22 radio operators in attendance for the February meeting before 5:30 PM.
Zach Larson
Technicians License Course
FREE
Spring Break Technician ham radio class via Zoom
March 21-22 ham radio class covering the Technician license (and beyond). Yes, it’s really free, and yes, it’s serious education for those who want to develop a good grasp of not just the exam question pool but the theory that makes it all work.
Contact Scott N7JI for more information and registration.
PACE Invitation
To an extent, a fundamental reason CCRC exists is to prepare and practice EmComm.
Generally speaking, with clubs, groups and NPO’s, leaving everything to the leadership is normal. This only works to a point.
There’s a best practice among agencies and groups concerned with disaster and emergency response – which is to document their plans. One is called PACE. If you’re unfamiliar PACE means “Primary, Alternative, Contingency, Emergency.”
To an extent, a fundamental reason CCRC exists is to prepare and practice EmComm. We hold ‘nets every week for EyeWarn and ARES.
If the Coos Radio Club ‘net matters to you, let’s kick around some PACE suggestions concerning the Tuesday evening club ‘net.
This is not to suggest that Gary make one. Or the Board or other officers.
What do you think?
______________
PS – There’s plenty of time and room in the ‘net for more than a baker’s dozen check-in’s. If you haven’t in the past? Please join us Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm on the Beaver Hill repeater.
Ionosphere Linked to Earthquakes
Could ionospheric disturbances influence earthquakes?
Researchers at Kyoto University explored how disturbances in the ionosphere exert electrostatic forces within Earth’s crust. They found that such forces potentially contribute to the initiation of large earthquakes under specific conditions.
The coincidence of strong solar flare activity with the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake supports the hypothesis that ionospheric charge variations may contribute to earthquake initiation.
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ionospheric-disturbances-earthquakes.html
“Estimates indicate that ionospheric disturbances… can produce pressures … within crustal voids, (which are) comparable to gravitational and tidal forces.”
Authors Akira Mizuno, Minghui Kao, Ken Umeno. Applied Mathematics and Physics, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Japan
https://ijpest.com/Contents/20/1/e01003.html
In the proposed model, fractured zones within Earth’s crust are assumed to contain high-temperature, high-pressure water, potentially in a supercritical state. These zones behave electrically like capacitors and are capacitively coupled with both the ground surface and the lower ionosphere, forming a large-scale electrostatic system.
Spring Tune UP
Thanks to John K6GUK and Gary N6BLU, my QRP POTA rig finally stands a chance. What I learned in a couple of hours at the park with them is huge.
Fellows, you’re amazing. I sponged up a bunch of pearls, so here’s the gratitude list.
I loved seeing the MFJ antenna analyzer in action. This really upped my confidence in the Xiegu x6100 onboard metering.
The issues with radials and feed line chokes? On it. I re-read some of the antenna docs and one suggestion they make is using a ground spike in the radial field (wired to the ring on the antenna stand.)
Gary, the fact you could look at your equipment / reference antenna and tell us how out of whack I was on the other gear? That’s just twitchy sharp. Big respect.
Those settings for the mic and viewing the screen, are on the table – known fixes. I’ll also figure out how to record a voice beacon. They say they update the radio software to “make it easier…” But really,
And me fumbling with Ham2k — I’m sure I’d have gotten there, but getting a shove from you John, was immensely helpful. I’ve begun to think my hearing gets in the way…
I posted previously on my work with the QRP Xiegu X6100 radio, and as a result of the time John and Gary invested with me, I’m much closer to being set up “as good as it can get.”
I really appreciate members of CCRC – Who devote time and energy, loaning their expertise to assisting another in the field. Seriously. “Elmering” knuckleheads like me with such graciousness is a gift to our community.
First Gen SigInt Sat Declassified
JUMPSEAT: the United States’ first-generation, highly elliptical orbit (HEO) signals-collection satellite has been declassified by the NRO.
Launched from 1971 to 1987 under mission numbers 7701 to 7708, JUMPSEAT was the product of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) program at the NRO. Developed under a program called “Project EARPOP,” JUMPSEAT offered the U.S. a way of collecting intelligence during unprecedented geopolitical change and Cold War tensions that lasted until the early 1990s.
Together, the NRO and the USAF launched the first JUMPSEAT mission in 1971 from Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Vandenberg Space Force Base) in California. Once in orbit, JUMPSEAT successfully collected electronic emissions and signals, communication intelligence, and foreign instrumentation intelligence: invaluable information that was downlinked to ground processing facilities within the U.S. From there, the data was provided to the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, and other national security elements.
“Ever since its inception at the dawn of the space age more than 60 years ago, the NRO has brought the farthest reaches of the planet into our grasp – to see it, hear it, and sense it. Today, the NRO is building on that legacy of innovation, harnessing the limitless potential of space to make our nation even safer and stronger.”
Editor – Now that’s a directional antenna!
Released documents:
Florence Club asking for event volunteers.
Our friends in Florence are asking for some help in March.
It’s almost time for the Daybreak Racing Siuslaw Dunes Race. Saturday March 7, 2026 Central Oregon Coast Amateur Radio Club proudly assists with communications. If you are a Amateur Radio Operator would like to help with this event contact COCARC by email info@w7flo.com
Details about the race can be found at this link:
Daybreakracing.com
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Amateur Operators Prosecuted
Hams face dire consequences in Belarus.
404Media.com posted on the arrests January 21st. Other reports surfaced that several amateur radio operators in Belarus are facing the death penalty or life imprisonment after being accused of espionage and high treason.
The crackdown has targeted the ham radio community, which the Belarusian government has portrayed as a “spy network”. Key details of the situation include:
- Arrests and Charges: At least seven operators have been arrested, while more than 50 others have reportedly been held liable. They are being charged with High Treason and Espionage, crimes that carry the death penalty in Belarus.
- Controversial Evidence: State media has presented standard amateur radio hobby items—such as QSL cards (confirmation postcards), logbooks, and basic $25 Baofeng handheld radios—as evidence of “clandestine reporting to NATO agents”.
- Technical Impossibility: Experts and the amateur radio community have noted that the consumer-grade hardware confiscated is physically incapable of cracking the modern AES-256 digital encryption used by state security forces.
- “Intellectual Ethnocide”: Exiled Belarusian operators, such as Siarhei Besarab, have described the purge as a “targeted intellectual genocide” against the country’s technical community.
- Context of Censorship: Ham radio is historically resilient to censorship because it functions independently of the internet and cell services, making it a target for authoritarian regimes.
IARU Region 1 posted a “Clarification” on their position saying:
“While the individuals involved in this case hold amateur radio licenses, our investigation indicates that the actions leading to their prosecution fall entirely outside the scope of the amateur radio service.“
CCRC Winter Field Day 2026 Statistics
Great job, everybody! And thanks Gary, for setting the laptops up and compiling the stats!
Thanks to all that came out in support of our club this past weekend at Powers High School. Please check out the Statistics from the event below. I’ll post the total score with multipliers once I have that information – Gary N6BLU
Software. Big Improvement!
Post Card From Winter Field Day operating 1O-OR.
Backlog of garden chores kept me away from Powers on Sunday. Rats.
Anyway I was able to take my gear out and get some radio playtime in the yard.
Late last week I installed the latest Xiegu X6100 OEM ‘ware on my radio. These bits for firmware and UI were released in late December 2025. I planned to power up Saturday at WFD but didn’t have the chance. So I put out the kit – radio, battery and antenna Sunday morning at home. An hour later I had to concede trying for contacts. It wasn’t working great, I had real difficulty tuning as well as hearing anyone on 20m. Though, I knew 20m be very busy with stations calling CQ for WFD.
This sent me back to the shack to flash a micro-sd card with the latest R1CBU boutique front end (by Georgy Dyuldin, released 1/24/26) After booting up those bits, I heard stations calling, and was heard replying. Enormous improvements. I made a bunch of contacts hunting 20M. Tuning was a breeze.
If the Linux X6100 is the SDR hardware everyone loves, R1CBU (and the recent forked versions by developers like R2RFE) is the “secret sauce” that makes it feel like a professional-grade radio.
For many owners, the R1CBU firmware isn’t just an option—it’s the reason they bought the radio. Here is why it is such a huge deal in the community.
No sales pitch, just sharing how much fun and rewarding solving issues can be. Here’s what Gemini says about the X6100…
What is R1CBU?
R1CBU is a custom, open-source Linux-based OS for the X6100. It doesn’t actually overwrite your radio’s internal memory. Instead, it lives on a MicroSD card.
- Plug it in: The radio boots into the R1CBU interface.
- Take it out: The radio boots back to the factory stock software.It’s “non-destructive,” meaning there’s zero risk of bricking your expensive gear.
Why People Love the R1CBU Experience
1. Built-in FT8 (No Computer Required)
This is the “killer app.” Normally, you need a laptop or tablet to run FT8. With R1CBU, the radio has native FT8 decoding and encoding.
- You can sit on a park bench, look at the radio’s screen, see the decoded callsigns, and click them to make a contact.
- It also supports CW (Morse Code) and RTTY decoding, turning the screen into a text-scrolling terminal.
2. Massive Waterfall & UI Improvements
The stock waterfall is fine, but R1CBU’s interface is designed by hams for hams.
- Better Contrast: The waterfall is much smoother and makes weak signals pop.
- Band Mapping: It shows brackets for the actual ham bands (and even sub-bands like the “CW portion”), so you don’t accidentally wander out of your license privileges.
- Custom Themes: You can change the colors and layout to suit your eyesight or lighting conditions.
3. Unlocking Full Power on Battery
Standard factory firmware often limits the X6100 to 5W when running on the internal battery. R1CBU allows users to push the radio to its full 10W capability even without an external power source—a huge plus for POTA (Parks on the Air) activators who need that extra “oomph” to break through a pileup.
4. Continuous Improvement
While official Xiegu updates can be slow, the R1CBU/R2RFE project is a community effort.
- Bug Fixes: The community often fixes “quirks” (like clock sync issues or UI lag) months before the manufacturer does.
- Feature Requests: If the community wants a specific feature (like a built-in logbook or better CAT control), someone usually figures out how to code it.
Comparison: Stock vs. R1CBU
| Feature | Stock Firmware | R1CBU / Custom Firmware |
| FT8 / Digital | Requires Laptop | Internal (On-screen) |
| Max Power (Battery) | 5W | Up to 10W |
| Interface | Basic / Functional | Highly Customizable |
| CW Decoding | Basic | Advanced / More Accurate |
| Installation | Permanent Flash | SD Card (Removable/Safe) |
The Verdict: The X6100 hardware is a great “canvas,” but R1CBU is the “masterpiece” that fills it in. Most power users never even look at the stock screen anymore.
Coos County Radio Club 