July 2013 Monthly Newsletter of the Huntsville Amateur Radio Club Hello to All Prospective Hamfest Workers Let me say first that the Hamfest Committee wishes to sincerely thank all that participated as a Hamfest Worker last year. If we are fortunate enough to have you as a Worker again this year, or if you've never had the opportunity to work the Hamfest, we intend to make it a very pleasant experience for you. We'll give you free entrance to the Hamfest as usual, and we'll also give you five free prize tickets. But the most important thing we'll do is, provide your lunch each day. So, please give serious consideration to volunteering as much time as you feel comfortable with. We will need plenty of Workers this year due to the fact that we will host the 2013 ARRL Alabama Section Convention, among other events. If you intend to work, please get your info back to me as soon as you know what your schedule will be, so we can start on the database that will schedule you where you are needed, and at the correct time, based on your availability. I've made arrangements to make your registration as simple as it can be. Please go to http://www.hamfest.org/ VolunteerForm.php and fill out the form. Then simply click on the button to send it to me, and it should get the information to me right away. Once I get your form, I'll get all the info back to you by email. The info will consist of a few "rules for the road" and some descriptions of the job assignments. Your schedule will be posted near the check in table on the West side of the VBC (big roll up doors). If you have any questions, feel free to either call me or email me. My contact info will be at the end of this email. Thank Table of Contents you in advance for any and all help. Remember to get the info back to me as soon as you know your availability for work. Field Day 2013 2 Thanks again, and I very much look forward to working with you at The World s Friendliest Hamfest on Friday August 16th (move in), which is probably our busiest day. Also, if possible, Saturday and Sunday August 17th and 18th for the actual Hamfest. Without our Hamfest Workers, the Hamfest just couldn t happen. Best Regards, Charlie Emerson/N4OKL Vice-President, Huntsville Hamfest Association Email: bluzman512 (at) comcast.net Meeting & Officer Info 2, 15 FD Reader Contributions 3-6 Meeting Minutes 7 FD Score Summary 8-9 K4BFT Masts & Booms 10 Club Calendar 11 ARES / RACES Meeting Minutes 12 License / Exam Information 13 For Sale 14
Page 2 Field Day 2013 by Tim Williams K4AEE Field Day 2013 is in the books and once again we have fallen short of expectations. We had records set on both CW stations 80/20 with 1285 QSO's and 40/15 making 1406 QSO's, but with new phone station managers we had bit of a learning curve there. Mr. Winters once again did an outstanding job with the 80/20 CW along with his "Morse Mafia" put up some great numbers and Jim Spikes had a GREAT run on the 40/15 CW station. On 40/15 Phone Bill Bathgate took over the manager's job and made a good showing and we are sure he'll do better and start setting records next year. John Lewis helped us out with the 80/20 Phone station and as it seems has become a tradition they had antenna and PC problems. The 80/20 Phone station has been snake bit for the past few years and has not lived up to expectations, but it has also not had any continuity of leadership either, so a few bumps should be expected. Once again the logistics came off without a problem...lol...peggy Bell as always did a great job on the picnic and Chris Reed and Robby Speer made sure we had the power to make all those contacts. David Stephenson wore three hats again with lining up the campers, working with the Space Center to make sure we have a place to setup and getting our Public Media support out. David will be giving up the Camper support job for next year, so we are in need of some to help out with that job next year...and since we are on that subject we need help with someone to take over the Tower Supervisor position for the future as well. But, all in all we did a great job and everyone involved deserves a big pat on the back. The Huntsville Amateur Radio Club Club Officers & Info Paul Paelian WB4UEE President wb4uee@hotmail.com Tim Williams K4AEE Vice President k4aee@tpwilliams.us Bertram Mau AH6ES Secretary ah6es@yahoo.com Heath Thorson KC4HRX Treasurer hthorson@mediacombb.net Johnny Winter KR4F Officer at-large jcw@hiwaay.net Jack Hemby W5WQQ Officer at-large JHemby@knology.net Bill Bathgate KD8IGK Officer at-large w.bathgate@yahoo.com Meeting location: Red Cross Building, 1101 Washington St. Huntsville, AL 35801 Meeting time: Every Friday, 7:30 PM (except on major holidays) Mailing address: HARC, PO Box 423, Huntsville, AL 35801 Visitors welcome at all meetings. Club callsign: K4BFT (http://www.qrz.com/db/k4bft) Website: www.harc.net Mail reflector signup: follow the link below the HARC logo on the home page
Page 3 Field Day reader contributions Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle presents David Stephenson KJ4OKJ with the 2013 Field Day Proclamation. Left: Several HARC members rig the ropes & wires in preparation for hoisting one of the four towers. Below: Jack W5WQQ & Jim N4KH get comfortable while they attach a clamp to the mast.
Page 4 Field Day reader contributions (continued) Bill KD8IGK stripping coax with his fingers? QRZ K4BFT Above: Tim Cunningham once again brought his satellite station. Below: Todd N7KDT again headed up GOTA. Above: Jonathan KD4MPW taking a turn at 80/20 Phone
Page 5 Field Day reader contributions (continued) Peggy K4EGB organized & executed a wonderful Saturday afternoon picnic. This was my first Field Day and I had a really great time. I overcame my mic-shyness and operated the 20m station for about 5 hours on Sunday morning. It took me a little while to get up to speed, but WA4PRH kept urging me on to "CQ again" from his nap in the other room. I even "beat down" a station trying to take over our frequency mid-morning (with help from John WA4PRH's recorded voice on the DVR). When do we start planning for 2014? --Kelley K4VPZ I have posted the video from Field Day on YouTube for viewing by us and other clubs around the country (if the link is forwarded to them). William KK4FDF http://youtu.be/j7rw0ta1umm
Page 6 Field Day the CW Guys Mark, here's some pix I took at FD, mostly focused on the 40/15 CW station. We had a ball Sunday morning in the 15m opening! 73, Randy, KS4L The CW stations did very well this year guys! In fact, it looks like a record breaker for both of the CW stations. On 80/20 CW we had a total of 1285. The 40/15 CW guys did 1406. Both are HARC Field Day records. The 40m phone folks had over 1000, which is quite respectable for beginners. - - Johnny KR4F Editor: It is unknown if the photo of Johnny relaxing on the right was taken before or after the record run.
Page 7 Meeting Minutes by Tom Duncan KG4CUY The June 14, 2013 HARC meeting was called to order by president Paul Paelian, WB4UEE at 7:35 pm with 34 in attendance. The customary introductions were made. Announcements 6m was reported by various members as having been a disappointment in last weekend s VHF/UHF contest. Bob Friend, KC4TNC has an overhead projector looking for a good home. Steve Bell, KD4TFN announced a swapfest at Ft. Payne tomorrow, 6/15. Tom Hatter, K4ACK says the call-in frequency for the swapfest is 147.270 MHz. Mark Brown, N4BCD reported that the July digital edition of QST lists Madison County as first place in the recent nation-wide simulated emergency test. There is an article by Tim Holland, KK5H. There is a fly-in breakfast at the Moontown airport tomorrow morning. No Old Business. New Business Installation of Officers for 2013/2014, elected at the previous meeting. Officers are: o President Paul Paelian, WB4UEE o Vice President Tim Williams, K4AEE o Secretary Bertram Wau, AH6ES o Treasurer Heath Thorson, KC4HRX o At-large officer Jack Hemby, W5WQQ o At-large officer Johnny Winter, KR4F o At-large officer Bill Bathgate, KD8IGK The installation was performed by Warren Alford, KJ4RAQ HARC Ham of the Year was announced, going to Jack Hemby, W5WQQ. Congratulations, Jack. The meeting adjourned at 7:55 pm and was followed by a field day round table discussion. Field Day is next weekend, so there will be no HARC meeting at the Red Cross. Hi, Mark! Last night I was making my way through the June, and I started reading about the Huntsville hams in Dayton, and the guy leaves me out of the list! Let's see... communicates with me by text when I arrive there... then sees me in the flea market and shows me the cantenna he bought! Anyway... here's to fussing at you! Hi hi 73, Kim - WG8S FD comment by? Our total for the HARC 40 and 15 meter CW station of 1406 QSOs exceeded last year's record total of 1256, and set a new all time record for the station. The team of excellent operators consisted of: Randy Moore, KS4L; Doug Haft, KY4F; Jim Spikes, N4KH; Bill Walker, KX4V; Tom Duncan, KG4CUY; and Tom Russell, N4KG. We used a two element wire beam oriented north and inverted V oriented east-west on a ~10 ft mast on top of the 48 ft tower. Fifteen meters was outstanding on Sunday morning and we easily set a new record for that band as well. Our best 1 hour rate was 100 QSOs on Sunday morning (KS4L, 15 meters, 0800-0900 hrs local). A big thank you goes to all who helped erect the towers, provided AC power, cooked the food, and towed the campers for the station. See you next year! Correction
Page 8 K4BFT Score Summary submitted by FD Chairman Tim Williams K4AEE Call Used: K4BFT GOTA Station Call: N7KDT ARRL/RAC Section: AL Class: 4A Participants: 60 Club/Group Name: Huntsville Amateur Radio Club Power Source(s): Generator Power Multiplier: 2X Bonus Points: 100% Emergency power 400 Media Publicity 100 Set-up in Public Place 100 Information Booth 100 W1AW Field Day Message 100 Satellite QSO completed 100 Site Visit by invited elected official 100 Site Visit by invited served agency official 100 Youth participation 100 Youth operators=9 Youth participants=9 GOTA Bonus 0 Submitted via the Web 50 Educational activity 100 Total Bonus Points 1,350 Score Summary: CW Digital Phone Total Total QSOs 2691 25 1631 Total Points 5382 50 1631 7063 Claimed Score = 14,126 Submitted by: Tim Williams, K4AEE 801 Jordan lane Huntsville, AL 35816 E-mail: k4aee@tpwilliams.us Comments: (blank) Continued on following page...
Page 9 K4BFT Score Summary submitted by FD Chairman Tim Williams K4AEE Band/Mode QSO Breakdown: CW Digital Phone QSOs Pwr(W) QSOs Pwr(W) QSOs Pwr(W) 160m 80m 298 100 40m 871 100 740 100 20m 987 100 398 100 15m 535 100 421 100 10m 6m 2m 1.25 Other Satellite 27 50 GOTA 25 20 45 100 TOTAL 2691 25 1631
Page 10 K4BFT Masts and Booms by Tom Duncan KG4CUY A very small and probably un-noticed test was conducted at both 40m/15m stations: masts, and for the CW station the boom, were pieced together from 4-foot sections of aluminum tubing instead of the longer pieces we ve used for many years. The impetus for this was that the CW station has a 20 foot boom, which is quite inconvenient to transport, and boom owner N4KG was not able to get it to the site on setup Friday. Knowing this well before-hand, we decided to use the aluminum tubing for both the mast and the boom. The 1.75 outside diameter fits the Rohn 20/25 top sections as well as the existing boom-to-mast clamps. While we were at it, and with many pieces of tubing to spare, the SSB station decided to use this for the mast no boom, but two arms to support dipoles. On the CW station, both boom and mast were made of five sections totalling 20 feet. The assembly flexed quite a bit as the tower was being erected, but the thick-wall aluminum accommodated it with no problems. Even so, we ll probably reduce the mast height to 16 feet next year a 50 foot tower height plus 16 foot mast length is just about perfect for the apex of the 40m wire beam. So, while we can t recommend the aluminum tubing for loads with higher bending moments, like quads, it seems to work just fine for the wire antennas.
Page 11 HARC Calender 7-Jul 8-Jul 9-Jul 10-Jul 11-Jul 12-Jul 13-Jul DX Club Meeting ARES / RACES 6PM Loop Antennas - Tom KG4CUY 14-Jul 15-Jul 16-Jul 17-Jul 18-Jul 19-Jul 20-Jul EMA Tour - Chris KF4MMF 21-Jul 22-Jul 23-Jul 24-Jul 25-Jul 26-Jul 27-Jul Raspberry Pi - Kevin KG4TEI 28-Jul 29-Jul 30-Jul 31-Jul 1-Aug 2-Aug 3-Aug Hamfest - Charlie N4OKL 4-Aug 5-Aug 6-Aug 7-Aug 8-Aug 9-Aug 10-Aug ARES / RACES 6PM tbd 11-Aug 12-Aug 13-Aug 14-Aug 15-Aug 16-Aug 17-Aug DX Club Meeting Hamfest move-in Hamfest 18-Aug 19-Aug 20-Aug 21-Aug 22-Aug 23-Aug 24-Aug Hamfest tbd 25-Aug 26-Aug 27-Aug 28-Aug 29-Aug 30-Aug 31-Aug Auction 1-Sep 2-Sep 3-Sep 4-Sep 5-Sep 6-Sep 7-Sep Labor Day 8-Sep 9-Sep 10-Sep 11-Sep 12-Sep 13-Sep 14-Sep DX Club Meeting ARES / RACES 6PM
Page 12 Madison County, Alabama ARES Monthly Meeting Minutes June 13, 2013 - Steve Smith KM4CJ The meeting was conducted in the Huntsville-Madison County EMA s EOC. The meeting started with the consumption of pizza. The sign-in log indicates 32 in attendance. Business meeting started at 18:00 central time. Tim KK5H opened the meeting by welcoming everybody. Tim announced Mike- KD7OQC, and Chuck -N4NM, would be stepping down as Assistance Emergency Coordinators (AEC) and thanked them for their service. Tim introduced K4TTZ-Wayne, and KI4VFV-Tom, had accepted the position of AEC. Reports: VOAD Chuck N4NM Next VOAD meeting is June 20th Provided a brief description of VOAD CERT Coe K4COE CERT meets the 2 nd Tuesday of each odd month Special Needs Coordinator Mike KF4BOG Announced the Weathering the Storm program will be offered again at the Huntsville Madison County Library. Contact Mike for more details. SKYWARN NWS Doug WD0UG Reminded us to be weather aware as the warmer weather approaches New Business: Tim KK5H Reminded everyone of Field Day coming up. Good time to check your equipment, get on the air and practice. Hamfest is coming up. ARES/RACES will have a table again this year. Mike KG4OZK volunteered to coordinate volunteers to work the table. Program: Mike - KD7OQC- Led us in a presentation of the different levels of Net Activation and how they can grow to meet the needs of the Situation. Mike used last year s SET communication s plan to illustrate how we would establish and operate Nets for Madison County. The Officers led the team in an exercise in discerning the passing of relevant traffic based on the weather situation and Net activation level. Meeting Adjourned at 19:40 Respectfully Submitted, Steve KM4CJ
Page 13 License & Exam Info by Joe Henderson N4CB If you re interested in becoming a licensed amateur radio operator, study guides are available online or in bookstores. You re welcome to come to any Friday club meeting to ask questions. You don t need to know Morse Code to attain a license! License exams are at 9AM the first Saturday of every month at the Red Cross Building, 1101 Washington St, Huntsville, AL 35802. The fee is $15 (cash) and you must bring some form of picture ID. Additional session on the 3rd Saturday of the month at Athens EOC at 1PM. 73, Joe Henderson N4CB Exam Stats: The testing results for 6 July 2013 are a total of 11 tested and 10 received something. The breakout is 4 Techs, 2 Generals, and 4 Extras. I like to see this stratification because it means not only are we getting new folks into the hobby, but also the ones already in are upgrading. Four extras in one session is a big deal. To top it off, we have one previous ham, who had let his license fully expire, do the "Hat Trick". He sat down and passed all three tests in one sitting. Congratulations to them all. Joe Henderson N4CB CAVEC New Licensees by Jack Hemby W5WQQ KK4RPK - Tech - Howard Earl Alspach, Laceys Springs, AL KK4RPL - Tech - Joe Azar, Huntsville, AL KK4RPM - Tech - Shae Epps, Huntsville, AL KK4RPN - Tech - James Farmer, Huntsville, AL KK4RPO - Tech -Michael A. Faruqui, Decatur, AL KK4RPP - General- Marshal Gray, Huntsville, AL KK4RPQ - Tech - Beverly Teter, Faulkville, AL KK4RPR - Tech - Jill Uithoven, Huntsville, AL KK4RPS - Tech - Rachel Uithoven, Huntsville, AL KK4RPT - General - Larry Weaver, Huntsville, AL Volunteer VE s Needed in Athens CAVEC is pleased to provide Amateur Radio testing sessions in Huntsville and Athens. These testing sessions are hosted by Extra Class Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who donate their time and effort. From time to time we need to recruit new VEs to ensure we can continue to provide this service. We are currently in dire need of a few extra class hams to assist in conducting the Athens testing sessions, which are held on the third Saturday of each month @ 1 pm at the Limestone EMA. If you live in or around that area and would like to help out, please contact Dean Thompson, drthompson58@gmail.com or Joe Henderson, n4cb@knology.net.
Page 14 For Sale Below is a list of items I have for sale from a combination of an estate sale and my stuff as pre-hamfest prices. All are fully functional. Please pass along the list to anyone you know might be interested. Thanks, Joe N4CB 256-509-5271 nomadrider1204@gmail.com TS -2000 w/ Duplexer $1000 Kenwood TS-850SAT and $500 Kenwood PS-50 PS Kenwood TH-D72A HT and $375 Kenwood KSC 32 Rapid Charger Ameritron AL-80B $800 Ameritron AL-811 $500 Manual 3KW Tuner $100 Turbo Tuner for Kenwood $150 Turbo Tuner for ICOM $150 25 AMP PS $50 JPS NIR-10 Audio Filter $25 JPS NIR-12 Audio Filter $75 DX Engr Radial Plate $25 DX Engr High-Power UNUN $50 43' Home-made Military Alum Pole Vertical $50 Ameritron RCS-8v Remote Ant Switch 5 positions $100 Yaesu Rotator, G-450A $150
Page 15 Program and Project Managers Madison County Emergency Coordinator Field Day Chairman Public Information Officer Fundraising Coordinator K4BFT Club Station Trustee Picnic/Food Coordinator Training/Education Coordinator Publisher Website Designer Tim Holland, KK5H Tim Williams, K4AEE David Stephenson, KJ4OKJ Tim Williams, K4AEE Tom Duncan, KG4CUY Peggy Bell, K4EGB Jack Hemby, W5WQQ Mark Brown, N4BCD Jason Henriksen, KE4ROR
Page 16 Huntsville Hamfest Aug 17 & 18, 2013 Now is the time to start making plans for the 2013 show the date is shown above. Mark your calendar and plan to attend "The World's Friendliest Hamfest"! Hours? Price? Other Details? Visit www.hamfest.org Activities? Forums? Directions? Click through the links on the left. Youth Lounge! What are we doing in the Youth Lounge? Click on the link and find out! Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY) as usual, the YHOTY will be awarded at the Huntsville Hamfest. W5KUB will be here again covering the Huntsville Hamfest with his famous live helmet webcam! Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show will be broadcasting live from the hamfest HRO Atlanta D*STAR repeater WB4HRO will be at the show and will be on the gateway. freqs = 440.7125 +5; 1284.4500-12 Hotel Specials See the Hamfest special hotel rates! Click the Hotels link on the left. N. AL DX Club Banquet The featured speaker will be Rob Sherwood NC0B who has published receiver comparisons for 35 years and will speak on historical perspectives in the growth of receiver performance. Tickets are $38. Contact K8KI@comcast.net. The DX Banquet is held at the Holiday Inn across the street from the Hamfest Arena. Limited, first-come, RV parking available See the RV & Camping link for details. Bring the family along! Lots to do in the Huntsville area! Check out the Tourism link.