New calls and upgrades hot off the FCC website
Eric LaCombe KB1ZGJ
Thomas Isham KB1ZGK
Douglas McLean KB1ZGL
Cynthia Forbes KB1ZGM
Official Upgrades
Diane Shipee KB1KST Extra
Ralph Gedney KB1LEW General
Congrats, KUDOs, and all the bells and whistles to all
February first is indeed tomorrow – also the date of our next HCRA meeting.
We’re putting on an ‘all about foxhunting’ presentation by a few of our members. If you’ve never heard of foxhunting this will be the time to learn. If you have foxhunted in the past that’s OK, we’re going to cover some exciting new material, both technology and methods, you may have missed over the last few years.
We’ll have a brief presentation with visual information and a video, presentations by some experienced foxhunters, examples of equipment used and then it is YOUR turn. Would you like to jump on board and ‘re-invigorate’ foxhunting in the area and if so – what type(s) of hunts would appeal to the majority of our members?
In the back of the hall Jeff/NT1K will conducting the ‘Build-a-Beam’ workshop.The results will be a perfect foxhunting antenna. If you are one of the dozen or so folks signed up don’t forget to bring your payment along. I don’t believe our Paypal account is setup for payments quite yet.
Don’t forget to pick up a KX3 raffle ticket while you’re there – they’re going fast and the drawing is only a month away.
See you tomorrow night,
Jim/KK1W
Next Meeting February 1st
Foxhunting presentation and ‘Build a Beam’ Workshop
Meeting number two of the year is another ‘double header’ thanks to the efforts of Jeff/NT1K and Rich/N1KXR. Read on and see what we have in store for you this February. We will be running two concurrent activities Friday night. At the front of the auditorium will be a presentation of foxhunting and at the rear a “Build-a-Beam” workshop.
Local foxhunters Lou/N1LZD and Rob/KA1RBH – with state of the art for 1993 hunters!
“Everyone foxhunting in the area in the early 1990’s can remember the dreading Rob & Lou’s
dedicated foxhunt vehicle. Sporting GPS, Flux gate compass, Doppler DF gear, on board computer and custom programming it was a formidable opponent (but not infallible)!
Foxhunting, what’s it all about? Whether you’ve thought about foxhunting, been on a foxhunt in the past or are interested in participating in future hunts this meeting is for you. We’re gathering up historical data, will present a brief ‘how-to’ that should entice you to try foxhunting this spring and we’ll talk about what foxhunting might look like in the future. If you have anything you’d like us to share from the past or suggestions for future hunts we’re all ears for that too. This should be a fun presentation that will remind us the diversity our hobby provides and take our mind off the freezing cold weather for a few hours or so. Remember, spring is just around the corner.
Build your own 2m Yagi antenna! In the back of the room Jeff and Rich will be holding a ‘Build a Beam’ workshop. Their students will assemble a pre-cut, three element “tape measure” yagi for 2 meters, solder on the coax and give it a try. The little Yagi is good for portable operations, SOTA and of course – foxhunting. More details about the workshop can be found here. There’s still room for a few more students. If you are interested contact Jeff right away so you don’t miss out. After the beams are built everyone can watch as the happy builders give them a test run.
Show & Tell next month
How’s your project coming along?
HCRA’s March meeting wouldn’t be the same without Show & Tell. This is when YOU, the HCRA builder, get an opportunity to show off what you’ve been working on over the last twelve months. It’s fun for the builders and the audience alike. You never know what type of project will show up. Over the years we’ve seen everything from stop light controllers to Van DeGraaff generators, novice transmitters to remote antenna switches, QRP rigs to kilowatt amps. Wonder what you will see this year? The only way I know of is to show up March 1st for the fun!
This year Matt/W1MSW and Frandy/N1FJ will be running the show. I’ll bet we see some different twists, don’t you? Curious, look for Matt’s Show & Tell article in February’s Zero Beat (and don’t forget to keep working on your project!)
HCRA Zero Beat Archives
15 additional years added!
Click the image and go back in time to February 1978!
Thanks to John/AC1T and Jeff/NT1K we now have an additional fifteen years of Zero Beats added to the archives. John spent many hours scanning his collection and forwarding them to Jeff for inclusion in the archives. Issues have been added from 1976 to 1990. It’s interesting to see a snapshot of what both HCRA and ham radio was like 25 to 30 years ago. Some things have changed a lot, others… You’ll have to see for yourself – just click here and take a ride in the HCRA TARDIS!
Special request. Please take a look at the archive list. If you have, or know of someone who has other issues please get in contact Jeff so they can be added to the archive. We can accept them as a .pdf or can scan and return to you. We know there are folks out there with additional issues, here’s a chance to get them preserved and easily accessible for everyone’s enjoyment.
Amateur Radio License Classes
Four new hams & two upgrades – fantastic!
Over the last three weeks the HCRA Instructor Team held classes for all three levels of amateur licenses at the HMC Auditorium. We had seven Technician, three General and three Extra class students. The final class and test session was held on January 26th
Let’s extend a hearty ‘welcome aboard’ to the following newly minted Amateur Radio Operators:
Technician Class
Cindy Forbes
Tom Isham
Doug McLean
General Class
Eric LaCombe
Upgrade to General
Ralph Gedney/KB1LEW/AG
Upgrade to Extra
Diane Shippee/KB1KST/AE
Thanks to all the instructors that participated; Frandy/N1FJ, Ed/KB1NWH, Jim/KK1W, Steve/N1SR, Rich/N1KXR and of course John/Kx1x for taking the helm and getting it done. Thanks also to our hosts at HMC for allowing us the use of their fine facility. Of course the real fun is seeing the happy faces of the newly licensed or upgraded hams!
Spots from the cluster:
Silent Auction Results: January’s silent auction was a success. Thanks to the many donations folks went home with bargains and HCRA added approximately $400 to our treasury. We’re still thinking of how we can bring back the ‘old style’ auction and welcome any suggestions.
KX3 Raffle drawing is March 2nd. There are still two HCRA meetings and one MTARA meeting offering opportunities to purchase a ticket. Your absolute last chance will be at the MTARA Hamfest on March 2nd. Visit the HCRA table, say hello, join or renew your membership AND get a ticket – how cool is that? The drawing will be held at the hamfest at noon. Who knows, you could go home with a brand spanking new KX3 worth $1000 and be on the air that afternoon!
Notes from the ARRL Cabinet Meeting of January 5th Dave/AA1YW and I attend the NE Division meeting, here’s a few highlights:
There’ could be a new LF band coming soon on 135.7 to 137.8 kHz according to the FCC. Also the ARRL has filed a petition for a low frequency band on 472 to 479 kHz. Follow the links for more details.
The 1900 to 2000 kHz segment of 160 meters could be made ‘Primary’ for ham operators. We’ve been secondary on this segment because it was formally used by the LORAN radio location system. The last LORAN broadcast from the system was from Caribou, ME, September 21st, 2010.
The ARRL National Convention will be held in Hartford on July 20, 21 and 22 in 2014. Hartford was picked for the 2014 location to offer an opportunity to the participants in WRTC2014 a chance to unwind and meet other US hams.
‘73 and see you at the meeting,
Jim/KK1W
A part of next month’s meeting will consist of a “Build A Beam” workshop where you can build a 3 element VHF Yagi that is made from PVC and measuring tape.
It’s a great antenna for portable operations such as foxhunting (RDF), SOTA, camping or anything else that you need an improved antenna over the stock “rubber duck” antenna that comes with your portable.
Here is a quick video of it in action.
The antenna will be mostly fabricated before the meeting. At the meeting we’ll be assembling the antenna and soldering on the coax which makes it a easy and fun build.
The antenna will end up costing $20 that has to be pre-paid before the meeting to cover the costs of material. If you’re interested in making an really neat Yagi, please fill out the form below.
UPDATE: ALL SPOTS ARE FILLED. NO MORE ANTENNAS AVAILABLE!
Those whom have not paid, please bring cash to the meeting. Thank you!
Thanks to the efforts of John/AC1T and Jeff/NT1K you can take a time travel trip to the 1970’s without leaving your chair.
John scanned Zero Beats from his collection and sent them to Jeff for inclusion in our Zero Beat Archives page. Click the link and check out HCRA activities from 1976 through 1981. I think you’ll find many things of interest. Not only will you become acquainted with HCRA’s leaders from the 1970’s but you’ll get a glimpse of what ham radio was like thirty five years ago! It’s pretty cool stuff that’s fun to read.
In fact, I saw the want ad below in the 1978 November edition, Larry/WB1DBY – is this you?
Take a look at the archive list. If you have, or know of someone who has other issues please contact Jeff to get them added to the archive. We can accept them as a .pdf or can scan and return to you if you like.
Have fun perusing the newest ‘oldies’ and hope to see you at tonight’s meeting,
Jim/KK1W
Yep, whether buying or selling tonight’s HCRA meeting, Coax Presentation and Silent Auction promises to be great fun. If you have something to sell, bring it down. Buying, all you need is $$$ :). Everyone is welcome, members and non-members alike so bring a friend that’s interested in radio along too.
Besides the Silent Auction Ed/KB1NWH will tell us all we need to know about that round black wire going to our antennas and other accessories (coax). Learn which is best to use in specific applications and also where you can save money. Don’t miss it.
And of course there’s the KX3 Raffle, coffee & donuts and a chance to get together with your friends in the new year!
Don’t miss it, see you there!
Jim/KK1W
http://people.wallawalla.edu/~Rob.Frohne/SDR/USB%20Interface/IF-232%20USB%20Replacement.html
A couple notes from my experience building it:
Because the site in the tutorial was out of stock at the time, I purchased my board from here:
http://www.karlssonrobotics.com/shop/breakout-board-for-ft232rl-usb-to-serial/
Also, my board had a solder jumper with two connectors, so I just moved the solder bridge from the 3.3V pin to the 5V pin removing the need for the extra wire jumper in his design. My board had different connections on the sides so I just connected wires to the connections indicated by the pinouts of the DIN-6 (RTS, CTS, RXD, TXD, GND). These are clearly indicated on the underside of the board (my board at least). Yours may vary here as well, so look before you leap.
In addition, the mappings to the DIN-6 connector are as you’re looking into the radio, not as you’re looking into the connector. I discovered this the hard way and had to do some resoldering.
One last note: FTDI released a successor for MPROG called FT_Prog which works perfectly fine for programming the chip for the inversions needed. Drivers are available on their site, but Windows 7 SP1 x64 pulled them down from Windows Update without a problem.
There is also a utility on the FTDI site to remap COM ports if the chip ends up with a COM number greater than 8 (the max N1MM supports).
73 and Happy New Year de K1MAZ
Next Meeting January 4th
Silent Auction and Coax Presentation
Our first meeting of the New Year kicks off as a double header. We’ve two very interesting and exciting things for you. An expanded silent auction and an informative presentation about coax. There’s more about the silent auction elsewhere in the newsletter and on the website, here’s the lowdown about the presentation.
We all use coax around the shack, connecting our rigs to antennas, antenna switches and tuners. Some of us also use coax for interconnecting transceivers to amplifiers or other station accessories. There’s lots of types and sizes of coax available, have you wondered if you chose the correct/best one for the job? That’s exactly what Ed/KB1NWH is going to help us out with tonight.
Ed/KB1NWH will be sharing with us everything you need to know about coax; types available, costs and the best places to use each type in your radio shack. Ed served HCRA for many years as our technical director answering questions like this on an almost daily basis. He’s taken that knowledge, boiled it down and will give us the scoop on everything coax – from tiny RG-174 to hardline and everything in between. After the presentation Ed will take any questions you may have particular to your installation. This will be a good primer for upcoming spring antenna installations or repairs.
KX3 Raffle
There’s still time to purchase YOUR winning ticket for the KX3 transceiver, but time is running short. The last ticket sales will be at the upcoming MTARA Hamfest on March 2nd, with the drawing being held around noon at the hamfest. Tickets will be available at all club meetings and of course at the hamfest. Not sure you want the transceiver? Think about that a minute. You could own one of the most progressive HF transceivers, considered by many to be the equal of almost any transceiver made to date, for a $10 donation. Rated #2 on Sherwood’s receiver testing, all HF bands, built in PSK and more. Read more about the rig and the raffle by clicking here. Thanks as always for your support of HCRA and good luck!
The return of the silent Auction!
Here’s the latest list of donations for the auction, they may be more by time Friday rolls around. Need more details? Click here.
Radio Shack portable scanner
Radio Shack desk top scanner
Sony AM/FM/SW portable radio
Panasonic portable radio
CDE Ham II rotor
Mini Digital TV Stick
Circuit board set for an ARRL wattmeter
HP Netbook computer
Icom 207 Dual band mobile transceiver
This should be really fun – see you Friday night!
Amateur Radio License Classes scheduled for January!
HCRA’s chief instructor John/Kx1x has announced the latest round of classes. Starting January 15 with two evening sessions and ending with a full day class and test session Saturday January 26. Technician, General and Extra classes will be offered. The focus will be on Technician class to get new folks on board. The General and Extra sessions will be more of a ‘study group’ than a formal class. We had fantastic success with this format last year and are hoping for a repeat.
The classes will be based around the ARRL License Manuals, available from ARRL, Amazon and of course regular bookstores. Another helpful resource are the ‘No Nonsense Study Guides‘ written by Dan/KB6NU. These are well written guides designed to help you pass the test. Tech and General guides are free, the Extra guide is a mere $7.99. All are available for download on their website (linked above). I highly recommend using these guides along with the ARRL manuals. Couple that with some study time there’s no reason why we won’t have a 100% pass rate, right?
If you know of anyone looking to become an Amateur Radio Operator please point them to our classes. The classes are free, and if someone is willing to put in two evenings and a Saturday they too can join our fun hobby.
Spot from the cluster:
Gather up your ‘stuff’ and get it ready for the Silent Auction this month. Think of it like a flea market without prices. What a great way to raise some cash or get some bargains! Open to everyone, members and non-members alike. Read more about it here.
KX3 Raffle drawing changed to March 2nd. Drawing held around noon at the MTARA Hamfest. Good luck! Already have a ticket, double your chances and purchase a second!
10 Meter Contest results are posted on the website. I know there were other HCRA operators QRV, please email us your scores so we can add them to the list. Don’t forget the soapbox comments – they’re even more fun than the scores! Have you sent in your log yet? Cut off date for your entry is 0000Z January 9th. (7:00 PM local time)
ARRL Cabinet meeting is January 5th. HCRA will be represented at the meeting. Are there any issues/comments you would like us to put forward at the meeting? If so please email them to me, thanks!
Happy New Year – 73…
Jim/KK1W
Hey folks! We missed the auction this past November and it is always a fun event. Rather than wait a whole year we decided to hold an auction January 4th, but with a slight ‘twist’. Instead of a regular style auction we’re going to do it silently. How will this work out? We really don’t know but like anything else you don’t know until you try.
Do you have some extra stuff in your shack? Maybe you received a newer, better whatzit for the holidays and need space? Then the January ‘Silent Auction’ is for YOU!
Here’s how it is going to work:
The club will have a decent amount of donated items for sale. We will manage this just like silent auctions of the past, with a clipboard at each having a suggested resale value, a starting bid and bid increment. Here’s a list of of the items we have so far, check the January Zero Beat or the website for the latest version.
Radio Shack portable scanner
Radio Shack desk top scanner
Sony AM/FM/SW portable radio
Panasonic portable radio
CDE Ham II rotor
Mini Digital TV Stick
Circuit board set for an ARRL wattmeter
HP Netbook computer
Now for the fun part! The auction is open to the public and we invite everyone, member and non-member alike, to bring something to sell. It will be up to you, the seller, to manage your item. We have prepared a sample ‘silent bid sheet’ you can print out and use, download it by clicking here. Of course you can use a sheet of your own design too, the choice is yours.
Like everything else at HCRA, there’s only a few simple rules:
1. Bring your item(s) and place them on the tables provided.
2. Fill out a bid sheet and place it in front of your item.
3. Treat your area like a flea market table, hang nearby to answer any questions.
4. At the end of the auction the bid sheets will be collected and the winning bids announced.
5. If the final bid exceeds minimum (if you had one) you’re responsible for collecting from the high bidder and settling up the commission with our treasurer Dave/AA1YW
6. If the bid did not make minimum you can either take your item home or negotiate with the highest bidder. The choice is yours.
Items not allowed in the auction
CRT monitors
Computer printers
Stuff you wouldn’t pay a $1 for and really belongs in a dumpster 🙂
Complimentary coffee and donuts available (but donations accepted) for everyone attending. It should be a fun evening and we’re all looking forward to going home with some new toys!
Further information or questions? Contact Jim/KK1W via email or at 413-237-4666
Mark January 4, 2013 now for a fun evening!
Stay tuned for more information.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Jim/KK1W