Big Thanks to All Who Fort Wayne Hamfest Building an Electronic Helped Make 2013 a Wrap-up and Plans for T/R Switch Great Year for the FWRC! the Christmas Dinner Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 December 2013 HamNews Volume 14 Allen County Issue 12 Fort Wayne Radio Club Fort Wayne DX Association Allen County Amateur Radio Technical Society 2013 HAMFEST WRAPS-UP And the winner of the BaoFeng dual band HT is ... (drum roll please) Ken Uhrick, KB9YKU. Ken received the HT at the Hamfest at 11:00 am on Sunday, just after the drawing. Enjoy your new HT, Ken!! Check out the Photos section of the FWRC web page for more Hamfest photos! Also this month Allen County HamNews is a monthly joint publication of Hamfest Photos .....................1, 5 Contest Callendar ...................10 the Fort Wayne Radio Club (P.O. Box 15127, Fort Wayne, IN 46885), the Allen County Amateur Radio Technical SKYWARN Activated .................7 Membership Application .....10 Society (P.O. Box 10342, Fort Wayne, IN 46851), and the Foxhunt Chronicles ...................8 Local Nets ..................................11 Fort Wayne DX Association. Classifi ed Ads ........................... 10 Activities Calendar .................12 Please send any articles, classifi ed ads, or other information to the editor, Ken Helms, AB9ZD, at ab9zd at Internet Home Pages arrl.net. Please put “For Newsletter” in the subject line. Fort Wayne Radio Club: http://www.FWRC.info/ Most text and graphics formats are acceptable. Microsoft Word and JPEG are preferred if separate fi les are used. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FWRC/ For those without computer access, please mail your ACARTS: http://www.acarts.com submission to either of the clubs post offi ce boxes. Fort Wayne DX Association: http://www.qsl.net/fwdxa/ ARES: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allen_Co_IN_ARES/ The deadline for the each issue is the last day of the IN_PACKET Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IN_PACKET/ preceding month. Offi cers President Hamsplatter Steve Nardin, W9SAN Fort Wayne Radio Club P.O. Box15127, Fort Wayne, IN 260-482-4039 w9san(at)arrl.net THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER Vice President am writing this editorial just before nice BaoFeng HT drawing poster was his Jim Pliett, K9OMA I Thanksgiving, so it seems fi tting that handiwork, as has been some certifi cates 260-693-9211 I end 2013 with an expression of thanks for past special event stations. jhp16702(at)frontier.com to arguably one of the best clubs in the I cannot forget the “unoffi cial” 94 re- state. I will try my best not to forget any- peater ‘team’ of Chad, W9GGA, Secretary one, so here goes: Brian, W9BJG, and Clint, KB9LOF, Al Burke, WB9SSE Thanks to my Board Of Direc- who have taken on the job of 260-637-1989 tors! My board has helped me keeping the voice announce- aburke55(at)comcast.net to bring success to our opera- ments up to date and relevant. tions this year. Jim, K9OMA, as Having one machine that has up Treasurer VP and Repeater RF specialist, Al, WB9SSE, to the minute information is great, since it Bob Streeter, W8ST as secretary and also RF and Fox Hunt is always there when needed. 260-672-9737 chronicler. Thanks also to Paul, KA3OPZ, w8st(at)arrl.net Special thanks to the YL’s that work at who didn’t make many meetings, but did Field Day and Banquets, like Kim, KB9DOS, an outstanding job of keeping repeater, Communications Deb, KB9DEB, and Linda, W9LAN. Another Echolink, and D-STAR running smoothly Paul Prestia, KA3OPZ unseen hero of the club is Woody, KC9C- despite a busy job schedule. 260-247-2806 GN. By obtaining surplus equipment from phixher(at)gmail.com Treasurer Bob, W8ST, did his usual Raytheon, the auction and Tail Gate Ham- great job of balancing the budget and fest have been nicely profi table for the Directors keeping the club on an even keel, plus club, and that helps all of us! Tom Baker, N9TB running the auction in January. Our board So once again, I am the proudest club 260-747-2714 did their usual great job, too, so thanks to president in North East Indiana! Our n9tb(at)arrl.net Tom, N9TB, Tom, KU8T, Jim, KB9DOT, and meetings typically draw about 30% of our Charles, KC9MUT, for all the guidance and membership (which passed the 100 mark Charles Ward, KC9MUT hard work, plus your active participation this fall) and in today’s world, that is a fan- 260-749-4824 in club activities and Fox Hunting. Also, tastic statistic. kc9mut(at)yahoo.com though not a board member in the strict sense, thanks to Carole, WB9RUS, for her Thanks too for all the members that Jim Machamer, KB9DOT work as club Trustee for the W9TE club li- support the club even though they can’t 260-485-8559 cense. make the meetings or the on the air op- jimandkim(at)juno.com erations! Your fi nancial support is critical As in Carole’s case, you do not have to to keeping the repeaters on the air and be on the BOD to be a club contributor. Tom Rupp, KU8T the club strong. Thanks to Ken, AB9ZD, for his excellent 260-672-8880 work on the Allen County Ham News, eas- I truly hope that I haven’t forgotten to gmrepair1(at)aol.com ily one of the very best newsletters in the recognize anyone that has been a posi- Hoosier (or any) state! Our website is the tive infl uence on the club. W9TE Trustee work of Jay, W9LW, who makes it one of Carole Burke, WB9RUS the best I have seen. Another is Joseph, K9RFZ, who has contributed to club op- Webmaster erations in many diff erent ways. The Jay Farlow, W9LW December 20: Please plan on joining us for the December Christmas Banquet: December 20th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Raasch Hall at Unless otherwise scheduled, all Good Shepherd United Methodist meetings are held at the Good Shep- Church. All are welcome, 2013 and herd United Methodist Church, 4700 new 2014 Members. Vance Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN. Page 2 Allen County HamNews December 2013 2013 was a great year for the club. Now Articles, photographs, and classifi ed that we move into 2014, the ARRL’s 100th ads for publication in the Allen year, we are looking at yet another good County HamNews should be emailed time to a Radio Amateur! Have a wonder- to the newsletter editor at AB9ZD ful holiday season! (at) ARRL.NET before the fi rst of the 73, Steve, W9SAN month. FWRC MEETING MINUTES he November meeting of the Ft. win the HT for the sum of one dollar per country. Those interested in participating TWayne Radio Club was held at the chance. were asked to contact Steve. Good Shepherd United Methodist Church Finally, Steve noted that the club is pur- Steve then announced that the last on 8 November, 2013. It was hosted by suing quotes from several tower climbing (November) foxhunt of the 2013 season club president Steve Nardin, W9SAN. companies to replace the failed Station would occur on Sunday, November 10th Since Carole and I were basking in Master antenna atop the tower at IPFW- starting from the usual location. Jim Pli- the warmth out in Phoenix, Arizona, we Kettler Hall that is used to implement the ett, K9OMA and Al Burke, WB9SSE will were not in attendance. So here’s a tip 146.91/.31 MHz Echo-Link repeater. serve as the fox, and the fox output will of the hat to Linda Nardin, W9LAN who be on 146.160 MHz. Following the fox- Steve also mentioned that the club graciously took notes that allowed me to hunt, everyone is invited to attend the has two adjacent tables, as usual, for the coble these minutes together. annual end-of-the-foxhunt season cook- hamfest. Members may use the table for out, blow-out and bonfi re and Jim & An- Following the Pledge of Allegiance, ev- things they wish to off er for sale provided nie Pliett’s QTH out on Wappes Rd. Annie eryone introduced themselves by name that they sign up to man (or woman) the and Carole are preparing both red and and call sign. Then Steve announced sev- table sometime during the course of the white chili, hot dogs and other goodies, eral actions taken by the Board of Direc- event. Steve had a sign-up sheet for that and with the carry-in that attendees typi- tors at the last Board meeting: purpose. cally bring, it should result in a yummy The Board voted to purchase 40, 20, 15 Steve then noted that VE exams would get-together as usual. and 10 meter LNR end-fed antennas for be proctored from 9:00 am thru 11:30 am Following the business meeting use at various club operating events. Saturday morning at the Coliseum. Charles Ward, KC9MUT provided foxhunt The Board also voted to purchase a Ft. Wayne Hamfest Chairman Jim Boy- videos he had captured during the Sep- microprocessor controlled two meter er, KB9IH likewise passed around a sign- tember hunt. This included images from microfox that can be used during club up sheet for anyone willing to help out a camera mounted on the boom of his sponsored foxhunts and for foxhunting manning various tasks during the ham- hand-held foxhunting antenna as he demonstrations. fest that would be occurring from Friday slogged through the location where the evening through Sunday of the event. fox was ensconced. Then Joseph Law- The Board voted to purchase a spare rence, KB9RFZ and Charles provided vid- NHRC Micro Repeater Controller as we Bob Streeter, W8ST, provided the Trea- eos they captured of the Ft.