The wildfires that broke out in the Los Angeles area on January 7, 2025 and raged for more than three weeks caused more than 400 deaths and destroyed thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
There is no way to abate the pain of those lost lives, nor to replace the heirlooms, memorabilia, and other cherished personal possessions take by those flames. But residents have begun to look ahead and plan the rebuilding of their homes.
Among the thousands affected by the fires are an unknown number of ham radio operators whose “shacks,” or radio rooms and equipment were incinerated. To help these fellow ham radio hobbyists, W6SD, The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, is offering HF rigs, mobile radios, handheld transceivers, power supplies, antennas, and other gear. Much of it is older equipment rather than the latest, state-of-the-art items, but it is tested, functional, and will be familiar to most experienced hams.
If you are a licensed amateur radio operator who was affected by these wildfires, or you know of a ham who was, please use the form below to let us know how we can help.
This offer is open to any licensed ham affected by the wildfires; membership in W6SD or any other radio club is not a requirement. (Similarly, any ham interested in offering assistance to these affected hams is welcome to participate; just email us.)