Communicator - Central NH Amateur Radio Club

Monthly
Newsletter of the Central New Hampshire Amateur Radio Club
The Communicator
The
ARRL
Special
Service Club
April,
2015
Communicator
April 2015
CNHARC Web Page - www.cnharc.org
April Meeting Program
The meeting will consist of (2) presentations.
The first part of the meeting will be about working amateur satellites and will feature video and other resources. The panel
discussion about amateur sats tentatively scheduled for this month will be postponed to a later date.
The rest of the meeting will be a Shack Spring Cleaning Flea Market.
Bring any and all gear you want to sell or TRADE. Be realistic about your pricing. Why? Your fellow club members are
tighter than a banjo string.
Refreshments will be served! Coffee, water, and soft drinks as well as cookies will be available. Snacks and coffee
provided by Peggy, KB1GQV and Dave, KA1VJU.
If you wish to present a program or have a specific subject covered please contact Cliff, N1RCQ @ 279-7763.
For directions to the meeting, the talk in repeater is 146.985 PL123.
members are bringing back the Old Man Special Event.
This is a great tune-up opportunity for you for Field Day
which happens at the end of June. Go here for details about
the Old Man Special Event:
From the President’s Key
By Tim, W3ATB
http://www.n1hevent.com
The Old Man event is perfect for you if your a newbie
at HF or you’re a pro. In fact, we need both. We need pro
operators to help teach newbies the fine points of talking on
HF.
The same is true for CW. If you want to see how CW
works in a low-stress contesting environment, then you
should volunteer and attend the Old Man one-day event.
Continued on Page Two
It’s Spring on the calendar, but as you can tell, Old
Man Winter is like that family member that won’t go home
at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.
In This Issue
From the President’s Key ………………..………….…...
ARES Academy................................................................
CNHARC 5 & 10 Years Ago .………..…………….….
Should we Weep for Amateur Radio? ..……………...
Adam’s Junk Box ………………………………...…….
USB Charging Outlet ...……..….……………………..
Harvard Cabin VE Session ….………………………..
Secretary’s Report ……………………………………..
Just like plants and trees are renewed this time of year,
so is your club.
The public service season is about to kick into gear
with many different events. Soon every weekend you have
the chance to sharpen your net control and emergency radio
skills at any number of events within a 60-mile radius.
In just one month, on May 3, 2015, a group of club
Next Club Meeting - Tuesday, April 7th, 2015 at 7:00 PM
Gilford Community Church, Gilford NH
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The Communicator
April, 2015
Continued from Page One
ARES Academy
With warmer temperatures perhaps you'll be working
on your antennas, towers or some other outdoor radio project.
On March 28th, a few members from CNHARC sat
through the all day training program, 2015 ARES ACADEMY. As a perk we where able to take a tour of the state
EOC. I snapped some photos with permission and thought
I'd share them in the communicator.
Maybe this will be the year you start to do outdoor
radio just as a few of us do as often as Mother Nature gives
us a great day.
Photos and story by Jim, KB1FBQ
Who knows, perhaps you’ll grow in the hobby this
year by upgrading your privileges. I know I plan to take the
Extra test before the last leaf falls from the trees this fall. If
things go well, I may even have passed the test by Labor
Day.
Are you aware that in July we’re going to have a club
picnic? Several club members are starting to plan it now.
Do you want to help them? They need your help.
Club elections are just a month away. We need people
to run for Steering Committee and if you want to be a club
officer, then by all means throw your hat in the ring.
Field Day plans are shaping up too. There will be a
Field Day this year, but it will probably be different from
years past. If you want to be a part of Field Day, then you
need to pitch in. You need to contact Dick Christopher now.
What’s the common thread in all of the above? It’s
you.
Yes, you.
You have a great opportunity to grow your radio skills
and build stronger social relationships with other club members this spring and summer.
There’s an old saying, “Strike the iron while it’s hot.”
Well, the sun is climbing higher in the sky each day
and the temperature is rising.
You know what to do. Invest in your club and you’ll
get paid back in spades.
As usual, I accept all suggestions, comments and complaints.
It’s easy to find me. Just do it!
CNHARC Monday Night Net at 8:00 PM on 146.985 MHz
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The Communicator
April, 2015
Central NH
ARES Frequencies
CNHARC Nets
Monday: Two-Meter Net, 8:00 PM, 146.985
Wednesday: ARES Net, 8:00 PM, 146.985
Thursday: Six-meter Net, 8:00 PM, 53.77
Primary: 146.985 MHz
Backup: 147.300 MHz, PL 88.5 Hz
Simplex: 147.540 MHz
NH ARES 75-M Net: 3.943 MHz
Net Manager: Dave Megin KA1VJU
CNHARC 6-Meter Thurs. Night Net 8 PM, 53.770 MHz
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The Communicator
April, 2015
CNHARC 10 Years Ago
CNHARC 5 Years Ago
The following article appeared in the April 2010 edition of
‘The Communicator’. -Ed.
The following article appeared in the April 2005 edition of
‘The Communicator’. -Ed.
Selecting Coaxial Cable
Hermit Lake Outing at
15 Degrees
By Jack, WA1ZDV
by Jim Cluett, W1PID
The sun was warm... but the ambient temperature was
15°F. On Saturday morning I packed up the little 20 meter
MFJ Cub and a dipole and drove over to Hermit Lake in
Sanbornton. I knew I wouldn't have trouble making contacts
because the International DX CW contest was in full swing.
So I hiked over to an island that provided some nice
cover from the wind while offering a warm southern exposure. The view from my operating spot was pretty nice:
I put the dipole up about 20 feet as an inverted Vee and
tied off the ends. I was operating in about five minutes. I
only operated for about 15 minutes. But I worked England,
Lithuania, Belgium, and Germany before hiking back to
shore.
Remember that bigger is always better! The optimum
coax should look like the following:
[1] Conductor-solid copper or copper covered aluminum with 20% to 30% copper.
[2] Dielectric-foam polyethylene with a vg of 88%
(amount of air).
[3] Shield-aluminum tape adhered to dielectric with a
copper or tinned copper braid with 92% coverage, 58 size
36 ga., 8 size 33/34 ga. (braid is the major material cost).
[4] Jacket - for outdoor use black polyethylene, for
cable used with a rotor I suggest using a stranded center
conductor (more strands the better) with a sold polyethylene dielectric & black pvc or tpr jacket. I also suggest
running the optimum cable to just below the rotor & running a flexible jumper from there to the antenna.
The extrusion of the dielectric is the most important
part of the manufacturing process. This will determine how
well the cable performs and will significantly affect the
SWR of the cable over the ham bands. The type of extrusion equipment used to perform this operation will determine the cable characteristics. Much of the offshore cable
produced today is purchased from the well used surplus
market. The cost of an extrusion line properly set up to
minimize the SWR can cost between $250,000 and
$500,000. Thus, the manufacturer has a significant investment and it is easy to see why there are cost differences. I
have run tests on cables from different manufacturers and
found that the SWR could run from a flat response across
the bands to an SWR of 6:1.
Jim, sitting in the bright sunshine under his 20-meter dipole.
Judy Cluett photo
Social Media and CNHARC
CNHARC has a presence on Facebook,
Twitter, and YouTube!
Find us on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/CNHARC
Follow @CNHARC on Twitter.
Visit the CNHARC page on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/user/
CNHARCAmateurRadio
The cable selection is a very important process as this
is where most of the power is lost in your system. A cable
with a 3 db loss/100 ft. would reduce your power to the
antenna by half. A radio with 100 watts output would be
reduced to 50 watts. In conclusion, the $20 to $40 difference in cost would be money well spent. Remember that
bigger is always better in the cable world, but quality also
counts.
W1JY Central NH Amateur Radio Club W1CNH
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The Communicator
April, 2015
Should we Weep for
Amateur Radio?
March Meeting
Photo by Cliff, N1RCQ
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
On an amateur radio mailing list that I subscribe to,
one fellow wrote, "I weep for the state of amateur radio in
the US, since this dispatch is apparently necessary…" He
then pointed to an article on the ARRL website that reminded hams that while their local time may be switching to daylight time, Universal Coordinated Time did not change
(http://www.arrl.org/news/view/change-local-clocks-thisweekend-but-not-utc).
The implication, of course, was that we have dumbed
down ham radio so much that a reminder like this was necessary.
This thread went on and on, eventually garnering 17
different replies. Before it morphed into a discussion of
whether or not DST is a good idea in the first place, the replies echoed the sentiment in the original e-mail:
The Phonetic Alphabet
“It’s become a push button, nanny state world, what do
you expect, competence?”
A
Alfa
N
November
B
Bravo
O
Oscar
“We are truly in a time of appliance operating, not only
in ham radio, but in practically every aspect of our lives. :-(“
C
Charlie
P
Papa
D
Delta
Q
Quebec
At first, I had the same reaction. I thought to myself,
“How dumb are we getting in ham radio, if guys have to be
reminded that UTC doesn’t change when we switch to daylight savings time?” After thinking about this for a while,
though, I’ve completely change my mind on this.
I work with a lot of newcomers to amateur radio, and
many of them just don’t know how UTC works. This is not
their fault—-they just haven’t had the opportunity to deal
with UTC. What these old timers (old farts?) didn't realize is
that the ARRL article is not directed at them, but at the newcomers to ham radio.
I’ll even go one step further. It’s easy for us old-timers
to be dismissive of newcomers’ lack of knowledge, and then
complain that amateur radio is getting dumber, but knee-jerk
reactions don't usually help anyone involved. A much better
approach would be to roll up your sleeves and teach them
something. The only way newcomers are going to get to be
old timers like us is if we help them learn stuff like this.
E
Echo
R
Romeo
F
Foxtrot
S
Sierra
G
Golf
T
Tango
H
Hotel
U
Uniform
I
India
V
Victor
J
Juliet
W
Whiskey
K
Kilo
X
X-ray
L
Lima
Y
Yankee
M
Mike
Z
Zulu
FOR SALE
==================================
Astron RS-12A power supply
I used it to power my echolink node which is
now out of service... So it should be in good
running order... $45.
When not teaching newbies about UTC, you'll find
KB6NU working on updates to his "No Nonsense" study
guides, teaching one-day Tech classes, or blogging about
amateur radio at www.kb6nu.com.
Contact: [email protected]
ARES Net Wednesdays at 8:00 PM on 146.985 MHz
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The Communicator
April, 2015
As I sit here trying to think of an opening sentence for
this month’s Junk Box article, I find myself looking over a
strange and eclectic collection of electronic gear. Some of
this stuff is over 50 years old, and other items were purchased so recently that they still have that enticing “new
electronics” smell (admit it, you know exactly what I mean
by that).
reflected backward from the antenna toward the radio, which
is not such a good thing. When almost all of the energy coming out of the radio goes out to the antenna, wobbles some
electrons, and goes out into the atmosphere in the phorm of
photons wiggling at your favorite frequency, you can say
that you have a good match. However, when a large percentage of that power gets reflected back toward the delicate
circuitry in your radio’s output section, warming up the coax
a bit along the way, you can say that you have a mismatch
and probably some repairs to make. You will probably also
have some other, less pleasant words to say if this happens.
A big portion of the gear I’m looking at is test gear.
Shortly after getting my ham ticket in 2008, I developed a
love of test gear of all types, shapes, sizes, makes, and colors. I don’t know why this happened, it just did. It seemed
perfectly normal to me, as I had grown up around my Dad,
who always kept our house warm with all of his radios and
test gear. I was the only kid in my elementary school that
knew what an oscilloscope was, and could properly pronounce the word “RTTY”. So it came as some surprise to
me many years later, as a newly minted ham/test gear addict, that not all other hams were equally addicted to boxes
with meters, dials, blinky-lights, and faintly glowing cathode-ray tubes. It actually seems that very few of us are, or at
least very few will admit to it. I’m willing to admit to my
test-gear addiction, and I know I can stop at any time. No,
really, I can. Why are you looking at me that way?
Anyway, for the benefit of all of the non-test-gearaddict hams out there, this month’s article will be a primer
on some of the more common, interesting, and useful test
gear items out there. With any luck, you might even find it
worth reading.
Your radio is happiest when the SWR is as low as possible. A one-to-one (1:1) match is as good as it gets, but with
the modest amounts of power that we hams typically use,
usually between 5 and 100 watts, a 1.5:1 match can be considered acceptable. Most modern radios will try to automatically reduce output power if the SWR goes above 2:1 as a
form of self-preservation. Without an SWR meter, reduced
transmit power output indication on the front panel of the
radio might be the only sign that something is significantly
wrong with the antenna system. Bluish wisps of smoke coming out of the radio are soon to follow, which is why the
SWR meter is the only piece of test gear that I will refer to
as an absolute necessity in your ham shack. It also comes in
handy when setting up a new antenna, but it’s primary job is
to safeguard your radio’s life.
I’ll start off with the one piece of test gear that every
ham should have in their shack: The SWR (Standing Wave
Ratio) meter. This relatively inexpensive bit of kit can save
you from needing more expensive repairs to your even
more expensive radio when that antenna you put up last
week suddenly decides to fall over and short against your
nicely grounded mast without bothering to get your permission first. Since the science involved with standing wave
ratios could fill up several volumes all by itself, I’ll keep
this as simple as I am. Simply put, an SWR meter measures
the difference in transmit power going forward from the
radio out to the antenna, which is a good thing, and being
CNHARC is on YouTube ! CNHARCAmateurRadio
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The Communicator
April, 2015
The next piece of test gear is something that I think is
awful handy to have around, but is not an absolute necessity
for most hams. That would be a volt-meter or multimeter of
some sort. These come in all shapes and sizes, and range
from as little as $20 for simple analog meters to many thousands of dollars for lab quality benchtop meters. You’ll
probably never need one of those, thankfully. However, a
$20 meter, or even better a $50 digital meter, can be an invaluable item to have with you in the shack.
I was recently asked by a fellow ham for help in figuring out an odd problem with the ham radio in his car. The
radio worked fine when receiving and transmitting at low
power, but would shut itself off every time he tried to transmit at high power. This is a surprisingly common problem
that can have any number of causes, but what it boils down
to is the fact that the radio simply couldn’t get enough energy through it’s power wiring to keep working. The first
thing I asked him was what the voltage going into his radio
was, which is when I found out that he didn’t have a meter
to check it with. I made some suggestions of things to check
in the car based on past experience (ground connection, fuses, battery connection, corrosion, damaged power wires,
etc.), and added that purchasing an inexpensive meter would
be a good idea. Because he didn’t have a meter to use to
narrow down the problem, he had to do it by trial and error,
which is something better not done with sensitive electronics. He was able to fix the problem and get back on the air,
but he would have been able to do so much more easily with
the addition of a decent meter to his tool kit. This is only
one example of what a volt meter can be used for. Most of
them can measure resistance and current also, which is why
they are usually called multimeters. Some can do a lot more
than that. However, voltage is the thing you’re most likely
to be concerned about when you reach for a volt meter.
very high quality prices, which is why all of the Tek scopes
I’ve had have been old, tired, and nearly worn out.
Fear not, good citizen! There is a solution we can take
advantage of today that simply wasn’t available a few years
ago: Get a Rigol brand scope. The scopes they make are
considered “entry level” but are loaded with high-end features and are built from high quality components. Currently
you can buy a brand new 100 MHz oscilloscope (the fastest
signal it can measure accurately) for only $400, a price unheard of a few years ago. While this does seem like a lot of
money for us hobbyists, the fact of the matter is that to get a
similar scope only 10 years ago you would expect to fork
out several thousand dollars!
One very important safety tip: NEVER use a cheap
meter to measure the line voltage coming from the power
outlets in your home! If you wish to keep an eye on your
house electrical system, you will need a meter that meets
certain safety standards for isolation and build quality. You
also should never mess with your home electrical system
unless you are properly trained to do so. It could literally
cost you your life. “It’s only 120 volts!” you say. More
Americans get killed by 120 volts than any other voltage.
It’s just not worth the risk.
If you are interested in electronics repair, you may
want to consider getting an oscilloscope. I’ve had a number
of them over the years, starting with a Heathkit scope I
picked up at a yard sale when I was a teenager. I have managed to get my hands on a few other scopes over the years.
Most of them were from the preeminent oscilloscope brand:
Tektronics. Tektronics builds very high quality scopes for
W1JY Central NH Amateur Radio Club W1CNH
7
The Communicator
April, 2015
ing the better part of your afternoon hunting and rummaging
through all the storage places in your house, shed, and garage, and even asking your confused neighbors, you hang
your head in sorrow as you realize that the gizmo on your
bench will remain borked because you can’t provide it with
the proper voltage. If only there were a device that allowed
you to select the voltage you want rather than being stuck
with whatever voltages may or may not be available from
whatever wall-warts you may or may not have saved over
the years.
But what the heck does an oscilloscope do?!?
It measures voltage... I know what you’re thinking:
“Why the heck would I spend $400 to measure voltage
when I can do the same thing with a $20 multimeter?” I
don’t blame you, but the oscilloscope has a party trick: It
measures voltage over time and then plots the results on a
screen! What is a radio signal but a series of very quick
changes in voltage, right? With an oscilloscope, you can
actually look at your own radio signal while you transmit!
(never plug your radio directly into an oscilloscope) That
and a hundred other things make the scope an indispensable tool to have on hand if you wish to do serious electronics tinkering and playing around, or maybe even a bit of
work now and then.
Voila! An inexpensive variable power supply such as
this one can be extremely helpful in cases like the one illustrated above. You want 17.2 volts? Twist the knob a bit and
you’ve got it! You want 2.5 volts? Twist the knob again, and
you’re all set! You want a roast beef and cheese sandwich?
Sorry, you’re on your own for that one. However, many
variable power supplies also have variable current limiting,
which is a great way of keeping the smoke inside of your
delicate electronics while you’re working on/with/around
them.
Service monitors are multi-function tools for working
on radios and other RF based devices. If you want one and
happen to stumble across a functional example at NEARfest,
grab it. The reason? Because you can buy a new Chevrolet
for less than you can a new service monitor.
Signal generators are basically the output half of a service monitor, and they do exactly what the name says: they
generate radio signals. They are a lot easier to find used and
less expensive to buy than service monitors, and are very
useful to have available for anyone who wants to work on
radios because they can tell you if your radio’s receiver is
receiving the right frequency and how well the receiver receives what it is receiving.
Spectrum analyzers are every bit as expensive as service monitors when purchased new, but can sometimes be
found for reasonable prices at ham fests, so long as you
aren’t picky about the age. These awesome devices work
similarly to oscilloscopes, except that they display changes
in voltage over frequency instead of time. In other words,
you can see all of the signals, for example, between 28 MHz
and 29.7 MHz at the same time, neatly plotted on a screen!
They also have a number of other functions and are quite
valuable to have around if you like working on radio guts.
Speaking of voltage, I promised to tell you why a
power supply can be thought of as test gear. Picture this
scene: You are in your workshack (combination work shop
and radio shack) with an ailing electronic device on your
bench. You find yourself searching frantically through box
after box, shelf after shelf, pile after pile, looking for a
plug-in power supply (also known as a wall-wart) of the
correct voltage for your device, which for some strange
reason requires 17.2 volts, no more, no less. After spend-
I’d love to get my hands on a spectrum analyzer someday, but in the meantime there’s the humble little RTL-SDR,
aka DVB-T dongle. The RTL-SDR wasn’t designed to be
test gear at all, it’s actually a USB dongle designed to receive European television signals. However, it represents
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8
The Communicator
April, 2015
one of the greatest successes in the long and proud history
of hacking (the good kind). A few years ago, one brilliant
hacker discovered that these cheap little TV receivers could
be used to listen to any and all signals between 24 MHz and
1700 MHz! Wow!!! For $20, you can have a super-wide
band receiver that, in combination with some free software,
can be used very much like a spectrum analyzer! Holy massive megahertz, Batman! Add a $45 device called a Ham-ItUp upconverter, and you can receive HF signals also, all the
way down to a few hundred Khz! These devices allow you
to look at entire ham bands or zoom in on one single signal.
You can listen to a repeater’s output and watch it’s input
frequency at the same time. You can monitor multiple frequencies, or see what’s happening up on the 23 cm band.
Not a bad amount of usefulness for your $20 investment.
USB Charging Outlet
by Mike Stone, N1VE
While I was browsing though a marine parts catalog I
came across a USB charging outlet. After looking on-line
to see what is available and after reading some of the reviews, I’ll be installing a couple USB charging outlets to
simplify and neaten the areas where we charge our iPads,
cell phones, and other small rechargeable battery-powered
devices.
Here’s what is written about the Leviton T5632-W on
Amazon.com
Highest power device on the market
Two vertical high powered USB Ports
3.6A charging capacity
Smart chip-powered USB ports recognize the requirements of attached device and optimize charge accordingly
Back and side wired for easy installation
These USB chargers are able to charge at a higher rate
than some, such as the Apple chargers for iPhones. The
backside of the outlet is larger than a standard duplex receptacle, so wiring it might be difficult if the box is small
or if it is stuffed with wires. Also, there is only one screw
for the hot wire(s) and one screw for the neutral wire(s), so
if the original duplex receptacle is feeding other devices,
jumpers and wire nuts might have to be put in the box as
well. Another criticism is that when the USB outlets are
being used, the lower 120-volt receptacle might be difficult
or impossible to use with some cord ends.
Speaking of inexpensive test gear, a frequency counter
can come in handy if you think your radio might be a bit off
frequency, and cheap ones are available for less than $50,
brand new! A frequency counter does nothing more than
display the frequency of the strongest signal it is receiving,
which is more often than not the signal you’re transmitting.
A handy little device indeed.
The USB outlets are Compatible with Decora and
Decora Plus wall plates and they can be ganged.
Prices vary from about $20 to $50.
There are also any number of other very useful pieces
of test gear out there, and I encourage anyone who gets interested in the stuff to look around online, carefully look
over the selection at hamfests, and keep an eye on the “For
Sale” section of the Communicator. Do your research first,
make sure that you will actually be able to make use of the
gear you intend to buy. Look for quality issues, damage,
rust, and evidence of tampering. Above all, be cautious and
lift with your knees. Some of this stuff is really heavy.
I hope you enjoy this article. I can be reached at
[email protected], or on the Gunstock 2 meter repeater
on 146.985 MHz. I welcome your comments and suggestions, and if there’s a specific topic you want me to write
about, let me know. 73, Adam N1RKW.
CNHARC is on Twitter - follow us @cnharc
9
The Communicator
April, 2015
Harvard Cabin VE Session
You can contact Marcia and I on the Mt. Cranmore
Repeater (145.45 PL 100 N. Conway) and on the Mt. Washington Repeater (146.655 PL 100 Summit)
By Rich, KB1WDW
On Feb. 22, 2015, VE's ended-up administering 4
Tech Exams at the Harvard Cabin, including a walk-in. It
was a great success!
Photos by Zofia, KZ1DNA
Join me in congratulating KC1DHR and KC1DHS on their
new calls! Victor and Zofia are both from Cambridge, MA
and very involved in the climbing community in New England and beyond. They will no doubt continue to aid in the
propagation of HAM Radio amongst climbers and colleagues alike!
Volunteer Examiners for the day included KB1WEP,
KB1EZJ, KB1JDX, and KB1AFO (observing). Thanks to
all VE's! Special Thanks to Vinny, KB1JDX who made the
day-trip from Connecticut and who was the very much
needed 3rd VE. Special thanks also to KB1EZJ, Greg, President of the White Mountain Amateur Radio club who
made the ski approach to the cabin with all needed exam
materials!
This was a very proud day for Marcia and I. We are endlessly promoting the hobby and art of HAM Radio. So
much so it could be considered harassment in some cases :)
It has not been fruitless. Over the last two years the Harvard
Cabin has generated 12 new calls and most everyone has
been very active in the HAM Radio community ever since.
We've even unintentionally coerced a few inactive operators to pick-up the mic again. Radio is a great utility in the
mountains, however, most people we've persuaded to become HAMS have also grown to see the beauty of the hobby! That is important to us too!
We will cover most of this and more in an article that we
hope will be included in the print-edition of QST. (I've
downloaded the author's guide) For now, you can enjoy
some photos from the very first VE Session at The Harvard
Cabin and probably the first-ever to be proctored on Mt.
Washington!
Next year, we'll have much more advanced planning and
hope to be able to offer testing for all three classes! This
will certainly make for a bigger turn-out. The food is not to
be missed. Nor is the excitement! We'll be sure to announce
the test-date several months in advance and we will promote the test session via standard and non-standard channels. The cabin operates from December 1 to March 31st
each season. So, you can expect we'll host the exam sometime between January and the end of March! ALL HAMS
ARE WELCOME!
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10
The Communicator
April, 2015
CNHARC 6-Meter Thurs. Night Net 8 PM, 53.770 MHz
11
The Communicator
April, 2015
2015 Year-to-Date Update:
Tom just got back from Aruba. All the attendees
expressed their sympathy.
The club books were not available for a report this
meeting.
The club financial data is at Tom's QTH in NH &
Tom was snow-stuck in Danvers MA.
Why-oh-why did Tom leave Aruba?
Membership Report: Tom sent to Rich a correction
to his '5 new member' report. (paid via PayPal)
Correction: 3 members renewed their membership,
and 2 new members paid their membership dues.
New Members:
Edward Curley KC1CLA Technician
15 New castle Rd., Belmont, MA 02478
[email protected]
Peter Jackson K2SNW General
38 Water St., Rumney, NH 03266
[email protected]
SECRETARY'S REPORT - Rich Kumpf, WF1V
Rich reported that he sent around a draft copy of the
January SC meeting to members.
No changes were requested. The meeting minutes
were then uploaded to the club's Google drive using the
online tool.
WEBSITE/EMAIL REPORT - Tim Carter, W3ATB
Website transition plan is March-1st, health and time
permitting.
There will be a 'New Look' to the website and email.
Tim was elusive about the new look/feel, creating anticipation by the SC members. Dave mentioned that the club's
Facebook was a good communication tool he used to announce the venue change for tonight's meeting.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR REPORT - Cliff Dickinson, N1RCQ
Cliff sent out the meeting agenda first draft proposal to
Rich & Jim & Tim
Cliff mentioned that we need volunteers for the upcoming panel discussions.
He is currently slammed with Sled Dog race coordination.
Tim mentioned that he'll chum for volunteers for the
March panel discussion.
March Meeting Program Plan (Agreed to by SC Attendees):
Session #1: Panel discussion about setting up a shack.
Tim commented that setting up a shack is a HUGE
topic.
He recommended covering 'planning' on setting up a
shack. How big? Where? Family Issues, etc.
Adam mentioned that he had coincidently just submitted an article to the Communicator for that very topic!
Tim hopes that the panel-discussion format will encourage member participation.
Secretary’s Report
by
Rich, WF1V
CNHARC STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, 2/9/2015 (FINAL)
ATTENDEES (SC Members and Honored Members):
Tim Carter W3ATB - President
Lee Hillsgrove KB1GNI - Vice President - Excused
Tom Persson
K1LQN - Treasurer
Rich Kumpf WF1V - Secretary
Dave Megin KA1VJU - Member 2017
David Weiss
N1DOU - Member 2017
Dick Christopher N1LT - Member 2017
Adam Foley N1RKW - Member 2015
Cliff Dickenson
N1RCQ - Member 2015
Jim Brown KB1FBQ - Member 2015 - Excused
Mark Persson
W1DDI - Late - Broken Plow
Repair involving welding in the snow (really?) delayed
Mark's arrival :>)
Margaret Brown KB1GQV - Visitor - Excused
VENUE CHANGE
The meeting was held via Skype due to the ongoing
snow storm which presented challenging driving conditions
to the members (and just about everyone else in New England).
MEETING OPENING - Tim Carter, President
Tim Carter called the February 2015 meeting of the
Central NH Amateur Radio Club to order at 7:03 PM via
Skype.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT - Tim Carter, W3ATB
Tim is feeling good about the status of the club.
Cincinnati ARC Update - Opening remarks from Club
president. They don't have programs scheduled.
Tim refused to take credit for the club's ongoing success.
VICE PRESIDENT REPORT - Lee H Hillsgrove,
KB1GNI
Not available for a report.
TREASURER'S REPORT - Tom Persson, K1LQN
The 2014 CNHARC Financial Profit/Loss Report
Summary (from January's SC Meeting):
Total Income:
$3,127.63
Total Expenses:
$3,282.60
Net Income/(Loss):
($154.97)
W1JY Central NH Amateur Radio Club W1CNH
12
The Communicator
April, 2015
Time allocation question from Cliff... Tim's thought is
that 30-40 minutes would be a good allocation of time.
Session #2: President's CW Experiences - Tim
Tim will share his thoughts and experiences of learning & using CW from the lectern.
Dave looks forward to trying out his new keyer, possibly via Skype from NY.
The team felt that using Skype would be a good
addition to the meeting
Rich suggested that members be encouraged to bring
their keys for show-n-tell to encourage sharing.
Tim and others mentioned that some keys quite
interesting
Tim mentioned Begali <www.i2rtf.com>
keys were works of art.
After a brief discussion, all agreed that this would
be a fun idea for the March meeting.
Tim will include a request to members to bring
their keys for show-n-tell to the March meeting
COMMUNICATOR - Lee Hillsgrove, KB1GNI
Not present to give a report.
FIELD DAY COORDINATOR - Dick Christopher,
N1LT
Dick reported that he sent out info on the Belknap
Fairgrounds. Everyone got it, including a nice picture.
Venue Advantages: Good parking. Huge field.
Trees. Antennas in the middle. Previous experience.
Cost: Previous years it cost $200, or they will also take
work-fare in trade. Ex: Barn-cleaning, Painting, etc.
After discussion, Cliff recommended to hand deliver a check to the fairgrounds director.
Tom was concerned that communication with the director is a risk to getting on the schedule.
Dick thinks he will get this completed soon, as she
was receptive to our Field Day plans.
A vote to use Belknap Fairgrounds was taken by
the Secretary. Result: Unanimously Aye.
Tom will get a Certificate of CNHARC's Insurance.
OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Dog Sled Races: Are next weekend - Comments
from Cliff
Cliff requested that Tim put out a mass-mailing go out
requesting more support for the Laconia race.
Tim will put out a message to the members in the
morning.
Skywarn may be activated during the races.
B. Next License Class: Dick commented.
Not yet scheduled, may be held at the Concord
hospital. AFTER snow season!
C. BBQ: Tim mentioned that a goal of a BBQ in July
would be a good topic for our next meeting.
Adam mentioned that family events like a BBQ is
a good idea.
Dick said that this was a normal affair in years
past.
Invite Clayton & Dave & Peggy to be asked to
organize a Pig Roast.
D. Boy Scouts: Dick asked for help from Tim.
E. Elections: Cliff mentioned that elections are coming
up.
Nominations should be gathered by a nominating
committee
Tim asked about terms of candidates:
SC members are on a 3-year rotation.
Officers are elected every year.
Rich asked about election timing:
Elections are held in May. Changeover
begins in June.
REPEATERS REPORT - Mark Persson, W1DDI
No significant system update this month.
The Yaesu DR-1X was purchased for $500. The Beta
unit does not need to be returned.
They will take the Beta unit back, BUT for an additional $300 they will ship a new unit.
Dick asked advantages of production unit. Mark listed
several advantages, and that it is a supported unit.
Consider: Do we want to keep the Beta unit as a backup, or get a production unit for possible deployment to
Moultonborough. Purchase price of new units: $1600.
Tom mentioned that we do have monies available of
we decide to purchase this.
Mark mentioned that upgrading Franklin would be a
possible usage also.
Rich reminded that purchasing the 2nd unit would
support the goal of commonality of equipment at the sites.
Tom mentioned that membership renewals are coming
up.
Thought that pushing RSM would help fund the
repeater funds.
Cliff reminded us that we are a 501-C3 organization
which could encourage donations which are tax-deductable.
Mark volunteered to send out info the Steering Committee members on the costs/options which are available.
Purchase Decision Time: March-31st. After that, the
cost will rise from $300 to $1600!
MEETING CLOSE - Tim Carter, President
The Secretary suggested to the President that with no
more topics, we vote to close the meeting.
Tim added one more comment: SKYPE worked out
well, and we should consider using it on other occasions.
With no more topics to discuss, Tim called for a motion and
vote to end the meeting. So moved and seconded.
The meeting close motion was unanimously voted AYE
at 8:05 PM.
ARES Net Wednesdays at 8:00 PM on 146.985 MHz
13
The Communicator
April, 2015
Ossipee Mountain Electronics, Inc.
PROFESSIONAL 2-WAY COMMUNICATIONS
SALES &SERVICE
RR 1, BOX 396
OSSIPEE MT.ROAD
MOULTONBORO, NH 03254
TELE: (603) 476-5581
FAX: (603) 476-5587
Steering Committee
Meeting
The next steering committee meeting will be
held on Monday, April 13th at the Gilford
Community Church, at 7:00 PM.
Club Officers
The Communicator
is published monthly by the Central New Hampshire
Amateur Radio Club, a non-profit corporation and
charitable trust, affiliated with the American Radio Relay
League.
Membership in the Central New Hampshire Amateur Radio
Club is open to all who are interested in amateur radio.
Payment of annual Club dues as an individual ($15), family
($20) or as a student ($10), entitles the registrant to belong
to the club and to receive The Communicator, monthly or
when published for the remainder of the year. The Club
year starts June 1. Subscription and Membership:
CNHARC, Box 1112, Laconia, NH 03247-1112. Email:
[email protected]
Editor
Lee Hillsgrove, Sr. KB1GNI
President
Tim Carter, W3ATB
603-722-0908
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Vice President
Lee Hillsgrove Sr, KB1GNI
603-520-9250
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Secretary
Rich Kumpf, WF1V
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Treasurer
Tom Persson, K1LQN
978-774-6351
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Publicity / Public Relations
Officer
Tim Carter, W3ATB
603-722-0908
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Program Director
Cliff Dickinson, N1RCQ
603-279-7763
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Field Coordinator
Training Officer
Dick Christopher, N1LT
603-524-6567
603-581-2411
[email protected]
The deadline for all copy and classified ads for the
Communicator is 16th of every month. Send to:
Lee Hillsgrove, Sr. KB1GNI, 203 Waukeena Lake Road,
Danbury, NH 03230 or email to [email protected]
Club Historian
Dick Christopher, N1LT
603-524-6567
603-581-2411
[email protected]
Technical Coordinator
Open
Officers’ terms are for one year per by-laws
Steering Committee
Change of Address
For a change of address, notify CNHARC at PO Box 1112,
Laconia, NH 03247-1112. Phone: 603-581-2411. Email:
[email protected]
Jim Brown, KB1FBQ-2015
603-581-2411
Cliff Dickinson, N1RCQ-2015
603-279-7763
Adam Foley, N1RKW-2016
603-528-0678
Dick Christopher, N1LT-2017
603-524-6567
Dave Megin, KA1VJU-2017
603-398-3667
603-581-2411
David Weiss, N1DOU-2017
603-545-1278
CNHARC Monday Night Net at 8:00 PM on 146.985 MHz
14