For those of you afraid of heights, watch with caution. I cannot imagine doing this, especially what seems to be some free climbing WAY up there.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
April Meeting - Soggy Update
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| Coffee and QSO's |
The Southeast Kansas Amateur Radio Club met again on April 27, 2013. Turnout was good, no new faces this time but it was still a good time to get together and have some face to face QSO's with friends. We originally had made plans to go to the park after the meeting and set up some remote field radios and make some contacts but Mother Nature had other ideas. It was too cool, damp and rainy for anything fun so it was postponed to a later date. We plan to arrange something before our next meeting scheduled for May 25th. When we can get some good weather on a good day, we will send out a notice and hopefully some of you can still make it.
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| Joe sporting the official SEKARC gear! |
The ARRL Field Day is coming soon also and we discussed plans for a group location to participate in this annual event. Possible locations are being considered and perhaps we can finalize those plans during the month of May so we can get down to some planning at the next get together.
Bill WBØLXZ is close to perfecting his project for a group build which is a 1 watt 80 meter CW transmitter for local CW practice and I think possibly it could be used for a foxhunt? Details to follow on that one. Steve WDØDTS mentioned he recently made a "new to him" purchase on a Kenwood HF rig that he is anxious to try out and Leon KDØSSD is working on his setup for some PSK work but is struggling with transmitting and Joe WØMQY offered to take a look at it during the next builders group meeting. Tom N2UHC had is field box setup already to go before the rain washed that away. Myself KDØSEG and my XYL Loren KDØRTX learned about the 3 Corners Marker where Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas all meet. The site is marked by a plaque near the entrance to the Downstream Casino so went down there after the meeting to check it out!
I hope all of you can try to attend the next meeting and hopefully we can see some new faces and we will can make some exciting plans for future activities, if Spring and Summer ever arrive for good! If I missed anything please add in comments below and thanks for being there!
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Meeting Saturday & Samuel Morse
Saturday the 27th is our next meeting of the Southeast Kansas Amateur Radio Club. We will be meeting at Hardee's at 9am.
If you need directions, we will have a radio present and tuned in to the Pittsburg repeater 146.94. As we have mentioned previously, after the meeting we will be heading over to either Lakeside or Lincoln Park for those that would like to do some remote work. Everyone is welcome to come along, bring your gear if interested!
Club member Tom N2UHC pointed out to me that Saturday is the birth date of the man that invented Morse Code. What a perfect day to make some contacts using that method.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Morse encountered the problem of getting a telegraphic signal to carry over more than a few hundred yards of wire. His breakthrough came from the insights of Professor Leonard Gale, who taught chemistry at New York University (a personal friend of Joseph Henry). With Gale's help, Morse introduced extra circuits or relays at frequent intervals and was soon able to send a message through ten miles (16 km) of wire. This was the great breakthrough he had been seeking. Morse and Gale were soon joined by an enthusiastic young man, Alfred Vail, who had excellent skills, insights and money.
At the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 1838, Morse and Vail made the first public demonstration of the electric telegraph. Although Morse and Alfred Vail had done most of the research and development in the ironworks facilities, they chose a nearby factory house as the demonstration site. Without the repeater,[12] the range of the telegraph was limited to two miles (3 km), and the inventors had pulled two miles (3 km) of wires inside the factory house through an elaborate scheme. The first public transmission, with the message "A patient waiter is no loser", was witnessed by a mostly local crowd.
See you all Saturday !!! Don't worry if you don't know CW, I surely do not so there will be many other modes being sent and received Saturday afternoon!
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
If you need directions, we will have a radio present and tuned in to the Pittsburg repeater 146.94. As we have mentioned previously, after the meeting we will be heading over to either Lakeside or Lincoln Park for those that would like to do some remote work. Everyone is welcome to come along, bring your gear if interested!
Club member Tom N2UHC pointed out to me that Saturday is the birth date of the man that invented Morse Code. What a perfect day to make some contacts using that method.
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| Samuel Finley Breese Morse |
At the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 1838, Morse and Vail made the first public demonstration of the electric telegraph. Although Morse and Alfred Vail had done most of the research and development in the ironworks facilities, they chose a nearby factory house as the demonstration site. Without the repeater,[12] the range of the telegraph was limited to two miles (3 km), and the inventors had pulled two miles (3 km) of wires inside the factory house through an elaborate scheme. The first public transmission, with the message "A patient waiter is no loser", was witnessed by a mostly local crowd.
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| Original Telegraph |
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| Birthplace of Morse, Charlestown, MA. ca.1898 photo |
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Club Logo Suggestions Wanted
Hello there and thanks for checking in to the site for updates. One of the things I am working on is a club logo. A logo that will be used on the website here and on other media like flyers, press releases, bumper stickers, clothing, mugs and anything else. I have a mock up of sorts below. Please review this and make comments below with your thoughts, ideas or suggestions.
We can use this, or if we can come up with a better idea I am good with that just PLEASE let me know. I am pleading for feedback on this. I want this to be a club decision so look this over and let me know your thoughts. I was trying to incorporate some Southeast Kansas related graphic but could not come up with one for things like the wheat state, mining heritage, coal buckets, coal shovels or others. I did have one thought to incorporate the Little Balkans Days derby somehow? So throw your ideas at me and we'll see what we can come up with together!
I am not attached to this one, it needs work but I would love to hear the clubs thoughts on this. Be honest, so comment below or send an email.
I'm looking for a QSO on this one folks...
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
We can use this, or if we can come up with a better idea I am good with that just PLEASE let me know. I am pleading for feedback on this. I want this to be a club decision so look this over and let me know your thoughts. I was trying to incorporate some Southeast Kansas related graphic but could not come up with one for things like the wheat state, mining heritage, coal buckets, coal shovels or others. I did have one thought to incorporate the Little Balkans Days derby somehow? So throw your ideas at me and we'll see what we can come up with together!
I am not attached to this one, it needs work but I would love to hear the clubs thoughts on this. Be honest, so comment below or send an email.
I'm looking for a QSO on this one folks...
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
Friday, April 5, 2013
A Night At The Builders Group
Last night, KDØRTX and I attended the Builders Group which meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Everyone is welcome to attend if you are interested in solder smoke and learning about electricity. We learn something every time we go. Loren KDØRTX did some more work on her "Ham Can" 40 meter QRP CW transceiver,
which fits in a deviled ham can and runs on a 9 volt battery! I think I am in charge of developing and antenna for that little jewel and I am learning a lot about what might work. In combination of building this micro rig, she is also learning CW, and this radio is just the motivation she needs! Bill, WBØLXZ and Joe WØMQY provided many tips and pieces of advice to help her with her first building project. The project she is building is available for purchase on the Four State QRP group website HERE. They have many different kits for sale so you can probably find something to buy and build.
Bill brought in some mock ups that he is working on for a possible group build project. Originally it was on 2 separate boards but he is working on a design using only one board and is design is in the process of being finalized. It is a 1 watt 80 meter CW transmitter. From what I understand it could be used for those wishing to practice transmitting CW code. Follow the progress here and on the Builders Group tab above.
Wayne ACØOG brought with him, a battery charger gone bad that he is hoping to bring back to life. You can see Bill giving him a helping hand but I don't think it was working when he left. Between Wayne, Bill and Joe I am pretty sure it won't be long before it is charging again.
The Builders Group is a great place to melt solder, sniff some smoke and in our case, learn from the experts. There are open spots on the bench so please make a point to stop by and see what is cooling at the Builders Group! Come on down, for more information, please email us at sekarc.net@gmail.com and we will get you connected!
Here are some additional links for QRP and Kit Building... have fun.
Four State QRP Group
OzarkCon Annual Convention ( happening this weekend )
Ham Radio Secrets
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
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| Concentration... |
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| Schematic Print Out |
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| Components for Bill's Project |
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| "What do you think Bill?" |
The Builders Group is a great place to melt solder, sniff some smoke and in our case, learn from the experts. There are open spots on the bench so please make a point to stop by and see what is cooling at the Builders Group! Come on down, for more information, please email us at sekarc.net@gmail.com and we will get you connected!
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| Room for YOU! |
Four State QRP Group
OzarkCon Annual Convention ( happening this weekend )
Ham Radio Secrets
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
American Legion Amateur Radio Club
At our meeting last Saturday in Pittsburg, David KDØFBH from Iola provided information regarding a fairly new club known as the American Legion Amateur Radio Club. David relayed this information and invited all that can, to check in to their nets that are held the second Saturday of each month at noon central time, or 17:00 UTC time USB voice on 20 meters near 14.310 MHz. You can find more information and schedules at this link. Here is a video about a recent Special Event Station they operated. The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) held their 2nd annual special event March 15-16, 2013 to commemorate the 94th birthday of The American Legion.
Please check out this information and check in if you can, and join as well. This seems like a fine organization to become involved with and support. Here is additional information about the club from their website.
About the American Legion Amateur Radio Club
The American Legion has formed a special entity to provide a forum for military veterans who today are engaged in a hobby that can also provide emergency communications "when all else fails." During the May 2011 Spring Meetings, the National Executive Committee authorized the establishment of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC).
There are estimated to be 700,000 federally licensed amateur radio operators, or "hams," in the United States. Over the years, countless members of the U.S. military were trained as technicians or engineers, and later obtained amateur-radio licenses to continue to use their abilities at home, as both recreation and a public-service commitment.
"The beauty of amateur radio is that it attracts folks of all career interests, from doctors, Ph.D.s, engineers, rocket scientists to mechanics, housewives, construction and office workers, students and everything in between," says Robert L. Morrill, chairman of the Legion's Public Relations Commission. "Hams provide backup communications to emergency-management agency offices across the country when ‘all else fails,' and have done so with distinction in virtually every major disaster when cell towers and commercial communications have been knocked out after earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and man-made disasters."
The club has established an amateur radio station at National Headquarters with the call sign K9TAL (K9 The American Legion) in order to conduct special-event operations on The American Legion Birthday, Veterans Day, etc.; operate SKYWARN during local severe weather; and provide members an opportunity to operate the station during visits to National Headquarters. A special QSL card is provided to all amateur radio stations that work K9TAL on the air.
A special thanks to David KDØFBH for providing this information to the club!
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
Please check out this information and check in if you can, and join as well. This seems like a fine organization to become involved with and support. Here is additional information about the club from their website.
About the American Legion Amateur Radio Club
The American Legion has formed a special entity to provide a forum for military veterans who today are engaged in a hobby that can also provide emergency communications "when all else fails." During the May 2011 Spring Meetings, the National Executive Committee authorized the establishment of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC).
There are estimated to be 700,000 federally licensed amateur radio operators, or "hams," in the United States. Over the years, countless members of the U.S. military were trained as technicians or engineers, and later obtained amateur-radio licenses to continue to use their abilities at home, as both recreation and a public-service commitment.
"The beauty of amateur radio is that it attracts folks of all career interests, from doctors, Ph.D.s, engineers, rocket scientists to mechanics, housewives, construction and office workers, students and everything in between," says Robert L. Morrill, chairman of the Legion's Public Relations Commission. "Hams provide backup communications to emergency-management agency offices across the country when ‘all else fails,' and have done so with distinction in virtually every major disaster when cell towers and commercial communications have been knocked out after earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and man-made disasters."
The club has established an amateur radio station at National Headquarters with the call sign K9TAL (K9 The American Legion) in order to conduct special-event operations on The American Legion Birthday, Veterans Day, etc.; operate SKYWARN during local severe weather; and provide members an opportunity to operate the station during visits to National Headquarters. A special QSL card is provided to all amateur radio stations that work K9TAL on the air.
A special thanks to David KDØFBH for providing this information to the club!
73's and BTU, this is Kilo Delta Zero Sierra Echo Golf.
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