LARC Amateur Radio - Technician License Course

The Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club will be sponsoring a course in preparation for the
FCC Amateur Radio Technician License.

DATES: Tuesdays, April 12 & 19, 6:30-8:30PM
and Saturday, April 30, 9-2PM

PLACE: Cicero American Legion
Space is limited so please sign up online early.

Sign up for the Amateur Radio Course: email to: treasurer@w2cm.com

This course is FREE, however there is a $25
charge for the Study Guide and a $15 charge for
the FCC exam at the end on Saturday.

Learn more at the LARC website: http://www.w2cm.com/

The Rochester Hamfest has moved! (May 28th 2016)

We're no longer at Barnard Fireman's Field! We've moved!


Rochester Hamfest and Tech Expo 2016
Find us at our NEW location at Kodak's "Theater on the Ridge"!
also known as the Eastman Business Park, Outdoor sales space opens at 6:00 AM on Saturday, May 28, 2016
Indoor venue opens to attendees at 7:00 AM
Expect to see regional ham clubs present, too!

New location for 2016!

Moved from the Barnard Firemen's Field to the Eastman Business Park, 200 West Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14615

1h 45m or LESS from Niagara Falls (Canada), Buffalo, Corning, Oswego or Syracuse

Gates open at 6:00 AM.

Free GENERAL parking.

$5 per person flea market entry fee.

Entry fee WAIVED for RARA members & under 21

$5 for EACH metered flea market slot.

New this year: Indoor venue! (along with outside tailgating as well)

FREE VE License Examinations

FREE ARRL Awards QSL Card Checking

FREE General Raffle ticket for all entries (18 yo+)

FREE Bucket Raffle ticket for all entries (18 yo+)

More at the RARA Rochester Hamfest website!  http://www.RochesterHamfest.org

Balloon over northern NY this morning on APRS

It was a cold morning for a balloon launch from Watertown NY! I stumbled across this team this morning on APRS.fi. I was then able to reach and briefly talk with Chris, KD2ICC on the 145.33 repeater in Remsen, NY as he headed south and east to recover the balloon that looks like it has landed near Schenectady, NY. The APRS equipped balloon and amateur radio equipped chase team were out for a balloon chase. This launch was part of the Maintenance Platoon high altitude weather balloon project (read more below).




APRS map link: http://aprs.fi/#!call=a%2FKD2IIC&timerange=3600&tail=3600

Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/deltamishapp/?pnref=story

Flight prediction link: https://www.facebook.com/deltamishapp/photos/a.1091704154194374.1073741828.1090301271001329/1094486080582848/?type=3

The predicted path was pretty close. We will try to get some more details from Chris on the project and a full story of their day and the goals of the project. Stay tuned here!

The Delta Company, 3-10 GSAB Maintenance Platoon high altitude weather balloon project.

Description:
To provide esprit de corps and training in downed aircraft recovery, Maintenance Platoon of Delta Company, 3-10 GSAB will launch, track, and recover a high altitude weather balloon. The balloon will carry a payload of 65 custom company patches, 2 cameras, a ham radio APRS tracker, a satellite based tracker, and a 102 db audible siren to an altitude of 100,000 feet also known as Flight Level 1000. Upon return to earth a team of soldiers will set out to recover the payload which is projected to land in the Adirondack Mountains.

This recovery will require land navigation as well as radio communication, skills needed in real life downed aircraft recovery hence this provides a unique training opportunity to the platoon as well as a morale booster to those who receive a patch that has been to the edge of space.

RAGS March Meeting - Microphones!

RAGS March Meeting

Thursday, March 10, 2016 7:00 PM, Doors open at 6:30pm

(Moved from Feb. to the March Meeting!)

PROGRAM: "MICROPHONES"

BY WB2SER; GARY KIMBALL

Should be a very interesting presentation with many examples and explanations by a guy who really knows microphones!

RAGS meets monthly from September through June on the second Thursday of each month at the North Syracuse Community Center, 700 South Bay Road, N. Syracuse.  See the calendar for details!  Meeting starts at 7pm, doors open at 6:30pm.

Guests are always welcome!  You don't need to be a Ham to join RAGS, and we can help you to become one, if you are interested!!

Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (RAGS) is an ARRL affiliated club promoting all aspects of Ham Radio in the Syracuse, NY area.
more at: http://www.ragsclub.org/home.html

Interesting AOR AR-DV1 SDR receiver for digital voice modes

The AOR AR-DV1 is the FIRST multi-mode digital voice receiver to receive and decode virtually ALL popular digital modes including: MOTOTRBO, DMR, dPMR, APCO P25 Phase I, NXDN, Icom D-Star, Digital CR, Yaesu, Kenwood®, and Alinco EJ-47U as well as conventional analog signals.


The AOR AR-DV1B wideband communications SDR receiver covers 100 kHz to 1300 MHz (less cellular on U.S. consumer "B" version) in traditional analog modes (SSB, CW, AM, FM, S-FM, W-FM) as well as various digital modes. In fact, we know of no other radio in this category that can decode Icom's D-Star mode, Yaesu's new C4FM mode, Alinco's digital mode, NXDN (note: 6.25 kHz only), P25 Phase 1, etc. Interesting features include:  2000 Memories (in 40 banks of 50), Memory Scan, AM Synchronous Detection, Noise Reduction, Notch, Digital Data Display, Clock, Calendar, Alarm, Timer. The SD/SDHC jack supports logging functions. There is also a micro USB port. This radio will support field firmware updating. High performance is achieved since the receiver employs direct conversion below 18 MHz and triple conversion superheterodyne above 18 MHz.

With this breakthrough development, AOR offers the monitoring community a powerful new tool that receives multiple digital formats in addition to traditional analog operations in a compact receiver built for high sensitivity and selectivity.

Read more: http://www.upstateham.com/p/aor-ar-dv-1-resource-page.html

RAGS - February meeting on Microphones - CANCELED - Weather!

RAGS FEBRUARY MEETING

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 7:00 PM, Doors open at 6:30pm

Moved to March 10th, 2016 Meeting!

PROGRAM: "MICROPHONES"

BY WB2SER, GARY KIMBALL

RAGS meets monthly from September through June on the second Thursday of each month at the North Syracuse Community Center, 700 South Bay Road, N. Syracuse.  See the calendar for details!  Meeting starts at 7pm, doors open at 6:30pm.

Guests are always welcome!  You don't need to be a Ham to join RAGS, and we can help you to become one, if you are interested!!

Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse (RAGS) is an ARRL affiliated club promoting all aspects of Ham Radio in the Syracuse, NY area.
more at: http://www.ragsclub.org/home.html

January VHF/UHF contest this weekend!

The ARRL January VHF/UHF contest is this weekend. If you haven't tried this contest you should. Maybe you can hook up with the rovers working in WNY!

...........also don't forget this is also Winter Field Day weekend as well.

more: http://www.upstateham.com/2016/01/winter-field-day-january-30-31-2016.html


Nice Article from the February RaRa Rag about this weekends VHF/UHF contest:

author: Jarred Jackson, KF2MR, Rochester VHF Group 

The January VHF/UHF contest starts on January 30th at 2pm and runs through Sunday January 31st at 11pm. The purpose of the contest is to contact as many amateurs as possible on as many VHF/UHF and microwave bands as you can, using FM simplex (no repeaters), or narrow-band operating modes (SSB/CW). Two stations only need to exchange call signs and grid squares (see the map below).

CNYARA club meeting change in Oneida

The Central New York Amateur Radio Association (CNYARA) Monthly Meetings will now be held on the 1st Tuesday of every month at the Denny's in Oneida NY. Denny's is located in the Glenwood Shopping Plaza, 1078 Glenwood Ave, Oneida, NY 13421 (near the corner of Rt 5 and Rt 46)

Please see the link below for directions!
https://goo.gl/maps/Zw5ku8vy3ZS2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Denny's

We hope to see you there!

Thank you very much,
Toby N2TOB, Secreatry CNYARA

Save the date! 2016 - AWA Spring meet

2016 Antique Wireless Association Spring Meet



Each year the AWA traditionally hosts its Spring Meet in Bloomfield, New York on the first Saturday of the month of May.  For 2016, the Spring Meeting is Saturday, May 7th.  This year as last, the event has been expanded.

AWA SPRING MEET and BIG AWA AUCTION (Tentative Schedule)

As part of this year’s AWA Spring Meet, the AWA will hold a very special, a very BIG auction of duplicate items from the Museum’s collection.  The BIG auction will be held in the afternoon at Rhonda’s Auction House just down the street from the Spring Meet and the Museum.  Don’t miss this very special, very BIG auction.  A partial list of items to be auctioned will be posted on the AWA web site as they are set aside for the auction.

KD2SL repeater UPDATES

Kevin; KD2SL is doing some upgrades to the KD2SL linked repeaters in Syracuse. There are many recent adjustments and other improvements planned for 2016 but an important one is the repair of the link radio capability.

The link radio is being updated to a new radio after some problems over recent months. Read more about the upgrade, linking capabilities and how you can help at: link: http://www.kd2sl.com/


UPDATE 1/24/16:
The new link radio is here, and fully paid for by local hams!  In case I can’t make it to the nets this week, please mention that thanks to the generosity of local hams, the link radio has been replaced, and will be on the air in a few weeks.

73 – Kevin KD2SL

SKYWARN - Onondaga County is on Facebook

Onondaga County ARES / Skywarn now has a Facebook page  (ONONDAGA COUNTY ARES SKYWARN) that will soon provide contact information, training dates and other information to support our public service here in Onondaga County.

Thank you for for your  support;

KC2QXG Shawn - ONONDAGA COUNTY ARES SKYWARN COORDINATOR.

Winter Field Day - January 30-31, 2016

Winter Field Day is coming up 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 2016, the dates are January 30 and 31, 2016. Station set up may begin no earlier than 1300 UTC (8:00 AM EST) on January 30, 2016.
Bands: All bands, except 12, 17, 30 and 60 meters.
Modes: Any mode.
Categories:
a) Number of operators: 1, 2, Multi
b) Site: Indoor, Outdoor, Home

The Marathon Hamfest is only 2 weeks away!

The Skyline Amateur Radio Club "winter 'fest" hamfest will be
 held January 16th from 7AM to noon at the Marathon NY Civic

Center, corner of Peck and Brink St, Marathon NY.

Talk-in on the 147.180 Cortland Repeater + offset 71.9 PL Admission is $5.00 per person.
Sorry, VE testing will not be available this year.

Reserve your tables now, as they are subject to selling out.
To reserve tables or for information contact Pat KC2BQZ at pdunn5@gmail.com or 315-456-8955.

Overnight accommodations available close by at the Three Bear Inn (607)
849-3258

For your Garmin or Tomtom: use the address 7 Peck St. Marathon, NY. It will get you close. The Civic Center building has no posted street address.

Directions to the event:

 From Syracuse and North:
I-81 south to Marathon Exit 9
Turn left at the bottom of the ramp.
Turn right at the first traffic light on to route 221 west.
Turn left on to Peck St. It will be just before a girder bridge, and just after the elementary school.
Continue straight in to the parking lot behind the brown sugar shack.
Please leave the parking spaces across from the building for handicap.

 From Binghamton and South:
I-81 north to Marathon Exit 9
Turn left at the bottom of the ramp.
Continue straight at the traffic light on to route 221 west.
Turn left on to Peck St. It will be just before a girder bridge, and just after the elementary school.
Continue straight in to the parking lot behind the brown sugar shack.
Please leave the parking spaces across from the building for handicap.

..............Thanks to Andy; KB2LUV for sending that on to us!

Send us your Hamfest updates to UpstateHam@gmail.com 

Where to go on the Internet to find Answers for your Amateur Radio Issues

LARC BootCamp - January 2016









Check out the LARC Bootcamp session this month for an interesting explanation on how to effectively access Ham Radio resources on the Internet. Ron Panetta; WB2WGH, will give a demonstration showing various Internet resources available to get answers to Amateur Radio questions and technology news. Come join us on Thursday, January 28th at 6:15pm (LARC monthly meeting follows at 7pm).

W2CM LARC BootCamp – Sponsored by the Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club (LARC) this get-together is similar in concept to the “Now That I’ve Got My License, What Do I Do?” course sponsored by the Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse a number of years ago. It will cover topics of general interest mainly for new hams, but all are welcome. There is no charge for the course which will be held prior to the monthly LARC meetings (4th Thursdays each month) at:

North Syracuse Community Center
700 South Bay Road
North Syracuse, NY 13212

(from the January 2016 LARC "LongWire" newsletter)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our UpstateHam.com readers!

We want  to take a moment to thank all our supporters who submit news items and suggestions that help us keep this blog interesting and informative. We want to also thank the many volunteer efforts of individuals, clubs, groups and associations that provide the structure to support our great Amateur Radio community. A special thanks to the repeater owners, trustees, and businesses that support the wide variety of Amateur Radio infrastructure we all use everyday. This is such a great hobby because all of the people who put in the time, effort and expense to support and advance the hobby.

In this new year think about trying something new. Why not learn a new skill or research a new aspect of the Amateur Radio hobby. Try a new piece of software, a new digital mode, or learn CW. Have you looked into SDR or tuned around the Shortwave bands? There are many interesting aspects of this hobby, so take some time this year to learn something new.

........and maybe you can answer a question,  share a tip or trick, mentor a new Ham, help the repeater guys, or just participate in a NET, come on out and get more involved with this great hobby!

Wishing you all health and happiness in 2016!

73 - Tony