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The Miami Marathon is back after a Covid break, and will take place on Sunday February 6, 2022 !

I hope that you will be able to participate, either for the first time or again, in this major community event. Ham volunteers handle a huge volume of emergency, medical, and logistical information and play a key role in the operation of the Marathon.

We do this by using a net control to efficiently and quickly manage communications with hams at each of the 22 aid stations, in principal race vehicles, as shadows to race officials, and many other important locations.

This is the 20th running of the Marathon, and it has grown to be one of the top racing events in the country with more than 25,000 runners. Hams have played this key role since year one. Together, we raise millions of dollars for many great charities and sponsor health and fitness programs for thousands of our South Florida middle school students.

This is our chance to again demonstrate the importance and value of Ham Radio to our community and on a global scale. This is the type of positive publicity that we need to fight the constant battles to save our share of the spectrum.  

If you haven't done so already, Please let me know if you can join the communications team for a few hours on Sunday February 6 ! It is a lot of fun and you get a cool shirt !

Contact: bnemser@nemal.com

Well we finally did it! We got an HF antenna engineered, tested and installed thanks to a great team of members.
I will list all involved with the install at the end of this update but special mention to the two members that headed up the effort and coordination to get the job done. Alain K4KKC and Charlie N4CRE .
The plan was to spend the evening (overnight) after the Friday meeting to build the antenna and do the install during daylight on Saturday. The antenna selected was a "Off Center Fed" diploe to hang at peak about 60 feet off the ground at center and about 20 feet at its end. Total length with supports is greater than 1/2 a football field! Tower climbing, tree climbing, rigging and roof running were all skills and tasks tested during the event. And that was during daylight. During the evening until at least 3am, tasks included erecting a 30+ foot mast to support the construction and testing of the antenna. Quality wire, 6to1, 4to1 and 1to1 baluns were tested to produce the best results. A VNA (vector network analyzer) and a Rig Expert analyzer were used to record results as the antenna lengths were adjusted. Once the best combination was tested and approved the system was hardened to survive the harsh elements of the Florida sun and rain.
23 year old rum added cheer to the celebration.
On Saturday a 6 foot aluminum extension was installed at the 60 foot height of the tower to support the pully that will hoist the antenna system in palace and allow easy access for maintenance and experimentation. Tree savers with pullies and weights to allow for wind movement and tension protection were installed at each end. DONE!
Also to add to the list of tasks, the club shack was ridden of "stuff" we have collected over the years via the free flea which unfortunately did not gain much interest in the local amateur radio community. We were the only vendor. Club members had their pick of some pretty cool stuff like high tech testing equipment, beam antennas, mikes, radios, books, and cables.
We also made some space for a new club member to set up a GMRS repeater in the very near future. That will be another update soon, so stay tuned for that and hopefully promising reports on HF contacts with our new antenna.

If you have any let me know and I will add you to the dropbox share list.

Participants: 

Luis "Cutter" WD4JKX

Jaime KG4OXO

Logan W0LAB

Charlie N4CRE

Milton KI4AZX

Oscar KN4YHH

Ivan KX4FOX

Chester KM4EAB

Jeff N4ODB

Jose FIU Army Vet

Neil KO4DVG

Well Happy New Year Almost....

This wil be the last blast to the current email list I have in the RMS System for the year 2,019 AD.....

As you well know that in the past 2,019 years alot of events have occured to shape who and what we are today. If you look at the time line, amateur radio is still in its infancy. Who knows what the future may bring to our hobby, That alone is what makes our hobby it so interesting....Somehow I think amateur radio will figure out how to communicate with the floks that will be settleing on Mars in the not so distant future....I hope I am still around to witness that!

Remember the Amatuer in Radio does not mean we are beginners.......It translates to (For the Love Of) in French.

I just wanted to send out this last email to wish all of you a Happy New Year and to divert from the traditional New Year Greeting and extend to you a heartfelt thank you for your friendship in 2019 and the past years we have been aquainted.
Looking forward to another great year that I hope is exciting and eventful for us as Amateur Radio Hobbiests.

See you all Next Year....

73 de W1HQL

Here is the latest from the National Weather Service…………

Dorian to our favor, has tracked a little further north and east moving the predicted land fall east coast mid-state.

There still remains some uncertainty on how Dorian will interact with a ridge forming from the north and with the island of P/R.

Still review your storm plans and think ahead to make your preparations less stressful in the event you need to activate them.

Overview:

• Uncertainty still remains high
• Wind and rain impacts are possible later this weekend
  • Wind impacts could begin as soon as Saturday
  • NWS is predicting a 5% chance Miami may experience winds that are typical for a Tropical Storm 20-30 mph
• A Hurricane will be approaching somewhere along eastern Florida coast this weekend.
• Afternoon thunderstorms and associated impacts will continue over the next several days
• King tides expected over the next several days which could cause coastal impacts

Do not cancel your weekend plans yet….

Check out this link below for a 24 hour birds-eye view of the storm as it tracks over the islands.

http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/mimtc/2019_05L/web/gifsBy12hr_04.gif

The National Weather Service is forecasting rainy conditions starting today and continuing throughout the weekend across South Florida.

Bottom Line:

A tropical wave will bring rainy conditions today and throughout the weekend. Periods of showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the next 3 days. Heavy rainfall will be the primary threat. Waterspouts are also possible.

Overview:
*A tropical wave will move near Florida and the northwest Bahamas this weekend before turning northeast over the western Atlantic Ocean.
*Heavy rainfall is the primary threat with the possibility of waterspouts.
*Elevated tides could create drainage problems in conjunction with the heavy rainfall.
*Widespread 3-5" of rainfall, isolated totals in excess of 8" are possible.
*The highest potential rain amounts are expected along the East Coast metro areas.
*NWS will reassess whether to issue any Flood Watches or Warnings on Friday.
*Canals are in low stage.
*Poor beach and boating conditions are expected throughout the weekend

http://www.amsatsa.org.za/ZS4A%20and%20Es'hailsat.mp4