Washington Amateur Communications - wacomarc.orgwacomarc.org/newsletters/2011/WH_7_11.pdfWashington...

Washington Amateur Communications

Presidents Message July 2011

The WACOM Field Day Event again this year was enjoyed by all.

Our Field Day was dedicated to all silent keys. We opened with

a moment of silence in honor of them.

We had plenty of family members attend and the GOTA station

was very busy for the entire field day event. Also new this year

we tried a YL station shared by new amateur operators and this

was also a great success.

We had plenty of visitors this year with over 52 signing in on

our sign in sheet. Also we welcomed people from the area just

stopping by and asking about amateur radio. We enjoyed great

local news coverage of the event by making the front page of

the Observer Reporter local newspaper and also a visit by

Senator Solobay of Pennsylvania.

We will post the results as soon as they are available. This was

a true club event and I want to thank everyone who helped in

every way and took the time out of their busy weekend to make

Field Day 2011 such a great time.

Hope to see you all at Field Day 2012

73’s

Bud N3TIR

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Inside:

NBEMS Training. . . . . . . . . . 2

WALK FOR ALEX . . . . . . . . 3

Seen at the June Meeting. . .4

13 Colonies Event . . . . . . . . 5

Breezeshooters . . . . . . . . . . 6

ARES Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Items of Interest . . . . . . . . . . 8

Minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Hamfests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Garage vs. Antenna . . . . . . 11

Governor’s Proclamation. .12

Field Day Photos . . . . . . . .

4,13,15,17,18

Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

WACOM 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Field Day Texas Style . . . . .18

Member Info Form . . . . . . . 19

~~ NOTE~~ Next General Membership Meeting ~~ NOTE~~ South Strabane Fire Hall No#1 ~ 1696 East Maiden Street ~ Washington, Pa 15301

The change of location is a onetime event due to construction at the county building.

Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm ~~All are welcome

This meeting Bob KB3IN will demonstrate a mobile cross

band repeater system. Be sure to bring your handhelds.

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System

(NBEMS) Training

Washington E.O.C. meeting room

100 West Beau Street

Washington, Pa 15301

Sunday July 24 , 2011

1 P.M. to 4 P.M

To register or directions contact Bud Plants N3TIR

Limited Seating please contact early

724-350-6745

[email protected]

Schedule:

1-2 PM Introduction to NBMES

2-3 PM NBEMS installation workshop

3-4 PM Advanced Nbems

Attendees should bring their own computers, portable radios

and interfaces (if they have them) so I can help get them up and

running with NBEMS during the installation workshop

part of the training.

sponsored by Washington Amateur Communications Inc.

Class conducted by

Harry Bloomberg W3YJ

mailto:[email protected]

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

WALK FOR ALEX

Again WACOM provided

communication support for

the Bentleyville Walk for

Alex on Saturday, June 4.

Pictured at Left: (L to R):

Norma N3YJJ, Dave N3IDH, Bob KB3IN, Kevin N3HKQ, Bud N3TIR, Rich KB3VFW, (not in picture) net control from Washington, PA

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

.

Seen at the June Meeting

FIELD DAY

Bill, NY9H, brought in some Anderson PowerPoles and the Rigrunner. The rig runner is a convenient way to distribute 12 vdc across the shack.

Bill adds: Also serves as somewhat a standard among most emergency groups, so everybody’s stuff plugs into everyone else’s stuff Great for rigs and accessories 20-30 amps, as well as 1 amp product as each outlet has it's own fuse. Great for Field Day or any other day. It is a 13.8 VDC power panel that uses the excellent Anderson Powerpole® connectors. Standardize all of your 12 VDC connections using the amateur radio ARES & RACES, RSGB, ARRL Powerpole® system.

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

HOLMESBURG AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 3341 Sheffield Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19136

“Serving the Community Through Ham Radio”

http://www.harcnet.org

WM3PEN-K3FI

Independence Week Original 13 Colonies Special Event

July 1-5, 2011

Amateur radio stations operating from the 13 original U.S. colonies will be joined by members of the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club to celebrate Independence Day from the city where independence

was declared, Philadelphia, PA.

The theme for the 2011 event is the Declaration of Independence. Each of the original 13 colonies will be represented by a special event station using a 1x1 callsign, K2A - K2M. The Holmesburg

Amateur Radio Club will operate the Club call, WM3PEN, as a special event station and will offer a special QSL card featuring Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

In all you can collect 14 QSL cards during the 5 day event.

The 13 Colony Special Event will be offering a special certificate with the Declaration of Independence on it. For further information on the 13 colony certificate look up the

The U.S. Original 13 Colonies Group at http://www.13colonies.info.

When you work WM3PEN make a note on the 13 colony log sheet and you will get a "Liberty Bell" endorsement with the WM3PEN call place on the certificate. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered

the Liberty Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution.

When you work WM3PEN send an SASE, IRC, or Green Stamp ($1) with your QSL to WM3PEN. Use the address for WM3PEN at QRZ.COM. SWLs may send a confirmation of reception to request a QSL card. Simply indicate the stations making contact with WM3PEN, time, frequency, and your

receiving equipment. SWL stations should follow the same mailing instructions. Collect all "13" for a set. All Colony States have real nice special event QSL cards in full color, depicting their state flag or other Colonial period designs promoting their Colony State! This is a must have collection! The

only way you can acquire a "set" is to complete a "Clean Sweep" of all Colony stations during the 5 day event.WM3PEN, along with the other stations participating in the 13 Colonies Event will be

operating on 10 - 80 Meters, but will not be operating on the WARC bands. WM3PEN is planning on operating on 2 Meter Simplex. Using K2M and representing Pennsylvania will be WX3A in

Hamlin and N2MZZ in Stroudsburg.

Times will be: 12:01 AM Eastern on July 1st to 11:59 PM Eastern on July 5th.

Join in the fun and be Radio active. Hope to see you on the air.

For further information on the WM3PEN operation, check out the Club website at www.harcnet.org or contact [email protected]. HARC wishes to thank the Marple Newtown ARC for their support of this event.

http://www.13colonies.info

http://www.qrz.com/db/wm3pen


The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

WACOM at BREEZESHOOTERS

Jim KC3HW selling candy at

the WACOM table

◄

BILL NY9H talking To Scott N3HCC from the target system about the

repeater that links out of Somerset PA TO Washington D.C.

►

The WACOM table seems to

always attract visitors—maybe

only for the tempting

chocolate?

◄

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Website- ARES - www.wpaares.org

The Section ARES website, www.wpaares.org has a new look and most important, we have our own registration program up and running. Thanks to all that participated in the beta test and high praise to Bob, AG3U for the programming. We are now ready to turn it on. The program worked so well in

test, that if you participated you need NOT re-enter information.

Online Registration- dates Registration is open to all interested in joining WPAARES. During the initial period, we requesting a staggered process, by District. This will 1. minimize overloading of the server and the manual proc-essing required in start-up and 2. Give ECs a fairly complete list in one pass. Please register on the

following schedule. N1 District - June 14-30

N2, S2 - July 1-14

S1 July 15-31 IS OUR SECTION

If there are questions, the following may help. Frequently Asked Questions-

1. How do I access the registration page? Go to www.wpaares.org. The registration page is accessed from a button on the left side of the homepage

2. Is my information confidential?

Information you submit will be available only to the Section Manager, Section Emergency Coordinator and the Emergency Coordinator for your County. 3. Why collect this information? Collection of information on-line is more convenient , an easy to use roster is compiled to facilitate efficient communication with you and more effective response actions in your community and the Section.

4. How will I know my registration was successful? You will receive a confirmation message after you hit the submit button at the bottom. PLEASE DO NOT use ENTER when completing the form . use the TAB or Mouse to navigate between fields and use the SUBMIT button .

5. If I make an error, can I correct it? Yes, just resubmit ALL data, We recognize duplicates and will use the most recent entry. 6. Can I register in two counties? Yes, if you live on a boundary and serve two counties. You must enter two complet and separate forms.

There is a growing need for ARES emergency communications services, you willingness to help is greatly appreciated. Questions, contact your EC or [email protected] . 73, Larry AB3ER

SEC WPA ARES

http://www.wpaares.org



mailto:AB3ER%40comcast.net

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Items of Interest The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Support your club! Wear Club logo items from Created by Amy Caps, T-shirts, Jackets and other items are available with the WACOM logo.

Get your Name and Call Sign on a Hat! Vinyl Decals, Embroidered and Vinyl Apparel as well.

Amy Cicak

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.createdbyamy.com

Phone: 412-795-4353 / 412-398-8833

NEW UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE FOX HUNT :

The Fox Hunt is temporarily on hold. Latest information

indicates a date in July?

Here's the link to the Ham Nation podcast that Joe, N3XE brought up at the meeting -

http://twit.tv/hn

~~ Breezeshooters Hamfest ~~

Ed, N3ZNI won 9th prize: A $150.00 Certificate from KJI Electronics

The Next WASH VE exam sessions will be Wednesday, July 27th, 2011, 6:30 PM, at the North

Strabane Township Building, 1929 Route 519, Canonsburg, PA. Talk-in on the 146.955 MHz and

443.650 MHz repeaters. All examiners are ARRL VEC affiliated.

Walk-ins are always welcome, but if you plan on attending the test session, please contact VE

Team Liaison Jacqué Gosselin N3ZEL: Telephone (724) 746-9235 or E-Mail: [email protected]

Please bring the following to your test session: Picture ID or other suitable identification (2 forms of

ID required) ; Pen / Pencil / Calculator ; Original FCC license plus a copy of license (if upgrading) ;

Original CSCE plus a copy of CSCE (if upgrading) ; Check or Cash in the amount of $15.00

(payable to: ARRL VEC) .

~~ WANTED ~~

I am looking for a Heathkit DX-100 Transmitter to restore!

KD3RZ David Frankenbery [[email protected]]

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL OR SWAP? SEND IN THE INFORMATION

AND HAVE YOUR AD IN THE NEWSLETTER. SEND INFO TO [email protected]


http://www.createdbyamy.com

http://twit.tv/hn

Minutes The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Minutes The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

June 2, 2011 W.A.Com General Meeting Minutes

Present: Bud (N3TIR), Norma (N3YJJ), JohnQ (N3GHR), BillS (NY9H), Sam (W3CYO), DaveD(N3IDH), JoeC (N3XE), Ed (N3ZNI), Jacque (N3ZEL), Jim (KC3HW), Tom (K3PLM), Fay(KA3VOM), Bob K (KB3IN), JoeB (KB3QQT), Paul (N3WMV), Kevin (KB3JHO), Dave (W3TD), Kevin (KN4AA), Sally (KK4YL) Bud called the meeting to order at 7:31 PM

Reports

Secretary – John read the minutes from the May meeting. Ed moved to accept the minutes as read,

Joe seconded, motion approved.

Treasurer – Norma gave treasurers report. Dave moved to accept, Joe seconded, motion approved.

Newsletter – need names of all new members to add to list

Nets – Dave - 2 meter OK; Fay -10 meter doing well; Bud – Elmer participants having interesting

discussions

WACOM 100 DX contest – Bill reported that Wylie was the first newbie to reach 100 countries; the final

stage of the contest will be most countries contacted by Field day. Floor was opened for new ideas for

the next contest; Bud suggested that we have a rules committee to put together the next contest.

ARES – Run for Alex will be this weekend. Be at Bentleyville fire hall at 8:00 to participate. The Bentley-

ville repeater is 147.270.

Old Business

Field Day – Meeting to take care of details June 16 at Shorty’s at 7:00 PM; will have one station for new

operators as well as a GOTO station; will operate on 6 to 160 meters plus satellite on 2 meters

Fox hunt – shooting for late July

Classes – Six students completed Technician classes; five passed test. Other student to retest. Planning

a General class, also a Technician class for EOC personnel.

New Business

RACES – NBEMS will have a three hour class July 24 at EOC office on data transmission; need laptop

and handheld

Breeze shooters Ham Fest to be this Sunday

Sam has a lot of old newsletters if someone is interested in preserving them

Joe – Podcasts for Hams are on the internet for those interested

Jim moved to adjourn, Dave 2nd, meeting adjourned at 8:32

Thanks to Bill for his demonstration of distribution panels

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Repeaters

W3CYO - 145.490 Mhz, 443.300 Mhz

K3PSP - 146.790 Mhz

2 Meter Net

- Tuesdays at 8:30PM on W3CYO Repeater

10-meter net

- Tuesdays at 9PM on 28.34 Mhz

YL Net

- Wednesdays at 7:30PM on K3PSP Repeater

Elmer Net

- Wednesdays at 8PM on K3PSP Repeater

(immediately following the WACOM YL Net)

LOCAL TRAFFIC NETS

<+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+>

SWPA 2-Meter Daily Net 146.880 8:00 p.m.

* * * * * * * * * * *

HF WPA Phone Daily Net 3.983 6:00 p.m.

<+><+><+><+><+><+><+>

— NETS — REPEATERS — NETS — Officers

President: Bud Plants, N3TIR;

[email protected]

Vice President: Dave Demotte, N3IDH;

[email protected]

Secretary: John Quigg, N3GHR

[email protected]

Treasurer: Norma Plants, N3YJJ;

[email protected]

Board of Directors

Director: Adam Quigg, NZ3S,

[email protected]

Director: Jim Burtoft, KC3HW;

[email protected]

Director: Bill Steffey, NY9H;

[email protected]

Webmaster: Joe Caldwell, N3XE;

[email protected]

Editor: Jacque Gosselin, N3ZEL

[email protected]

HAMFESTS

* JULY *

10: Hamfest-North Hills ARC 26th Annual Hamfest (New Location) Westview V.F.W. Post 2754-386 Perry Highway-Pittsburgh, Pa More Info: (Phone: 412 760 7055) email:[email protected] http://www.nharc.org

17: Somerset County ARC Hamfest Somerset County Technology Center, 281 Technology Drive, Somerset, PA 11501 More Info: 814 444 0637 email: [email protected]

31: Hamfest-Foothills ARC Hamfest-Hose Co. #1-Greensburg, Pa Talkin: 147.18 Mhz More Info: Phone-724 989 0462 email: [email protected]


http://www.nharc.org



The W.A.C.O.M. Ham HAMFEST Page 11 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Parking Garage: 1 Antenna: 0

We got an email from Texas Dave, K3LGM a few weeks ago..

he asked:

Does this antenna look OK??

To which we replied...uh, NO! and the inevitable ―What

happened?‖

Well it seems that going UP INTO a multi-level parking garage

(with the antenna all the way down and without the whip) the

truck clears the ceiling easily. However, going DOWN these

same ramps, the clearance is a good bit less and the antenna

lost the battle.

Dave wrote: ―Don't think it appears to be as bad as it looks…

No damage to mount or truck. Just folded over the tube. I do

have another tube and weather shield from the old antenna.

Shaft probably bent too

bad to straighten. Have

another one in the old

antenna too. Will have to

wait to disassemble to

see if the coil survived.‖

Cannibalized old antenna and replaced tube. The lead

screw was okay just needed a bump with a hammer.

Reassembled and works great. ►

Proclamation The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scenes at Field Day

Happens all the time, newsletter editors hit feast or

famine— and are scrabbling for news. Be warned—

if news doesn’t continue to come in we will be printing

photos and stories of dogs—and cats— who join us in

our hobby. So keep the news coming! Thank you….

and thanks from the Editor’s dog who hates cameras!

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Definitions…..

Hams have our own slang, our own shorthand. As time goes by we hear others use these terms and we

start to use them ourselves. But what of the new person to the hobby who isn’t sure what we mean?

What did they say? Well recently I was asked what I meant when I ended an email with ―73‖….

Uh, well…. I went in search of a definition of ―73‖ and found these definitions at the ARRL web site…..

SOS The amateur distress call, QRRR, grew from the purpose of the first organized amateur

emergency nets. They were set up in cities along the Pennsylvania Railroad to aid the "Pennsy" (and later other railroads) with train communications in the event of failure of the railroad telegraph landlines--which were frequent. The signal QRR came to be used to indicate that the calling station had railroad traffic related to some emergency. ARRL eventually adopted this call for use by any amateur who had distress traffic and later the call was changed to QRRR because of a conflict in definitions with the international Q signal QRR. One of the first distress calls was CQD, coined by the Marconi Company about 1904 from the "general call" CQ and the letter D for "distress." The main problem with CQD was that it was supposed to be used only by ships which subscribed to the Marconi radio system and ships of one system were discouraged from communicating with ships or shore stations of other, competing, companies. The problem got so bad that it was taken up in the international radio conference in 1906 where a new universal distress call was proposed. The American delegation suggested the letters NC which were already recognized in the International Signal Code for Visual Signaling. The German delegation proposed its own SOE which was already in use on German ships as a general inquiry signal similar to CQ (which was then used only by the Marconi system). The British delegation, of course, wanted to stick to the Marconi signal CQD. The convention found SOE acceptable except that the final E could easily be lost in QRN so the letter S was substituted, making it SOS. The convention decided that SOS should be sent as a single code character with a sound unlike any other character, thus arresting the attention of anyone hearing it. So was officially adopted, but CQD remained in use for some years, particularly aboard British ships. It wasn't until 1912, after the Titanic disaster, that SOS became universal and the use of CQD gradually disappeared. Titanic radio operator Jack Phillips sent both CQD and SOS to be sure that there couldn't possibly be any misunderstanding.

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scenes at Field Day The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 13 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

WACOM 100 EVENT RESULTS

Categories

..

We had an ―Over 100 Countries Worked QRP

Award‖ presented to Bill, W3WH. Accepting for

Bill, W3WH is Dave, N3IDH. ▼

◄ NEWBIES: First to hit 100 countries: Wiley, AC8GH. Second: Denny, K8DKS

▲ OT: First To Hit 100: KEN, AA3GN

◄ OT: Most Countries : Bud, N3TIR

Bud also accepts for Denny, K8DKS as Second Newbie to reach 100.

A. HAM licensed 5 years or less reaching 100 countries first B. HAM licensed 5 years or less with the most countries C. OT (more than 5 years) reaching 100 countries first D. OT ( more than 5 years) with the most countries

▲ Bud presents Bill, NY9H, with an ARRL "Elmer's" Award

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scenes from Field Day

F

I

E

L

D

D

A

Y

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scenes from Field Day

Field Day in Texas The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Texas Dave, K3LGM, sent us information on his Field Day Operation this year.

Wanted to do these before I tore it down. Buddipole components used to make a Buddistick. 2 - 22 inch arms, standard black coil, 4 -section shock cord whip and single radial set for 20 meters! Station setup replete with cat dissuasion device and insect repellant tool.

Clockwise from Left: Elaborate Antenna Farm; Sophisticated Field Day Station; Radial System; Mount; Buddipole 22 in. arms with coil.

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 10 Membership Form The W.A.C.O.M.

The W.A.C.O.M. Ham

Quarter Century

Wireless Association Inc.

Have you been a radio amateur for 25 years or more?

Were you originally licensed 25 years ago or more, even if not continually?

Well then please join us at the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Chapter 6 quarterly luncheon

at Rocky II's. Located on PA Rt. # 51, just north of McKees Rocks, in Stowe Twp.at the Fleming

Park bridge. Join our members who are like you, the foundation of amateur radio.

There is much we can learn from them and from each other. And it's fun too.

No reservation necessary.

Contact Jacque, N3ZEL at [email protected] for information

YLS AND XYLS!!!

There is an organization for you. It’s called the Young Ladies Radio League

Come join other Lady Hams and enjoy the fellowship.

See all we have to offer at

www.qsl.net/ylrl/index.html or contact Jacque,

N3ZEL at [email protected]

<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>

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