Welcome to HCRA

Author: Webmaster

  • Board Meeting Minutes 9/18/2012

    Hampden County Radio Association

    Board of Directors Meeting 9/18/2012, Holyoke Hospital Boardroom

    Officer Reports
    Vice President – 35 Raffle Tickets Sold for KX3 Raffle

    Treasurer’s Report – AA1YW

    Current Financial report – Income From Meeting

    KX3 Raffle – $310.00
    Membership – $615.00
    Donation – $110.00

    Income Total – $1035.00

    Expenses – $120.00 (Welcome Back Refreshments)

    Starting Balance – $6017.81
    Ending Balance – $6932.81

    Technical Report – W1MSW

    Help Dave Cayen and Dave Henderson K3 Setup

    Zero Beat Update – N1FJ
    Cutoff Date for October ZB is Sept. 27th.
    Discussion of future of Zero Beat

    Membership report –

    Renewals – 41
    Donations – $110.00

    New Membership Rule proposed extending New Memberships March 1st or later until the following
    August 31st. Seconded by N1KXR and all in favor.

    Discussed Free Memberships given at VE Sessions.

    At Large – W1MJB

    Nothing to report

    Program report – KX1X – absent

    Discussed Encouraging participation in the meetings and for content on website
    Discussed Future Programming
    Discussed Joint HCRA/MTARA Holiday Party. Marty, W1MJB volunteered to coordinate

    Old Business

    Motion to suspend November Auctions, seconded and approved
    Discussed the parsing of duties for the holiday party planning.
    Decided to drop putting letters on the club trailer.

    New Business

    Publishing of Articles to website
    January 8th will be the first date of a trial of teleconferencing for the board meetings.

    Club Meeting minutes respectively submitted by Dave Scarpa, club Secretary.

  • Who’d like an TYT TH-F5 Dual Band HT?

    Did you say, me?! Well it could be you.

    TYT TH-F5

    That’s right, you could add a brand new, right-out-of-the-box TYT TH-F5 Dual Band HT to your radio collection. What’s the catch you ask? No catch, it’s something you were going to do anyway. And what might that be, you next ask. Simple, come to the next HCRA meeting on Friday, October 5, 2012, enjoy the company of your fellow Hams and learn a thing or two about RTTY from Tom Homewood – W1TO, Western Mass. Area Manager for the Yankee Clipper Contest Club . At the end of the meeting, a door prize drawing will be held with one person in attendance going home the proud recipient of a TYT TH-F5 Dual Band HT.

    The only way it could be you, is for you to join us at the Holyoke Medical Center’s Auxiliary Conference Center located at 575 Beech Street Holyoke Mass, 01040-2223 on Friday, October 5, 2012 at 7:30pm (doors open at 7:00pm).

  • Member Profile – October 2012

    Who is this guy who has been developing the new HCRA website?  Well here is your chance to find out.  Our October member profile is on HCRA member and webmaster extraordinaire Jeff – NT1K.

    Name: Jeffrey Bail

    Town: West Springfield

    Callsign: NT1K

    Previous Callsigns: N1BMX, KB1GJQ

    License Class: Extra

    Main station equipment: Yaesu FT-950 HF+6M All mode, Yaesu FT-736R 2M 1.25m and 70cm All mode , Yaesu FT-1900R 2M FM, Motorola Maxtrac for 70CM FM. I have a homebrew 5el 2m Yagi, Diamond X-510 Dualband vert, 10M Dipole, G5RV and a ButterNut HF9V that still needs to be installed. I also have a Heathkit SB-200 500W Amp for a little help here and there

    Mobile station equipment: Motorola MCS2000 UHF Only

    Favorite Band(s): 20M SSB and 75M SSB

    Favorite Mode(s): SSB, PSK31, JT65 and RTTY

    What year were you first licensed and what license class? 2001 with the call KB1GJQ. I hated the call so much that I’ve changed to N1BMX within weeks. You might not see it now but I used to really be into BMX (Bicycle Motocross). Changed the call when I obtained extra class because it’s obvious I don’t do BMX anymore and I had extra class…. Why not!

    How did you become interested in amateur radio? I’ve been into radio ever since I could understand the Radio Shack catalog in the early 90’s. Started off with CB radio in the mid 90’s and when my uncle Don (N1JOI, SK) noticed I was spending more than I should on CB’s he started bringing me to MTARA meetings at the soldiers home in Holyoke and some HCRA auctions. I Participated in Field Day in 1995 at Mount Tom where I got to play on 40M which got me hooked and I was more determined to get my license. I’ve tried a couple times in the mid 90’s to get my license but my brother had to one up me (he got N1XSA) so I gave up until my senior year in High School.

    What are some of your favorite aspects of the hobby? I enjoy almost all aspects of the hobby to a certain extent. That’s what is so great about Amateur Radio; there is something to always keep you busy. If I were to pick a favorite, It would have to be contesting followed by DIY/Kit building.

    What is your most memorable experience in the hobby? At this point in time, passing my General class license. After getting initially licensed in 2001, I was in and out of the hobby. The only time I was active was around field day when I knew I could operate outside of my license privileges. Over time other hobbies took over and Amateur Radio was put on the back burner. After getting married, purchasing a home and having kids, I’ve found myself home more and more, which caused Amateur radio to come back. However, I wanted to do more than VHF/UHF so I made sure to get my General to take advantage of HF.

    If different from the above question, what was your most memorable contact on the radio? Making my first JA (Japan) contact on 10M using 50W into a dipole that is located in my attic in 2011. Was really impressed because I thought I would never hit Japan.

    What do you feel ham radio operators must do to help ensure the future of the hobby?  I feel that ALL operators should put aside their differences and embrace any changes or new technology that could attract new and younger operators and make them  stay active in the hobby. It may not be your particular cup of tea, but don’t dismiss it because of your personal beliefs. Things like SDR, “Digital Modes”, Digital Communications (e.g., D-Star P25, C4FM) and “No-Code” licenses are what attracts some of those new people to keep our hobby going.

  • CONTESTS 26 September through 9 October

     

    CONTESTS

    26 September through 9 October

    An expanded, downloadable version of QST’s Contest Corral in PDF format is available. Check the sponsor’s Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions.

    HF CONTESTS

    SKCC Straight Key Sprint–CW from Sep 26, 0000Z to Sep 26, 0200Z. Monthly on the 4th Wednesday UTC. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RST, QTH, name, SKCC nr or power. Logs due: 5 days. Rules

    CQ WW RTTY Contest–Digital from Sep 29, 0000Z to Sep 30, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, CQ zone and State/VE area (US/VE). Logs due: Nov 1. Rules

    Texas QSO Party–Phone,CW,Digital from Sep 29, 1400Z (multiple operating periods, see website). Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW–20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone–25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    ARS Spartan Sprint–CW from Oct 2, 0200Z to Oct 2, 0400Z. Monthly on the first Monday evening local time. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 2 days. Rules

    OK1WC Memorial Contest–Phone,CW from Oct 2, 1600Z (see website). First through fourth Monday of each month. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 50, 144, see website for bands. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules http://www.hamradio.cz/ok1wc

    SNS and NS Weekly Sprints–CW,Digital from Oct 5, 0200Z to Oct 5, 0300Z. Weekly on Thursday evenings local time. Bands (MHz): 1.8-14. Exchange: Serial, name, and S/P/C. Logs due: 2 days. Rules

    DX/NA YLRL Anniversary Party–Phone,CW,Digital from Oct 5, 1400Z to Oct 7, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, RST, and section/province/country. Logs due: 30 days. Rules

    PSK Rumble – The Fall Classic–Digital from Oct 6, 0000Z to Oct 6, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    Worked All Provinces of China–Phone,CW from Oct 6, 0000Z to Oct 6, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS(T) and serial or province abbreviation. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    EPC Russia DX Contest–Digital from Oct 6, 0400Z to Oct 7, 0359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: EPC member nr or serial and grid square. Logs due: Oct 22. Rules

    Oceania DX Phone Contest–Phone from Oct 6, 0800Z to Oct 7, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Nov 7. Rules

    Worked All Britain HF Contest–Phone from Oct 6, 1200Z to Oct 7, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 14-28. Exchange: RS, serial, DXCC entity or WAB area. Logs due: Oct 28. Rules

    California QSO Party–Phone,CW from Oct 6, 1600Z to Oct 7, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/”DX” or CA county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    EU Autumn Sprint–Phone from Oct 6, 1600Z to Oct 6, 1959Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. Rules

    RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest–Phone,CW from Oct 7, 0700Z to Oct 7, 1900Z. Bands (MHz): 21,28. Exchange: Serial and UK district. Logs due: Oct 22. Rules

    VHF+ CONTESTS

    ARRL EME Contest–Phone,CW,Digital from Oct 6, 0000Z to Oct 7, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 2.3G+. Exchange: Call signs, sig rpt, acknowledgement. Logs due: Jan 1. Rules

    902 MHz Fall VHF Sprint–Phone,CW,Digital from Sep 29, 7 AM to Sep 29, 1 PM. Bands (MHz): 902+. Exchange: 6-character grid locator. Logs due: 4 weeks. Rules

    432 MHz Fall VHF Sprint–Phone,CW,Digital from Oct 3, 7 PM to Oct 3, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 432. Exchange: 4-character grid square. Logs due: 4 weeks. Rules

    Texas QSO Party–Phone,CW,Digital from Sep 29, 1400Z (multiple operating periods, see website). Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies (MHz): CW–20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone–25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    OK1WC Memorial Contest–Phone,CW from Oct 2, 1600Z (see website). First through fourth Monday of each month. Bands (MHz): 3.5, 50, 144, see website for bands. Exchange: RS(T) and serial. Logs due: 7 days. Rules

    PSK Rumble – The Fall Classic–Digital from Oct 6, 0000Z to Oct 6, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and call area (see website). Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    California QSO Party–Phone,CW from Oct 6, 1600Z to Oct 7, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/”DX” or CA county. Logs due: Oct 31. Rules

    LOG DUE DATES

    26 September through 9 October

     

  • Whats New In The DX Zoo

    [table]
    Entity,Callsign,Date
    Cocos (Keeling),VK9CS,Sep. 21- 28 2012.

    Conway Reef,3D2C,Sep. 26 – Oct. 5 2012.
    Tristan da Cunha,ZD9UW, Sep. 27 – Oct. 4 2012.
    Chad,TT8TT,Oct. 3-16 2012.
    Rodrigues Is,3B9SP,Oct. 16-23 2012.
    St. Peter & St. Paul Rocks,PT0S,Nov. 9-22 2012.
    Brunei,V84SMD,Nov. 11- 22 2012.
    Campbell Is.,ZL9HR,Nov. 17 – 30 2012.
    Mauritania,5T0SP,Nov. 24 – Dec. 10 2012.
    Banaba,T33A,March 25- April 10 2013.
    Clipperton Is.,TX5,March 2013
    [/table]

  • Subscribe to the New HCRA!

    Want up to date information on what is going on with the club without having to go to the website every day? There is a way where it can be bundled up and sent to your e-mail box!

    How is this possible you might ask. Well it’s very easy to do. Let me show you how.
    Scroll or navigate all the way to the bottom of the page. You’ll notice a box that is titled “SUBSCRIBE TO HCRA VIA EMAIL” with the text box on the bottom. Just enter your e-mail address and press the “Subscribe” button.

    If everything goes well you will see “An email was just sent to confirm your subscription. Please find the email now and click activate to start subscribing.” and there should be an email in your box within a couple of minutes.

    Upon opening you’ll see this

    This email is telling you that someone (you) tried  to subscribe to the HCRA using this email address. Just press the “Confirm Follow” button that I highlighted in red.

    Once you press the “Confirm Follow” button, it will bring you to a website and you’ll have to make one more choice

    Please choose how often you want e-mails. At this point in time you can get an email almost immediatly when something is posted or the start of every week. You can choose these options in the dropdown box that I highlighted in red. You can also fine tune how you get the updates. You can have it sent in HTML (Like how you would see it on the website) or in plain text.  After you made the choice(s), you will be all set!

    It’s encouraged that ALL members of the HCRA subscribe. That way you can stay in touch with what is happening in the club and also catch any important changes that might come up.
    I would also take a look at our Events page to see what is going on that is Amateur Radio related in the area.

     

  • Home Made Off Center Fed Dipole

    Here is my first attempt at an article.  I wanted to make a all band antenna without the long tail of a G5RV.  I did some research and remembered that awhile back I had received an antenna from a fellow ham that had been struck by lightning.  It was a 40 meter Carolina windom.

    Started by taking the 2 baluns apart to see what they were made of.  Found the upper one was a 4:1 to 1 balun.  It had 15 turns around a 3/8 ferrite rod.

    Mine was burnt and broken from the lightning hit.

    Searched on the internet how to make one (new they are approx. $20-$30).   I wound 10  turns of the 14 gauge wire on a small piece of 1 inch O.D. PVC pipe. This was then enclosed in a small piece of 1 1/2 inch O.D. PVC pipe and end caps for weatherproofing. Two stainless steel eye-bolts are used to attach the antenna wires and another to support the balun.

    http://www.qsl.net/j39bs/images/balun/hfbalun.jpg

    http://www.qsl.net/j39bs/images/balun/balun18.jpg

    http://www.qsl.net/j39bs/images/balun/balun24.jpg

    http://www.qsl.net/j39bs/images/balun/balun31.jpg

    (photos were taken from the internet)

    Buying one probably would have been easier but there is no experience in that.

    Next was to take apart the other balun and see what made it tick.  There was no damage to this one just a rattle (curiosity killed the cat).  This one was a 1:1 Choke balun to dissipate RF.  Took it apart and found the ferrite rod hand broken.  Guess I need to make another.  Back to the internet.

    Here is what I found

    I needed a choke balun to keep RF from getting back into my radio and finding new ways to make sure I stayed awake late at night. I found instructions online for a simple and cheap coax 1:1 choke balun. It is supposed to handle 160 meters to 10 meters which is perfect for my application. I made some modifications to the construction but I kept the critical parts intact. Mainly I added HF connectors at each end so that it can go inline in with my coax to the antenna. I figure I can also use it later for other antennas because I can simply make an adapter that screws onto one end to allow me to hookup wires directly to it for either ladder line or antenna wires. It’s a bit heavy so it’d have to be supported by some rope instead of just the wire if I needed to have it up in the air, but that isn’t a big deal really.
    Here are the beginning parts of the 1:1 coax choke balun. I have about 21 feet of RG-58u wrapped around a 3″ PVC pipe form that I drilled two holes in to feed the coax into the inside of the pipe. At the bottom you can see the end caps with the SO-239’s installed already. I bolted them in with 6-32 screws with a nice large fender washer to provide a strong backing and to spread the stress out across the cap so that if it has anything hanging on either end it will not break the cap and pull out. Everything is sealed up with some really nice 35 year, silicone impregnated, permanently flexible clear caulking to provide a weather proof seal that should last a long time. I also tacked down the winding in place using a few beads of the same caulking to keep everything nice and tight.
    Here is a close-up shot of the two end caps where you can more clearly see the method I used for mounting the SO-239 connectors. With the fender washer as a backer it would take quite a bit of force to pull the connector out. Odds are the coax will pull apart first, but let’s be honest, it’d be a lot easier to fix a piece of coax than it would to rebuild this thing!
    Here is a shot of the coax and how it is hooked up to the connector. The center conductor is soldered in and the braid is attached to a ring terminal which is then bolted onto one of the bolts using another nut. It’s a pretty solid construction and should last a long time, I hope.
    Here is the fully assembled choke balun. I drilled a small hole in the pip to allow air to escape when I pushed the two ends on, otherwise it would have acted like an air spring and forced one end back off. It will be sealed up with caulking once the PVC cement dries. Overall length from tip to tip is about 13″.
    (Some wording and pictures were taken from internet)
    Being that I was building a 10 thru 80 antenna ( if you remember it was a 40) I had to change the length of wire also.

    Holding true to the original Windom formulas, I used a ratio of 37.8% for one side and 62.2% for the longest side after determining the half wave length at the lowest operating frequency…. This is the 200Ω point, hence the 4:1 balun. (50Ω to 200Ω) The antenna is very simple.  As already mentioned it is fed at the 1/3 point.  So for 80m and up, you have one leg that is 45 feet long, and another leg that is 90 feet long.   Some tweaking may be needed, but mine was built within an inch or two of those measurements.

    The 10 feet vertical radiator really does radiate, and offers vertical radiation to the existing horizontal radiation, and therefore adds to the low angle omnidirectional radiation. The line isolator stops the vertical radiator radiating all the way back to the shack.  Ideal height for the feed point is around 30-35 feet.

    This is the same design as the ‘Carolina Windom 80 Special’

    Hopefully Every one enjoyed this

    73

    KB1NWH

  • Activating Crag Mountain, Northfield, Mass.

    Around midnight on Friday (Aug. 31) night Jim/KK1W emailed me that he, Nick/K1MAZ and John/Kx1x would be activating Prospect Hill the next day. I had already activated Prospect Hill this year, so I decided to do Crag Hill in Northfield and snag a sure S2S (Summit to Summit). Jim was going to use NE1SJ so I used my own call. Nick and John used primarily NE1C, the Venture Crew’s call. (You can see their posting on this Group site from a few days ago.)

    I set up a segmented 20/40 meter dipole, supported in the center by my new Jackite Pole at about the 20 foot level. On 40 cw, I got on and called cq and worked Boston & Maryland. Then I spotted an alert and put 8 more in the log, including NE1SJ and K1MAZ (on cw!). Then I switched to 20 meter cw (being lazy, I discovered that the KX3 tuned the 40 meter dipole fine on 20 meters). Sent an alert on SOTA, and 10 quick QSOs. Got briefly unlazy, and removed the jumpers to make the antenna a 20 meter dipole. 2 more contacts. Switched to 15 meter cw, reverted to being lazy and the KX3 tuned 15 meters fine on the 20 meter dipole. 14 Qs on 15. Then back to 20 cw for a few more. Recap: 41 QSOs, 2 S2S.

    Conditions were good, weather ideal. The view of Northfield Mountain was great. The KX3 performed well. A 2.6 Ah LiPo battery weighing 8 ounces powered the KX3 for the entire operation, with room to spare. The segmented dipole is a pain to change singlehandedly, thinking of making a trap dipole and/or experiment more with an end-fed wire.

    Frandy, N1FJ

  • NE1C SOTA Activation Review – September 1, 2012 – Prospect Hill

    Nick (K1MAZ) and I, along with Jim (NE1SJ/KK1W) made the trek to Prospect Hill, MA (near Athol) for a SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation.  Great weather and great propagation made for a perfect day!!!

    We hung a mini-G5RV from the fire tower (up about 80′ sloping to a tree branch).  We used KK1W’s FT100 to make contacts using 55w and mini-G on 20m, 15m, and 10m SSB.  We used the FT817 and the mini-G to make PSK31 contacts (yeah, 5w) on 20m.

    We also used a home-made “tape-measure” 2m beam to work a few local contacts on 146.52.  If you’ve taken 146.52 out of your scanning sequence, you might consider putting it back in, especially on weekends when local hams may be looking to make a contact with you.

    Stay tuned for more NE1C activations, coming soon!  Thanks for all of you that we contacted today, and all we’ll contact in the future!

    ’73 de Kx1x, John J. Pise, Jr.

    Hover over a thumbnail to see the description, click any thumbnail to start the slideshow.

    NE1C Activation Logs

     

     

  • 2012 Field Day Summary

    Last June Hampden County Radio Association once again participated in the annual ARRL Field Day event. This year we added an additional transmitter, which put us in the 8A category. As usual, the event was an overall success with our members and visitors having a great time while operating and enjoying each other’s company.

    And like every field day, the successes were accompanied by a few problems that no doubt affected our overall score and morale for a short time during the event.  However, solving those problems was an excellent test of our ability to troubleshoot problems under pressure.  Although there were problems with the antenna for the 15 meter and 20 meter SSB station, the 40 meter SSB station led by band captain Jeff – NT1K set an all time record for points for that station at Field Day and helped pick up the slack while others worked to get the other stations back online.  Jeff even brought in operators from New Hampshire and New York.

    Nick – N1MAZ picked up the responsibility for the wireless network this year and a combination of Nick’s excellent support and operators getting more comfortable with the N1MM logging software gave us our most successful year using that combo to network all of the stations together.  During Jose – N4BAA’s late night visit, it was quite fun to see operator’s names in the log change to “CW GOD”, “North Korea” & “CW is lame”.  Nothing like a little humor at 1am to help wake you up and keep working stations!

    Back again this year was Jim – NN1Y with new assistant Mike – KB1VHS keeping everyone well fed and happy.  The pavilion provided a great place for everyone to take a break from the dits, dahs and static and catch up with each other over some great food and drinks.

    Dianne – KB1KST graciously volunteered to coach the WB1Z GOTA station and was able to get a few new operators on the air as well as some folks who aren’t so new!

    And it wouldn’t be a Field Day in New England with out some summer boomers moving through.  Friday afternoon brought some lightening as storms to the south of us moved through.  And again on Saturday, big storms blew in and stations were shut down until it was again safe to operate.

    The big change at Field Day this year was the use of HF triplexers and a reduction in the number necessary towers.  What did we learn?  That the triplexers work great, but that if one antenna has problems, it affects more than one station!  What did we really learn?  Don’t have antenna problems!

    No field day summary is complete without some ideas for next year.  The big one is probably better distributed management, specifically with the towers.  Some have suggested tower teams consisting of several workers and a tower manager for each tower.  Managers would be experienced with installing AB-577 tower and the antenna going on top of it and would then direct the rest of their team on how to put the tower and antenna together in the proper and safest manner. Others have suggested fewer stations.  It has also suggested that we focus less on bonus points and put more focus everyone operating as well as making sure that volunteers with non-radio related jobs get plenty of time to operate.  All of these boil down to management and we’ll make sure to take them all into consideration for next year.

    A huge thank you to everyone who helped make field day a fun, educational and radio filled event.  It’s the biggest event in our club each year and without everyone’s help we wouldn’t be able to pull off such a large operation that brings new hams into the hobby each year.

    See you in June 2013!

    Matt – W1MSW

    Here is our score summary:

    Score Summary:
    CW  Digital  Phone  Total
    Total QSOs   1253     36    1615
    Total Points   2506     72    1615   4193

    Claimed Score = 8,386
    Bonus Points = 1850
    Total Points = 10236