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President's LetterJonathan Pearce, WB2MNFAugust 2024 |
July has been a good month for “firsts” in the GCARC. It shows that we’re not standing still - we’re moving ahead in many ways. One “first” was the launch of our radio-carrying balloon on July 20, which made it up to over 22,000 feet before descending into the Atlantic Ocean slightly beyond the international waters boundary. See the Balloon Adventure page for more inforamtion.
A New Record Membership Level
At the July Directors' meeting, the board approved six new Club members, pushing the GCARC membership total to 230 for the first time in the Club's history. This significant achievement is the result of several initiatives. Notably, Chris Prioli AD2CS's licensing classes have introduced dozens of new participants to the ham radio hobby and our Club.
Another key factor is our W2MMD Clubhouse, which provides a space to operate ham radio stations, congregate, exchange ideas, build projects, and learn. Additionally, the wide range of activities our members engage in - from traditional amateur radio activities like Field Day, contesting, and antenna presentations to more unique pursuits such as mesh radios, satellites, and radio-carrying balloons - has been crucial.
Among the new members, one hails from Cherry Hill, one from Drexel Hill, PA, and another from North Cape May, areas outside Gloucester County with their own radio clubs. This suggests that hams are willing to travel to a club that is actively "doing stuff." We've consistently heard from members that ours is one of the most active clubs in the area, and potentially beyond, which we hope will continue to drive our growth.
A Wide Variety Club Activities Needed
One of the challenges of Club leadership is to expand the range of activities so that every member finds something of interest. The continuous DX reporting on the listserve helps DX chasers achieve their goals, while the new VHF/UHF equipment and towers aim to attract members interested in using state-of-the-art technology. For those who enjoy socializing, our Wednesday night monthly meetings and some Saturday morning Clubhouse activities provide ample opportunities for “eyeball QSOs.”
However, attracting younger potential hams remains challenging. One innovative approach has been to rebrand ham radio as “hacking,” appealing to younger enthusiasts. A recent Hackaday (https://hackaday.com/2024/07/18/are-hackers-the-future-of-amateur-radio) headline, “Are Hackers the Future of Amateur Radio” highlights an initiative by Dan Romanchik KB6NU. He engages young technical enthusiasts by describing projects like reprogramming the Quansheng UV-K5, working with satellites, ballooning, and Pi and Arduino projects as “hacking.” His slides for these presentations are here : (https://www.kb6nu.com/there-is-hope-for-amateur-radio) and are a fascinating departure from some of the more common ways that ham topics are presented.
Dan also offers a one-day Technician licensing class followed by license testing, which recently resulted in 25 new licensees at a hacker conference. While these new hams may not be as well-versed in traditional radio techniques as those attending GCARC classes, ongoing collaboration with GCARC members on projects could help them develop the necessary skills within the areas of their interests. This approach deserves further consideration by our Club as a way to attract tech-savvy individuals who may be dissuaded by the long commitment required of our current classes.
Tech Saturday Forum - Using Smith Charts For Antenna Tuning
The August 10, 2024 Tech Saturday Forum will build on Spencer Webb’s General Membership presentations on antennas, focusing specifically on using Smith charts to diagnose and tune antennas. Chris Prioli AD2CS will present a brief overview of Smith Charts using a NanoVNA antenna analyzer. He has also constructed a basic antenna tuner with variable inductors and capacitors to demonstrate how these components can correct impedance imbalances in an antenna. Given the high interest during Spencer’s presentation, we anticipate a large turnout for this session.
Tech Saturday Forum sessions start at 9:00 AM and end around 10:30 AM. Afterward, the Clubhouse will be open for general discussion, station operations, and assistance with Club members’ technical issues.
Note that the 1st Saturday in August (August 3rd) is NOT Tech Saturday, since it doesn't follow the Wednesday night General Membership Meeting. Tech Saturday will be August 10th.
For upcoming Tech Saturdays, we plan to revisit some technical topics covered over the past few years. This approach ties into the potential ham population in the “maker” or “hacker” groups in that many of these activities relate to amateur radio but some activities can be performed without a ham license. We’ll be looking for opportunities to increase our outreach to other clubs and organizations, ham and otherwise, to gather interested people together. Topics will include SDR radio use and various different SDR applications, use of DMR radios with hotspots and other advanced features, satellite operating, Arduinos and other microcontrollers, hacking various Meshtastic devices and other similar topics.
Other August Activities
August will be a busy month for Clubhouse activities! On Saturday, August 3rd we hope to launch our first amateur radio balloon that we hope will circumnavigate the earth, weather permitting. These activities will require the main area of the Clubhouse until the balloon is launched, after which we hope to be monitoring its progress using the main room TV. Ballooning activities are described on the Balloon Adventure page.
On August 31st, we will host a session on Meshtastic radio setup, configuration, and use for a group of newly-licensed hams and non-hams interested in using the unlicensed versions of Meshtastic for emergency communications. The configuration of these devices is virtually identical to the ham versions, so we should be able to help this group set up their network. Additionally, we may have the opportunity to highlight some of the extra capabilities that licensed hams have in emergency situations, which could encourage more interest in obtaining a license.
Finally, for anyone interested in the results of my June underwater photo seminar in Little Cayman some pictures are here : (https://pearcefamily.org).
73 de Jon WB2MNF
Happy Birthday : August 4, 1790
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
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Tuesday, August 6, 2024
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Wednesday, August 7, 2024
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Wednesday, August, 7, 2024
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Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe : (January 8, 1894 - August 14, 1941) was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He was active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw, operating an amateur radio station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications. Kolbe was canonized on October 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and declared a Martyr of charity. He is the patron saint of amateur radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, prisoners, and the pro-life movement. John Paul II declared him "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century".
Full Sturgeon Moon - Monday, August 19, 2024 @ 1428 Hours. Lake sturgeon, found in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, as well as in several rivers, were once much more abundant. These large (some more than 6 feet long!) migratory fish were an important staple for Native American peoples living in the area. Captain Jonathan Carver came across this term for the lunar month during his travels in the 1760s. Flying Up Moon is a Cree term describing the time when young birds are ready to fly. Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), Harvest Moon (Dakota), and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe) signify the time to gather mature crops. The Assiniboine people named this period Black Cherries Moon, referring to when chokecherries were ripe. The Tlingit called this time of season the Mountain Shadows Moon.
Old Farmer’s Almanac - www.almanac.com