[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] ARC SHORTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2021
n4asx at cox.net
n4asx at cox.net
Mon Sep 6 09:12:29 EDT 2021
ARC-SHORTS
September 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 September 10th at 7PM. A ZOOM meeting
invite will be sent out soon. The program will be provided by Howard
Cunningham, WD5DBC, who is the head of the Marine Corps Marathon Amateur
Radio Support Group. Howard is also the ARES District Emergency Coordinator
for Virginia District 7 covering Northern Virginia. Howard will be talking
about the Marine Corps Marathon amateur radio operation. If you would like
to work this event and have not signed up, you should do that now! It is
one of the most important amateur radio events of the year.
Last Meeting
August 13, 2021
Rick Bunn (N4ASX) provided us an update on the Alexandria Amateur Radio
Emergency Services (ARES), which is a public service and disaster support
group made up of licensed amateur radio operators (also called Hams). ARES
has been mobilized in the past and provides supplemental communications when
needed to link the involved agencies.
Rick is always looking for a few good Hams to join us when an emergency
arises. If you wish to join ARES, please contact Rick at
<mailto:N4ASX at cox.net> N4ASX at cox.net.
The FEMA class IS-0100 is recommended for all volunteers.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
* Identify the five major ICS functional areas
* Describe the role of the Incident commander.
* Describe the selection of and transfer of command between Incident
Commanders.
* Identify the position titles associated with Command Staff.
* Differentiate between incident command and incident coordination.
The following committee reports were presented and accepted by the members.
ARES/Races (N4ASX)
Membership (KW4UJ)
History Project (KI4D)
Repeaters (KA4GFY/N8IK)
AREDN Project (KT31/N8IK)
Training/Education (KA4GFY)
Trailer (KA4GFY)
Webmaster (KW4UJ/N8IK)
Presidents Corner
Presidents Corner
Regular in-person club meeting events are still subject COVID-19
restrictions at our normal meeting location, the City of Alexandria Police
Headquarters building. With improving news about COVID-19 in June, the
board contemplated temporary in-person meetings at the Dunn Lorton Fire
Station; however, the rapid emergence of the Delta variant ended that
consideration. Until we are notified that COVID restrictions are lifted and
that we may resume our regular meetings, we will continue with virtual club
meetings using Zoom.
The August 13 monthly featured Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
presented by Rick Bunn (N4ASX). Rick discussed the mission of the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and some local history, stressing the
importance of participation in ARES by licensed club members who have a
sincere interest in public service communications during disasters or
emergencies.
ARES is a program of ARRL, the national association for amateur radio, and
is comprised of organized, trained, and identified amateur radio operators
who augment and support vital communications on behalf of the public through
partner agencies and organizations during emergencies and disasters. The
presentation can be viewed at:
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/18YmiHE_uty3uzwNOgtknG205qgr53uAi/view?usp=
sharing>
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18YmiHE_uty3uzwNOgtknG205qgr53uAi/view?usp=s
haring.
Rick is the ARRL Emergency Coordinator (EC) responsible for the ARES group
in support of the City of Alexandria working with community officials, the
City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Virginia Section Emergency
Coordinator (SEC), who has responsibilities for a larger area. As EC Rick
has led Alexandria Radio Club ARES participation in emergency planning,
preparedness, and response for support of the Alexandria EOC, including
exercise support. Rick Bunn (N4ASX) has been a member of the Alexandria
Radio Club for over 40 years, and has the honor of being selected as a Life
Time Member of the Alexandria Radio Club for his many contributions to the
club.
We continue our interest in Tech-talks, we are currently seeking to schedule
the next talk. Tech-talks topics resulted from a club survey conducted this
past spring with club members. All sessions are open to all hams. These
talks will be conducted monthly during the coming months. The purpose of
these sessions is to provide an opportunity for in-depth conversations,
including Q&A, on a variety of ham radio topics. These sessions also follow
up on ideas from club members desiring to build on their knowledge of ham
radio. Thusly, it is also hoped that these sessions will build on club
mentoring efforts for our newest hams and will serve to promote their
continuing interest in club activities. Finally, it is hoped that these
sessions will lead to more interest in operator license upgrades enabled by
increased knowledge of ham radio.
In preparation for hurricane Ida remnants, on September 1 Alexandria Radio
Club offered to participate in any potential activation of the City of
Alexandria Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Club ARES members stood by on
the club 2 meter repeater waiting to be called upon; although eventually the
EOC was not activated.
This month, we are again delighted and fortunate to welcome new club
members. Since last month Mervin Schoolfield Jr (TBD) and Robert Wilson
(KO4KGC) have joined. Please welcome them when an opportunity arises.
Most ARES Safety vests were delivered during Field Day weekend for those who
attended. The remaining vests are being held pending delivery. Club polo
shirts have also arrived and were made available at delivery points, the
remaining shirts are pending delivery.,
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.
Scheduled Activities and Presentations for 2021 updated as of Aug 9, 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
. 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, Antenna Tuners: When do you need one,
and how do they work? Barry Feierman (K3EUI)
. 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, ARC ARES, Rick Bunn (N4ASX)
You are HERE!!!
. September 10th - ZOOM MEETING, Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)
2021 - Howard Cunningham
. October 8th - ZOOM MEETING, DX Engineering, Tim Duffy (K3LR),
Officer Nominations
. October 31st - 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 get vaccinated and stay safe with masks and social distancing.
73 Don, KI4D
ARES
Last month I presented an overview of ARES in Alexandria. And I made of
point of RECRUITING new volunteers. I've had a few new volunteers as a
result and I will thank them in the next column. I am working on NEW
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Thanks to those who have volunteered.
If you are a volunteer and not updated your FSD-98 this year, please send
N4ASX an update.
Alexandria is a small place geographically, some of our club members live in
Fairfax or Arlington. Each of those jurisdictions has it's own ARES group.
I live in Fairfax, but I've been a member of Alexandria ARES sense 1978 when
I jointed the Alexandria Radio Club. At the time I DID live in the city.
My current address, while technically Alexandria, is in the county, but due
to my previous affiliation I have continued with Alexandria ARES.
Thank said, If you do not live in the City, but still want to support
Alexandria ARES, we are happy to have you join. No real experience is
needed. As stated before, there is a 'Task Book' that provides all you need
to learn at any level of ARES management.
The only requirement is that you have an amateur license and sometime in the
near future, you take FEMA IS100.
A few years ago, the city purchased 10 ICOM ID-51A plus handheld D-Star
radios with the intent of providing these radios to CERT in an emergency.
The problem was that, one must have an amateur radio license to use the
radios. The radios were turned over to Alexandria ARES to be used as loaner
radios by ARES volunteers. That said, I still have 6 of these radios that
can be loaned out to ARES volunteers as long as they are active ARES
members, check in to one Alexandria Radio Club net a month, and, once a
year, bring the radios to a meeting so they can be check against inventory.
If you are an ARES volunteer and do not own a D-Star radio, you can call me
and arrange for the loan of one of these radios.
MARINE CORPS MARATHON
This event is kind of short notice. The event needs about 135 operators and
all most operators need is a dual band HF and batteries. If you can
volunteer, go to MCMHAM.ORG and MARINEMARATHON.COM and sign up under HAM
VOLUNTEER. This needs to be done soon due to security requirements. There
are many repeaters along the course so if you have a good antenna and about
8 hours' worth of batteries you'll have what you need. You will get more
info if you volunteer. We will hear more from Howard WD5DBC at the next
meeting.
ELMER'S INPUTS
As a result of my recent computer failure, I had to reload a bunch of
programs. One was WINLINK EXPRESS. This program needs to talk to a
Terminal Node Controller (TNC) then to a radio to send and receive packet
radio traffic. The Kenwood TMD-700 and TMD710 radios have built in TNCs
which allow for ease of installation. WINLINK EXPRESS has set up scripts
for most TNCs. BUT testing can be a problem as if the setup is not correct
with regard to the COMM port set up, it just fails and does not give a hint
of why. In the older version of WINLINK EXPRESS (RMS EXPRESS) there was a
pull down called SIMPLE TERMINAL. It is no longer within WINLINK EXPRESS,
but it IS in the program download. Go to programs files under your C: drive
and you can find it in the WINLINK EXPRESS files. Then send tie .exe
program to the DESKTOP. Be sure to tell it to RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR. This is
a simple program and allows you to see what is coming from the TNC. Make
sure to check ECHO ON so you can see what commands you send to the TNC.
A few common commands:
MYCALL - If you hit return it will show you the call or SSID assigned to the
TNC. If it comes back NO CALL you need to type MY CALL your call here and
return
MON - short for monitor allows you to see what is incoming. MON ON should
be used
MALL or Monitor All should also be ON so type MALL ON. Once you have these
commands run you can SEE all the traffic on a give frequency. I then put
the radio on 144.39 and see the packets containing APRS traffic. If you
hear packet noise but no decode then you need to check your COMM PORT
settings. If you see garbage, then check the comm port baud settings,
usually 9600 between the computer and the radio, not to be confused with the
radio's packet speed setting which should be 1200. This program can be
used to send peer to peer packet traffic. To connect to another station
type C other station SSID/call sign. The TNC will try to connect and will
tell you when it does. Then it should go automatically to Convers
(Conversation mode) and you can type back and forth with the other connected
station. When your done type D for Disconnect.
Hope this helps.
73 Rick
N4ASX
Review of the Bridgecom BCM-220 mobile -
My nearly 20-year-old Ten Tec T-Kit model 1230 220 MHz transceiver started
having some minor hiccups and I decided it was time to think about replacing
the Ten Tec. Unlike equipment for 2 meters, 70 cm and even 6 meters, there
is not a lot of equipment available for the amateur 1.25-meter band.
So, I decided on the Bridgecom BCM-220 mobile. When it arrived, the very
first thing I noticed about it was this radio is very well made. The bottom
half of it heat sink. The radio itself is the top half. I have yet to feel
much heat after a fairly long QSO. The microphone is not the flimsy little
thing we get on most amateur radio equipment, it reminds me of the
commercial-grade transceivers I used to see while working in the 2-way radio
shop.
A quick read of the manual and I was on the air. I programmed the
Alexandria Radio Club's 224.820 MHz repeater. The receive audio is loud and
clear. Transmit audio was reported to be crystal clear. The radio is a
one-piece unit with a front facing speaker. So, no issues with covering up
the speaker by mounting it from the top or bottom. It also features an
external speaker jack in case you want to use a speaker in the vehicle or
shack.
The BCM 220 has 4 transmit power settings, 5, 10, 20 and 30 watts. In
addition to narrow and wide FM voice, it will also do data in the 218 to 219
MHz band. It has 250 memories which will store all the parameters for each
memory.
The front panel is very basic, 4 buttons and 2 knobs. Each button has one
function. The knobs are for on-off/volume and channel selector. No menus
to deal with. The microphone has 12 buttons on the keypad along with 3
below for switching between the VFO and memories, as well as moving the
channel up and down. The keypad buttons also allow you to enter a frequency
directly in the VFO. That's a nice feature.
I bought the optional programming software and cable because I like to be
able to load a pre-built file into the radio before I make a cross-country
trip somewhere. Manually loading dozens of memories, the night before
heading out of town is not my idea of a good time. The software is very
intuitive.
If you are looking for a way to get on 220 Mhz from home or the vehicle,
look seriously at the Bridgecom BCM-220.
Rich, KA4GFY
Hamfests -
The spread of COVID-19 (AKA Corona Virus) has put a major damper on hamfests
for 2020 and early 2021. However, with people getting vaccinated, there are
more hamfests showing up on the calendar. Let's hope this continues.
The Tidewater Hamfest (a.k.a. VA Beach) is returning this year on September
11 and 12. It will be held in a new location, The Ambassador Club in
Portsmouth. The address is 364 Peninsula Avenue in Portsmouth. Here is the
link: <http://virginiabeachhamfest.com/>
http://virginiabeachhamfest.com/
The St Mary's Amateur Radio Association annual Tailgatefest will take place
on September 25 at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department in Hollywood, MD.
Here is the link: <http://www.k3hki.org/2021-8th-annual-tailgate-fest/>
http://www.k3hki.org/2021-8th-annual-tailgate-fest/
The Columbia Amateur Radio Association's CARAFest will be on October 3rd at
the Howard County Fairgrounds. Here is the link: <http://carafest.org/>
http://carafest.org/
Training -
With our last class in the books, time to start planning for the next one.
Our next class is scheduled to start October 5 and end December 7. That
leaves everybody enough time to get their new amateur radio equipment for
Christmas. If you know of someone who has always wanted to become a ham
radio operator, send them to our website to sign up for the class.
We have been hearing some of recent graduates on the air. Be sure to
welcome them to ham radio.
* September 11 - Ohio State Parks on the Air. Exchange is state.
* September 11 and 12 - Alabama QSO Party. Exchange is RST and
state.
* September 11 through 13 - ARRL September VHF Contest. Exchange is
4-character grid square.
* September 12 - North American Sprint- CW. Exchange is other
station's call, your call, serial number, your name, your state.
* September 18 and 19 - Iowa QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* September 18 and 19 - Texas QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* September 18 and 19 - Washington State Salmon Run. Exchange is
RST and state.
* September 18 - Wisconsin Parks on the Air. Exchange is state.
* September 18 and 19 - New jersey QSO Party. Exchange is RST and
state.
* September 18 and 19 - New Hampshire QSO Party. Exchange is RST
and state.
* September 25 and 26 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY. Exchange is
RST + CQ Zone + State
* September 25 and 26 - Maine QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* October 2 and 3 - California QSO Party. Exchange serial number
and state.
* October 9 and 10 - Nevada QSO Party. RST and ARRL section.
* October 9 and 10 - Arizona QSO Party. Exchange is RST and state.
* October 9 and 10 - Pennsylvania QSO Party. Exchange is serial
number and ARRL section.
* October 9 and 10 - South Dakota QSO Party. Exchange is RST and
state.
* October 16 and 17 - New York QSO Party. Exchange is RST and
state.
* October 17 and 18 - Illinois QSO Party. Exchange is RST and
state.
* October 18 through 22 - ARRL School Club Roundup. Exchange is RST
and class (Individual, Club, School).
* October 24- North American Sprint, SSB. Exchange is other
station's call, your call, serial number, your name, your state.
* October 30 and 31 - CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB. Exchange is RS
and CQ Zone. We are in zone 5.
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 2 meter 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 unlink the reflector you were listening on when you are finished
listening.
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/
DMRVA has announced on their website they will be partnering with the
Hospital Emergency Amateur Radio Service (HEARS). HEARS operates linked
repeaters primarily located in Southwest Virginia, North and South Carolina.
New talkgroups will be added to the DMRVA system and at least one talkgroup
will be deleted. We will have the details as soon as we see them.
In case you missed it, N8IK sent out a "Handy Intro Guide to DMR." It does
a great job explaining some of the terms you hear about DMR.
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, KA4GFY
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