Field Day 2026
Field Day 2026 will be June 27-28. W6SD will operate out of the mini-park adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills, 10400 Zelzah Ave., Northridge 91326.
For more information and to sign up as a participant, see our Field Day page.
We will begin setting up at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and will operate from 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, through 2 p.m. on the following day.
The 80th Anniversary of W6SD
W6SD, the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1946. Please click to read more about our history.
W6SD July 17 Meeting:
Joe Bassett, W1WCN, on Ham Radio When All Else Fails
Joe Bassett, W1WCN, who will speak to us via Zoom at our monthly meeting Friday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m., is an emergency communications specialist, wilderness guide, author, and lifelong radio enthusiast. He has spent much of his career helping people communicate when normal systems don’t cooperate.
He serves in leadership and operational roles with U.S. Army MARS and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and sits on the boards of directors of the Hurricane Watch Net and Maritime Mobile Service Net.
Joe, based in Fleming Island, FL, has supported communications during numerous hurricanes and disasters, including a deployment to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria as part of the ARRL “Force of 50,” where he served as a team lead at the American Red Cross headquarters in San Juan.
He is co-author, with survival instructor Creek Stewart, of Emergency Communication 101, a practical guide to building resilient family communication plans when cellular and internet systems fail.
He is also the founder of Valiant Outfitters and co-founder of the Valiant Wilderness Collective, where he works as a wilderness guide and instructor — which he jokingly says proves that one form of poor judgment involving bad weather wasn’t enough.
Later this year, Joe is scheduled to deploy to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as a senior communications technician with the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Joe’s approach to family emergency communication is simple: families don’t need to be radio experts, they need practical, layered systems they understand and will actually use. He applies this approach with his own family, which includes his wife, Jennifer; their three grown children and families; and five, soon-to-be six, grandchildren.
Our General Meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 pm, in the LAPD West Valley Station Community Room, at 19020 Vanowen St, Reseda, CA 91335. (Click for a map or set your GPS to: 34°11’34.4″N 118°32’55.4″W.) Parking is behind the library. Exceptions to this schedule include our Holiday Dinner in December, and occasions when the room is required for use by police officers.
Meetings are hybrid, with attendance also available via Zoom. See our Zoom links page.
W6SD Wants To Help Hams Affected By the Southern California Wildfires
Are you one of the Los Angeles-area hams affected by the January, 2025, wildfires, or do you know one of these hams? W6SD wants to help.
Our club has radios and other equipment we can provide to help you get back on the air. We know this won’t undo the damage and devastation that these fires caused, but hope this support can help you get back on the air and involved in our hobby. To learn more, click here.
W6SD Weekly Social Get-Togethers
W6SD holds monthly speaker meetings on the third Friday of each month, at 7:30 p.m., via Zoom. We also hold informal social get-togethers every Monday morning via Zoom.
Many members meet for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday mornings at the Denny’s restaurant at 16575 Sherman Way, west of the Van Nuys Airport. All are welcome.
Join Our Mailing List
If you are not receiving email alerts about W6SD, or would like to have these messages sent to a different email address, please use this link to join our email list.
We respect your privacy; we do not share email addresses with any other organization, and all of our messages include a link that enables you to unsubscribe or update your email preferences.
W6SD – The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
ARRL Affiliated Club #1684
Founded in 1946, The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SFVARC) is open to anyone interested in Amateur Radio as a hobby. The Club is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League and the Los Angeles Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, Inc.
San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 5472
West Hills, CA 91308
info@w6sd.com
Interested in joining W6SD? Whether you are brand new to the hobby of ham radio or are an Extra Class expert, you are welcome here. Click here for information.