POTA Adventuring by Jeff, WB5WAJ
This will be a show-and-tell of equipment and antennas to get us on the air for your next POTA activation.
The WCARES Monthly Meeting takes place the 3rd Saturday of every month with the possible exceptions of May (Hamvention) or August (Huntsville Hamfest) in which case it is held on the 2nd Saturday to allow members to attend those events.
We meet at the Williamson County Public Safety Building, located at:
304 Beasley Drive in Franklin, TN.
You can also take part in these meetings using Zoom. Look for the meeting information in the WCARES Notes e-mails.
Meeting starts at 8AM in the EOC. Members periodically give presentations covering a wide range topics including emergency communications, propagation and antennas, operating techniques and best-practices, kit building, hardware and software, Winlink, weather, ARRL, new modes and more. Upcoming events are also discussed.
Meet other WCARES members and learn more about WCARES and Amateur Radio.
Paul KM4PT discussed Field Day and along with Cliff N4CCB introduced the group to HamDash:
Troubleshooting Digital Modes
Hoop K9QJS presents a framework for solving problems with digital modes… which can encompass operating system, soundcard, transceiver, and software issues.
If you’ve ever had your system working perfectly only to have it fail for some mysterious reason, this presentation is for you!
Kevin Fitch (K4KCF) is a volunteer wildland firefighter. Situational Awareness & Tactical Communications is vitally important in this environment. In his presentation, Kevin gives ham radio operators some things to consider as we train for our role as emergency communicators.
Off-Center Fed Antennas
Ted Edwards (W3TB) gives a detailed presentation of the properties of a multi-band off-center fed dipole antenna. The antenna described is only 68 feet long, but covers the 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m amateur radio bands.
Paul Havlik (WD9IOK) thoroughly discusses RFI, how it affects you (and others!), and what can be done to reduce or eliminate it. Recorded during the WCARES monthly meeting on March 18th, 2023.
1. Blake and Ryan Pearson achieve “Big Dog” status
Blake Pearson (KN4VKY) and Ryan Pearson (KN4VKW) operated the CW station at the N4FR Winter Field Day. Their work was impressive, expertly handling traffic at 23-25wpm. Because of this, Tim Kreth presented the boys with certificates, clearing their way to sit at the proverbial “Big Dog Table” from now on. While the boys watched the presentation on Zoom, their father, Andrew Pearson (KN4VKX), accepted the certificates on their behalf.
2. WCARES Membership Requirements – 2023
In this video, Jeff Standifer (WB5WAJ) reviews the requirements for being a WCARES member in good standing.
3. Radio Wave Propagation
How is possible for us to talk to hams across America and beyond? Watch this video and learn the science behind the magic.
Tim Kreth (AD4CJ) gives a detailed presentation of radio wave propagation. Much of this material comes from the General license study materials. If you haven’t yet obtained your General class license – or if it’s been a while, and you’ve forgotten a few things – Tim’s presentation includes useful information for all hams.
Tim, AD4CJ gave a talk introducing a new use for the VARA HF protocol: the VarAC HF chat application created by by Irad Deutsch, 4Z1AC. The website for VarAC is: https://www.varac-hamradio.com and includes a list of features, the download for Windows, FAQs, user manuals and a community forum etc.
Tim then played a portion of the September 5th, 2022 Tonight @ 8 video from RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain): Back to the keyboard! by Mike Richards, G4WNC. Mike gives an overview and examples of digital modes, required equipment and radio connections for keyboard QSOs and then walks through the features of VarAC and provides some operating tips for keyboard QSOs.
The complete video is well worth watching especially if you are new to digital modes: https://youtu.be/SC0UxNG2itE
or skip ahead to the section on VarAC with the embedded video below.
Paul Havlik (WD9IOK) gives a MasterClass in station grounding and surge protection. Paul worked for Square D (now Schneider Electric) for 28 years, so he certainly knows his stuff.
Presentation by Tom Delker (K1KY). Tom talks about the MTEARS network… the Middle Tennessee Emergency Amateur Repeater System. This is a set of 34 linked repeaters that span most of the state of Tennessee.
