Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club’s Annual Hamfest and electronic swap returns

Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club is hosting its annual Hamfest, an event featuring breakfast and an electronics swap meet, on April 27 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Amateur radio and electronic enthusiasts gather for the annual event to swap electronics and mingle with locals who share their interest in radio communications, using radios they have either bought or built.

According to a press release from the Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club (VOMARC), these folks use modes of operation ranging from morse code and a telegraph key to digital modes via laptop computer connected to their radios.

Breakfast is served from 8 - 10 a.m. in Burlingame Hall at First Congregational Church, 252 West Spain Street in Sonoma. Along with ham, the menu includes blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, juice, and coffee.

The kitchen crew includes Chief Cook Ed Jacobson, W1EJ, who’s served his blueberry pancakes at the annual event for many years. Hamfest admission is free and breakfast costs $10 for full meal and $8 for any two of three items or a larger portion of eggs or pancakes only.

Proceeds benefit the local nonprofit VOMARC and go towards the club’s emergency communications and educational projects. VOMAC is an Amateur Radio Relay League sanctioned club that started in Sonoma in the early 1970s.

A walk-in Volunteer Examiner license exam session run by Elizabeth Morris-Mowery, N6LY, for anyone interested in getting or upgrading their license, will be held at the event.

Mike Miller, WB6TMH and Stan Salek, NJ6E, will cover the radio and electronic swap meet club sale table. Outdoor spaces will be available to rent for $10 sellers can start setting up at 7 a.m.

Space will be available at no charge for amateur radio organizations, local nonprofits, and other public service agencies for resource tables and displays.

A hidden transmitter hunt or “Fox Hunt,” will feature a hidden low power transmitter for guests to search for using a directional antenna and receiver. Miller will run the hunt for those interested in participating.

KSVY 91.3 will have its remote transmitter on site to provide commentary with and interview ham radio operators during the event. VOMARC will also have its new emergency communications antenna trailer on site, which has a 40 foot tower for portable and emergency communications events.

For more information, visit, https://www.vomarc.org/.

For those licensed as amateur radio operators, talk-in will be on the 145.35 MHz repeater, with an access tone of 88.5Hz. For more information, email wd6bor@vom.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Molloy at emma.molloy@sonomanews.com.