NEW! ARRL Learning Network Webinars

 The ARRL has a new member benefit you might want to take advantage of. You can participate live or catch the recorded session later. 

Link to ARRL LN webinar site on-line: http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network

Learning Network Webinars

Overview: ARRL's Learning Network is a webinar series to help introduce members to the variety of activities and opportunities enjoyed by radio amateurs. These live presentations will be given by member-volunteers, for all members. Like hamfest forums and radio club presentations, the webinars are intended to help participants get more active, involved, and engaged in amateur radio. Presentations are 30-minutes each to accommodate attendee's busy schedules, followed by a 15-minute period for questions-and-answers. For additional information contact ARRL's Lifelong Learning department.

Upcoming Schedule

Amateur Radio Logging
Presented by Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
Discover the advantages of keeping an electronic Amateur Radio Log. Find out why you may need more than one software program for logging-contesting, digital modes, special events, etc. Learn about using one full-featured logging program to pull everything together, interface with outside databases, handle electronic QSLing, etc. The discussion will include file formats, importing and exporting data between programs, submitting contest logs online and safe backup of data.
Thursday January 14, 2021 @ 3:30 pm EST (2030 UTC)

Emergency Communications: Why Train?
Presented by Greg Evans, K5GTX - Section Emergency Coordinator for North Texas and Assistant Emergency Coordinator for Collin County
Why should we train? Utilizing Amateur Radio Operators in an EMCOMM situation is a key function that can save lives. As AROs, we must be able to respond to the needs of our served agencies quickly and responsibly. Topics covered include, Incident Command System and its relevance, building on consistent training, interoperability with multiple communications providers, interoperability with VOAD and partners, Mission One: Get the information delivered.
Thursday January 21, 2021 @ 3:30 pm EST (2030 UTC)

Easy Helical Copper Tape and PVC 2m Vertical Antenna
Presented by John Portune, W6NBC
Here's how to quickly build from hardware-store copper tape and PVC pipe a tiny 18 in. continuously loaded light weight portable or base station 2m omni-directional vertical antenna with performance and efficiency comparable to a 5 ft. J-pole. Cost: roughly $10. It's an easy afternoon's home brew project, ideal for the new ham but equal to the serious hams' needs. It is great for events like bike-a-thons. It also makes an excellent ham radio club hands-on build-it meeting project. Further, it adapts well to other bands.
Tuesday February 2, 2021 @ 1 pm EST (1800 UTC)

Interesting Stories about Ham Radio & Weather Spotting
Presented by Rob Macedo, KD1CY
One of the most critical ways Amateur Radio supports agencies such as the National weather service, National Hurricane Center and Emergency Management is via weather spotting via the NWS SKYWARN program. This presentation goes through interesting stories about how Amateurs involved in SKYWARN have saved lives and property and how this is an important Amateur Radio activity.
Thursday February 11, 2021 @ 8 pm EST (0100 UTC on Friday, February 12)

Maxim Memorial Station W1AW Tour
Presented by Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, W1AW Station Manager
Maxim Memorial Station W1AW, located in Newington, Connecticut was established to honor the memory of ARRL’s co-founder and first president, Hiram Percy Maxim.  Although the first radio station of the ARRL was actually located in Hartford, Connecticut and active as W1MK, W1AW in Newington is known worldwide and considered the radio station most associated with Hiram Percy Maxim. Formally established in 1938 – nearly two years after the death of Hiram Percy Maxim - W1AW has consistently been on the air, save for the time when the station was ordered off the air by the FCC because of World War II. This guided tour will provide an inside look at W1AW and will be led by Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q.
Thursday February 18, 2021 @ 3:30 pm EST (2030 UTC)
 

Recorded Webinars

ARRL members may use the recording links to view recorded webinars for personal use only. Members may also use the videos for presentations to ARRL-affiliated radio clubs. ARRL Learning Network recordings are subject to copyright, and all rights are reserved. Downloaded videos should be deleted after promptly viewing, and videos may not be stored, introduced to a retrieval system, or published or shared elsewhere. If you have any questions contact ARRL's Lifelong Learning department.

Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year! 

Here we go into a new year! It looks like we may be turning a corner with the Covid Pandemic which has affected all our lives in the past year. Hopefully we are reaching a peak and that things will improve as we go through the winter. We hope you and your family are safe and getting through these very challenging times. 

Hats off to the clubs and groups who got creative to hold on-line meetings, training events and VE exams during the pandemic. I attended several meetings that were very well run. I hope some of these types of meetings and trainings might stay as regular options for some of us who are challenged by distance or other circumstances! 

Don't forget that Winter Field day is coming up on January 30-31. Great time to get outside or participate from the warmth of your own shack. (learn more here: https://www.upstateham.com/2020/12/winter-field-day-2021.html ). We are also very optimistic about sunspot cycle 25 which is looking more promising everyday!  Take a minute to check the low bands, as we have been finding finding some really nice openings lately!

We are hopeful that later this year hamfests and in-person meetings will start to be held as the situation improves. Watch our pages for Event updates as they become available. 

Our Events schedule: https://www.upstateham.com/p/2014-upstate-hamfests-that-i-have-heard.html

From the team here at UpstateHam.com; Wishing you all Health and Happiness in 2021!

Skyline Amateur Radio Club Hamfest, scheduled for 1/9/2021 is cancelled

 From Andy; KB2LUV

Just letting you know that the Hamfest scheduled for January 9th, 2021 in Marathon NY has been cancelled. Although we notified the ARRL, it is in the December QST as happening; which is not the case.  

We hope conditions will be favorable for our summer hamfest on June 12th at the Cortland County Fairgrounds, and that we will see you there!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Andrew Slaugh KB2LUV

kb2luv@arrl.net

Secretary, Skyline Amateur Radio Club

Winter Field Day - 2021

 

As winter weather starts to arrive in Upstate NY, its time to start thinking about Winter Field Day! This can be a fun opportunity to make some contacts from inside or out. Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), will take place over the January 28-29 weekend. The event’s stated purpose is to encourage emergency operating preparedness in the winter, but it’s also an excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors. 

“Don’t let those winter doldrums keep you locked up in the house,” the WFDA says. “Get out and play some radio!” The WFDA said it believes that maintaining operating skills should not be limited to fair-weather scenarios.The event is not restricted to North America. All Amateur Radio operators around the world are invited to participate, and there are three entry categories — indoor, outdoor, and home.

More info at: https://www.winterfieldday.com/

Sunspot Cycle 25 - best ever?

 Story from the Science Daily:

"Official" NASA prediction

According to a new article published in Solar Physics, a team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is predicting that the Sunspot Cycle that started this fall could be one of the strongest since record-keeping began. This contradicts the "official" NASA prediction which forecasts a fairly weak cycle, much like Cycle 24.

The article points out the evolving science and new studies that look to better understand the sunspot cycle. "Scientists have struggled to predict both the length and the strength of sunspot cycles because we lack a fundamental understanding of the mechanism that drives the cycle," said NCAR Deputy Director Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist who led the study. "If our forecast proves correct, we will have evidence that our framework for understanding the Sun's internal magnetic machine is on the right path.

Things could be looking up for those of us who enjoy the fruits of a more active sunspot cycles for enhancing our amateur communications. Read more about these new predictions below.

Link to the Science Daily article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201207142308.htm

NASA's Cycle 25 official prediction: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/what-will-solar-cycle-25-look-like-sun-prediction-model

MARS civilian volunteers stand ready for emergencies in Syracuse

Very interesting article on the DVIDs web site explaining the MARS program at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse NY.

The article shares stories of several area Hams and also that the Syracuse MARS team is one of the most active in New York state.

The Military Auxiliary Radio System is run by the Air Force and Army, and manned by civilian amateur radio operators who donate their time and talents to maintaining an emergency short-wave radio communications system to back up traditional communications network

According to Master Sgt. Linda Walker, 174th Radio and Spectrum Non-Commissioned Officer, hosting the MARS station is beneficial to the 174th Attack Wing because they will be able to provide communication in any type of emergencies including nuclear attacks and natural disasters.

“We’d be happy to train up anybody on how to use the equipment,” said Bridges. “If there was enough interest, we’d even teach classes for people to get their amateur radio license.

If interested in joining a USAF MARS team, contact their hotline at (888)778-6277(MARS) or send an email to join@afmars-mil.us

Read the full article: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/384757/mars-civilian-volunteers-stand-ready-emergencies-syracuse

CNY Repeater List (Utica-Rome) Nov. 2020

 Thanks to Pete Kitt; KC2GQR for this updated list!

Santa Net - Thanksgiving thru 12/24/20

For the 15th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets will be presenting The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good
girls and boys can talk to Santa Claus, via amateur radio, nightly at 7:15 PM (Central) starting Friday, November 27, 2020. The Santa Net will run nightly at 7:15 PM Central through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2020.

Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, "Christmastime and Santa Net are the best time of the year on 3916. We enjoy helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they'll always remember.   And we get to introduce young people to the magic of amateur radio."

Youngsters can talk to "Santa at The North Pole" via strategically placed operators who relay the voice of Santa. Thomson said that The Santa Net is a team effort that involves the efforts of a number of 3916 Net members. He said, "In our first year, we connected 10 kids to Santa on Ham Radio and it's grown steadily since. This year we should connect over 800 children with Santa Claus."

Prior to each night's Santa Net, pre-net check-ins can be made at www.cqsanta.com Third party rules and regulations apply.

The Santa Nets are presented annually by The 3916 Nets. The Rag Chew Crew, The Tailgaters and The Freewheelers are all amateur radio nets that meet on 3.916 MHz nightly. For more information on The 3916 Nets, go to http://www.3916nets.com   For more information on The Santa Net, email KE5GGY at Gmail dot com.

Propagation Research Project - Help Needed!!!

 

Volunteers Needed for Propagation Research Project   From our friends at HamSCI... HamSCI (www.hamsci.org) is looking for amateur radio operators around the world to help collect propagation data during the December 14 eclipse across South America. Data collection requires an HF radio connected to a computer. There will be 24-hour practice runs on November 21 and December 5. The main data recording will run from December 9-16, to ensure an abundance of control data. Details of the experiment may be found here: https://hamsci.org/december-2020-eclipse-festival-frequency-measurement   Instructions are also available in Spanish and Portuguese.  Interested operators should sign up at this link (https://forms.gle/C9PFSTeLf7xvCQDYA) or directly contact Kristina Collins at kd8oxt@case.edu.

SkyWarn Recognition Day 2020 - 12/5/20

 from the SkyWarn Jacksonville Fla. Team:

00 -24 UTC December 5th, 2020

On behalf of the SRD Planning Team, I want to take a little of your time to formally announce that Skywarn Recognition Day 2020 (SRD 2020) is a go.

However, like all things 2020, expect significant changes and a ‘new normal’.

NWS Offices will be out of play this year. Due to the staffing constraints related to COVID, running base stations from NWS offices have been removed from the picture.

So, what are we doing?

This will be open to all Skywarn Spotters including amateur radio and non-amateur radio operators.

• Skywarn Recognition Day Webpage is operational
• Amateur Radio Skywarn Operators are encouraged to reach out to all who have registered (the registration is up and running.)
• NWS Operations may need to work on developing liaison methods (NWSChat/Other Comms) to collaborate with off-site amateur radio net control operators
  • Coordinate this locally
• Skywarn Recognition Facebook page has been setup – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2670993076293359
  • Social Media will be active – and we are working on setting up a series of live streams throughout the 24 hour period.
  • Including a ‘Faces of Skywarn” interactive event!
  • Local Offices are encouraged to engage your local Skywarn Spotters during the day!

Certificating and Logging procedures are still being worked out – so check the SRD webpage frequently!

I have received a few questions and the most common are included here:

“Can we operate the NWS Amateur Station from a remote location?”

• The simple answer is yes you can.
  • Since we cannot operate from within the NWS offices, remote operations are encouraged.
• You must work with the station trustee to assure they are aware of and will permit this operation.
• It is also recommended that this be ONE club/operator at any given time to avoid confusion (the registration allows you to identify operational time periods.)
• ALL station operators should adhere to CDC. state and local guidelines (social distancing, face coverings, etc.)

“Is there a cost for participation?”

• No, other than personal time and equipment.

“I don’t have an amateur radio license, can I still participate?”

• Absolutely, this is open to ALL Skywarn Spotters (and actually for non-Skywarn Spotters)
• This is an opportunity to promote and recognize Skywarn Spotters.

Skywarn Recognition Day Webpage – www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition

Skywarn Recognition Day Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2670993076293359

Skywarn Recognition Day Notification List – SRD+subscribe@groups.io (put “Subscribe” in the subject line

What is Skywarn and learn about using it in Upstate NY: https://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

SkyWarn Training - Fall/Winter 2020

 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 :https://www.weather.gov/aly/skywarn

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

Tech License Training course Nov. 14 & 15, 2020

 

2020 Pumpkin Patrol in Upstate NY

 

 Upstate Counties participating:

NY QSO Party - Saturday 10/17/20

 

NYQSO Party rules: http://nyqp.org/NYQP_Rules.pdf

Send all questions to: info@nyqp.org

East Avon Hamfest - Sunday 9/27/20

 

Venue info at: https://www.eastavonfleamarket.com/