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President's LetterJonathan Pearce, WB2MNFFebruary 2023 |
Our January 4th General Membership Meeting was quite successful, with 33 in-person attendees on a rainy night accompanied by 15 ZOOM participants. Retiring president Tony Starr K3TS gave an outstanding presentation on working 5 Band DXCC offering multiple tips to those of us for whom DXCC on even a single band seems unimaginable. One member contacted me after the meeting expressing his encouragement at the large number of members who are focused on getting things done. This is the goal of our Club - to provide Content, Activities and, Resources to allow large numbers of Club members to find innovative ways to enjoy their hobby together.
Tech Saturday Forum
The Tech Saturday event was similarly successful with Chris Prioli AD2CS presenting a tutorial on troubleshooting with oscilloscopes. Although 16 members attended the entire session, some were involved in side conversations that led to some interesting observations. Notably, Jerry Barnish K2EAB and Mike Thompson KG4JYA realized that both were seriously interested in radio astronomy, which prompted a discussion as to how to use Club resources to advance that activity and get others involved. Several suggestions were advanced including using the Monday night “TechNets” for these types of activities, as well as the Club's Discord server to provide online discussion capabilities. We'll be working on advancing these type of activities in the coming months.
The February 4th Tech Saturday session will cover the configuration and operation of the FLEX-3000 HF radio recently installed in the HF room, and its interfaces with fldigi, WSJT and the PST Rotator interface. The Flex requires virtual COM ports and sound cards so we'll cover them as well. Tech Saturday starts at 9:00 AM on the first Saturday of each month following the General Membership Meeting.
HF Station
The HF station was also in operation for the ARRL RTTY contest later that afternoon and Courtney Smith KD2SPJ came down to operate for a few hours. We plan to have this station available for local operation each Saturday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and encourage all appropriately licensed members to feel free to drop in, become familiar with the operation of the FLEX-3000 or Icom 7300 radios and other equipment, and to use the station frequently. The Clubhouse HF station provides an opportunity for those of us in HOA restricted communities or who may be newly licensed and looking to evaluate their ham radio opportunities without a significant initial expenditure of funds. The Icom 7300 provides a traditional radio operating experience, while the FLEX-3000 provides an introduction to SDR-type operating. The Elecraft amplifier and new tower and antennas provide state-of-the-art capabilities for HF operating.
Satellite Station Is Operational!
The satellite station has been offline since March 2022 due to the reconstruction in the VHF room. Much of the heavy construction work (replacing insulation, patching holes in walls, new paneling and ground installation) has been completed, so the VHF room can be temporarily opened until the custom - built furniture is completed. This let us temporarily install the satellite station on a folding table and make it operational for a couple of months. We'll have it operating for the February Tech Saturday event, although it's too early to evaluate when satellite passes will occur on that day. We expect the satellite station to be operational almost every Saturday thereafter, so let me know if you're interested in satellite operations and we'll schedule a time to get you involved. Obviously satellite contacts can only occur when satellites are overhead so users will need to be flexible, But if you're interested we'll find a time to make it happen.
HF Station Upgrades
One of my goals for 2023 is to consolidate remote and local operation in the HF room. Currently, operation is bifurcated between remote and local operators, with remote operators using “remote ham” to operate the Kenwood radio, while local operators can use either the Icom 7300 or the Flex 3000. Currently only remote operators can use the Elecraft amplifier. My goal is to consolidate this experience using a single radio, probably a FLEX-6400 or 6600, and also provide both local and remote rotator control and antenna switching without needing any manual tasks that must be performed locally. Unfortunately, the Flex software doesn't appear to have that capability, nor is it envisioned in the future, so we would need a separate device providing these capabilities while also being significantly resistant to external hacking. Network security is paramount within the Clubhouse network, and exposure of PCs to the Internet is severely limited; therefore allowing remote access to a program like PST Rotator may create an unacceptable security risk. Alternatives may exist, however, so please let me know if you'd like to work on this project.
KC4/WB2MNF - almost
As I finish off this column I’m sitting on the Viking Polaris expedition ship staring out my window at the continent of Antarctica. I had initial thoughts of bringing an HT down here, carrying it on shore, briefly pressing the transmit button and then announcing that I had operated in Antarctica, but Viking prohibits “ham radios” on their ships. Besides, my primary objective (other than the sheer excitement of being here) is to take great photographs and the HT would have taken the place of a camera on the RIB boats that bring us to the shore. Once I’m back and have a chance to process these photos anyone interested can take a look at https://pearcefamily.org to see if I got anything interesting. It will probably be mid-February before I’m done but hopefully I’ll have some good stuff.
And Viking cruises actually streamed the Eagles-Giants game for which I’m sure that we were the southernmost viewers and also created the southernmost singing of Fly Eagles Fly!
This month we welcome the following new members :
73 de Jon WB2MNF
President, GCARC
Tech Saturday Forum
The Tech Saturday event was similarly successful with Chris Prioli AD2CS presenting a tutorial on troubleshooting with oscilloscopes. Although 16 members attended the entire session, some were involved in side conversations that led to some interesting observations. Notably, Jerry Barnish K2EAB and Mike Thompson KG4JYA realized that both were seriously interested in radio astronomy, which prompted a discussion as to how to use Club resources to advance that activity and get others involved. Several suggestions were advanced including using the Monday night “TechNets” for these types of activities, as well as the Club's Discord server to provide online discussion capabilities. We'll be working on advancing these type of activities in the coming months.
The February 4th Tech Saturday session will cover the configuration and operation of the FLEX-3000 HF radio recently installed in the HF room, and its interfaces with fldigi, WSJT and the PST Rotator interface. The Flex requires virtual COM ports and sound cards so we'll cover them as well. Tech Saturday starts at 9:00 AM on the first Saturday of each month following the General Membership Meeting.
HF Station
The HF station was also in operation for the ARRL RTTY contest later that afternoon and Courtney Smith KD2SPJ came down to operate for a few hours. We plan to have this station available for local operation each Saturday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and encourage all appropriately licensed members to feel free to drop in, become familiar with the operation of the FLEX-3000 or Icom 7300 radios and other equipment, and to use the station frequently. The Clubhouse HF station provides an opportunity for those of us in HOA restricted communities or who may be newly licensed and looking to evaluate their ham radio opportunities without a significant initial expenditure of funds. The Icom 7300 provides a traditional radio operating experience, while the FLEX-3000 provides an introduction to SDR-type operating. The Elecraft amplifier and new tower and antennas provide state-of-the-art capabilities for HF operating.
Satellite Station Is Operational!
The satellite station has been offline since March 2022 due to the reconstruction in the VHF room. Much of the heavy construction work (replacing insulation, patching holes in walls, new paneling and ground installation) has been completed, so the VHF room can be temporarily opened until the custom - built furniture is completed. This let us temporarily install the satellite station on a folding table and make it operational for a couple of months. We'll have it operating for the February Tech Saturday event, although it's too early to evaluate when satellite passes will occur on that day. We expect the satellite station to be operational almost every Saturday thereafter, so let me know if you're interested in satellite operations and we'll schedule a time to get you involved. Obviously satellite contacts can only occur when satellites are overhead so users will need to be flexible, But if you're interested we'll find a time to make it happen.
HF Station Upgrades
One of my goals for 2023 is to consolidate remote and local operation in the HF room. Currently, operation is bifurcated between remote and local operators, with remote operators using “remote ham” to operate the Kenwood radio, while local operators can use either the Icom 7300 or the Flex 3000. Currently only remote operators can use the Elecraft amplifier. My goal is to consolidate this experience using a single radio, probably a FLEX-6400 or 6600, and also provide both local and remote rotator control and antenna switching without needing any manual tasks that must be performed locally. Unfortunately, the Flex software doesn't appear to have that capability, nor is it envisioned in the future, so we would need a separate device providing these capabilities while also being significantly resistant to external hacking. Network security is paramount within the Clubhouse network, and exposure of PCs to the Internet is severely limited; therefore allowing remote access to a program like PST Rotator may create an unacceptable security risk. Alternatives may exist, however, so please let me know if you'd like to work on this project.
KC4/WB2MNF - almost
As I finish off this column I’m sitting on the Viking Polaris expedition ship staring out my window at the continent of Antarctica. I had initial thoughts of bringing an HT down here, carrying it on shore, briefly pressing the transmit button and then announcing that I had operated in Antarctica, but Viking prohibits “ham radios” on their ships. Besides, my primary objective (other than the sheer excitement of being here) is to take great photographs and the HT would have taken the place of a camera on the RIB boats that bring us to the shore. Once I’m back and have a chance to process these photos anyone interested can take a look at https://pearcefamily.org to see if I got anything interesting. It will probably be mid-February before I’m done but hopefully I’ll have some good stuff.
And Viking cruises actually streamed the Eagles-Giants game for which I’m sure that we were the southernmost viewers and also created the southernmost singing of Fly Eagles Fly!
This month we welcome the following new members :
- Vincent Antonelli KA2APD from Scarsdale, NY
- Gary Castellini N2IEC from Vineland
- Ben Johnson WB2GUK from Egg Harbor Township
- Bill Robinson KD2ANM from Franklinville (returning member)
- Marty Wilt W2ILT from Laurel Springs (returning member)
73 de Jon WB2MNF
President, GCARC
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Thursday, February 2, 2023
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Happy Birthday, Tom : February 11, 1847
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Happy Birthday, Abe : February 12, 1809
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Sunday, February 12, 2023
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Monday, February 13, 2023
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Tuesday, February 14, 2023
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Tuesday, February 21, 2023
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Happy Birthday, George : February 22, 1732
Full Snow Moon - February 2023
February’s Full Snow Moon reaches peak illumination on Sunday, February 5, at 1:30 P.M. EST. The explanation behind February’s full Moon name is a fairly straightforward one : it’s known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is the United States’ snowiest month, according to data from the National Weather Service. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited with the Naudowessie (Dakota), wrote that the name used for this period was the Snow Moon, “because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter.”
Old Farmer’s Almanac - www.almanac.com