Connecting hams across the Central Valley — from first-call Technicians to seasoned Extras. On the air, in the field, and in the community. Whether you're brand new to radio or a lifelong operator, there's a place for you here.
What's happening at W6LIE
Ready to get your amateur radio license — or upgrade to General or Extra class? Our certified VEs are here to help you take the next step.
Ham radio connects you to the world — from local emergency comms to talking with astronauts on the ISS. W6LIE offers study resources, mentoring, and licensing exams right here in Bakersfield.
W6LIE repeaters, links, and nets
Real-time HF propagation — updated every 3 hours via HAMQSL.com
Meetings, events, nets, and special activities
icon in the top-right corner of the calendar to toggle individual calendar layers on or off.
The Kern County Central Valley Amateur Radio Club has served Kern County and the surrounding communities since 1949. In 2024 we celebrated 75 years of our callsign, W6LIE.
We're a welcoming club for all license classes and experience levels — from brand new Technicians to longtime Extras. We support emergency communications through ARES, participate in Field Day, POTA, and public service events, and hold regular licensing exams.
W6LIE is recognized by the ARRL as a Special Service Club for our commitment to the community.
Membership is open to all licensed amateur radio operators. Annual dues help support our repeaters, events, and community outreach.
Mail a check to: KCCVARC · P.O. Box 743, Bakersfield, CA 93302
Questions? contact@w6lie.org
The club takes privacy and accessibility seriously. The sections below cover how w6lie.org works, what information we collect, and the rules of the road for using the site. Last updated October 10, 2026.
Who we are. Kern County Central Valley Amateur Radio Club (KCCVARC / W6LIE), P.O. Box 743, Bakersfield, CA 93302. Questions: contact@w6lie.org.
What we collect. Public pages collect only standard web-server logs (IP address, browser type, pages viewed, referring page, timestamp) for security and troubleshooting. If you contact us, we receive whatever you put in the message. Membership dues are processed by HamClubOnline and Square — card details go directly to them and never touch this server.
Members-only area. If you register for the club's internal tools (task book, hours tracker, etc.), we store the information you provide (name, call sign, email, phone, mailing address, license class) plus FCC public-record data looked up from your call sign. This information is visible only to club officers and administrators. We do not sell, rent, or trade it.
Third parties that may see your IP when a page loads. Cloudflare (CDN / security in front of this site), Google Fonts (serves the typefaces), Google Maps (embedded on the Contact page), HamQSL.com (solar-conditions image on News). These providers may set their own cookies. We do not use advertising, analytics, Facebook pixels, or marketing trackers.
Your choices. You can request a copy of your account information, correct it, or ask us to delete it by emailing contact@w6lie.org. Browser Do Not Track signals are honored to the extent we control — we don't track you across sites in any case. California residents: see "California Rights" below.
California rights. California residents may request disclosure of personal information we hold about them and request deletion. We do not sell personal information. We respond to verified requests within 45 days.
Data breach. If a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you consistent with California Civil Code § 1798.82.
Children. The members-only tools are intended for users 13 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Changes. We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this section reflects the current version.
Cookies we set directly. If you sign in to the members-only tools, we set a session cookie so you stay logged in. That's it — no advertising cookies, no cross-site tracking, no fingerprinting.
Cookies set by third parties loaded on our pages. Cloudflare (the CDN in front of the site) sets a `__cf_bm` bot-protection cookie on every visit. The Google Maps iframe on the Contact page sets Google's own cookies (NID and others) when that page loads. We don't control those cookies and can't read them.
How to opt out. You can block all third-party cookies in your browser settings without breaking anything important on this site (the Contact-page map may not render). Signing out of the members tools clears the session cookie.
Who may use the site. Public pages are open to anyone. The members-only task book and related tools are for current club members and are limited to users 13 years of age or older.
Accounts. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for activity under your account. Tell us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or that are inactive for extended periods.
Acceptable use. Don't upload malicious content, don't attempt to break the site's security, don't scrape member data, don't use the site to harass or impersonate anyone, and don't violate FCC rules or applicable law.
Content accuracy. We work to keep information current (repeater lists, FCC data, event schedules), but we do not warrant that any specific piece of information is accurate at any given moment. Verify critical information independently.
No warranty. The site is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the club, its officers, and its volunteers are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the site.
Changes. We may update these terms. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance.
The club is committed to making w6lie.org usable by everyone, including people who rely on assistive technology. We aim to meet the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
Current features that support accessibility: a Hi-Vis Mode toggle at the top of every page for larger text and higher contrast, keyboard-navigable navigation, descriptive link text, and alternative text on informational images.
Motion. The LIVE conditions ticker scrolls automatically, and the LIVE indicator pulses. Both animations are automatically disabled for visitors whose browser or OS reports a prefers-reduced-motion preference.
Known limitations. The embedded Google Map on the Contact page is a third-party component with its own accessibility characteristics.
Reporting a problem. If any part of the site is difficult to use with assistive technology, please email contact@w6lie.org with a description of the issue and the page URL. We'll do our best to address it promptly.
In an emergency, dial 911. W6LIE and its affiliated amateur radio emergency services (ARES, RACES, SKYWARN) are volunteer organizations that supplement — never replace — official 911, fire, EMS, law-enforcement, and other public-safety services. Repeater availability, net schedules, and volunteer response are best-effort and are not guaranteed. Do not rely on amateur radio as your primary means of requesting emergency help.
