USECA ARC presents

USECA Officers President: Ken Coughlin/N8KC N8KC@arrl.net (248) 652-1187 Vice President: Rich Line/KC8HMJ KC8HMJ@arrl.net Rec. Secretary: Rob Lifton/NY8W lifton@gmail.com (248)797-2264 Treasurer: Linda/KD8SAI RLBKDLINE@wideopenwest.com Membership Sec: Brenda/KD8SGB KD8SGB@arrl.net Board Member: Michelle/KD8ZYE MMWOLFE163@gmail.com Board Member: Bernard/KC8REX KC8REX@yahoo.com Board Member: Gary/WA8FEA WA8FEA@arrl.net Past Pres: Larry Stocking/W8SOX W8SOX@arrl.net Committeepersons ARRL & Club Liaison: Rob/KE8CEL Net Awards: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Express Editor: Ken/N8KC Field Day Chair: Jerry/N8KLX Health/Welfare:Rob/NY8W (248) 816-2222 Net Manager: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Photographer: Wes/KD8DHS Program Director: Rich/KC8HMJ Refreshments: Don/KC8CPT Repeater Trustee: Ken/N8KC Swap Director: Rob/NY8W (248) 797-2264 Technical Director: Jerry/N8KLX Technicians: N8SA, N8ZA, K8RDJ, W1SKU, W1IK VE Testing: Alec/NF8X (248) 4MY-TEST Webmaster: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Repeater Control Operators Jim/WY8I, Larry/W8SOX, Chuck/N8ZA, Jim/W1IK , Alec/NF8X, Dan/N8ZBA, Jerry/N8KLX Repeater Programmers Jim/W1IK, Brad/N8VI, Jerry N8KLX

Inside this issue:

Meeting Minutes 2

DX Watch, FCC, KWD 3

Santa Net, IARU 4

Ambient Weather 5

Ambient Weather cont. 6

Prez Sez, Volunteer 7

Ballot, K8CFY, 160m 8

PARTY!, Crossword 9

Spcl Events, NPOTA 10

Swaps, Clubs, SKN 11

Get Involved 12

Nets, USECA info 13

THE USECA EXPRESS The Christmas Edition

The Christmas Season around Detroit..

Volume 32 No.12

December 2016

Hudsons

Ford Rotunda Meadowbrook

Chrysler Museum

GM Ren Cen

President N8KC Ken

Vice President KC8HMJ Rich

*Past President W8SOX Larry

Treasurer KD8SAI Linda

Membership Secretary KD8SGB Brenda

Recording Secretary NY8W Rob

Board Member KD8YZE Michelle

Board Member KC8REX Bernard

Board Member WA8FEA Gary

*Absent

Meeting called to order by Ken @ 6:57 pm

Ken asked if there were any corrections to the October

board meeting minutes as published in the Express.

None heard... Gary moved to accept, seconded by

Rich. The motion passed without objection.

Linda delivered her Treasurer's Report. Rob made a

motion to accept, seconded by Gary and the motion

carried.

Brenda reported that we have 128 members

N8KLX Jerry gave his Tech Report: We have in-

stalled a more powerful Henry amplifier in our main

repeater site. It was installed Last Thursday. Our sig-

nal is much improved but only extra height can in-

crease our repeater's footprint. Our main repeater site

is now insured to its full hardware replacement cost.

There was much discussion regarding the outcome of

the swap, attendance, and number of vendors. We did

raise money which will allow us to continue opera-

tions.

Linda offered a motion to adjourn and Gary seconded.

The meeting wrapped up at 7:42 pm

President N8KC Ken

Vice President KC8HMJ Rich

*Past President W8SOX Larry

Treasurer KD8SAI Linda

Membership Secretary KD8SGB Brenda

Recording Secretary NY8W Rob

Board Member KD8YZE Michelle

Board Member KC8REX Bernard

*Board Member WA8FEA Gary

*Absent

Meeting Called to order by Ken @ 7:30 pm

There was a big round of applause for the tireless efforts

of our fine kitchen crew.

New licenses and upgrades were acknowledged.

The microphone was passed around for introductions.

Ken asked if there were any corrections needed in the

October general membership meeting minutes. Hearing

none… KD8SRQ Tony made a motion to accept the

October general meeting minutes as published in the

Express. KE8CQ Gary seconded and the motion was

accepted.

Linda delivered the treasurer’s report. W1IK Jim made a

motion to accept. W8GWS seconded and the motion

passed.

Brenda reported that USECA has 130 paid members.

Technical director’s report: N8KLX Jerry purchased a

Henry commercial-grade 250W amplifier for the repeat-

er. Anecdotal tests showed some improvement within

the K8UO's footprint. Jerry purchased this amp prior to

the general meeting in order to improve the repeater’s

performance sooner. N8KAN John moved to reimburse

the $979.00 Jerry spent on the amplifier. KD8ZYD Fred

seconded and the motion passed. Jerry continued taking

repeater related questions from the club members.

KE8CEL Rob volunteered to be USECA’s new Inter-

club and ARRL liaison.

USECA’s Christmas Party/dinner is to he held on Dec

10 at 6:30 pm @ Habachi Grill by 14 & VanDyke

Walmart as it has been in previous years. There will be a

White Elephant gift exchange run by Ann KT8F.

WFD: we still need someone to chair the 2017 event.

N8KLX Jerry announced Field Day, 2016 results. USE-

CA ranked 55th overall out of 2200+ contestants, 1st in

the 11 Alpha Class, and 10th overall using battery

power.

N8BBC Mike moved to adjourn seconded by W8GWS

Chuck. The motion was approved and the meeting

concluded at 8:19pm

Page 2

General Meeting Minutes, Nov 14 Board Meeting Minutes, Nov 7

Volume 32 No.12

Respectfully submitted by NY8W Robert Lifton, Recording Secretary.

The USECA Express Page 3

DXWATCH.. iPhone app for portable ops …KC8HMJ

Laura Smith at Pacificon.. Talks Ham Radio

Out on a lark in the

park? Operating port-

able or from your

camper and you didn’t

quite get that last sta-

tion’s call? Don’t

have a laptop and a

wifi connection handy? You were pretty

sure he was an ATNO (all-time-new-one)

for you and obviously at least fairly rare

DX, with a pile-up calling him... but,

without his complete call, how are you

ever going to get the contact confirmed?

This is where DX-Watch, an app for

your iPhone can help. It makes searching

for recently spotted DX easy and will

even search archived spots. If you can

remember at least part of the ATNO’s

call and maybe the frequency he was us-

ing, it’d be easy to find him spotted on

DX Watch. It can just as easily be used to

help you find that ATNO and work a

strategy to snag him.

A few screenshots of the app are in the

left column. Like DX-Summit on your

computer, you can limit spots and search

using many different criteria… date,

band, call sign, mode, etc. It’s a little like

having DX-Summit in your pocket.

73, Richard KC8HMJ

Laura Smith recently attended Pacificon and gave a

speech on Amateur Radio. Topic included repeater rules,

enforcement actions and plans for the future that include

more participation and interaction between the FCC and

ARRL’s Official Observer corps. Click on the picture on

the left to follow a link to the speech in it’s entirety. QRZ

Kenwood’s D74A.. a trend? Holiday drink recipes...

It would appear that Ken-

wood has finally gotten into

the digital VHF/UHF mar-

ket after sitting it out for

quite some time… and with

a tri-bander! It’s not exactly

an inexpensive HT at around

$599 and certainly not what

I’d consider an entry level

radio, but the fact that Ken-

wood finally went with a

Dstar format vs DMR, P25,

or C4FM may be a hint of

further Kenwood rigs in

planning. If so, that would

seem to suggest that two of

the big three Amateur

Equipment manufacturers

have embraced the Dstar

format. Click the HT for a

Youtube vid on the new rig.

N8KC

Kenwood D74A Specs

These are homemade.. usually a hit with

the ladies, and somewhat stronger than

the stuff sold at the local liquor store.

Capn’s Irish Creme

14oz sweetened condensed milk

2 cups half & half

2 cups smooth 80 proof whiskey

Mix all above and chill..

Add 2 to 6oz of coffee liqueur to taste..

(It’s pretty close to a White Russian w/o

the coffee flavor added)

Capn’s Kahlua

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons freeze dried coffee

1 tablespoon Vanilla

Mix all above, bring to slow boil, and

simmer 1 hour. Let sit overnight (do not

chill) and add a fifth of Vodka.

Page 4

Annual Santa Nets, 75m Nov 25th – Dec 24th

Volume 32 No.12

IARU Monitors working on Amateur interference complaints..

The International Amateur Radio Union

Region 1 (IARU-R1) Monitoring System

(IARUMS) reports that the Russian mili-

tary apparently responded positively to a

complaint from German telecommunica-

tions authorities to eliminate an intruding

signal on 20 meters. The Russian Navy

"RDL" signal from Crimea had been

transmitting on 14.180 MHz, using F1B at

50 baud and 200 Hz shift for several days.

IARUMS said the transmissions were heard for the last

time on October 31. IARU Region 1 includes Europe and

Africa.

German telecommunication authorities have, so far, had

less success in quelling the intrusion of Radio Eritrea

(Voice of the Broad Masses) on 7.185 MHz, which Ethio-

pia is said to be jamming with broadband white noise. So

far, Germany has filed two official complaints. IARUMS

reports that 7.146.5 MHz and 7.175 MHz are still in use

by Radio Eritrea. The jamming signal reported by the

IARUMS is 20 kHz wide on each channel. The on-air

conflict has been going on for years, and the interfering

signals can be heard in North America after dark.

IARUMS Coordinator Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, said the

Russian Over-the-Horizon radar (OTH) "Konteyner RLS"

remains a problem on 40 and 20 meters, with lengthy

transmissions, often with many spurious emissions. Hadel

said the radar's transmissions interfered with participants

in the Worked All Germany Contest in mid-October.

One apparently frustrated radio amateur in Germany

"tried again to chase away Russian MIL FSK traffic on 80

and 40 meters by transmitting dashes on the mark or

space frequency," the latest IARUMS newsletter reported.

Hadel cautioned that such actions, even when aimed at

intruding signals, are illegal. German telecommunications

authorities were alerted. IARUMS also reported someone

was transmitting empty Stanag 4285 mode signals on 7

MHz, hunting and QRMing German contesters on Octo-

ber 29. That signal was also believed to be originating in

Germany. The Stanag 4285 modem is used for HF radio

links between the NATO military bases.

IARUMS also reported an OTH radio on 10 meters,

transmitting daily on 28.960 MHz covering about 50 kHz

"with many spurious emissions." Strong F2 propagation

has also made Brazilian CBers audible on 10 meters, run-

ning AM between 28.000 and 28.325 MHz.

Source ARRL Bulletin 041

Editors note: If you’re interested in the IARU Monitoring

program or want to report an Amateur-Band interloper

or other interference, you can find more information at

and report problems a their website below:

http://www.iaru.org/monitoring-system.html

For the 11th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets will be

staging The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good girls and

boys will be able to talk to Santa Claus, via amateur ra-

dio, nightly at 7:30 PM (Central) starting November 25,

2016. The Santa Net will run nightly at 7:30 PM Central

through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016.

Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, com-

mented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, "Christmastime

is our favorite time of the year on 3.916 MHz. We really

enjoy being able to help young people experience both

the magic of Christmas and the magic of amateur radio."

Youngsters can talk to "Santa at The North Pole" via

strategically placed relay stations who are responsible for

relaying in the voice of Santa. Thomson said that The

Santa Net is a team effort that involves the efforts of a

number of 3916 Net members. He said, "For over a dec-

ade, The Santa Net has connected kids from coast to coast

with Santa Claus. With this amount of territory to cover,

The Santa Net requires the efforts of a number of relay

stations. Our relay stations do a super job and really enjoy

bringing the spirit of Christmas to the amateur radio air-

waves."

Prenet check-ins are welcome each night starting at

7:15 PM central or via email at 3916nets@gmail.com

Third party rules and regulations apply.

The Santa

Nets are presented

annually by The

3916 Nets. The

Weather Bunch,

The Rag Chew

Crew, The Tailgat-

ers, The Freewheel-

ers and The 3916

Late Late Show are

all amateur radio nets that meet on 3.916 MHz. For more

information on The 3916 Nets, go

tohttp://www.3916nets.com The official Facebook page

for The Santa Nets can be found at

https://www.facebook.com/3916santanet/ For more infor-

mation on The Santa Net, email KE5GGY at Gmail dot

com. Source QRZ.com post

Page 5

Ambient Weather by The Hippy Dippy Weatherman (aka WN8IZV).

Because of the failure of a firm-

ware update, I had need to replace

the north end weather station in Ar-

mada. The old unit was an Acurite

5-in-1. This is sort of a low end (low

cost) consumer grade unit, and it

was deemed necessary to go with

something better.

After looking over and studying

various options, the chosen unit is

an Ambient Weather model WS-

1001. This station consists of 3 sep-

arate devices that communicate

wirelessly. There’s the outdoor sen-

sor for wind, rain, temperature, hu-

midity, solar radiation, and UV in-

dex. The indoor unit measures ba-

rometeric pressure, indoor tempera-

ture and humidity. Both of these talk

to the indoor display console using

915 Mhz. Data updates approxi-

mately every 16.5 seconds for the

outdoor sensor, which may have an

effect on the windspeed and direc-

tion accuracy. The indoor sensor

updates every 64 seconds.

The indoor display shows a lot of

data on a relatively small screen.

The display is preconfigured to con-

nect to your wifi and transmit your

data to weather underground.

There’s no need to wire into your

router, and your PC doesn’t even

have to be on. In fact, the entire sta-

tion can be set up without the need

for a PC.

The first step in the project was

placement of the outdoor sensor.

This was sort of a no brainer. Just

put it where the previous sensor

was. The original mount was uti-

lized. Ambient Weather provides

two different poles for mounting.

One is straight, and one is crimped

depending on your mounting solu-

tion. These are only about 6 inches

long, and you are left to provide

your own mast. The pole is keyed to

keep wind or critters from moving

the sensor, and it must be oriented

North/South for proper wind direc-

tion indication. Additionally, the

solar panel (to charge batteries)

needs to be South facing. U bolts are

provided but weren’t needed for my

installation. What the instructions

don’t tell you is that once you insert

the chosen pole in the base of the

sensor, it locks in place and cannot

be removed. Fortunately I chose the

right pole, but it made drilling holes

difficult with it attached to the

weather station. When mounting the

sensor the built in bubble level is

used. This is for proper operation of

the rain gauge.

Once the sensor is mounted, you

are instructed to install the included

rechargeable alkaline batteries (yes

Virginia, they are labeled rechargea-

ble), and verify the unit is transmit-

ting as indicated by a flashing LED

on the bottom of the unit. The sec-

ond step deals with the indoor sen-

sor for indoor temperature and hu-

midity along with barometric pres-

sure. This one is much easier, but

don’t move too fast. It snaps into a

plastic mounting bracket that can be

mounted on the wall, and requires

two AAA batteries. The recommen-

dation is that it be placed between 5

and 20 feet of the display console. I

just leaned it against the wall on top

of the mantle. Oh yea, did I mention

that mounting screws and batteries

are NOT included?

The manual is very specific, and

this is why I advise you move slow.

You are instructed: “To avoid per-

manent damage, please take note of

the battery polarity before inserting

the batteries”. Two paragraphs are

used to instruct you on the proper

installation of the batteries. This

suggests something could be dam-

aged by reverse polarity.

DUH! ..Seems to be a poor design.

Once the batteries are installed,

proper operation will be indicated

by the unit displaying temperature,

humidity and pressure on it’s digital

display.

Next is the display console itself.

The full color TFT LCD display

measures 6.25” x 3.5”. This is pow-

ered with a 5 v DC wall wart, with

no battery back up… not sure what

happens when the power fails. It can

be wall mounted, but the built in

easel works just fine. The console

does show a lot of data, but it’s fair-

ly easy to read.

The console is preloaded with the

necessary software, and there’s

nothing to do but power it up and

wait several minutes for the remote

sensors to synchronize with it. I

gave it better than an hour, as I ran

off and did other things.

After a few chores I returned to

what became a time consuming set

up. I probably took more time set-

ting things up than installing the

sensors. This is because there’s no

keyboard. Setup data is entered us-

ing a rudimentary arrangement

where you navigate a bunch of..

Continued on next page...

Bench tools, Soldering, De-

soldering, Lighting and

Magnification… No matter

what the job is, EAE Sales

and Owner Bruce Sander

(Retired USAF Master

Seargent) have the right

tools and supplies to do the

job and can show you how.

Click the logo above to visit

EAE’s website and support

USECA’s largest Hamfest

vendor.

Page 6

Ambient Weather continued...

The USECA Express

labeled boxes with buttons at the bottom

of the display. Some of the items that

need setting up (beside the usual date and

time) are units of measure, latitude, lon-

gitude, alarms, and calibration if needed.

Slow, but hey, you only do the set up

once.

The next part of the set up is getting

your station to talk to Weather Under-

ground. The console is preconfigured to

send real-time data to Wunder-

ground.com, so there’s no need to adjust

the Server or the Server and upload type.

All that’s necessary to enter is the Station

ID and password obtained from Weather

Underground when you registered your

station with them.

After this you do a Wi-Fi scan, select

your network, and enter your password if

secured. Success is indicated by a Wi-Fi

icon being displayed and your station

will start reporting data on the Wunder-

ground website.

That’s pretty much the nuts and bolts

of it. No problems were encountered in

the installation and set up. The station

has been collecting data for over a week

now with no glitches.

Here’s a good 20 minute You Tube

video on this Weather Station: https://

youtu.be/5DA1uzROM9w

Some comments and areas that I need

to look into. The display console is

equipped with a slot for a micro SD card.

This is for upgrades and data backup. I’m

not sure how long the console maintains

history data, but it can be archived to the

SD card. The data is CSV (comma sepa-

rated value) and can be opened in a

spreadsheet program such as Excel

should you wish to analyze it.

If you want to display your data on a

PC, Ambient Weather makes available

their EasyWeather IP software in both

PC and Mac flavors. This program too is

configured to report to Wunderground.

The software connects to the display con-

sole over your LAN, so the display must

be connected to the WiFi router. Easy-

Weather offers the option to tell your PC

to not go into the sleep mode. With eve-

rything preconfigured for Wunderground

a third party weather reporting program

will probably be needed if you want to

join the Citizen Weather Observer Pro-

gram (CWOP) or put your station on

APRS. Most of the software I found

while Googling around doesn’t seem

support this model weather station for

those applications.

That’s about it. Feel free to check the

data anytime. You can download the

Wunderground app for your Apple or

tablet device and take it with you where

ever you go. ‘Don’s Back Yard’ in Fraser

is the site for the south end of the county.

‘Armada Ridge’ is the north end. Don’t

forget to check out the weathercam too.

73… Don WN8IZV

Page 7 Volume 32 No.12

The Prez Sez… (aka the Trustee Sez, the Editor Sez..) Need some antenna advice/help? Want

to research a few antennas you can build

on your own? Want it for free? I was sent

this link by Rich, KC8HMJ…

http://www.hamuniverse.com/n4jaantenna

book.html ..included on the webpage is a

comprehensive, totally free book on

antenna design and propogation.

A few USECAns we know will be

teaming up at Camp Ozanam to once

again make an attempt at taking home an

award in the ARRL 160m CW contest,

the weekend of December 2 - 4th. Work

‘em if you can and help boost their score!

Don’t forget our upcoming USECA

Christmas Party at Hibachi Buffet (14 &

VanDayke next to Walmart), Saturday

December 10th, 630pm. It’s always a

good time, especially with the White

Elephant gift exchange, run by Ann

(KT8F) this year. No reservations or prior

payment required… you pay for your own

dinner at the door. If you plan on being a

part of the gift exchange, be sure to bring

an unidentified, wrapped, gift of about

$20 value to place under the tree. Dress is

casual, but please, no ripped jeans and

tees… lets be a little classy!

Get your station prepped for Winter

Field Day… it’ll be here sooner than you

think. Make sure you have adequate

battery power to last the 24 hours. Have

an antenna ready and, if possible, tested

before driving sll the way to the camp.

Once in Port Sanilac, hardware, wire,

coax, batteries, etc are either a long drive

away or simply not available. Gather

needed items way ahead of time… stuff

left to the last minute tends to be forgotten

or overlooked in a hurry to leave. Go to

the WFD Facebook page or to the WFD

website (winterfieldday.com) and prepare

a bit by reading the new rules (I played a

large role in rewriting them last spring).

They’ve changed quite a bit and although

still unique to WFD, they more closely

resemble Summer Field Day in scoring

and bonus points.. No bonus stations this

year.

Be sure to vote at our next General

Membership meeting for USECA’s 2017

officers. Candidates as of our November

nominations are listed on page 8 of this

issue, more may be added at December’s

meeting. Remember, it’s not a popularity

contest… vote for someone who will do

the work, attend all meetings, and work

with others on the board. If you can’t

make the meeting, be sure to contact Rob

(NY8W) for an absentee ballot and get it

returned/hand delivered before our

December meeting.

It’s been an honor to serve all of you in

USECA as President for the past 4 years

and previously as VP. I look forward to

working with USECA’s next President

and board as we rebuild our treasury and

promote the club to hams new and old.

..See you at the Christmas Party!!

73… Ken N8KC

QRZ… Created by Hams

for Hams. Free software

downloads, free practice

FCC exams, free member

forums, free world-wide

call sign database with

advanced search functions,

free on-line LOTW com-

patible log, and free cus-

tomizable QRZ page.

USECA… Volunteers Needed!!

Apply now for Top Tier pay, fame, and benefits for part-time work. Room for

advancement, personal enrichment, and growth. Positions open are:

Field Day/Winter Field Day Chef and Mess Master

Food purchase & prep for club events

USECA Express Editor

Edit & publish club newsletter

Contact N8KC@arrl.net or another board member listed on page 1.

Jerry McGinn (K8CFY), a long-time USE-

CAn, passed on November 10th. He was very

active in USECA for many years, along with

his wife Betty (N8SIH). He loved Ham radio,

motorcycling, camping, and life in general.

Jerry was USECA’s designated “Historian”

for a long time, retaining for posterity Express

newsletters and photos dating back into the

mid-eighties. His Obituary below...

Jerry was the beloved husband of Betty McGinn for 22 years;

loving father of Barbara (Edward) Young, Sandra Powell, the

late Richard Powell, and Larry (Lisa) Powell; devoted grandfa-

ther of Pamela (Marcilio) DeOliveira, Scott Strohschein, Kristi-

na Strohschein, Kyle Powell, and Glenn Powell; proud great-

grandfather of Samantha DeOliveira, Wyatt Strohchein, and Melody Strohschein; dear

brother of the late Richard McGinn, Dan McGinn, and Dorothy O'Brien; and uncle to

many loving nieces and nephews.

Jerry was proud to have served in the U.S. Army during

WWII, where he was a photographer and radio operator. He

earned a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars while in the service

of the U.S. Army. Jerry was passionate about many things in

this life but especially close to his heart was his love of motor-

cycling and Ham Radio. He biked across most of the United

States and got out on his motorcycle every chance he could. Jer-

ry continued his passion for radio well after he left the Army

and he even met his wife, Betty, over the radio. His call sign

was K8CFY and he was a member of USECA Amateur Radio

Club, L'Anse Creuse Radio Club, and Hazel Park Radio Club.

Page 8

USECA’s contest team.. 2nd Place US & Canada!

Longtime USECAn Jerry McGinn.. SK

Volume 32 No.12

USECA Officer Elections

Monday, December 12th

Nominations for office

were held at November’s

General Meeting. Further

nominations will be ac-

cepted at December’s

meeting. If you can’t make

the meeting to vote, con-

tact Rob (NY8W) at

lifton@gmail.com for an

absentee ballot. Ballots

must be delivered to the

club PO Box or hand-

delivered, by 6pm Dec

12th. Nominees below:

For President:

Rich (KC8HMJ)

For Vice President:

Bernard (KC8REX)

Chuck (W8GWS)

For Treasurer:

Linda (KD8SAI)

For Membership Secretary:

Brenda (KD8SGB)

For Recording Secretary:

Rob (NY8W)

For Board Member (3):

Gary (WA8FEA)

Fred (KD8ZYD)

Jim (N8KKG)

Tim (WF8TNT)

Michelle (KD8ZYE)

Ray (K8RDJ)

Rob (KE8CEL)

The ballot will also have

space for a write-in vote

for each office. Use this

only to write in someone

who has agreed to run.

Meet your

new

ARRL/Club

Liaison!

Rob Ludwig

KE8CEL

Tnx Rob!!

Page 9 Volume 32 No.12

Crossword by Chris Codella, W2PA Famous Hams

Across 1. VU metro (not meter)

6. Call to Bo-peep

9. T.O.M.

14. TN made rig

15. Rear panel label

16. 7X neighbor

17. Used before flip tops

19. More unwet

20. Infrequent frame rate

mode

21. Major Armstrong,

familiarly

23. Wiring harness parts

24. IT9 peak

26. Prefix with -tuner

28. Kind of drum

31. Contact plating

solution?

36. Boatanchor unit

37. Part of ARRL: Abbr.

39. Enter

40. Suffix with reson-

42. In reserve

44. Produces radiator

supports

45. Giving up

47. GM monster place

49. Viking partner

50. Callsign of 31 across

52. Overcome utterly

54. First QTH?

55. Hand (out)

57. Small fight

60. Field unit?

62. Competent

66. Loafed around

68. Nonphysical, say

70. Met show

71. Feed lines to

72. Partner of 9-across

73. Rocking ham

74. Hockey's Bobby

75. DXpeditioner's

instruction

Down 1. Manuals, slangily

2. Times past

3. Fuzz

4. ARRL president,

and president's grand-

son

5. Rev. of out.

6. Wound covers

7. All over again

8. Of a heart chamber

9. Cap. unit

10. Missile type

11. Ancient WARC

band?

12. Prof. org. with

many ham members

13. Elser-Mathes Cup

objective

18. Poetic dusk

22. Pushes, gently

25. Leaves in a bag

27. The one above six?

28. Two or more yagis, say

29. Do and so

30. Tube terminal

32. Gasket

33. Possible Congo prefix

34. ___ alcohol

35. Malyj Vysotskij prefix

38. Suffix with electro-

41. Force-12 element

fasteners, say

43. More lethal

46. Homer's neighbor

48. Pre-ham?

51. Int'l org. promoting

learning

53. What the shack might

do with the amplifier on

56. Crew tool

57. QRS

58. Between Oscar and

Quebec

59. Kind of antenna aimer

61. A receiver annoyance,

briefly

63. Arrest

64. 47-across is one

65. Exuberance

67. CW word

69. Zone type

**Answer Key elsewhere in

the Express

You’re cordially invited to attend

USECA’s Annual Christmas Party!! (& White Elephant Gift Exchange)

Date: Saturday Dec 10th, Time: 6:30pm

QTH: Hibachi Buffet @ 14 & Van Dyke Walmart Plaza

No reservation required, just walk in! Dress: let’s just say “Nice”

Menu: Chinese, Japanese, Thai & American fare (see link above)

The club is not collecting $$. USECA simply reserved a time & pri-

vate room… it is up to you to pay for your meal, refreshments, and

small tip for the waitresses. Gifts for the White Elephant exchange

should be fully wrapped and under $20 in value (Unique items cre-

ate more clamor,that’s the fun!). You must bring a gift to participate. White Elephant Rules

Page 10

December Special Event Stations of interest..

https://npota.arrl.org/

Use the above webpage to

search for activations in the next

ten days or to register an upcom-

ing NPOTA activation of your

own. NPOTA uses ARRL’s

LOTW to confirm contacts and

to earn & track awards. Only this

month left to work ‘em!

Get Radioactive!

All New Hamvention in 2017… Ride with USECA!

Yep! ...USECA will be doing Hamvention once

again in 2017. Members enthusiastically voted at the

June meeting for the funds to reserve a bus to

Hamvention at it’s new QTH next spring. Mark your

calendar now and keep the date clear (Saturday, May

20th, 2017) so you can do Hamvention with USE-

CA!! Our non-stop bus ride is the shortest and closest

in the area… we get you there before it opens in

comfort and style. There’s power at every seat, video screens, and a bathroom aboard.

Plug in your HT, phone, laptop, or DVD player and ride in comfort!

2017’s Hamvention Trip Captain is Gary, KE8ASY. He’ll be the one counting heads,

wielding the clipboard, and checking paperwork. See one of the board members for a

registration/reservation form. Total cost for 2017 is $55 (roundtrip) and does not in-

clude your Hamvention entry ticket. Just $20 reserves your seat (monies are non-

refundable). Make a little plan Stan. Just get on the bus Gus. Don’t miss Hamvention!!

Volume 32 No.12

Pearl Harbor Day Observances:

Dec 7, 1530Z-2130Z, W5KID, the Baton Rouge

Amateur Radio Club will be aboard the WWII

Destroyer Kidd. Freqs: 14.240, 14.060, 7.240, &

7.060. QSL via USS KIDD Amateur Radio Club,

305 S River Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70802.

Dec 10, 1700Z-2359Z, NI6IW will be aboard

and activate the USS Midway (CV-41) Museum

Ship. Freqs: 14.320, 7.250; PSK31 on 14.070; D-

STAR on REF001C. QSL via USS Midway Mu-

seum Ship Radio Room, 910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101.

Christmas City Special Events:

Dec 10-Dec 11, 1400Z-2200Z, WX3MAS,

Christmas in Nazareth, PA. Sponsored by Christ-

mas City and Delaware-Lehigh Amateur Radio

Clubs. Freqs: SSB 28.465, 21.365, 12.265, 7.270,

3.850; CW PSK31 10 15 20 40 meters. Certifi-

cate & QSL available via WX3MAS, 14 Grace-

dale Ave, Greystone Building, Nazareth, PA

18064. www.dlarc.org

Dec 17-Dec 25, 1500Z-2359Z, KC5OUR,

Christmas in Bethlehem, NM. Sponsored by Valencia County Amateur Radio Associa-

tion. Freqs: 28.383, 21.383, 14.283, 7.183. QSL via VCARA, PO Box 268, Peralta, NM

87042. kc5our@arrl.net or www.kc5our.com

Anniversary of First Amateur Shortwave Signals to Span the Atlantic Ocean Dec 11-Dec 12, 1200Z-0300Z, N1BCG, Greenwich, CT. ARRL

and RSGB. 80 - 10 meters. QSL via ARRL, Attn: N1BCG, 225

Main St., Newington, CT 06111. Station 1BCG in Greenwich,

Connecticut was Received in Ardrossan, Scotland, United Kind-

gom. Commemorative QSL. QSL also via bureau or LoTW.

Click here

for MI

Section

news/info

Click here to

Local Clubs

Page 11

Straight Key Night 12/31-1/1

December Swaps of interest..

L’Anse

Creuse ARC:

Meets every

1st Wednesday

of the month at 7:30 pm. The

location is the Tucker Senior

Center located at 26980 Bal-

lard off 21 mile Rd, East of I-

94 in Harrison Twp.

Hazel Park

ARC:

Meets every

2nd Wednesday of each

month at 7:30 pm. The loca-

tion is UFCW Hall

876 Horace Brown Dr, in

Madison Heights.

General

Motors

ARC:

Meets each 3rd Tuesday of

the month at 7:00 pm. The

Meetings are held at Trinity

Lutheran Church (LCMS)

45160 Van Dyke at Hall Rd,

in Utica.

The USECA Express

Fulton County

Winterfest

12/03/2016

Location:

Delta American Legion Hall Post 373

5939 State Route 109

Delta, OH 43515

Website: http://k8bxq.org/hamfest

Sponsor:

Fulton County Amateur Radio Club

Talk-In: 147.195 (PL 103.5)

Public Contact:

Bryan Patterson , KB8ELG

8202 County Road 6-2

Delta, OH 43515

Phone: 419-250-6694

Email: kb8elg@hotmail.com

LCARC Amateur

Radio Swap

12/04/2016

Location:

Madison Place

876 Horace Brown Drive

Madison Heights, MI 48071

Website: http://www.n8lc.org

Sponsor:

L'Anse Creuse Amateur Radio Club

Talk-In: 147.08+ (PL 100)

Public Contact:

Dale McGorman , K8RO

2855 Norton Lawn

Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Phone: 248-563-4497

Email: k8ro@arrl.net

Congrats N8KKG!

Upgraded to Extra

at USECA Swap!

ARRL Straight Key Night (SKN) returns on January 1,

2017 (0000 to 2359 UTC, New Yrs Eve & Day, 7pm-7pm

local), offering you a chance to revisit Amateur Radio’s

roots. Hams years ago began their hobby restricted to CW

on the old Novice bands using some sort of manual key to

send. Straight Key Night is your chance to relive those

days. It’s a 24-hour event, and not a contest, but simply

aimed at celebrating our long CW heritage.

Participants are encouraged to get on the air and simply

enjoy conversing in CW, using a straight key or bug for

sending. Many enhance the fun by using vintage radio

gear. No points are scored, and everyone who participates

is a winner! Straight Key Night participants may use all

authorized Amateur frequencies, but activity has tradition-

ally been centered on the HF bands and the CW tends to

be slower and much more casual.

Call “CQ SKN” to solicit contacts, and use SKN instead

of RST when transmitting signal reports. That’ll tip off

listeners that you’re taking part in Straight Key Night and

might lead to additional contacts. When the event is over,

vote for the operator you heard with the “best fist” or

sending style and for “most interesting QSO.” The results

will be tabulated and included in the results. Email your

votes and comments to straightkey@arrl.org.

Post your comments and interesting photographs from

your SKN adventure to the ARRL Contest Online Soap-

box. Source: ARRL

Get Involved

♦ The Utica Shelby Emergency Communications Association Board meets on the first Monday each month, Septem-

ber through June. Board meeting dates can vary due to a Holiday. Visitors are welcome.

♦ The General Membership meetings are on the second Monday of each month, September through June. Visitors

are of course welcome and strangers are only strangers once. The official meeting begins at 7:30 pm, but show up

around 6 pm for a great home-cooked meal ($5) and a heaping helping of camaraderie! Both the board meeting and

general membership meetings are held at the Mt. Clemens Elks’ Club, 179 S. Main Street, Mt. Clemens, MI, just south

of the US Post Office on the east side of the road. Map Link

♦ Throughout spring, summer, and fall, USECAns often participate in impromptu ‘Larks in the Park’. These can hap-

pen during the week or on weekends, and are not always announced far in advance. What is a ‘Lark’? Radios, fun, BS

session, and BBQ rolled into one! Larks are often held either at Stony Creek Metropark or Lake St Clair/Metro Beach

Metropark. How do YOU know when USECA is having a lark? Check USECA’s Facebook page, check your email, or

listen to our repeater, K8UO at 147.180 +100HzPL.

The USECA Express Page 12

Dues are due by January 1st

Renewals due Jan 1st of each year

1st time memberships arepro-rated

Winter Field Day’s comin’!! Circle the dates on your calendar and prepare to

get away for a weekend of radio sport and fun at

Camp Ozanam, January 28th and 29th 2017.

Costs will remain the same as last year, $10 if

you’re a day visitor, $20 if you spend the night.

All proceeds donated to the camp and it’s pro-

grams. USECA will be funding the main meals

and everyone’s expected to bring a dish to pass. Please read the new

rules for 2017 at winterfieldday.com… they’ve been re-written for clar-

ity and to even the playing field a bit.

USECA’s W5YI VEC exam sessions.. get licensed or upgrade!

Testing is the 3rd Monday of the month from September thru June. Alec, NF8X, is the

Contact VE. Pre-registration is encouraged. Test fee is $14.00 cash (exact change only,

please!). Examinees must bring Xerox copies of their current license and un-expired

CSCE's, if any. There is no copy machine at the testing site! Exam start time is 7:00

PM. Walk-ins are welcome. Test site is at the Mt. Clemens Elks Club, 179 S. Main St.

in Mt. Clemens, just south of the Post Office. (Map Link) Other VE test sessions can

be arranged. Contact Alec, NF8X, at (248) 4MY-TEST for additional information.

Local HF Nets...

Get active on the air… SSB, CW, or FM

Search for USECA Amateur Radio Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/254161997984519/

The USECA EXPRESS is published monthly (except July and August),

by the UTICA-SHELBY EMER-

GENCY COMMUNICATION AS-SOCIATION, INC., of Macomb

County, Michigan. Articles for THE

EXPRESS should be submitted to the editor no later than one week

before the club meeting for publica-

tion in the following month’s edition. The articles within are those of the

author and not necessarily endorsed

by USECA. Material contained in THE EXPRESS may be reprinted

provided credit is given to the USE-

CA EXPRESS and the author, except material published by permission of

a copyright holder.

USECA ARC

PO Box 46331

Mt Clemens, MI

48046

Day Time Net Freq

SUN 1:00 PM USECA / Information 147.180 +100 PL

SUN 8:00 PM USECA / Traders/Tech Support Net 147.180 +100 PL

SUN 9:00 PM HPARC / Info (EchoLink ) 146.640 +100 PL

SUN 9:00 PM Garden City ARC 146.860 +100 PL

SUN-SAT 10:15 PM S. E. Michigan Traffic Net 146.760 +100 PL

MON 7:30 PM SATERN 147.180 +100 PL

MON 8:00 PM MECA / Info Net 147.200 +100 PL

MON 8:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink ) 443.075 +123 PL

TUE 9:00 PM Motor City Radio Club 147.240 +100 PL

THU 8:00 PM Macomb County RACES / ARES 147.200 +100 PL

THU 8:30 PM LCARC / Info Net (EchoLink ) 147.080 +100 PL

SAT 11:00 PM International Hoot Owl Net 147.180 +100 PL

Local VHF/UHF nets...

The Happenin’ Club!

MON 7:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter CW 21.165

MON 8:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter Phone USB 21.395

TUE 2300 UTC USECA / 75 Meter Phone LSB 3.830 +/- QRM

WED 7:00 PM USECA / 6 Meter Phone USB 50.140

THU 7:30 PM LCARC / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.435

THU 9:00 PM USECA / 15 Meter CW 21.140

FRI 9:00 PM USECA / 80 Meter CW 3.570

FRI 10:00 PM USECA / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.425

We’re on the web

at usecaarc.com

Volume 32 No.12 Page 13