Ham Radio Social Event and free radios

The Great Salt Plains Amateur Radio Club Hog Roast is set for April 21st from 8 am to 4 pm

Place: The KB0HH Bunkhouse, 1.5 miles north of the Byron Fish Hatchery, 3 1/5 miles north of HW 11 on 710 road (2710), 45 miles NW of Enid, 50 +- miles West of Blackwell, 90 miles SW of Wichita, 30 miles East of Alva, EM06vu, 36.8605 N, 98.1792 W, look KB0HH up on QRZ.com .. .. it has a map available

Call Us: 147.300, 103.5 tone, 620-845-0599 - My Cell .. .. Look for Towers!!

I am Cooking:  Some Pork Roast .. ..  aka .. .. Bunkhouse Pulled Pork            :  Also some Bunkhouse Baked Beans, Not for the weak of heart .. ..             :  Paper and Plastic Ware are provided

You Bring: Something to eat with Bunkhouse Pulled Pork and Baked Beans

    *We will also have a hidden transmitter hunt!  Bring your hand held antennas and HT

    *WC0X will do his best to have a demo on satellite communication.

    *There may be some free commercial radios for the taking .. .. bring a list of the VHF and UHF ham frequencies you might need.  Mike will program them for us

    *Bring your excess equipment .. .. no charge for tailgating!

    *This is strictly a social event.  All those attending will become Vice President of the organization. We will have no President, no Secretary, no responsibilities other than being social.  No dues, no meetings .. .. I love this organization!

Thanks to Gerb, KB0HH for this report.

Field Day Press Webinar

The ARRL Public Relations Committee will be holding a free Webinar forPIOs, PICs, club officers and anyone else that wants to learn theeasiest and most effective ways to write up a media release for FieldDay and actually get it noticed by the media in your home region.



Learn the tricks of the trade from the people who actually work in
radio, television and print media.  Who better can mentor you than the
actual type of people you want to take notice of your group or club?



PIC and Chairman of the PR Committee Steven Polunski, W5SMP, will host
the event with our band  starring Bill Husted, KQ4YA, on print,  Mark
Kraham, W8CMK, on TV      and Don Carlson, KQ6FM, on the radio.



Can?t make it?  A recording of the event will be posted later on, but
hope you can join us live.  Register now!



Allen Pitts, W1AGP

Media & PR Manager

ARRL - the national association for Amateur Radio

225 Main St.  Newington, CT 06111

NEAR-VERTICAL INCIDENCE SKY-WAVE

Thanks to DEC Brian Gnad KB5TSI for sharing this interesting article on MOBILE NVIS antenna systems.

http://www.signal.army.mil/ocos/ac/articles/fiedler/dfnjarng.pdf

73

Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service

See also the US Army Field Manual on the topic.  Editor

Weekend Technician Class

The Aeronautical Center Amateur Radio Club, W5PAA, will be providing a weekend Technician class course that will run April 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th, with an exam to be given on April the 28th. 


These four Saturday courses will begin at 8 AM and run until 4 PM, with a one hour break for lunch. The course will be sited at the Oklahoma City Fire Training Academy, at 800 N. Portland, with parking in the east parking lot. 


The course text will be the ARRL's "Ham Radio Licensing Course", second edition. If you have a book already, you are set to go. If not, email the instructor, so you will have a book at the first meeting. The cost of the book is $30.00 which includes a practice exam CD and all the pool questions. You do not have to have the CD, however, to study. The only other thing you will need to pay for will be the FCC exam itself, which is $15.00, payable at the April 28th final session.

This format was used one year ago in a trial run, and found to be very successful in training both technical and non-technical folks.

Contact: Paul Thompson, N5PT  or (405) 354-6623

Thanks to Donald Ohse, K5DRO, for this report.

Technician Class in #AltusOK

 April 16 is the first day of instruction for the amateur
radio class to be held at the Emergency Operations Center, 1915 N
Main, according to Dale Town, N5VX, class instructor.

The class begins at 6 p.m. each Monday and Tuesday for six weeks.  

Using instructional material from the American Radio Relay League,
students should be able to pass a Technician level exam.

The class is free.  However, students will be required to pay for a
license exam and obtain study material.

Because seating is limited, students are asked to register for the
class at altushams.eventbrite.com.  Students may order their books
online at http://www.arrl.org/shop/Licensing-Education-and-Training/
while there will be limited quantities available on the first night of
class.

The class is sponsored by the Altus Skywarn Association and the Altus
Area Amateur Radio Association in partnership with the City of Altus
Emergency Management.

For more information, one may call Town at (580) 477-4027 or visit
http://www.facebook.com/groups/AltusSkywarn/ for information about the
local Skywarn program.

Green Country Ham 2012 Highlights

On March 9 and 10, the 2012 Green Country Hamfest was held at the Claremore Convention Center.

Shoppers fill the hall looking for that special bargain!

Need a radio? Tuner? Amp? Antennae?

Coax? Wire?

Many clubs are represented from around the state including the
 Broken Arrow Amateur Radio Club.

Tulsa Repeater Organization

Mayes Country Amateur Radio Club

USS Oklahoma & USS Batfish Amateur Radio Club

Tahlequah Amateur Radio Club

Tecumseh Amateur Radio Club

Wagoner County Amateur Radio Club

Hamfest is also a time to meet up with friends!

Some attendees take in a forum or two.
Mark Conklin N7XYO gave a presentation about ARES.

ARRL NEEDS YOU!
Ben Joplin WB5VST at the ARRL display.

And then there are the prizes!

and more prizes!

Merlin Griffin WB5OSM selecting the next winner.

Green Country Hamfest is the largest hamfest in Oklahoma. This year's attendees were not disappointed. Whether they went for equipment, ham education or just to hang out with friends, this year's event was a big success!

Thanks to Bill Downes KE5VKB for the photos.

Thanks to Oklahoma Public Information Officer Cindy Downs, K5CED, for the report.

Edmond General Class training

Edmond Amateur Radio Society will start its annual General Licensing
Class on March 20 at the Edmond Community Center  in downtown Edmond.

Cost is $25 which includes the ARRL text.

Approximately 2 hours every Tuesday night, starting at 6:30 with a
Saturday antenna class taught by Tim, K3LR.  Test will be May 5.

Information for signup is online at K5EOK.ORG (the EARS website) under
the "Classes and New Licenses" button.

Information provided by Dick Rouse, KE5TGZ

Young Ham of the Year

Does your club have an active youth with good grades and community involvement?  Your club needs, then, to nominate someone for this award.

YHOTY: NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2012 AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

The nominating season for the 2012 Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award is now open.

Created in 1986, this award is offered to recognize the accomplishments of a radio amateur age 18 or younger for his or her accomplishments in service to the nation, his or her community or to the advancement of the state of the art through amateur radio.

Nominees must reside in the United States 50 states or its possessions or in any of the 10 Canadian provinces.

As in years past, Yaesu USA will transport the winner to the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville , Alabama, where the award will be formally presented. Yaesu will also provide Hotel accommodations as well as convention tickets and a prize of amateur radio equipment to the winner. CQ Magazine will again treat this year's recipient to a week at Spacecamp-Huntsville. Heil Sound Ltd. will be presenting this year's winner with an additional prize. Amateur Radio Newsline will present the winner with the official Young Ham of the Year Award plaque which again this year is underwritten by Dave Bell, W6AQ, of DBA Entertainment in Hollywood, California.

If for some reason the person selected is unable to travel to the Huntsville Hamfest, Amateur Radio Newsline will attempt to arrange a special award ceremony where the recipient resides, such as at his or her school or amateur radio club.

Please note that the prizes given to the recipient are second in nature to the actual Young Ham of the Year Award. All nominations and materials required by the official rules must be received by ARNewsline before May 30, 2012.

Complete details, rules and a required nominating form in Adobe .pdf format are available on our website at www.arnewsline.org/yhoty. Nominating forms can also be obtained by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to Amateur Radio Newsline Inc., Young Ham of the Year Award, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita California, 91350.

Please note tat all nominating forms and support materials become the property of the Amateur Radio Newsline and cannot be returned.

Again the cutoff date for nominations is May 30, 2012. Nominating forms are on-line at www.arnewsline.org/yhoty. (ARNewsline™)

Help Shape the CMAS Research Agenda -- Online Forum live thru March 9

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, I would like to invite you to help shape the research and development agenda for the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).

As you may know, the rollout of CMAS will begin in April of this year. Once it is rolled out, CMAS will allow alerting authorities at different levels of government to send text-like alerts to the public via wireless devices based on geographic location. As CMAS becomes operational across the country, the research and development of this system will be important in ensuring CMAS is as effective as possible and continues to evolve to meet the needs of practitioners like you. From today until March 16^th, the CMAS Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program is hosting an online discussion to bring practitioner input into the CMAS research and development agenda, specifically in the fields of geo-targeting of CMAS alerts and understanding public response to CMAS messages. (More information about CMAS is at the bottom of this email.)

The discussion will be online 24/7 for your input. Your participation will help us craft a research agenda around these questions:

·         For CMAS to be effective, what do we need to know about how the public responds to mobile alerts?
·         What are the key questions that should guide CMAS research and development in geo-targeting of mobile alerts?

On this online forum, you can rate existing focus areas developed by the CMAS RDT&E Program, refine ideas in open discussion with other practitioners, and submit your own ideas for research questions that should be explored.

Log on now and help shape the CMAS research agenda

CMASforum.ideascale.com

Building a research agenda that is in line with the needs of the public safety community requires the input of practitioners like you. So please log on and help inform the research objectives of CMAS, and feel free to forward this to those in your network whose perspectives should be heard. If you have any questions, please contact CMAS_Forum@sra.com.

Regards,

Denis Gusty
Program Manager
Office of Interoperability & Compatibility
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Science and Technology Directorate

CMAS Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) envisions a future where all Americans are able to receive accurate alerts and warnings, regardless of communications technology used.  This vision is being achieved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).  IPAWS is a modernization and integration of the Nation's alert and warning infrastructure.  It integrates new and existing public alert and warning systems and technologies.  In partnership with DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), IPAWS is working to incorporate wireless mobile alerts through the Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS).  This inclusion is an acknowledgement of the important role that wireless technologies play in Americans' lives today.  Given the wide use of wireless mobile devices, CMAS will help ensure more people receive actionable alerts to help avoid danger or respond more quickly during crisis—thereby saving lives and property. 

CMAS—developed and tested by FEMA and S&T—is one of the major components of IPAWS.  The CMAS component will provide an interface to participating cellular mobile service providers for delivery of critical alert information to cellular phones in a danger zone.  Specifically, the CMAS capability will provide local, tribal, state, territorial, and Federal government officials the ability to send 90-character, geographically-targeted text alerts to the public.

For more background on CMAS, visit the CMAS RDT&E Online Forum.

Are you going to Claremore?

ARES-OK will be holding a meeting at the GREEN COUNTRY HAMFEST this coming weekend.
 
The ARES-OK fourm is at 1000 CST on Saturday 3/10, 
followed at 1100 CST by the ARRL Fourm with Guest speaker QST/QEX Technical Correspondence & Editor Larry Wolfgang - WR1B from ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT.
 
Also at 1300 CST DEC Cecil Higgins - AC0HA from the Missouri Section speaking about ARES operations after last May's Joplin Tornado disaster.
 
Find all the fourms at www.GreenCountryHamfest.com
 
See YOU at Hamfest!

Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

Oklahoma City Area Technician Class

Beginning March 15th, the Oklahoma City Autopatch Association (OCAPA) will be conducting a training course for the Technician Class amateur radio license, an entry level license for the hobby of amateur radio.

Classes will be held on Thursday evenings, 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Salvation Army ‘Citadel’, 2808 SE 44^th, Oklahoma City (one block west of SE 44^th and Bryant).  The course will meet for nine weeks ending on Thursday, May 10th. 

A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician Class license exam will be administered at the final class meeting.

There are no prerequisites to take the amateur radio license course save the interest in communicating with other amateur radio operators around the city, state, nation, and world along with providing public service communications support for large events and in emergencies.

A technical background is not needed for the Technician Class License, but it is helpful.  The hobby of amateur radio is enjoyed by people from a variety of professions and interests.

Over the pass several years, the FCC has initiated numerous changes to the amateur radio license structure and administration of license examinations to make it easier to enter the hobby of amateur radio. 

Applicants are no longer required to demonstrate proficiency in Morse Code and the written examinations are held frequently at various locations in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area.

The written license exam, which is 35 questions, will be scored by local volunteer examiners.  The examination paperwork for successful applicants is then to the FCC who will issue an amateur radio license and call sign.

The fee for the course is $40; $25 to cover the cost of the ‘American Radio Relay League Technician License Manual’, which will be available at the first class meeting, along with other course materials; and a $15 exam fee to cover handling of the license exam paperwork at the end of the course.  Registration will be limited to 15 students.

For further information, got to the American Radio Relay League website (http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-class) or contact David Duskin, 386-6739 or ddgold@cox.net.