Welcome to the December edition of the CLARA Current. We have lots going on this month, including events designed for the whole family, so let’s jump in!
From Bob KØNR
RADIO TREK!
On Sat Dec 6th, we will hold our second Radio Trek event. The general approach will be similar to the previous event but we will make some changes to mix it up a bit. It starts at 1 pm at the Casa Del Rio clubhouse in Buena Vista and will probably go until 4 pm.
Teams of one or more people travel to three Checkpoints and perform tasks that demonstrate basic radio skills and knowledge. Only one licensed operator per team is required, so invite your friends and family to ride along!
The course is designed for cold weather…most of the time you will be in your vehicle, getting out for short periods of time. Total driving distance will be less than 30 miles. The course starts and finishes at the clubhouse. Oh, you are required to have fun along the way.
The main frequency will be the W0LSD repeater (146.745 MHz, – offset, 100 Hz tone). We will also use 146.55 MHz simplex (CTAC 1), 146.40 MHz (CTAC2), 446.050 MHZ (CTAC5), and another frequency-to-be-announced later. It will be VERY IMPORTANT for you to be able to program your radio on the fly. Hey, we want to build some skills here!
You will need a dualband (2m/70cm) radio. A handheld radio should be fine but you might want to add a magmount antenna for mobile use or have a half-wave antenna for improved performance.
Again, there will be FABULOUS PRIZES for all participants.
More detailed information has been sent out via the CLARA groups.io and listed on the club website: https://w0cla.org/ham-help/
CLARA SURVEY
The CLARA board is launching a survey of the membership to guide our activities in 2026 and beyond. We’ve designed this so it is easy to fill out and you’ll have the opportunity to insert whatever feedback you want to provide. Please take a few minutes to fill this out as we are looking to capture a comprehensive view of what CLARA members are thinking. Another email will go out to the membership in a few days. Or you can just use THIS LINK
We will be tracking responses via email address, but your individual inputs will be kept confidential.
Survey launch is NOW and we’d like your responses by December 14th.
From Rick WA6NUT
December Club Dinner!
Tuesday, December 9th, 2025
Dinner: 5 pm -7 pm
Casa del Rio Clubhouse
27665 CR 313 #24 in BV
CLARA Christmas Dinner – Featuring Chef Doug’s (KØILO) Fabulous Brisket Chili
You’re invited to our Christmas Dinner! Come and share in the fellowship and fun with other members and their families. The main dish will be served by CLARA’s chef extraordinaire, Doug Guthals, with his renowned KØILO chili.
Please RSVP by December 6th! To RSVP, simply reply to this newsletter email with the your callsign and the number of people in your party. Or, if you want to bring a dish, call Sheila Peterson at 719-395-5674. Please bring your own drinks. Water will be provided.
We will serve food from 5:00-7:00 PM (Note the earlier start time), so come at your leisure. We’re looking forward to a great time of food and fellowship!
Our thanks to Doug (KØILO), Joyce (KØJJW), and Sheila for organizing great this event.
THERE WILL BE NO ZOOM COMPONENT TO THIS DINNER
From Doug KØILO
Secretary Report
Brian called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm, Friday November 21. The first item discussed was the December club meeting which will be a dinner for club members and their families. Doug will bring chili. He will contact Sheila and Joyce to plan the meal. Any left over chili can be used at Winter Field Day the following month.
The next discussion was the survey that Bob prepared. It will be send out to everyone on the groups.io list and included in the newsletter. It is important to get a high return rate so we can plan club activities. The next item was the December Radio Trek that Bob will run. It will start at the clubhouse and accommodations will be made for weather and canceled if the weather is too bad. We then discussed the Ecomm committee and the band plan for the valley. This ties in with Winter Field Day and its emphasis on emergency communications. We will also encourage people to sign up for WinLink. Our next discussion was about Summer Field Day. While we don’t yet have a chairperson, several people have indicated an interest in planning for the event. We then discussed the weekly CLARA net and the simplex net which will follow it on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
CLARA Special Meeting Notice – January
CLARA will hold it Annual Meeting on January 13, 2026. At this time, we will hold elections for the Board of Directors. Bob Witte is running for President and Brian Daugherty for first Vice-President. The rest of the board members are running for re-election. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor. Members who paid dues for 2025 can vote. Doors and social hour at 6 pm and business begins at 7 pm.
From Jim KDØMRC
Fianace Report
We have $1624.36 in checking and $378.71 in PayPal for a total of $2003.07. We had no expenses but generated $880 from the swap fest.
We are coming to the end of the year. We will hold annual elections at the January meeting. Only dues paying members can vote. If you haven’t paid dues to support CLARA, please consider it! After elections in January, we will begin collecting dues for 2026.
Winter field day planning is well underway. We have great food, lots of hands-on activities, and some educational demonstrations planned! Whether you make it to the E.O.C. or not, we hope to hear you on the air during our Winter Field Day simplex net! Mark your calendars for January 24th & 25th. More details coming soon! Thanks to everyone for being a part of CLARA and for supporting ham radio in the valley. Oh, and please take the survey linked above! 73, KF5WCW