President's Message: A Strong Start to 2026 - The Year of the Club
We are off to an outstanding start in 2026, and the momentum across the San Francisco Radio Club is both energizing and inspiring. This year has been designated the Year of the Club, and with that comes a renewed commitment to what makes our community special: bringing members together face-to-face, strengthening personal connections, and deepening our shared passion for amateur radio.
Our focus is clear: to revitalize in-person engagement at meetings, activate our committees, and create meaningful monthly opportunities to get outdoors and on the air together.
That commitment is already translating into action. Our Winter Field Day was a tremendous success, showcasing both the technical excellence and collaborative spirit of our members. It was a fantastic opportunity to operate in real-world conditions, welcome newer operators, and demonstrate the resilience and versatility of amateur radio. Equally inspiring was the strong participation in supporting the San Francisco Half Marathon community event. Our volunteers played a critical role in ensuring reliable communications and public safety while proudly representing the club and the broader amateur radio community.
These early successes set the tone for what promises to be a remarkable year. We are building not just activity, but community with one meeting, one event, and one contact at a time. Thank you to everyone who has participated, volunteered, and helped make this strong start possible. The best is yet to come, and I look forward to seeing even more of you at our February 20 general meeting.
Onwards,
Antonis, AA6PP
Our focus is clear: to revitalize in-person engagement at meetings, activate our committees, and create meaningful monthly opportunities to get outdoors and on the air together.
That commitment is already translating into action. Our Winter Field Day was a tremendous success, showcasing both the technical excellence and collaborative spirit of our members. It was a fantastic opportunity to operate in real-world conditions, welcome newer operators, and demonstrate the resilience and versatility of amateur radio. Equally inspiring was the strong participation in supporting the San Francisco Half Marathon community event. Our volunteers played a critical role in ensuring reliable communications and public safety while proudly representing the club and the broader amateur radio community.
These early successes set the tone for what promises to be a remarkable year. We are building not just activity, but community with one meeting, one event, and one contact at a time. Thank you to everyone who has participated, volunteered, and helped make this strong start possible. The best is yet to come, and I look forward to seeing even more of you at our February 20 general meeting.
Onwards,
Antonis, AA6PP
Antenna Design and DAPNET!
Want to design your own antenna? How do you get started? How do you design an antenna from scratch? How do you test your design in software? Learn to design antennas from beginner to pro!
Join us in person at the Randall Museum and bring plenty of questions. Kaitlyn Handelman, KN6MAN, will be presenting a class on antenna design. Afterwards, Marek, N1KOL, will host a show-and-tell about DAPNET.
Meeting Friday February 20, 2026 @ 7P Pacific @ Randall Museum Map & Directions
Join us in person at the Randall Museum and bring plenty of questions. Kaitlyn Handelman, KN6MAN, will be presenting a class on antenna design. Afterwards, Marek, N1KOL, will host a show-and-tell about DAPNET.
Meeting Friday February 20, 2026 @ 7P Pacific @ Randall Museum Map & Directions
6th Annual SFRC Simul-SOTA Event
It is almost time for the 2026 SFRC Simul-SOTA Event, where we will activate multiple Summits on the Air (SOTA) sites during the same day and time period.
The original Simul-SOTA was designed to get local hams out and about during the COVID restrictions and has continued as a fun springtime event ever since. So lace up your hiking boots, pack a lunch, and get outdoors for some radio fun!
This event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators anywhere, although we will be concentrating on Bay Area operators.
Below is a link to a partial list of Bay Area SOTA sites. There are many more to choose from on the SOTLAS site.
As in past years, we will use our own callsigns and file our own contact reports with SOTA. Multiple operators at a single SOTA site are welcome, but they will need to coordinate their band choices and the proximity of their gear.
Details about the event schedule, how to sign up, and how to coordinate your operations will be available beginning March 1 in the #2026-simul-sota channel on the SFRC Slack workspace and on our website.
For those who have not participated in a Summits on the Air activation before, feel free to read to the SOTA rules.
The original Simul-SOTA was designed to get local hams out and about during the COVID restrictions and has continued as a fun springtime event ever since. So lace up your hiking boots, pack a lunch, and get outdoors for some radio fun!
This event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators anywhere, although we will be concentrating on Bay Area operators.
Below is a link to a partial list of Bay Area SOTA sites. There are many more to choose from on the SOTLAS site.
As in past years, we will use our own callsigns and file our own contact reports with SOTA. Multiple operators at a single SOTA site are welcome, but they will need to coordinate their band choices and the proximity of their gear.
Details about the event schedule, how to sign up, and how to coordinate your operations will be available beginning March 1 in the #2026-simul-sota channel on the SFRC Slack workspace and on our website.
For those who have not participated in a Summits on the Air activation before, feel free to read to the SOTA rules.
