Update: The exercise went well. We had more than enough people (but certainly not too many), raised the antenna on the mast successfully, identified critical issues, and possible solutions. We’ll report briefly at the meeting tonight, Oct. 8.
We are planning to practice deploying the Club Buddipole Hexbeam this Saturday, October 5. The goal is to refine and document the process of assembling the antenna and (especially) raising the mast. We will need at least five people to do this properly: one person on each guy line, , one person giving direction, and one person to document everything.
N7ONP will pick up the kit in the morning. We will plan to meet in the field across NE Harney Street from the Fairgrounds (just north of the current location of the Animal Shelter) at 1:30. If there is time we can connect an HF rig and manage some RF, but we will be done and packed up by 4:00.
Contact Mike N7ONP to let us know you want to be part of the fun:
Update: Next session is August 31. We will review the electromagnetic spectrum and antennas, then discuss FCC Rules and good operating procedures. It is NOT too late to join the class.
Interested in getting your amateur radio license? We’re here to help.
Classes will be on Saturday afternoons at irregular intervals, 1pm to 4pm. The first session will be on August 3, and the next on August 17. Additional sessions will be scheduled as I’m able.
Each session will have a main subject, but will be informal and not highly structured. The first session will be an introduction, so we will talk about what amateur radio is and isn’t, what’s required to get a license, study resources, practice tests, and maybe actually touch a radio.
Later sessions will explore technical subjects, FCC rules, good operating procedures, and so on. You don’t have to come to every session, but it would be helpful for me to know who to expect. I will post upcoming sessions on the website at n7oy.org and email everyone on my roster.
Please respond by email to choirboy1953 at gmail dot com if you want to be included. You can still participate even if you can’t make it to all the sessions.
Location: First Presbyterian Church 227 NE 12th St. in Newport 1pm-4pm First session August 3, 2024 Second session August 17, 2024 Later sessions to be determined
CRITICAL UPDATE – As of June 5th, the Barrel to Keg Relay has approximately 1/2 of the required volunteers to effectively run what our group has agreed to be responsible for. We need 17 more volunteers! Per Doug, “we are close to failing coverage and backing out of the event, which will either cause the promoters to cancel the event or make it that much less safe for participants”. Not all volunteers need to be operators, so please recruit a spouse or friend to help out in this incredibly fun event. For operators it is a chance to use your radio and practice tactical skills in a fun environment.
Barrel to Keg Relay: Saturday July 13. Teams of runners relay from Wren to South Beach.
This is an all-hands-on-deck event for us to remotely pull off our mission. This is a unique and fun event, and has tons of tactical radio experience tied to it. If you are new as an operator or not participated in a public service event like this, please don’t hesitate to volunteer – you will be paired with someone who has experience on this event and there will be exercises we will do before, so you see and experience how it works.
Thank you and I hope to hear from more. Rather than tie up the listserv, please send me any questions or to sign up via my gmail account: dougholbrook05@gmail.com.
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.
“The Barn,” which has served as our clubhouse for the last few years, was Willie N6OED’s shack before he became a silent key in 2019. Willie’s widow Margaret is now ready to downsize and put the property (which includes their house) on the market. This means we must move out, possibly very soon.
We need to identify adequate storage space, which may cost us significant rent, that we can move into quickly. We probably have a couple of months before it goes on the market, but there is a LOT of stuff.
We need to execute a plan to downsize what we have to store, and reduce that load as much as we can in the time we have. This means sorting, prioritizing, boxing, and SELLING.
We need a team to spearhead this (as well as MANY hands when called for), and a Leader for the team. Joe NJ7OK will be a resource.
One thing we don’t want is to be an impediment to Margaret’s ability to make a sale to the right buyer. So we need to move as quickly as we can. Please contact President Mike N7ONP or Vice President John KN4RTK, or any officer, to volunteer.
Update:KB7KBH reports response has been weak, and he also finds himself busier than expected, so the digital focus on Wednesdays has been suspended. Plenty of good information below, however, and a future event or discussion is always possible.
Greetings all. Michael W7ALX wanted me to do the Wednesday Lunchtime Net to see if there was any interest in folks wanting to expand their knowledge in Digital, and Satellite Opps. I am by no means an expert, but I’m willing to assist those that are interested. We will have the normal net, then after check-ins we can discuss the digital and Sat stuff.
Here are some examples of radio setup for digital modes.
VARA HF is very similar to FT-8 and some of the settings are similar. It again depends on the brand of HF radio you have. I did a lot of trial and error until I got it. YouTube videos are helpful in setup.
Satellite Comminutions
Satellite comminutions can be a challenge. There are a few in the club that work the birds with a HT or two, and a handheld dual band Yagi antenna. You can find tracking software for your cell phones to help with that. Most of the Sats uplink on 2M, and downlink on 440, depends on the satellite. There are Linear sat’s that are SSB, in that case you would need a radio capable of 2M and 440 SSB. The challenge is the Doppler shift. I have a unit called S.A.T from CSN Technologies. It is a standalone unit that can be used on your cell phone (no computer necessary. It will control the antennas, frequency’s and doppler shift. I have the Yaesu G5500 rotor for azimuth and elevation antenna control.
Anybody interested can come over to my QTH, and see how it works.
At our Annual Meeting and Holiday Dinner members elected new officers for 2024. Heartfelt thanks are due to our outgoing officers for their years of dedicated service to the Club. Chuck W7CRG, David KG7ZMX, Ginny W7OTR, and Jim KK7EMhave been active members for a number of years, both in and out of office. As Immediate Past President, Chuck remains on the Board.
2024 officers are:
President: Mike Eastman N7ONP Vice President: John Moore KN4RTK Secretary: Michelle Pelkey KA7OQQ Treasurer: Chris Nintzel KJ7RAL Immediate Past President: Chuck Gerttula W7CRG
We are grateful for a very good year in 2023 and look forward to a fruitful 2024.
Now is a good time to renew your membership for 2024. The form is downloadable under the “Documents” tab here on the website. If you have downloaded the form before this morning, the heading will say “2023.” No problem. Just cross out the 3 and write in “4,” and we’ll know.
If you download now, it should come up with “20__” at the top, is a fillable PDF.
There will be no Friday Forum Zoom meeting (3rd Friday is normally digital modes), since the “Zoom-Master” will be on vacation. Others are welcome to organize something on another account, of course!
