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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.
Page 2 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
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
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 3
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 Page 4
.
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.
Page 5 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.
Page 6 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?
◄
Page 7 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
Page 4 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 8 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]
Page 5 Minutes The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 9 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 Page 10
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;
Vice President: Dave Demotte, N3IDH;
Secretary: John Quigg, N3GHR
Treasurer: Norma Plants, N3YJJ;
Board of Directors
Director: Adam Quigg, NZ3S,
Director: Jim Burtoft, KC3HW;
Director: Bill Steffey, NY9H;
Webmaster: Joe Caldwell, N3XE;
Editor: Jacque Gosselin, N3ZEL
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]
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham HAMFEST Page 11 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. ►
The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Scenes at Field Day Page 13
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!
Page 9 The W.A.C.O.M. Ham Page 14 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 Page 13 Page 16 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
Page 19 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.
Page 21 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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