Mentoring The Next Generation of Hams
The Everglades Amateur Radio Club hosted ARRL's annual Field Day 2023, where radio amateurs and guests got together to talk, eat, drink and have a great time all around. All happening while we tested our equipment and collectively made hundreds of contacts worldwide.
If you would like to see some photos and videos of the event, please click HERE.
As you undoubtedly know by now, our Ham brother and club Vice President, Luis Piñon KI4VEY, is a silent key. If you would like to listen to the net, where club President Steve Taylor W1HQL, made the Last Call for him, please click below.
A big thanks to Alan, WB4L, and Susie, WX2L, for documenting the experience and putting this video together.
So, you got your “ticket" because your friend said it was a good idea and you had nothing better to do that day. Then, since you didn’t know if you were actually going to like this ham radio stuff, you decided to dip your toe in the water and buy the cheapest radio you could find on Amazon… the Baofeng UV-5R. Ok, great! Now what?
Well, I am sure you want to hear some people chat and, eventually, build up the courage to say hello yourself and maybe even have a conversation with others. Ok, so go outside, punch in the VHF calling frequency, throw out your callsign, let everyone know that you are monitoring and sit back and basque in the glory brought forth by the throngs of people that have been waiting for this particular moment in time. The moment of your arrival on the air waves. Wait… no one came back to you after going hoarse calling CQ on simplex? Ok, ok… maybe you need to expand your possibilities by using a repeater.
Here we go… punch in the repeater frequency of the nearest repeater, set the offset and PL Tone, throw out your callsign and wait for the comeback.
Oh, I see. You don’t know half of the things I just told you to do? No worries, that is what we are here for… to help each other out.
Let’s take it back to the basics. Get a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage, sit back in your comfortable computer chair and watch Ham Radio Crash Course’s video on everything you need to do with your new Baofeng UV-5R (or whatever your new radio of choice happens to be).
Josh, KI6NAZ, will show you...
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from our radio family to yours. As we wrap up 2022, we wish you the best to come in 2023. May you make lots of QSO’s and not let the "magic smoke" out of any of your gear.
73 de W4SVI
Last week, I found myself with a "1st World" problem… I could not hit my local repeater from inside the workplace with my HT. What's a ham to do during lunch time… just sit there and eat? No way! There had to be a way without deploying heftier radios and antennas.
A couple of days later, While eating my spaghetti and meatballs , I sat there wishing I could play radio with the same great performance of my base station gear while not at home, so I began looking around the inter-webs. Then, I came across a software package that provided me with just the solution I was looking for. The app let me connect to my Icom IC-705 remotely, using my laptop or my iPad. It provided me most, if not all, of the functionality I would have if I were sitting in front of my radio at home. It is extremely intuitive and a piece of cake to set up. The audio coming through is clear as day and, as far as I can tell, the audio I am sending out is just as good, with zero to no latency. In fact, a couple of my fellow hams… Tim, KM4DFR and Charlie, N4CRE, have given me great signal reports. Thank you.
The app is called SDR-Control and more information can be found at https://roskosch.de/sdr-control/
With the good, comes the bad. In this case, the possible "bad" for you might be the limited radios the app supports (i.e. Icom IC-705, Icom IC-9700 and the Icom IC-7610) and the price of the app. However, it all depends on your perspective. I am a firm believer of supporting developers if they provide me with quality software. Your opinion may vary.
Lots of YouTubers, including Josh, KI4NAZ, go into more depth in his video below, so make sure you check it out before making your decision.
Here at the Everglades Amateur Radio Club, we are always trying new things and pushing the envelope with everything ham radio related. Our newest project is called Ham Stories. This will give us a platform to showcase our fellow hams and get to know them a little better, discuss their current projects, pass on some of their abundant knowledge or just sit and chat for a bit. The sky is the limit.
What better person to kick off the project, than Steve W1HQL, president of the club? Steve graciously spent some time with me and shared his ham story. Keep a look out for that interview to be posted right here.
If you, or someone you know, would like to be showcased, please email me at interview@hamstories.com. Thank you all, in advance, for you support and constructive feedback.
Have you ever been spinning that VFO and heard something that you did not recognize? Maybe it was something you never heard before or the scope was showing a pattern that puzzled you? Well, chances are you are not the first or last to experience that signal.
The Signal Identification Wiki is a repository of hundreds of signal descriptions, photos and even audio that you can use to reference and, of course, identify almost everything you come across on the airways. Since it is a wiki, you can also expand on existing entries or create a new one that may not be on the site. It is a pretty great place to spend some time expanding your knowledge. Enjoy!
Come out and join the Everglades Amateur Radio Club, W4SVI, for our annual ARRL Field Day. We will be meeting at the John D. Campbell Agricultural Center on Saturday, June 26th and Sunday, June 27th. Although ARRL Field Day officially starts June 26th at 2 PM local time, come early and take advantage of our popular Flea Market starting at 8 AM.