[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] ARC SHORTS May 2016 - Alexandria Radio Club Newsletter and meeting notice

[Rick Bunn]

ARC-SHORTS

 

MAY 2016

 

 

 

Club Repeaters: 147.315 (PL 107.2), 444.6 (PL107.2), 224.82 (PL107.2), 53.13
(PL107.2) 927.6 (-25Mhz, PL107.2), and 1282.600 (PL 107.2), DSTAR 145.38Mhz,
442.060, and 1284.600 ALL AR UP AND RUNNING - HAM IT UP! Get on the air!

 

NEXT CLUB MEETING

 

Our next meeting is MAY 13.  This meeting will be our FIELD DAY planning
meeting.  Ian, N8IK is our Field Day chairman and will review the plans.  

 

We will run 5A (report is 5A VA).  We will have 5 HF stations each run by a
band captain.  The job of the band captain is NOT to operate the radio for
24 hours, but to manage the station.  Help our members operate the station
and the logging program.  

 

We encourage all of our members, no matter what your license class, to come
out and to operate for a  few hours.  If you see a station in operation and
what to operate, the best way to do it is to approach the member operating
and offer to log and to be next to operate.  As a courtesy, we need to share
the radios and operating time, so a hand off every hour or so would give all
of our members a chance to operate during Field Day.

 

If time permits, Rich, KA4GFY will give us a short program on D-Star
operations.

 

I'm looking for good programs.  If you have a lead, please let me know and I
will see what I can do. 

 

CLUB NETS

 

For as long as anyone can remember we have held our weekly club net on th
147.315 Repeater and this will continue.  The turn out has been but a small
percentage of the club's membership.  The net provides a way for members to
get to know their fellow members, share what they have been doing in amateur
radio, get news on club events and practice net operations and procedures.

            

The net meets on the 147.315 (PL 107.2, +600KHz offset) at 8PM EVERY
Thursday unless there is a major holiday.  The net control station is
voluntary and ANY member can call the net.  Net Control Stations are set at
the club meetings.  The NCS will ask for traffic, short time stations and
handheld or portable stations first.  Traffic can be anything you want to
send to anyone. If you would like to send an ARRL message to someone we can
find a station to take it to a traffic net,  any announcements can be
traffic or you can wait until we go for TWO rounds of comments.  The net
usually ends by 9PM.

For the last several months we have been trying to exercise other bands by
holding an HF or 6 meter net after the 2 meter net, but without a great deal
of participation.

 

We will try another new idea.  As many of us have D-Star radios and those
who sign out for loan of a City ID-51Aplus, we will hold a D-Star NET after
the club 2 meter net on our 444.060 D-Star repeater.  Make sure you have
your D-Star radio set up with your call sign.  If you are checking in on
444.060 (-600Khz offset, DV mode) enter our repeater setting as W4HFH__B,
if you cannot connect on 444.06, you can join in by going to the 145.38Mhz 2
meter D-Star repeater and connect using W4HFH__B.  The B links to the
444.060 repeater.  We will try to TURN OFF the REFLECTOR 25B link so we
don't get interference from the regulars on that reflector.  

 

President's Corner

 

Hello, fellow hams. This will be a short blurb this month, as I have to get
this out early. With the start of May comes May flowers and discussion for
Field Day, which happens in less than two months' time. For the new hams,
Field Day is a mix of emergency simulation exercise, contest event, and
get-together. It's always held on the 4th full weekend in June. Join us on
Friday the 13th at the Alexandria Police Station for more details about this
fun-filled event. 

 

73 DE KI4BXU (Erik Misavage)

 

APRIL MEETING MINUTES.

 

Gary KC5QCN gave us a great program on amateur radio operations after
Hurricane Katrina.  The main lesson learned was the seamless operation of
ARES volunteers with FEMA and Florida EMS offices in support of relief
efforts in the devastated areas after the hurricane.  Another lesson was the
need for trained operators who are willing to support not only with amateur
radio but to apply their communications expertise when operating in support
of other services.

We all hope that we NEVER have an event like this in our area, but we should
all be prepared.  Thanks again to Gary.   

ARES

Regan Airport Drill - APRIL 30th --  I was not able to participate due to a
prior commitment, but thanks to Ian, N8IK, all went well.  Even with a last
minute additional request.  Ian, Ian KM4KLK, Steve, W8RJH, Larry KK4CBL
manned the Alexandria Hospital and Harry N4CWP and Mark KM4GML went to
support Mt. Vernon Hospital.  All went well.  

The Alexandria hospital team had asked us NOT to set up in their EOC due to
the large number of people supporting and grading the drill.  Harry and Mark
went to Mt. Vernon and despite being a good distance from the repeaters were
able to use a J-pole antenna to get into the Arlington repeater.  

Great work!  \

73 Rick, N4ASX

D-Star Net

For the last two week, we have held a D-Star net after our regular Thursday
evening net (8PM local on 147.315).  The first net was on the 145.38 DV
repeater but we had some interference with the reflector programmed into
that repeater.  For the second net last week we used the 444.060 DV repeater
and it went well, except that N4ASX (NSC) microphone PTT failed and had to
go use a handheld. In talking with Rich, KA4GFY,  we hope to reprogram the
145.38 repeater to a local reflector to tie in all the local (Northern VA)
D-Star repeaters so that those living south and west can link in to our net.
If you have a D-Star radio, please check in.  The ONLY way to learn about
this mode is to operate.

As for our weekly nets, we have 50 members and the average check in count is
about 10.  Please join us and share your ham radio stories with the net.

Hamfests -

The Culpeper Amateur Radio Association's Swapfest will be held April 9 at
Agricultural Enterprise, which is on Route 29 in Culpeper.  Features outdoor
tailgating and some inside tables.

 

The Delmarva Amateur radio and Electronics Expo takes place April 16 at the
Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown, Delaware.  It's sponsored by the
Sussex Amateur Radio Association.  The school is located at 17099 County
Seat Highway (Route 9).  It's an easy drive across the Bay Bridge.  Take 301
North after crossing the bridge and look for US Route 13.  At laurel, DE,
take Route 9 East.  The school is about halfway between Laurel and
Georgetown.  Talk in on 147.09 (PL 156.7 Hz) repeater.

 

The Greater Hagerstown Hamfest takes place on May 5 at the Washington County
Agriculture Center.  Its on MD route 65 South, Sharpsburg Pike.  Talk in is
147.09(+), PL 100 Hz.  Its fairly east to get to and they do have both
indoor and outdoor spaces. 

 

Its not too early to start thinking about the Dayton Hamvention.  Its always
the third full weekend in May, so that means May 20 through 22.  Thursday is
the travel day, so we have a full day at the Hamvention before the really
big crowd arrives on Saturday.  

I have 4 rooms at the Fairfield Inn Fairborn and 1 is already spoken for.
There are several other hotels in the immediate area, but they are sold out
and your only alternative is to stay in the hinterlands.  Other club members
may have a room or two available nearby. Gas may remain cheap for the
foreseeable future, so plan on making the trip.  The breakdown is usually
$60 to $80 for gas, plan on $350 for hotel, $28 for the Hamvention ticket
and bus fare, along with your meals and purchases.     

I will need to know by the April club meeting so I can order tickets.   

 

Training - 

 

We have 22 students signed up for our class, including General and Extra
Class.  It's hard to believe, but we are now at the hallway point in our
latest class.  We look forward to hearing them on the air next month and at
club meetings and activities.  

 

 

Contests -

 

May 7 and 8 - 7th call area QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.

May 7 and 8 - Indiana QSO Party.  Exchange is RST and state.

May 7 and 8 - Delaware QSO Party.  Exchange is RST and state. 

May 7 and 8 - New England QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.

May 14 and 15 - Arkansas QSO Party.  Exchange is RST and state.

 

Club Repeaters - 

 

The Alexandria Radio Club owns more repeaters than other club in the area.
We have repeaters on every ham radio band between 6 meters and 23 cm.  Here
is a great opportunity to try a new band.  With the exception of the 23 cm
repeater, all our analog repeaters are commercial grade equipment which
should run for many years with minimal work.  

 

In the late 1980's the FCC opened up spectrum at 902 to 928 MHz to US
amateurs.  Like most of our spectrum above 225 MHz, it's shared spectrum.
In fact, we share it with a multitude of other services, such as military
radar, cordless phones, baby monitors, over the road truck locating services
as well as medical and industrial users to name a few.

 

.  Most of the other users are concentrated in the middle part of the band,
leaving the edges relatively interference free.  The original bandplan
called for 12 MHz repeater splits and the FM portion was right in the middle
of the mess.  

 

As commercial equipment designed for the spectrum above 928 MHz has become
available on the open market, hams have been converting these radios to our
purposes.  The only way to get on 33 cm is to convert commercial equipment.
(Alinco made a handheld radio with 1.25 meters 

Future Programs

 

May - Field Day planning part I and D-Star for beginners

June - D-Star Ops and programming 

July - VHF Contesting (tent.)

August - DX Contesting (tent.)

September - HF Portable Operations (tent.)

October - ARES ops and City interface

November - Club Elections

December - Club Party

 

Let me know what you want to hear about.  HELP !!!!  If you have an idea for
a program, please let Rick know and he will try to find someone to provide
the program.

Social Events

 

Monday Night Burgers - There is a group that gets together at 6:15 PM on
Mondays at a local burger joint.   Mark up on the 147.315 repeater and join
them for the fun.  At this time the group meets at SMASH BURGER At Van Dorn
and Pickett St. Parking around the back of the building off Pickett.

 

 

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