PAARA owns a variety of equipment that is used for the ARRL annual Field Day contest/amateur radio public demonstration. This list is an attempt to document what we have, but is not currently complete.If you don’t see something on this list that you know we own, please contat K6WEB with the information.
Radios & Accessories
Elecraft KX1
This Elecraft KX1 started off as a raffle prize for a PAARA meeting, but when Lucky JC won it, he donated the radio kit back to the club, and Mark, KR1PTO, donated his time to build the radio, so it is now available for club use on Field Day and during other events.
Motorola FMTRU-41B (a)1d
This old, two-frequency tube-based VHF radio is crystaled for two frequencies: 147.450 and 145.230, although it does not have a PL tone encoder or decoder. It is currently under repair by Andy, KR6DD. S/N: 1066
Keys
There are five duplicate sets of keys for the two PAARA trailers, and these sets are kept by the President, AF6TF; Peter, K6WEB; Property Manager, N6NV; and the fifth by Joel, KD6W.
Morse Code Trainer
Purchased in 2004 at the beginning of the first PAARA Code Training Class, this device is available to PAARA members on a short term loan basis for random code & code speed training. Ask Terry, AF6TF for details.
Giant Morse Code Key
Used mostly for fun, this XL wooden key patterned after a J-38 is in need of repair to make it function once again. Attached to it is an MFJ Code Practice Oscillator donated by Peter, K6WEB.
Mobile Equipment
Glen Baker Club Trailer
This 1952 travel trailer, now retired, was used for our two main HF contesting stations. The trailer was named in honor of the late Glen Baker, W6UOK; a former PAARA club president who had helped purchase it and who gave so much of his time to the club.
GOTA Trailer
This small trailer (designed for the back of a pickup truck but mounted on weels of its own) is typically used for our GOTA (Get On The Air) HF station—an official part of Field Day designed to let new hams have their first HF experience.
Utility Trailer
Donated by AMD, we plan on modifying this trailer for transporting antenna masts. Volunteers are needed to design and build the modifications. Please contact Andreas, N6NU if you have the needed skills.
Power Generation/Distribution
Honda EU1000i Inverter Generator
This Honda generator weighs just 29 pounds, runs for 3.8–8.3 hours on one tank of gas, produces 7.5–8.3 amps and makes only 59 dB at a distance of 7 meters. It has two 120 V AC outlets, a DC outlet for charging 12 V batteries (not gel-cells!), and can be daisy-chained to an identical generator to increase the amperage. (Currently gone missing.)
[EU1000i web site] [EU1000i PDF manual]
PE-95 10 kW WWII Trailer-Mounted Generator
This generator is currently stored at Covington School, and since it gobbles several gallons per hour, it serves mainly as a backup.
Onan 5 kW Trailer-Mounted Generator
This is our main generator, typically used to power both the main trailer and the GOTA trailer, as well as the coffee pot. It is equipped with a Leland 2500 alternator, and it runs at about 1,800 RPM. The engine is a Briggs & Stratton gas type that has a propensity to gobble fuel like crazy. Stored at Doug Teter's shop.
Garod Radio Corporaration CBF-21263-?B HandCrank Generator
This is used for our natural power bonus points at Field Day.
AC Distribution Box
An unknown model, this power distribution box has input and output connections of both normal 15 A household outlets and twist-lock 30 A shore power outlets.
AC Distribution Cable
Approximately 500 pounds of 30 Amp, 3 prong, twistlock power distribution cable. Enough lengths and the adapters needed for connecting the small trailer to the generator is stored in the small trailer, and ditto for the big trailer, plus enough extra for another run, and all sorts of miscellaneous converters and regular outlet distribution boxes.
VHF/UHF Antennas
2 m base station antenna
Donated to the club in 2007.
HF Antennas
2 meter base station antenna
Donated to the club in 2007, this is stored in the Big Green trailer.
10 m beam
4 element, gamma match. Homebrew. Joel, KD6W currently has most of the parts to this antenna.
Unknown Tribander (10, 15, 20 m)
The bolts on the mast clamp need to be replaced. Stored at KG6LWE's shop
15 m beam
4 element, gamma match. Homebrew. We have the boom, but the elements are MIA.
20 m beam
3 element, gamma match. Homebrew, boom and 2 elements are stored at KG6LWE's shop, and the other two elements are MIA.
Hy-Gain TH5/MK2 Tribander (10, 15, 20 m)
Stored at KG6LWE's shop. Needs replacement clamps.
KLM KT-34 Tribander (10, 15, 20 m)
Stored at Doug, KG6LWE's shop in the white trailer. Donated from Vieks West (SK) in San Mateo.
KLM 40M-3A
This KLM 40-meter 3-element beam features a coax balun, and is used for nighttime 40 meter contacts. Mounted on the heaviest tower we move to the site (the lightest steel tower), raising this antenna can not be done in windy conditions.
[KLM 40M-3A Djvu manual]
The elements are stored at KG6LWE's shop, while the boom and truss are stored next to the big trailer.
Aluminum Tower—3 sections, 46 feet extended, 21 inches per side
Stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer. This was donated to PAARA
by Art Bolton.
Aluminum Tower—3 sections, 50 feet extended, 13 inches per side.
Stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer.
2 Steel Towers—3 sections, 50 feet extended, 10 inches per side
Stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer.
Steel Tower—6 sections, 100 feet extended, 20 inches per side..
Stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer.
Steel Tower—3 sections, 50 feet extended, mast pole plate at top
Stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer
Push-Up
Aluminum Tower—3 bolt-together sections, mast plate at top.
Two sections stored on ground next to Big Green Trailer; one section
stored at Doug, KG6LWE's shop.
Various nesting pole push-up masts
We have several of these steel push-up masts, to be tallied later.
Rotators
CDR Series III
Rotor + Controller, 8 wire with 8 pin Jones connectors & ~75 ft of PAARA cable, Mountable to PAARA 60 ft Aluminum tower (Phone)
CDR Series III
Rotor + Controller, 8 wire with 8 pin Jones connectors & ~75 ft of PAARA cable, Rotor installed on NM6K light weight Al tower
Jerry's Rotors
Two CDR Series III rotors and one Alliance HD-73 rotor.
Meeting equipment
Computer & Video Projector
Purchased by the club in 2007, with the recommendation of model made by Joel, KD6W, the projector has VGA and HDMI inputs, and is capable of wide-screen presentations.
Jury-rigged PA system
Consisting of a wireless mic system (2 microphones, one dual-channel receiver), a pair of small, powered speakers, and one electric guitar pedal used as a patch panel, owned and kept by Jim Rice.
Coffee Pots
We have one 36-cup, one 30-cup, and one 10-cup coffee maker, stored in a secret location.
This Elecraft KX1 started off as a raffle prize for a PAARA meeting, but when Lucky JC won it, he donated the radio kit back to the club, and Mark, KR1PTO, donated his time to build the radio, so it is now available for club use on Field Day and during other events.
This 1952 travel trailer, now retired, was used for our two main HF contesting stations. The trailer was named in honor of the late Glen Baker, W6UOK; a former PAARA club president who had helped purchase it and who gave so much of his time to the club.
This small trailer (designed for the back of a pickup truck but mounted on weels of its own) is typically used for our GOTA (Get On The Air) HF station—an official part of Field Day designed to let new hams have their first HF experience.
Donated by AMD, we plan on modifying this trailer for transporting antenna masts. Volunteers are needed to design and build the modifications. Please contact Andreas, N6NU if you have the needed skills.
This Honda generator weighs just 29 pounds, runs for 3.8–8.3 hours on one tank of gas, produces 7.5–8.3 amps and makes only 59 dB at a distance of 7 meters. It has two 120 V AC outlets, a DC outlet for charging 12 V batteries (not gel-cells!), and can be daisy-chained to an identical generator to increase the amperage. (Currently gone missing.)
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This generator is currently stored at Covington School, and since it gobbles several gallons per hour, it serves mainly as a backup.
This is our main generator, typically used to power both the main trailer and the GOTA trailer, as well as the coffee pot. It is equipped with a Leland 2500 alternator, and it runs at about 1,800 RPM. The engine is a Briggs & Stratton gas type that has a propensity to gobble fuel like crazy. Stored at Doug Teter's shop.
An unknown model, this power distribution box has input and output connections of both normal 15 A household outlets and twist-lock 30 A shore power outlets.
3 element, gamma match. Homebrew, boom and 2 elements are stored at KG6LWE's shop, and the other two elements are MIA.
This KLM 40-meter 3-element beam features a coax balun, and is used for nighttime 40 meter contacts. Mounted on the heaviest tower we move to the site (the lightest steel tower), raising this antenna can not be done in windy conditions.
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Force 12 multi-element, with special balun.