|
President's LetterJonathan Pearce, WB2MNFJune 2025 |
June has arrived, and the Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club continues to thrive with projects and events as we move into summer. Our motto, Learning Stuff. Building Stuff. Doing Stuff - Together!, shines through in all we do. Let’s reflect on May’s highlights and look ahead to what’s coming.
Wattmeter Build : A Tech Saturday Success
Our Tech Saturday sessions on May 10th and May 17th to build the digital wattmeter/dummy load from the February 2025 QST were a great success. A total of 24 members participated - 14 on the first Saturday and 10 on the second - each assembling this practical device that measures RF power using an Arduino microcontroller. Chris Prioli AD2CS, did a terrific job preparing for the build, organizing all materials in advance and writing detailed instructions that made assembly straightforward. A few minor issues arose, but Chris quickly resolved them, ensuring everyone left with a fully operational unit. The feedback has been excellent, and given the enthusiasm we’re considering another wattmeter session next year.
Tower Upgrades Moving Forward
We’ve made significant progress on our tower refurbishment project, thanks to the hard work of Al Arrison KB2AYU, Frank Romeo N3PUU, and several other Club members who pitched in. The 89-foot UHF/microwave tower is now fully extended, with its cabling and pulleys replaced - a challenging task that also included updates to the 72-foot tower. The taller tower will soon host new UHF and microwave antennas that have been ordered. The 72-foot tower is scheduled to receive the 2 meter, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz antennas that were previously on the tower trailer, with installation planned in the coming weeks. Trenches for permanent feedline installation will be dug later this summer, but until then we’ll run the cables across the ground into the VHF room, allowing use with our new ARDC funded VHF equipment. When fully completed, this setup will position our VHF station among the most advanced in the country.
GCARC Picnic Recap
By the time you read this, our GCARC Family Picnic on May 31st at Red Bank Battlefield Park will have taken place. We had about 40 members and families signed up for the event, held from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with food ordered and promising weather forecast. Hopefully, it was another successful gathering filled with good food, camaraderie, and some portable operating by the Delaware River. Look for a full recap in next month’s CrossTalk, and thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.
Field Day Planning In Progress
Field Day on June 28-29 is just around the corner, and Jim Wright N2GXJ, is pulling together teams and plans for a memorable event. Our Tech Saturday on June 7th will be dedicated to Field Day preparation, serving as both an “Intro To Field Day For Newbies” for first timers and a planning session for seasoned operators.
Anyone is welcome to attend this session to learn what Field Day is all about, though newbies who are seriously interested in participating are encouraged to contact Jim in advance at [email protected] to discuss roles. We expect a strong turnout to finalize operator schedules, antenna setups, and tasks like logging and station management. As one of our major annual events, Field Day is a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow hams and showcase our skills, so all members are encouraged to join us at the Clubhouse location for the activities.
Woodruff STEM Club Wrap-Up and Future Planning
The Woodruff STEM club held its final session of the spring on May 19th, with clear weather providing the perfect conditions for a memorable day. Students launched multiple Estes rockets they had built, showcasing their engineering skills, with one rocket built by a staff member also launched. Unfortunately all of the rockets ended up landing off school property in a nearby neighborhood, a result that was both predicted and accepted by the kids who chose to use the most powerful engines thereby foregoing the opportunity to reclaim their rockets.
Looking ahead, we’ve scheduled ham license study sessions for next week followed by testing, and we’re hopeful that several of these young participants will become new hams as a result. We’re already starting to plan activities for next year’s STEM club session, exploring new projects like building simple receivers or organizing more transmitter hunts to further engage students in amateur radio and technology.
EME Dish Update
In May, Al Arrison KB2AYU, and Frank Romeo N3PUU, attended the South Jersey Radio Association (SJRA) meeting, where Paul Andrews W2HRO, builder of the sublunar EME dish we purchased last year, was the guest speaker. We’ve had issues with the dish’s feedline, but Paul took it home for repairs. It’s now fixed, and we’ll pick it up later this week, along with a new rotator and tripod mount. This upgrade will significantly enhance our Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) moon bounce capabilities, potentially opening opportunities to collaborate with the SJRA team on their EME projects. We’ll share more as we integrate this equipment.
Tape Measure Yagi Build In July
Interest in tape measure Yagi antennas remains high, with 12 members at the May meeting expressing their desire to build these devices for fox hunting. We’ve scheduled a two-week Tech Saturday project on July 12 and July 19 to construct 2 meter tape measure Yagis and attenuator boxes. With limited Saturdays in July and space constraints, we can only accommodate about a dozen participants.
Go to Tape Measure Yagi Build - GCARC Payments and Registration Portal : https://registration.w2mmd.org/wpregp/tape-measure-yagi-build to reserve your seat and to submit payment for the class. The cost this year is a modest $60, up slightly from last year's figure. This is due to the across-the-board increase in parts and materials costs.
Please note that due to the 4th of July weekend, there will be no Tech Saturday on July 5, sessions will start on July 12 instead. During these build dates, the Clubhouse will focus on this project, so the usual Saturday assistance may be limited. Additionally, the Clubhouse will be closed on Saturday, July 26, as we’ve traded that date with the 4H Fair for parking space in exchange for using their area for Field Day.
New Sign-in For Club Events
Attendees at Club activities will soon see a new tablet-based event sign-in program that will replace our paper sign-in sheets at General Membership Meetings, the Clubhouse, and other activities like Field Day and the picnic. This digital solution will allow us to gather data on attendance, helping us assess member engagement and understand the relative interest in various Club events. Interestingly, this project was entirely developed by Grok AI, guided by my prompts, despite my limited knowledge of web development, programming, or the hosting site used.
My goal was to see if Grok could create a functioning product without me understanding the technical details, and the results were both spectacular and a bit unnerving, showcasing the power of AI in supporting club initiatives.
June sets the stage for a summer full of learning and connection at GCARC. Whether you’re studying for your license, joining us for Field Day, or building a Yagi, your involvement keeps our Club thriving. Let’s make the most of these opportunities together.
73 de Jon Pearce WB2MNF
Wattmeter Build : A Tech Saturday Success
Our Tech Saturday sessions on May 10th and May 17th to build the digital wattmeter/dummy load from the February 2025 QST were a great success. A total of 24 members participated - 14 on the first Saturday and 10 on the second - each assembling this practical device that measures RF power using an Arduino microcontroller. Chris Prioli AD2CS, did a terrific job preparing for the build, organizing all materials in advance and writing detailed instructions that made assembly straightforward. A few minor issues arose, but Chris quickly resolved them, ensuring everyone left with a fully operational unit. The feedback has been excellent, and given the enthusiasm we’re considering another wattmeter session next year.
Tower Upgrades Moving Forward
We’ve made significant progress on our tower refurbishment project, thanks to the hard work of Al Arrison KB2AYU, Frank Romeo N3PUU, and several other Club members who pitched in. The 89-foot UHF/microwave tower is now fully extended, with its cabling and pulleys replaced - a challenging task that also included updates to the 72-foot tower. The taller tower will soon host new UHF and microwave antennas that have been ordered. The 72-foot tower is scheduled to receive the 2 meter, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz antennas that were previously on the tower trailer, with installation planned in the coming weeks. Trenches for permanent feedline installation will be dug later this summer, but until then we’ll run the cables across the ground into the VHF room, allowing use with our new ARDC funded VHF equipment. When fully completed, this setup will position our VHF station among the most advanced in the country.
GCARC Picnic Recap
By the time you read this, our GCARC Family Picnic on May 31st at Red Bank Battlefield Park will have taken place. We had about 40 members and families signed up for the event, held from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with food ordered and promising weather forecast. Hopefully, it was another successful gathering filled with good food, camaraderie, and some portable operating by the Delaware River. Look for a full recap in next month’s CrossTalk, and thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.
Field Day Planning In Progress
Field Day on June 28-29 is just around the corner, and Jim Wright N2GXJ, is pulling together teams and plans for a memorable event. Our Tech Saturday on June 7th will be dedicated to Field Day preparation, serving as both an “Intro To Field Day For Newbies” for first timers and a planning session for seasoned operators.
Anyone is welcome to attend this session to learn what Field Day is all about, though newbies who are seriously interested in participating are encouraged to contact Jim in advance at [email protected] to discuss roles. We expect a strong turnout to finalize operator schedules, antenna setups, and tasks like logging and station management. As one of our major annual events, Field Day is a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow hams and showcase our skills, so all members are encouraged to join us at the Clubhouse location for the activities.
Woodruff STEM Club Wrap-Up and Future Planning
The Woodruff STEM club held its final session of the spring on May 19th, with clear weather providing the perfect conditions for a memorable day. Students launched multiple Estes rockets they had built, showcasing their engineering skills, with one rocket built by a staff member also launched. Unfortunately all of the rockets ended up landing off school property in a nearby neighborhood, a result that was both predicted and accepted by the kids who chose to use the most powerful engines thereby foregoing the opportunity to reclaim their rockets.
Looking ahead, we’ve scheduled ham license study sessions for next week followed by testing, and we’re hopeful that several of these young participants will become new hams as a result. We’re already starting to plan activities for next year’s STEM club session, exploring new projects like building simple receivers or organizing more transmitter hunts to further engage students in amateur radio and technology.
EME Dish Update
In May, Al Arrison KB2AYU, and Frank Romeo N3PUU, attended the South Jersey Radio Association (SJRA) meeting, where Paul Andrews W2HRO, builder of the sublunar EME dish we purchased last year, was the guest speaker. We’ve had issues with the dish’s feedline, but Paul took it home for repairs. It’s now fixed, and we’ll pick it up later this week, along with a new rotator and tripod mount. This upgrade will significantly enhance our Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) moon bounce capabilities, potentially opening opportunities to collaborate with the SJRA team on their EME projects. We’ll share more as we integrate this equipment.
Tape Measure Yagi Build In July
Interest in tape measure Yagi antennas remains high, with 12 members at the May meeting expressing their desire to build these devices for fox hunting. We’ve scheduled a two-week Tech Saturday project on July 12 and July 19 to construct 2 meter tape measure Yagis and attenuator boxes. With limited Saturdays in July and space constraints, we can only accommodate about a dozen participants.
Go to Tape Measure Yagi Build - GCARC Payments and Registration Portal : https://registration.w2mmd.org/wpregp/tape-measure-yagi-build to reserve your seat and to submit payment for the class. The cost this year is a modest $60, up slightly from last year's figure. This is due to the across-the-board increase in parts and materials costs.
Please note that due to the 4th of July weekend, there will be no Tech Saturday on July 5, sessions will start on July 12 instead. During these build dates, the Clubhouse will focus on this project, so the usual Saturday assistance may be limited. Additionally, the Clubhouse will be closed on Saturday, July 26, as we’ve traded that date with the 4H Fair for parking space in exchange for using their area for Field Day.
New Sign-in For Club Events
Attendees at Club activities will soon see a new tablet-based event sign-in program that will replace our paper sign-in sheets at General Membership Meetings, the Clubhouse, and other activities like Field Day and the picnic. This digital solution will allow us to gather data on attendance, helping us assess member engagement and understand the relative interest in various Club events. Interestingly, this project was entirely developed by Grok AI, guided by my prompts, despite my limited knowledge of web development, programming, or the hosting site used.
My goal was to see if Grok could create a functioning product without me understanding the technical details, and the results were both spectacular and a bit unnerving, showcasing the power of AI in supporting club initiatives.
June sets the stage for a summer full of learning and connection at GCARC. Whether you’re studying for your license, joining us for Field Day, or building a Yagi, your involvement keeps our Club thriving. Let’s make the most of these opportunities together.
73 de Jon Pearce WB2MNF
Sponsored By The Monroe Township Parks and Recreation Commission : 700 North Tuckahoe Road, Williamstown, NJ
|
Sunday, June 15, 2025
|
Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 2242 Hours
|
Happy Birthday : June 23, 1939
|
Full Strawberry Moon - Wednesday, June 11, 2025 @ 0344 Hours. Used by the Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others, this name came about because ripe strawberries were ready to be gathered at this time. Similarly, Berries Ripen Moon is a Haida term. Blooming Moon (Anishinaabe) is indicative of the flowering season. The time for tending crops is indicated by Green Corn Moon (Cherokee) and Hoer Moon (Western Abenaki). Eighteenth-century Captain Jonathan Carver wrote that Native Americans whom he had visited used the term Hot Moon. The Tlingit used the term Birth Moon, referring to the time when certain animals are born in their region. Egg Laying Moon and Hatching Moon are Cree terms for this period. Old Farmer’s Almanac - www.almanac.com