Saturday, March 26, 2016

Taking the Mystery Out of Echo-link

Stan; N2STC, will be giving a presentation called "Taking the Mystery Out of Echo-link"  at the Madison-Oneida Amateur Radio Club  (MOARC) monthly meeting on Wednesday March 30th at 7:30pm in the library at the Madison-Oneida BOCES complex in Verona NY. The BOCES education complex is only a few miles off the NYS Thruway near the Turning Stone Casino.

All HAMs are welcome.

See the MOARC website for more info:  http://www.moarc.com/ 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Thousand Islands Repeater Club - Swapfest/Hamfest









The Thousand Islands Repeater Club is going to hold a Swapfest/Hamfest on Saturday, May 21st, 2016
Location:  Depauville Fire Department Banquet Hall, 15191 School Street, Depauville, NY 13632

Time:  8:00am – 1:00pm 
(Set-up starts at 7:00) 


Admission:  $2, under 12 freeTables available for $10, Tailgate: $5
W5YI VE Testing @ 10am ($14)
Door Prizes and Raffles


More information at: www.tirepeaterclub.com

(It is the same weekend as Dayton, but we figured many from up this way don't get down there).

For any questions, people can check the website, or email us at tirepeaterclub@yahoo.com.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Finger Lakes Weather Net

John KD2GTA of Geneva, will be starting a Weather Net on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 7pm on the N2MKT 443.250+ (110.9) repeater in Newark, NY. The repeater will also be linked to the WA2AAZ 146.745- (71.9) repeater in Newark.  He would like to have 2 nets a month and when ever there is severe weather event in the area.

John is associated with the Storm Tracker Team in Wayne County.  He can be contacted at: zoger77@gmail.com

NY Storm Trackers team Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/Storm-Trackers-Team-NY-249878011776436/

Friday, March 18, 2016

Thanks for your support Congressman John Katko!

JOHN KATKO
24TH DISTRICT, NEW YORK
________________________________________
1123 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BLDG
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
________________________________________
440 SOUTH WARREN STREET
7TH FLOOR, SUITE 711
SYRACUSE, NY 13202
(315) 423-5657
________________________________________
HTTP://KATKO.HOUSE.GOV 


March 18, 2016

Mr. xxxx x. xxxxxxx
xxx xxxxxxxxxxx Rd
xxxxxxxx, NY xxxxx-xxxx

Dear Mr. xxxxxx,

I recognize the value of amateur radio stations throughout our nation and due to your involvement in the field, I wanted to inform you of my recent efforts in Washington to support amateur radio stations.

Radio amateurs provide an invaluable service to Central New York by disseminating emergency and disaster relief communications from their personal radio stations.  Without cost to taxpayers, these radio stations can serve to assist with communications from the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, FEMA, and the Department of Defense in times of emergency.  For this reason, I have cosponsored H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015.

As you may know, on March 4th, H.R. 1301 was introduced in the House and has since been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it awaits review.  The legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission to revise height and dimension restrictions for station antenna structures of amateur service communications, to prohibit a private land use restriction from applying to amateur service communications if the restriction prevents such communications.

Should additional legislation related to this issue come before the House, I will continue to advocate for the interests of amateur radio stations throughout the 24th District.

I hope that you will keep me informed of the issues important to you and your family, as your input helps me to better serve you as your Representative in Congress. If you would like to stay informed of the latest issues coming out of Washington, you can visit www.katko.house.gov to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,


John Katko
Member of Congress


I just received this letter today from my Congressman. I wrote to him at the urging of many local hams some time ago to ask for his support of H.R. 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015. Its nice when someone in government listens these days. Thanks John!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Spring SkyWarn Training


The National Weather Service (NWS) in Binghamton has started spring SkyWarn training. They have both On-line and local training classes available. I can personally speak of the great job the NWS Binghamton office does with this training. (Buffalo and Albany offices are also doing spring training - see their websites for details)

What is SKYWARN?
The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

More on SkyWarn and Amateur Radio: http://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

See the BGM NOAA-SkyWarn Training schedule here: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Update on the Rochester Hamfest - May 28th

 -Hello all and welcome to this edition of Prez Sez (from the RARA March 2016 Newsletter).

 It’s exciting times at RARA with the official announcement of the 2016 Rochester Hamfest. This year’s hamfest will be on Saturday May 28th at Kodak Park, with some great opportunities! We will have both indoor and outdoor facilities, all of the outdoor facilities being paved, so no worries about getting stuck in the mud even if it rains. Our Hamfest team has been doing a great job putting together logistics and working on some great raffle prizes for all those who attend. I’m looking forward to making a great weekend out of it, with Saturday being our hamfest, and Sunday and Monday being some great Memorial Day events around town. Whether you are from Rochester or visiting from another town, there’s sure to be a bunch of things to do with your family on this fun filled weekend. Also, if you’re from out of town, don’t worry, we’ve negotiated some great rates with an area hotel for you to stay in! Keep an eye on the RAG, our website, and our Facebook page for more information. I’d like to take time again to thank all of those members who serve as volunteers for the club. From our board, to our coordinators, hamfest volunteers, VE teams, public service volunteers, and all sort of other people, thank you for all you do for our club and our hobby. With your help, we’ve been able to organize the hamfest, resume VE testing, and put on a great winter “picnic” for all to enjoy. It’s easy for people to complain when things don’t go completely to plan, and to overlook your contributions when they do; I urge our membership to take time to remember that this club exists due to the continued selfless actions of about a tenth of the club who donate their time and money with no compensation beyond the occasional membership points.


WILL MULLANEY, KC2VSJ—RARA PRESIDENT

more info at: http://www.rochesterham.org/Hamfest.htm

Note from UpstateHam.com - folks this is a great event and the RARA group is working very hard to make this a major success at a new location. So save the date and plan to attend one of Upstate NY's best Hamfests!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Black Fly Challenge in the Adirondacks - looking for 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 Amateur radio operators willing to participate on Saturday, June 11th. The race starts from Inlet NY this year. We have lots of locations with as much or as little challenge as you desire. We will primarily be operating high power mobiles to repeaters on Blue, Gore and McCauley Mountains, though some HF NVIS and simplex 2M communications may be utilized.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

NPOTA - KD2ETP from Ft. Stanwix in Rome NY - March 26th

National Parks on the Air - from Fort Stanwix in Rome with KD2ETP and friends! 


KD2ETP; Steve will be hosting a NPOTA event on Saturday March 26th at Ft. Stanwix in Rome NY. He is looking for interested helpers and chasers to give the guys a call. Operating two stations from 10am through 4pm EST. Starting on 7.210 mhz and moving as band conditions warrant. Stay tuned here!  POSTPONED!

In 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and radio amateurs will be able to help mark the occasion with the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event. “As ARRL just celebrated our own Centennial, and Amateur Radio is often enjoyed in the great outdoors, it seemed fitting to devise a program to help NPS celebrate their own 100th birthday,” said ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. As Sean explained, NPOTA will run throughout 2016, with activity promoted and encouraged from each of the more than 430 official NPS administrative units and affiliated areas across the US. This includes all 59 National Parks as well as National Battlefields, Historic Sites, Memorials, Preserves, Reserves, Rivers, Seashores, National Scenic Trails, and other units. NPOTA activations: https://npota.arrl.org/nps-events.php

Learn more about NPOTA:  http://www.upstateham.com/2015/11/arrl-national-parks-on-air-2016.html#more

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

RAGS March monthly meeting - Don't miss it!

Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (RAGS) MARCH 10th meeting

 “On the Bench” – 6:15 PM - Installing Powerpoles

See POWERPOLE connectors installed. Bring in your wires, Powerpoles, or equipment and we will put on the connectors. Connectors and wire will also be available for a small fee.

Meeting Presentation – 7:00 PM - Microphones!! Gary Kimball – WB2SER

A bit of history, and a review of various microphone types. Pros Cons, and how they influence your on-the-air audio.

NEXT MEETING is Thursday, MARCH 10, 2016

Meeting Starts at 7:00P, Doors Open at 6:00 PM “Coffee is always on!!!”
North Syracuse Community Center
700 South Bay Road North Syracuse, NY 13212