They called it the
Rochester Amateur Radio Expo! It was August 8-10 at the
University Center in Rochester. And it was all put together by
a small group of four or five people laboring overtime to make it
work!
The RARE
Expo was the brainchild of Scott, KØMD; Stan "always smiling" AIØM;
John, N0HZN,and Kari Ann, KCØWIP. They started with a skeleton
committee and that's the way they ended it. A mighty small
crew. The Expo was a combination of a DX Expo, ARRL Convention and
a hamfest. What a job they tried to accomplish! To marry all
those efforts into one Show! Almost impossible but they
labored on and did it. Some 400 amateurs filled the halls from
throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin and even some amateurs from Iowa
and Missouri . They clamored to the meeting rooms of the College
to bring the first RARE Expo to a successful conclusion!
The RARE
Expo people got name manufacturers, some of which canceled at
the last minute, as well as some retailers and hallways filled
with some flea market as well as lots of great seminars on
subject anyone could enjoy: including some great ARRL
speakers, antennas, emergency services, digital, DX, contesting
and lot's more! Sure, there was some disorganization of
letting people know what seminars were, where and what they
cost. The people at the front desk were confused but
hey, it's their first year with a hybrid Show!
I want to
congratulate these fine folks. In light of some criticism that
it didn't have enough flea market and it didn't have "this or that",
they did the best they could. They asked for help of other
amateurs from other areas and got little help! I don't understand
that. I do know that its always easy to criticize the efforts of
others but its not easy to carry off a giant undertaking like these
people did. They did a great job! Yes! They turned a small
college into a gathering for everyone. Yes, they needed maps of
the activities but that gives them room for improvement for next
year. And I hope there will be a next year. The Rochester team
deserves to grow, get your support and enjoy the fruits of success
for the well-being of amateur radio. The folks at the Rochester
Radio Club did provide invaluable assistance to the event with
manpower to do all of the tactical and logistics and made the event
go smoothly.
If you would
like to help the RARE Expo grow, present a show that tops this year
and makes you proud to be part of a winning team drop a note to:
n0hzn@charter.net.
If you don't have any ideas for them or can't find a way to help,
that's okay. But, please, don't complain when you
ask "Where did all the great hamfests go?" It's up to them but
it's also up to you to make this brilliant effort grow and
thrive. They have my support and I hope yours' too!
Congratulations Scott, Stan, Kari Ann and John, you did good!
| Success story for
Southwest MN ARES Regional Team
(08/18/08) |
|
Kevin Haney - KCØYKX
|
On August
13, 2008 around 3:30pm severe weather moved into the area from the
north starting in Marshall, MN. During this severe
weather the Murray County ARES team setup a booth at the Murray
County Fair with a mobile radio for 2M and HF. The booth was setup
by Arl Weinrebe (KDØBJW) and his daughter Desirae (KDØDWB) along
with myself the night before.
As the
severe weather moved into Lyon County (Marshall, MN) and Murray
County went into a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Dan Anderson
(KDØASX) , our ARES District 5 EC, called a Skywarn Net on the
Slayton, MN repeater and became Net Control. At the time we
had five Skywarn trained ARES members in the field reporting what
they saw. As the storms moved south at a fast pace we
transferred our Skywarn net from the Slayton, MN repeater to the
Worthington, MN repeater which is on the MN and IA border. This
allowed us to get reports and warn the amateur radio operators in IA
of the storm coming at them. Arl (KD0BJW) was Net Control and handle
the transfer of net control to the Worthington, MN repeater and did
a fantastic job along with Rick Hansen (KDØBJY).
The success
story comes as the Murray County Sheriff (Steve Telkamp) and the
County Fair board, and 30 people were at our booth at the fair
listening to our weather reports from our ARES spotters. Based on
the quick and accurate reports coming in the Sheriff Telkamp decided
to evacuate the county fair. Most of the public never knew we
provided this service using Amateur Radio. The Murray County Medical
Center in Slayton, MN also was listening to our reports prepared the
hospital and its patients for severe weather before it arrived. We
have three trained hospital staff on Amateur Radio. They
commented the day after we provided faster reports than public
radio, TV and did not want to wait for a call saying severe weather
was in the area. The next day the sheriff’s office
received comments from the pubic in thanking us for our valuable
service to the community using Amateur Radio.
During a
rough day in weather (two Tornado warnings in Murray County) our
team was able to provide fast weather reports to the region and
warned many people that day. With the support of the Murray County
Sheriff’s office we provided additional reports for them along with
the county fair public.
There were
many people involved in this and I appreciate all of them for really
helping that day and providing a valuable service for our region.
Many thanks go to Dan Anderson (KDØASX), Arl Weinrebe (KDØBJW),
Desirae Weinrebe (KDØDWB), Rick Hansen (KDØBJY) and the Murray
County ARES team.
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Kevin is the ARRL EC for Murray County
| St. Paul Radio Club
Student Project Making News (08/17/08) |
|
Skip Jackson - KSØJ
|
In May, the ARRL Executive Committee
reviewed grant applications for the ARRL's Education & Technology
Program (ETP), awarding
nearly $14,000 to nine schools. More than 300 schools across the country
have received support from the ETP in the form of grants for equipment,
curriculum and resources, as well as teacher in-service training through
the Teachers Institute
on Wireless Technology. The Executive Committee reviews applications
for equipment and resource grants twice each year, in December and May.
Washington Technical Middle
School, St Paul, Minnesota: The lead
teacher for this program attended the Teachers Institute this summer.
The program in the grant application is supported by the local ham
community, including a retired Vice Director, Twila Greenheck, NØJPH.
The school has already started on their program development by obtaining
and using the Solder 101 24-hour Clock Kit that is part of the ETP
resource portfolio.
The SPRC (St. Paul Radio Club) has
been working on this project for nearly a year and our hats off to them
for the success of this project. In addition to Twila Greenheck -
NØJPH, Allen Klein - WØNLY (coordinator) and Don Greenheck - NØJPG have,
been involved. Other participating members include Orcy Lyle -
WØQT, Mert Nellis - WØUFO, Steve Huntsman - AAØP, Jay Maher - NJØM,
Keith Miller - AGØH, John Hunt - KGØJD, Manny Block - WØAG, Don
McInerney - NØBM, Fred Christianson - KCØOQQ, Don Holmberg - WXØZ and
Tom Menas - K3WT and Jay Bellows - KØQB.
The goal of the Amateur Radio Education & Technology
Program is to improve the quality of education by providing an
educationally sound curriculum focused on wireless communications. The
project emphasizes integration of technology, math, science, geography,
writing, speaking and social responsibility within a global society.
| Rochester Amateur
Radio Expo Registration (07/13/08) |
|
Skip Jackson - KSØJ
|
This is the biggest amateur radio event of the year
and you want to be there!!
It is a Division Convention, a DX expo, hamfest all rolled into one
great time.
Go to their
website and check
it out and register now.
Don't forget to register for this event before the
15th of July.
| New Youth Advocate
Appointment (07/06/08) |
|
Skip Jackson - KSØJ
|
We pleased to announce the appointment of Cal Darula,
KØDXC, as the new Assistant Section Manger for youth in Minnesota.
Cal, now thirteen, became an amateur at the age of ten and enjoys
contesting and is an avid Morse code practitioner. Cal is also an
author and his most recent article is in the recent ARRL,
"National Contest
Journal" (NCJ).
Cal will represent youth on the Section Manager's
Cabinet and will help to recruit youth into amateur radio by his example
and actions.
Cal is scheduled to speak at the upcoming Dakota
District Convention, Hamfest and DXCC Conference to be held in
Rochester, MN,
August 8, 9, 10, 2008.

Cal, KØDXC operating CW at Twin City FM Club, WØEF
field day.
| Governor to Issue
Amateur Radio Proclamation (06/21/08) |
|
Bob Roske - NØUF
|
On Saturday June 28th at 1:00PM, Greg Urban, KGØU,
President of the Crow
River Area Amateur Radio Club will present a proclamation signed by
Governor
Tim Pawlenty proclaiming June 28 and 29 as "Amateur Radio Operation
Recognition Days" to Jay Bellows, KØQB, ARRL Dakota Division Director.
This is the second year the Crow River Club has requested and received
the
proclamation. Last years proclamation is on line at:
http://w0crc.org/files/MNProclamationForHamRadio2007.PDF.
| Please post your Field
Day Operation with The ARRL (05/31/08) |
|
Skip Jackson - KSØJ
|
Please go the ARRL website at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php and post
your field day site location so that others my easily find it.
This is an easy task that will may allow others, like myself, to
find your site as I am making my rounds around the area. I try to
visit as many sites as it is possible to do during field day and I know
that Jay Bellows does also.
Don't forget to send me traffic on field day to get
your extra points. It need not be delivered on that day but
entered.
Also, check the field day rules for bonus points for
creating NTS traffic. Bonus points are a big thing in the total,
especially if propagation is bad. That is a real possibility.
| Technician Class at VA
Hospital (04/11/08) |
|
David Adriansen -
|
The
Minneapolis VA Medical Center is proud to present our second Amateur
Radio (Ham) Technician Class License Course, June 13-15, 2008 for
all Hospital Compact members and the community. Please provide
widest dissemination. For Information, contact Dave at
David.Adriansen@va.gov
| DX News - Local
Interest (04/09/08) |
|
Mike Paskeuric - NØODK
|
Major DXpeditions coming up.....
Glorioso Island AF-011, May 1 to June 30, 2008. This is number 6 on
all time most wanted list. This operation may still be a "wait
and see" if it happens operation. Web site is
http://glorieuses2008.free.fr/index-e.htm
Willis Island OC-007, October 2008 with callsign of VK9DWX. Web site
is
http://willis2008.dl1mgb.com/ for those who want to follow the
events coming up to this DXpedition. Willis Island ranks #12 on the
most wanted list.
Next newsletter I will maybe talk about a top 5 most wanted DXCC
that is in the planning this year. We are waiting on more info on
this. Most exciting! The last two years we have many new DXCC and
many top DXCC opening up. The Cycle 24 will prove to be exciting and
interesting in the years to come.
A good web site for getting info on current and future DXpeditions
is
http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html
Mike -
| Class Announcement in
Murray County (01/29/08) |
|
Kevin Haney
- KCØYKX
|
-
Technician Class in Slayton, MN
Where: Murray County
High School ,Slayton, MN
Classroom 109
When: February 26, 2008 - 7-10pm
February 28, 2008 - 7-10pm
March 4, 2008 - 7-10pm
March 6, 2008 - 7-10pm
Exam Session: Saturday March 8, 2008
Time: TBD
To Register: Call: 507-836-8360
Cost: $90.00 for the class
| Spring Class Schedule
from SARA (01/27/08) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
Skywarn and Technician License
Classes
Offered by Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
SARA's 2008 Skywarn session is scheduled for Saturday,
March 1 at Boutwell's Landing in the theatre. The time is 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
Also, this Spring SARA will again offer its free course
for people interested in obtaining their Technician licenses.
We are using the new ARRL Ham Radio License Manual. This new
License Manual is friendlier than past versions, and groups the
questions by topic, rather than by their order in the Question Pool.
The Tech sessions begin on Thursday 6 March, and continue
until 8 May - when we will hold the VE session.
Please feel free to publicize this info on the nets or
anywhere else where someone might be interested.
Please direct any questions to WØOXB or KØGW at their
ARRL dot NET addresses.
-- de KØGW
| Technician Training
Class (01/26/08) |
| Chris Schultz - KCØYFX |
Sponsored By:
Crow River and Meeker County Amateur Radio Club and the Litchfield Fire
Rescue Squad
Dates: Feb 19 (Tues), Feb 22
(Friday), Feb 28 (Thursday), March 4 (Tues), March 10 (Mon), March 13
(Thursday), and March 18 (Tues)
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Litchfield Fire
Rescue Building
214 North Miller Avenue
Litchfield, Minnesota 55355
Cost: $20.00 for the "Tech
License Manual", $10.00 for miscellaneous expenses and $14.00 for the VE
test Date
For more information call Roger Vacek WØDEU at (320) 587-8736
| St. Cloud Mid-Winter
Hamfest (01/08/08) |
| St. Cloud Amateur
Radio Club - WØSV |
Put February 16, 2008 (Saturday) on your
calendar for the "Cabin Fever Reliever" Hamfest in St. Cloud. This
event will be the first hamfest event for 2008 and it promises to be
great. Who knows, it might be the first such event of the new
solar cycle !! (cycle 24)
It will run between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm at the St.
Cloud Armory, 1710 - 8th Street North. Go to the website at
http://www.w0sv.org/hamfest/hamfest-2-08.html for details.
| Amateur Radio Class
Follow-up (12/21/07) |
| David Adriansen -
|
The class was a resounding success with 49 students
and 46 that succeeded in passing their exams. A nice addition to
the ham community. It was suggested during the class that the
students look into joining a local club to get some mentoring and
orientation and help getting on the air.
Our thanks to all of those that participated in
teaching the class and we will probably repeat with another class in
March.
| Amateur Radio Class
Announcement (11/07/07) |
| David Adriansen -
|
Saturday December 8th thru
Sunday December 9th, 8:00 AM to 5:00PM
Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical
Center
One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN
55417
Education Office 4T, Rooms 4T-111-113
You can prepare for your first
Amateur Radio License in just days. The course is based on the American
Radio Relay League (ARRL) book "Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1,
Technician" (1st edition). Students will need to purchase the
textbook on their own. The book we will be using is “The
ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, The American Radio Relay League, Inc.
(ISBN: 0-87259-963-9) #9639”.
The text is available at Radio City; 2660 County Road I, Moundsview, MN
55112 (1-800-426-2891) for $24.95 and their website is
www.radioinc.com. It is also available through the ARRL
at
www.arrl.org. Course Preparation is important. Please
take the time to read the book in advance of the classroom sessions.
Amateur radio
operators "Hams" who hold the FCC Technician Amateur Radio License have
privileges on all Amateur frequencies above 50 MHz. With the Technician
license you can operate FM voice, SSB, Amateur TV, Satellite, IRLP, and
many other modes. The most popular mode is FM voice on the 2 meter VHF
and 70 Cm UHF bands
Technicians can
help the community by assisting in public service events, search and
rescue, and disaster communications. Hams have fun communicating with
each other and by participating in field day and other group events.
The instructors
for the course are all licensed Hams. A team teaching approach will be
used so that you will always see a familiar face.
There is free
parking and a Cafeteria available on site. The VA Medical Center is
located near the crossroads of Hiawatha Avenue/Highway 55 and the
Cross-town Freeway/Highway 62 at One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN
55417 (www.mapquest.com).
The city bus and Light Rail Train stop in front of the VA Medical
Center.
Pre-registration
is required and interested students should contact
David.Adriansen@va.gov via e-mail or at (612) 467-3019 to
register for this course. The course is free except for the cost
of the book and a small exam fee.
| Amateur Radio Class
Announcement (11/02/07) |
| Cully Kowal - KSØD |
If you are not an Amateur Radio Operator (Ham) and are
interested in SKYWARN operation and/or other volunteer communications
services, this is the opportunity to get your entry-level ham license to
fully participate in reporting severe weather conditions. You can
become an Amateur Radio Operator – no matter what your age, gender or
physical ability.
The Amateur Radio Association of
Bloomington and The Bloomington communications Group are sponsoring a
weekend Technician class on February 8, 9 & 10, 2008.
Friday 6 pm- 10 pm
Saturday 8 am – 6 pm
Sunday 8 am – 4 pm
Volunteer Examiners will hold a Federal
Communications Commission license exam immediately following the class
on Sunday at 2 pm.
“The ARRL
Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1”, will be
the course book and can be purchased through the ARRL,
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9639#top
or Radio City (Mounds View, MN), http://www.radioinc.com/
.
The class will be at the Bloomington
Civic Plaza located just west of I-35W on 98th
Street. The charge for the class will be $50.00,
which includes the VE exam fee, Saturday and Sunday lunch (pizza) and a
one-year membership in the Amateur Radio Association of Bloomington.
If you plan to attend the course,
please notify us soon to reserve your seat. To register, please
contact Bob Wargo (KC0WCO) at
bmwargo@gmail.com by January 25th to make your
reservation. Please make checks payable to A.R.A.B.
| Remember the
Fitzgerald - Special Event (10/28/07) |
| Dave Glas - WØOXB |
“Remembering the
Edmund Fitzgerald” Special Event at Split Rock Lighthouse (Nov. 2-5)
For the
third consecutive year, SARA will be heading north to participate in
this commemorative event. The iron ore carrier sank with all 29 of her
crew on Nov. 10, 1975 in Lake Superior only 17 miles from Whitefish
Point, MI.
WØJH Operating Schedule:
Friday, 11/2:
2:00 - 6:00 PM
|
Saturday, 11/3 & Sunday, 11/4:
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
|
Monday, 11/5:
9:00 AM - noon) |
About
15 SARA members will be operating stations near the Split Rock
Lighthouse (ARLHS USA 783), on: 3.860, 7.260, 14.260, 21.360 MHz (+ or
- QRM)
See
announcements in QST, CQ and World
Radio.
Skeds on other frequencies can be arranged.
There
will be check-ins from time to time on the PICO and Minnesota Phone
Nets.Look for the Special Event Station nightly at 8:00 PM on 160m
(~1.900 MHz).
This
year SARA plans to operate on SSB, PSK31, SSTV and CW. They also plan to
have EchoLink capabilities via the LSAC I system gateway in the Two
Harbors area. Hams from all over will be able to contact the Special
Event Station via HF and via EchoLink enabled HF, VHF and UHF stations
and also via their computers. In Washington County Minnesota, 2m simplex
access will cover almost all of the county and in most cases to a fair
distance beyond the county boundaries. Information on the VHF
frequencies and access procedures will be available on SARA’s web site (www.radioham.org).
A handsome, color QSL certificate
(8.5” x 11”) will be available.
If you’re in the log, send an SASE
to: WØJH, 1618 West Pine St., Stillwater, MN 55082
The Stu
Rockafellow Amateur Radio Society will be operating a special event
station simultaneously from the Whitefish Point Lighthouse (MI) as N8F
and Paradise, MI as K8F. The Livonia Amateur Radio Club will operate W8F
on Belle Isle, MI (near downtown Detroit).
| Twin City Swap Shop
Announcements (9/8/07) |
| Mike Sigelman - KØBUD |
Get ready for a big fun night this coming Tuesday,
September 11 at the Twin City FM Club meeting! It's a great way to
kick off the fall season of ham radio and hear one great talk by Lyle,
KØLR speaking on "Software Defined Radio, The New Excitement in Ham
Radio!" Lyle and several local amateurs will join him to introduce
you to this excitement in the hobby you design your radio for you!
The meeting starts at 7:30 PM at the Golden Valley Safety Center, off
Winnetka Ave. on Golden Valley Road in Golden Valley! You will have one
fun night Tuesday!
There is still some room left for a few more good people
to work the Twin City Marathon on Sunday, October 7 8aM to 1PM! This
is a chance to get in on one of the largest area amateur radio local
service events and be ready for some fast emergency communications!
You need a handheld for two meters, an extra battery pack, a warm jacket
and some four hours to be part of a true and valuable public service
event. Some 8,000 runners from all over the world depend on your help
that day along the race route from Minneapolis to St Paul and on to the
State Capital. If you want to be part of the Twin City Marathon
Emergency crew send a message to
K0BUD@arrl.net. October 7 is a big day for area amateur
radio. Be part of it!
Don't miss the few remaining hamfests and gatherings our
area for this year. We have a short list and here is a
few:
The
East Central Club has their hamfest under way at Rush City High
School today. Get up to Rush City for one of the area's last
hamfests and it goes until 1PM today. Talk-in on the 145.33
repeater.
The
MARA club presents their second annual hamfest next Sunday Sept 16.
It's at the Shoreview Village Mall on Highway 96. More info
call 612-308-5321. Talk-in is on the 146.85 repeater.
We bring you the 76 Saturday Swap Shop area VE Exam
Calendar every Saturday. Here comes the VE Exam schedule for
September:
The
Valley test team tests next Thursday, Sept 13 at the Hayes Community
Center at 7PM in Apple Valley. Call Jim, NØOA at
952-892-3359
The Southeast Metro Team tests on Saturday, Sept 15 at Cottage Grove
Fire Station #2 on 80th street in Cottage Grove. Call Dennis KBØOQQ
at 651-769-0358
The Eden Prairie Test Team tests Monday Sept 17 at 6:30PM at the
Eden Prairie Library, Prairie Center Drive, Eden Prairie. Call
Wally, K0WE at 952-469- 8452
The Bloomington and Elk River test teams test on Saturday Sept 22.
The Bloomington team will test at 9AM at the Bloomington Police
Station on Old Shakopee Rd. in Bloomington. Call Dan KEØOR at
952-888-9756.
The Elk River team will also test on Sept 22 at 8AM at the American
Legion on Railroad Drive in Elk River. Call John NØYR at
763-263-8741 for info.
If you have a Tech Class License and here's the good news
on the details on the Fall Twin City FM Club General Class! The class
is under way but you can still get in on the class next Monday at the
Courage Center on Golden Valley Rd in Golden Valley! Get
more info for the TCFMC General Class by calling and leaving a
message for Tim at 952-593-9641. You can also drop a note to Tim at
tarimond@aol.com You won't believe the fun you are
missing not having the General Class ticket. Sign up now and get ready
for the hot fall contests.
The TCFMC Ground Wave Contest is back and staged for Sat
October20th from noon to 7 pm local time.
It's the fun event and covers 6 meters and 10 meters.
Contest operating frequencies: 10m from 28.300 to 28.400 , and 6m from
50.125 to 50.200 SSB and CW. There's a great engraved plaque
for the winner in each of three categories: Rover/Mobile,
fixed/portable and 6 meter only! Get bonus points for working the
club TCFMC station WØEF, running a single element antenna, or using QRP.
Join in and help wake up 10mtr and 6mtr for just 7 short hours October
20th, noon to 7 pm.
| Another Radio Class
Announcement (8/31/07) |
| Mike Sigelman - KØBUD |
If you have a Tech Class
License here's the good news you will want to know about the details of
the Fall Twin City FM Club General Class!
The class begins Monday September 10
at 7PM. And what a great place for the new TCFMC General
classes. . . At the Courage Center on Golden Valley Rd in
Golden Valley!
Sign up now for the TCFMC
General Class by leaving a message for Tim at 952-593-9641.
Some of the Twin Cities area's top hams will teach the class to help you
upgrade to the General Class License. The General class is
limited to just 12 people.
You can also drop a note to Tim at
tarimond@aol.com Sign up now and get ready for the hot
fall contests. Call 952-593-9641.
| Amateur Radio Classes
Announced (8/20/07) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
It's time to go back to
school!!
Two amateur radio classes have
been announced and registration is now open for those folks
interested in learning the material to pass either the Technician or
the General Class exams and get their license or upgrade.
The St. Paul Amateur Radio
Club (SPRC) will hold a technician course beginning, September
10 for eight weeks on Monday nights through October 29. These
classes will be held between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm in the Hickory Room
of the Roseville Fire Hall, 2701 Lexington avenue. This
location is about one mile north of highway 36, just north of Ramsey
County Road "C".
This course is designed for
beginners and is taught by an experienced team of instructors whose
past students have had a very high success rate on exams. The
class is informal and there is always plenty of time for questions.
There is no charge for the
class but participants should plan on buying the ARRL Ham Radio
License Manual for the Technician Class. This manual will be
available on the first night of class, but can be ordered online
from the ARRL website. Just click on the ARRL diamond over to
the left. This book may be available from local bookstores and
from Radio City store in Mounds View.
If you have any questions
about the SPRC class or to register, call Allan Klein at
651-291-8815.
The other announcement is from
The Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA). They will be
running a course of study for the General Class amateur radio
license. The class will be held at Courage St. Croix on Curve
Crest Blvd in Stillwater and will begin on Thursday 13 September at
7 pm. There will be a total of 9 weekly meetings (skipping
October 11) culminating in the VE session on 15 November.
The course will use the new
ARRL General Class License Manual. There is no cost for the
sessions, and all amateurs are welcome, including those who are not
members of SARA. (The VE session will require the standard
mandated fee).
SARA also plans to offer Technician Class study sessions in Spring,
2008, but the exact dates have not yet been determined.
Anyone interested in further information may contact K0GW at his
ARRL.NET address. Information about SARA, including map and
directions to Courage St. Croix, may be found on the SARA web site
at www.radioham.org
| Letter From Your
Technical Coordinator (7/10/07) |
| John Thomas - W3FAF |
Well, with
the requirement removed for Morse proficiency to gain access to HF
operations, it appears to have changed in its basic nature for the
newer operators. As a CW operator, I find that many new CW
operators on HF do not understand the mode or its operations.
In fact, I do believe it is becoming another “digital” mode where
you obtain a Morse converter such as the Hamscope program available
as a free-ware download on the internet and simply “fire up” on the
CW bands. This is a scary proposition to the present CW
operators using the HF bands. As in all Ham Radio modes, there
is a learning period necessary perhaps by listening first to see how
things happen. I notice that many /AG stations simply
zero-beat a station and start calling CQ. This is interesting
and may work in some cases but it is generally considered
inconsiderate to the station already on the frequency. I don’t
feel that this is malicious interference at this point in time since
these folks are new to HF CW. As always, before transmitting
listen, listen, listen…and perhaps listen some more.
I welcome
new CW ops even they use a computer to do what the old timers do in
their heads. Even with this mode, CW will eventually become
recognizable to the operator. In fact, this is probably a good
learning tool if the new CW operators use it at slow speeds where
there is a chance they may acquire a deeper knowledge of the CW
operations and perhaps build their own copy speed. Good luck
to all and I hope to work some of these /AG stations.
73, John
| Handihams Special
Event Announcement (06/10/07) |
| Avery Finn - KØHLA |
Well, it is official. Handiham Radio Club President Linda
Reeder, N7HVF,
has published special event information on the ARRL website for the
on the
air celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Courage Handiham
System. Of
course we will have more about this upcoming operating event in
future
issues, but you might as well be among the first to know, so here
are the
details just as they appear on ARRL Web:
Aug 25-Aug 28, 1400Z-0200Z, Lake George, MN. Courage Handi-Ham
System,
W0EQO. 40 Years for Handihams. SSB 14.340 7.240 CW 14.140 7.040.
Certificate. Avery Finn, 3915 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley, MN
55422.
Using call signs W0EQO and W0ZSW.
I ask you to notice the dates of the event. Hmmm, let's see...
What happens
every year in late August? Anyone? Raise your hands if
you know the
answer! Okay, you in the back row -- do you know the answer?
Yes, that's
right -- Handiham Minnesota Radio Camp. This year, Radio Camp
runs from
Friday, August 24 to Friday, August 31. The operating event
will start on a
Saturday, which should be just perfect for anyone who has the
weekend off
from work and who wants to contact the Radio Camp special event
stations.
Most special events have just one callsign, but we have decided to
use both
W0ZSW, the official Handiham Radio Club callsign and W0EQO, the
usual Radio
Camp station callsign because both of these calls belonged to
important
historical figures in the Handiham System. We will tell you
more about that
later on as we get closer to the operating event.
| Brainerd Hamfest
(06/06/07) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
Don't forget the Brainerd Hamfest coming
up on July 14, 2007. It's once again at the Armory in Brainerd.
The regional hamfests have been a very good success this year and this
looks to be a good one coming up as well. Please get the details at the
link at
http://www.brainerdham.org/hamfest/index.html
| Twin City FM Club News
(04/30/07) |
| Mike Sigelman - KØBUD |
The next
program at the Twin City FM Club comes along just in time
for your summer building projects. And you will love
it. So get the next meeting on your calendar because it's time
to try that antenna idea that you have been thinking about all
winter. If you want to test out that antenna without even
climbing a ladder, you won't want to miss the fascinating
presentation "Antenna Modeling, Let Your Computer Do the
Work" with John Platt, W0ZQ.
John has long
been known in our area for his brilliant work on UHF/VHF and
antenna design. Now you will see his great
brand new talk on Tuesday, May 8 at the next Twin City FM
Club. Jon will provide a brief background on antenna
modeling, what it can and cannot do, and walk us through several
examples using the EZNEC antenna modeling program. He'll
start with simple dipoles and end with stacked Yagis. The
meeting starts at 7:30 PM on May 8th at the Golden Valley Safety
Center near Golden Valley Road and Winnetka in Golden Valley.
Get ready to take lots of notes because you will want to try out
John's ideas and approach to antenna modeling!
| Bloomington Radio Club
Class is Over (04/22/07) |
| Bob Schwartz - KTØT |
The Amateur
Radio Association of Bloomington held a 'crash' course for the
Technician License this weekend - 4/20 to 4/22 followed by a VE session
coordinated by Dan Royer, KEØOR, on the 22'nd.
15 students enrolled; 15 passed their Technician test and two went on to
pass the General test. 100% success! An excellent group of students. The
great staff of instructors included KCØSOR, AAØP, KØUWC, WBØVHF, KCØTAP,
ACØGH, NØMK, KMØD, NØPI, ABØYQ, KCØWAR and KØLEJ with support provided
by
the rest of the club.
Over 700 PowerPoint
slides were used; these were produced from material
provided in the ARRL Instructor's Manual, The ARRL Ham Radio License
Manual,
the Question Pool, participant's knowledge and various personal
collections.
The Amateur Radio Association of Bloomington has given the
weekend class
every year since 2004 when 9 of 10 passed, 2005 had 8 of 12 pass and
2006
had 17 of 18 pass. That's 49 new hams total!
We charge $45 for the class, which includes unlimited coffee and soft
drinks, pizza for lunches, rolls for breaks, supplies and the VE fee.
| Arrowhead Radio
Amateur Club - HAMFEST (04/20/07) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
Remember the Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club
Hamfest, Saturday, May 5th, 2007. It is located at the regular
spot at the "Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds" right next to the Superior,
WI Airport. The event runs from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and the
admission is $6.00. (12 & under are free) Parking is easy and free
for most vehicles. (That's what they said.)
Go to their website at
http://www.thearac.org/hamfest%20flier.pdf for the flier.
See you there !!
| An Announcement From
Your SM (03/19/07) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
We are living through one of the
major changes in Amateur Radio in the recent years and we all hope it
will be for the better. I think it will be. With these
changes we can expect a lot of new and inexperienced operators coming
onto the bands where they are not accustomed to operating. Many
will make mistakes as we all have done. We should be patient and
adopt the position more of mentor rather than critic. Our creed
states that we should be helpful and friendly. Remember the
Amateur’s Code?
http://www.arrl.org/acode.html
In response, we will be turning up
the Official Observer effort in our section. We have not had an
Official Observer Coordinator in Minnesota for about five years. I
am pleased to announce the appointment of John H. Thomas, III, W3FAF, to
that position starting immediately. That is a position that John
has held before and he has graciously agreed to take this appointment.
John does hold the position of Technical Coordinator and will continue
to do so until a new appointment is made to fill that job.
It is necessary to recruit some
additional Official Observers as well. If you like to spend some
time spinning that big dial on your radio, and want to be helpful, think
about becoming an OO. It requires you need to take a short course
at the ARRL and complete a real easy open book test to qualify.
There are some other requirements as well. Remember, this not the
“Ham Band Police” but it is how amateur radio monitors itself. It
is our objective to improve ourselves and help the newcomer.
Interested? Send an email to John at
w3faf@arrl.net.
| Some Observations From
Your TC (03/03/07) |
| John H. Thomas, III -
W3FAF |
Well, with the
requirement removed for Morse proficiency to gain access to HF
operations, it appears to have changed in its basic nature for the newer
operators. As a CW operator, I find that many new CW operators on
HF do not understand the mode or its operations. In fact, I do
believe it is becoming another “digital” mode where you obtain a Morse
converter such as the Hamscope program available as a free-ware download
on the internet and simply “fire up” on the CW bands.
This is a scary
proposition to the present CW operators using the HF bands. As in
all Ham Radio modes, there is a learning period necessary perhaps by
listening first to see how things happen. I notice that many /AG
stations simply zero-beat a station and start calling CQ. This is
interesting and may work in some cases but it is generally considered
inconsiderate to the station already on the frequency. I don’t
feel that this is malicious interference at this point in time since
these folks are new to HF CW. As always, before transmitting
listen, listen, listen…and perhaps listen some more.
I welcome new CW ops
even they use a computer to do what the old timers do in their heads.
Even with this mode, CW will eventually become recognizable to the
operator. In fact, this is probably a good learning tool if the
new CW operators use it at slow speeds where there is a chance they may
acquire a deeper knowledge of the CW operations and perhaps build their
own copy speed. Good luck to all and I hope to work some of these
/AG stations.
73,
John H. Thomas, III,
W3FAF
Technical Coordinator/OO
Coordinator
Minnesota Section ARRL
| General Class License
Class Scheduled (02/03/07) |
| Brian McInerney - NØBM |
The St. Paul Radio Club has a general Class (upgrade)
license class scheduled to begin Wednesday, March 14th, 2007. This
class will meet for seven weeks on consecutive Wednesday evenings from
6:30 to 9:00 pm. The location is the fire station at the Roseville
City Hall location at County Road "C" and Lexington Ave.
Please contact Brian, NØBM for information and to
secure a reservation. The reservations are limited so act soon !!
His number is 612-860-0048.
The study materials are the ARRL General Class License
Study Manual and the classes will be intended to be a discussion group
format. The students are expected to study the materials in advance of
the classes. So now is the time to get your General !!
| Minnesota QSO Party |
| Al Dewey - KØAD |
Saturday
, February 3rd is your opportunity to put Minnesota on the
air in the 9th annual Minnesota QSO Party. This event
is becoming one of the premier QSO parties in the country with activity
increasing every year. There are lots of ways to participate (HF,
VHF, CW, PHONE, MOBILE, MULTI-OP, and QRP). For the 3rd
straight year, all 87 of Minnesota counties are committed to be on the
air that day. People all over the country will be looking
for Minnesota QSOs so be sure to get on the air that day. All the
details, rules, awards, and even free logging software can be found at
http://www.w0aa.org/mnqp.htm . See you in the party!
| SARA Amateur Radio
License Classes |
| Dave Glas - WØOXB |
The Stillwater
Amateur Radio Association (SARA) will hold some amateur radio
classes for any interested party. This club will hold Technician
license classes beginning on March 8, 2007. Watch this news page
for further information. Remember, CW will no longer be required
after February 23, 2007 for any class of license.
Beginning Thursday,
January 25, SARA will hold CW classes for both beginners and for those
wishing to increase code speed and proficiency. Contact W9LHG
at ARRL.NET for information and to register. These classes
will be held at Boutwells Landing at 7:00 pm. Boutwells Landing is
located at 5600 Norwich Parkway in Stillwater.
| St. Paul Radio Club
Special Event Report (12/31/06) |
| Orcy Lyle - WØQT |
The St. Paul
Radio Club held a Special Event, on September 16th, 2006,
to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the club. The
Special Event was held in the OSS Science Building at the University of
St. Thomas and was hosted by the University of St. Thomas Radio Club.
Two stations
were running at the Special Event, using a Yaesu FT1000MP and an Icom
751A. Antennas were erected by the St. Paul Radio Club on the roof
of the four-floor OSS Building. The antennas consisted of a
Cushcraft R8, which belongs to the St. Thomas Radio Club, and a Barker &
Williamson folded dipole, which was in place temporarily for the Special
Event.
Modes & Bands:
An analysis of the printout of the logs from
the September 16th Special Event shows that 178 contacts were
made. Of the 163 HF contacts, 145 were SSB (almost all on 20m) and
18 were CW (half on 30m and half on 40m).
HF
Bands:
Contacts were made with 30 states and D.C.,
all in the contiguous United States.
Washington state
had a whopping total of 24 contacts, or 17% of the total number of HF
contacts, all on SSB. The Washington state contacts were made
throughout the day, all on SSB, and were not specific to either antenna.
Most of the
Washington state contacts were in the northwest quarter of the state.
Surrounding states did not show a large number of contacts.
British Columbia, Canada, just north of Washington state, had 4
contacts. If the Canadian contacts are added to the United States
HF contacts and the 4 British Columbia contacts are lumped in with the
24 Washington state contacts, it looks like 19%, or about a fifth of HF
contacts, were made from the area of the North American continent where
the United States meets Canada.
The 8 foreign
countries
contacted included Canada, Bulgaria, United Kingdom (2 contacts),
Germany, Italy (2 contacts), Holland, France, and Costa Rica.
Canadian contacts occurred throughout the day. The overseas
contacts were all made well within a three-hour period between 3:00 p.m.
and 6:00 p.m.
The 9 Canadian
contacts represented contacts made with British Columbia on the western
coast and Nova Scotia on the eastern coast, and included contacts with
four of the provinces in between. Certificates were sent to
stations requesting them.
| MINNESOTA DX NOTES
(12/31/06) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
1A4,
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
SMOM will be active this week with a new
prefix. Look for 1A4A to be active between January 2-8th. Activity
will be on 160-2 meters, SSB/CW/RTTY mode, on three stations. For
updated information and details about the DXpedition and "The Order Of
Malta", please visit
http://www.1a4a.org or
http://www.orderofmalta.org
3W/XV, VIETNAM.
Champ, E21EIC, is expected to be in Hanoi December 31st and stay
until January 7th. Watch the bands.... You never know.
5H, TANZANIA.
Vlad, UA4WHX, is currently active as 5H3VMB/5 from the Lindi/MTWARA
Region Group (AF-074)--a rare IOTA He has been active on 80/40/30/20
meters CW, and on Sunday he was on 17 meters SSB.
9N, NEPAL.
Stig, LA7JO, continues to be very active from Kathmandu as 9N7JO. He
has been active on 80/40/30/12 meters CW as well as 20/17/15 meters PSK.
A few reports indicate that he will be "active from Nepal
'on and off' at various periods during 2007."
DX0, SPRATLY ISLANDS.
Members of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association(PARA) will be
active as DX0JP from the Kalayaan Island Group (AS-051), Philippines,
February 1-14th. Look for more info to appear at:
http://www.para.org.ph/news
JT, MONGOLIA.
Ken, K4ZW, will be active as JT1/K4ZW from January 15-25th.
Activity will place an emphasis on the lowbands and in particular 160
meters.
VK9N, NORFOLK ISLAND (Update).
Members of the Bavarian Contest Club (BCC) will once again be on
tour as VK9DNX from Norfolk Island (OC-005) between February 15th and
March 3rd, 2007. Activity is planned for 160-10 meters on CW, SSB and
RTTY. See the DXpedition's Web site at:
http://www.df3cb.com/vk9n
VU7, LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS (VU2RG News)
* Activity from the second VU7 operation should begin in
about two weeks. For up-to-date details, visit the VU7RG Web page at:
http://www.vu7.in/
* There is a team of pilots for the VU7RG operation. The
pilot for Region 2 is Donald Greenbaum/N1DG.
XT, BURKINA FASO (Update).
The F6KOP ARS of Provins group will be heading to Burkina Faso for
their XT2C operation, January 6-20th. Visit the XT2C Web
page at:
http://xt2c.free.fr/
Coming up:
CQ 160-Meter CW Contest (January 27-28th)
ARRL DX CW Contest (February 17-18th)
| FCC ANNOUNCES AN END
TO MORSE CODE REQUIREMENTS (12/18/06) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
End of an Era: FCC to Drop
Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes.
Go to the
ARRL website to read about this historic change.
| ARRL ANNOUNCES SPECIAL
CLUB E-LETTER (12/11/06) |
| Skip Jackson - KSØJ |
The ARRL has announced the
creation of the Affiliated Club E-Letter. This club newsletter is
available now to all members and is news for and about clubs.
Please go to
this site,
for information.
Published editions of the Club
News are posted on
this site after they are sent to subscribers.
| SPECIAL EVENT REPORT
(11/28/06) |
| Dave Glas - WØOXB |
“Remembering the Edmund
Fitzgerald” Special Event
Split Rock Lighthouse
November 3-5, 2006
Eighteen members of the Stillwater
Amateur Radio Association (SARA) participated in this special event that
took place on the north shore of Lake Superior – about 50 miles north of
Duluth. SARA operated three WØJH stations over a three-day (~20
hour) period to commemorate the sinking of the famous ore carrier 31
years ago.
“SARA members really pitched in to
make this event fun for attendees as-well-as for those we who contacted
us.” Over 1,100 stations were logged while working 160, 80, 40, 20
and 15m. Special TNX goes to Jeff Nast (KCØMKS) of the Arrowhead
Amateur Radio Club for assisting in creating an EchoLink gateway via 6m.
Linkage with the Lake Superior Amateur Coalition (LSAC) system allowed
North American EchoLink stations and operators within RF range of SARA’s
2m repeater (Stillwater) to check in. This may have been a first
for a special event station to have EchoLink capabilities!
(Imagine the thrill of working over 200 miles with a 2m handheld!)
A handsome, color QSL certificate
(8.5” x 11”) will be available in about 6 weeks.
If you’re in the log, send an SASE
to: WØJH, 1618 West Pine St., Stillwater, MN 55082.
Check out SARA’s web site for more
info about the special event, including station/antenna descriptions,
photos and history of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
http://www.radioham.org/
|
SARA Participants: |
|
Chuckie Engebretson
(KCØNMX) |
Bob Kyvig (WAØROH) |
Keith Miller (AGØH) |
|
Dave Glas (WØOXB) |
John Lyon (W9LHG) |
Lyle Miller (WB9OKQ) |
|
Jerry Groeneveld (NØMR) |
Mary Mann (NØDXH) |
Cullen Murphy (KCØMXC) |
|
John Harvard (KCØUHY |
Shel Mann (NØDRX) |
Mike Paskeuric (NØODK |
|
Gary Hosler (WØAW) |
Jim Mazzoni (K3SJW) |
Eliot Ricciardelli (KEØN) |
|
Jill Kyvig (KCØUPC) |
Jack Miller (WØJEM) |
Lance Williams (KBØRGS) |
| MINNESOTA DX NOTES
(11/26/06) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
The CQ WW CW Contest warmed the ether this weekend. Maybe you were in
the pileups trying to get a few of the unusual stations. 5A7A did an
amazing business throughout the contest. Don't forget that the ARRL 160m
(2200Z, Dec 1 to 1600Z, Dec 3) and 10m (0000Z, Dec 9 to 2400Z, Dec 10)
contests are coming up. It may even be that 10m is not as dead as we all
think it is.
KH8, AMERICAN SAMOA.
A new KH8 operation is almost ready to begin. Look for KH8Q to be active
from December 1st to December 14th. The operators include former local
Pete/N0FW. They will be active on 160-10 meters, CW and SSB, including
the ARRL 160m and 10m Contests. QSL via W8QID only, NOT the KH8Q mailing
address.
VU7, LAKSHADWEEP.
The next big DX event is going to be having VU7 on the air. There are
now both December and January operations being planned.
The December operation is
sponsored by the Indian Amateur Radio Society--ARSI. You can get some
information about their plans at:
http://arsi.info/vu7/index.shtml It appears that they will try to be
active for the entire month of December.
You can likewise get some of the
details of the January operation at:
http://www.vu7.in/
This group will include W0GJ and other operators familiar to us in the
MN Section. Their operations are currently scheduled to begin on 15
January 2007.
S9, SAO TOME
S9SS going QRT February 2007! Charles Lewis will retire and finish his
work as VOA station manager on the Island of Sao Tome. His S9SS LOG is
uploaded to LoTW. Paper QSLs can be confirmed by his QSL manager N4JR.
S9SS log on-line can be seen at:
http://s50u.s50e.si Also, by the end
of February, more than 80000 QSOs will be sent to:
http://logsearch.de/ Charles is a
great, patient op, and he takes time to get the weak ones. His QSL
manager is also great, so get him while you can!
| SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE
SPECIAL EVENT (10/19/06) |
| Keith Miller - AGØH |
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) will be participating again
in the "Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event". The iron ore
carrier went down with her crew of 29 on November 10, 1975 in Lake
Superior approximately 17 miles from Whitefish Point, MI. Our special
event marks the 31st anniversary of that tragedy.
WØJH Operating Schedule:
Friday, 11/3 (8:00 AM - 10:00 PM)
Saturday, 11/4 (8:00 AM - 10:00 PM)
Sunday, 11/5 (10:00 AM - 2:00 PM)
Fourteen SARA members will be
operating 3 portable stations near the Split Rock Lighthouse (ARLHS USA
783), on: 3.860, 7.260, 14.260, 21.360 MHz (+ or - QRM) We are also in
the final stages of planning for Echolink communications between the
Twin Cities Area (W0JH) and the Special Event Station. This event has
been with the encouragement and cooperation of the LSAC system
owners/operators.
Final details will be announced on
www.radioham.org. Skeds on other frequencies can be arranged with SARA
members.
See announcements in QST, CQ and
World Radio The Stu Rockafellow Amateur Radio Society will be operating
a special event station simultaneously from the Whitefish Point
Lighthouse (Michigan) as N8F.
| STILLWATER RADIO
CLASSES (10/15/06) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
SARA Cooperative License Study
This Fall, SARA will offer
licensing classes for the General and Extra Class licenses. As we have
done before, we are offering these two courses as self-directed,
facilitated study groups or seminars. The basic idea is that, by the
time you are preparing for either of these licenses, you don't need (or
maybe even want!) the structure afforded by a full, instructor-led
"lecture" course. Instead, by studying together with a group sharing the
same goal, students find they become more engaged and get more out of
their study. Of course, we don't just leave the group on its own-one or
more "facilitators" will meet with the group, to help with the
more-difficult questions.
Here are the practical details: We
will hold a brief organizational meeting for both classes the evening of
19 October at 7:00 pm, at this coming Thursday's SARA "eyeball" session
at Courage St. Croix. Assuming we have enough people (more than one?)
for each study group, the groups will then organize their meetings, and
assign responsibility for members to cover the different chapters of the
license manual. Groups have usually chosen to meet on Thursdays at CSC,
but they are free to meet wherever and whenever is convenient for the
group. I will provide each group with a starting point of material to be
covered in each meeting, but the groups are free to study as they think
best.
Note: I have already had enough
people express interest to hold the General Class sessions, so we
definitely will be holding this course!
Past participants say that you
really learn a lot, studying this way. If you're interested in working
toward an upgrade, please mark Thursday, 19 October on your calendar. If
you are interested in participating but can't attend that meeting, let
me know by e-mail (my call at arrl.net) or give me a landline call
(651-436-8811), and I'll be sure you are on the list.
| MINNESOTA DX NOTES
(10/10/06) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
ZL8, KERMADEC
Ron Wright (ZL1AMO) reports that James, 9V1YC and other eight operators
mostly from the US left Tauranga (New Zealand) on 7 October, destination
Raoul Island in the Kermadec group (OC-039). They are onboard the MV
Bravehart, and the voyage should take approximately three days. They
expect to be active for seven days. Callsign, QSL route and other
details will soon be available.
3C0, ANNOBON ISLAND.
Elmo, EA5BYP, informs OPDX that his next DXpedition is to the Island of
Annobon (Pagalu). He will arrive via Malabo-Bata-Annobon on October
20th, and will remain on the island for 15 days and be active as 3C0M.
His equipment will be a line amplifier, two HF equipment, a yagi antenna
and dipoles. Elmo will be on air on SSB (80-10m), RTTY (20-15m) and CW
(160m). He reports that making a radio DXpedition to Annobon Island has
been a very difficult and complicated enterprise. This DXpedition is
costly for only one operator, and he is looking for help in funding his
operation.
9N, NEPAL.
Tohru, JA0UMV, will be active from Katmandu as 9N7MV between October
26-30th. This is his second DXpedition from Nepal. Activity this time
will be on 40/30/20/17/15 meters only, SSB, CW and possibly RTTY. He
will participate in the CQ WWDX SSB Contest as a Single-Op/All-band/
Low-Power entry. Tohru will operate CW outside of the contest, so look
for him on the following suggested frequencies: 7017, 10117, 14027,
18077 and 21027 kHz. QSL via his home callsign: Tohru Kataoka, 15-9
Sakae, Kamo, Niigata 959-1382 JAPAN.
V6, MICRONESIA (Also
KH2).
Four members of the Yamato Club (JA1ZEK) will be active from three
different islands of Micronesia between November 1-13th. Their planned
schedule and destination is as follows:
November 1-6th - Kosrae Island (OC-059)
November 7-8th - Pohnpei Island (OC-010)
November 9-13th - Chuuk Island (OC-011)
November 14-15th - Guam Island (OC-026)
They will set up two stations and operate on 160-10 meters, SSB, CW and
RTTY.
| ST. PAUL RADIO CLUB
75TH ANNIVERSARY & REUNION (10/09/06) |
| Twila Greenheck -
NØJPH |
The St. Paul Radio club is celebrating the 75th Anniversary of its
founding in May, 1931. Please come and join in the celebration and
reunion, with many current and past club members. There will be a
special program, historical presentation, an exhibit of club artifacts,
a buffet and prizes too!!
The date is November 3, 2006 and
the location is the University of St. Thomas, Murray-Herrick Campus
Center.
The cost is only $12.00 per
person. For information, call 651-483-1214 or email to sprc@att.net
| A WEEK AT THE MOWER
COUNTY FAIR (10/09/06) |
| Dean A. Johnson -
KAØRMP |
The Austin Amateur Radio Club/WØAZR started broadcasting from Austin -
Mower County Fair on August 8th and continuing for the next four days,
under the auspices of a gracious host, the Mower County Historical
Society. This joint project was undertaken with the goals of bringing
favorable recognition to the amateur radio world while at the same time
drawing more attention to the treasure trove of antiquity on display at
the fair ground. On both those points, we have succeeded in achieving
our goals.
Kelly Olson, the Society's
directory, pin pointed space for our station in the Fire Equipment
Museum on August 7th. This is first-rate facility with commercial power
and 24/7 security system. Straw bosses Vern Davis (KBØZBU) and Dean
Johnson (KAØRMP), activated the volunteer rigging crew who were eager to
start work before the day got any hotter.
After much humming and hawing from
the group, Bill (KCØOEW) said: "Enough philosophizing, let's get to
work." Ray (KGØUG) threaded his fishing rod and tossed a line into a
nearby tree - that was the first leg of the 40-meter dipole. Never mind
that a couple of puzzled and laughing "Carnie's" observed Ray's ritual.
They returned to their road show muttering, "who ever heard of
tree-bass?" Then Vern attached the home brew yagi television transmit
antenna at the corner of the railroad depot, aiming at its receptor
200-yards away located next to the little white church near the fair's
main gate. Soon thereafter, in 90-degree sunshine, the 40-meter an
80-meter antennas were stretched into position, with its apex atop a
20-ft mast. The first radio contact (2-meter) was with Bob (KØHIV) and
Jan (WØLUX) in Spring Valley.
Vern's television camera captured
the steady stream of visitors looking at the antique fire engines; their
images were beamed to the monitor at the main gate. Vern and fellow TV
enthusiast Jim Budd (KCØEQY) wisely decided to turn-off the audio from
the viewing public. As noted talk show host Art Linkletter said: "Kid's
say the darndest things." The spectators were impressed with the state
of the art technology available in ham radio.
The fair-goers listened intently
to Mary (KBØSVG) in her role as net control station operator for the
high frequency "28410Khz Shotgun Net." The chatter between the operators
is often entertaining and the audiences love it. The little kids had fun
mugging for the television camera. The 2-meter rig (motorcycle battery
power) was under the control of Al (NØRZO). Vince (KCØNPG) did a show
and tell with his PSK-31 outfit. Many club members completed hf/ssb and
cw contacts utilizing the club's callsign. Dean transmitted messages to
the Minnesota Section Net and the Region Ten cw Net. Cora flashed her
WØLYN name tag to the public; Carl's (WAØRLY) camera was on the verge of
melt-down; Officer Mike (KCØUWF) was informed that the club's antenna
trailer now has current license tabs; Hmmm, who would pay the ticket if
one were issued? Roger (KBØSON) earned sweat equity in the project while
his wife spent time in the Bingo tent. Thanks Mrs. Olson.
Vern's 9-volt practice key code
tone oscillator was an attention getter with young visitors. They were
shown how to tap out their name using international Morse code and kids
performed beautifully. Each one departed with big smiles and pockets
full of free dits and dahs.
John's (KBØSPM) professional sign
artwork, an 8-foot long AARC banner, directed people to the "shack."
Visitors came from near and far, such as Rochester, Albert Lea, and Deb
(WBØCWZ) and her ham family from south of the border (Iowa). A gentleman
from Michigan claimed to be a member of the Port Huron Amateur Radio
Team (you can figure the acronym or abbreviation for that club). They
all said it was good to see amateur radio at the fair. They departed
with a hearty "73."
President Al Bush, with his wife
Maryann, collaborated with Sam (KCØKVX) updating and printing a club
brochure as handout literature at the fair. The single page, color
photo, thumbnail sketch of our club's goals and activities, is a gateway
invitation to explore amateur radio.
The friendly camaraderie and
chatting that took place between the hams impressed a volunteer
fair-worker to ask, "how can I become a ham?" She returned the following
day to pick up a donated amateur radio license manual. Two days later
she came back to the "shack" stating she was almost finished reading the
book. Yes, we have her name and we'll encourage her to become a ham.
The popular consensus is: the
county fair project was a success. The Austin group had fun being
publicly identified with amateur radio, we operated our equipment in a
safe and law-abiding manner, and our friendly and helpful chatter is
manifestation that we are willing to assist others in developing their
interest in the amateur radio world. The club members can rightfully,
and proudly, pat themselves on the back for doing an outstanding job of
supporting this club project. Well done!
Director Kelly and her staff, Edna
and Mary, have invited the Austin Radio Club for a return engagement
next year. For that invitation we are grateful. See you next year at the
fair.
| MINNESOTA DX NOTES
(09/17/06) |
| Greg Widin - KØGW |
The Winter DX season is starting to shape up, with some very interesting
DXpeditions and events being announced. Propagation notwithstanding, it
is still possible to work some of these folks, if you're at the right
place at the right time.
9M0, SPRATLY ISLANDS.
Twenty operators are going to Layang Layang Island between March 9-20th
(2007). They plan to be active on all bands and modes, with 2-4 stations
active 24 hours a day.
JT, MONGOLIA.
Czech operators are active as JT800OK from Ulaan Baatar, now through
October 8th. Activity is planned for 160-10 meters CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31
and SSTV. QSL via OK1XC. Visit their Web page for pictures and online
logs at:
http://www.shop73.com/jt800ok These guys are definitely workable
from MN, and are very good ops.
TU2, COTE D'LVOIRE.
Jean Luc, F5LDY, is now active as TU2/F5LDY from Republic of Ivory Coast
until about September 2007. Visit the his Web page for update, logs and
pictures, at:
http://f5kee.free.fr/tu2-f5ldy/tu2ldy.htm He doesn't have high gain
antennas, but his signal is definitely copy-able in the U.S. Usual
problems getting through the wall of Europeans.
VU7 LAKSHADWEEP.
The Indian NIAR now has a web site up at
http://www.vu7.in/ They plan to operate as VU7RG from "3 excellent
equipped and well organized sites" from 15-25 January 2007. MN's own
W0GJ is part of the advisory committee for the event.
XF4, REVILLAGIGEDO.
A Mexican and German team of operators is planning a DXpedition to
Socorro Island (NA-030), in the Revillagigedo Islands group, to take
place between October 17th and November 3rd. The announced callsign will
be XF4DL. Activity will be on all bands, CW, SSB, Digital, EME and the
satellites. QSL via N6AWD for North-America. Visit their Web page at:
http://www.xf4dl.xedx.org/
DX MAGAZINE'S 2006 MOST
WANTED SURVEY
is now posted on the Web at:
http://www.dxpub.com
The results of this survey are
used by major DXers and DXpeditions to decide on where to go for coming
DX events. This is your chance to influence those choices. You don't
need to subscribe to DX Magazine--all hams are encouraged to fill out
the survey.
DX Magazine's Editor Carl, N4AA,
states, "Just click on '2006 SURVEY' and you will see the form. PLEASE
be careful to select the correct CONTINENT and/or NA TIME ZONE. If you
make a mistake, submit it again correctly. I will delete any surveys
that are improperly marked for these two items." PLEASE NOTE: Swains
Island is not listed. Carl states, "My apologies for that. The form was
already in print, for the magazine, before it became a reality. To
simplify compiling the results, I left it off the web list as well. I am
going to assume that the majority of you need KH8/S. However, if you
wish, you can add it in the ADDITIONS & COMMENTS box at the end of the
survey form."
