FEMA class offered

The Lawton-Ft. Sill ARC will be hosting an IS-100 class is August 5 at the , Great Plains Technology Center, Lawton, OK 6:30-8:30 p.m, in the main auditorium.  

The class  is free.  This class is one that people need to assist in a disaster.

Thanks to Ron Grossman, AF5Q for this report

W5KS Club President

K5GSM/R near Granite has moved to Fay (near Watonga)

Trustee Brian K5GSM acquired a spot on a tower at the new location, but was slightly too close to another machine in the NW district.

Therefore, so  a new pair is coordinated and the machine is now on the air from the Blaine county site operating on 447.375 RX/442.375 TX from an HAAT of 492 FT, and an effective radiated power of about 300 watts. 

The machine is linked to the 145.11 near Alfalfa in Caddo county which in turn is linked to 145.410 in OKC in order to help with Skywarn and emergency operations in NW Oklahoma. The 145.410 in OKC is operated by radio amateurs connected with the State EOC and the repeater is used by the Norman Office of the National Weather Service during time of severe weather in central and western parts of the state. 

Coverage estimates look like it provides solid coverage for typical mobile operation to Enid, maybe even touching the Kansas state line to the north and NE Guthrie,Edmond and OKC to the east and SE. Solid southern coverage along I-40 to its south including Weatherford, Clinton, and Elk City to the SW, with sporadic or marginal coverage of Chickasha, Anadarko, and Hobart. To the west it doesn't quite reach the Texas State line, while extending NW to near, but maybe not quite to Woodward. 

Summing up the mobile coverage estimates, basically Oklahoma west of I-35, from I-40 north to hwy 412, but not normally making it to the Texas or Oklahoma panhandles. Looks like a great machine. It is open to all radio amateurs, but does require the use of a 162.2 PL tone.

Thanks to the Oklahoma Repeater Society Inc   for this report.

   

Volunteer Training Workshop Registration Open

Registration is open for the fifth Annual Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corp Volunteer Training Workshop.

All OKMRC volunteers are invited to participate in the training offered at the August 1 and 2 at the 2014 Volunteer Training Workshop.

All training will be held at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center in Oklahoma City.  On Friday all training are in the College of Nursing Building.

Visit the OKMRC August Calendar to review the training offerings. www.okmrc.org

One does not need to have a medical license to participate in the MRC.  A number of your amateur radio neighbors are already members.

Register at the same link above.

Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs Ready for Annual Meeting

The Central Oklahoma Radio Amateur’s (CORA) are geared up and ready for the 2014 41st Annual Ham Holiday event that will take place July 25-26th in Oklahoma City. Hosted this year at the Bricktown Hotel/Conference Center, the CORA group is especially pleased to welcome Joel Harrison as the Special Guest Banquet Speaker. 

Amateur radio operators (hams) save lives in emergencies, often getting on the scene before “first responders”. The scenario is repeated hundreds of times a year throughout the U.S., often here in Tornado Alley.

Ever wonder where hams come from, how they train and where they get all their marvelous toys?

Wonder no more. Ham Holiday, the annual ham radio show and event is on tap for next weekend. 

Vendors, flea market sales of radio gear, seminars, license testing and much more!

This an opportunity for those who may be interested in amateur radio (ham radio) to find one of the clubs in central Oklahoma (and around the Section) and learn more about the hobby. 

In addition there is a flea market where many transceivers, receivers, transmitters, and parts for do it yourself enthusiasts can be found. 

Anyone interested in ham radio and do it yourself project are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity for people who are amateur radio operators to learn more about this fascinating hobby. There be plenty of  local “hams” in attendance who will be happy and thrilled to explain the hobby and introduce non-hams to the experience. 

Joel Harrison, the banquet speaker, is past president of the ARRL, the National Association of Amateur Radio.  He has a long resume and has been published in many papers and articles. He will speak on “The 2014 Challenge-Taking the Amateur Radio Experience to the Next Level” Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Friday Ham Holiday will open at 3 p.m. and close at 7 p.m. while Saturday Ham Holiday hours are 8 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. Saturday’s schedule will include a number of forums on various topics of interest to amateur radio operators. The hamfest will feature technical and non-technical programs, 

DXCC Card Checking, license testing and the ever popular flea market as well.

CORA is a not-for-profit corporation created by amateur radio clubs in the central Oklahoma  area. Four officers and a board of directors composed of up to three representatives from each of the member clubs conduct the corporate affairs. The member clubs include: Aeronautical Center Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (W5PAA), Choctaw Amateur Radio Club (CARC), Edmond Amateur Radio Club (EARC), Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS), Mid-Del Amateur Radio Club, Oklahoma City Autopatch Association (OCAPA), OU Amateur Radio Club (OUARC), QCWA Chapter 63, South Canadian Amateur Radio Society (SCARS), and Tecumseh Amateur Radio Club (TARC). 

For more information about Ham Holiday go to www.hamholiday.com 

Saturday Schedule:

	Room 191	Alexander Room	Tiffany Room
9:00	ARRL Forum Dr David Woolweaver K5RAV		VE Testing
10:00	Low Band Receiving Antennas Joel Harrison, W5ZN	Radio Merit Badge	VE Testing**
11:00	ARES Forum Mark Conklin, N7XYO	Radio Merit Badge	OKDXA Gene Lewis, W5LE
Noon – 2:00	Logbook Of The World Activation & Setup Bobby Duncan, KF5GTX	Radio Merit Badge*

2014 HAM HOLIDAY PROGRAM SCHEDULE

*Radio Merit Badge session ends at 2:30 PM     **VE testing ends 11:00

___________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Michael Dean for this report

Facebook allows changes for Amateur Radio folks!

Facebook is now allowing Hams to add their callsign to their profile. If you want to do it, here's how it's done:
- 1st) Open up "Settings".
- 2nd) Under "General Account Settings", on the line that says "Name", click "Edit".
- 3rd) Enter your callsign in the space marked "Alternate name".
- 4th) Check the box for "Include this on my timeline".
- 5th) Save these settings by entering your Facebook password in the box marked "Password.
- 6th) Click on the box marked "Save Changes".
- Now return to your Main page and your callsign will appear under your name.

SouthCARS offering online Technician training

OUTREACH SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR 2014 (TECHNICIAN COURSE ONLY)

TECHNICIAN: 7-20 TO 8-12 (POOL QUESTIONS CHANGE ON 7-1-2014)

Training is offered on IRLP, Echolink, and Skype

(NOTE ALL CLASSES FALL ON A SUNDAY AND TUESDAY EVENING AT 7 PM EDT)

Note: the availability of a complete user list at: http://voipnet.southcars.com/users Detailed Connect Log at: http://voipnet.southcars.com/log.php or update Echo link at: http://www.echolink.org IRLP information may be found at http://www.IRLP.net Send questions and comments to voip@voipnet.southcars.com. IRLP connects for this net are through Reflector 9614 and EchoLink connects are through *SCARS* node 96140.

#HamHoliday approaching!

The Central Oklahoma Radio Amateur’s (CORA) are geared up and ready for the 2014 41st Annual Ham Holiday event that will take place July 25-26th in Oklahoma City. Hosted this year at the Bricktown Hotel/Conference Center, the CORA group is especially pleased to welcome Joel Harrison as the Special Guest Banquet Speaker. 

Amateur radio operators (hams) save lives in emergencies, often getting on the scene before “first responders”. The scenario is repeated hundreds of times a year throughout the U.S., often here in Tornado Alley.

Ever wonder where hams come from, how they train and where they get all their marvelous toys?  Wonder no more. Ham Holiday, the annual ham radio show and event is on tap for next weekend. 

Vendors, flea market sales of radio gear, seminars, license testing and much more!

This an opportunity for those who may be interested in amateur radio (ham radio) to find one of the clubs in central Oklahoma and learn more about the hobby. 

In addition there is a flea market where many transceivers, receivers, transmitters, and parts for do it yourself enthusiasts can be found. 

Anyone interested in ham radio and do it yourself project are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity for people who are amateur radio operators to learn more about this fascinating hobby. There be plenty of local “hams” in attendance who will be happy and thrilled to explain the hobby and introduce non-hams to the experience. 

Joel Harrison, the banquet speaker, is past president of the ARRL, the National Association of Amateur Radio. He has a long resume even being published in many papers and articles. He will speak on “The 2014 Challenge-Taking the Amateur Radio Experience to the Next Level.” He will speak Friday night at 7:30.

Friday Ham Holiday will open at 3 p.m. and close at 7 p.m. Saturday Ham Holiday will open at 8 a.m. and close at 3 p.m. Saturday’s schedule will include a number of forum on various topics of interest to amateur radio operators. The hamfest will feature technical and non-technical programs, DXCC Card Checking, license testing and the ever popular flea market as well.

Operators needed for W1AW/5 Oklahoma effort

As you probably are aware, the American Radio Relay League, in conjunction with its Centennial QSO party celebrating 100 years of existence as an organization of, by and for U.S. amateur radio operators, has authorized each state and territory to operate using the famous callsign W1AW. 

Each state has been given two weeks of operation. Oklahoma’s first week of W1AW/5 operation came in early January, when K5CM and others did a great job handing out contacts to the multitudes. 

Oklahoma’s second week begins August 13 Zulu (August 12 CDST). Edmond Amateur Radio Society, assisting the Oklahoma DX Association, is coordinating the second week of operation in our state and is looking for volunteers to operate on as many bands, modes and times as possible. 

Our goals are 1) to give as many other operators around the country and the world a second chance to put W1AW/5 OK in the log for the WAS W1AW award and 2) to give as many OK operators as possible the chance to participate in what is truly an historic and unprecedented operating event.

For more information, visit the FAQ while Sam, W5CU awaits your offer for help.

Thanks to the Edmond Amateur Radio Society for this information.

Are you participating?

Ham Holiday preregistration ends today. #hamholiday

KE5TGZ announced that preregistration for Ham Holiday tonight  At 23:59:59 the website will no longer take orders and all snail mail orders must be postmarked today.

Preregistration is available at http://www.hamholiday.org.

Preregistration tickets are $8.  At the door tickets are $10.  You must buy preregistration tickets to be in the preregistration drawing for the MFJ 266C Antenna Analyzer.  All tickets are in the hourly drawings and the grand prize drawing.

Banquet tickets for W5ZN, Joel Harrison are still available.  Taking Your Ham Radio Experience to the Next Level promises to be entertaining and challenging -- with the added bonus of prize drawings at the banquet.  Tickets are still $25 for this fun dinner event.

More vendors and factory teams than ever will be at this year's show.

We're looking forward to seeing our friends from across the state the 25th and 26th of this month!

Thanks to KE5TGZ, Charles R. "Dick" Rouse for this information.

News from the Lawton Area

Our final Field Day score is 1852.  Congrats and thanks to all that assisted in the Field Day, and possibly the best in the last 10 years.

 Inviting everyone out to Ralphs Resort that is able to make it.  Don, NL7CO will be there with the trailer doing the CQ VHF contest and we are going to take advantage of the occasion to have a non meeting cookout (bring what you would like - no alcohol please) and socialize from 4-8 p.m.

Dont forget the CCC event at the visitors center and support Santos, KB5MQL.  He has worked hard to commemorate the camps during the New Deal era of FDR.  We need help setting up and we will start around 8 a.m. 

All those that are interested in August, we are going to have the first of two FEMA courses, this one being IS-100.  This class will be instructed by Don Ross, NL7CO.  We will have the meeting at 6:00 p.m., and those that are interested in certifying with IS-100 (you need this along with a couple of others to work disasters with FEMA) are encouraged to come out for the free class.

Ham Holiday will be 26-27 July 2014. The expo is advertised to be expanded.  Also a great opportunity for learning, and for those that desire, upgrade your license.

The one-day Technician is August 2nd, and tentatively at the Red Cross.  I currently have 8 in the class, but may move it to the Lawton Public Library.  This will be due to the small room.

 If anyone is interested in starting a club elmering program, let me know.  We have a lot of young operators out there that are starving for knowledge

 Don't forget the nets Mondays on 147.39 at 7:00 p.m. and the W5KS Thursday evening net on 146.91 at 7:00

73, and thanks for your time.

 Ron Grossman

 AF5Q

 W5KS Club President

Mayes/Rogers County #FieldDay report

What a great joint MCARC - RCWA Field Day Event.  We documented 29 people at one time or another at our event and I am sure we missed a few on the sign in sheet.  I counted 15 heads at one point in time. We had 12 MCARC members and 10 RCWA members with six of those were dual members.  This shows we had several others visit our event.  MCARC signed up two new members at this event. 

Our contact numbers were not high; we are not in the running with the big guns for the grand prize.  The bands floated in and out on us for quite a while, we disassembled for the storm, we took some time out to enjoy the event and visit rather than keeping our big guns pounding the radios every second.  Most importantly in my opinion, we gave some new people that had never had Field Day experience quite a bit of radio time.  While one of them commented that this may reduce our overall count, it certainly did not reduce our objective, in fact, it enhanced it tremendously.  Our objective was to demonstrate ham radio, share our knowledge, learn more about radio, but mostly, have a lot of fun enjoying the camaraderie of Ham Radio and Field Day.  This event was a huge success. 

We had 113 total Phone contacts  (we had one duplicate several hours apart) 

44 contacts on 40m 

62 contacts on 20m 

 7  contacts on 10m  We used a trimmed 1/4 wave mag mount CB antenna on my Suburban to get one contact in CA, one in Washington DC, the rest was in between in just a couple hours time period for the 10m contacts. 

We made contacts in 40 states along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and British Columbia. 

With all the bonus points, media publicity, ARRL section manager visit, etc. even using commercial power, we officially accumulated 726 points.  To me, there is no way to measure the success of this event in points.  A big Thank You is deserved for all who participated and helped out in many ways.

Thanks to Ken Duncan  WB5Y 

Field Day 2014 - TRO and TARC

Tulsa Repeater Organization (TRO) and Tulsa Amateur Radio Club (TARC) worked as a team on Field Day 2014 and set up at Chandler Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The following photos were taken by Bill Downes KE5VKB at the event. 

Josh Wells AF5ID, Age 13
CW operator

Mike Morris KF5RAU and Josh Wells AF5ID
working CW using a battery and 5 watts.

TRO Club President - Stan Callahan KE5HPB

Fred Williams KD5NBR
using a home-built solar panel for power.

Stillwater #FieldDay report from W5JCS

More than 20 hams from Stillwater and the area participated in this year’s Field Day. This was the most successful Field Day effort ever achieved by the Stillwater Club in over sixty years.

Stillwater:  The club set up in a shelter between the lake and the busy walking and running sidewalk around the lake in front of the Veterans Memorial. This proved to be a highly visible site with many pedestrians stopping in to see what was going on. Some of those visitors attended this evening’s Stillwater ARC meeting expressing interest in becoming licensed amateur radio operators.

It has been more than a decade since any Field Day effort was attempted in Stillwater. No one remembers a successful Field Day event nor one that was well organized in the long history of the club. Last was elected summer a new President Ryan Frederick KF5PFU. His goal was to have a successful Field Day Event which he believed would help  unite hams in the community, foster fellowship, and create enthusiasm about amateur radio in the area as well has have fun. These goals were not only achieved but exceeded the highest expectations.

Ryan appointed Bill Pendleton KE5OEX as Field Day Chairman. Bill secured the site with permission from the city, arranged with the ARRL to print the ARRL 2014 Field Day logo on the backs of t-shirts with the name of the club on the front. These were sold to club members and proved very popular. He created the art work for a vinyl banner identifying the Stillwater Amateur Radio Club and its affiliation with the American Radio Relay League which was place prominently at the site for hundreds passing by to see. Bill arranged for public service announcements to air on the local radio stations.

Saturday afternoon a thunderstorm moved quickly through the area and the team was prepared with tarps and covered the equipment as the rain and lightning moved through the Stillwater area. Four transmitters were operational continually through the night until eleven am Sunday morning. A local pizza restaurant appeared late Saturday night with free pizza for the operators!

This event was a wonderful balance of operating, fellowship, and demonstrating amateur radio to the public. Tuesday evening at the monthly meeting of the Stillwater ARC several guest that saw the Field Day operation attended the club meeting and inquired about how to become licensed.

President Ryan Frederick KF5PFU is creating a great enthusiasm for ham radio and club participation in our community.  Bill Pendleton KE5OEX was key in creative planning and implementation of this outstanding effort. Both should be commended.

This highly successful Field Day event has created lots of momentum to move forward with additional projects and goals.

Photos of the Stillwater ARC may be viewed on Facebook at the following link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/364218273623726/

Thanks to Jim Shideler, W5JCS for this report.