Thursday, December 28, 2017

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Winter Field Day - January 27-28

Its not too early to start planning for Winter Field Day 2018. Winter Field Day is coming up on January 27-28, 2018 and is an opportunity to hone your winter outdoor operating skills.

Purpose: To encourage emergency operating preparedness in the winter.
When: The contest runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 1700 UTC (12:00 noon EST) Saturday to 1700 UTC (12:00 noon EST) Sunday.
For 2018, the dates are January 27 and 28, 2018. Station set up may begin no earlier than 1300 UTC (8:00 AM EST) on January 28, 2018.

Latest From QRZ.com: Without further adieu and by popular demand!

We are back! The Winter Field Day Association brings you Winter Field Day.

Join Us on Saturday, January 27 at 1900z (2:00 PM EST) until Sunday, January 28 at 1900z (2:00 PM EST). On all the bands and modes, except the WARC bands.

We have changed the rules so now it will be similar to ARRL Field Day. For example the exchange will be WX4ET 1O TN, for the Multi Ops. It will be by the number of stations, for example WX4TN 10O TN.

Operate solo, in pairs, or as a team (multi) from home, a remote location, indoors, or outdoors... it's up to you! Earn bonus points for outdoor operation, non-commercial power, and remote locations. Winter Field Day is a perfect opportunity for your club or team to put together an outing.

Check us out on the web at www.winterfieldday.com and we are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/winterfieldday/

If you post on Twitter and/or Facebook, use the hashtag #WFDA18

Hope to hear you calling CQ WFD on the bands on Winter Field Day 2018 !!!!

From The WFDA Committee,


Saturday, December 23, 2017

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Santa Claus Nets 2017

Tune in on 3.916 mhz, and give the kids or grand-kids a chance to talk to Santa Claus at the North Pole!   It is indeed a magical experience to experience kids talking with Santa through the magic of Amateur Radio!









The 3916 Santa Net is on the air every night, November 27th through December 24th at 7:30 PM Central. To participate in The Santa Net, just have your kids prepared to tell Santa their top 2-3 gift wishes.

The Santa Nets are presented annually by The 3916 Nets. The Weather Bunch, The Rag Chew Crew, The Tailgaters, The Freewheelers and The 3916 Late Late Show are all amateur radio nets that meet on 3.916 MHz.

Saturday, December 2, 2017

RMSC Holiday Science and Technology Days - Rochester

RMSC Holiday Science and Technology Days By Peter Fournia, W2SKY


Rochester Amateur Radio Association (RaRa) will again host amateur radio exhibits at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) for 4 days during the Christmas – New Years holiday. This is part of the RMSC Holiday Science and Technology Days and will be the 19th year that we have participated in this event. It is a MAJOR exhibit for ham radio that exposes hundreds to thousands of people to our hobby / advocation. We have many basic electromagnetism and Morse Code exhibits ready to roll. However, we are always looking for new and interesting additions.


Do you have something to add? Some hams volunteers bring their own project to exhibit when they are present while other volunteers may leave the equipment to allow others my demonstrate it.

The dates are Wednesday, December 27 through Saturday, December 30, 2017 from about 10 AM to 3 PM each day. There will be a very active special events station led by Doug Stewart, N2BEG of the RDXA. RARA will lead the hands-on exhibits. RARA typically has 2 to 4 hams that demonstrate aspects of ham radio and radio communications technology. RDXA staffs and operates the HF special events station.

More information is available in the “Public Service” section on the RARA website: www.rochesterham.org You can also sign up on the website to volunteer for a day of your choice. We will also pass around a sign-up sheet at our December 6th RARA meeting. Peter Fournia, W2SKY and Don Kiser AC2EV will serve as Co-captains for this years event.

(From the December 2017 RARA Rag)

more: http://www.rmsc.org/science-museum/programs-and-events/item/483-science-alive-winter-break-edition

Sunday, November 26, 2017

SKYWARN Recognition Day 2017

December 2, 2017 from 0000z to 2400z

SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the National Weather Service. During the day SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the world. The goal is to contact as many weather service offices as possible using repeaters, IRLP, Echolink, and HF. This is a fun event for new hams that may only have a technician license since they have privileges for repeaters, Echolink, and IRLP. Many of the weather service offices will be on Echolink and IRLP.

SKYWARN Recognition Day Operating Instructions:

 1. Object For all amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as many National Weather Service Stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meter bands plus the 70 centimeter band. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. SKYWARN Recognition Day serves to celebrate the contributions to public safety made by amateur radio operators during threatening weather.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Save the date! March 10th - Next CNY Ham Radio Breakfast

Thanks to Curt; K2WOP, The CNY Ham breakfast this past Saturday was a huge success! Curt mentions that there were (39) folks attending and everyone enjoyed the camaraderie and a delicious breakfast.

Curt, has also set a spring 2018 date to get a breakfast scheduled and the event is open to ALL local Hams. It will be Saturday, March 10th, 2018 at 8:00 am. This is a great chance to meet up with some of the folks you talk to on the air, but possibly have never met in person. Come on all you drive time radio jockeys, "6M QCWA Netters", Roc City, LARC HF, CNY SWAP and Hobby Net check-ins - we hope you will find time time...............see you all there!

Location: The "Finally Ours Diner" is at 3788 West Seneca Turnpike, at the corner with Cedarville Rd. in the Onondaga Hill area of Syracuse (see directions here: http://finallyoursdiner.com/hours-contact ).


Questions? contact Curt; K2WOP on the 146.67 repeater.


Finally Ours Diner link: http://finallyoursdiner.com 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Balloon lost near Ontario NY tonight

Anyone east of Rochester able to help?

My friend Dave,VE3KCL launched a balloon from Toronto and it crash landed near Ontario NY. The call sign transmitted is VE3OCL using WSPR modes for 20/30m bands. Apparently it landed perfectly somewhere and is still transmitting as I type this note (6:27pm 11/8/17).

Maybe someone in the area will take interest and listen for it...or see it somewhere.

Details are here of this payload and location. I still do not know the exact 6 character grid yet but it could transmit that soon on this page with the other data - link: http://www.qrp-labs.com/flights/u3b11.html

Just wanted to share this as someone may actually have it in their back yard :)

Thanks,
Jim,N2NXZ

Frequencies are setup through the WSPR software.
Dial frequency for for 30m is 10.138.70 mhz.
Dial frequency for 20m is 14.095.60 mhz.
WSPR software will decode the data and such - https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wspr.html

Friday, November 3, 2017

Notice of exercise this weekend: COMEX 17-4 SIMULATED WARNING MESSAGE

 from KC2WI; Pete Newell; ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Northern New York



I am sending this to you for information and action. Please pass this info on to all hams and please make every effort to participate this weekend November 4~5, 2017.

People in the know are VERY concerned about the effect of a large scale coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun, or of the EMP from detonatioin of a nuclear weapon high in the atmosphere. The former is known to have occured and is predicted to happen again. Given the current state of political affairs, the latter is a distinct possibility either from North Korea or if some terrorist organization gets control of a nuclear weapon.

Either would devastate the power grid and any equipment connected to it. The result would be widespread loss of electrical power and by extension virtually everthing else that society depends on. Most unprotected electronics would be destroyed, especially if connected to any external wires like power cords, the power grid, or antennas, or even ground wires.

http://nnyara.net/COMEX17-4/Electronics_and_Communication_Vulnerability.ppt <<read this and you will see the potential magnitude of the problem.

In the case of a CME we would have about 12 hours between the event and when the effects hit Earth. I would get notice by email, text, phone from MARS. I would try to pass it on to you. You would want to disconnect absolutely everything from power grid and further protect whatever possible.

It is assumed that at lease some hams would have advance warning, could protect equipment ear or some would have spare equipment , and therefore could operate after the CME. Since virtually all other systems would be inoperable, amateur radio could be the only method of gathering info for initial damage assessment.

Therefore, MARS has been tasked by the DOD with contacting Amateur Radio Operators to gather this info.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

CNY Ham Radio Breakfast

The next breakfast is scheduled and the event is open to ALL local Hams. It will be Saturday, November 18th, 2017 at 8:30 am. This is a great chance to meet up with some of the folks you talk to on the air, but possibly have never met in person. Come on all you drive time radio jockeys, "6M QCWA Netters", CNY SWAP and Hobby Net check-ins - we hope to see you all there.

Location: The "Finally Ours Diner" is at 3788 West Seneca Turnpike, at the corner with Cedarville Rd. in the Onondaga Hill area of Syracuse (see directions here: http://finallyoursdiner.com/hours-contact ).


Thanks to K2WOP; Curt for his continuing efforts for this excellent get together.

Questions? contact Curt; K2WOP on the 146.67 repeater.


Finally Ours Diner link: http://finallyoursdiner.com 

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

RaRa Annual Auction

RaRa Annual Auction
(from the RARA Rag newsletter - Nov 2017)

Tim Guyot, KB1POP—RaRa Vice President


One of our most popular events, the annual RaRa Auction, is only a few days away on Wednesday November 1st. Each year I'm impressed by the variety of items, from a small box of toggle switches to contest-ready HF rigs, and everything remotely ham radio-related in between. Of course, I never go home empty-handed, and you shouldn't either.

Our entire meeting time will be dedicated to the auction; in fact, we'll be opening the doors early at 6:15 to let sellers bring in the treasures they're hoping to go home without. At 6:45 members not selling can begin perusing the items to see them up close before they hit the auction block starting around 7pm.

Speaking of the auction block, I'm excited to announce that our celebrity auctioneers Dick Goslee, KG2I and Ed Gable, K2MP will be back at it again using their incredible knowledge and a strong dose of humor to help sellers get top-dollar for their items. Whether it's a home-brew rig with no labels that they can fully explain after just a brief glance, or those "one-of-a-kind", "You'll never see another one like it" regen receivers that keep showing up each year, they've got it covered.

The auction is a members-only event (Members may bring one guest), so please renew your membership online if you haven't already. Our membership secretary, Tim Barrett, K9VB will be at the entrance checking membership, and helping members renew if they were unable to do so in advance.

Please join us and bring anything you have that's radio related that you don't need right now. It should be labeled with three important pieces of information: -Your name & call -A description (is it working?) -Your desired starting price Join in the fun! Even if you have nothing to sell, we can always use more bidders!

The entertainment, the ad-hoc education, and the comradery make it a great way to spend an evening.
Procedural notes:
Sellers: Please bring a piece of cardboard to put under any item that could scratch the tables. Also, please note that the club will benefit by keeping 10% of the final sale price.
Buyers: Be aware that we can only accept cash.

Please join us on Wednesday November 1, 2017 at 7:00 PM in the Boy Scouts Building, 2320 Brighton–Henrietta Town Line Road, Brighton, NY 14623.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Winter SkyWarn Training in Upstate NY

Folks its that time again!

Winter SKYWARN Spotter Training Classes are coming!

Most upstate NY counties are conducting Winter SkyWarn Training in October and November.


The training will be held at various area locations and on-line. This class is for beginners or anybody that has a general interest in weather. These classes train volunteers how to accurately measure and report snowfall totals to the National Weather Service. The class is free and open to everyone; no age requirements, previous training, or equipment is required.

The SKYWARN program is a nationwide program that provides real-time severe weather reports to the National Weather Service. "Trained weather spotters provide valuable lifesaving information to the National Weather Service and we encourage those who have an interest in weather to participate in this critical program," said David Nicosia, Warning Coordination Meteorologist in Binghamton NY. "Despite all the technological advances, SKYWARN Spotter reports are still crucial to the National Weather Service in providing more accurate severe weather warnings," Nicosia continues.

See the full training schedules at:

Binghamton (Syracuse):  http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining
Buffalo (Rochester): http://www.weather.gov/buf/Skywarn
Albany: http://cstar.cestm.albany.edu/skywarn/Talks.htm

Learn more about SKYWARN and Amateur Radio at: http://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html


Monday, October 23, 2017

LARC - meeting and auction, Thursday 10/26/17

This coming Thursday is LARC's meeting night---AUCTION, AUCTION, AUCTION

5:30p  VE testing begins

6:15p  Pete Sochocki NY2V will have a presentation on the "Sights and Sounds of Digital Modes" 

7:00p  A short business meeting followed by the ever popular auction with NK2C Jerry Wright as our auctioneer. He always makes sure everyone has a wonderful time and doesn't go home empty handed. If you bring any items that do not sell, you must take them back home with you. Please do not leave any items on the property or in the dumpster.

Holiday party reservation forms will be available. Reservation deadline is November 24th. Please join us for the festivities. Everyone goes home with a door prize.

Hope to see you Thursday.

73, Sharon; KA2TNK

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Pumpkin Patrol: October 30-31st

Pumpkin Patrol: October 30-31 Bridges of the New York State Thruway
This event contributes to the safety of travelers on the New York State Thruway. It is a statewide event and is held in cooperation with the New York State Troopers.

Pumpkin Patrol 2017 in Onondaga County (LARC)!
****We need a few more volunteers!**** We will be covering 19 bridges which cross over the NYS Thruway, on two nights, Oct. 30 & 31 from 7 to 9 pm.

We observe and report any unusual activity on these bridges to a net control. A mobile 2 meter radio is recommended however handhelds with a vehicle roof top antenna may work okay.
The net will be on the 146.31/91 PL 103.5 repeater.
You will be given full instructions and identification credentials.
Contact Al May at wa2kfv@twcny.rr.com


Monroe County (RARA):
Teams of two hams are assigned a post at each of the Thruway bridges in Monroe County.
The teams observe activity on the bridges and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement. These actions are repeated by ham clubs all along the thruway for statewide coverage. The event began several years ago when some untoward individuals were found to have dropped pumpkins from the bridges down onto passing trucks and cars. Our efforts have put a stop to the actions of these vandals but, more importantly, the resources of local law enforcement agencies have been put to more valuable use.

The time commitment is from just after dark until just before midnight on Monday Oct.
30 and Tuesday Oct. 31. Operations will use the WR2AHL repeater 145.11. Please consider signing up and participating in this event. Contact Brad Allen KB2CHY, event captain of this event. His preferred method is via email. Place PUMPKIN PATROL 2017 in the subject field to ballen@frontiernet.net. Or, leave a message at one of the following telephone numbers
585-247-3724, 585-247-0251, or 585-216-5066.
You may also register at the Public Service Section of the RARA website and click on the sign-up link.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

NY QSO Party – October 21st, 2017

NY QSO Party – Get Ready for October 21!

by NYQP Team (from the 10/2017 RARA RAG newsletter)
It's all about NY on October 21, 2017 as radio amateurs from around the world get on the air to work all 62 NY counties, Chautauqua to Clinton, Niagara to Suffolk. A dozen or more mobile operators will take to the mean streets of NYC or the bucolic surrounds of the Southern Tier and North Country. Brave souls will sneak out to the woodlands to activate a rare county, Field Day style, as temps may dip into the 30's. And good, solid Elmers will open up their shacks to new hams and build excitement as the spotlight is on US!

The NYQP game is easy to play as all operating modes and bands are eligible. The QSO exchange is simple for NY operators: signal report and county. For those eager out-of-state ops wanting to work all 62 counties, they'll send a signal report and their state, province or DX.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Elmira Hamfest - 9/30/17

This is one of best gang! Don't miss this one! Lots of tailgating and indoor vendors here!




Friday, September 1, 2017

A sad day.....our hobby has lost a great friend

It's been a sad couple of days around the old ham shack. We lost our very good friend W2QYT;
"smiling" Jack Smith, who became a silent key on 8/31/17.

Jack will be greatly missed by his family, the Amateur Radio community in Upstate NY and our local community here in Cayuga County. Jack leaves behind a legacy of caring, hard work and public service. Jack became a family man, who realized that there is nothing more important, and he needed to tend to that first, before his radios (....well maybe not all the time, but he tried). He was also a proud Vietnam Veteran and was very proud of his service and country.

 His involvement in Amateur radio started when he was licensed in 1960. Later in life his hobby merged with his professional career. He entered the commercial two-way radio business; installing and repairing repeaters and radio equipment all over CNY. He eventually founded his own business; Dove Communications - installing and repairing satellite receiver systems, pagers and two way radios. You might be surprised to know that earlier in his life he was a materials tester, a town snow plow driver, and a tractor trailer driver - to name a few (and he told some very good stories about them all).

Jack loved to "help the hammies" as he joked with me quite often. He was a Elmer (mentor) to many of us. Jack gave willingly to anyone who needed help or guidance, (and usually ending it with that big smile!). To many of us repeater owners, he was a wealth of knowledge and experience that you could always count on for help. When it came to troubleshooting a radio, antenna or repeater problem - he could almost always figure it out.

Jack leaves behind quite a legacy here in Upstate NY. The 147.00 based linked VHF repeater system consisting of 6 partnered repeaters covering together over 15 counties in NY. (http://www.upstateham.com/p/cny-linked-vhf-repeaters-this-system.html  ). He was also a leader in the development and on-going support of the Statewide UHF system (along with many other great partner/owners). Jack also supported many stand alone emergency repeaters owned by local government. He was a strong advocate for emergency communications capability in our county and was involved with our local ARES, RACES and Skywarn programs.

One of his biggest local public service activities was Emergency Communications support for the Great Race in Auburn, which he helped set set up and led for almost 40 years.The Great Race is the nation's largest team only run, bike and paddle triathlon The latest race being just a few weeks ago, and to which Jack led the communications team to another successful conclusion.

I consider myself as one of the lucky ones. I had the privilege of not only knowing Jack, but getting the chance to work closely with him on many projects and technical problems over the last several years. I always treasured my visits to his house, a repeater site, or drop off point on the "Tony Express". We would catch up in person discussing our families, the latest going-ons and other happenings that we might not talk about on the air. I, along with many of you, will miss these visits and our frequent chats on the air.

In closing, I want to say that Jack would not want us to be sad, but he would encourage us ALL to give back to this great hobby he loved, any way we can.

RIP my friend........we'll catch you again somewhere down the log!

Tony; KC2VER

Please feel free to post a comment or story about Jack in the area below.

Services are noon to 2 p.m. Sunday (9/3/17) at White Chapel Funeral Home, 197 South St., Auburn

Link to Jack's obituary:
Jack shopping at a hamfest
KD2SL and Jack doing a little tuning
http://auburnpub.com/obits/john-h-jack-smith/article_b86ca56d-589b-5ad3-aaed-fb430e7e15f8.html

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Onondaga RACES NET - FLDIGI & NBEMS

Net reminder - Monday, 8/21/17 at 19:30 local on the Onondaga County 90/30 repeater (147.300+ PL=67.0).

We will work on NBEMS and FLDigi using a more formal net format. Don’t be intimidated, we will start out with a voice call up and then move to the digital callup. No forms or fancy formatting will be used.
Even if you cannot actively participate (transmit) please consider setting your FlDigi to the announced setting (likely MT63 2KL centered on 1500) and listen in. Your screen will decode the net and you can view it later.

All hams are welcome.

If you are new to this please consider looking at this great resource: http://rickmega.com/NBEMS/
The FLDigi_Config document is well written and will guide you through the setup.

73 - Richard Kilmartin; KB2WAU
Onondaga County RACES R.O.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

LARC - General Level Training Class - start 9/26/17


Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club will present a General Level Training Class, taking place at North Syracuse Education Association 210 North Main St. North Syracuse, NY starting on September 26 2017.

Details include $15 fee at time of the first session for the exam, purchasing the textbook from ARRL, and preregistration through the website – http://www.w2cm.com/general-class/

Complete Schedule below.

Contact Information:

Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club, Inc.
Pete Sochocki - Email: training@w2cm.com 

Monday, August 7, 2017

Thursday, August 3, 2017

INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND! August 19-20, 2017

from August RARA Rag; by David Timmons, W2DST

Once again the Rochester Amateur Radio Association (RARA) will operate station K2R from the grounds of the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse (Lake Ave. near Latta Rd.) for the 2017 International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend.

This annual Amateur Radio weekend event was founded in 1995 by 2 members of the AYR Amateur Radio Group, AARG, Scotland and held on the 3rd full weekend in August. This is not a contest, it is simply a fun event for all experience levels to highlight lighthouses and lightships around the world. It is also a great way to promote amateur radio to the public. This year’s 48 hour event starts at 0001 UTC on Aug. 19. We will be generally operating during the hours the lighthouse is open, 1 - 5PM local time on August 19 & 20. Operating time will be extended depending on how many volunteer operators can join us. Go to https://illw.net/ for event details and a list of registered lighthouse stations. If you would like to join us, stop down. Contact Dave Timmons, W2DST, if you would like to help. W2DST@ARRL.NET

Monday, July 24, 2017

220 Mhz repeater update

Activity continues to grow with local repeater activity on 220 Mhz. New repeaters are popping up all over CNY and the Fingerlakes region. There are several new ones being planned for Auburn and Ithaca, which makes 220 mhz a viable option for many Upstate NY hams. There are also quite a number of 220 Mhz repeaters in both Rochester and Buffalo. Here is a summary of the CNY 220 mhz repeaters that I am aware are presently active. If you can confirm others, please send me an e-mail (UpstateHam@gmail.com).

223.980 (-) PL = 100, Elmira, NR2P
224.120 (-) PL = 103.5, Syracuse (Sentinel Heights) KD2SL
224.220 (-) PL = 71.9, Auburn, WB2NGX  
224.260 (-) PL = 110.9, Stanley (Fingerlakes), W2ACC
224.160 (-) PL = 141.3, Whethersfield (Attica) WA2CAM
224.470 (-) PL = 82.5, Clyde, WA2NDW
224.700 (-) PL = 88.5, Orangeville (Attica/Buffalo) K2XZ (very nice signal in the Fingerlakes)
224.580 (-) PL = 110.9, Rochester; N2HJD
224.660 (-) No PL, Utica (Deerfield), WA2CAV
224.900 (-) PL=110.9, Newark,  Drumlins club has built a new repeater (8/2/17)


You may also hear some folks chatting on Simplex at 223.400 or 223.500 Mhz.
(see the ARRL band plan for more details at: http://www.arrl.org/band-plan )

Some newer multi-band HT's have the 220 mhz capability, but a fairly inexpensive radio that I purchased is the TYT-9000, 220 mhz single band mobile. It comes with the programming software and a DTMF microphone.You can find them online in the $135-150 range. Several Syracuse friends suggested this model to me and I have no regrets.

Interesting link to some 220 info: http://www.slvrc.org/220band.htm

The KD2SL 224.120 Repeater in Syracuse hosts Friday night 220 Net starting at 7pm. This is a general net, open to various discussion topics. KD2KKG; Bob is the host.

So tune in to 224.120 Mhz (-) PL = 103.5, this Friday and join the fun!

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Save the date - Fall Ham Breakfast on 11/18/17

Thanks to K2WOP; Curt, has set a fall tentative date to get a breakfast scheduled and the event is open to ALL local Hams. It will be Saturday, November 18th, 2017 at 8:30 am. This is a great chance to meet up with some of the folks you talk to on the air, but possibly have never met in person. Come on all you drive time radio jockeys, "6M QCWA Netters", CNY SWAP and Hobby Net check-ins - we hope to see you all there.

Location: The "Finally Ours Diner" is at 3788 West Seneca Turnpike, at the corner with Cedarville Rd. in the Onondaga Hill area of Syracuse (see directions here: http://finallyoursdiner.com/hours-contact ).


Questions? contact Curt; K2WOP on the 146.67 repeater.



Finally Ours Diner link: http://finallyoursdiner.com 

Monday, July 17, 2017

RADIOCOM 2017 - Utica 7/23/17





  
FREE FLEA MARKET SPACE WITH ADMISSION! BRING YOUR ITEMS FOR SALE OR TRADE!!!

Thursday, July 13, 2017

AWA - Youth Radio Fab Lab class


I thought you and your readers might be interested in a new youth program at the AWA Museum.  It's called Radio Fab Lab and it's a series of hands-on workshops for children ages 10-19.  In addition to learning-while-building, Boy Scouts in attendance will also earn their radio merit badge.  It's really shaping up to be a lot of fun for the children....as well as the instructors!

Attached please find a Radio Fab Lab Flyer and registration form.  Please circulate it.  This should prove to be a great gift idea for the children and grandchildren of local hams and Scouts.  The children will build electronics hardware at the Museum over a 12-week period, under the direction of experts, and then take the circuits home with them for further study.

Thanks!  73, Dean, NW2K

Monday, July 10, 2017

DOD Contingency Communications Exercise; COMEX 17-3

The third quarterly national DOD contingency communications exercise COMEX 17-3 will take place July 23-27, 2017. One component of these exercises is using Amateur Radio to collect information about critical infrastructure and facilities  (power, transportation, communication, sanitation, medical, etc) in every county in the US. MARS stations will be active on the ham bands (using their Amateur call signs except on 60 Meters where they will use their MARS call signs) soliciting information. 

Please make an effort to contact one or more MARS operators dring this COMEX.  Contacts are not limited to ARES/RACES members. MARS operators are looking for contact with any ham radio operator. However this would be an execllent opportunity to set up a local ARES net as would be active in a large scale emergency or disaster situation.

Please note that while you you can make up any scenario and report simulated conditions for your local exercise, MARS operators will be collecting actual condition reports.  So unless there is actually a power outage, flooded roads, etc. you would report that all is well for the purposes of the national COMEX.

I intend to be available on the New York State Phone Traffic Emergency Net at 6 PM on 3925 at least a couple of times during the exercise period, and possibly other times and frequencies. If you would like to set up a specific time/frequency please contact me by email reply. Please check the nnyara.net web site and/or the Facebook page  (http://facebook.com/NNYARAhams)  and group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/NNYARA/ ) for updated schedule info. There are other MARS stations in and around NNY who will be on HF or local repeaters.


Pete Newell KC2WI
ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Northern New York http://nnyara.net
Coordinator, Lewis County Emergency Coordinators Group http://lcecg.org
ARES EC / RACES RO, Lewis County

MARS - Military Auxiliary Radio System LMSC NNY - AFA2CQ

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Batavia Hamfest - Sat. 7/15

Batavia Hamfest  –  Saturday July  15,   2017

Alexander  Firemen Grounds   – 10708 Alexander Rd.Route 98,
One mile south of Rt 20, Alexander NY   14005

Outdoor  Flea Market –  FREE Tailgating    6:00am – till
Buy/Sell   Ham radio gear

Overnight Camping Allowed- Arrive after 6PM on Friday ( the night before hamfest) .

Only $7.00   admission includes free tailgating and free indoor spaces

VE  Exam 8:00 AM   To  Pre register for test –
contact John Maxwell      maxwell@acsu.buffalo.edu  or Call  716–404-9256

Talk In: 147.285  PL 141.3    Batavia repeater

More at:
http://w2so.org/batavia-hamfest/

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Amateur Radio operators needed this Sunday

RAGS Public Service is in serious need of additional operators for this coming Sunday's (6/18/17) Ironman 70.3 Event in Syracuse. It is held on a large course so the coverage required is challenging, yet fun.

Please contact Amir Findling at: sarlabs@gmail.com or Walt Bordett at: n2ikwkb@twcny.rr.com  if you can help!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Salt City DX Assoc. - Field Day at Onondaga Lake Park

The Salt City DX Association is doing Field Day again this year at Onondaga Lake Park.  2A class, with a GOTA station W2AXR.  The dates are Saturday 6/24 from 2PM to Sunday 6/25 at 2PM.

We will have our normal HF stations, 2 X TS590s, 3 element tribander and dipoles.  Last year we came in 11th in the 2A category with 2200 QSOs.

I am happy to announce that this year we will make a big VHF effort!!!  We would love to contact as many local VHF guys as possible.

more info at: http://saltcitydx.com/2017info.html


Our planned activity:

We will be on 2 meters with a 14 element Yagi and 150 watts, calling CQ on 144.200 SSB ( with a voice keyer so we don’t lose our voice).  We can also make FM contacts on 2 mtrs.

We will be on for all of the satellite passes, the XW2 birds look good.

We will be on 6 meters calling CQ on 50.125 - 3 element beam and 100 watts

We also have 432 mhz – if anyone wants to try.  5 elements and 50 watts.

And- we are also going to try EME !  We can phase two 14 element Yagis together and run 150 watts. It will be tough to make a QSO, but if some of the big gun European EME guys are on, it should be possible.  I have a lot of EME experience, so we are hopeful !

Thanks !

John K2ZJ
Saltcitydx.com

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Field Day 2017 - June 24-25

Field Day is coming soon........June 24th and 25th, 2017 

If you want to meet some friendly hams or experience some different operating modes, why don't you stop by one of the many Field Day events taking place in our area. You will see various antenna and radio setups along with operators trying to share their knowledge and score some points making contacts through out the weekend.

 Its a lot of fun - so we hope to see you out there on field day!

What is Field Day?

Field Day is part educational event, part operating event, part public relations event – and ALL about FUN!  link: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2017/6-2017%20FD%20Flier1.pdf

ARRL Field Day locator:  http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Check out one of the following LOCAL Upstate groups below:
(*please also send us your groups listing)

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Volunteers needed for the 2017 Tour de Cure on Saturday June 10th

The Rochester Amateur Radio Association is looking for help with the 2017 Tour de Cure event. They are presently short about 25 Ham radio operators!  Other area clubs like SIARC and Drumlins are also helping to support this event.



The event is Saturday, June 10th, running from around 6 am to 5pm.  All day help is greatly appreciated, but if you can only help half a day, that will also be a great help.

There is also a need for non-Ham volunteers for jobs such as phone operators and directing riders at rest stops.

If you can help, even for part of the day, go to the following websites and sign up ASAP.

Thank you very much for your help.

For Ham Radio volunteers, go to:  http://www.rochesterham.org/public_service.htm  and click on "Sign Up" next to Tour de Cure and filll out the form. Also feel free to contact SIARC -inquires or volunteers contact Tom  KB2NCI:  sanders5@frontiernet.net

For other volunteers, go to:  http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=informational&fr_id=11691&type=fr_informational&sid=23771

Monday, May 22, 2017

Cortland Hamfest - June 10th, 2017

The Skyline Amateur Radio Club will host their 35th annual Cortland Hamfest.

Date: Saturday June 10, 2017
Time: 7:00AM 'till noon
Location: Cortland County Fairgrounds, 4849 Fairgrounds Dr, Cortland NY. Enter from Fisher Ave. Admission is $5.00, 12 and under free.

20 indoor flea market spaces are available for $5.00 per 10' space, first come first served. Outdoor flea market is free.

VE testing will be held for all levels beginning at 9:00AM, with no late entry allowed. Bring a driver's license or passport for ID, the $15.00 exam fee, and two number 2 pencils with eraser. Calculators are allowed with all memories wiped clean.

Food will be provided by the Cortland 4-H

RW Antenna Store and Al-tech Electronics will be there. RW Antenna Store has expanded their line, and is taking pre-orders to deliver to you at the 'fest; e-mail Sales@RWAntennaStore.com or call them at 716-434-9216

We hope to see you there!
--
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Andrew C Slaugh KB2LUV

Thursday, May 18, 2017

2017 Boilermaker Communications - can you help?


Are you interested in volunteering for the 2017 Boilermaker 15K running race in Utica?

Learn more about this event at: http://www.boilermaker.com/

We are in the process of filling in the first draft of our roster to the Boilermaker. We have several openings and we need to add additional operators...

We are looking for anyone in the area interested in volunteering for the 2017 Boilermaker 15K race.... Sunday Morning July 9, 2017........We have several operator openings.......A great opportunity to see the race up close......There is a Big Volunteer party Friday Evening (about 3000 volunteers will be there) and also a Hugh post race party on the  West End Brewery grounds (a mad house :-) after the race...
OH YEAH.....I forgot to mention...The tee shirts are really neat this year and everybody has to be at their station by 6:30 AM :-(...with a maximum of 4 hrs depending on your position.)

For all the details, please give Bob Decker (AA2CU) a call at 315-797-6614 or call Bud at 315-735-8798 or e-mail me at budw2gln@aol.com


Sunday, April 30, 2017

Adirondack Blackfly Challenge 2017 - looking for radio volunteers

The Black Fly Challenge is a 40-mile destination (one-way) gravel grinder bicycle race that attracts both serious racers and recreational riders on cyclocross and mountain bikes. It also attracts some serious adventurists, riding unicyles and 3-seat bikes. Over half the BFC race course includes gravel roads through the wild & scenic Moose River Recreation Area between Inlet and Indian Lake with some pavement and/or singletrack at either end. It is a difficult area for communications, as much of the route has no Cellphone coverage, no public safety and no services.

So we are looking for experienced Amateur radio operators willing to participate on Saturday, June 10th. The race starts from Inlet NY this year. We have many locations with as much or as little challenge as you desire. We use a mixture of VHF Simplex and Repeaters (on Blue, Gore and McCauley Mountains) mostly requiring high power and careful selection of antenna and installation.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Balloon Launch today across Upstate NY

Rochester area HAMS/Fwd: Those to the east in NYState

High Altitude Balloon Instrumentation Platform – HABIP Launch

Rochester Institute of Technology

When: Saturday 04/29/17 J/F lots; launch 9-10am; flight 10am-1pm.
Follow live video stream at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmh2Qno99ZuXiUr10Ml-xRg

Receive the live HAM ATV video stream at 434.000 MHz, equivalent to cable channel 59. Follow flight path at: http://aprs.fi Search call sign: W2RIT-11
Predicted flight path: about 90 miles East of Rochester, NY.
Telemetry up/down links: 144.910 MHz; please do not transmit on this frequency during the mission – thx.
Live text based updates at:
http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P17104/public/Integrated%20System%20Build%20%26%20Test%20with%20Customer%20Demo?rev=0
More information about these two senior design projects at:
http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P17104/public/Home http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P17105/public/Home

Specific for HAM radio operators:
We will monitor the payload from our station on the RIT campus. However, if the payload will leave our range, we appreciate any video stream or telemetry recordings. Our HAM radio communicator, HAMCOM, will ask for these if necessary.

W2RIT with be monitoring RIT Repeaters 442.075/147.075 PL 110.9
NYState-wide 444.55 PL 110.9


from Jim - W2COP