SHOW & TELL 2017 – there’s still time!

As of this writing (March 16th) it’s three weeks until HCRA’s Annual Show & Tell on April 7th. That also means it’s only three weeks to finish your project, put together documentation and perhaps win a nice prize for your efforts. No time you say? Well, twenty two days is over three weeks the last time I checked. I’m sure you can rustle up something to show off to the crowd, get their creative juices flowing for 2017 and maybe win a nice prize! But… you really need to get started pretty soon!

BONUS SNOW STORM!

I don’t know if you noticed but the “super storm” of March 14th has effectively pushed back any yard work for at least a few weeks. Now you’ve time for a project and a prize!

K1VOI and the antenna gun. WB1DBY photograph

What exactly is Show & Tell you ask? Well, it’s a chance to show the members something cool you’ve done in your shack, antenna farm, secret laboratory, etc. over the last year. Maybe it’s a new antenna that works like a signal magnet, or a neat way to mount a radio in today’s ‘too small’ vehicles, or a tesla coil (yes, we’ve had one), or a KW amplifier (had those too), or a trick piece of software, or…. You get the picture. Speaking of pictures here’s a few photos from past events to whet your appetite.

An RF sampler by KB1NWH. WB1DBY photograph

Rock-Mite and keyer by Matt, W1MSW. WB1DBY photograph

And of course there’s the prizes. This year the three winners get to choose from a hundred dollars worth of prizes that include an ARRL Operating Manual, a Raspberry Pi 3 and a TC-1 Multi-function tester.

The audience votes for the best project, the votes are tallied and three winners are picked at the end of the evening. It’s easy to do and it’s fun. Of course everyone is a winner here because we all benefit by seeing what our fellow HCRA members created. Everyone in the audience and the presenters takes home a big dose of enthusiasm for 2017!

So there you go. Time to stop surfing, head to the shop and warm up the soldering iron. You too can be a winner at HCRA’s 2017 Show & Tell!

Show & Tell Meeting – March 7th

There are less than two months left before Hampden County Radio Association’s Annual Show & Tell meeting. During this meeting members bring in projects they have either completed or have made progress on over the last year and give a short presentation to the membership. This is a great opportunity to show others what you’ve been up to and for fellow club members to get ideas on projects they might want to try. Past projects have ranged from the simple to the complex and from very small to very large and everywhere in between. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to share. There is still plenty of time to build that kit you have stashed away or put together photos from the project last summer. We look forward to seeing what you’re up to! If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

73,
Matt – W1MSW

2013 Annual HCRA Show & Tell Meeting a Success

Last Friday’s Show & Tell meeting was a great success. We had 9 members bring projects that were either completed or close to completion. All of the presenters did a great job explaining their projects in detail to the club and the audience had good questions for the presenters. Congratulations to Juergen – AB1SU (DK1TM) who scored the most points with the audience and chose the Raspberry Pi microcomputer for his prize. Jeff – NT1K & Dan –KB1VWQ tied for 2^nd place and duked it out over the last two prizes. After the dust settled, Dan went home with the Arduino Uno Microcontroller and Jeff took home two raffle tickets for the KX3 drawing. All of the presenters did a wonderful job with their projects and we thank you for taking the time to show your fellow club members what you’ve been working on. Thank you to everyone who was able to make the meeting, including those who were able to tune in via the live stream on the HCRA USTREAM channel. A special thank you to Jeff – NT1K who setup the live stream and manned the camera throughout the evening. It’s never too early to start thinking about that project for next year!

If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can always see what you missed here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29659726

Matt – W1MSW

Get ready for HCRA ‘Show and Tell’ Friday, March 1st

It’s time to finish up that project you’ve been working on over the last year and bring it to the annual HCRA Show & Tell meeting in March. No project is too small or too big (but it does have to fit through the door). Do you have something that’s not finished, but close enough to be able to show your progress and explain? Well then bring it along. This is your chance to show your fellow club members what you’ve been working on and a chance for everyone listening to pickup some ideas for projects that might improve their shack. Maybe you’ve been working on a homebrew antenna, or maybe you built a kit, or automatic antenna switch. How about a portable station, a homebrew balun, or a modification to a radio that you came up with? No project is too simple or too complex
to bring to Show & Tell. However, you are going to have to explain it to everyone and bonus points will be given for keeping everyone awake! We look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting. Prizes will be awarded (more details soon) and refreshments will be provided with donations appreciated. So pack up that project and come on down to the March 1st HCRA meeting @ 7pm and show your fellow hams what you’ve been up to! For more information, please contact Matt – W1MSW. w1msw@ arrl.net