Members and visitors,
Thursday evening is our monthly club meeting.
Meeting ID: 822 2276 6964
Passcode: 653959
Thanks to all that came out and participated in Field Day 2025. From set up on Friday until we broke things down and left on Sunday it was a great time filled with far away contacts and camaraderie.
I have included our statistics from the event below.
Gary McElroy N6BLU
CCRC President
Thank you fellow CCRC members and visitors who stopped past my table and asked questions Here are some notes on the radio I was operating to fill in the picture.
At full power the Xeigu x6100 transmits 10 watts. Many acquire the radio for POTA/SOTA operation. It has an internal battery that will last several hours, but it reduces transmission power to 5 watts or less. The radio runs on a Linux-based system. (I think their other Xeigu models do too, but I haven’t paid attention.)
Importantly, a user community has grown up around building modifications to improve the system.
There are two software elements in the x6100:
Both can, and have been, modified by users. (More or less a reflection of PC architecture – A BIOS ROM/NVRAM and Bootable OS.)
The x6100 can store a list of BASE code files. (Unusual) Which are user selected within the radio system menu, and then flashed into the hardware via power cycle. Moving forward and reverse between FW releases is just that easy.
Loading BASE code files into the directory involves connecting to the radio via WiFi and issuing Linux command line instructions from a PC interface like PUTTY. Boutique BASE files are downloadable from the community on GitHub.com.
My radio currently operates the OEM BASE (Last updated by Xeigu September 2024) and I boot to the Boutique GUI portion of R1CBU – via micro SD.
I’m in the process of copying a list of BASE codes into the radio as part of keeping up with the community. Some of the BASE versions require building the binaries with Linux… others don’t. More Linux hacker stuff isn’t important, but you get the idea.
Anyway, I had a blast at Summer Field Day!
David KK7WXV
Care to share your Summer Field Day experience? Send the story and photos to Editor@coosradioclub.com
The online course covers obtaining the TECHNICIAN license. FREE!
July 4-5, 2025 (Friday – Saturday)
Via ZOOM meeting.
To join the fun, contact:
Scott Rosenfeld, N7JI, ARRL Registered Instructor
Please EMAIL your name, e-mail, and phone number.
Email: ars.n7ji@gmail.com
Sharing Summer Field Day on Social Media
A few hints help level up content gathering.
Why post content to the CCRC web (as well as personal profiles, etc.)? To inspire new Hams, for starters. Everyone is welcome!
Avoid photographing the back of someone’s head
Zoom with your feet (move closer to your subject) and get the camera into the scene! Show us smiling faces and actions.
Widescreen or landscape mode works well for Facebook or email. Vertical or portrait is native to Instagram and TikTok, plus Meta Reels and stories on Facebook.
Your phone shoots just fine.
If you have a smartphone that’s been manufactured in the last decade, the camera is going to be good enough. You can bring out your fancy photo and video equipment if you like – but it’s no longer necessary. Many magazine covers are even shot on smartphones these days.
Avoid backlighting.
While most modern cameras have a good dynamic range and can deal with many levels of lighting within an image, it’s still best to have the light on your subject.
Use hashtags.
#ARRLFD #AmateurRadio and #HamRadio, along with a locator hashtag for your local area (for example, Iowa could use #IA or #Iowa) in posts to help others see the content both locally and around the web.
ARRL will skim some content from the hashtag #ARRLFD to share on our Facebook page. We’ve created a photo album for the event.
Send your images to socialmedia@arrl.org. You might get shown in QST! (Remember to detail the who and where, so we can help share your story.)
Submit photos to ARRL, with the photo release form [PDF].
Credit: Adapted from an ARRL Email with edits for content and length.
It’s here!
Everyone is welcome to assist with setup on Friday from 1:30PM at Sturdivant Park in Coquille.
The schedule is filled with fun and food.
Even if you don’t have a Ham Radio License, you’re welcome to the party. You can experience “Getting on the Air” by doing so with one of our members.
My day began with a wakeup at 5:00 am ( I know others rose earlier but this is my story). After doing my morning routine I left my house in Coos Bay headed for the Powers County Park. I knew my other Ham at Eden Valley, Dan KI7IWX, was picking up our clipboard but I was supposed to pick up another one for Zach, K7FC, who had camped at Eden Valley the night before as he had one of the further out checkpoints to staff.
County park around 7 AM, give or take a few minutes. I met up with Jerry, KJ7EGZ, Sam, W7GNM and Gary, N6BLU (cue Hail to the Chief music!) After a short conversation I began to drive the 31 miles to the Eden Valley campground.
I personally had last been to the campground in 2017 and the road had been rough then. The years have not been kind to the asphalt but the truck was not bothered.
When I arrived at the campground, both Zach and Dan were there along with one of the SAG pick ups. The SAG driver had started a fire in one of the campground fire pits to have as a warming fire for the riders. We partook of it also to start the day right.
Since this was my first time assisting on the race everything was new. The enveloping tide of riders was met by us trying to get the numbers and reconciling our clipboards to keep track as best we could. The rest stop had been set up and offered a variety of snacks and drinks. The fire beckoned the cold, stiff riders who stayed there anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. Folk style music emanated from a group of singers who serenaded us for a couple of hours.
The day was long but enjoyable. Drizzle and sun breaks swapped back and forth all day. I left about a half an hour before Dan as the last riders, herded by Gary N6BLU and a SAG truck.
After checking in at the Daphne Grove station and Net Control I made my way home after a satisfying day of volunteering service and “playing radio”!
Kelley W7FCM
The Club supported the Tour de Fronds with radio-assisted rider tracking. At one point Gary N6BLU, acting as a roving station, stopped to assist a rider who was having difficulty breathing. He called for rider assistance.
A sag wagon picked up the rider somewhere in the “Cruiser Crush” loop. The Myrtle Point ambulance arrived at Arrastra Saddle but ultimately, the rider refused transport and rode the wagon back to powers.
Zach gets the award for most weathered member, having operated his station from his motorcycle. The handheld radio is attached to the handlebars of his bike.
As a first-timer, I felt welcome and benefited from a ton of support. Thanks Chuck KN7FM for showing how all the tracking works and for helping with the Circus Tent.
In all, it was murky and cool all day, never getting warmer than 44F. The sun broke through very briefly three or four times. By the end, our boots were muddy and I was tired. Can’t imagine what it was like to ride all that way on a bicycle.
It was a blast.
Control cleared us to evacuate Arrastra Saddle at 17:00. Getting down the mountain behind the last few riders was slow. I left the rider records and clip boards with ‘net control, but wound up with the credentials.
As I rolled for home, radio traffic indicated that Gary was still following riders … still some 20 miles from Powers?
I hate to ask, but what time did you folks finally call a halt to operations?
Coos County Radio Club