Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter – Week of January 29, 2022

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2021
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 29, 2022

  • What a mess.
    Yesterday afternoon I was listening to II3WRTC which is a special call sign to promote WRTC (world radio team championship) there are 12 stations taking part one from each Italian call area. II3WRTC is from region 3. The event goes from January 1 to Ju…
  • LHS Episode #449: Insecurities Everywhere
    Hello and welcome to the 449th installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this short-topics episode, the hosts discuss results from the 2021 QSO parties, the FCC tech advisory …
  • Hunting For NDBs In CLE 276
    ZQT-263 Thunder Bay, ON (tnx ve3gop.com)It’s CLE fun time once again. How quickly time zooms by. ‘CLE’s are ‘Co-ordinated Listening Events, and NDB DXers around the world focus their listening time on one small slice of the ND…
  • LHS Episode #450: The Weekender LXXXV
    It’s time once again for The Weekender. This is our bi-weekly departure into the world of amateur radio contests, open source conventions, special events, listener challenges, hedonism and just plain …

Thank you for being an AmateurRadio.com reader and subscriber to the Amateur Radio Newsletter.

Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor

Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blogGet started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter – Week of January 22, 2022

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2021
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 22, 2022

  • AmateurLogic 165: Welcome to 2022
    AmateurLogic.TV Episode 165 is now available for download. Emile talks GMRS Data modes. ID-52A power on screen with Tommy Dirt. George has the new ARRL Handbook 2022 edition. And an update on Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. Download YouTube
  • It’s part of modern ham radio!
    In today’s modern radio shack, unlike in yesteryear, a PC is a connected part of the overall setup. It can simply be for sending and receiving QSL cards all the way to station automation and control. In my station, my PC is involved in QSLing, di…

Thank you for being an AmateurRadio.com reader and subscriber to the Amateur Radio Newsletter.

Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor

Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blogGet started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

[W0TLM] Update January 22, 2022

I am only Those New Years Resolutions again.  I am going to hang on to these for all of January.   Ok also I referred to a link -hint, check out hints, tips and projects.

  1. If, by chance, you are not yet a licensed Ham Radio Operator, get your license this year,  or upgrade.
  2. Try something. they say there are 30 different kinds of Ham Radio. Surely one of those can excite you.
  3. Do Something. Set an achievable Ham Radio goal for the year — and then work at it!  SOTA, POTA, ?
  4. Build something.  Too many years ago, as I newly licensed Ham I had a 23 channel FM Icom 22S so I built a box to mount it on in the shack and in that box, I built and autopatch, a 4 channel scanner and an external set of dip switch’s to program the last channel (it was diode programmed).  It was not cutting edge but I was so exited to see the leds roll across.
  5. Learn Something.  Microcontrollers like the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and PICaxe are quite inexpensive.
  6. Teach something.  You know how to do things others don’t, but would like to learn.
  7. Become a “HAMbassador”.  Get just one person (or two, or three) interested in Amateur Radio.
  8. Get Involved.  Just about every club (not just Radio Clubs) has the same problem — 10% of the people do 90% of the work.
  9. Stay positive, ignore the negative.
  10. Most of all, resolve to have more fun with Ham Radio in 2022!

The next W0TLM class will be offered – April 2 thru 9, 2022. It will be a combination of Zoom and in-person sessions for the Technician Class License. Registration should begin February 1, 2022.  The in-person venue will be at the Woodmoor Barn on April 2 and 9 (Saturdays), so pass it around, let’s invite people to join us.

inmyday_thumb2_thumb_thumb

Weekly NetWe need volunteers !!!to act as the net control station during our weekly net. Please volunteer. If each member of the club would take one net per year, we would have every net covered.  Hey it is cold outside so you don’t really have an excuse.

January 24 – We need a net control operator

January 31 – We need a net control operator

February 5 – We need a net control operator

February 12 – We need a net control operator

Our thanks to those who are volunteering to serve as Net Control Operators. We always need Net Control Operators, so please volunteer. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve your on-the-air skills. It is easy to sign up, just go to the Net Control signup page at the Club’s website and follow the instructions. There is a simple script on the same page , bottom of the page, that is easy to follow. Info on the N0XLF and K0NR repeater can be found on that page as well.

If you are into HF nets check this out: NetScraper

Winter Field Day is coming – Jan. 29 – 30             WFD_thumb1_thumb_thumb

Solar activity:

Solar Flare Alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and get instant text notifications when solar flares are underway.

There are numerous sites and ways to check and see where and what the chances are of that great contact.  One to check is W5MMW solar site info  Check it out.  Also this site provides solar data N0NBH.

DX of interestDX News check the link. 

Guide to January Ham Radio Contests.  They are almost over.  Still a few to get revved up about but pretty soon we move to February then March then??? Spring! Maybe?

Local Educational Events

One , not often listed, is our own website club presentations –  W0TLM Presentations.  We have a tremendous array of presentations on numerous subjects.  If you find one that you need more info on just contact the Elmering crew below.

Elmering (the best way for local Educational help) . Jim NCØJW and others have been providing help to those who request assistance. If you need help with anything, please reach out. Our Google Groups email system is great for this purpose. If you have a question, please feel free to ask it – and remember: There are no stupid questions. If you have more than a question or two or would like to be paired with an Elmer, please let Jim NCØJW, Bob KØNR, or me know and we’ll do our best to connect you with someone who can help you.

There are several online educational events scheduled by RMHAM:

· 2022-02-12, 08:30, Various
NerdFest. A bunch of short presentations on esoteric topics in ham radio.

· 2022-03-12, 08:30, John W0VG, Willem AC0KQ, Chris K0SWE and Gary WB5PJB
Data Transmission via Radio. HF, VHF and UHF data communications using packet, pactor, VARA and related methods. How to use WinLink, BPQ and PAT to send and receive messages.

· 2022-04-09, 08:30, Rob N0RPF
Balloons and things relating to. Rob and others from EOSS Edge of Space Sciences will present on balloons, pico-balloons, and other high flying interests.

· 2022-05-14,  08:30, TBD – Applications of Software Defined Radio. Remote receivers and transmitters, direction finding, signal processing and other interesting applications of SDR.
Please go to the RM Ham University website to sign up for courses.  You will need to login to access the page, but if you are interested in in-depth talks, the RM Ham University offers them, the Saturday talks are 3+ hours long.

RMHAM Past Presentation Videos Available Past presentation and class videos are available if you cannot make it to the classes. Upcoming 2021-2022 RMHAM University classes and Tech Talks are listed at: https:// www.rmham.org/rocky-mountain-ham-university/. Presentations are free, and classes (not Tech Talks) have the option of in-person attendance.

ARRL’s new Learning Center has been launched. The ARRL has increased the offerings under this program, so please look at the expanded list of offerings. This Center will host a wide selection of training courses, webinar recordings, and instructional materials. In relation to their Learning Center, check out the FREE ARES Learning items, if you ever want to do Public Service Communication, this is a good place to start.

Best of the best for New Hams.  The ARRL has just implemented Youtube videos for the ARRL Handbook Keep an eye on them as new ones come out.

If you are an ARRL member don’t forget to check out the digital versions of the publications.

More item of interest for the list: 

  • The EZNEC antenna-modelling software by Roy Lewallen W7EL, is now a free download.        
  • This goes between learning and Hamfest: QSO Today Virtual Ham ExpoI took it in last year and there were a lot of really good presentations for learning and ? contacts.  The price is right the location is right, just can’t “touch” and “Feel” those vendor radios.  But the rest of it was well worth checknig it out.

Ham Fests coming up:

· The SwapFest
A Joint Presentation of ARA & RMHAM 8 AM – 1 PM – 02/20/2022 – Adams County Fairgrounds
Table Cost: $13.00   Admission: $5.00 – Talkin: 147.15/R(100 Hz Tone)
Contact: More Information Coming Soon! Contact Wayne N0POH 303-699-6335 or Email
n0ara-info@gmail.com

Another place to check for HamFests: ARRL Hamfests and Conventions

Do you need to swap, sell or buy something locally before the swap fest?  two of the areas long running swap lists are available by email weekly.  You can sign up for the Aurora swaplist at n0ara.info@gmail.com.  Another one is the Colorado Repeater Assoc. Swap list and you can check it out and or sign up at craswaplist+subscribe@groups.io.  it is also read out on Sunday Mornings on their repeaters.

Tips, Tricks, Projects 

Who Knew? Were you aware of all these hams in your area – Just enter you call and see the map and I know it is not accurate, looked up 3 calls that I know are not on there. but I was not even close to knowing all my neighbors were hams.  Where are these people, do they not know we have a club, do they not actively participate in other radio stuff?  I do look for hidden antennas and don’t see very many for sure not on some of the near houses listed on this link…

Haminfo map

Equipment Loan Program.  Check the club webpage  W0TLM – Equipment – Cache We have a full station to loan out so check that page link.

Zoom Invitation/Link for the Next Monthly Club Meeting. The link for the next monthly Club meeting and presentation (but not for Connect Time) is: Connecting should be as easy as clicking the link. If you have your Zoom account set up you should be prompted to open your Zoom app. If you don’t have a Zoom account, you will be prompted to permit Zoom to download. Once it has been downloaded, you will click the prompt to join the meeting. ZOOM HAS UPDATED ITS SETTINGS AND YOU MAY NOW BE PLACED IN A “WAITING ROOM” BEFORE JOINING THE CALL. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WE WILL BE WORKING TO MINIMIZE THE WAITING. Please check the lower left hand corner of the display to confirm that the video does NOT have a red line through it. Please also confirm that the microphone does have a red line through it. If you do not have a camera and microphone on your computer, you may still observe and listen in.  The steps are the same, except you do not need to adjust your microphone and camera. Finally, please change your “screen name to reflect your first and last name and call sign. We use this to determine who is attending.

Club Support we take no dues but depend on donations and other means of building and keeping our operating budget so check out the website at W0TLM – About Us on how you can help. 

Sign up to receive this Newsletter. We use Google Groups for our email list, which is the best way to stay in touch with the radio club activities: W0TLM mailing list and Google group. Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested in ham radio in general or our Club specifically. Each Week, we are posting the most recent version of the Update on the Club’s website. For security reasons, some of the links have been removed. If you want the links you will need to sign up to be on our mailing list.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association (W0TLM)” group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
w0tlm+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/w0tlm/7e8c08f7-6b0e-4042-a896-3da2aa9a1e46n%40googlegroups.com.

254539388_10219032820362994_5926253463530570530_n.jpg

WD0AJG

W0TLM Update January 15, 2022

Those New Years Resolutions again.  I know I put these in last week but worth hanging on to for awhile. 

  1. If, by chance, you are not yet a licensed Ham Radio Operator, get your license this year,  or upgrade.
  2. Try something. they say there are 30 different kinds of Ham Radio. Surely one of those can excite you.
  3. Do Something. Set an achievable Ham Radio goal for the year — and then work at it!  SOTA, POTA, ?
  4. Build something.  Too many years ago, as I newly licensed Ham I had a 23 channel FM Icom 22S so I built a box to mount it on in the shack and in that box, I built and autopatch, a 4 channel scanner and an external set of dip switch’s to program the last channel (it was diode programmed).  It was not cutting edge but I was so exited to see the leds roll across.
  5. Learn Something.  Microcontrollers like the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and PICaxe are quite inexpensive.
  6. Teach something.  You know how to do things others don’t, but would like to learn.
  7. Become a “HAMbassador”.  Get just one person (or two, or three) interested in Amateur Radio.
  8. Get Involved.  Just about every club (not just Radio Clubs) has the same problem — 10% of the people do 90% of the work.
  9. Stay positive, ignore the negative.
  10. Most of all, resolve to have more fun with Ham Radio in 2022!

Next Club meeting January 17,2022 – ZOOM only see below!

The next W0TLM class will be offered – April 2 thru 9, 2022. It will be a combination of Zoom and in-person sessions for the Technician Class License. Registration should begin February 1, 2022.  The in-person venue will be at the Woodmoor Barn on April 2 and 9 (Saturdays), so pass it around, let’s invite people to join us.

inmyday_thumb2_thumb

Weekly Net.  We need volunteers to act as the net control station during our weekly net. Please volunteer. If each member of the club would take one net per year, we would have every net covered. 

January 17 – Zoom meeting ( No in Person)

January 24 – We need a net control operator

January 31 – We need a net control operator

February 5 – We need a net control operator

Our thanks to those who are volunteering to serve as Net Control Operators. We always need Net Control Operators, so please volunteer. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve your on-the-air skills. It is easy to sign up, just go to the Net Control signup page at the Club’s website and follow the instructions. There is a simple script on the same page , bottom of the page, that is easy to follow. Info on the N0XLF and K0NR repeater can be found on that page as well.

If you are into HF nets check this out: NetScraper

Winter Field Day is coming – Jan. 29 – 30             WFD_thumb1_thumb

Solar activity:It has bounce back up this week, not 10 meter explosive yet but better.  SOLAR CYCLE UPDATE: Solar Cycle 25 is shaping up to be stronger than expected. New sunspot counts confirm that the young solar cycle is outperforming official forecasts, with the rate of geomagnetic “storm days” nearly tripling in the past 12 months.

Solar Flare Alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and get instant text notifications when solar flares are underway.

There are numerous sites and ways to check and see where and what the chances are of that great contact.  One to check is W5MMW solar site info  Check it out.  Also this site provides solar data N0NBH.

DX of interestDX News check the link.   As the flux came up this past weekend, I was able to pick up a ATN (All Time New) Dx last weekend.  Using FT8 I got lucky with my Carolina Windom antenna and 70 watts to work HZ1SK.  Now according to the predictions the Solar Flux was supposed to be up this past week? One more (Be advised some adult content):

3DA0RU VIDEO AVAILABLE. Members of the Russian DX Team (RUDXT) have posted
a video on YouTube.com of both their 2021 operations to eSwatini (3DA0RU)
and Lesotho (7P8RU) DXpeditions. The video is just under 13 minutes long
and can be viewed at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku4WfaJ-LvM&t=16s

Guide to January Ham Radio Contests.

Have you worked any?  Again, last weekend I swapped to FT4, saw a lot of what appeared to be old time contacts.  Yes they were sending stuff like 579 and State?  I looked and it was RTTY Round Up weekend and it seems they now use FT4 (a part of the WSJT-x program).  It is similar to RTTY and has been setup to work like RTTY in contests.  I had to pull up the manual and read it twice to figure out how to “participate” in the rapid fire contacts.  Once I got it figured out, and set up, I made 83 contacts in 1.5 hours on 20 and 40 meters, and that included 23 states and 4 countries and a stop in the middle for a couple breaks.  Just a reminder that you don’t have to be a big contester to join in and it may open up contacts you don’t usually get a chance to make.

Local Educational Events

One , not often listed, is our own website club presentations –  W0TLM Presentations.  We have a tremendous array of presentations on numerous subjects.  If you find one that you need more info on just contact the Elmering crew below.

Elmering (the best way for local Educational help) . Jim NCØJW and others have been providing help to those who request assistance. If you need help with anything, please reach out. Our Google Groups email system is great for this purpose. If you have a question, please feel free to ask it – and remember: There are no stupid questions. If you have more than a question or two or would like to be paired with an Elmer, please let Jim NCØJW, Bob KØNR, or me know and we’ll do our best to connect you with someone who can help you.

There are several online educational events scheduled by RMHAM:

· 2022-02-12, 08:30, Various
NerdFest. A bunch of short presentations on esoteric topics in ham radio.

· 2022-03-12, 08:30, John W0VG, Willem AC0KQ, Chris K0SWE and Gary WB5PJB
Data Transmission via Radio. HF, VHF and UHF data communications using packet, pactor, VARA and related methods. How to use WinLink, BPQ and PAT to send and receive messages.

· 2022-04-09, 08:30, Rob N0RPF
Balloons and things relating to. Rob and others from EOSS Edge of Space Sciences will present on balloons, pico-balloons, and other high flying interests.

· 2022-05-14,  08:30, TBD – Applications of Software Defined Radio. Remote receivers and transmitters, direction finding, signal processing and other interesting applications of SDR.
Please go to the RM Ham University website to sign up for courses.  You will need to login to access the page, but if you are interested in in-depth talks, the RM Ham University offers them, the Saturday talks are 3+ hours long.

RMHAM Past Presentation Videos Available Past presentation and class videos are available if you cannot make it to the classes. Upcoming 2021-2022 RMHAM University classes and Tech Talks are listed at: https:// www.rmham.org/rocky-mountain-ham-university/. Presentations are free, and classes (not Tech Talks) have the option of in-person attendance.

ARRL’s new Learning Center has been launched. The ARRL has increased the offerings under this program, so please look at the expanded list of offerings. This Center will host a wide selection of training courses, webinar recordings, and instructional materials. In relation to their Learning Center, check out the FREE ARES Learning items, if you ever want to do Public Service Communication, this is a good place to start.

Best of the best for New Hams.  The ARRL has just implemented Youtube videos for the ARRL Handbook Keep an eye on them as new ones come out.

If you are an ARRL member don’t forget to check out the digital versions of the publications.

One more item of interest for the list: 

  • The EZNEC antenna-modelling software by Roy Lewallen W7EL, is now a free download.        


Ham Fests coming up:

· NCARC Winter 2022 Hamfest 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM  TODAY! HURRY!
01/15/2022 – Thomas M. McKee 4H Building – 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO Take Exit 259 of I-25
Table Cost: $13 to $20   Admission: $7.00 – Talkin: 448.025((-))
Contact: Joe Hawley (970) 689-0828 Download the flyer
Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club

· The SwapFest
A Joint Presentation of ARA & RMHAM 8 AM – 1 PM – 02/20/2022 – Adams County Fairgrounds
Table Cost: $13.00   Admission: $5.00 – Talkin: 147.15/R(100 Hz Tone)
Contact: More Information Coming Soon! Contact Wayne N0POH 303-699-6335 or Email
n0ara-info@gmail.com

Another place to check for HamFests: ARRL Hamfests and Conventions

Do you need to swap, sell or buy something locally before the swap fest?  two of the areas long running swap lists are available by email weekly.  You can sign up for the Aurora swaplist at n0ara.info@gmail.com.  Another one is the Colorado Repeater Assoc. Swap list and you can check it out and or sign up at craswaplist+subscribe@groups.io.  it is also read out on Sunday Mornings on their repeaters.

Tips, Tricks, Projects 

This week I am going to grab info from K0NR.  I subscribe to several other newsletters and I find Bob’s articles are used in many of them.  If you don’t know he writes a blog.  In the past year he has gone into some good explanations for Logging SOTA and POTA.  I have supplied his stuff to some of my friends that are doing POTA.  It is appropriate that I list some here as well.  His website says we can use them for Club letters.  For the experienced this may be old info for those looking to tackle the great outdoors check these out as part of your preparations:

https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2021/09/tips-and-tools-for-managing-logs/

https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2013/01/need-a-logging-program-for-vhf-contests/

https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2006/11/use-mp3-player-for-portable-logging/

https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2022/01/more-logging-tips-for-sota-pota/

Granted the next is not totally POTA or SOTA but fits with logging.

https://www.k0nr.com/wordpress/2021/10/what-is-a-valid-qso/

 

Equipment Loan Program.  Check the club webpage  W0TLM – Equipment – Cache We have a full station to loan out so check that page link.

Zoom Invitation/Link for the Next Monthly Club Meeting. The link for the next monthly Club meeting and presentation (but not for Connect Time) is:   Connecting should be as easy as clicking the link. If you have your Zoom account set up you should be prompted to open your Zoom app. If you don’t have a Zoom account, you will be prompted to permit Zoom to download. Once it has been downloaded, you will click the prompt to join the meeting. ZOOM HAS UPDATED ITS SETTINGS AND YOU MAY NOW BE PLACED IN A “WAITING ROOM” BEFORE JOINING THE CALL. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WE WILL BE WORKING TO MINIMIZE THE WAITING. Please check the lower left hand corner of the display to confirm that the video does NOT have a red line through it. Please also confirm that the microphone does have a red line through it. If you do not have a camera and microphone on your computer, you may still observe and listen in.  The steps are the same, except you do not need to adjust your microphone and camera. Finally, please change your “screen name to reflect your first and last name and call sign. We use this to determine who is attending.

Club Support we take no dues but depend on donations and other means of building and keeping our operating budget so check out the website at W0TLM – About Us on how you can help. 

Sign up to receive this Newsletter. We use Google Groups for our email list, which is the best way to stay in touch with the radio club activities: W0TLM mailing list and Google group. Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested in ham radio in general or our Club specifically. Each Week, we are posting the most recent version of the Update on the Club’s website. For security reasons, some of the links have been removed. If you want the links you will need to sign up to be on our mailing list.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association (W0TLM)” group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
w0tlm+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/w0tlm/7e8c08f7-6b0e-4042-a896-3da2aa9a1e46n%40googlegroups.com.

254539388_10219032820362994_5926253463530570530_n.jpg

WD0AJG

[W0TLM] Update January 1, 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With the passing of the year and we are now setting “New Years Resolutions”  put Ham Radio on your list of Resolutions.  Here are some I saw elsewhere that maybe should be listed here:

  1. If, by chance, you are not yet a licensed Ham Radio Operator, get your license this year,  or upgrade.
  2. Try something. they say there are 30 different kinds of Ham Radio. Surely one of those can excite you.
  3. Do Something. Set an achievable Ham Radio goal for the year — and then work at it!  SOTA, POTA, ?
  4. Build something.  Too many years ago, as I newly licensed Ham I had a 23 channel FM Icom 22S so I built a box to mount it on in the shack and in that box, I built and autopatch, a 4 channel scanner and an external set of dip switch’s to program the last channel (it was diode programmed).  It was not cutting edge but I was so exited to see the leds roll across.
  5. Learn Something.  Microcontrollers like the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and PICaxe are quite inexpensive.
  6. Teach something.  You know how to do things others don’t, but would like to learn.
  7. Become a “HAMbassador“.  Get just one person (or two, or three) interested in Amateur Radio.
  8. Get Involved.  Just about every club (not just Radio Clubs) has the same problem — 10% of the people do 90% of the work.
  9. Stay positive, ignore the negative.
  10. Most of all, resolve to have more fun with Ham Radio in 2022!

Next Club meeting January 17,2022

The next W0TLM class will be offered – April 2 thru 9, 2022. It will be a combination of Zoom and in-person sessions for the Technician Class License. Registration should begin February 1, 2022.  The in-person venue will be at the Woodmoor Barn on April 2 and 9 (Saturdays), so pass it around, let’s invite people to join us.

inmyday

Weekly Net.  We need volunteers to act as the net control station during our weekly net. Please volunteer. If each member of the club would take one net per year, we would have every net covered. 

January 3 – K0TRD Tricia

 January 10 – We need a net control operator

January 17 – We need a net control operator

January 24 – We need a net control operator

January 31 – We need a net control operator

Our thanks to those who are volunteering to serve as Net Control Operators. We always need Net Control Operators, so please volunteer. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve your on-the-air skills. It is easy to sign up, just go to the Net Control signup page at the Club’s website and follow the instructions. There is a simple script on the same page , bottom of the page, that is easy to follow. Info on the N0XLF and K0NR repeater can be found on that page as well.

If you are into HF nets check this out: NetScraper

Winter Field Day is coming – Jan. 29 – 30             WFD

Solar activity: Well with the burst of sun spots last week we have had some 10 meter openings.  I have picked up a few DX contacts, how about you? 

Solar Flare Alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and get instant text notifications when solar flares are underway.

There are numerous sites and ways to check and see where and what the chances are of that great contact.  One to check is W5MMW solar site info  Check it out.  Also this site provides solar data N0NBH.

DX of interestDX News check the link.  Sure hope you are all checking the bands.  I know it is easier for me on FT8 but this week I picked up two “All Time New” countries.  Kenya (5Z4VJ)  and Morroco (CN8DN).  Many of those locations only operate limited times each year and now is the best time to keep looking.

Local Educational Events

One , not often listed, is our own website club presentations –  W0TLM Presentations.  We have a tremendous array of presentations on numerous subjects.  If you find one that you need more info on just contact the Elmering crew below.

Elmering (the best way for local Educational help) . Jim NCØJW and others have been providing help to those who request assistance. If you need help with anything, please reach out. Our Google Groups email system is great for this purpose. If you have a question, please feel free to ask it – and remember: There are no stupid questions. If you have more than a question or two or would like to be paired with an Elmer, please let Jim NCØJW, Bob KØNR, or me know and we’ll do our best to connect you with someone who can help you.

There are several online educational events scheduled by RMHAM:

· 2022-01-08, 08:30, James KI0KN and Mark N7CTM
Motorola and Kenwood Radio Programming Lab. How to program commercial radios from Motorola and Kenwood for DMR, analog and P25. Managing code plugs. Special topics like use of older radios for packet stations, DMR roaming and data transmission.

· 2022-02-12, 08:30, Various
NerdFest. A bunch of short presentations on esoteric topics in ham radio.

· 2022-03-12, 08:30, John W0VG, Willem AC0KQ, Chris K0SWE and Gary WB5PJB
Data Transmission via Radio. HF, VHF and UHF data communications using packet, pactor, VARA and related methods. How to use WinLink, BPQ and PAT to send and receive messages.

· 2022-04-09, 08:30, Rob N0RPF
Balloons and things relating to. Rob and others from EOSS Edge of Space Sciences will present on balloons, pico-balloons, and other high flying interests.

· 2022-05-14,  08:30, TBD – Applications of Software Defined Radio. Remote receivers and transmitters, direction finding, signal processing and other interesting applications of SDR.
Please go to the RM Ham University website to sign up for courses.  You will need to login to access the page, but if you are interested in in-depth talks, the RM Ham University offers them, the Saturday talks are 3+ hours long.

RMHAM Past Presentation Videos Available Past presentation and class videos are available if you cannot make it to the classes. Upcoming 2021-2022 RMHAM University classes and Tech Talks are listed at: https:// www.rmham.org/rocky-mountain-ham-university/. Presentations are free, and classes (not Tech Talks) have the option of in-person attendance.

ARRL’s new Learning Center has been launched. The ARRL has increased the offerings under this program, so please look at the expanded list of offerings. This Center will host a wide selection of training courses, webinar recordings, and instructional materials. In relation to their Learning Center, check out the FREE ARES Learning items, if you ever want to do Public Service Communication, this is a good place to start.

Best of the best for New Hams.  The ARRL has just implemented Youtube videos for the ARRL Handbook Keep an eye on them as new ones come out.

If you are an ARRL member don’t forget to check out the digital versions of the publications.


Ham Fests coming up:

· NCARC Winter 2022 Hamfest 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
01/15/2022 – Thomas M. McKee 4H Building – 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO Take Exit 259 of I-25
Table Cost: $13 to $20   Admission: $7.00 – Talkin: 448.025((-))
Contact: Joe Hawley (970) 689-0828 Download the flyer
Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club

· The SwapFest
A Joint Presentation of ARA & RMHAM 8 AM – 1 PM – 02/20/2022 – Adams County Fairgrounds
Table Cost: $13.00   Admission: $5.00 – Talkin: 147.15/R(100 Hz Tone)
Contact: More Information Coming Soon! Contact Wayne N0POH 303-699-6335 or Email
n0ara-info@gmail.com

Another place to check for HamFests: ARRL Hamfests and Conventions

Do you need to swap, sell or buy something locally before the swap fest?  two of the areas long running swap lists are available by email weekly.  You can sign up for the Aurora swaplist at n0ara.info@gmail.com.  Another one is the Colorado Repeater Assoc. Swap list and you can check it out and or sign up at craswaplist+subscribe@groups.io.  it is also read out on Sunday Mornings on their repeaters.

Tips, Tricks, Projects

Do you have mobile noise? Is it generated by all those electronics, the alternator or something else? Could you use a good 12 volt line filter to cut some of that nose from getting in on the powerline?  If so I have this file free for download to build a big , brute force, 12 volt line filter.  Now it is old and of course Radio Shack is no more but I am sure you can find the parts on line at Lowes or Home Depot, etc.  pretty simple project to build for that power line problem.  Download the document here:  12 volt power line filter

Equipment Loan Program.  Check the club webpage  W0TLM – Equipment – Cache We have a full station to loan out so check that page link.

Zoom Invitation/Link for the Next Monthly Club Meeting. The link for the next monthly Club meeting and presentation (but not for Connect Time) is:   Connecting should be as easy as clicking the link. If you have your Zoom account set up you should be prompted to open your Zoom app. If you don’t have a Zoom account, you will be prompted to permit Zoom to download. Once it has been downloaded, you will click the prompt to join the meeting. ZOOM HAS UPDATED ITS SETTINGS AND YOU MAY NOW BE PLACED IN A “WAITING ROOM” BEFORE JOINING THE CALL. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WE WILL BE WORKING TO MINIMIZE THE WAITING. Please check the lower left hand corner of the display to confirm that the video does NOT have a red line through it. Please also confirm that the microphone does have a red line through it. If you do not have a camera and microphone on your computer, you may still observe and listen in.  The steps are the same, except you do not need to adjust your microphone and camera. Finally, please change your “screen name to reflect your first and last name and call sign. We use this to determine who is attending.

Club Support we take no dues but depend on donations and other means of building and keeping our operating budget so check out the website at W0TLM – About Us on how you can help. 

Sign up to receive this Newsletter. We use Google Groups for our email list, which is the best way to stay in touch with the radio club activities: W0TLM mailing list and Google group. Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested in ham radio in general or our Club specifically. Each Week, we are posting the most recent version of the Update on the Club’s website. For security reasons, some of the links have been removed. If you want the links you will need to sign up to be on our mailing list.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association (W0TLM)” group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
w0tlm+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/w0tlm/7e8c08f7-6b0e-4042-a896-3da2aa9a1e46n%40googlegroups.com.

254539388_10219032820362994_5926253463530570530_n.jpg

WD0AJG

Reply

[W0TLM] Update January 8, 2022

Those New Years Resolutions again.  I know I put these in last week but worth hanging on to for awhile. 

  1. If, by chance, you are not yet a licensed Ham Radio Operator, get your license this year,  or upgrade.
  2. Try something. they say there are 30 different kinds of Ham Radio. Surely one of those can excite you.
  3. Do Something. Set an achievable Ham Radio goal for the year — and then work at it!  SOTA, POTA, ?
  4. Build something.  Too many years ago, as I newly licensed Ham I had a 23 channel FM Icom 22S so I built a box to mount it on in the shack and in that box, I built and autopatch, a 4 channel scanner and an external set of dip switch’s to program the last channel (it was diode programmed).  It was not cutting edge but I was so exited to see the leds roll across.
  5. Learn Something.  Microcontrollers like the Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and PICaxe are quite inexpensive.
  6. Teach something.  You know how to do things others don’t, but would like to learn.
  7. Become a “HAMbassador”.  Get just one person (or two, or three) interested in Amateur Radio.
  8. Get Involved.  Just about every club (not just Radio Clubs) has the same problem — 10% of the people do 90% of the work.
  9. Stay positive, ignore the negative.
  10. Most of all, resolve to have more fun with Ham Radio in 2022!

Next Club meeting January 17,2022

The next W0TLM class will be offered – April 2 thru 9, 2022. It will be a combination of Zoom and in-person sessions for the Technician Class License. Registration should begin February 1, 2022.  The in-person venue will be at the Woodmoor Barn on April 2 and 9 (Saturdays), so pass it around, let’s invite people to join us.

inmyday_thumb2

Weekly Net.  We need volunteers to act as the net control station during our weekly net. Please volunteer. If each member of the club would take one net per year, we would have every net covered. 

 

 January 10 – KB8JLI – Lisa

January 17 – In Person – Club Meeting

January 24 – We need a net control operator

January 31 – We need a net control operator

Our thanks to those who are volunteering to serve as Net Control Operators. We always need Net Control Operators, so please volunteer. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve your on-the-air skills. It is easy to sign up, just go to the Net Control signup page at the Club’s website and follow the instructions. There is a simple script on the same page , bottom of the page, that is easy to follow. Info on the N0XLF and K0NR repeater can be found on that page as well.

If you are into HF nets check this out: NetScraper

Winter Field Day is coming – Jan. 29 – 30             WFD_thumb1

Solar activity: It has been a bit slow this past week.

Solar Flare Alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and get instant text notifications when solar flares are underway.

There are numerous sites and ways to check and see where and what the chances are of that great contact.  One to check is W5MMW solar site info  Check it out.  Also this site provides solar data N0NBH.

DX of interestDX News check the link. 

Guide to January Ham Radio Contests.

Local Educational Events

One , not often listed, is our own website club presentations –  W0TLM Presentations.  We have a tremendous array of presentations on numerous subjects.  If you find one that you need more info on just contact the Elmering crew below.

Elmering (the best way for local Educational help) . Jim NCØJW and others have been providing help to those who request assistance. If you need help with anything, please reach out. Our Google Groups email system is great for this purpose. If you have a question, please feel free to ask it – and remember: There are no stupid questions. If you have more than a question or two or would like to be paired with an Elmer, please let Jim NCØJW, Bob KØNR, or me know and we’ll do our best to connect you with someone who can help you.

There are several online educational events scheduled by RMHAM:

· 2022-01-08, 08:30, James KI0KN and Mark N7CTM Probably too late but?
Motorola and Kenwood Radio Programming Lab. How to program commercial radios from Motorola and Kenwood for DMR, analog and P25. Managing code plugs. Special topics like use of older radios for packet stations, DMR roaming and data transmission.

· 2022-02-12, 08:30, Various
NerdFest. A bunch of short presentations on esoteric topics in ham radio.

· 2022-03-12, 08:30, John W0VG, Willem AC0KQ, Chris K0SWE and Gary WB5PJB
Data Transmission via Radio. HF, VHF and UHF data communications using packet, pactor, VARA and related methods. How to use WinLink, BPQ and PAT to send and receive messages.

· 2022-04-09, 08:30, Rob N0RPF
Balloons and things relating to. Rob and others from EOSS Edge of Space Sciences will present on balloons, pico-balloons, and other high flying interests.

· 2022-05-14,  08:30, TBD – Applications of Software Defined Radio. Remote receivers and transmitters, direction finding, signal processing and other interesting applications of SDR.
Please go to the RM Ham University website to sign up for courses.  You will need to login to access the page, but if you are interested in in-depth talks, the RM Ham University offers them, the Saturday talks are 3+ hours long.

RMHAM Past Presentation Videos Available Past presentation and class videos are available if you cannot make it to the classes. Upcoming 2021-2022 RMHAM University classes and Tech Talks are listed at: https:// www.rmham.org/rocky-mountain-ham-university/. Presentations are free, and classes (not Tech Talks) have the option of in-person attendance.

ARRL’s new Learning Center has been launched. The ARRL has increased the offerings under this program, so please look at the expanded list of offerings. This Center will host a wide selection of training courses, webinar recordings, and instructional materials. In relation to their Learning Center, check out the FREE ARES Learning items, if you ever want to do Public Service Communication, this is a good place to start.

Best of the best for New Hams.  The ARRL has just implemented Youtube videos for the ARRL Handbook Keep an eye on them as new ones come out.

If you are an ARRL member don’t forget to check out the digital versions of the publications.


Ham Fests coming up:

· NCARC Winter 2022 Hamfest 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM  NEXT SATURDAY
01/15/2022 – Thomas M. McKee 4H Building – 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO Take Exit 259 of I-25
Table Cost: $13 to $20   Admission: $7.00 – Talkin: 448.025((-))
Contact: Joe Hawley (970) 689-0828 Download the flyer
Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club

· The SwapFest
A Joint Presentation of ARA & RMHAM 8 AM – 1 PM – 02/20/2022 – Adams County Fairgrounds
Table Cost: $13.00   Admission: $5.00 – Talkin: 147.15/R(100 Hz Tone)
Contact: More Information Coming Soon! Contact Wayne N0POH 303-699-6335 or Email
n0ara-info@gmail.com

Another place to check for HamFests: ARRL Hamfests and Conventions

Do you need to swap, sell or buy something locally before the swap fest?  two of the areas long running swap lists are available by email weekly.  You can sign up for the Aurora swaplist at n0ara.info@gmail.com.  Another one is the Colorado Repeater Assoc. Swap list and you can check it out and or sign up at craswaplist+subscribe@groups.io.  it is also read out on Sunday Mornings on their repeaters.

Tips, Tricks, Projects  In looking for some info on UNUNs – Baluns – and more particularly 9:1 I found a bunch of “how to build a random EFW (End fed wire) antennas.  This might be of use to some looking for simple, portable , small, etc.  I am sure WG0AT could show you how to make it smaller and lighter.  But all that said check these out.  There are several that sell kits 0 easy to build.

Easy Build Random Wire antenna Kit – he has a youtube video as well.

ARRL EFHW from a kit – link on the page to the kit. This is the EFHW and not random and uses the 49:1 match.

Great web site – VK6YSF – full of info on UNuns and building – long wire antenna was where I ended up and then this video

OM0ET build the long wire from the refrenced pages above.  He also did a followup to make it smaller and more efficient.

Equipment Loan Program.  Check the club webpage  W0TLM – Equipment – Cache We have a full station to loan out so check that page link.

Zoom Invitation/Link for the Next Monthly Club Meeting. The link for the next monthly Club meeting and presentation (but not for Connect Time) is: Connecting should be as easy as clicking the link. If you have your Zoom account set up you should be prompted to open your Zoom app. If you don’t have a Zoom account, you will be prompted to permit Zoom to download. Once it has been downloaded, you will click the prompt to join the meeting. ZOOM HAS UPDATED ITS SETTINGS AND YOU MAY NOW BE PLACED IN A “WAITING ROOM” BEFORE JOINING THE CALL. PLEASE BE PATIENT, WE WILL BE WORKING TO MINIMIZE THE WAITING. Please check the lower left hand corner of the display to confirm that the video does NOT have a red line through it. Please also confirm that the microphone does have a red line through it. If you do not have a camera and microphone on your computer, you may still observe and listen in.  The steps are the same, except you do not need to adjust your microphone and camera. Finally, please change your “screen name to reflect your first and last name and call sign. We use this to determine who is attending.

Club Support we take no dues but depend on donations and other means of building and keeping our operating budget so check out the website at W0TLM – About Us on how you can help. 

Sign up to receive this Newsletter. We use Google Groups for our email list, which is the best way to stay in touch with the radio club activities: W0TLM mailing list and Google group. Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested in ham radio in general or our Club specifically. Each Week, we are posting the most recent version of the Update on the Club’s website. For security reasons, some of the links have been removed. If you want the links you will need to sign up to be on our mailing list.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association (W0TLM)” group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
w0tlm+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/w0tlm/7e8c08f7-6b0e-4042-a896-3da2aa9a1e46n%40googlegroups.com.

254539388_10219032820362994_5926253463530570530_n.jpg

WD0AJG

Reply

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter – Week of January 15, 2022

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2021
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 15, 2022

  • LHS Episode #446: The Weekender LXXXIV
    It’s time once again for The Weekender. This is our bi-weekly departure into the world of amateur radio contests, open source conventions, special events, listener challenges, hedonism and just plain …
  • Ham College 84
    Ham College episode 84 is now available for download. Extra Class Exam Questions – Part 22. E5C Coordinate systems and phasors in electronics: Rectangular Coordinates, Polar Coordinates, Phasors. Download YouTube
  • LHS Episode #447: A Whiff of Ozone
    Hello and welcome to the first short-topics episode of 2022. In this episode, the hosts discuss a new appointment at the ARRL, an inexpensive four-band QRP transceiver, a new direction …
  • January’s Crystal Radio DX Contest
    The first time I was involved with a crystal radio DX contest was about 20 years ago when I built a well-performing crystal receiver for the Yahoo Crystal Radio Group’s annual DX contest. It was a great learning experience and taught me much ab…

Thank you for being an AmateurRadio.com reader and subscriber to the Amateur Radio Newsletter.

Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor

Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blogGet started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter – Week of January 8, 2022

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2021
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 8, 2022

  • KB1HQS Arrow Antenna Mods
    Stuart/KB1HQS has been experimenting with various modifications of the Arrow II antennas. Recently, he put together a video of the various mods, well done and interesting: Ultimate Arrow Antenna Modifications I am a big fan of the Arrow II style antennas for VHF SOTA. Initially, I used the dualband 2m/70cm antenna for satellite work as […]

    The post KB1HQS Arrow Antenna Mods appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  • ICQ Podcast Episode 367 – Ham Radio Tips and Tricks 2022
    In this episode, Martin Butler (M1MRB) is joined by Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, Ed Durrant DD5LP and Leslie Butterfield G0CIB to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode’s f…
  • Sale Fell and Ling Fell
    I must have driven past these fells hundreds of times and have always had a want to activate them . Not because they are big or impressive. Some tiddlers just happen to be as much fun as the big ones. Not many contacts but it was windy and getting colder as the day wore on. […]
  • More Logging Tips for SOTA & POTA
    I previously wrote about some of the tools I use for managing SOTA and POTA logs. See Tips and Tools for Managing Logs. I continue to learn about the file formats and various tricks for generating the logs. Some of this is not well-documented…at least I haven’t found it…so I am sharing what I’ve figured […]

    The post More Logging Tips for SOTA & POTA appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  • A nice way to spend an hour each week.
    For you CW buffs out there, a great group is the CWops. This is an international organization and their main goal is to promote continual improvement of CW proficiency across a broad range of activities. They have a CW academy which moves people …

Thank you for being an AmateurRadio.com reader and subscriber to the Amateur Radio Newsletter.

Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor

Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blogGet started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter – Week of January 1, 2022

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2021
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 1, 2022

  • HOMEBREW HEROES TO BE MANAGED BY THE HAM RADIO WORKBENCH PODCAST
    In a joint announcement, the ICQ Podcast team and the Ham Radio Workbench podcast team agreed to shift the ownership and management of the Homebrew Heroes Award (homebrewheroes.org) to the Ham Radio Workbench team. “George Zafiropolis KJ6VU and I have discussed this over the past few months. It makes better branding sense for their team […]
  • Fleetwith Pike
    WOTA Ref – LDW116

    A nice simple route from Gatesgarth farm car park up the nose of Fleetwith pike and Dubs hut as well as Warnscale hut before coming back to the car park.

  • Harter Fell (Eskdale)
    WOTA Ref – LDW112 SOTA Ref – G/LD-028 From the base of the infamous Hardknott pass, this is a straightforward walk with a bit of a kick at the end. You can take in the neighbouring Hardknott by traversing the boggy top. Bring your boot extraction tool 🙂
  • Grisedale Pike
    SOTA Ref – G/LD-015 A firm favourite to be tackled from Keswick (Whinlatter) this time. To be honest Its a nice linear walk but parking is always a disaster zone round there. Local tip is to use the viewpoint car park a bit further up or better still use the bus service. Take in the […]
  • Looking back and looking ahead.
    Well here we are again…….finishing off my second year in the Maritimes. It may sound a bit odd, but it seems it has taken just over a year and a half to get used to retirement. I am finally starting to settle into somewhat of a routine. It’s …
  • Part 2 of 2: Life-changing Moment and Solar Cycle 25
    From the RAIN HamCast episode #57, 2021-XII-25 (used with permission): RAIN’s Hap Holly/KC9RP spoke with Tomas recently about Solar Cycle 25. This is the second and final excerpt from their discussion. From the introduction to The RAIN HamCast, Episode #57: In this episode, we continue our discussion with Tomas Hood/NW7US, the author of many writings […]

Thank you for being an AmateurRadio.com reader and subscriber to the Amateur Radio Newsletter.

Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor

Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blogGet started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA