Everglades Radio Club Minutes – February 8, 2019

President’s Report: Steven Taylor, W1HQL (absent).

Secretary Report: Secretary, Bill, KG2CS. Report tabled.

Vice-President: Frank, AF4FU Chaired the meeting. (Thank you Frank)

Treasurer: Timothy Sleepy.   

Treasurer’s Report: $3266.20.00(approx) petty cash $35.00

Motioned and passed. (per Pete and Frank)

Introductions/New Business: 

Frank, AF4FU did introductions.

ISS Demostration SSTV. ISS was sighted, but not received. Apparently , they were not transmitting. Steve gave demonstration.

Doug talked about the wilderness protocol 121.5 Mayday frequency (air band Alaska only)

16th  a work party at the Ag Center. 10 am start time. For antenna raising. HF, dual band and APRS. It’s time to put the club on the air. Not too early to think about Field Day. It’s going to be great. Frank mentioned a free flea for around April 2019.

Review by Frank, Field Day.

One for testing. Hoorah for DJ! Frank  gave to the club. $15.00.

ARRL:

Current Nets: (subject to change)

Tuesday Night: 7 PM American Red Cross. 7:30 PM EARC. 146.865.

Cutler Bay 146.865. PL 94.5. This will be the net repeater for the moment.

Wednesday night: 7 PM. Cutler Bay 146.865. Simplex 146.520. 7:30 PM Main 146.700

Thursday Night: North Dade Radio Club. 444. 800 PL 94.5

ARES: 3.940 on 7:30 AM Saturdays.

General Nets of Interest: Southcars 7.251 8 am-1 pm (365 days a year). Sunday morning: Bill: N4LTT (former president EARC) 9:00 am.  Bill, KG2CS: 10 AM.

Maritime Mobile Net/Intercontinental Net: 14.300 10 am-10 pm. (365 days a year)

Waterway Net 7.68 7:30 am.

Adjourned 8:16 PM.

Meeting ending motion, and seconded to adjourn at 7:38 PM.

3 for testing.

We need emails for members. For group emails.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill KG2CS

On the Bands- Bill KG2CS                    October 2018

Well I’ve been a bit more radioactive over the past few months. So with that said, I am going to present the resurrected version of: On the Bands. Basically, it’s a stream of consciousness about my amateur radio activities over the past month. Some might find it interesting, some may use it to line their Kitty pan.

HF conditions. If I hear one more time somebody tell me how bad the bands are, well they have not been sitting in front of their radio. With the autumnal equinox, 20 meters has been open in the evenings for stateside and DX contacts. On a typical evening in about 90 minutes of operating I work about 13 to 15 states, have a couple ragchews, and work a couple countries.

Also, with the lower sunspot activities there are some upsides. With the winter coming, think of the lower bands as the atmospherics will be much quieter. 40 meters is a good DX band now, nearly every evenings to Europe. Early in the morning, 5or 6 AM, I’ve worked into Australasia and Oceana pretty regularly.

I know many of you like the new digital modes, and I’m doing some of that too. But I’m kinda old school and I enjoy a ragchew. So what can happen with the rag shoe? I worked a fella in California the other night that I spoke to in 2005. He was able to tell me that at that time my operating conditions were in ICOM 730. Seems like a lifetime ago. I worked another fellow the other night that I had worked 16 years ago on 6 meters. So, you can renew old friendships and make new friends throughout the country.

And I’d like to thank Steve, and others on the club, as we navigate through the various repeaters and FM nets. I’ve been experimenting with some of the beams I put up, and I’m having fun with them. Also, in the spirit of keeping your radio on, I was walking the other day for my two-mile walk in the late afternoon. I turned my phone off and I carry my handheld. So I talked to my home base on 146.520. And we were chatting, and then all of a sudden another person jumped in the conversation. He was monitoring 520 driving past us on US 1 and joined in the conversation. That was cool. Well, that’s about it for this month for On the Bands. If you’d like me to go old school and print some information you have for the club, just email me at william232@aol.com.

73’s and good DX,

Bill KG2CS