KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

Clubs

Media Hits: Colorado Springs, CO; Rolla, MO; Fond du Lac, WI

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Colorado Springs couple transforms area summits into temporary radio stations. Stuck on the summit without a signal? Stay calm and reach for the breath mints – at least that’s the unlikely advice that Frank and Lynn Skinner might offer. The husband and wife from Colorado Springs spend weekends hunting for radio signals on summits across the Pikes Peak region. They manage to snag them by means of a gizmo that would make MacGyver envious: a tiny radio tucked in an Altoids tin and powered by a 9-volt battery and a 35-foot wire that’s either tossed into the trees or held aloft by a fishing pole.

co-springs-couple

Despite computers, there’s still interest in ham radio. You’d think that with all the computers in homes, all the smartphones in the hands of everybody from children through senior citizens, all the internet, the world wide web, the forums and blogs and Twitter and Facebook and email and chat boxes and social media, there would be absolutely no interest in an old-time hobby like ham radio.

FDL Amateur Radio Club explores versatile hobby. The Fond du Lac Amateur Radio Club is composed of professors, office workers, broadcasters, auto mechanics, information technology professionals, retirees, men, women and individuals of all ages — a group as versatile as the interest that links them.

Who says that hamfests are dead?

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Who says that hamfests are dead? Last Sunday, I attended the Monroe County Radio Communications Association hamfest, and I had a blast.

For one thing, I took a bunch of junk good stuff and was able to unload a sizable portion of it, including a number of books still left over from when I was selling them online, a couple of study guides and CW books, a HamKey paddle and keyer, and the CB radio someone donated to WA2HOM.

The two items that I didn’t sell were my Tek 2215 scope (see photo below) and my Vibroplex bug. I’m kind of surprised no one bought the scope. I was only asking $100 for it, and I still have both probes for it.

Here are a couple of photos taken by my friend, Ralph, AA8RK:

2015-monroe-hamfest-photo2
Here I am trying to cajole a couple hamfesters into purchasing my TEK 2215.
Photo by Ralph, AA8RK.
2015-monroe-hamfest-photo1
Tim, KT8K, and I. I think you can figure out which one is Tim.
Photo by Ralph, AA8RK.

It seemed to me that the attendance was pretty good. I still think, though, that some clubs should try later hours. I think opening at 10am and closing at 2pm or 3pm would attract more attendees.

Anyway, let me suggest that you box up some of the extra  junk good stuff that you have lying around your shack and haul it to the next hamfest. You’ll have a blast chewing the fat and bargaining with the hams that come up to your table, and you may even walk away with a couple of extra bucks in your pocket. You can then use those bucks to buy some other  junk good stuff.

How do you choose where to go for Field Day?

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A reader just wrote:

There seem to be many [Field Day sites] in the area. Where should I think about attending?  What should I try or plan on doing?

The first thing that you need to do, of course, is find a Field Day site near you. To do that, go to the ARRL Field Day Locator.

Next, if you’re a newcomer to amateur radio—as I believe this person to be—you need to know if they have a “Get on the Air,” or GOTA station. The GOTA station is designed to get new hams and members of the general public on the air and let them make contacts. They are supposed to be manned with coaches that will help you make those contacts.

Here’s the listing for our Field Day operation:

W8UM
ARROW/UMARC Joint Field Day Group
Ann Arbor Municipal Airport
ANN ARBOR, MI
GOTA: YES
Talk-in: 146.36/96 MHz, PL 100 Hz
Contact: Dave New, 734-678-0382, [email protected]
W8PGW.ORG

Note the line, “GOTA: YES.”

The next thing that you might want to do is to visit the club website and see if they have any other information about the event and whether or not they seem like a friendly bunch. I hate to say it, but some clubs are just downright unfriendly to newcomers. I often hear stories from readers who have shown up at a club’s Field Day site and gotten the cold shoulder.

One way to avoid getting the cold shoulder is by arriving early on Saturday and offering to help set up or stay late on Sunday and offer to help tear down. Help like that is generally appreciated.

As far as what a newcomer should try, definitely operate the GOTA station. If it’s busy during the day on Saturday, come back later that night or early Sunday morning.

Look to see what other operating activities the club might be doing to get extra points. For example, clubs get extra points for passing traffic to the section manager and making a satellite contact. You don’t necessarily have to do these things yourself, but you can learn from those who are attempting to do them.

One thing that just occurred to me is to copy the W1AW bulletin and show up with the copy. That’s good for 100 points and should endear you to the Field Day organizers. It’s something that often gets overlooked, and you can do this before you arrive at the site. Check out the schedule here.

That’s what I’ve come up with in the last 15 minutes. What else should my friend try or plan on doing?

What are you bringing to Field Day?

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Field Day is this weekend, and it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to bring to Field Day. My philosophy is to bring just about anything that I think might be useful. As I am the GOTA station captain, my list might be a little longer than yours, but perhaps not. You can never be too prepared for Field Day.

I plan to bring:

  1. HF transceiver. The GOTA station is supposed to use an HF transceiver owned by the club, but what happens if that radio doesn’t work?
  2. Power supply. Ditto.
  3. Antenna mast and 40/20m fan dipole. This includes 100-ft. of RG-8X coax.
  4. Tent for the GOTA station, including a table, power strip, and chairs for the operator and coach.
  5. Cheat sheet for the GOTA station operators and coaches. This is a simple 8.5 x 11 in. card with the station name in phonetics, and the exchange, so that the operator only has to read it off the card.
  6. Several copies of my “Getting into Amateur Radio flyers.”
  7. Tool box, including screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc.
  8. Soldering iron. I’m going to take the ISO-Tip battery-powered soldering iron the company sent me a couple of months ago.
  9. Test equipment: DMM, antenna analyzer.
  10. Antenna box. This box contains all of the miscellaneous parts I might need to build an antenna.
  11. Headphones, paddle and keyer for when I’m the CW station operator.
  12. Sleeping bag and toiletry kit, in case I decide to sleep over at the site.
  13. Thermos of coffee. I’m a caffeine addict, and the cook may not make coffee when I want it.

I’ll add items to this list as I think of it, or as readers remind me of items that I should bring. What did I forget?

Amateur radio in the news: Club revived at Mizzou, ham hits all 3077 counties, Nepal emcomm

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As I noted in a previous post, amateur radio is making a comeback on campuses around the country…Dan

Amateur Radio Club returns after 10 years to MU. For some people, the term “ham radio” conjures up mental images of a grandpa in a dark basement, fiddling with knobs, trying to pick up a staticky signal. The Mizzou Amateur Radio Club is back from a decade-long hiatus and hopes to change that perception…The club existed at MU until it fizzled out in the early 2000s. Now, the club has been revived, owns new equipment and is planning several events to get students involved in using amateur, or ham, radios.

I often joke with my friend, Mark, W8MP, how crazy county-hunting is. This I find to be really crazy…a crazy, cool adventure….Dan

Radio operator hitting every county in U.S. TRAVERSE CITY — Ed Eklin is into a little different kind of texting while driving and he’s doing it in all 3,077 counties in the U.S. Beeps and blips of Morse code radio transmissions pitter-patter from speakers mounted near the headrest on the driver’s seat in his SUV. The vehicle is a rolling radio shack for this ham radio operator. “I’ve only got 900 to go,” said the radio operator who is more commonly known by his call sign, K8ZZ. “For me to complete my feat, it will be 240,000 miles to drive through and transmit in every county in the U.S.”

Crisis, communication, and Nepal. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, communication is crucial. But what happens when internet access is down as happened in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal? Esha Thapa is the Executive Director of SIRC, a spinal injury rehabilitation centre in Sangha, Nepal. Esha says that in the days following the earthquake, the telephone network and mobile internet access were crucial for staying in touch. Mobile internet access is one way of staying connected, but when the internet and other communications systems are down, many people still turn to…ham radio. Nepalese amateur radio operators have been active on local VHF and UHF frequencies there and radio amateurs around the world are working to relay emergency messages.

Amateur radio in the news: special club edition

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These three news items are all about clubs…Dan

60 years of amateur radio. Amateur radio operation may be a “grand and glorious hobby” as one operator described it, but the passion ham radio operators in the Amateur Radio Society of Barbados (ARSB) have for the pastime makes it look like serious business.

Euless ham radio operators step up in times of need. EULESS – The world’s oldest electronic social medium continues to be most valuable in crises. “It’s called rag chewing,” said John Deithloff, a member of Amateur Radio Euless. “I’ve been in ham radio since 1954.” The Euless club has about 20 licensed amateur radio operators and while the hobby is certainly fun, it can become a critical form of communication during disasters, such as tornadoes or floods.

This is kind of a sad story. They may be past the critical point as far as their membership goes…Dan

Ogdensburg’s aging amateur radio club hoping for youth to fill its ranks. OGDENSBURG — The Ogdensburg Amateur Radio Club is hoping to breathe new life into it’s aging membership. Started in 1959, the club’s numbers have both dwindled and aged over the years, with only 10 active members left in the group, according to club President Martin J. Dempsey. He said the ham radio club is composed exclusively of amateur shortwave radio enthusiasts from Ogdensburg and the surrounding area. Mr. Dempsey, who is 58, is the youngest member of the club. He said the remaining members range from their 60s to late 80s.

CW Geek’s Guide now available in print

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cw-geeks-guide-cover-175x263The paperback version of the CW Geek’s Guide to Having Fun with Morse Code is now available on Amazon and CreateSpace. For some strange reason, my royalty is a bit higher if you buy the book from CreateSpace, even though CreateSpace is an Amazon company.

Creating the book was an interesting exercise, and it turned out to be simpler than I thought. As a result, a print version of my Tech study guide will be available shortly, and when I publish the updated General Class study guide, it will also be available in paperback. Same goes for the Extra Class study guide, which I’ll be updating next year. All of them will have updated covers, designed by Jeff, K1NSS.

The cost of the paperback version is $7.99.

A great idea for a club meeting

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As a result of publishing a column for club newsletters, I get quite a few by e-mail. One of the ones I get is Radio Association of Western New York’s QSO. In the latest issue, they reported that the topic of a recent meeting was Movie Night, and that they presented the following:

  • Cracking the NAZI Enigma Code Machine
  • Shortwave Radio in World War II: “Voice of Victory” 1944 Hallicrafters
  • RCA Presents “Radio At War”
  • The Three Stooges in “Punch Drunks”
  • Looney Toons: “Don’t Give Up The Sheep”

I love this idea. There are many videos on YouTube that would make great presentations, and if those don’t appeal to you, you can always show a DXpedition video. What I really love, though, is that they included a Three Stooges short and a cartoon.

Kevin, WA2FKV, noted, “We have been doing Movie Night for many years. We added the cartoon and Three Stooges/Our Gang short to break up the evening. It has always been a well attended meeting (when the weather cooperates). They also provide typical movie refreshments, such as popcorn, candy, and soda “at 1950s prices.”

Amateur radio in the news: Mizzou club back on the air, GA club provides wx radios,

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The University of Missouri is yet another college to revive its amateur radio club.

Mizzou Amateur Radio Club returns to the airwaves. Before long-distance telephone calls and then video messaging made instant, worldwide communication as simple as pushing a few buttons, there was amateur radio. And though technology has replaced what was once an innovative communication breakthough, amateur radio hasn’t gone anywhere, continuing on in popularity with a large number of hobbyists and enthusiasts. A group of such enthusiasts at the University of Missouri recently revived the dormant Amateur Radio Club to spread their love of medium across campus.

Weather radios help prepare for severe weather. About 150 people bought new weather radios like this one this evening at this Publix. Dozens more people brought in their radios to make sure they’re set up to give them the warning they need to stay ahead of the storm. Volunteers with the Albany Amateur Radio Club, WALB, Lee county EMS and a spokesperson from the Midland Radio Corporation were there to guide customers on how to use their radios properly.

Man completes 69-year goal that began with deadly fire. 69 years after a fire destroyed the radio he was building, Frank Cooper located the plans online and built a new one.

Amateur radio in the news: 5-yo gets ham license, ham is big in wine, science center gets ham station

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Colton, KE5CRD, is only five years old!
Colton, KE5CRD, is only five years old!

5-year-old passes ham radio exam (with video). Ham radio can be a hobby for some and a mission for others. It’s something Ragdale has been doing for the last three years, and it’s a hobby his 5-year-old son, Colton, has been watching. That was until Colton was old enough to read. At just 5 years old, Colton passed the test the FCC requires for anyone to operate the radios. That makes Colton among the youngest operators around.

A lot of people are shaking their heads over this, but why get so excited about it? The kid passed the test, after all…..Dan

 

Muns the word among ham radio operators, and also when it comes to wine. Few friends of Ed Muns would describe him as a ham. A soft-spoken, genial man, Muns is best known for the wines that bear his name–wines that he and his business and life partner Mary Lindsay donate in abundance to various events throughout the year. But to amateur radio operators all over the globe, Muns is a formidable figure.

 

Raven Hill Discovery Center’s Ham Radio Station up and running. Raven Hill Discovery Center’s Ham Radio Station is operational and the first class of technicians has received ham radio licenses with help from members of the Top Of Michigan Amateur Radio Club (TOMARC) in Gaylord. Raven Hill Discovery Center, 4737 Fuller Road in East Jordan, is known for its exceptional indoor and outdoor hands-on science, history and art activities and explorations. It is located on 157 acres of natural beauty in Charlevoix County.

 

Radio amateurs get practical thank you for Tour de France backup. A voluntary radio communications team which played a key role in ensuring the Tour de France ran safely and smoothly through the Yorkshire Dales has been ‘rewarded’ with thousands of pounds worth of equipment. Members of RAYNET (The Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network) provided a back-up communications system across the Day 1 and Day 2 routes in North Yorkshire where the use of alternative technologies such as mobile phone networks were difficult, impossible or likely to overload with the arrival of more than one million spectators. During the Grand Depart of the Tour de France last July, RAYNET volunteers operated radios in many key locations, including Kidstones Pass, Grinton Moor and Blubberhouses Moor and engineered four hilltop repeater sites to link control rooms in Skipton, Richmond, Harrogate and York with a main control in Wakefield.