ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention and Hamfest
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Our 41st Annual Hamfest
#GCARCSNJ
ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention and 41st Annual Hamfest
by Sheldon Parker, K2MEN and Ron Block, NR2B
The annual GCARC Hamfest at the Gloucester County 4H Fairgrounds is just a few weeks away on Sunday, September 15, 2019. This is our 41st Hamfest and one of the biggest Hamfest events in the tri-state area with more than 500 attendees and over 70 tailgaters and vendors. We are the official Southern New Jersey Section Convention as designated by the ARRL! That means, in addition to all the customary activities such as an array of large vendors, VEC testing, DXCC-VUCC-WAS card checking, fabulous door prizes, and the ham social event of the year; we will continue with an outstanding program addressing current trend setting topics of interest to all. Our program will begin at 0900 Hours in the building labeled Classroom just adjacent to the Main Pavilion. Below is a list of what we have planned.
We have expanded the Demonstration Area, located between the Classroom and the Main Pavilion, and have invited our colleagues from Ocean County ARES to show-off their emergency communications capabilities. This is also a good meeting point to catch-up with friends and acquaintances and you may be surprised at what you find - impromptu demonstrations, forum speakers, ARRL representatives, significant guests, and fellow hams. All of this with good food and refreshments just a few feet away; what more could you ask.
Speaking of food, again, this year we have invited Hog Day Afternoon BBQ & Catering to provide us with good high-quality food for which they are known at very reasonable prices. So, come out and enjoy a wholesome breakfast or lunch available in the Main Pavilion. We will even allow food in the Classroom! You can’t beat that. Come in, rest your feet, and participate.
Since this is our Club’s 60th Anniversary, Mark Gottlieb, KK2L, will operate the W2MMD/60 Special Event Station, from the gazebo adjacent to the VIP/Handicap parking area. We will post a sign to remind everyone about this Special Event Station so be sure to stop by and say hello.
Don’t miss our 60th Anniversary table-top photo display showing selected items from our rich history.
VEC testing will take place in the W2MMD Clubhouse beginning at 0900 Hours. The exam fee is $15 and if you are not going to the Hamfest, there is no charge for parking and you can park in front of the W2MMD Clubhouse.
After the VEC testing has completed, the W2MMD Clubhouse will be open for everyone to visit. The GCARC Skunkworks Team will be there to demonstrate many of the projects that they have been actively developing. You will see our functioning satellite, weather, APRS, and SatNOGS stations. While there you will be in for some very interesting conversations and impressive demonstrations.
I’ve save the best for last, this year through the help of our many sponsors, we will be awarding more than $1000 worth of door prizes including a DX Engineering $100 certificate, three Baofeng HT’s, a Camouflage foldable 30-watt solar panel, SignalLink USB sound card, HRD and RTSystems software, Bioenno lifePO4 battery, Kantronics KPC-3, Samlex dc/ac inverters, and a grand prize of $200 cash. Be sure that you enter your completed ticket stub in the drawing barrel in the main pavilion. Good luck!
I hope each of you will have an opportunity to visit our Hamfest on September 15th. Many Club members have volunteered to support this important event; they will be wearing yellow shirts. So, mark the date on your calendar. See you there on Sunday morning, September the 15th and bring your non-ham spouse and kids for free.
by Sheldon Parker, K2MEN and Ron Block, NR2B
The annual GCARC Hamfest at the Gloucester County 4H Fairgrounds is just a few weeks away on Sunday, September 15, 2019. This is our 41st Hamfest and one of the biggest Hamfest events in the tri-state area with more than 500 attendees and over 70 tailgaters and vendors. We are the official Southern New Jersey Section Convention as designated by the ARRL! That means, in addition to all the customary activities such as an array of large vendors, VEC testing, DXCC-VUCC-WAS card checking, fabulous door prizes, and the ham social event of the year; we will continue with an outstanding program addressing current trend setting topics of interest to all. Our program will begin at 0900 Hours in the building labeled Classroom just adjacent to the Main Pavilion. Below is a list of what we have planned.
We have expanded the Demonstration Area, located between the Classroom and the Main Pavilion, and have invited our colleagues from Ocean County ARES to show-off their emergency communications capabilities. This is also a good meeting point to catch-up with friends and acquaintances and you may be surprised at what you find - impromptu demonstrations, forum speakers, ARRL representatives, significant guests, and fellow hams. All of this with good food and refreshments just a few feet away; what more could you ask.
Speaking of food, again, this year we have invited Hog Day Afternoon BBQ & Catering to provide us with good high-quality food for which they are known at very reasonable prices. So, come out and enjoy a wholesome breakfast or lunch available in the Main Pavilion. We will even allow food in the Classroom! You can’t beat that. Come in, rest your feet, and participate.
Since this is our Club’s 60th Anniversary, Mark Gottlieb, KK2L, will operate the W2MMD/60 Special Event Station, from the gazebo adjacent to the VIP/Handicap parking area. We will post a sign to remind everyone about this Special Event Station so be sure to stop by and say hello.
Don’t miss our 60th Anniversary table-top photo display showing selected items from our rich history.
VEC testing will take place in the W2MMD Clubhouse beginning at 0900 Hours. The exam fee is $15 and if you are not going to the Hamfest, there is no charge for parking and you can park in front of the W2MMD Clubhouse.
After the VEC testing has completed, the W2MMD Clubhouse will be open for everyone to visit. The GCARC Skunkworks Team will be there to demonstrate many of the projects that they have been actively developing. You will see our functioning satellite, weather, APRS, and SatNOGS stations. While there you will be in for some very interesting conversations and impressive demonstrations.
I’ve save the best for last, this year through the help of our many sponsors, we will be awarding more than $1000 worth of door prizes including a DX Engineering $100 certificate, three Baofeng HT’s, a Camouflage foldable 30-watt solar panel, SignalLink USB sound card, HRD and RTSystems software, Bioenno lifePO4 battery, Kantronics KPC-3, Samlex dc/ac inverters, and a grand prize of $200 cash. Be sure that you enter your completed ticket stub in the drawing barrel in the main pavilion. Good luck!
I hope each of you will have an opportunity to visit our Hamfest on September 15th. Many Club members have volunteered to support this important event; they will be wearing yellow shirts. So, mark the date on your calendar. See you there on Sunday morning, September the 15th and bring your non-ham spouse and kids for free.
0900 Hours : Contesting 1.01
Presented by Carol Richards, N2MM New to amateur radio? Apprehensive about contesting? Here is your opportunity to get involved with “radio sport” or “contesting.” Carol, a senior veteran contester with a very modest station and with just about every available award will present the “what’s” and “how’s” of contesting so that you can begin your journey into this exciting aspect of our hobby. Ample opportunities will be available for questions. |
1000 Hours : GCARC SkunkWorks Projects at the W2MMD Clubhouse
Presented By Jon Pearce, WB2MNF The informal GCARC “SkunkWorks” team has developed a number of projects utilizing Raspberry Pi computers and software-defined radios to download images from GOES and NOAA satellites, track Fox and SatNOGS satellite telemetry; use Kerberos radios for direction finding, track weather conditions and transmit them on APRS, and other similar initiatives. This session will present an overview of these projects with a follow-up at the nearby W2MMD Clubhouse. |
1100 Hours : Keeping Members Alive & Active Present By Tom Preiser, N2XW, ARRL SNJ Section Manager A panel discussion centered on growing and maintaining club membership moderated by Tom Preiser, N2XW, with :
All club officers in attendance should participate in this informative and valuable discussion. Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, ARRL Division Director, will give an update on the latest ARRL activities. |
1200 Hours : Grounding and Bonding for the Radio Amateur - Presented By H Ward Silver, N0AX
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0800 To 1200 Hours : Demonstration Area
The Ocean County ARES team will host a Q&A on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) strategy for applications by SNJ Amateur Radio Emergency Service teams for section, state, and regional communications.
In addition, they will also provide hands-on applications of Narrow Band Emergency Message System (NBEMS) as well as digital message handing using various devices including computers, tablets, and cellular phones.