Ed Larsen
The SaddleBrooke Amateur Radio Club met on Dec. 15 in the Sonoran Conference Room of the MountainView Clubhouse. Twenty-three members were present, and nominations of club officers for 2024 occurred. Elections will be held at the January meeting. The program after the meeting was Vintage Amateur Radio, by George, amateur radio callsign W8VG. There were also displays of vintage equipment, books, and publications. Cocktails at the Mesquite Bar & Grill were enjoyed by a few members after the meeting.
Fourteen residents gathered for a social breakfast on Dec. 13 at the Mesquite Bar & Grill. Lively discussions ranging from kilowatt radio transmitters to kale preparations were enjoyed. The ladies selected a table separate from the main gathering. For some unknown reason, they are not too interested in discussing transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, and antennas.
Since its founding in 2022, club membership has been continuously increasing, with 72 members from SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch now on the roster. Every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. there is an on-the-air radio net using the local SaddleBrooke UHF amateur radio repeater. The Dec. 13 net had 11 check-ins, with casual roundtable conversations by the members over the radio repeater.
The next club meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in the Sonoran Conference Room of the SaddleBrooke TWO MountainView Clubhouse.
Club meetings and breakfast gatherings are open to everyone. Join us if you’d like to learn more about amateur “ham” radio. Meeting dates and times can be seen at the SaddleBrooke One or TWO clubs/groups pages or at sites.google.com/view/saddlebrookearc.