[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] ARC SHORTS APRIL 2021 - Meeting Notice
Rick Bunn
n4asx at cox.net
Tue Apr 6 15:28:31 EDT 2021
ARC-SHORTS
APRIL 2021
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.
: DMR IS UP AND RUNNING 442.4125 +5Mhz Color Code 1.
PLEASE USE OUR REPEATERS.
Next Meeting
Our next ZOOM meeting will be Friday APRIL 9th at 7PM. A ZOOM meeting
invite will be sent out soon. April 9th - ZOOM MEETING, West Mountain
Radio, Mark Siegesmund (W9WMR)
Last Meeting
Alexandria Radio Club
Meeting Minutes March 12, 2021
At the monthly meeting last night Howard (WB2UZE) and Bill (W6JIM) of the
Long Island CW Club < <https://longislandcwclub.org/>
https://longislandcwclub.org/> did a terrific job
explaining how to get onboard with learning CW while having fun. Enclosed
is a link to the website that offers inexpensive CW keys and oscillators for
practicing CW. Many Technician class operators may not know that they have
HF privileges to operate using the CW mode which can reach around the world
more effectively than SSB phone. See attached Technician Class privileges.
Technician Class operators can use CW on 80 meters at 3.525-3.600 MHz, 40
meters at 7.025-7.125 MHz, on 15 meters at 21.025-21.200 MHz, and 10 meters
at 28.000-28.500 MHz. CW does not require a lot of transmitting power,
which can make it inexpensive to use. The Long Island CW Club is especially
organized to help beginners learn to operate using CW.
The Virginia QSO Party starts the weekend of March 20-21, 2021, you may
operate from fixed, mobile or expeditionary locations using QRP (5w or
less), Low (150w or less) or High (>150w).
Activate as many different Virginia jurisdictions as possible.
Recommended Software N3FJP or N1MM for easy logging of contacts. N1MM Logger
is the world's most popular ham radio contest logging program. For CW, phone
and digital modes, its combination of contest-optimized features is
unmatched. N1MM is free to download.
Committee Reports were accepted as given.
The Alexandria Radio Club has 104 members in good standing.
All the Alexandria's Radio Club repeaters are operational
The Alexandria Radio Club Spring Training class begin March 23, 2021 for
Technician and General License
Net control operators for the following dates are:
* March 18, 2021 Rick Bunn (N4ASX)
* March 25, 2021 Ian Keith (N8IK)
* April 1, 2021 Richard Adamy (KA4GFY)
* April 8, 2021 Bryan Pettigrew (WD4ADF)
Scheduled Activities and Presentations for 2021 updated as of February 1,
2020 (SEE PRESIDENT'S Column)
Presidents Corner
Presidents Corner
Virginia continues to be under a state of emergency based on COVID-19, but
as of April 1st has reduced restrictions with the 4th amended Executive
Order 72. The amended order allows the maximum number of individuals
permitted in a social gathering to increase to 100 people for outdoor
settings, while remaining at 50 persons for indoor settings. The new
guidelines will be effective for at least one month and mitigation measures
may be eased further if key health metrics continue to improve according to
the order. The latest general COVID-19 guidance from the state of Virginia
is that it is still "Safer to Stay at Home" with advice to continue
teleworking if possible, wash hands regularly, maintain six feet of physical
distance when Aside of home, and get tested immediately if you have COVID-19
symptoms. Given the mixed set of indicators concerning reopening the
economy and continued spread of COVID-19, Alexandria Radio Club leadership
has not elected to recommend resumption of in-person club activities; we
will continue with our virtual meetings using Zoom.
This month, we are again delighted and fortunate to have new club members.
We are welcoming new club members Kenneth Horton (W4ODA) and Phillip Brown
(W3PJB), who recently joined ARC.
The ARC March 12th meeting featured Howard (WB2UZE) and Jim (W6JIM) of the
Long Island CW Club on 'Learn & Have Fun with Morse Code'. As an
indication of the popularity of the Long Island CW club activities, it has
over 1400 members, worldwide. It is noteworthy that one of the best things
about CW is that even Technician Class operators can operate worldwide CW on
HF, with a minimal investment.
The April 9th ARC monthly meeting will feature a presentation by Mark
Siegesmund (W9WMR) of <http://www.westmountainradio.com/> West Mountain
Radio. Mark is the current president of West Mountain Radio and head of
engineering; he has done hardware design for many of the company's products.
The presentation will feature DC power technologies, distribution,
batteries, and solar power sources, and covers special considerations
involved with low voltage high current DC power as is used in amateur radio.
Cable loss as well as connector suitability are discussed. An overview of
the state of battery technology will be presented with a good comparison of
the technologies as it applied to amateur radio. Battery configurations,
safety and the use of solar power will be discussed. West Mountain Radio
has been at the forefront in the ham radio community for many years, being
first one of the first to popularized sound card hardware for the new
digital modes, and the first to popularize Anderson powerpole connectors for
ham radio. The company specializes in products for amateur radio, DC power
distribution and control, as well as R/C hobbies, West Mountain Radio
manufactures RIGrunner DC power strips, voltage monitors and tools, and
precision battery analysis hardware and software; in addition to RIGblaster
sound card interfaces.
We are gratified that the Alexandria Radio Club was featured prominently in
the recently released Alexandria City Council approved Resilient Alexandria
Charter document, a project proposal to assess and report on the state of
our City's resilience to disasters. The Charter was developed by
Alexandria's Citizen Corps Council, an advisory body charged with
evaluating, catalyzing, and empowering the entire community to prepare for
and respond appropriately to disasters and emergencies of all kinds. We
will continue to support development of the Resilient Alexandria Charter
project.
The ARC Leadership Group met on April 2nd. The club leadership group
consists of elected officers, committee chairs, and president's emeritus.
The impacts of COVID-19 on club activities were discussed at length,
particularly options for Field Day 2021. The group discussed options for
Field Day 2021 with plans for making a decision by May 1st on whether the
club will have a virtual or in-person event in 2021 based on the COVID-19
outlook, but planning includes pursuing dual tracks for Field Day, in-person
and virtual. Ideas for updating the ARC Officer's Guide were discussed.
The status of purchasing ARC patches, shirts, safety vests, and sweatshirts
was discussed. Other items discussed included strategies for membership
building and retention, maximizing the value of new at-large-Board Directors
to ARC, and fundraising ideas. A list of tech-talk topics was discussed,
including the establishment of a start date for tech-talks, the first
Wednesday in June.
The list of upcoming club activities and presentations planned for 2021 is
listed below. The Club also welcomes any ideas from club members for
programs and activities in 2021. Please send your ideas to
<mailto:president at w4hfh.org> president at w4hfh.org.
ARC recorded Zoom meetings with featured presentations are located at
<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MG9VUqKOWeoWEWt0oBwychbzh4qILqbI?us
p=sharing>
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MG9VUqKOWeoWEWt0oBwychbzh4qILqbI?usp
=sharing.
Scheduled Activities and Presentations for 2021 updated as of April 2, 2020
* January 8th - ZOOM MEETING, Pentagon Radio Club MARS Operations by
Gary Sessums (KC5QCN), 2021 Plans & Programs, Voting Meeting
* February 6th - (CANCELLED) FROSTFEST, Richmond, VA
* February 12th - ZOOM MEETING, VA QSO Party, Gordon Miller ( NQ4K)
* February 15th - (CANCELLED) George Washington Day Parade
Participation
* March (Date) - License Classes begin, Ends May (Date)
* March 6th - (CANCELLED) St Patrick's Day Parade
* March 12th - ZOOM MEETING, How to Learn and Have Fun with Morse Code
by Long Island CW Club, Howard (WB2UZE) and Jim (W6JIM)
* March 20-21th - VA QSO Party Weekend
YOU ARE HERE!
* April 7th - ZOOM MEETING, FIELD DAY 2021 planning committee kickoff
* April 9th - ZOOM MEETING, West Mountain Radio, Mark Siegesmund
(W9WMR)
* April 24th (VIRTUAL) WINTERFEST, Annandale, VA
* May 14th - ZOOM MEETING, ARC ARES, Rick Bunn (N4ASX)
* May 21-23rd - (CANCELLED) HAMVENTION, Dayton,
* June 11th - ZOOM MEETING, FIELD DAY 2020 final briefing
* June 26-27th - FIELD DAY 2021 Weekend
* July 9th - ZOOM MEETING, AREDN, Joe Porcelli (KT3I)
* August 1st - Berryville HAMFEST, Berryville, VA
* August 13th - ZOOM MEETING, Antenna Tuners: When do you need one,
and how do they work?, Barry Feierman (K3EUI)
* September 10th - ZOOM MEETING, TBD
* October 8th - MEETING, History of ARC, Don Lewis (KI4D)
* October 31st - (CANCELLED) MARINE CORPS MARATHON
* November 12th - MEMBERSHIP MEETING, Elections
* December 10th - MEETING, Christmas party
Proposed Tech Roundtable Topics for 2021
(Panel of experienced club members and others discussing their experiences
with Q&A.)
1. Ham Activities for New Technician Class Hams
2. Handy talkies (HT) options, what kind, how much? Pros and Cons
3. Building a Go-kit for ARES
4. QRP (Reduced transmit power out)
5. Portable ops (rigs, batteries, antennas, etc.)
6. Mobile installations
7. Starter Base Station Options
8. Stealthy Antennas for city dwellers
9. QSL Cards
10. Getting Started with ECHOLINK
11. Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellite Communications
12. Parks on the Air for Beginners
13. Working with Repeaters
14. Using NVIS
15. Working with Digital modes
16. Radio Scanners for Beginners
17. Packet Radio
18. Raspberry Pi Applications
19. Virtual Ham Shack Tour
20. Ham Shack Hotline
21. Installation and Logging with N3FJP
22. Matching Antennas to Feedlines
23. Propagation and Sunspot Cycle 25
24. "Time" for new amateur radio operators
Please stay safe with masks and keep up with your social distancing.
73 Don, KI4D
ARES
On 3/30/21 The FEMA Region II held a Webinar on using Amateur Radio for
communications during a disaster. Many amateurs attended including a few
from this club. The speakers were the Emergency Manager and ARES lead for
Nassau County Florida. A few points caught my attention and are applicable
to Alexandria ARES
1 - Nassau Co. Florida is outside of Jacksonville Florida but does not
include Jacksonville. Much the way Alexandria is a small city next to
Fairfax and DC.
2 - It took some time for the 'Professionals" in emergency management to
recognize the worth of
"Amateur Radio Operators". It was pointed out that the volunteers included
two retired Generals and many operators who had extensive knowledge of
communications systems and emergency procedures. This apparently surprised
the "professionals" as they had heard only about CB radio and other
services.
3 - They now have a training plan that includes the ARES TASK BOOK which
establishes THREE levels of operator. This is now the standard for all ARES
groups.
4 - As with Craig Fugate's story about the state EOC being disabled by cut
set of optical cables, a similar problem happened with the EOC in Nassau Co.
FL. As with the previous example, the amateur radio operators were prepared
and continued to operate.
One of the issues that comes to mind when listening is that WE (ARES) must
be careful not to promise more then we can deliver. Alexandria had about
12 volunteers for Inauguration Day to cover two locations for 12 hours (12
hours, 2 operators per shift, 2 locations = 48 manhours) this meant that
each volunteer had to cover 4 hours. If we had to cover the EOC, The
Hospital, Red Cross and 4 shelters for 48 hours (hurricane or other major
disaster) that would be 48 hours, 7 locations 2 operators per location = 672
manhours. If Alexandria ARES has only 14 volunteers that is means that EACH
of our 14 volunteers is on duty for 48 hours. That assumes that we have 14
volunteers. My 50 years as an ARES volunteer and 15 years as the Emergency
Coordinator (EC) tell me that in a real disaster we would be lucky to get 8
of those 14 volunteers. So, we need to be incredibly careful about what we
promise.
Alexandria ARES DOES need more volunteers, but I understand why, out of 30
plus active members and over 100 paid members in the club, we have only 14
and many of them have been in the program for as long as I have. People
need to look out for themselves and their families. Some think you need
special training and equipment; Others just are not into this type of
operating.
Training is simple and to get to LEVEL II takes about 2 hours. The
equipment for 95% of our ARES operation is a 2 Meter handheld or mobile.
And if you don't have appropriate gear, we have a comm trailer that is
already equipped, and the EOC is completely equipped. For those who would
like to operate on D-Star, we have 7 ID-51As that can be loaned out, which
are programmed with all the local repeaters and D-Star channels and can be
loaned out for one year at a time. Some operations may use HF or WINLINK,
but that's easy to cover. ARES Needs volunteers who are willing to commit
to training and to being able to respond when needed.
Volunteering is SIMPLE, call or e-mail the Emergency Coordinator and fill in
the simple form. (One page - contact information and capabilities.)
73 Rick Bunn
N4ASX
EC Alexandria ARES
ELMER
We are now back teaching both the Technician (Tech) and General License
classes. One thing this club tries to do that some classes don't do it
TEACH THE MATERIAL and NOT JUST THE TEST.
The most important aspect is to give our students a good foundation so they
can better enjoy the hobby. That said, I hope that EVERY new amateur does
TWO THINGS when they get that new call sign.
1 - JOIN A CLUB - ANY CLUB. Why? Because that is where you will find
others who have the same hobby and are learning like you are. Life and
Amateur Radio are a continuous learning experience. Also, within any club
will be the "GRAY BEARDS". That's a Navy slang for the old members of a
club that have "been there, done that". These are your "ELMERs" and most
are happy to help new operators.
Club's also have various activities. Field Day, Fourth full weekend in JUNE
each year. NATION WIDE. Operations "out in the field" setting up in a park
or other open space with emergency power, temporary antennas, tents and
friends. You will learn more about HF radio in that weekend then in 10
weeks of class time. Other contests. While many will say contests are just
a pain and contesters have no curtesy, a contest is a great way to work
states and countries that you would not fine under ordinary conditions.
Public Service events are a chance to show how valuable Amateur Radio is to
the community and at the same time great training for emergencies.
2 - FIND AN ELMER OR TWO OR MORE! The Elmer does not have to adopt you, but
even if you're not a club member find those guys who have been around for a
while and can answer your questions. Most of the older guys in the hobby
have had the same problems you have. If you live in a Condo, Apartment
building or a home that has a Homeowner's Association (HOA) there are others
who have successfully found ways to operate in those conditions. Not sure
about antennas? There are guys who enjoy antenna theory and can help. Got
a little mic fright? Ask an old amateur if you can help with his station
during a contest. Guarantee you will get over the mic fright. Finally,
there is more equipment out in the hobby then you can learn about on your
own. If you are going to buy a used radio, MAKE sure part of your research
is to talk to the old amateurs and get the real story. An example: A new
ham sees a TS-830S for sale for $300 and in his research finds that when
that radio came out it was a HIGH-END CONTEST DX RADIO. Looks like a great
deal. BUT, what he does not find out that it has been and will be a radio
that is overly complex, no longer supported by the manufacturer and has a
reputation for needing repair more frequently than most. The flip side of
this looking at a 1985 vintage Ten Tec. Ten-Tec is not doing well, and
those radios are 35 years old. But they are generally very reliable, and
their receiver performance is as good as current radios on the market. What
20 years ago was a $1500 used radio can now be had for $500. Again, used
gear is like used cars, find some expertise to help.
More amateurs fall out of the hobby because they say it's too boring. If
you ask them if they belonged to a club or had a ELMER the answer is
generally NO. There are SO MANY aspects to this hobby that it is impossible
to say you've seen and tried it all. But, to find out what your missing you
need to join a club and find an Elmer.
73 Rick Bunn
N4ASX
DMR ON THE ROAD
Road trip report
I recently had to be in Florida for a short business trip. With all the
travel hassles, I decided I'd drive and get out of the covid cabin for a
while. Easy haul straight down I-95, and I planned an overnight stop in each
direction in Savannah, a city which I adore.
For radio comms, I moved my primary shack radio (a Wouxun KG-UV950P) to my
car. It's a basic 2 meter / 70-centimeter mobile unit with 50 Watts of power
through a rooftop magnetic mount antenna. I've used it before and love it
for driving trips, and I programmed in a few 2M repeaters along the way.
Since it's roughly 1000 miles each way, I only programmed in repeaters in
the larger metro areas I would be driving near.
For the long flat areas where the South of the Border billboards are scarce,
I monitored both 2 meter and 70 cm simplex national call frequencies, 146.52
MHz and 446.00 MHz, respectively. To be fair, other than saying hi to a few
friends on the repeaters in the NoVA vicinity, my analog FM activity was
pretty minimal.
I knew wanted more than that. So, I installed my Pi-Star hotspot in the
center console of my car, and set it up to tether through my iPhone's WiFi
hotspot service.
It's a somewhat strange mishmash of technologies between my handheld DMR
radio, an AnyTone 878, and the DMR world. My Pi-Star listens in on a UHF
frequency in the 433 MHz range. From there, the Pi-Star gets Internet
service via the iPhone over a Wi-Fi connection from the Pi-Star to the
iPhone. From there, it goes out over the Internet using AT&T's LTE service
in my case. Talk about an alphabet soup of technologies and protocols, but
it works. (See sidebar discussion for details on how to configure the iPhone
and Pi-Star for this sort of setup.)
Fortunately, the I-95 corridor has excellent LTE coverage, and I didn't see
a single moment of "no signal".
Quite the contrary, I was able to sign on and monitor a few of the
Brandmeister statewide groups along the way. I always checked in and said
hello to the "locals," and I even had a few very pleasant QSOs. (I'm sending
those each a QSL card to thank them for making a lonely long drive a bit
more bearable.)
I also was able to monitor my ragchew talk group of choice over on TGIF. I
stay on that talk group pretty much all day every day. Oh, and I even
checked in on a weekly net I enjoy connecting with down in South Africa. (My
family is originally from there, and I'm trying to find records of my
grandfather's ham radio CW DX contesting from the 1950s.)
A question I've gotten several times is why do I bother with the hotspot in
my car? Why not just use DMR repeaters and not bother with the hotspot? It's
a fair question, I suppose.
For one thing, I would have had to program in DMR repeaters throughout the
1000 mile journey, and there would no doubt have been many long stretches
that were out of reach of any repeaters. But sure, I could have done that
just as I did for the FM repeaters in my mobile.
The second reason I prefer the convoluted arrangement I used is that each
DMR repeater uses the DMR controller of its owner's choosing, and they "dish
up" the talk groups they care to. My little "ragchew" group out on TGIF is
not likely to be on any more than a small handful of DMR repeaters, so I
would not have been able to connect to that for at least most of the
journey.
On the other hand, with my hotspot, I am able to use both the Brandmeister
and TGIF DMR controllers simultaneously and connect to any of the talk
groups I wanted to. That is far more flexible and better suits my personal
needs. In fact, the hotspot was uniquely suited to what I wanted to do on
this 1000 mile journey.
Overall, bringing the mobile rig was a great success for me. I did get a bit
of 2 meter traffic as well, but DMR proved to be my bread and butter comms
for the trip. Tethering from the iPhone worked flawlessly.
Still, it's good to be back at the QTH with my wife and basset hounds after
a long week. My first business trip in roughly 15 months was made a little
less lonely by bringing along my DMR rig, for sure.
SIDEBAR:
Here are instructions on how to set up a similar configuration in your car.
I tried to keep the instructions general and not merely specific to my
Pi-Star hotspot.
1) Set up your iPhone or Android device to share "hotspot" service over
Wi-Fi:
Settings -> Personal Hotspot -> Allow Others to Join.
Enter a non-trivial Wi-Fi password as well.
2) Set up your hotspot to connect to your phone's Wi-Fi hotspot.
Do this just as you would connect to any Wi-Fi network. Scan the
available networks and select your iPhone.
(The name of your iPhone's Wi-Fi network is the name of your
iPhone, as set in Settings -> General -> About -> Name)
On Pi-Star hotspots, you can configure multiple Wi-Fi networks
and in what priority order you want to connect to them. It's
likely you'll want to run your home Wi-Fi as the #1 network and
your iPhone's Wi-Fi as #2. That way, if your hotspot can't find your
home Wi-Fi, it will search for your phone's Wi-Fi.
3) Once all that is set up, it's far easier each time you start the car. Get
the car going, put your iPhone into hotspot "mode" by navigating to the
Hotspot menu, and let the hotspot boot up.
If all goes as planned, your hotspot will automatically find
your iPhone and you're good to go. There will be a blue icon in the top left
of your iPhone indicating a device
is sharing its hotspot service.
Assuming your hotspot is otherwise configured, that's all you need to do. At
this point, your DMR handheld should be able to connect to your DMR service
just as it did at home.
73 K0RvW Ken
Hamfests -
The spread of COVID-19 (AKA Corona Virus) has put a major damper on
hamfests.
With the ongoing COVID-19 situation, be sure to check the websites to make
sure the hamfest has not been cancelled. 2020 was a lean year for hamfests,
or any other activity where people gather in large numbers. Check any
hobby/activity and we are all going through the same issues.
Just announced last month, Ole VA Hams will be holding a tailgatefest in
lieu of their hamfest. The date is June 12 from 8 AM to 2 PM in the lot
across from Signal Hill Park in Manassas Park. Here is the link:
<https://w4ovh.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ovh-tail-gate-2021.pdf>
https://w4ovh.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ovh-tail-gate-2021.pdf
At the present time, Berryville is still on the calendar. But that could
change depending on whether hamfest-sized groups are permitted.
Whether it's Berryville 2021 or Richmond 2022, once we are able safely to
attend hamfests, let's be sure to all go to the first area hamfest.
Training -
We just started virtual classes for both Technician and General. I have to
give a big shoutout to KW4UJ and N8IK for taking the bull by the horns, so
to speak, and getting the class moving. We have 5 in the Tech class and 7
in the General class.
The exam is scheduled for May 25. The new COVID restrictions allow for
indoor groups up to 50, so we may be able to do the exam indoors. I am
looking at a couple of ways to make it happen. We also will have use of a
large parking lot (with trees) if we decide a drive-in exam is the way to
go.
We are still working on getting our VE team up to speed so we can do remote
exams. Looking at <http://www.Hamstudy.org> www.Hamstudy.org, there
appears to be a lot of interest in becoming licensed by the number of exam
sessions that are full. It appears that VE teams are giving all the exams
they can handle.
If you are looking to take an exam, ARRL has a link for finding online
exams: <http://www.arrl.org/findonlineexam>
http://www.arrl.org/findonlineexam
Contests -
* April 3 and 4 - Mississippi QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state
* April 3 and 4 - Louisiana QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.
* April 3 and 4 - North American SSB Sprint - Exchange is other
station's call, your call., serial number, your name and your state.
* April 3 and 4 - Florida State Parks on the Air - Exchange is
state.
YOU ARE HERE
* April 10 and 11 - Nebraska QSO Party - Exchange is state.
* April 10 and 11 - New Mexico QSO Party - Exchange is nme and
state.
* April 10 and 11 - Georgia QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.
* April 10 and 11 - North Dakota QSO Party - Exchange is RST and
state.
* April 17 and 18 - Michigan QSO Party - Exchange is serial number
and state.
* April 17 and 18 - Texas State Parks on the Air - Exchange is RST
and state.
* April 17 and 18 - Ontario QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.
* April 18 - ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB - Exchange is name, 2 digit
year 1st licensed and state.
* April 24 and 25 - Florida QSO Party - Exchange is RST and state.
* May 1 and 2 - 7th Call Area QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* May 1 and 2 - Indiana QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* May 1 and 2 - Delaware QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* May 1 and 2 - New England QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* May 8 and 9 - Arkansas QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
If you participated in the Virginia QSO Party and have not submitted your
log(s), please do so soon. Be sure to indicate your affiliation with the
Alexandria Radio Club. We have done well the last few years. Here is the
link to submit your logs: <https://www.employees.org/~mschulma/SPARC/VQP>
https://www.employees.org/~mschulma/SPARC/VQP
Every Sunday evening at 8 PM local time, the K1USN Radio Club sponsors the
"Slow Speed "Contest." The exchange is similar to a QSO. See the rules
here: <http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html> http://www.k1usn.com/sst.html.
Every Tuesday at 0000 (8 PM EDT Monday for us) is the Worldwide Sideband
Activity Contest. Exchange is RS and age group (OM, YL, Youth YL or Youth).
Here are the rules: <https://wwsac.com/rules.html>
https://wwsac.com/rules.html
Don't forget, be sure to send in your log within 7 days after the contest
ends for all ARRL sponsored contests. ARRL now uses a web application for
contest log submissions. Here is the link:
<http://contest-log-submission.arrl.org/>
http://contest-log-submission.arrl.org/ Be sure to convert your file to
Cabrillo format before submitting. Most logging programs support the
Cabrillo format.
REMEMBER to support the CLUB'S score for contests by providing Ian, N8IK
your info (Name, Call sign and Grid Square location) and submit your scores
for the contests you play in. If the contest asks for a club affiliation,
the Alexandria Radio Club is on the list of contest clubs. Contesting is
one way we show that we are using our frequency allocations.
Contests may not be your thing, but contests are a great way to show outside
interests we do use our valuable spectrum. By showing we use our spectrum,
other services will have a hard time proving that we don't use our spectrum
and it's up for re-allocation to someone else.
Contests can also be a great way to become introduced to HF communications.
While it can be intense, pick the contest and jump in. Most contests have a
limited exchange, so it is usually easy to get what the other station needs.
State QSO parties are a great introduction to contesting. Most are low-key
and the exchange is limited.
Speaking of state QSO parties, there is now a state QSO party challenge.
You can start accumulating multipliers by submitting a log in any state or
provincial QSO party to 3830scores.com QSOParty Groups.io.forum and State
QSOParty.com.
Repeaters -
The club repeaters are all up and running. The DSTAR repeaters are seeing a
lot of activity. We have been linking the 70 cm repeater to Reflector 001C,
the world-wide reflector and the 23 cm repeater to Reflector 030C, another
busy reflector. If you want to link to another reflector, be sure to unlink
the repeater first and then link to the reflector of your choice. All we
ask is you return it to reflector you found it on.
The DMR side is working normally with access to the DMR servers. If you use
the DMRVA codeplugs, they have updated codeplugs on their website with some
of the new DMR repeaters. The codeplugs include more than just the DMRVA
system repeaters. Their website is <http://www.dmrva.org/>
http://www.dmrva.org/
We have resumed (semi-regularly) the follow-on net on one of the other
repeaters after the Thursday net on the 2-meter analog repeater.
Ian, N8IK, has started a Wednesday night DSTAR net on the 145.380 MHz
repeater at 8 PM. We have linked the repeater to Reflector 62B so members
and former members outside the local area can join in. Some time ago, I
asked the folks who maintain the lists of DSTAR reflectors to create a
Virginia perma-link reflector. Many other states have them. Be sure to put
Reflector 62B in your DSTAR programming.
As always, ham it up and get on the air.
73, Rich, KA4GY
EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Don KI4D, Wilson KM4KLK, Rich KA4GFY and Ken K0RVW
for their inputs.
Rick N4ASX
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