W6SD April 17 Meeting:
Jerry Wanger, KK7LFS, President of Connect Systems, on the CS7000 Handheld Radio
The speaker at W6SD’s monthly meeting on Friday, April 17, will be Jerry Wanger, KK6LFS, owner and president of Connect Systems, Inc., which has been providing radios and related equipment for the amateur and professional markets for more than 40 years.
The Encino-based company recently introduced the CS7000 handheld radio, which can be used as a standard UHF radio as well as in DMR and in the open-source M17 digital protocol.
Jerry, who previously spoke to our group in November of 2019, will discuss the development of the radio and the engineering and production challenges involved in bringing it to the market.
After graduating in 1970, Jerry worked as an engineer doing both hardware design and software design with companies such as ITT Aerospace Optical Division, Canoga Electronics, Tandon, and others.
Connect Systems brought him in to develop repeater controllers, phone patches, and other devices. The company had been founded in 1982 by Malcolm Oakes to make phone patches, repeater controllers and other products for the ham radio market.
Jerry bought the company from Oakes in 2000. He began selling durable, low-cost radios for amateur and professional users.
Connect Systems was the first company to help design an affordable Chinese-made LTR (logic trunked radio), for use by delivery and service fleets. It was also the first company to sell a DMR (digital mobile radio) unit with a price tag low enough to be affordable for amateurs. It started at $179 when major manufacturers’ units retailed for about $1,000.
The company first explored development of the CS7000 as multi-protocol radio years ago, but Wanger soon realized his company lacked the engineering team it would take to develop the hardware and software. Other companies announced plans to produce their versions of the open-source radio, but these also failed to reach the market.
Jerry revived the project two years ago, aiming to develop a radio that would do analog, DMR, and M17. He designed the hardware and hired an expert to port the M17 firmware into it. The result is the CS7000 M17 Plus, which he will demonstrate at the meeting.
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.
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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.