Welcome to Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association ~ W7DG

The Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association (LCARA) had its beginning on May 30, 1948 when amateur radio operators (hams) responded to the the Vanport Flood. Amateur radio operators from Washington state reacted with communication assistance to assist sheriffs and other search and rescue organizations fulfill their mission. And thus was born the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association (LCARA) which has been in service to the citizens of Washington state ever since.

The brief history of LCARA on the club plaque read as follows:

The Vanport Flood of May 30, 1948 was disastrous for Washington state, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia in Canada. Fifty people died and 46,000 people lost their homes. It resulted in over 102 million dollars damage in the United States alone. Amateur radio operators from Washington state reacted with communication assistance to assist sheriffs and other search and rescue organizations fulfill their mission. And thus was born the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association (LCARA) which has been in service to the citizens of Washington state ever since.

Since that time, the LCARA has increased their technical expertise by using a variety of voice, text, and data communications modes to include Morse code and very-low-power. LCARA has access to frequency allocations throughout the radio frequency spectrum to enable communication across a city, region, country, continent, the world, or even into space.

70th Anniversary

On May 30, 2018 the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association celebrated its 70th anniversary with a potluck and a congratulatory letter from Washington state Governor Inslee. The Governor’s letter and a brief history were enshrined in plaques for a wall.

The Governor’s letter reads as follows...

State of Washington
Office of the Governor
Greetings from the Governor
May 30, 2018

I am pleased to extend warm greetings to all of those attending the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association’s (LCARA) 70th Anniversary celebration. Congratulations on this impressive milestone!

Born out of the Vanport Flood of May 30, 1948, LCARA has a long history of providing critical communications assistance and other emergency services, such as emergency transport and drone operations, to a broad range of organizations, including local law enforcement and fire departments, the Civil Air Patrol, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, hospitals, and the Red Cross. LCARA plays a key role in the region’s preparedness planning and overall readiness to respond to natural disasters and other disruptive events. Additionally, LCARA contributes to advances in space science and communications, as well as international goodwill through regular contacts with other countries.

I applaud LCARA members for their commitment to adding to the strength and resilience of the region and our state as a whole. Few service organizations achieve this longevity while remaining agile and embracing advanced technology as well as new opportunities to give back. I am inspired by your selflessness, and I hope your example will motivate others to give back to their community in a meaningful way.

Thank you for coming, and please accept my best wishes for a memorable celebration and continued success in the years ahead.

Very truly yours,
Jay Inslee
Governor...

Memories with Stu K7WF

Stuart Farmer K7WF, a senior LCARA member, recalls the early days of our club. Stu is very reluctant to talk about himself, but he has served our club in many ways over the years, is an Extra Class ham, and has 315 QSL contacts throughout the world.

“In 1948 the club was formed as a result of serious flooding in the area, when hams were responsible for manning the dikes and reporting any possible areas that needed more sandbags.

As a result of their efficiency a local lumber company donated a “Line Shack” which was erected on property above the present clubhouse at the East end of Laulainen Road. There is now a large water tank at the same location. This was the first clubhouse. (There is an unconfirmed rumor that the minimum age for joining LCARA at that time was 21 years old because of unnamed activities.)

The club was later moved to the Juvenile Detention Center on Croy Street in North Kelso. This was approximately in 1967. I joined the club in 1969 after getting my Novice license WN7OMX. I later held the position of Secretary/Treasurer, and later as President.

The present clubhouse site was leased from Radio Station KBAM, and was erected by members in 1975, donating their time as well as each giving 100 dollars towards material. A plaque is on display at the club, showing each member who made a donation. KBAM was later brought out by Intercom communication, and we are leasing the property from them at this time on a month to month basis.

The original call of the club was W7NCW, but on the death of Ray Sechler we applied, and successfully obtained his call of W7DG. Ray had been the CW (Morse code) instructor to so many of us over the years that we decided to honor him in this way.

Craig Moore, WA7ILC, passed away in about 2008. While in the military in Alaska, he used to copy five letter groups sent in Morse code from Russia. He worked as a sergeant on the night shift in the Police Department. He was a very big guy. Once another ham said his call sign ending in ILC stood for “Illiterate Little Cop.” Craig naturally chased him around the room a few times.

There were several founding members. Three of them were:

• Dr. John Nelson W7AOB

• Henry Hale W7FON

• Rolly Mitzke

Winfield O. Jones was a Prudential Insurance Agent who also liked to ride a big Harley Davidson motorcycle. He and his wife Eloise passionately loved each other and both loved to argue. One of the points they loved to argue about was whenever Winfield got a speeding ticket for 100 dollars, he was supposed to give his wife another 100 dollars. Eloise passed first. When Winfield passed other hams who knew them both carried his casket. As soon as he was laid to rest, there was a loud clap of thunder and bright lightening from above. One of the hams said, “See, they are fighting already!”

“The mission of the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association is to promote and foster amateur radio, further the advancement in the art of radio and technology in a manner that honors and exemplifies amateur radio and the radio amateur’s code, to provide facilities and equipment for the Association members and guests to operate on the Amateur Radio bands”

~ LCARA Mission Statement ~

The License Plate

The license plate pictured here belonged to the "first" W7DG, Ray Sechler who had it on his little red Volkswagen bug in the late 1960's early 1970's. A few years went by and Ray sadly became SK. We asked his XYL if the club could take over his call, yes was the answer and so we submitted the appropriate paperwork to the FCC. Decades had passed and then a manila envelope arrived. Inside were the two original license plates from Ray's old bug. A ham had ran across them in a second hand store, looked up the call-sign and sent them to us! We proudly display them at the club. The plate registration tag year is 1973, club building construction began in 1974 and we were on the air in 1975 in our current location.

Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association

In 1969, I was introduced to the Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association (LCARA), a club licensed as W7NCW by the Federal government of the United States. Their meeting place was in North Kelso, where they used a room in the Juvenile Detention building. The equipment was limited, and a small tower outside held a tri-band antenna. However, the enthusiasm of the members made up for any shortcomings.

I decided to enroll in the club’s beginner’s class the following week, eager to learn more about amateur radio. I never regretted this decision.

Apparently, the club had been formed during the catastrophic floods of 1948. The Columbia River threatened to flood the entire region, and the city of Vanport, just north of Portland, was completely destroyed, resulting in significant loss of life. Longview and Kelso were also at risk of the dykes failing, but a group of amateur radio operators worked together to communicate with the authorities about the condition of the dykes. Using their portable radios, they provided timely warnings, saving the two towns and many homes.

Back to the club class, which I named a Novice or beginner’s class, as I had no prior knowledge of radio or Morse Code. Morse Code required a speed of five words per minute, and some basic theory was also necessary. The course was held every evening for six weeks, with approximately twenty attendees. It turned out to be an enjoyable experience, primarily due to the enthusiasm of the two instructors.

Harry Hale, W7FON, taught the theory, while Ray Sechler, W7DG, taught Morse Code. I successfully passed the Novice exam and received the call sign WN7OMX.

Among the club members was a local dentist named Richard Palmer, who had the call sign K7RP. He was friends with the owner of a radio station located in Columbia Heights. Palmer played a crucial role in obtaining permission for the club to rent an acre of land where the radio station was situated. With the financial support of many members, we were able to construct the present building where the club is currently located.

Each member contributed $100 to this effort and also put in a significant amount of hard work. We poured the cement foundation, purchased all the necessary materials, and had a lot of fun installing the septic tank. However, incidentally, the septic tank rolled down the slope to the north of the building and was retrieved by a member who had a Jeep. It is now buried just outside the building on the north side.

The only part of the building that was not constructed by its members was the stonework. This was done by a professional stone mason. We had a member who was a roofer who taught us how to install tiles and other roofing materials. Over the years, we also installed a 100-foot tower and various beams. Unfortunately, these elements have recently been replaced, as have many of the radios.

I hope each of you is appreciating the efforts that have gone into the creation of LCARA and recognizing the wonderful club we have become.

Over the years, we have also lost our dear friend Ray Sechler. His widow kindly agreed that the club should apply to the FCC to change the club call from W7NCW to W7DG in honor of Ray. This request was granted, and since then, the club has been known as W7DG.

Sincerely,

Stu Farmer, K7WF