CCA Friday Night West Coast
75 Metre Net

History — From 20 Metres to 75 Metres

Origins: The Collins User Net, 1989

The Collins Collectors Association owes its existence to a single ad placed in the classified pages of QST magazine. Bill Wheeler, K0DEW, a lifelong Collins enthusiast based in Fremont, California, had been meeting like-minded amateurs on Sunday afternoons who shared his admiration for Collins Radio equipment. On a Sunday afternoon in February 1989, Bill hosted a net on 14.263 MHz with just 17 other operators — the “Collins User Net” was born.¹

The net grew at a remarkable pace. By the early 1990s it regularly drew 150 or more check-ins, running for four hours or longer every Sunday afternoon and evening. Along the way, Floyd Soo KF8AT, Jay Roman KB0ATQ, and Bill Carns N7OTQ joined Bill Wheeler as the driving force behind the group, eventually formalising it as the Collins Collectors Association at the 1992 Dayton Hamvention.

The Move to 75 Metres, 1993–1994

By early 1993, the sunspot cycle had shifted, making 20 metre evening nets increasingly impractical. Floyd and Bill began lobbying members to find a home on 75 metres where informal rag-chewing could continue. 3.805 MHz was considered but sat outside the General Class phone segment at the time, which would have excluded newer licensees. The search continued for an open spot in the General Class portion of the band.

On 19 January 1994, Floyd and a handful of regulars gathered on 3.805 MHz, and throughout that year CCA members established a growing presence on 75 metres, meeting on weekday evenings whenever conditions allowed. By 1995 “the Collins guys” were considered regulars there, and the weekly 75 metre nets became a permanent feature of the CCA calendar alongside the original Sunday 20 metre gathering.²

The West Coast Friday Net

As CCA membership spread across the western United States, it became clear that propagation on 75 metres strongly favoured regional nets. A dedicated West Coast Friday night net emerged to serve the Pacific Time zone community, settling on 3895 kHz at 2000 hours local Pacific time — later adjusted to 1900 hours, with the UTC time of 0200Z Saturday. The net became a weekly institution for west coast Collins operators, with check-ins from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and occasionally further afield when band conditions co-operate.

The net has been managed over the years by dedicated volunteers. Werner Vavken, WB6RAW of Los Gatos, California, served as Net Manager during the net’s development years, building up the roster of Net Control Operators and establishing the round-table format. The current Net Manager is Dennis Kidder, W6DQ, of Inyokern, California, who has continued that tradition of courteous, casual operating.

Purpose & Format

A Rag Chew, Not a Contest

The Friday Night West Coast Net is, by design, the least formal gathering in the CCA schedule. There are no exchange requirements, no points to log, and no technical agenda unless participants want to bring one. The CCA describes it as a “rag chew” net run in a round-table format: net control takes a list of check-ins, then each station is given the floor in turn, with additional check-ins welcomed after every pass around the table.

Discussions cover the full range of things that Collins operators talk about: restoration projects, band conditions, antenna experiments, tube availability, operating memories, and whatever else catches the group’s interest that evening. Because 75 metres is a regional band at night, the net naturally draws a west coast flavour, with California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona making up most of the regular check-ins — though any amateur anywhere who can hear the net is welcome.

Collins Radio: Encouraged but Never Required

The net’s motto could be said to be “you don’t have to be operating Collins radios, but we all enjoy hearing them if you do” — the exact words Dennis W6DQ uses in his weekly announcement. This reflects the CCA’s broader philosophy: the Association is not a closed club but an open community built around shared appreciation for one of amateur radio’s most storied manufacturers. Operators running modern transceivers check in alongside KWM-2s, S-Lines, and 75A-4s, and all are equally welcome.

Pre-Net

The pre-net opens approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled net time (around 1830 Pacific). It is an open frequency: operators check in informally, test their audio, and catch up before the directed net begins. When activity warrants it, the evening’s net control may take an early list and bring some structure to the pre-net gathering. The identity of the net control for the evening — and any relevant net news — is posted in advance to the CCA Groups.io reflector.

Net Personnel

The CCA Groups.io Reflector

The CCA community — including the weekly Friday net announcements and check-in discussion — operates through a Groups.io email reflector. This replaced the earlier Collins listserv and Yahoo Groups arrangement and is the primary channel through which Dennis W6DQ posts his Friday morning net announcements, confirming the frequency, time, and evening’s net control.

The reflector is open to both CCA members and non-members. Active threads cover Collins restoration questions, parts sourcing, operating experiences, and net-related discussion. It is the fastest way to stay informed about the Friday night net schedule and any frequency changes due to QRM.

All CCA HF Nets — Summary

The West Coast Friday net is one of several nets the CCA operates across the HF bands. The full schedule is reproduced below for reference.

How to Check In

• Tune to 3895 kHz LSB from around 1830 Pacific on Fridays. The pre-net is typically already underway.
• If you hear nothing on 3895, try tuning down slowly toward 3892 kHz — QRM often pushes the net a few kHz.
• When net control announces “check-ins please” at the start of the ordered net (1900 Pacific), simply give your callsign.
• When called, give your handle, QTH, and equipment in use. That’s the extent of the formality — what follows is open conversation.
• You do not need to be a CCA member to check in, and you do not need to own Collins equipment.
• If you are running Collins gear, say so — it is appreciated and adds to the spirit of the net.
• Subscribe to the CCA Groups.io reflector at groups.io/g/cca to receive Friday morning announcements confirming that evening’s details.

References & Sources

1. CCA Friday Night West Coast SSB Net page — collinsradio.org/west-coast-ssb-net/. Primary source for net details, format, and NCO profiles.
2. CCA Nets page — collinsradio.org/information/cca-nets/. Complete net schedule and net manager contacts.
3. About the CCA — collinsradio.org/information/about-the-cca/. Full history of the organisation and the development of the HF nets from 1989 onward.
4. CCA Groups.io Reflector — groups.io/g/cca. Weekly net announcements and community discussion.
5. Dennis Kidder W6DQ, Net Manager — Friday morning net announcement, 28 March 2026, via CCA Groups.io reflector. Confirms 1900 Pacific / 0200Z Saturday schedule, 3895 kHz ± QRM, tune 3892 kHz if not heard.