April 19: Big Finn Hill Park
Our first Rain or Shine of this season will be held on April 19, 2025 (Saturday) from 9-12:30 at Big Finn Hill Park in Kirkland.
Address: 8000 NE 138th St, Kirkland, WA 98034. (Pass the Kirkland Lacrosse Center on the right and turn left into the parking lot for the shelter. If you end up at the baseball fields put "Kirkland Lacrosse Center" into your phone to get to the right place).
Shelter's Location: The shelter's location is most easily accessible from the entrance on Juanita Drive, and is located at latitude 47.43'30", longitude -122.14'15".
Talk-in Frequencies: LWHC Rose Hill Repeaters, K7LWH. (See repeater tab above for all frequencies, offsets and tones). The 11AM Health and Wellness Net will be run live from the park on these linked repeaters.
Tips for HF stations: We want to ensure that everyone who wants to play at the same time on HF can do so with a minimum of interference. Operating a multi-rig HF station takes a bit of extra equipment and skill to ensure that receiver's front ends aren't overloaded. It is recommended that any operator bringing their HF rig be prepared with the following:
- Be able to operate on at least 2 bands that are not harmonics of one another.
- Bring a suitable band-pass filter for any band you might wish to operate on. Cheap coax stub filters should work fine, but you'll need to make them up in advance.
Radios Not Required! Folks are not required to bring any radio gear in order to have a fun and engaging time at our Rain or Shine events. In fact, you'll find lots of friendly folks who come just for the social aspect, and who enjoy catching up with other hams. Please read below to discover more about our Rain or Shine events.
What Are Rain or Shine Events?
Rain or Shines are a great opportunity for local hams to get together in person and make "eyeball QSOs," sometimes for the very first time! Come out to the park with your radio(s), a project you've been working on, or just yourself. The key is to enjoy our hobby together in the beautiful outdoors, and to strengthen our ham community, one interaction at a time. Lots of helpful mentors attend these events, and for many new hams, this is their first opportunity to get hands-on experience with radio equipment. It's also a great way to introduce our hobby to the public, as passersby will often take a look at our antennas and setups and ask what we are up to!
We have a very friendly and welcoming community here, and there's usually an abundance of donuts and coffee - so don't be a stranger, come on by and say hello!
For any questions about these events, feel free to email the club's leadership at k7lwh@lakewashingtonhamclub.org.