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President's LetterJonathan Pearce, WB2MNFSeptember 2024 |
Summer is ending, Field Day scores have been calculated and reported, last-minute vacations are being squeezed in and kids are dreading heading back to school, yet GCARC activities continue unabated. There’s a full schedule of General Membership presentations, Tech Saturday events, license classes, and special events like fox hunts planned for the upcoming months.
Hamfest - September 8
I hope that every Club member has a large notation on their calendars for September 8th on which is inscribed in big letters “Go to the Hamfest!”. Along with Field Day the Hamfest is one of the two major Club events of the year, and a large volunteer group is needed to run the event, so if you're interested in volunteering please let me know and I'll forward your information accordingly. The Hamfest also provides an opportunity to get together with a large group of hams from various areas, sit through some interesting technical and organizational presentations, and perhaps purchase some valuable amateur radio equipment! Weather for the Hamfest is always great (!) so we expect to have a large turnout of members for this event.
Recognizing Member Contributions
At the August General Membership meeting the Club recognized with Volunteer Appreciation Awards four members whose activities have contributed significantly to the Club. These certificates are awarded by a vote of the Board of Directors quarterly after considering the activities of members in recent months. Those receiving awards this month are :
In addition the Milt Goldman committee composed of previous recipients of that award selected two long-time Club members for their substantial contributions to the Club over many years of activity :
Thanks to all of these members for their contributions to the continuing success of the Club.
Early Morning Meteor Scatter
“You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning”, as they say, to work meteor scatter. Propagation changes significantly as does the position of the meteors relative to your QTH so the fun is almost over by the time the sun comes up. An unfortunate bit of insomnia caused me to be at the Clubhouse about 4:30 AM on August 11th, the peak day of the meteor shower, but I did log six contacts, four of which occurred before 5 AM. Dan Caguiat KV2N and Chris Prioli AD2CS joined me a little after 6, but although we were still decoding MSK144 packets we didn't get any more contacts. At the peak time, though, we were being heard (See picture below) throughout the East Coast and as far West as mid-Texas. It's an interesting part of ham radio, but my aversion to early morning hours is probably not going to make it a regular occurrence for me.
Hamfest - September 8
I hope that every Club member has a large notation on their calendars for September 8th on which is inscribed in big letters “Go to the Hamfest!”. Along with Field Day the Hamfest is one of the two major Club events of the year, and a large volunteer group is needed to run the event, so if you're interested in volunteering please let me know and I'll forward your information accordingly. The Hamfest also provides an opportunity to get together with a large group of hams from various areas, sit through some interesting technical and organizational presentations, and perhaps purchase some valuable amateur radio equipment! Weather for the Hamfest is always great (!) so we expect to have a large turnout of members for this event.
Recognizing Member Contributions
At the August General Membership meeting the Club recognized with Volunteer Appreciation Awards four members whose activities have contributed significantly to the Club. These certificates are awarded by a vote of the Board of Directors quarterly after considering the activities of members in recent months. Those receiving awards this month are :
- Greg Ciraula W5DO for ongoing efforts in net management and participation in Skywarn and ARES leadership
- Marc Federici WM2Y for continuing technical contributions in a wide variety of projects and also leadership in Fox Hunting events
- Steve Farney W2SEF for net control leadership and presenting various topics on the Monday night TechNet sessions
- Gary Reed N2QEE for many years of coordination of volunteer examination testing processes
In addition the Milt Goldman committee composed of previous recipients of that award selected two long-time Club members for their substantial contributions to the Club over many years of activity :
- Jim Wright N2GXJ for years of club leadership, technical contributions, presentations, and publications
- John Zaruba Jr K2ZA for more than 44 years of Club involvement that include terms as a Club officer, presenter, technical advisor and mentor to many Club members.
Thanks to all of these members for their contributions to the continuing success of the Club.
Early Morning Meteor Scatter
“You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning”, as they say, to work meteor scatter. Propagation changes significantly as does the position of the meteors relative to your QTH so the fun is almost over by the time the sun comes up. An unfortunate bit of insomnia caused me to be at the Clubhouse about 4:30 AM on August 11th, the peak day of the meteor shower, but I did log six contacts, four of which occurred before 5 AM. Dan Caguiat KV2N and Chris Prioli AD2CS joined me a little after 6, but although we were still decoding MSK144 packets we didn't get any more contacts. At the peak time, though, we were being heard (See picture below) throughout the East Coast and as far West as mid-Texas. It's an interesting part of ham radio, but my aversion to early morning hours is probably not going to make it a regular occurrence for me.
Opportunities For Member Project Collaboration
Many Club members are aware of the ongoing activities in the amateur radio balloon project, but fewer may realize the intense collaboration happening on the Club’s Discord site and during Saturday sessions at the Clubhouse. The Discord site serves as both an information repository and a communication hub, allowing members to coordinate and share updates on their activities. This collaboration significantly enhances both the enjoyment and success of individual projects, as members connect with others who share similar interests and goals. Even those not directly involved in a project can easily stay informed and engaged through these discussions.
The Discord site currently has channels for the balloon, SDR, Winlink, LoRa and Meshtastic and EME, and a channel was recently added for the OpenGD77 firmware that some members are using to enhance DMR and satellite operation of various HTs. Here’s the link to join that group : https://discord.gg/dXHX742b
Woodruff Middle School STEM Activities Start In September
The planning for the middle school STEM program involving amateur radio ballooning is well underway, spearheaded by Angela Metzger KE2DRJ, the dedicated science teacher and program leader. The Club’s balloon team has collaborated closely with Angela to design an engaging curriculum in which students will form small teams to assemble the radio and other components of the balloon. Each team will then have the opportunity to launch and track their balloon, gaining hands-on experience. The program includes comprehensive instruction on soldering and component assembly, as well as lessons on how winds, temperature, and other environmental factors influence the balloon’s trajectory. To enhance the learning experience, the school plans to purchase a Raspberry Pi 5 computer and an SDP Play radio, enabling students to tune into and view radio signals, and track them using various online methods. The program is structured to run for ten sessions on Monday afternoons, after which the potential for future sessions will be evaluated.
September Clubhouse Activities
Late August and September will be a busy month for Clubhouse activities. On August 31st the Club will host members of a group of Meshtastic users that include some newly licensed hams from our licensing classes. This group is interested in using unlicensed Meshtastic radios for personal communications in emergency situations, and we'll be assisting them in getting those radios set up and configured.
Tech Saturday Forum on September 7th will cover Software Defined Radios, the hardware options available and the many types of software that can be used both for radio operation and for experimentation with different modes of communications. This session was given several years ago but may be of interest to newer members or those who wish to be updated on the capabilities of newer types of SDR software.
On September 14th we'll be presenting a session to a group of newly licensed hams who are primarily interested in using amateur radio as a means of communication within their group in emergency situations. This session will cover techniques such as 2 meter simplex operation, HF operation using NVIS antennas, Winlink and Meshtastic.
We also hope to launch several balloons during September when weather and other conditions allow it and will announce those potential opportunities as far in advance as possible so that others can attend if interested.
EME Coming To GCARC!
At press time for this article the Foundation approved the purchase of a Sub-Lunar portable dish and patch antenna for 1296 MHz to be used in Earth-Moon-Earth (moonbounce) communications. Arrangements are being made to pick up the antenna (which is manufactured in NJ) and work out the configuration of equipment that will be needed to use it. This comes amidst many other Club projects such as the balloon launches and the installation of the VHF towers that are keeping the most active Club members quite busy, which means that there’s a significant opportunity for others who are interested in this are to get involved! EME communication involves many complex areas to understand but lots of reference materials are available many of which are linked on the #eme Discord Channel, so if you’re interested in helping bounce radio signals off of the moon please let me know and we’ll get you involved in this new Club activity.
73 de Jon WB2MNF
Many Club members are aware of the ongoing activities in the amateur radio balloon project, but fewer may realize the intense collaboration happening on the Club’s Discord site and during Saturday sessions at the Clubhouse. The Discord site serves as both an information repository and a communication hub, allowing members to coordinate and share updates on their activities. This collaboration significantly enhances both the enjoyment and success of individual projects, as members connect with others who share similar interests and goals. Even those not directly involved in a project can easily stay informed and engaged through these discussions.
The Discord site currently has channels for the balloon, SDR, Winlink, LoRa and Meshtastic and EME, and a channel was recently added for the OpenGD77 firmware that some members are using to enhance DMR and satellite operation of various HTs. Here’s the link to join that group : https://discord.gg/dXHX742b
Woodruff Middle School STEM Activities Start In September
The planning for the middle school STEM program involving amateur radio ballooning is well underway, spearheaded by Angela Metzger KE2DRJ, the dedicated science teacher and program leader. The Club’s balloon team has collaborated closely with Angela to design an engaging curriculum in which students will form small teams to assemble the radio and other components of the balloon. Each team will then have the opportunity to launch and track their balloon, gaining hands-on experience. The program includes comprehensive instruction on soldering and component assembly, as well as lessons on how winds, temperature, and other environmental factors influence the balloon’s trajectory. To enhance the learning experience, the school plans to purchase a Raspberry Pi 5 computer and an SDP Play radio, enabling students to tune into and view radio signals, and track them using various online methods. The program is structured to run for ten sessions on Monday afternoons, after which the potential for future sessions will be evaluated.
September Clubhouse Activities
Late August and September will be a busy month for Clubhouse activities. On August 31st the Club will host members of a group of Meshtastic users that include some newly licensed hams from our licensing classes. This group is interested in using unlicensed Meshtastic radios for personal communications in emergency situations, and we'll be assisting them in getting those radios set up and configured.
Tech Saturday Forum on September 7th will cover Software Defined Radios, the hardware options available and the many types of software that can be used both for radio operation and for experimentation with different modes of communications. This session was given several years ago but may be of interest to newer members or those who wish to be updated on the capabilities of newer types of SDR software.
On September 14th we'll be presenting a session to a group of newly licensed hams who are primarily interested in using amateur radio as a means of communication within their group in emergency situations. This session will cover techniques such as 2 meter simplex operation, HF operation using NVIS antennas, Winlink and Meshtastic.
We also hope to launch several balloons during September when weather and other conditions allow it and will announce those potential opportunities as far in advance as possible so that others can attend if interested.
EME Coming To GCARC!
At press time for this article the Foundation approved the purchase of a Sub-Lunar portable dish and patch antenna for 1296 MHz to be used in Earth-Moon-Earth (moonbounce) communications. Arrangements are being made to pick up the antenna (which is manufactured in NJ) and work out the configuration of equipment that will be needed to use it. This comes amidst many other Club projects such as the balloon launches and the installation of the VHF towers that are keeping the most active Club members quite busy, which means that there’s a significant opportunity for others who are interested in this are to get involved! EME communication involves many complex areas to understand but lots of reference materials are available many of which are linked on the #eme Discord Channel, so if you’re interested in helping bounce radio signals off of the moon please let me know and we’ll get you involved in this new Club activity.
73 de Jon WB2MNF
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Monday, September 2, 2024
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Monday, September 2, 2024
Monday, September 16, 2024
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Happy Birthday - September 18, 1947
Sunday, September 22, 2024 @ 0844 Hours
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Friday, September 27, 2024
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Full Corn Moon : September 17, 2024 @ 2236 Hours. Corn was ready to harvest at this time. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver came across this Native American term during his travels. Similarly, the Western Abenaki called this the Corn Maker Moon, and the Dakota, the Corn Harvest Moon. NOTE: Harvest Moon refers to the full Moon closest to the September equinox, which is the tradition that The Old Farmer’s Almanac follows. Moon When Rice is Laid Up to Dry (Dakota) refers to the time of harvesting and processing rice. Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota), and Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine) all speak to the leaf-changing season. Child Moon (Tlingit) occurs when young animals are weaned. Mating Moon and Rutting Moon are Cree terms that describe the time when certain animals, such as moose, are ready to mate.
Old Farmer’s Almanac - www.almanac.com