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Extra Class Upgrade F2012

Submitted by ac6p on Fri, 09/21/2012 - 15:28

Extra Class upgrade held at UCSC M:7-9pm E2-280, F2012

A weekly amateur radio upgrade class sponsored by the Santa Cruz VE Group.

This page will be updated to reflect progress, changes and other relevant information as the class progresses.

On-campus communication by ham radio should use the UCSC AC6P/R repeater at 145.310 MHz (–), PL 94.8.

Syllabus

The class will cover topics from the ARRL Extra Class License Manual 10th Edition.  Plan to review chapters before class.

  • Sept 24: Chapters 1 and 2, Introduction and Operating Practices
  • Oct 1: Chapter 3, Rules and Regulations
  • Oct 8: Chapter 4, Electrical Principles
  • Oct 15: Chapter 4, Electrical Principles
  • Oct 22: Chapter 5, Components and Building Blocks
  • Oct 29: Sections 6.1 and 6.2, Amplifiers and Signal Processing
  • Nov 5: Sections 6.3 and 6.4, Filters and Impedance Matching
  • Nov 12: (holiday)
  • Nov 19: Chapter 7, Radio Signals and Measurements
  • Nov 26: Chapter 8, Radio Modes and Equipment
  • Dec 3: Chapter 9, Antennas and Feed Lines
  • Dec 10: Chapter 10, Topics in Radio Propagation
  • Dec 17: Chapter 11, Safety
  • Jan 7: Review. (Baskin Engineering, Room 152, Detail Map) 
  • Jan 12, 11:00 A.M.: Exam. (Baskin Engineering, Room 152, Detail Map)

Location

All classes (except the review session and the exam) meet on the UCSC campus in room 280 of the Engineering 2 building (Interactive Map, Detail Map).  The review session and the exam will be held in room 152 of the nearby Baskin Engineering building.

Time

All classes except the the exam start at 7:00 P.M. and will last until about 9:00 P.M.  Expect to encounter some traffic before class because other classes and discussion sections on campus start at 7:00 P.M. too.  The exam session starts at 11:00 A.M.

Parking

There are several parking options, but the first one below is the best. If you try for one of the alternatives, you must park earlier to allow for travel to the classroom building. Also, the first alternative is most likely to have free parking spaces. The others are less likely to have spaces or require much more travel time to the classroom.

  1. The best alternative is to park in the nearby Core West Parking Structure (Interactive Map, Driving Directions). The cost is $3 per evening. Purchase a parking permit from the automated pay station on the east end of the second floor near the elevator. After displaying the permit in your car, walk to the Engineering 2 building across the street to the north (Detail Map). Walking time from the parking structure will be about 5 minutes.
  2. A little farther away is the North Perimeter Parking Lot, which is free after 5:00 pm (Interactive Map). We note, however, that at 6:40 pm, when you'll be parking, students already may have filled the lot for their 7:00 pm classes. You may end up waiting a long time for a student to arrive at their car and drive away. However, there's nothing wrong with checking this option for a lucky spot before returning to the Core West Parking Structure. Realize that it's a bit of a walk from the farthest spaces to the Engineering 2 bullding (about 10 minutes). The uphill return is even worse.
  3. Another free option is to try and park at the base of campus along High St across from the Barn Theater (Interactive Map). If you find a spot here (free after 4:00 pm), then walk to the intersection of High and Bay and catch one of the free "Loop" shuttles to the Science Hill bus stop (Campus Shuttle Information). You may need to wait up to 10 minutes for a free shuttle, and then the travel time to Science Hill is 10 minutes, so check for a spot no later than 6:30 pm.
  4. Finally, the pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church (Rick Rice, W6REV) has offered to let students of this class use the church's parking lot at 801 High St (Interactive Map). As with the previous option, you will walk to the intersection of High and Bay and catch one of the free "Loop" shuttles to the Science Hill bus stop (Campus Shuttle Information). This option has a somewhat long 0.5-mile walk to the bus stop (about 10 minutes), but the street is level. Understand that there is no security at the church's parking lot. Also, please do not leave your car in the lot overnight.

Public Transit

Many routes of the Santa Cruz Metro visit the UCSC campus. Fare one way is $2. You can plan your trip using Santa Cruz Metro Trip Planner by entering your destination address as "Baskin Circle, Santa Cruz, CA".  You'll be directed to exit at the "Science Hill" bus stop. Walk north, between the Baskin Engineering building and the Baskin Auditorium building to the newer Engineering 2 building.  Room 280 is on the east end of the second floor. Access by elevator or stairs.  (Detail Map)

Instructors

  • Donald Kerns, AE6RF
  • Jerry Inman, AE6I
  • John Vesecky, AE6TL
  • Kerry Veenstra, K3RRY
  • Steve Petersen, AC6P
  • Suellene Petersen, K6CPA