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Our venture down to Waldport for the 2025 Winter Field Day proved to be quite the success! With good, albeit rather cold weather in the forecast, we set up two popups and the clubs’ Buddihex antenna. The site Chris, KJ7RAL, acquired was more than adequate to accommodate our shelters and Matthews’s trailer. Speaking of which, a big thank you to Matthew for staying on site all weekend!

Operating on 10 and 20 meters, we had over 30 contacts during the 30 hour event, from the northern territories and Alaska to Maine. One bonus contact not related to the event was from Korea, proving good performance from the Buddihex.

More pictures of the event can be seen here.

The M-F Lunchtime Net that we have all come to know and love over the past 5 years is taking a vacation. Well, W7ALX is taking a temporary hiatus from his usual “appearance” every weekday from 1200-1300 hours. Michael has some personal things to attend to, but don’t let that be a reason not to help fill the void. Those mighty big shoes can be easy and fun to fill! Here is your opportunity to step up and take advantage of an excellent opportunity to train and yeah, maybe step a little out of your comfort zone.

That’s how we grow! If you are interested, please reach out to Michael/W7ALX, Eric/AF7UE, Don/KB7KUH, Mark/K7EAB or John/KN4RTK for more information and the necessary script.

Sign up for Net Control or check the schedule. Once the webmaster approves your request, you will be able to edit the spreadsheet and put yourself on the schedule. The link is also on the Meetings & Nets page under the Lunchtime Net listing.

For those of you curious hams, you might find this link interesting.

https://hamradioprep.com/what-does-73-mean/

Wilson’s Wednesday Workshops are taking a break for a while but will resume when Daron is ready. In the meantime, think of some good projects to build.

I’ve been hearing from time to time that one or another of our members has DMR equipment and is curious if anyone else is doing anything with the mode. I’ve been fiddling with Yaesu System Fusion C4FM for quite a while (and continue to be committed to that mode) but eventually I got curious enough to order a DMR handheld.

I now have an Anytone AT-D878UVII (not Plus) that I am busily trying to figure out. So far, I believe I’ve successfully programmed some local FM repeaters. Then I found where I had stored (hidden) my old Zumspot, but by that time I’d decided to upgrade to the latest Openspot. It’s on the way.

So …

The second Friday of each month we host a “Digital Voice” discussion on Zoom at 10am Pacific Time. Dstar and Fusion enthusiasts have been regulars, so it should be easy enough to add DMR to the mix. We can always open breakout rooms any time we need to.

The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87545091587?pwd=bWp0WEJ4NlRoOXMvakJaUDNzbmI5UT09

Next class 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.

This class is in person, but a Zoom link is also available: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89078030674?pwd=kCxqFCnzOBFbxUctWIXY7ouWYhLK1E.1

Classes are on Saturday afternoons at irregular intervals, 1pm to 4pm. Future sessions will be scheduled as I’m able. Once we have covered all the subjects, we’ll take a short vacation and begin again.

Each session will have a main subject, but will be informal and not highly structured. We’ll 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.

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

N7ONP (Mike)

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”!

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