Upcoming Programs
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Vol. 2009, #7 Upcoming July 2009 Programs At the July meeting, Robert Kluck, N4IJS, will present a program on D-STAR. If you are interested in learning about this protocol for the transmission of digital voice and data via radio, you won’t want to miss this meet- ing! Mark Volstad, AI4BJ, will demonstrate his solar-powered portable HF station at the Au- gust NKARC meeting. This will include the all-band 66-ft doublet he has described in recent issues of the Feedline. Weather per- mitting, we will try to make a few solar- powered contacts! ATEUR RADIO CLUB Alan Cohen, KA9GRY works the mic while John Bennet, WD9NMV, logs contacts, during the joint NKARC/KD7ARET Field Day exercise at Lincoln Ridge Park on June 27th and 28th. Additional photos can be found on page 8. Inside this issue: Dates to Remember: Top of the Tower 3 July 13 — NKARC Membership Meeting Aug 10 — NKARC Membership Meeting June Meeting Minutes 4 Paddlefest Wrap-up 4 NORTHERN KENTUCKY AM Mark’s Mutterings 5 Antenna Building Party 7 The Feedline Field Day Photos 8 Weaver’s Words 9 NKARC Directory President: Vice President: Club Trustee & Historian: Dann Fox, KI4AVO Robert Gulley, AK3Q Brian DeYoung, K4BRI [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Director at Large: Feedline Editor: Webmaster: Don King, AJ4DK Mark Volstad, AI4BJ Robert Kluck, N4IJS [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Net Manager: Bob Burns, AB4BK Robert Kluck, N4IJS [email protected] [email protected] Repeaters (K4CO): 147.255+ and 444.350+ Edgewood (PL 123.0), 147.375+ Walton, 146.895+ Highland Heights. The 147.255 repeater is a linked Echolink node, accessible via N4IJS-R. NKARC Net: Tuesdays, 8:30 PM on the 147.255 repeater VE Testing: Testing sessions are held by appointment only on the 2nd Monday of each month, prior to the NKARC membership meeting. Testing begins at 6:00 pm. To make an appointment, contact Lyle Hamilton at [email protected] or tel. 513-315-4032 NKARC Web Site: http://www.k4co.org NKARC Membership Meetings: 2nd Monday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Hilltop Church of Christ, 5300 Taylor Mill Rd (Ky. 16), Taylor Mill, KY. Visitors are always welcome! The Feedline is published monthly by and for the Feedline must be received no later than July 31. members of the Northern Kentucky Amateur Radio Submissions, address or call changes and circula- Club. It is distributed via direct email to current tion problems may be sent to the Feedline editor: NKARC members. If you are a member but are not receiving your copy, please notify the Mark Volstad, AI4BJ Feedline editor. Permission is hereby granted to 6098 Tosha Dr., Burlington, KY 41005 any non-profit amateur radio group to quote or re- Email: [email protected] print from this publication provided appropriate Tel: 859-689-4234 source credit is given. Submissions for the August Page 2 THE FEEDLINE Top of the Tower Hello Everyone, Throughout the day club members and guests came and went. A few members still found time to come out even after being available for Pad- Set up for this year’s Field Day was filled with dlefest. I believe everyone enjoyed the time there. challenges just as Field Days in the past have We accomplished everything that we had been. Just as in the years past, we managed to planned. We really appreciated the late night de- work together and get everything set livery of White Castles. up in the nick of time to start at 2:00 p.m. Please enjoy the photos in The Feedline and I encourage anyone who KY7ET brought their trailer again took pictures to bring them in to let this year. They have really brought everyone see at our next meeting. the trailer a long way since last year. They have built shelves and a desk for the radios and had the antennas 73, mounted. Dann, KI4AVO June Net Report If you are interested in helping the club out and expanding your Amateur Ra- dio skill set, please take a turn at running one of our weekly nets! This is a great way to hone your radio, net control, and message handling skills in a friendly environment. If you are interested, please contact Robert Kluck, N4IJS, at (859) 426-5588 or [email protected] DATE NCS CHECKINS TIME (MINS) TRAFFIC 6/2/09 N4IJS (Robert) 8 23 0 6/9/09 AJ4DK (Don) 7 25 0 6/16/09 KB4VKS (Mike) 12 29 0 6/23/09 KB4VKS (Mike) 11 34 0 6/30/09 N4IJS (Robert) 11 22 0 TOTALS: 49 133 0 Page 3 THE FEEDLINE June Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF THE JUNE 8, - New club contest announced: 1 Christ. It has been almost a year 2009 MEETING OF THE point awarded for each check-in since we began holding our NORTHERN KENTUCKY to net. At end of year, prizes will meetings here. AMATEUR RADIO CLUB be awarded to those with the 3 - A technical net will be starting highest scores. up (Don did not have details) - Meeting called to order by Don - New contest to encourage - Mark Volstad reported that Bob King AJ4DK at 7:35, followed members to offer programs for Burns is no longer able to make by pledge of allegiance and self- monthly meetings (Don was not it to meetings regularly, so club introductions sure of details) needs a new secretary. - No treasurer's report this month - Next month's presentation will - Plans for Field Day were dis- - VE report by Lyle: 2 candidates be on D-STAR, by Robert N4IJS cussed. successfully upgraded to General - Report on successful antenna- - Meeting adjourned at 8:18 (no building party. Several dipoles - Report on VE testing at Dixie formal program this evening) Heights (15 of 18 students plus were built for club use during one teacher passed the Tech, and Field Day. one student passed the General) - Motion was approved to em- Minutes respectfully submitted by Mark Volstad, AI4BJ. - Tuesday night net has moved power Board to make a cash do- nation to Hilltop Church of from 7:30 to 8:30 Paddlefest Wrap-up Paddlefest 2009 took place as from Kentucky and scheduled on Saturday, June 27. Ohio representing the The weather was perfect and the NKARC using the Ohio River current was ideal for K4CO call and work- those experiencing the fun of ca- ing the W4YWH, noeing/kayaking the 8.2 miles 146.79- repeater. from Coney to the Cincinnati AG4XM – Tim, Public Landing. According to the KD4PYR – Rick, event sponsor: 1750 paddlers KI4SRF – Harry, plus 49 dogs, 1100+ ca- W4SOU – Brian, noes/kayaks, 3 row boats, 4 pad- KD8BNS – Greg, KI4ZWC – We had 11 operators and could dleboards, 1 pirate peddle boat, Matt (1st time), WD8JCT – Greg have used 15+. Are you ready to and 44 breast cancer survivors in (1st time), KI4QH – Dave, help Paddlefest 2010? pink dragon boats (very large KB4VKS – Mike (NCS), canoes!). The float was incident st KC8YDM – Dave (1 time), 73 Lynn, WD8JAW free and on schedule. See WD8JAW – Lynn. W4SOU was www.ohioriverway.org Safety Director shadow and got a There were eleven (11) amateurs helicopter ride! Page 4 THE FEEDLINE Mark’s Mutterings Field Day 2009: Several longer had the EU1000i, and contacts. In the end, I didn’t Firsts, and Lessons Learned they instead offered me a cheap quite meet my objective of no-name knock-off. Not having making 400 contacts, but my I began planning for my Class any alternative, I took it home final result of 365 QSOs was 1B backyard operation a month with me. The first thing that I still a big improvement over before Field Day, when I discovered was that it was my previous best of 239. Ex- stopped at Art’s Tool Rental to heavy — nearly twice the actly 300 of these were on CW, reserve a generator. From their weight of the Honda. And de- with the remaining 65 on SSB. web site, I knew that they had spite what the salesman at Art’s the amazing little Honda tried to tell me, it did not have I probably operated for 16 or EU1000i 1 KW generator. If inverter output, which meant 17 hours in total, stopping only you’ve never seen one of these that it ran at a constant 3600 for meals and four hours of beauties, or it’s 2 KW big RPM, regardless of load. I sleep early Sunday morning. brother, you have no idea how could hear it running in the the state of the art in generator driveway on the opposite side My strategy is to stick with CW technology has advanced in the of the house! It had a lot of on Saturday, and only stray into past decade. The EU1000i trouble maintaining speed, and the phone sub-bands on Sunday weighs a mere 29 pounds, and would surge even under a con- morning when total anarchy is so quiet that you can barely stant load. It actually stalled has usually subsided into mere several times when the load chaos. I honestly don’t know was no more than 50 watts! I how some operators are able to did manage to negotiate a sub- operate phone for the whole stantial discount on the rental weekend — what a zoo com- fee when I returned the unit pared to CW! When I did oper- Monday morning. ate phone, the foot pedal I’ve previously mentioned worked I was not aware that there is a like a champ — I’ll never oper- ―commercial power‖ category ate phone without one again! in the 1B class.