Lincoln County Amateur Radio Club
ARRL affiliated club in Oregon
John KN4RTK recently interviewed Michael W7ALX about the story behind the Lunchtime Net.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Michael Dane/W7ALX over lunch to discuss where he sees the lunchtime net going, as well as his thoughts on ham radio and emergency preparedness.
John KN4RTK
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Starting Friday February 23rd, Michael Dane, W7ALX, curator and creator of the Lunchtime Net, is adding a specialty topic. The last Friday of each month, the conversation will revolve around all things to do with “Emergency Preparedness”. Wanting to share lessons learned, Michael wants to focus on ideas you may have in an effort to be prepared for any emergency conditions that come our way. Be sure to check in at noon on the Otter Crest Repeater 145.370 to share and learn!
As LCARC ramps up to vacate “the barn”, we have created a PDF file of all handbooks and technical books on just about all topics ham related. The listing can be found under the Documents page tab, along with several other informative links, including club by-laws and the membership form. At this writing, Mike Eastman, N7ONP is the custodian of the 5 box library. So, go check it out and contact Mike to “check it out”!
Winter Field Day for 2024 is rapidly approaching. It will be held on January 27th and 28th. Should anyone have interest in organizing club participation, it’s not too late to speak up. At this juncture, it may just be a short field exercise at a local park to practice setup and make a few contacts. Please contact an officer if you have any ideas or interest.
It’s Christmas Eve morning around 4 a.m. and I can’t sleep. It isn’t the thought of sugar plums keeping me awake, but rather….you…..me……us. Looking ahead to a new year, each day brings so much opportunity for growth, both individually and as a club. What will our contributions be? I’ve never been big on resolutions, but maybe this year….
Back in the 70’s, cable television pioneer, Ted Turner, coined the slogan, “Lead, follow or get out of the way” (paraphrased). I always liked that….something for everyone. Even those who can’t (or won’t) participate, have the opportunity, dare I say obligation, to not impede those who are more motivated to guide or learn. I’m going to suggest a minor alteration to that inspirational slogan. Lead, follow or get in the way. Of course I don’t mean for anyone to literally impede. I mean to ‘get in the way’ of ham radio. I realize I am “preaching to the choir”, as they say. Many of you have forgotten more about ham radio than I will ever know. But if you aren’t actively involved in the club now, I encourage you to once again, or maybe for the first time, lead, follow or get in the way. Even stepping up to embrace something new gives those more experienced the opportunity to mentor. We all remember someone in our ham lives who gave us the courage to push that mic key for the first time. Just this week, a seasoned and respected club member was stretching his comfort zone to embrace FT8. That desire to learn opened the door for someone to have the opportunity to elmer.
2023 heard a rallying cry for Volunteers On The Air. In our club, let 2024 be the year of renewed involvement. We are incredibly fortunate to have knowledge and experience that can propel LCARC to even greater heights! I look forward and resolve to create and meet the goals and challenges in the coming year.
73,
John/KN4RTK
On the weekend of August 20th, After a few weeks of hurried planning and meeting with Yaquina Head management, LCARC successfully deployed at Yaquina! Weeks ahead of the event, several club members including N7HQR, NJ7OK, N7TEE, KK7LIA, K7MCW, AC7CD, KA7OQQ, KK7KMY, and KE7FTI met onsite and/or online to decide, with park management approval, where to setup. Shortly thereafter a dry run was performed onsite and further tuning of the antenna done at the home of NJ7OK.
Operating on lighthouse property Saturday, we had over 20 contacts on the 20 meter band from Alaska to New Mexico and points in between. As expected, it was a windy and chilly day, but the vertical buddipole and our canopy weathered the conditions from the late morning into the early afternoon.
Further contacts were made Sunday off site venturing to 40 meters after verbally “spotting” on the noon time net. All in all the weekend produced 30 contacts including a very supportive handful of enthusiastic QSO’s from local club members and other friends here in Lincoln County.
A huge thank you goes out to fellow club members who supported in person or in the background. A special thanks to the parks service at Yaquina Head, specifically Chris Papen, who permitted us to have a presence during their 150th anniversary celebration. A good rapport was established and we look forward to working with them in the future!
For more pictures of the activation, click here
The Lincoln County Amateur Radio Club will activate the Yaquina Head Lighthouse on August 19 & 20 with a special event station W7Y, in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the activation of the light on August 19th, 1873. The activation coincides with the International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend event that occurs the third weekend in August annually, recognizing lighthouses globally. For more information about that event, go to ILLW.NET. For those wishing to obtain a QSL card recognizing our event, after contact on the event weekend, please send a card request, with SASE, to LCARC, P.O. Box 1375, Newport, Oregon 97365. John Moore KN4RTK is spearheading the activation effort locally, working with several other club members, on behalf of the LCARC in cooperation with the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. For further questions/information, please contact John at john.kn4rtk@gmail.com
Excellent drone footage of Yaquina Head: Drone footage | Aerial Video | Yaquina Head Lighthouse | Whale Watching | Oregon Coast on Vimeo
Saturday, April 8th, LCARC attended the Newport Farmer’s Market. Showing up at 8 a.m. were several dedicated members for setup, with most staying until we broke down just after noon. N7HQR broke out his HF rig and vertical antenna. Also deployed was a Yaesu dual band mobile with a vertical antenna from the ACS go-kit. Contacts were made on both radios. Despite the coastal weather, we had several folks drop by the booth, from those curious as to what ham radio is about, to those more experienced in the hobby. The intent of informing folks about the club and how they can get involved in radio and emergency services seemed to go quite well as we passed out literature about LCARC, ACS and emergency preparations.
Our presence at the market just happened to coincide with a visit to Newport and the market by AA7JS, Joe Stodola and his wife Debbie, KB7DS. Joe is the director for the statewide OEN and Debbie serves as a relay on the net weekly.
Thanks to all who participated! And remember, we plan to attend the market again on May 27th. See you there!
