Archives of the N9XH.org Front Page |
2010 |
| ARRL Central Division Vice-Director Visits PCARA |
|
| May 8, 2010 - For the first time in club history, a Central Division ARRL representative has come for a visit. Vice-Director, Kermit Carlson W9XA attended the May 2010 PCARA club meeting held at the Justice Center in Balsam Lake. Kermit received an "Honorary Membership" as a thank-you for providing the club with an excellent program describing the current events the League is working on, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of Headquarters. Kermit W9XA is shown holding his honorary membership certificate next to PCARA club President, Rick W9WS. Photo: Rick W9WS |
|
| May 8, 2010 - Kermit W9XA, ARRL Central Division Vice-Director is shown above talking to Carlos N9GIM during the May meeting. Kermit lives in Batavia, IL and drove the 7 hour trip through Wisconsin only to be met by freezing temperatures, snow and ice along Hwy. 8 in Polk County. The strange and surprising weather did not hamper his enthusiasm as he provided the club with an engaging presentation and personal anecdotes about his job at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory where he works as an Engineering Physicist. Photo: Rick W9WS |
|
| May 8, 2010 - A professional table-top display of ARRL publications met club members as they entered the Multi-Purpose room at the Polk County Justice Center on Saturday. A special offer was made to those who joined or renewed their ARRL membership. The PCARA is an affiliated ARRL club. Photo: Rick W9WS |
May Meeting Location: Justice Center
Special Guest, Kermit W9XA from ARRL |
May 5, 2010 - ARRL Central Division Vice-Director, Kermit Carlson W9XA will be the guest speaker at the PCARA monthly meeting on May 8th. Kermit was elected to this position earlier this year and has made several appearances around the Division. Kermit will present an informative discussion about the League and answer questions about the ARRL and it's role in amateur radio today.
The PCARA will meet at the Justice Center on Saturday at 09:00 in the Multi-Purpose Room. |
|
| PCARA Members Visit National Weather Service Office |
|
| May 4, 2010 - Shown above are several amateurs from various clubs around our area, including the PCARA. Mike KC9JIK, Dan KB9OBF and Mark KC9PJJ attended the special event at the Chanhassen National Weather Service Office. The special invitation and visit occurred on May 1st. Thanks to our members for taking the time to attend this special meeting. |
|
| May 4, 2010 - Members of the PCARA attended a special Skywarn event at the NWS in Chanhassen. Several net control operators of the KØMPX amateur radio station were there as well to explain the communications set up. PCARA members learned about weather balloon launches, the hub-and-spoke ham radio reporting system and how and when to start a weather net. It was also reported that our 2 meter repeater, N9XH, can easily communicate through the KØMPX station now that we've made significant improvements. Photos: Dan KB9OBF |
| Electrical System Repaired at Tower Shack |
|
| April 12, 2010 - This photo was taken after the new power distribution panel was installed. A light switch and utility outlet are mounted to the box. L to R - Fred AB9LV, Marv KC9IRT, and Greg N9CHA. John NØTCN and Chris KC9NVV were also a part of the work crew. Our repeater is on a separate circuit with additional circuits added for the packet and APRS equipment, plus future equipment. All of the wiring and outlets were replaced. The crew was able to re-use the existing conduit and some of the electrical boxes. Photo: Chris KC9NVV |
|
| April 12, 2010 - The packet radio and APRS equipment sit on a newly installed counter top in the tower shack. This work was completed after the power distribution system was repaired. Thanks to Chuck WD9GWG for donating the counter. Photo: Chris KC9NVV |
| PCARA Gets Visit from Eric K9LGE |
|
| April 10, 2010 - Eric K9LGE from St. Charles, IL, member of the Fox River Radio League visited with members of the PCARA on Saturday, April 10th during the monthly club meeting. Eric was in the area on business. He had visited Barron High School where he met Mike KC9JIK who introduced himself as a fellow ham and member of the club. Eric and Greg connected on the N9XH repeater and coordinated the Saturday Eyeball QSO. Photo: Chris KC9NVV |
| Net Check-In Table Developed |
| April 6, 2010 - Thanks to Mike KC9JIK and Josh KC9QXN, the PCARA web site now includes a table listing check-ins to the Monday Night Net. The net is held every Monday night at 21:00 local time on our 2 meter repeater. For more information, and to review the new Check-In Table, click HERE. |
| CQ CQ CQ de KC9JIK Tractor Mobile |
|
| April 5, 2010 - KC9JIK tractor mobile! Anyone who has been on the PCARA repeater lately has heard Mike KC9JIK out doing farm chores. He's been spreading liquid gold over the fields getting ready for spring planting. His tractor-mobile ham shack utilizes a Yaesu FT-60 hand-held, speaker microphone and quarter-wave mag mount. Thanks for the pictures Mike! |
| Repairs Completed - Installation Successful |
|
| March 13, 2010 - An antenna repair and installation project was undertaken at the QTH of Dan KB9OBF and Missy KB9YZY. The crew of PCARA members above are removing a defective dual-band antenna and replacing it with a new one. Pictured left to right are: Chris KC9NVV, Dan KB9OBF, Mike KC9JIK (behind), Marv KC9IRT, Mark KC9GHQ, and Fred AB9LV. The team of helpful hams gathered after the morning's membership meeting to give Dan a helping hand with the project. Photo: Greg N9CHA |
|
| March 13, 2010 - After the dual-band antenna repairs had been completed it was time to push the 30' mast back up into position. In just a few minutes, the mast was erected and the guy wires reinstalled. Temperatures were in the low 40's allowing the crew to work without gloves and heavy jackets. Dan KB9OBF tested the new dual-band antenna and reported excellent results. Photo: Greg N9CHA |
|
| March 13, 2010 - Taking careful aim at a notch between two tree limbs, Mike KC9JIK pulls back on his bow and arrow to launch an antenna line. Mike is an avid hunter and has hours of practice using his sophisticated bow setup. With a single shot, he was able to place the monofilament line into a tree in order to secure one end of an 80 Meter dipole for Dan KB9OBF. Photo: Greg N9CHA |
| New Ham - New Antenna |
|
| March 13, 2010 - George KJ4SXN stands proudly holding his new dual-band J-Pole that he and his brother-in-law Mark KC9PJJ built today. Mark is our club's Vice President and is currently visiting family in Florida. Congratulations to George for getting his Technician license on the 11th of March! Maybe he can check into an IRLP node and talk to Mark from time to time after he returns to Dresser? Good going guys! |
| WIQP Sunday March 14 |
| March 9, 2010 - Sunday, March 14, from 13:00 to 20:00 local (CDT) is the annual Wisconsin QSO Party operating event. Hosted by the West Allis Radio Amateur Club, this 7 hour contest is fun to operate! Both phone and cw contacts are allowed; you exchange your signal report and your County. For more information, be sure to download the 2010 WIQP rules from the WARAC web site. And don't forget fellow club members, list the PCARA as your home club when you submit your logs. Good luck and have fun! |
| Eau Claire ARC Hosts Auction |
| March 2, 2010 - The 22nd Annual Amateur Radio Equipment Auction, hosted by the Ear Claire Amateur Radio Club is being held on March 13, 2010. Starting at 8:30, the Auction is being held at Grace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. For more information, click HERE. |
| Can You Spot the Cage Dipole? |
|
| February 24, 2010 - On a recent business trip, Greg N9CHA passed through Port Huron, MI and noticed the cage dipole stretched between the masts of the "Huron Lightship." The Huron Lightship Amateur Radio Club K8HLN runs special event operations from this permanent museum. A detailed explanation of the Lightship can be found on the K8HLN QRZ listing. |
| General Class Completes Week 3 |
|
| February 20, 2010 - Using an NPN transistor as a switch was one of the circuits the members of the General Upgrade class completed on Saturday. Scott KC9IUM (center) is shown above measuring the Base to Emitter voltage of the circuit put together by Ed W9ABA (left) and Dan KB9OBF (right). Photo: Greg N9CHA |
|
| February 20, 2010 - Inductance, reactance, impedance and digital components were the topics during the General Class on Saturday. With only one more week to go, the students are getting anxious to take their tests. A half-wave rectifier is shown above on the oscilloscope. Placing a diode in series with the output from a transformer illustrates the concept to the students. Photo: Rick W9WS |
| Skywarn Spotter Classes - April 8, 2010 |
| February 15, 2010 - Two Skywarn Spotter Classes have been scheduled for Polk County in April. In an announcement by Kathy Poirier, Director of Polk County Emergency Management, one of the classes will be held at the Justice Center in Balsam Lake, and the other will be held at the Amery High School. Both classes are scheduled for April 8th. For more information, click HERE. |
| PCARA Treated to "High Altitude" Presentation |
|
February 13, 2010 - A fascinating and well organized presentation about Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning was the featured program at the PCARA February meeting. Rick KØBR from the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) brought a payload along called SARA POD II (above). This small styrofoam container houses an APRS transmitter and GPS receiver, digital camera and a high-volume siren (used during recovery). Details regarding Rick's presentation can be found HERE. If you'd like to download Rick's presentation, click HERE.
Photo: Rick W9WS |
| Notice: Breakfast Location Changed |
| February 12, 2010 - We have been informed that the "Thirsty Otter" in Balsam Lake will not open until 9am Saturdays. Since many of our club members like to first have breakfast prior to the club meeting, the new spot for the time being is "Angler's Inn" 111 Main Street, Balsam Lake. We hope to see you there! |
| Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning - Feb. 13th |
|
| February 11, 2010 - Rick KØBR from the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) was first licensed in 2004. Since then, Rick has been very active in his club, and was elected club President in 2008. He searched out and found an activity that he has become very active; Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning. Near-space photographs (above) are just the beginning in providing exciting adventures in ham radio. Rick will inform the members of the PCARA about his contributions to the University of Minnesota Near Space experiments and how his club, the SARA have gotten involved with each flight. Photo: Rick KØBR |
| Hands-On Workshop Fun & Educational |
|
February 6, 2010 - Members of the PCARA gathered to take part in a Digital Workshop featuring sound card modes, packet radio, amateur television and D-Star. Brian KDØHKR is shown above transmitting PSK31 from the clubs hamshack. Other modes were demonstrated as well including RTTY, MFSK16 and SSTV. Fred AB9LV demonstrated ATV and Mark KC9GHQ demonstrated packet radio and several software programs available for sending Winlink messages. To learn more about the Digital Workshop, click HERE.
Photo: Rick W9WS |
| Digital Workshop - February 6th |
| February 1, 2010 - The Digital Workshop will feature: Packet Radio, Amateur TV, Sound Card Modes and D-Star. Examples of each will be demonstrated and available for experimentation. The workshop starts at 09:00 and will conclude at 12:00. We will meet in the Lunch Room at the Polk County Government Center in Balsam Lake. If you have ever wanted to experience some of the more popular digital modes, here's your chance! |
|
| "High Altitude Balloon Presentation" February 13th |
| January 25, 2010 - We are having a special guest at our February club meeting. Rick KØBR from the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) is going to present "Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning." Rick says the presentation will last about an hour with Q & A after. He is bringing a Power Point presentation which will highlight some of the ARHAB projects he's been involved with. |
| General Upgrade Class - Week 2 Completed |
|
| January 23, 2010 - How do you add resistors in a circuit when they are in series? How about if they are in parallel? That and several other hands-on examples were used as illustrations during the second week of the General Upgrade Class. The students used an oscilloscope to measure the RF peak-to-peak voltage coming out of a transceiver, used their VOM's and an RF probe, and discovered what happens when you use a capacitor in a DC circuit and an AC circuit. Photo: Rick W9WS |
|
| January 23, 2010 - PCARA club member Greg N9CHA uses a digital white-board to record the calculated and measured values of resistors in series. The students used the proper formulas to calculate the expected total resistance of a circuit, then actually built the circuit using 1/4 watt resistors and a breadboard. The General Upgrade Classes continue on February 20th. Photo: Rick W9WS |
| General Class Study Guide - Lessons 9 - 12 Available |
| January 22, 2010 - General Class students can now download the Study Guide for Lessons 9 thru 12. The Study Guides are used during class. We cover two lessons in the morning, and the other two in the afternoon. Click HERE for more. |
| "Great Time During NAQP!" |
|
| January 18, 2010 - The North American QSO Party is a fun contest to participate in. Rick W9WS put his hamshack (pictured above) in "contest mode" this past weekend and made several contacts. Rick is now using a new logging program called "AETHER." It is written for Max OS X and includes many features that are very handy during a rag chew or a contest like the NAQP. Photo: Rick W9WS |
| General Upgrade Class - Week 1 Completed |
| January 17, 2010 - The first week (out of four) of the General Class Upgrade sessions has now been completed. Six students wishing to get their General license participated in the class. They are: Ed W9ABA, Dennis KB9SOX, Mark KC9PJJ, Dan KB9OBF, Jon KC9PJG, Scott KC9IUM. The next class is scheduled for January 23rd. For more information, click HERE. |
|
| January 16, 2010 - General Class students participate during the first class session. The classes are being held at the Polk County Justice Center in Balsam Lake. Thanks to the County and Kathy Poirier, Polk County EMC for making the facility available and supplying the AV equipment. Photo: Rick W9WS |
|
| January 16, 2010 - Greg N9CHA, a PCARA member and ARRL Registered Instructor coordinated the General Upgrade classes. An Icom IC-7000 transceiver, sound card interface and CW paddle were on display to help illustrate some of the course materials. A Power Point presentation and Study Guide is available for each of the 16 lessons. You can view or download these materials. Click HERE for more information. Photo: Rick W9WS |
| General Class Study Guide - Lessons 5 - 8 Available |
| January 15, 2010 - General Class students can now download the Study Guide for Lessons 5 thru 8. The Study Guides are used during class. We cover two lessons in the morning, and the other two in the afternoon. Click HERE for more. |
| KC9NVV Participates in 11th Annual SKYWARN Activity |
|
| January 14, 2010 - Last December, Chris KC9NVV participated in the 11th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day by contacting 18 different stations. Using Echolink, Chris was able to conduct QSO's with National Weather Service amateur radio stations. |
|
| January 14, 2010 - Next year Chris hopes to make the contacts using HF. The sponsors for the event are the National Weather Service WXØGLD and the ARRL. Congratulations Chris! |
| New Web Page Link: PROJECTS |
January 13, 2010 - Did you notice the new link? It's just above this text in the navigation bar at the top of our web page. The "PROJECTS" link highlights various club member efforts to build amateur radio equipment. The first project listed is a VHF/UHF antenna built from copper pipe and fittings. There's even a how-to video you can watch.
Do you have a project you'd like to share? Are you working on something now that you can photograph and write a how to guide or review of what you're working on? Be sure to let Greg N9CHA know what you're up to!
Click on the link above to visit the "PROJECTS" page, or click HERE. |
| General Class Study Guide - Lessons 1 - 4 Available |
| January 12, 2010 - Those participating in the General Upgrade classes beginning this coming weekend should download the Study Guide now. This guide will be used during class and will help you prepare for Lessons 1 thru 4. It's also a great document to use for self-study. Click HERE for more information. |
| General "UPGRADE" Classes Start This Weekend |
|
| January 11, 2010 - The General Upgrade Classes begin this weekend at the Polk County Justice Center starting at 8:30 Saturday morning. Please use the Visitors parking lot and enter through the main entrance. We will be using the "Multi Purpose Room" which is just off the main lobby. Look for the signs! Need more information, click HERE. |
| N9XH-10 APRS/Packet Update |
|
| January 11, 2010 - Got cables? Yes we do! Pictured above is the battery back-up system installed at the repeater shack to keep both our Packet (WIPOLK) station, and our APRS (N9XH-10) stations on the air when the power goes out. The 26 Amp/hr battery was supplied by Mark KC9GHQ. The PowerGate, RigRunner and cables were supplied by Greg N9CHA. Even though the battery is used, tests showed it still has nearly 70% capacity remaining. It is estimated that both the APRS and Packet Radio stations will remain on the air for 6 hours if the power goes out. More information about our packet station can be found HERE. |
| N9XH-10 APRS Station On The Air |
| January 2, 2010 - The N9XH-10 APRS system is now on the air. Thanks to Len N9QIP who donated the TNC and FM Transceiver. The power supply was donated by Bud KB9ZAZ (SK) estate. You can watch the APRS activity of our N9XH-10 node by clicking HERE. |
| Happy New Year.... brrrrr -26 degrees! |
|
| January 2, 2010 - Pictured above is our N9XH repeater and N9XH (WIPOLK) (BALBBS) packet equipment inside the insulated tower shack near Balsam Lake, WI. At approximately 22:30 January 1, 2010 our radios lost power due to a localized outage. As of now, we don't have a power back-up system. Just before midnight the power was restored, however our packet system failed to come back on-line. Later discovery showed the power supply, radio and TNC were all powered up and on frequency, but for some reason the TNC was not decoding data. Greg N9CHA put the TNC on the bench and found nothing wrong! Was it just too cold for it to come back on-line after the power outage? Time will tell. For more information about our repeater, click HERE. For more information about our Packet system, click HERE. |
| |
