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Ham Stories

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.

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ISS Heard Today Over Miami

So there I was driving home after dropping off my daughter at school and as always I am fiddling with my Kenwood TMV-71A VHF/UHF Transceiver. I start scanning the saved memory channels and the radio stops at 146.460MHz. On that frequency I hear chatter through a considerable deluge of static. Right away I discern that the cadence of the chatter is not the norm for regular amateur traffic. Listening closer, I raise the volume turn the squelch all the way down and turn everything else off to focus on the traffic. I suspect it may be the ISS and quickly look up "146.460 ISS" on google. Sure enough I confirm that it is the frequency often used by the ISS. An additional search yields a current map which tracks the ISS and as suspected they are over the Gulf of Mexico.

The excitement sets in and I get on the KD4LZA 444.800 repeater to sound the alarm and get more ears on this. I get confirmations from Steve W1HQL and Charlie N4CRE that they too are hearing it. Steve confirmed, but the signal was so low that it was too difficult to hear. The signal fading, and life rushing back to remind me that I had other responsibilities than playing radio and trying to listen to Astronauts traveling 254 miles over head at 4.76 miles per second or roughly 17,400 MPH.

Now, I am going about my daily responsibilities and that pesky thing called work, when I get a call from Charlie with news that he had kept on listening, but instead of those buckets of static and QRM, of course Charlie had full quieting on the ISS! I mean have you seen his station? Anyways, I digress, he was kind enough to send me a video with the the crystal clear audio from the ISS.

As it turns out, the International Space Station Expedition Team 66 was doing it's Space Walk number 79 to install the IROSA 3A power channel to expand the power of their solar array. With an expected mission time of 6 hours 30 minutes and open on all channels we were bound to be showered with these radio waves.

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EARC Needs Your Help!!

We have found a photo while cleaning up a bit in our clubhouse shack and we came across this picture. In this picture we have four possible hams, which were probably members of our beloved club. We need your help in identifying these four gentlemen. Please email us if you know the Name , callsign or any other information that could help us determine who they were. The picture was taken between Jun 1978 and Jun 1979. This bit of information was obtained by zooming into the picture with electronic magnifiers. Unfortunately we could not get anything from the patches or name tag on the shirt and jacket of the men two the left of the picture. Now it's up to you to help us find more information. Please email us using the contact us page if you have anything to share that might help us.

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WINTER FIELD DAY 2022

JANUARY 29 TO 30, 2022

BAYFRONT PARK IN THE, BISCAYNE NATIIONAL PARK, HOMESTEAD, FL

SUNRISE SATURDAY TO SUNDAY 2PM

I need to be sure that we are all safe and prepared for the Winter Field Day Event this weekend.

On the top of the list is WEATHER.......
Temps are reported to be in the upper 30's overnight.
We are close to the water so we may experience some moderation to those temperatures due to convection since the water is much warmer.
However we will be coping with a slight Windchill.
With that said, I just want to be sure you are prepared to cope with those chilly temperatures.
Remember this is WINTER Field Day!

For those that wish to operate from home can do so. Below are the rules for home operation with the instructions on how to credit the club with the points gathered during your home ops....

Talk in frequency will be 444.800 and local intercom will be on 144.925 simplex.

As a side project, I would like to record the time it took for each operation set up to compare efficiency.
Basically I would like you to honestly track the time it took you to set up and become operations with Comms only.
If you are experimenting with a first time set up, track that also since it will make for great discussion on how to improve on expediting and simplifying a set up.

Finally,

If you intend to show up at WFD let me know if you are a :
1: visitor
2: day ops only participant
3: for the full 24 hours
4: Home Ops

You can email me at staylor168@yahoo.com to let me know

HOME OPS R&R's
These changes apply ONLY to groups who, due to the Pandemic and possible local restrictions, won’t/can’t be congregating to compete this year.
If your group wishes, you may have a “group/club” score tallied by having individual members fill in the “CLUB:” line in their Cabrillo log file (above). Individual members will operate USING THEIR OWN CALL SIGN (operating under their own privileges), using a class & category exchange that reflects their individual situation.
They will send in their log under their own callsign with the name or callsign of the group/club noted on the “CLUB:” line.
If a callsign is used in the “club” line, it cannot be one used in the contest or on another member’s entry log (it’ll confuse the scoring software). If your group uses a club name, be sure to advise everyone in your group to use the exact same unique name.
Choose wisely! There are dozens of clubs with the same abbreviation (as in LARC, PARC, etc), but it’s unlikely there’s more than one Livonia ARC, or Lincoln ARC. “Club” scores will be the aggregate of the individual members’ scores, regardless of how they operated and will be posted as distinct “Club/Group” scores once tallied.
Your individual members’ logs and scores will be tallied and posted as well (each under their own call), the same as any other entrant.
IMPORTANT.....READ THE FOLLOWING.....WILL UPDATE YOU ON WHO TO SEND THE LOGS TO.....
It might be a good idea to have someone in your club/group collect members’ logs and check them to ensure 2022 WFD Rules 7 the logs are correct before sending them in. It’ll save us time and you aggravation. “Club/Group” scores will likely be the last to be posted as all logs won’t be in till the actual log deadline.


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Instructions on how to receive slow-scan tv from the ISS

How to receive SSTV from Space Station
In this video Randy Hall K7AGE shows you how to receive Slow Scan TV (SSTV) images from the International Space Station (ISS) from December 26-31

Several times a year SSTV images are sent from the ISS. In December 2021 from the 26th through the 31st SSTV images will be transmitted.

A simple two-meter amateur radio, or scanner, is able to receive the signal on 145.800 MHz. You can receive the signal using the antenna on an HT, mobile antenna, or a vertical antenna mounted outside.

I show you how to learn when the ISS will be in the range of your station.
Heavens-Above is a good website to use and it will generate a list of passes for your station.

To decode the SSTV signal you will need software on a computer or portable device. I show MMSSTV on my Windows computer decoding the SSTV signal. I also show decoding SSTV on my iPad.

Watch How to receive SSTV images from the ISS
https://youtu.be/YgY3saXXTXs




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Amateur Radio Get Together This Weekend

On Saturday at 15401 SW 212 St there will be a friendly get together of amateur radio enthusiasts for fun drink and BBQ.
Bring whatever delights that are your favorite to eat and drink.
There will be plenty of food!!!!
It starts at 11am and will run to whatever.
The group will be monitoring on 444.400
Have fun and enjoy!

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Junior Orange Bowl Parade needs Radio Operators

Junior Orange Bowl Committee in Coral Gables, FL

The Junior Orange Bowl Parade is coming back to Downtown Coral Gables! The event will take place Sunday, December 12th, which puts it just under 2 weeks away!
Once again, the committee looks to the amateur radio community for assistance in making this event possible!
They are looking for us to provide some more information from along the route than before, and more information about that will be provided when the final information is sent.

If you are able to participate this year, please contact Brandon Watson n4bgw89@gmail.com so he may begin to fill spots along the route.

They are looking forward to another successful event!

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Miami Marathon Looking for Radio Operators

Miami Marathon 2016 : Stock Photo

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

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Winterfest Boat Parade looking for Radio Operators

The Winterfest Boat Parade will be celebrating their 50th year and we will be celebrating with the best parade ever!
We are in the process of signing up our ham radio volunteers for the various positions along the 12 mile parade route. You will have an assignment, either a bridge or land assignment, and call in certain information to our net control operators over the ham frequencies. Depending on your assignment, you will need to be at your post around 4:00 pm or later. Most hams arrive early to get a parking spot, then go get a bite to eat with others in their assigned area and then go back to the bridge.

• Wednesday, December 8, 2021 – Ham Radio Operator and Control Boat Training – Late afternoon – 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm – Includes dinner!
• Saturday, December 11, 2021 – Winterfest Boat Parade! The Greatest Show on H2O!

We will be installing the radio antennas at 9:30 am on Monday, December 6th. If you are able to help with that, we would appreciate your assistance.

Please email Carol at KJ4AWB@arrl.net with the following information:
• Your full name
• Your call sign
• Your preferred email address
• Your snail mail address
• Your preference of locations if you’ve worked before
• Your CELL phone number