed my arm as I walked by to thank you all for the great help and the security they all felt by having us there. There were a couple of minor injuries on the race, two were reported as broken arms, only to find that they were just scratched up and bruised from a fall, the trail is treacherous for sure in places. But we had no major issues, comms were as expected, some hard to hear in places which tells me that either a better antenna or not a place for an HT. I hope you will send me your suggestions, listing the location and what you experienced. I know that with some of the new locations for the aid stations, it was difficult to reach the repeater, we did test, but only from what we had at the time as the locations, but I believe we were working from the old data and using a mag mounted mobile radio, not an HT. So your input will be valuable.

I hope you all had fun, and will join us again for the September Teanaway race as well as this one again next July. Once I get more information, I will send out an AAR to all for future use and improvement.

There was a second work party this past week, Wednesday July 13, at KITTCOM to install the VHF/UHF antenna, and to install the connections for the HF Antenna. Again, thanks to George, KK7AHR, for allowing us to install this equipment at KITTCOM. Photos by AI7CS.

I want to reach out and give a special thanks for those who helped today at KITTCOM to install the feedline for the UHF/VHF second station and the installation of the HF antenna.

First of course, thank you to George KK7AHR for allowing us to have this equipment and space at KITTCOM.

I also want to give a special thanks to KVFR and Josh of KVFR for bringing the ladder truck out to KITTCOM to take down the broken camera and then giving us a lift to get the HF antenna over the building and making it so that we could install the antenna.

Next, to the work crew, Steve KE7EIK, Gary W7DVB, and Josh KF7QNM for all the great help in getting the feedline out for the new UHF/VHF antenna and getting the ends up and installed for the OCF Buckmaster HF antenna.

We will need to schedule another work party for another morning to finalize the installation of the UHF/VHF antenna and get the feedline for the HF antenna run across the ice bridge and up to the HF balun as well as ends on the feedline we ran today. We worked from about 0730 until about 1230 on the project and all were pretty tired after that time period so we chose to finish another day.

Again a big THANK YOU to all of you!

Randy K7RHT

It's with sadness that we inform you that Jack Williams, W7HNH, has passed away. Steve, N7DXP just relayed the information. Steve had visited with Jack recently, and he had seemed to be alert and in good spirits. More details will be coming.

As many of you know, Jack was instrumental in providing access to the Evergreen Intertie system, as well as packet radio in the area. He was a long time member of the Rodeo City Radio Club and was the website editor.

The Kittitas County Amateur Radio Communication Service would like to express our condolences to Jack's widow and family.

On Saturday March 5, 2022, at 12:00 pm noon, George - KK7AHR, Gary - W7DVB, and Bob - AI7CS, set up at Olmstead Place State Park on the East side of Ellensburg. As it turned out, the ARRL DX Contest was on that weekend, so the HF activations instead turned into the chance to chase some DX.

George, KK7AHR, operated on 146.52 MHz simplex and collected 11 contacts, which made it a full activation. George also when out to the Park on Friday afternoon, March 18, 2022, and worked another 28 contacts, both on 2m simplex, and 10 meters, on 28.435 MHz. Congratulations to George!

Several club members and a visitor showed up at the park to talk and operate. Don, KI7JLK, David, KI7DZK and his sons, Colby, KK7AGW, Bret, KG7OXE, Doug C., George's wife Cheri and son Samuel, Gary's wife Karen, and Bob's wife Maryann. The ladies set up a really nice picnic, and the weather actually cooperated.

For more details about Parks On The Air, visit their website at https://parksontheair.com/. To look for current park activations anywhere in the world, check https://pota.app/. For late breaking POTA activations in Kittitas County, check out the Kittitas County Amateur Radio Group Facebook page.

Thanks to George, KK7AHR, for the following images.

From Steve, KE7EIK: Another race for folks to practice on. Glen K7CPO over in Lincoln county could use some help staffing the checkpoints for the Desert 100 motorcycle race in Odessa, WA. Below is a description from the StumpJumpers web page. all the info is there.

Since 1969 when this annual race began, the Desert 100, once known as Mattawa, has been the most prestigious off road race of the year. On Sunday morning the air is buzzing as 1000+ racers prepare to compete in the weekend finale, The Stumpjumpers Desert 100 Race. Immediately after the mandatory rider’s meeting, the massive group of dirt bikes will parade out from the stage to be lined up. Pros and amateurs will position across the longest start line anywhere and await the cannon blast that signals the start of the 100 mile race. The racers will run to their bikes, jump on them, get them fired up and finally take off in a drag race across open desert to the flags for the holeshot. Next they will continue off into the unknown to battle the desert and each other. The relentless channeled scablands will test the riders and their machines to their limits over the next several hours and 100 miles. Exhausted, the finishers will each cross the stage and receive a coveted Finisher’s Shirt. A few will be going for the win but most will be just looking to finish the most challenging race around.

It is a three day event, April 1-3, with the main race happening on Sunday. Glen is organizing the radio operators for the 8 checkpoints. You can help one day or all three. Net control is in the Lincoln County ARES communications truck. Interesting to see how other counties are organized and equipped.

For more details about Stumpjumpers Desert 100, visit their website at 2022 50th Anniversary Stumpjumpers Desert 100 – Stumpjumpers Motorcycle Club

On Saturday March 5, 2022, at 12:00 pm noon, George - KK7AHR, Gary - W7DVB, and Bob - AI7CS, will each be making a Parks On The Air (POTA) activation at Olmstead Place State Park on the East side of Ellensburg. Gary has identified the park as a possible Field Day location, and we're going to give it a work out to get some portable operating practice in, and to see what issues might happen during Field Day.

We will be operating KK7AHR on 146.52 MHz simplex, and W7DVB and AI7CS will be working on 20m and 40m SSB near the middle of the General segments on the bands. If the bands are too active, we may likely switch to 40m and 17m. For actual details of where we will be operating, please check https://pota.app/ and look for each of our callsigns and the park designator.

The POTA designator for Olmstead Place State Park is K-3240. Please take the time to contact KK7AHR on 146.52 MHz simplex so that he can make the 10 contact minimum. If you would like to come down and see what's going on, and possibly join us, we would love to have your company. Dress warm!

For more details about Parks On The Air, visit their website at https://parksontheair.com/

From Don, KI7JLK: A a chilly, hasty winter field day station in the Yakima Canyon today. We collected a few log entries. David, KI7DZK, got Ohio on 10 watts and 20 meters with his new Icom 705 and trusty Alpha vertical!

From Steve Douglas, W7JAA Below is the link to the web site for a national winter field day. I've never seen this before and it is the last weekend of January which is also the Saturday of our State EOC Exercise. There are opportunities for nearly anyone to participate. It doesn't look like you have to use HF alone. We have 2M repeater access via a repeater on Naneum Ridge to get out of the county and might allow contacts that would count. I need to know more but am placing this out to you so you can look for yourselves. Having a Field Day, Summer and/or Winter, is a great idea and a good exercise to have. It give us access to folks we normally don't interact with.

Winter Field Day website

We had a good turn out for the July meeting, with 13 people joining us in the Teanaway Room at the Palace Cafe.

We are looking for a new Activities and Membership Chair. Mike Schantz has had to step down, so we'll need someone who can pick up where he left off.

Randy, K7RHT, announced a second work party at Kittcom to set up the HF antenna.

Randy, K7RHT, managed to get the Stampede Pass Repeater installed, but had to put in a loaner reciter. It is on the same frequency as Sky Meadows, but with a tone of 141.3. It will be used for the Cascade Crest race.

There is a new HF/VHF Shares station at Kittcom, which is registered with FEMA.

There will be a possible surplus inventory sale at Kittcom in late September, and we might turn into a hamfest.

The Washington State Guard is looking to establish a working relationship with ARES/RACES. As it turns out, we often have the ability to be at places where they can't be, and have portable and mobile gear to help with communications during an emergency.

There is a "Fifth Saturday" EOC test on July 30th. This time around, we will have stations located in the field to send messages back to the Kittcom EOC as part of the exercise. We are looking at using a combined HF/VHF/UHF communications for the exercise.

George-KK7AHR, Gary-W7DVB, and Bob-AICS were looking to have a Parks On The Air operation from Olmstead Place State Park on July 16. Note: There was such electrical noise up by the main parking area that even strong stations couldn't be heard. Road noise was a big issue at the other parking lot, so the operation was scratched.

We're looking into starting license classes. George-KK7AHR and Bob-AICS are now ARRL instructors. More details as they come. Anyone interested in helping, or taking the classes, please contact us.

We're also looking at setting up HF/VHF/UHF operating events in the county, perhaps as special events stations. Some clubs run special events from their county parks, and offer electronic QSLs as a proof of concept. If you're interested in helping or operating, let us know.

The Skywarn Net is now operating every other week on Wednesday evenings.

Gary, W7DVB provided the following notes from the meeting on Jan. 15, 2022:

President Elect/Vice President vote was taken. Unanimous vote for Bob, congratulations Bob AI7CS.

Randy K7RHT gave an update on 3 new UHF repeaters that should be in place sometime in 2022. All the locations are not yet decided but work will continue on where and when the repeaters will be installed.

ARES - Two races are on the schedule. The Cascade Crest 100 on July 22-23 and the Teanaway 100 on September 17-18. Randy K7RHT reminded the group there was a need for a lot of volunteers. Please contact Randy K7RHT if interested.

RACES - George KK7AHR is the new training officer for RACES Eastern Washington (please confirm his exact title). The training for the Kittitas County group will be virtual on the second Tuesday of every month from 18:30 to 19:30. All are invited to attend. Please contact George KK7AHR with any questions.

The Kittitas County in-person RACES training meetings are managed by Steve W7JAA and will be held the last Tuesday of each month. Details of the meeting, including time and location, will be available throughout the year. Please contact Steve W7JAA with any questions.

The WA State EOC Exercise will be held the morning of January 29 from 8:30 to 12:00. For details and an assignment please contact Steve W7JAA.

National Field Day will be held June 25-26. The topic was discussed, some interested to be a part of the event was received and Gary W7DVB was appointed to take the lead on getting additional information for the club to discuss in future meetings. Gary has not participated in a field day event and is looking for any information/suggestions the club members would have. George KK7AHR and Bob AI7CS have volunteered to assist. Any questions or suggestions please contact Gary W7DVB at [email protected].

Volunteer Fair in February. I did not catch the details on this topic.

ARRL National Convention will be February 10-13 in Orlando, Florida.

The ARRL Northwestern Division Convention will be June 3-5 in Seaside, Oregon. Some members of the club are planning to attend this event. Editor's note: check the Area Hamfests page for details.

Steve N7DXP and Bob AI7CS suggested securing a PO Box for the club. Reasons for the PO Box were discussed and Bob agreed to review costs from both the Post Office and the UPS store. Topic will be discussed with the possibility of a vote at our next meeting.

Two additions to the bylaws were discussed, language was agreed upon and both passed with a unanimous decision. The first related to using a virtual option for meetings during special circumstances and the second on meetings continuing to take place if the President and Vice President were unable to attend a meeting on the same date. Editor's note: The by-laws have been updated and are available under the About link above.