Morgan Amateur Radio Newsletter

Transcription

1 Morgan Amateur Radio Newsletter October, 2018 Vol. 2, No. 5 Introduction This newsletter of the Morgan Amateur Radio Club (MARC) is distributed at no cost every other month to members of the club and others with an interest in ham radio. Please feel free to share it with others but without altering the content. We hope the newsletter will inspire more hams to come join us in our activities and inspire others with a passing interest in ham radio to follow up on their interest and become licensed. All are welcome to attend our meetings. Our club is focused on radio for emergency communications, support of community activities needing radio communications and just having fun learning and using ham radio. We gather on the third Wednesday of even numbered months at the Morgan Search and Rescue Building to learn new ideas about all forms of radio communication and have a fun time visiting and discussing radio topics. Learn more about the Morgan Amateur Radio Club at Review of August 2018 MARC Meeting Scotty (K7NAL) gave us a good overview and discussion on linked and stand alone repeaters usable in the wasatch back area. By using linked repeaters we can reach a large portion of the state. He provided a handout list of the repeater information. Thanks to Scotty for this informative presentation. Upcoming October 2018 MARC Meeting The next MARC meeting will be on October 17 at 6 PM in the Morgan Search and Rescue building. We will have a presentation by Forrest Terrell (KG7NJF) on so-called foxhole radios. His discussion will give us a little history of early radios, tell about some American ingenuity, give a review of some basic radio physics and possibly give a demonstration of a foxhole radio. At this meeting we need to plan if we want to continue the North Pole Net in December. It will require early contact with potential agencies to learn if they would like us to visit their facility. This has always been an enjoyable and rewarding event. I hope we can continue it this year. There will be light refreshments following the meeting. December Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner It s not too early to begin thinking about our December meeting (December 19). As usual we will have a pot luck dinner, but we will also hold elections for new leaders for 2019 and perhaps finalize some new ideas for the club. I hope you will consider running for office or nominating 1

2 someone. It is time to rotate the leadership of the club. Topics for 2019 Morgan ARC Meetings Meeting topics for 2019 have not yet been planned. If you have a topic you would like to learn about or someone you have heard give a presentation that you think would be good for our meeting, just make a suggestion and we will try to make it happen. If you have researched a topic and would like to share what you have learned, please share it with others in the club by offering to make a presentation. Even if you are not an expert, you still can share what you have learned. Some topics suggested so far are: 1) how to learn CW (Morse Code), 2) basic soldering techniques, equipment needed, splicing, circuit boards, 3) discussion on radio waves and how they are related to other types of waves (shock, light waves, sound waves, etc.), 4) electromagnetic radiation and ham bands, 5) discussion on AM, FM, and SSB - what they are and how/when to use, 6) electricity related to radio - amps, watts, amp-hours, watt hours, how to calculate and uses, 7) select and build a simple kit. We will have a list of potential topics to look over at the next few meetings where you can indicate which you would like and you can add your own suggestions to the list. Mary Fullerton now SK Mary Fullerton, a long time supporter of ham radio and radio community activities, passed away October 8 th after a long battle with cancer. She will be missed by all. Details of services for her were not available at the time this newsletter was written. Radio Topics in the news FCC Technician Class license question pool has been revised as of July 1, The question pool is revised every 4 th year for about 15% of the questions. If you need to study for the Technician exam or are helping someone to study, please be sure you are using the correct set of questions. Some sources of study materials still offer the old information. Be cautious when purchasing or using study materials. FCC is cracking down on a company illegally marketing of the Baofeng UV-5R handheld transceiver capable of tuning to restricted frequencies used for aviation, satellite and by the federal government. The crackdown for now only applies to one company, Amcrest Industries, that is marketing on Amazon. If you already have such a radio, be sure to use it only on the amateur authorized frequencies. Radio Parity Act (HR 555) was included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed in the House of Representatives; however, it was not included in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act since it did not survive the conference committee. There is still hope that it can be eventually be passed on its own or become a part of some other larger act. The Radio Parity Act would grant amateur radio operators limited rights to have outdoor antennas in antenna-restricted communities. A number of senators and representatives have indicated support for the radio parity act. Club Website Please check the club website at Here you will find updated rosters, net protocols, and minutes from our meetings and activities. The previous meeting minutes should be checked on the website for correctness, because we seldom have extra copies at the next meeting. 2

3 The Ifs If you have any ideas or news for the newsletter or topics for future MARC meetings please share those thoughts with any of the MARC leadership listed at If you need help with a radio matter, check out the list of Elmers on the MARC website. If we don't know the answer, we will help find someone who does. If you would like to write a short article for the newsletter, on a ham radio topic, please contact one of the MARC leadership. We would love to hear from you. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter as an , respond by or contact any of the MARC leadership and ask to be dropped from the list. Their contact information can be found on MorganARC.net. Upcoming RACES/ARES Conference This year the RACES/ARES conference will be held November 3 in Salt Lake City in the Multi-Agency State Office Building (195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City) instead of the Davis Convention Center used in the past. This free conference has always proved to be an informative event for those interested in emergency radio communications. Registration is now open. If you want to attend, it is suggested that you register early to be certain of getting a ticket. Please note that the link to Utah.Train.org which has been used in the past to register does not seem to be working. Registration can be accomplished via a link you should have received in your . If you did not get the with the link or deleted it by mistake, let me know by return and I will send you the link. Calendar of Events Please continue your support of the weekly nets, or begin if you have not participated. Also please look at the list below of upcoming events and consider participating in some of them. That is an important way to improve your radio skills and knowledge. The list of events is not comprehensive, but shows what I know about at the time of the newsletter. If you have a calendar item you would like to have in the newsletter, just send me the information. Hope to hear you on the radio soon! - Forrest (KG7NJF) Upcoming Events October 12th through 14 th Nevada QSO Party. See http//nvqso.com for more information. 13 Th Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club annual SwaptoberFest (A swapmeet). See BARConline.org for more information. 17 Th MARC meeting. 6PM Search and Rescue Building November 3 rd RACES conference. See note above for more details. December - 19 th Morgan Amateur Radio Club meeting and pot luck dinner. Elections will be held. Please consider running for office. - North Pole Net -Dates and venues to be announced later. 3

4 Recurring Events --Morgan ERC net: Sunday 9 PM on Morgan repeater on MHz. Visit for more information. --Wasatch Back Tri-County net: Thursday 9 PM Lewis Peak repeater on MHz. Visit for more information. --Utah State RACES VHF net, third Thursday of even number 8:00 PM on an intertie repeater you can reach. --Utah State RACES HF net; third Saturday of odd number 8:00 AM on MHz To join or renew membership with the Morgan Amateur Radio Club, please fill in the application on the next page and bring it with appropriate dues to a club meeting or mail it to: Sue Cogger, 73 North River Cove Circle, Morgan, UT

5 Name: Call Sign: License Class: Address: City, State, ZIP code: Home Phone: Work Phone: Cell Phone: Address: Check bands and modes that you can operate or are interested in: MODE HF 6M 2M 222 MHz SSB CW FM DATA PACKET Other modes (specify below) Mobile Operation 440 MHz Others Are you a member of the ARRL? Yes [ ] No [ ] Can your home station be operated without commercial power? Yes [ ] No [ ] Are you interested in emergency preparedness/communications? Yes [ ] No [ ] What subjects would you be interested in learning about? Is there a topic you could share info about or elmer (help) others on? I am applying for membership in the Morgan County Amateur Radio Club and agree to abide by its Constitution and Bylaws. (Current annual membership fee is $10 single or $18 family) Signature Date FOR TREASURER S USE: 1Yr 5Yr Single Family Pro-Rated Date Paid Amount Cash Check # Initials 5