June 2025 - SBARC-list - lists.netlojix.com

Memorial Day QSO
by WARREN MYERS 08 Nov '26

08 Nov '26

Propogation was good to Europe this evening. One of many stations operating was this one. Apros pos for our Memorial Day. 73s de KN6ZZI Warren > > https://www.qrz.com/db/TM80BON > > TM80BON - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio > > TM80BON > > Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Battle Of Normandy > > The Battle of Normandy > > The Battle of Normandy was one of the major confrontations of the Second World War. In terms of the number of German soldiers it mobilized, and the losses it inflicted on the Wehrmacht, which emerged from fierce fighting that sometimes ended in hand-to-hand combat, this battle played a fundamental role in the liberation of France and Western Europe. From the assault on the landing beaches to the German retreat into “death row” in mid-August and the liberation of Lisieux on August 23, 1944, the Battle of Normandy lasted some 80 days. From the hell of the hedgerows to the outskirts of Caen, it was almost three months of bitter, often indecisive, always violent fighting. For soldiers and civilians alike. A total of 20,000 Normans were killed (14,000 in Lower Normandy alone), most of them victims of Allied aerial bombardment, with some towns completely devastated by a veritable carpet of bombs. The Allies lost just over 200,000 men, including 37,000 killed. For the Germans, the human toll was difficult to establish, ranging from 300,000 to 450,000 casualties, including 55,000 to 60,000 killed. The Wehrmacht lost no less than half of the troops it had committed to Normandy. > > The strategy imposed by Hitler himself was to hold out at all costs to contain the Allied invasion, while awaiting the hypothetical arrival of secret weapons that were supposed to change the course of the war. The ensuing war of attrition tipped the balance in favor of the Allies, who, thanks to a formidable logistical effort, managed to bring more munitions, more weapons, more oil and more men to Normandy. > > By the evening of June 6, the 156,000 Allied troops on the ground in Normandy were facing 80,000 German soldiers. From then on, it was of the utmost importance to consolidate the bridgehead and the numerical advantage by hindering the arrival of German reinforcements as much as possible. For this reason, a dozen towns in the Lower Normandy region, all of them road junctions, were razed to the ground by Allied bombing raids, from Pont l'Evêque to Coutances, via Vire, Condé-sur-Noireau, Lisieux and Saint-Lô, the “capital of ruins”. Railway infrastructures and bridges were also particularly targeted. Under these conditions, German reinforcements were hard to come by. Most of them came from Brittany, southwest France and even Scandinavia. If German troops did not flock en masse to the Normandy front, it was also due to the success of the intoxication operation carried out by the German High Command, which remained convinced until mid-July that the Normandy landings were merely a diversion before the real landings, which would take place in the Pas-de-Calais. The Germans thus deprived themselves of von Salmuth's XVth Army, whose arrival in Normandy in the days immediately following the landings would undoubtedly have further complicated the Allies' task. > > Two weeks after D-Day, some 640,000 of them were on the Normandy front, compared with 250,000 Germans. By August 1, 1,600,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers were engaged in Normandy, compared with 510,000 Germans, i.e. three times as many. The German army found it extremely difficult to replace its losses, and the imbalance became more pronounced as time went on. In the East, the launch of Operation Bagration by the Red Army on June 22, 1944, kept almost two-thirds of the Wehrmacht's forces on the Eastern Front. And yet, apart from a few quick successes, such as the capture on June 26 of Cherbourg and its deep-water port, vital for ensuring supplies, the Allies had the greatest difficulty in advancing, falling well behind the timetable set by the high command. For example, Caen, which was to have been taken on D+1, was not fully liberated until July 19, after six weeks of fierce fighting and heavy losses on both sides. And if the British and Canadians had long been stymied by the Panzerdivisionen's armored lock on Caen, what could be said of the Americans trapped in the “hedgerow hell” of the Bocage? > > Firmly entrenched in their positions, German soldiers held out against the Allies, forcing them into a war of attrition.The inferiority of their numbers is partly offset by the fact that the ratio of combat troops to logisticians is much higher than it is in the Allied ranks, where the latter account for around half the men.Above all, the German fighters were far more battle-hardened than their opponents, and some of them belonged to elite units that had earned their spurs on other battlefields, such as a number of SS armored divisions.Conversely, many Anglo-American soldiers landed in Normandy for their baptism of fire: this was the case for 70% of them.Finally, the terrain was largely unfavorable to the attackers.The Normandy bocage, with its fields enclosed by dense, impenetrable hedgerows, provided the Germans with formidable defensive positions from which they took full advantage, inflicting heavy losses on the Allies throughout July 1944. > > A major advantage for the Allies: total control of the skies.For their airmen, the danger came not from Luftwaffe aircraft, but from the guns of the FLAK (anti-aircraft artillery), in particular its 88mm guns, also used as formidable anti-tank weapons, effective up to an altitude of 8,000 meters. On land, Germany's undeniable material inferiority in quantitative terms is partially offset by its qualitative superiority.Such is the case with the formidable German MG42 machine gun, whose rate of fire of 1,500 rounds per minute is three times greater than that of American - Browning - and British - Bren - machine guns.During the Battle of Normandy, the Allies engaged a total of 8,700 tanks and tank destroyers, compared with 2,300 tanks, assault guns and tank destroyers on the German side.But the quality of the German Tiger and Panther tanks outshone that of the Churchill, Cromwell and Sherman tanks. Armored divisions were the Wehrmacht's strong point in Normandy. On the other hand, the Allies' artillery was insufficiently motorized, leading to massive use of horse-drawn carriages.Between 2,600 and 3,600 Allied tanks were destroyed in Normandy, compared with 1,000 to 1,500 on the German side. But the Allied replacement tanks arrived so quickly that their numbers eventually outnumbered their losses, which was far from being the case for the German army, which directed most of its production to the Eastern Front. Although some 2,000 kilometers away, the Eastern Front played a decisive role in the outcome of the Battle of Normandy. > > Code-named Overlord > > The great Allied offensive was launched on June 6, 1944 to create a new front and liberate Europe.Its primary objective: the landing of troops and equipment on the Normandy coast at dawn on June 6. The very next day, the Battle of Normandy began, with the aim of regaining control of ports, airfields and supply depots.On June 7, British troops landed on Gold Beach (Arromanches), liberating Bayeux. The town suffered no damage and became a rear base in the liberated territory, essential for supplying the armies and receiving the wounded. > > THE ADVANCE OF ALLIED TROOPS ON JUNE 7 > > The day after the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, Allied troops began advancing inland from Normandy. Some Normandy towns, such as Bayeux, were quickly liberated, while others proved more difficult to recapture, at the cost of many casualties. > > On June 7, 1944, British units entered Bayeux without a fight and liberated the town. The same could not be said of the Caen sector, where the attackers came up against a fierce defense. Two attempts to bypass the city of Caen, which controls the routes to the Seine and Paris, were unsuccessful. > > For their part, the American troops set their sights on taking Cherbourg, in order to gain access to a deep-water port. On June 17, 1944, the Americans reached Barneville-Carteret. As a result, the Germans retreated to the north of the Cotentin peninsula. Cherbourg was not taken until June 26, 1944, but the port was completely destroyed. > > OPERATION COBRA, A DECISIVE TURNING POINT > > At the other end of the front in the Cotentin region, the Americans captured Saint-Lô on July 18, 1944, after a difficult and deadly hedge war south of Carentan. A week later, thanks to the arrival of reinforcements and improved weather conditions, the Americans were able to intervene on a massive scale. > > General Patton launched Operation Cobra on July 25, 1944, breaking through enemy lines. On August 6, 1944, the Germans launched a counter-attack in the Mortain region towards Avranches to cut off the American advance. But a carpet of Allied bombs led to the failure of this enemy operation. Soon encircled in the Falaise pocket, the German armies withdrew towards Paris. The Battle of Normandy ended at the end of August 1944. From then on, the Allies advanced rapidly eastwards, through Brittany and into the Pays de Loire region... > > LE GÉNIE MILITAIRE OU LA LOGISTIQUE DE LA VICTOIRE > > During the operations of the Battle of Normandy, military engineering units played a vital role in the victory. The museum pays tribute to them. An emblematic Caterpillar D7 bulldozer is on display in one of the rooms of the Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie. This type of machine played an essential role in clearing the ruins of bombed-out towns, and was used by British engineers to build the Bayeux By-Pass. > > 2024 > > In 2024, Normandy will honor the memory of these events and the men and women who came from all over the world to liberate us.A regional mobilization will take place to celebrate this tenth major anniversary.This will be an ideal opportunity for visitors to discover or rediscover the main sites of remembrance, cemeteries, key places and museums that bear witness to this tragic era.Today, these important places are imbued with fundamental and universal values such as Reconciliation, Peace and Freedom. We hope your visit will be a privileged moment to share with your loved ones. > > Link to all informations regarding the Battle of Normandy > > https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/discover/history/d-day-and-the-battle-of-n…

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N6KTH & KD6OVS VHF Contest Set Up
by n6kth n6kth.com 18 Jun '25

18 Jun '25

Hi folks: Cali and I operating the VHF contact this weekend from East Camino Cielo. My vehicle is on the let and it has two, 28 element 1296 MHz yagis, one 10 element 2-meter yagi and one 10 element 440 yagi. Callie worked 220 from a hand-held and he used a 6 meter dipole for voice and FT8. Ken Owen, N6KTH https://www.qrz.com/db/N6KTH

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Wings Over Camarillo Airshow Aug 17-18 call for volunteers
by Avi Carmi 15 Jun '25

15 Jun '25

Hi All, The 2024 Wings Over Camarillo Airshow is coming up Sat-Sun August 17-18 If you have volunteered in previous years, there should be no (or minimal) changes from last year. As in previous years, I am acting as the volunteer coordinator, and Mike Felio will be the comm lead during the show Each day is divided into two shifts, a morning shift and an afternoon shift There are two main types of jobs, the roaming color teams (and rovers), and the net control (and comm lead / asst comm lead) jobs Plus a show director "shadow" job, which should be a very exciting close-up assignment, you will have two radios: a commercial show radio and your ham radio. The Shadow will follow the show director and provide communication support to the show director. You are welcome to sign up for two consecutive Shadow shifts and stay with the show director for the entire day. The net control (and comm/asst comm lead) will be based in the comm trailer, slightly longer shifts to ensure overlap between morning and afternoon shifts The showgrounds is divided into four sectors A/B/C/D (maps showing the four sector and grids will be provided) There are four two-person color teams (blue/green/purple/red), each two-person color team will cover one of the show sectors for an hour and then move to a different sector (as instructed by net control), allowing each color team to enjoy all sectors of the show. The rover position is similar to color teams, but roves solo and not limited to single sector at a time and can rove over the entire show, also acting as a "gofer" and as backup for any color team member who might need to take a break The color teams and rovers will stroll through the showgrounds enjoy the static displays and the airshow above, while providing eyes/ears/comms Plan on four hours of walking in the hot August sun. Bring your HT, headset/earpiece, a yellow shirt, communications vest (if you have one), hat, sunscreen, food/snacks, water, etc Free entrance to the show, parking, t-shirt, pancake breakfast, lunch, and all the water and soft drinks you can drink If you volunteer for a morning shift, you may stay and enjoy the show in the afternoon, and vice versa come early enjoy the show in the morning then work your afternoon shift You may sign up for both morning and afternoon shifts and/or for both days or for different job types. This year's volunteer registration requires multiple steps and forms to fill in and submit 1- to start the registration process, please go to: https://woc.volunteerlocal.com/ 2- Click on "sign up now" button 3- Enter your first name and email on the first form The volunteerlocal site does not use passwords, instead it sends a unique login link to your email address, please double check your email address If you enter a wrong email address, you will not get the confirmation message with the login link (if this happens, please contact me) 4.a - If the profile associated with the email you entered is already in the system you will be taken directly to the sign up page (step 5) 4.b- Otherwise, it will prompt you to enter more profile details on the next form Enter the rest of the required details (for group select "Ham Radio Operators") and click "Complete Application" 5- The ham radio jobs/shifts are password protected, therefore, on the sign up page you will NOT see the ham radio jobs unless you enter the password *ham73* 6- once you enter the *ham73* password, you will see a yellow "Ham Radio Operators" button but both days and all shifts will be in a "collapsed" mode 7- click on the yellow button, then click on the date(s) to expand the list of available jobs/shifts for each day 8- Select the jobs/shift(s) you would like to volunteer for. If you do not see a job/shift, it means that it was already taken 9- scroll to the bottom of the page and click to check the disclaimer acceptance checkbox and fill in your name, then click "sign up to volunteer" 10- You should receive a confirmation email from Robert Bush who is the new administrator of the Wings Over Camarillo volunteerlocal website Please keep this message handy since it includes an "Open your profile" button at the bottom. if you do not get a confirmation email, or if you have any q uestions/concerns/problems, please contact me directly at avi(a)carmi.us or 805-616-2636 (do not reply to Robert) but wait, there's more... This year, the volunteer details form (step 4b above) does NOT include your call sign, even though it is a required field... To enter your call sign, you have to go to "your profile" page: A.1.a- click on "open your profile" button (from the email at step 10 above) and it should take you directly to your "volunteer application" page (step A.2 below) A.1.b- or go back to https://woc.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/ and click on "View your profile and check your shifts" button then, if you are already "logged in" it should take you directly to your "volunteer application" page (step A.2 below) otherwise, if you are not "logged in", the "View your profile and check your shifts" button will take you to "Access your profile" page, fill in your email address and click submit the system will then send you an email message from Robert Bush, click on the profile link in the email message, which should take you directly to your "volunteer application" page (step A.2 below) A.2- the "volunteer application" page will show your name and current shifts A.3- finally, to enter your call sign, click on the "Your profile" button next to your name, which should pull down a form with your current information A.4- fill in your call sign, check the rest of your information for accuracy and then click "save information" you can repeat step A.1.a/b at any time to get back to step A.2 where you can view your current shifts, sign up for additional shift(s), cancel existing shifts, or update your profile. Please contact me directly if you have any question or issues, or if you enter a wrong/typo in your initial email address (since this will send confirmation to a non-existing email address... ) More details about the event, such as the location of comm trailer, map, parking passes (and where to park), entrance procedure, how to get the breakfast tickets, etc, will be sent to registered volunteers via the volunteerlocal website as these details become available. Since I might not have sent this to every possible mailing list that I have access to, please feel free to forward this to any other ham radio operator, and/or any other ham clubs/groups/organizations that you are a member of. Thanks, -avi -- avi(a)carmi.us 805-616-2636 K6AVI https://avicarmi.com

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Field Day Planner
by WARREN MYERS 15 Jun '25

15 Jun '25

Hello Friends, Attached is an Excel workbook with sheets showing our equipment plan, bonus activities, food & beverage plan, and budget. Please review the equipment plan noting items for which you have volunteered to supply and, or transport items. Please let me (or the group) know if you can think of anything we may be missing. Thanks, Warren

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Do you want to help the Dos Pueblos Radio Club?
by Malachi Cottrell 05 Jun '25

05 Jun '25

Hello SBARC members, If I haven't met you, my name is Mac. I am a student at Dos Pueblos High School, and I got my Tech ticket (which is now a general) about six months ago. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club has been exceptionally welcoming, and I've learned a great deal about how much I don't know from you all. I write to you on behalf of the Dos Pueblos Radio Club–this is a club that I started this spring at Dos Pueblos related to radio and radio-adjacent topics. So far, we've built the "head" for a dipole, talked about how propagation varies across frequencies, done some studying for the Technician exam, made simulated QSOs, and spoken with several of you via the linked repeater system. Thank you to all who answered with your stories and advice! Also, we've received a $150 grant from the Santa Barbara Education Foundation for radio equipment and to cover the cost of licensing fees from the FCC (combined with the Youth Grant program from the ARRL). Right now, the school year is coming to an end: we have 1.5 meetings left. In August, when school starts, there is a "Club Day" where all the clubs have tables set up for the incoming freshmen, and I was thinking it could be good to have a portable HF station set up (maybe some of you would be able to be monitoring on a pre-agreed frequency in case the bands go downhill?) to generate interest. Sort of like a Field Day, but on a much smaller scale. With that in mind, I was wondering if any of you would be interested in helping out the DPRC in any way. Anything is appreciated, e.g., wise words, time, cables you have lying around. Some things that I've thought of: Wise words: What do you think we should spend the grant money on? How did you become a ham? What do you find interesting/exciting about the hobby? Why is radio relevant? Time: Do you have a focus that you want to share with the club–digital modes, foxhunting, emergency communications, etc.–and would be willing to talk a little about it to some high schoolers? Things lying around: Do you have cables that you don't need? An antenna (especially if it is portable–this could be very useful for our Club Day) that won't see the light of day? Some fun maps! Or masts/pole supports? All of these things and more could be useful and very much appreciated by students interested in amateur radio, especially as we try to figure out our antenna/station/radio situation. Sorry for the long email, and thank you for reading if you got this far down! With gratitude, Mac Cottrell – KO6HBP P.S. My phone number is +1 (805) 895-3660 if you want to give me a call about any of this.

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Heil order Thursday morning
by Ken Alker 04 Jun '25

04 Jun '25

SBES is placing a Heil order Thursday morning. We'll be splitting shipping costs between everyone who orders. Please let me know by Wednesday evening (if possible) but no later than Thursday late morning-ish if you'd like to participate in the order. 73, Ken

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Re: Do you want to help the Dos Pueblos Radio Club?
by Ken Alker 04 Jun '25

04 Jun '25

Hi Mac, I think it is AWESOME that you started a ham radio club at DPHS (actually re-started!). I think you should spend the money on licenses, first. Then I'd say a radio(s) and antenna(s). I'm sure I can dig up something used to meet the budget. Ideally it would be an HF radio and a VHF/UHF radio. Is DPHS supplying a room where you can set up semi-permanently? I can answer all your other "wise words" things (my perspective) in person or during a meeting; I won't expound here on the list. I'd also be happy to devote some time to talk to some high schoolers. I'm sure I have some cables and things laying around that you can borrow for the Club Day (and some you can keep for the shack). SBARC has some items that are used for Field Day and I'm certain SBARC can put some stuff together for you from the club for your Club Day if I come up short. I have some masts and associated hardware that I can loan out. 73, Ken KA6KEN --On Sunday, June 1, 2025 9:03 AM -0700 Malachi Cottrell via SBARC-list <sbarc-list(a)lists.netlojix.com> wrote: > Hello SBARC members, > > > If I haven't met you, my name is Mac. I am a student at Dos Pueblos High > School, and I got my Tech ticket (which is now a general) about six > months ago. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club has been exceptionally > welcoming, and I've learned a great deal about how much I don't know from > you all. > > > I write to you on behalf of the Dos Pueblos Radio Club–this is a club > that I started this spring at Dos Pueblos related to radio and > radio-adjacent topics. > > > So far, we've built the "head" for a dipole, talked about how > propagation varies across frequencies, done some studying for the > Technician exam, made simulated QSOs, and spoken with several of you via > the linked repeater system. Thank you to all who answered with your > stories and advice! Also, we've received a $150 grant from the Santa > Barbara Education Foundation for radio equipment and to cover the cost of > licensing fees from the FCC (combined with the Youth Grant program from > the ARRL). > > > Right now, the school year is coming to an end: we have 1.5 meetings > left. In August, when school starts, there is a "Club Day" where all the > clubs have tables set up for the incoming freshmen, and I was thinking it > could be good to have a portable HF station set up (maybe some of you > would be able to be monitoring on a pre-agreed frequency in case the > bands go downhill?) to generate interest. Sort of like a Field Day, but > on a much smaller scale. > > > With that in mind, I was wondering if any of you would be interested in > helping out the DPRC in any way. Anything is appreciated, e.g., wise > words, time, cables you have lying around. > > > Some things that I've thought of: > Wise words: What do you think we should spend the grant money on? How did > you become a ham? What do you find interesting/exciting about the hobby? > Why is radio relevant? > Time: Do you have a focus that you want to share with the club–digital > modes, foxhunting, emergency communications, etc.–and would be willing > to talk a little about it to some high schoolers? > Things lying around: Do you have cables that you don't need? An antenna > (especially if it is portable–this could be very useful for our Club > Day) that won't see the light of day? Some fun maps! Or masts/pole > supports? All of these things and more could be useful and very much > appreciated by students interested in amateur radio, especially as we try > to figure out our antenna/station/radio situation. > > > Sorry for the long email, and thank you for reading if you got this far > down! > > > With gratitude, > Mac Cottrell – KO6HBP > > > P.S. My phone number is +1 (805) 895-3660 if you want to give me a call > about any of this.

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SteppIR To Discontinue Consumer Products
by WARREN MYERS 02 Jun '25

02 Jun '25

Sorry to see this. SteppIR Antennas are good performing, if complicated antennas.

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