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President's LetterJonathan Pearce, WB2MNFFebruary 2026 |
December was a busy month for most Club members with non-ham activities, and the cold weather limited additional work on the tower grounding system and cabling. Nonetheless, Club members got together for several significant events.
915 MHz Yagi Build Session
On Saturday, December 13, 2025, two groups of about a dozen members each came to the Clubhouse to build the 915 MHz 3D-printed Yagi antenna for unlicensed Meshtastic work. This design, created by Chris Prioli AD2CS, was based on an original article in the popular Hackaday online newsletter. That event was subsequently written up for the Skunkworks (https://skunkworks.w2mmd.org) website, and Chris provided the design files that now populate a page on the Club’s GitHub site, allowing others to copy and implement it. Both of those resources were submitted to the editors of Hackaday, the original source of the design, and on December 31st, Hackaday published an article describing our project at : https://hackaday.com/2025/12/31/bringing-a-yagi-antenna-to-915mhz-lora - a great example of “what goes around comes around.”
Member Appreciation Awards
Also in December, on the 10th, Club members and their significant others attended the Annual Club Holiday Dinner at the Lamp Post Diner in Clementon, NJ. During the dinner, two groups of awards were presented to Club members and others who have significantly contributed to Club activities over the last several months. Chris Prioli AD2CS and Frank Romeo N3PUU were personally presented with the Milt Goldman Award by John Zaruba Jr K2ZA for their outstanding contributions over several years, and an additional award was presented in absentia to Jim Clark KA2OSV for his many contributions over the years. The Club’s Volunteer Appreciation Awards went to Jonathan Romeo, son of Frank N3PUU and Kathy Romeo, for his help on Field Day; along with Nancy Smith (my “significant other”) for her assistance at the hamfest.
Additional Member Appreciation Awards were presented at the January 2026 General Membership Meeting to Glen Guenther KE2BWO and Melissa Guenther KE2BWZ for their help on Field Day and in many other projects, and to Rich Subers W2RHS for 3D printing of many Club building projects and years of participation as a volunteer examiner.
January Technical Sessions
January featured two successful technical sessions: the first an introduction to software-defined radios, and the second an overview and work session for the Meshtastic 915 MHz unlicensed radios. Both were marked by significant member participation and assistance with various aspects of those areas, reinforcing the ability of members to get help at the Clubhouse for many different types of projects.
Tech Saturday Forum - Understanding Digital Communication
For the next several months, we’ll be digging into the underpinnings of how various digital radio modes transfer information - many of which can apparently-miraculously decode signals below the noise level. Others are designed for specific purposes, such as EME communication or meteor scatter, and my curiosity was piqued as to how Joe Taylor K1JT and his team of geniuses made these different applications work so well. So I started an AI-assisted research quest, digging into the details of each mode and continuing to ask for clarifications until I understood enough of the details to put together a presentation. That research forms the basis for this set of Tech Saturday Forum sessions, which I hope will be interesting to other Club members. This isn’t a “how to” approach - it’s a “how does it work” group of programs. See the Tech Saturday Forum webpage for details.
Revisiting DMR Radio
After some active DMR sessions last year we let the DMR topic languish while the Club’s Glassboro DMR repeater was getting configured. It’s been operational for several months and a few people have come to the Clubhouse recently asking for assistance in getting set up on their home hotspots and on that repeater. To revive interest in DMR and bring everyone up to date we’ll set up a Saturday date on February (probably the 21st) at the Clubhouse for a refresher and update work session to get everyone operational on DMR again. Look for an announcement later confirming this session.
Woodruff Middle School STEM Project Update
The STEM program at Woodruff Middle School continues with significant interest from the kids in soldering various types of projects. Less advanced solderers have built small kits that light LEDs based on sound levels, while some of the more advanced kids have constructed a coil gun that shoots metal pellets a short distance (although those kids are clamoring for more capacitors and higher voltages we need to keep the power output of the device below the “firearm” level…). Angela Metzger KE2DRJ has led another group of kids in building small projects using circuit boards and individual electronic components.
The major upgrade to the STEM program has been the installation of the rooftop antenna support that holds the end of the end-fed HF antenna, the VHF and UHF eggbeater antennas for satellite work, the Meshtastic solar node, and the Acu-Rite weather station outdoor unit, all of which was designed by Mike Thompson KG4JYA. With the antennas connected to the FT-991A radio, we hope to get the students interested in ham radio and potentially pursue a licensing program for interested kids. See the Woodruff Middle School STEM webpage.
Skunkworks and GitHub Websites Updated
The GCARC “Skunkworks” website was created several years ago to provide a repository of information about various technical projects undertaken by Club members. The “Technical Activities and Resources” section has recently been updated to include information about current activities such as SDR, Meshtastic, DMR, and several types of HTs that are popular with members. The “Clubhouse” section has been updated to include information about the satellite station, the grounding project, EME operation, and other Clubhouse-related activities. Check it out at skunkworks.w2mmd.org.
In addition, the Club’s GitHub site has been updated with information about the 915 MHz Yagi, the GOES 19 weather station reception, the Pi-based satellite rotator controller, and several other projects - it’s at : https://github.com/w2mmdskunkworks.
Getting Help at the Clubhouse
One of the most rewarding and energizing moments of January happened during one of our Saturday sessions at the Clubhouse. As I looked up from the table I saw four of our most experienced Club members gathered around the table, patiently and enthusiastically working side-by-side with newer members - answering questions, troubleshooting setups, demonstrating techniques, and sharing their deep knowledge in a way that made everything click. It was exactly the kind of collaborative, hands-on help that makes our Clubhouse such a special place.
At every General Membership Meeting, I encourage anyone with a question - big or small - to come out to the Clubhouse on Saturdays. What I witnessed in January was proof of why that invitation is so important : experienced operators genuinely love sharing what they know, and newer members walk away not just with answers, but with confidence, new skills, and a stronger connection to the Club. If you’ve got a project, a radio that’s acting up, or just want to learn something new, grab your coffee and head to the Clubhouse on Saturday morning - you’ll find a warm welcome and a room full of hams who are thrilled to help you get on the air or take the next step in the hobby.
Get ready for an interesting Spring with many ham radio activities! Hope to see you at the meetings and the Clubhouse.
73 de Jon WB2MNF
915 MHz Yagi Build Session
On Saturday, December 13, 2025, two groups of about a dozen members each came to the Clubhouse to build the 915 MHz 3D-printed Yagi antenna for unlicensed Meshtastic work. This design, created by Chris Prioli AD2CS, was based on an original article in the popular Hackaday online newsletter. That event was subsequently written up for the Skunkworks (https://skunkworks.w2mmd.org) website, and Chris provided the design files that now populate a page on the Club’s GitHub site, allowing others to copy and implement it. Both of those resources were submitted to the editors of Hackaday, the original source of the design, and on December 31st, Hackaday published an article describing our project at : https://hackaday.com/2025/12/31/bringing-a-yagi-antenna-to-915mhz-lora - a great example of “what goes around comes around.”
Member Appreciation Awards
Also in December, on the 10th, Club members and their significant others attended the Annual Club Holiday Dinner at the Lamp Post Diner in Clementon, NJ. During the dinner, two groups of awards were presented to Club members and others who have significantly contributed to Club activities over the last several months. Chris Prioli AD2CS and Frank Romeo N3PUU were personally presented with the Milt Goldman Award by John Zaruba Jr K2ZA for their outstanding contributions over several years, and an additional award was presented in absentia to Jim Clark KA2OSV for his many contributions over the years. The Club’s Volunteer Appreciation Awards went to Jonathan Romeo, son of Frank N3PUU and Kathy Romeo, for his help on Field Day; along with Nancy Smith (my “significant other”) for her assistance at the hamfest.
Additional Member Appreciation Awards were presented at the January 2026 General Membership Meeting to Glen Guenther KE2BWO and Melissa Guenther KE2BWZ for their help on Field Day and in many other projects, and to Rich Subers W2RHS for 3D printing of many Club building projects and years of participation as a volunteer examiner.
January Technical Sessions
January featured two successful technical sessions: the first an introduction to software-defined radios, and the second an overview and work session for the Meshtastic 915 MHz unlicensed radios. Both were marked by significant member participation and assistance with various aspects of those areas, reinforcing the ability of members to get help at the Clubhouse for many different types of projects.
Tech Saturday Forum - Understanding Digital Communication
For the next several months, we’ll be digging into the underpinnings of how various digital radio modes transfer information - many of which can apparently-miraculously decode signals below the noise level. Others are designed for specific purposes, such as EME communication or meteor scatter, and my curiosity was piqued as to how Joe Taylor K1JT and his team of geniuses made these different applications work so well. So I started an AI-assisted research quest, digging into the details of each mode and continuing to ask for clarifications until I understood enough of the details to put together a presentation. That research forms the basis for this set of Tech Saturday Forum sessions, which I hope will be interesting to other Club members. This isn’t a “how to” approach - it’s a “how does it work” group of programs. See the Tech Saturday Forum webpage for details.
Revisiting DMR Radio
After some active DMR sessions last year we let the DMR topic languish while the Club’s Glassboro DMR repeater was getting configured. It’s been operational for several months and a few people have come to the Clubhouse recently asking for assistance in getting set up on their home hotspots and on that repeater. To revive interest in DMR and bring everyone up to date we’ll set up a Saturday date on February (probably the 21st) at the Clubhouse for a refresher and update work session to get everyone operational on DMR again. Look for an announcement later confirming this session.
Woodruff Middle School STEM Project Update
The STEM program at Woodruff Middle School continues with significant interest from the kids in soldering various types of projects. Less advanced solderers have built small kits that light LEDs based on sound levels, while some of the more advanced kids have constructed a coil gun that shoots metal pellets a short distance (although those kids are clamoring for more capacitors and higher voltages we need to keep the power output of the device below the “firearm” level…). Angela Metzger KE2DRJ has led another group of kids in building small projects using circuit boards and individual electronic components.
The major upgrade to the STEM program has been the installation of the rooftop antenna support that holds the end of the end-fed HF antenna, the VHF and UHF eggbeater antennas for satellite work, the Meshtastic solar node, and the Acu-Rite weather station outdoor unit, all of which was designed by Mike Thompson KG4JYA. With the antennas connected to the FT-991A radio, we hope to get the students interested in ham radio and potentially pursue a licensing program for interested kids. See the Woodruff Middle School STEM webpage.
Skunkworks and GitHub Websites Updated
The GCARC “Skunkworks” website was created several years ago to provide a repository of information about various technical projects undertaken by Club members. The “Technical Activities and Resources” section has recently been updated to include information about current activities such as SDR, Meshtastic, DMR, and several types of HTs that are popular with members. The “Clubhouse” section has been updated to include information about the satellite station, the grounding project, EME operation, and other Clubhouse-related activities. Check it out at skunkworks.w2mmd.org.
In addition, the Club’s GitHub site has been updated with information about the 915 MHz Yagi, the GOES 19 weather station reception, the Pi-based satellite rotator controller, and several other projects - it’s at : https://github.com/w2mmdskunkworks.
Getting Help at the Clubhouse
One of the most rewarding and energizing moments of January happened during one of our Saturday sessions at the Clubhouse. As I looked up from the table I saw four of our most experienced Club members gathered around the table, patiently and enthusiastically working side-by-side with newer members - answering questions, troubleshooting setups, demonstrating techniques, and sharing their deep knowledge in a way that made everything click. It was exactly the kind of collaborative, hands-on help that makes our Clubhouse such a special place.
At every General Membership Meeting, I encourage anyone with a question - big or small - to come out to the Clubhouse on Saturdays. What I witnessed in January was proof of why that invitation is so important : experienced operators genuinely love sharing what they know, and newer members walk away not just with answers, but with confidence, new skills, and a stronger connection to the Club. If you’ve got a project, a radio that’s acting up, or just want to learn something new, grab your coffee and head to the Clubhouse on Saturday morning - you’ll find a warm welcome and a room full of hams who are thrilled to help you get on the air or take the next step in the hobby.
Get ready for an interesting Spring with many ham radio activities! Hope to see you at the meetings and the Clubhouse.
73 de Jon WB2MNF
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
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Full Snow Moon - Sunday, February 1, 2026 @ 1710 Hours
In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited the Naudowessie (Dakota) and others, 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.” The Cree called this the Bald Eagle Moon or Eagle Moon. Bear Moon (Ojibwe) and Black Bear Moon (Tlingit) refer to the time when bear cubs are born. The Dakota called this the Raccoon Moon, and certain Algonquin peoples named it the Groundhog Moon. The Haida named it Goose Moon. The Cherokee names of “Month of the Bony Moon” and “Hungry Moon” give evidence to the fact that food was hard to come by at this time. Old Farmer’s Almanac - www.almanac.com |
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