RADIO HAPPENINGS 07.01.2024

 

Credit: Pickles by Brian Crane, September 28, 2019

  Welcome to July!!! We ended June with a nice day... 73 light breeze and no rain... The 4th of July is just a few days away and as we toured the farm areas, it does  not seem as if we are going to see the corn "knee high by the fourth of July" . But we should have  great sweet corn when the Club Picnic happens.. (stay tuned.) 

       A short "look back" before we get into what is coming up..

       Tech Talk at the last meeting was by the President of RT Systems. This company provides Ham Radio programming software. Rather than trying to put all the frequencies and menu items in by hand, you fill in the blanks on your pc and then download it in .... The demo was interesting..

       Field Day.. June 22-23... The group gathered at the Oak Street Cafe' at 8am.. the rain had just begun.. Shortly after 9am we headed out to Osprey Point Park.. The East River had just begun to rise next to the driveway ingress. There was a good size bunch of helpers for setting up,  Some of our newest members dug right in.. put up the antennas, ran coax, setting up the radio stations under the shelter just out of the spray of the rain.. had to move one into the building and the third in the EComm trailer.. Used two OCF dipoles, a fan dipole and a 19ft vertical.(not all at the same time) Later on some others came and set up another vertical to use.   At first, one dipole that was parallel to the big power lines had major noise on one radio but another radio was able to null that out.. Ran 3A on 40, 15 and 20 meters.. the CW was mostly on 40 meters. otherwise voice was used on all of them .. 

    Propagation was poor.. the best run was by holding one frequency and calling CQ....

   The dinner was very well attended.. as well as the camaraderie after... 12:30am almost all folks had left- so the two members that were still there, closed down and took a nap until 4:30am .. put on the coffee pot and started back up. 

     Although there was rain most of the time, people kept dropping by.. and we added a few new members ... Welcome !! 

        The end of a great day on Saturday, was highlighted by the bright sky filled rainbow ... almost like someone saying " Job well done ....

       That "job well done" was expressed by the park custodians after checking the park on Monday after.. Thanks to everyone that made that happen.

       The forms have been filled out and sent into the ARRL... 

        Thanks to everyone that helped before, during and after......  

      Coming up... 

  July 10th  - Siren Test Net ... 1145 check in .. Siren at noon unless a storm in the area... 

   July 11th - GB Mike & Key Club Meeting... Tech Talk at 6:30 Meeting at 7pm ..   

  July 13th - Brat Barn at Festival East.. please let Keith KS9WI, know if you can help                              between 9 and 5..

   July 13th - Activation of the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse ...between 10 and 2 on                                HF (try 20m first) 

    (some other dates are coming up to operate from a lighthouse..              mostly on a  Saturday. .interested? Email contact@k9eam.org.) 

    July 16th - CQ Tuesday...... 

          Early August: National Lighthouse Day

          Later August: Club Picnic

Field Day.. June 22-23...

        

FIELD DAY --

Just a couple of days away... We are hoping you will participate in some way.. Here is what the schedule looks like...

  Now until you get there...

     Gather your insect repellent , flashlight, rain repellent, writing tools, If you want to bring your own radio because you know what all the buttons are for, sun screen, cap, water, medications.. If you will be there at night, it might get a little cooler so some warmer outerwear.. 

   Saturday morning - if you wish...8AM Gather at the Oak Street Café' in W. De Pere, on Oak Street.. there is additional parking in the back. .we have asked for space in the large party room.. so if you come in the front, we might be toward the back room ... around 9 -9:30 head toward the Osprey Point park.. Entrance right across from the U-Haul rental on GV/ Monroe Road. Please drive slowly into the park.. it is a single lane. There is a nice building with kitchen, restrooms as well as an outdoor shelter portion.  

  9:30 to noonish ,, set up antenni, run coax, put out the network system, generator, power cords, information table, banners, set up  the radio stations, check from radio to antenna.. check laptop networking using N3FJP logging software, .. It was suggested that if you are going to use the CW mode, that you bring your radio.. 

   1PM Begin making Field Day Contacts... It would be nice to change off operating and logging.. and get some of those that do not get to be on HF to have some experience..  Or if we have some visitors .. a chance to make a contact or ? ..

     5ish we (with significant others as well) begin to gather for dinner and some camaraderie    .6ish.. Club furnishing some brats and burgers, soda.. If you want any adult beverages, byob.  A side dish or dessert would be welcomed...

        

      The park will be open all night and the radios will be as well.. The sunspot activity looks pretty favorable... some operators will be out there . . Cannot sleep? Come out and operate for a while...  keep the radios warm... (we don't have tubes to do that any more) 

 Sunday... There will be a coffee pot on.. so a morning chat is in order..  ..depending on radio conditions, operate until 1PM  

       Yes, storms are possible, but operating on the safe side - disconnect... 

       

         Which is something I need to do....  disconnect....  73.. 

Radio Happenings 6.9.2024

    A busy Ham is a happy Ham.. If you joined in on some of the events lately, you must be happy... and tired. 

      Hamfest. The "Cafe' " folks were serving up coffee, rolls, desserts and hot dogs steadily. Public address system wires were getting hot with prize announcements.

 For me,,, a big thanks to who ever was in charge of keeping the rain at bay !!  My age must be showing because the tables seem heavier this year.. thanks to the set and take down group for a job well done.. the List could be longer but I hope you know who you are and that your work is appreciated.. 

  For the first one there and the last to leave.. Thanks - Randy Dyle..  

       VE Testing ; The VEs were busy and made the Ham Community a bit larger.. with 3 new techs, 8 new generals, and 1 new extra class licenses earned.. Congrats to all those ..

Kewaunee Lighthouse: On Saturday June 8th, Mike W9MWP, Larry K9IQ, Walt KE9TT, and I, activated the Lighthouse in Kewaunee. Operated 20meters.. Most of the stations contacted were POTA stations with Yagi antennas at 90 feet with 1Kw output... and they were having a tough time getting contacts.. ???

One of our visitors was KE9ALV from the Sturgeon Bay area, who just earned her Tech at our HamCram in April. It was good to see the enthusiasm Connie had for the hobby. Connie.. thanks for the photo..

We had a chance to talk to the people touring during this Open House.. Explaining that the light was not the only beacon to that location, but there was also a radio beacon sending an identifying Morse Code letter "G" which identified the Kewaunee Lighthouse. Ships had direction finding loop antennas to receive and hone in on the transmitting signal... like a "Fox Hunt" we have... Also showed aspects of Ham radio.

There might be another opportunity on July 13.. but more on that later..

Now to put a spotlight onto the Club President ...

Hello Club Members…

Did you make it to the Hamfest?  I hope so because it was a lot of fun and a big success.  Thanks to committee Co-Chairmen Todd W9GRB and Dave, KD9HJJ and the team of excellent volunteers, the event went off very well with over 230 people in attendance.  The best crowd yet.  The committee is now working on a detailed after-action report that will be presented at the July club meeting.  If you have any comments about the Hamfest, please forward them to Dave, KD9HJJ at davidziesmer53@gmail.com .  He’s looking for input on things that went well and things that need improvement.  Be sure to include your suggestions on how these improvements could be made.  Once again, it was a great event.  Special appreciation goes out to Tower Electronics and Wolf River Coils who were very generous in providing prizes and overall support. 

We’ve got a Brat Barn coming up on Saturday June 15.  This one will be at the De Pere Festival.  Keith, KS9WI needs a few more volunteers, so be sure to let him know you if can come out and help.  He’ll go over the details at the June 13^th club meeting. If you haven’t worked a brat barn, give it a try.  This is a nice way to get to know your fellow Amateurs and it’s a perfect opportunity to support our club.

FIELD DAY!!  This year we’ll be at Osprey Point Park on Monroe Road near Bellevue.  Gene, AB9GK and the Field Day committee have been doing a lot of work to make sure we have another enjoyable operating event.  This is a great opportunity to get on the air and spend some time visiting while enjoying our great hobby.  Mark your calendars for June 22/23 and hear all about it at the June meeting. 

I hope to see you at the meeting on Thursday, June 13^th.  Be there for the Tech Talk at 6:30. Our special guest via Zoom will be Karin Thompson, KD4DXX, the owner of R-T Systems, the folks who make the programming software. 

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions about our club.

See you at the meeting…73,

Bill, KB3KYH

(302) 537-4755

Calendar.... 

June 12th  Siren Test Net

June 13th  Club meeting,, 6:30 Tech Talk - meeting at 7pm

June 18th  CQ Tuesday

June 22 -23.. Field Day !!   Info coming... 

June 31st .. you have the wrong calendar ... 

Radio Happenings .. 5.25.2024

Radio Happenings .. 5.25.2024  

  Wow… what a lightshow in the sky on Tuesday evening.. Earlier, I had been watching the weather in Iowa..  saw the storm tracker ride into the hail… baseball size.. It did not take long for the windshield to crumble .. a lot of shards of glass inside the car…. 

 Then when the storm came closer to our “neck of the woods”, the  radar that I was watching, showed the vortex signature of tornados … got a bit concerning  . A big thank you to all those that checked into the Skywarn net on the .120 repeater.  A good thing to do.  The more eyes to the skies the better.  The NWS relies on the Ham Community to give “Ground Truth” reports. The radar does not know if the funnel cloud reached the ground to become at tornado..  only actual sightings do.

v HAMFEST

·        Only a week away from the Club Hamfest..  Have you all  the information you need?  The flyer is still on the Club web page… K9EAM.org.

·        On Friday, set up takes place.. if you have a moment or two, stop by and give a hand.  Of  course, on Saturday evening, help will be needed to take down … thanks in advance…

v MORE UP COMING…

·        MAY 31, SET UP FOR HAM FEST..

·        JUNE 1, HAMFEST 

·        JUNE 8, D DAY , KEWAUNEE  LIGHTHOUSE,

·        JUNE 12, SIREN TEST NET

·        JUNE 13, GB MIKE & KEY MEETING (Welcome new Hams)

·        JUNE  15, BRAT BARN, DE PERE FESTIVAL..

·        JUNE 22-23, FIELD DAY.. OSPREY POINT

 The 10 day forecast shows that May31 and June 1^st are identical weather.. 77 degrees, partly cloudy…  slight wind, less than10% chance of precipitation. So if you have a trunk full of gear to sell, you might consider outside trunk sales.. and/or bring a table..  If you are  going to sell inside, reserve a table soon…

    If you would like to put a gift basket together for raffling off at the hamfest, it would be greatly appreciated.. it could be brought in during set up on Friday 31.\\

             I noted D Day.. The invasion on the beaches of Normandy.  It was on June 6, 1944. It was code named Operation Overlord. 156,000 troops advanced onto the beach… 4,000 were killed by stationed German troops.  Participating in that event was the tug boat Ludington carrying supplies. The tug now is docked in an area near the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse and is open for tours (most times)   In the morning of  June 8^th, there will be commemoration ceremony at the Ludington, …

     Let’s look back at the Wis.QSO Party in March.. congratulations go out to some of our members…

Bill Duveneck WB3KYH… 2^nd place in the Rookie Category.. 50,774 points 

Single Operator Fixed 

Justin Korpal   K0RPL             51958Points

Gene Radke   AB9GK             35112 Points

Keith Summers  KS9WI          23652 Points  (KEW) 

Brent Crier  N9BC                    22313 Points

Paul Blum   K9ARF                4305 Points

Dale Johnson WB9NRK                   480  Points

 Multi Operator Fixed  

 Wes Michael         K9EAM      6615 Points

Club Competition

Green Bay Mike & Key Club    264,829 Points with 10 logs (6^th place in State)

The Presdent’s Spotlight ..

The Hamfest is next Saturday...June1. This is one of our major events of the year and is a big contributor to our club's financial strength.  It takes a lot of volunteers to make it a success, so if you have some time to help out, please contact Todd, W9GRB at 414-455-6374 or toddw9grb@gmail.com.  You can also get in touch with Dave, KD9HJJ at davidziesmer53@gmail.com or 262-510-3376.  Another way you can help is to provide some homemade cookies, cupcakes, or bars that the kitchen team can offer for sale.  These "goodies" have been very popular at our last Hamfests.   

Our next big event is Field Day over the weekend of June 22 and 23.  The Field Day Committee has been working hard to make this the best yet and they will provide all the details at our June 13 club meeting.   

The week before Field Day, on June 15 we'll have another Brat Barn.  Keith, KS9WI still needs a few volunteers for this one, so please be ready to "sign up" at the June meeting.    

See you at the Hamfest!   73,   Bill, KB3KYH   302-537-4755