Since the previous blog post got out and syndicated via AmateurRadio.com, I’ve had inquiries about how to go about building an effective relationship with a local library system. Some clubs have already done this but focusing on emergency communications activities. The ARRL tends to call these “served agencies.” This may be with a local Emergency Management Agency, hospitals, area Red Cross agency, or local governments. As I’ve written here before, why not think of other organizations as educational “served agencies”? That might be a good start!

Back in January (2024), I led a Forum at the Capital City Hamfest in Jackson MS on developing strategic partnerships with public libraries. We had representatives from the Madison County (MS) Library System and the Director and Vice Director of the Delta Division of the ARRL on the Panel. Here is an updated slide deck of that Forum discussion. The interested reader might use this as a jumping-off point to take the ball and start dribbling (see last slide!).

Download PDF here.

On Mastodon, ARIP @amateurradioinclusivitypledge@mastodon.hams.social posted:

I love that this club has this as the very first thing in their about section. They also do nets via Allstar. I’ve checked in a couple times and they are a delightful bunch, based on those couple interactions! Check them out if you’re in their neck of the woods, or if you have a hotspot etc, and can check in with them via Allstar.

lakewashingtonhamclub.org/about/

The passage being referred to is:

In amateur radio, all frequencies are shared and are available for the benefit of everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, gender expression, age, disability, or sexual orientation. Lake Washington Ham Club’s mission is to create a positive and welcoming environment for all amateur radio operators and enthusiasts where everyone can learn, enjoy the hobby, explore new challenges, and build life-long friendships. As such, we show respect to one another as peers and conduct ourselves to earn that respect at all times.

Is this what your club is about, too?

The Most Hackable Handheld Ham Radio Yet

The [Quansheng] UV-K5, released last year, might be the most hackable handheld ever, with a small army of dedicated hams adding a raft of software-based improvements and new features. I had to have one, and $30 later, I did.

Like Baofeng’s 5R, Quansheng’s K5 as a radio transceiver is fine. (I’m using K5 here to refer to both the original K5 and the new K5(8) model.) The key technical distinction between the 5R and K5 is a seemingly minor design choice. With Baofeng’s 5R, the firmware resides in read-only memory. But Quansheng stores the K5’s firmware in flash memory and made it possible to rewrite that memory with the same USB programming cable used to assign frequencies to preset channels.

…read more

ICHMS collaborates with IRARC

CASPIAN, MI – The Iron County Historical & Museum Society (ICHMS) will have two new exhibits this summer thanks to a collaboration with the Iron Range Amateur Radio Club (IRARC) and a grant from the Crystal Falls/Dickinson Area Community Foundation. “We couldn’t be any more excited about this collaboration and the exhibits that will come from it”, states museum director Kathlene Long. The club members are in here helping build the exhibits and are bringing their expertise along with their own artifacts to build these exhibits in time for this coming summer season.

The Club is building a working ham radio station in the museum. It will be fully functional. Museum visitors will be able to see the exhibit and signs will help visitors understand the importance ham radios – and amateur operators – have played in our county’s, and our country’s history. They will also learn why they continue to be so important. In addition, the Club is recreating a display of a vintage WIKB studio from pieces they have collected over the years. All of this is being paid for, in part, from a $500 grant from the Crystal Falls/Dickinson Area Community Foundation. “All in all, this is a lot of moving parts finally coming together to make this happen.” Long explains.

…read more

SIERA hosts Scout amateur radio merit badge day

METROPOLIS, IL — Boy Scouts talked to amateur radio operators as far away as Puerto Rico and Arizona during a radio merit badge class hosted by the Southernmost Illinois Emergency Radio Association (SIERA). Five scouts from Troop 2007, out of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Paducah, attended the class on Saturday, March 23, at Trinity Church in Metropolis.

Scouts experimented with tuning forks and a wave generator and had the opportunity to talk on both handy-talkie and high-frequency base radios during the class. They also learned about the science and mechanics of radio as well as important safety measures.

…read more

Sen. Wicker co-introduces Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act

[BROOKHAVEN, MS] U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have introduced legislation to give amateur radio operators the right to install their antennas and serve the community. Homeowner association rules prevent amateur radio operators from installing outdoor antennas on residential properties even though this communication method has proven to be essential in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes in states like Mississippi and Connecticut.

Among other provisions, this legislation would:

• Prohibit homeowner association rules that would prevent or ban amateur radio antennas
• Clarify the approval process for installing amateur radio antennas
• Give amateur radio operators a private right of action

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

…read more

The Athens County Amateur Radio Association finds that young people are still drawn to old-school communication

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Long before cell phones and the internet, ham radios were linking people around the world. And this old-school technology continues to fascinate hobbyists of all ages in the Athens County Amateur Radio Association.
“What really brought me into radio is the fact it’s such a unique hobby,” said Josh Senefeld. “Everyone uses (wireless communications) every day without even realizing it.”

Senefeld first became interested in the world of amateur radio at age 13 after he became a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. Four years later, he got his amateur radio license.

Now 20, Senefeld is one of the younger members of the Athens County Amateur Radio Association, though it is open to people of all ages.

…read more

Ham Radio Club Revives Alternative Communication

The president of Marshall University’s ham radio club said he believes radio communication is a great way to bring people together.

Jacob Wriston, the president of the Thundering Herd Amateur Radio Club, said his experience with ham radio began in high school. He said that when he was looking at Marshall, he had hoped there would be a radio club similar to WVU’s amateur radio club. In July of 2022, he started a discord for the group before making it an official organization in the 2022 Fall Semester.

“I saw that WVU has a radio club,” Wriston said. “They’ve actually had one since like 1913 as the oldest club on campus, and, so, I was hoping that Marshall would have the same thing, and they don’t. So, I just started a discord server over the summer.”

Wriston said the club’s main goal is to promote the hobby of amateur radio.

…read more

I often think that instead of emcomm, we should be playing up the educational aspect of amateur radio and how it encourages young people to get into engineering…..Dan

Ham Radio Inspired This Scranton University Student to Pursue Engineering

Many college students participate in sports, listen to music, or play video games in their spare time, but IEEE Student Member Gerard Piccini prefers amateur radio, also known as ham radio. He’s been involved with the two-way radio communication, which uses designated frequencies, since his uncle introduced him to it when he was a youngster. His call sign is KD2ZHK.

Piccini, from Monroe Township, N.J., is pursuing an electrical engineering degree at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania. The junior is president of the university’s W3USR amateur radio club. He’s also a member of Scranton’s IEEE student branch, the IEEE Club.

…read more

Here’s another story about young people in amateur radio….Dan

The Athens County Amateur Radio Association finds that young people are still drawn to old-school communication

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Long before cell phones and the internet, ham radios were linking people around the world. And this old-school technology continues to fascinate hobbyists of all ages in the Athens County Amateur Radio Association.

“What really brought me into radio is the fact it’s such a unique hobby,” said Josh Senefeld. “Everyone uses (wireless communications) every day without even realizing it.”

Senefeld first became interested in the world of amateur radio at age 13 after he became a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. Four years later, he got his amateur radio license. Now 20, Senefeld is one of the younger members of the Athens County Amateur Radio Association, though it is open to people of all ages.

…read more

I like this story a lot because, as the article points out, we are the Amateur Radio Service, and that  amateur radio and has a “unique ability to enhance international goodwill” (§ 97.1(e))…..Dan

The Bosque Amateur Radio Club is connecting people in Ukraine. Here’s how.

There’s a reason the Federal Communications Commission refers to HAM radio operators as the Amateur Radio Service. If you ask Bosque Amateur Radio Club members Bill Kent, Larry Elkin, Art Nichols, Terry Zipes and the club’s president, Jerry Aceto, the answer is rooted in a shared fundamental belief: to help those in need.

“We have a saying,” Kent explained. “When all else fails, HAM radio works.”

But it’s not just the radios that work on behalf of the public; their operators do as well. For nearly the past two years, the Bosque Amateur Radio Club has been working on behalf of Care4Ukraine.org, providing the group with radios and instructions on how to build handmade antennas so its members can communicate in the field.

…read more

 Well we are only a week into May and work has been keeping me quite busy! Not much time to mess around on the radio.

I made a few changes to my setup since my last post. I now have a new L-shaped desk (more room for radios!). I picked up a new desk chair (way better for my back!) to go with the new desk. I've been working on cable management for the pat few days and I'm still not finished!

I was able to get a new G5rv up in the air with some help from Dad. This one I purchased from HRO. It is a Radiowavz brand G5. Seems to preform about the same as the old antenna. This one supposedly tunes on 6 meters. I haven't had a chance to try it out down there yet. But I was able to make several DX QSOs right off the bat. While I was placing and order I also picked up a pretty nice SWR/Power meter. It is a Daiwa CN-901. It makes a nice addition to my setup. I was using the LED bar graph on my LDG tuner for a wattmeter but it doesn't have the accuracy that I wanted. I also picked up a few short RG8x cables that are a little more flexible than what I was using. I wanted them to be more flexible to alleviate strain on the connectors on the equipment.

Now that I have an HF antenna back up in the air I've been working some FT8. I actually applied for a few more awards through the FT8DMC. Hopefully I'll get them soon.

I've started looking at options for a new desktop computer to replace my current PC. It's looking like it's going to cost about $1,000-1,800 to either build or buy a PC that meets my specifications. It's been hard to price components due to a LOT of electronic parts being out of stock. I'm looking forward to updating my setup.

I was able to attend the May KY4ARC meeting IN PERSON!! It was nice to actually be in a meeting with people instead of staring at a monitor. Hopefully I will be able to attend future meeting. It's hard to tell when I'll be able to go with my work schedule the way it is currently.

Lastly an administrative update for email subscribers. I was notified in the last month that FeedBurner, the service I use to automate email subscriptions will be shutting down in July 2021. I'm currently looking at a couple different options for a new service. I hope to have a solution in place next month.

Well no pictures in this one (again).

Hope to catch ya' down the log!

73

Cam

 Well happy 2021 everyone! (I know I'm a month late 😂) 

January started off with another meeting of KY4ARC via Zoom. I finally sent in my dues so I should now be a member.

This year I decided to set a goal of participating in as many contests as I can. I started off this month with the North American QSO Party, SSB. I didn't have as much time to operate as I originally expected. After operating for about 2 hours I only ended up with 15 QSOs. Noise seemed to really bad on 40m. 80 meters was a little better, though I had some trouble breaking through the pileups. Of the 15 QSOs 13 were on 80 meters and 2 were on 40 meters. Overall all I had 12 multipliers for a total score of 180. 

Winter Field day was supposed to be my next contest, but thanks to a power outage the Friday before the start of the event my main shack computer shutdown and now fails to boot. So my logging and digital software were inaccessible. It's been on it's last leg for quite a while. It desperately needs to be replaced. I'll eventually finalize a parts list and start purchasing parts to build a new more powerful computer for the shack. Until then I'm going to try and nurse the current one back to health.

Other than a couple of DX FT8 contacts earlier in the month that is about all I've done radio wise. I did manage to make a contact with South Africa I think that's my first. I may send out a couple of QSL cards to stations from the NAQP. I haven't sent any out in a while.

Well that's all for now. Hope to catch ya' down the log!

73

Cam 

 Well September has come and gone in this crazy year. EMT Class has been keeping me pretty busy so not much has happened radio wise. I've made a few contacts on good ol' FT8, but that's about it operating wise.

I applied for several awards from the FT8 Digital Mode Club. Hope to hear back that they are approved soon!

Some home improvement projects have been completed so I can finally start looking for a new desk. Moving back from my apartment I lost a decent chunk of desk space so everything (radio and non-radio) is crammed on one desk with no storage, just a hutch on top of it. I forgot how hard it was to find a desk that fits both space and personal requirements 😁. 

In other news I received my ARRL ballot for this years election of the Great Lakes Division Director and Vice Director. I hope all of my fellow members with elections in your division/section cast a vote!

I also made a few updates to the code plug in my 878UV. Eventually I'll get around to updating the radios in the car. Unfortunately my pi-star hot-spot has stopped working. Not sure what happened to it, seems like the MMDVM board is functioning but the Pi-zero is not. I've tried re-flashing the image and replacing the SD card. I've been wanting to upgrade to a duplex model, maybe this is a sign to pick up a duplex board!

I was able to attend KY4ARC's monthly (virtual) meeting for October. I'm looking forward to becoming a member in January when the dues are due!

Well that's all for now! No pictures this time!

See ya down the log!

Cam

I acquired some new equipment as well. To better facilitate my goals for my home VHF FM station I picked up a Yaesu FT-2980R to use as the primary transceiver from Ham Radio Outlet. The extra 30 watts should help me get into the local repeaters as it was a bit of a

6-element beam at 20-ft up up the mast with center of G5RV at the top.

struggle on 50 watts. I also purchased 50ft of ABR 25400F coax (also from HRO) to connect the Yaesu to the 6-element beam that I grabbed at the Louisa hamfest. The beam is up on the mast behind the house about 20-ft. I still have very low audio into the KY4ARC Paintsville, so I still have a few issues to resolve.

Parts for Suction Cup Mount. Note: I decided not to use the lock washers.

• 1 x 4-1/2" Diameter Suction Cup (Harbor Freight, $3.89)
• 3 x #8-32 x 3/4" Machine Screws (Lowe's, $1.28)
• 1 x #8-32 Wing Nut (Lowe's, $1.28)
• 8 x #8 Washers (Lowe's, $1.28)
• 1 x 2-gang Square Metal Electrical Box Cover (Lowe's, $0.60)
• 1 x 3' x 1/8" Brass metal round (Lowe's, $3.28)
• Drill
• 11/64 Drill Bit
• Heavy Duty Wire Cutters
• Pliers (I just used my Leatherman)

To start the build, I placed the box cover on the suction cup handle and marked where I needed to drill the first hole on the suction cup handle, for the holes in the suction cup you are only drilling holes through the static handle. (Note: Some of the box covers are a little different. Mine had a keyhole with a diagonal cut in the opposite coroner.)  After drilling the first hole I used a machine screw, washer and nut to secure the cover to the suction cup. I drilled the 2nd hole in the suction cup

Drilled Cover

handle allowing the drill bit to contact the cover marking where I needed to drill the hole in it. I removed the screw and nut and drilled the hole in the cover. While the cover was free from the suction cup, I drilled the hole for the screw that the brass rod for the tiger tail will be secured. I put this hole on the front side of the cover opposite the keyhole. 

Completed Mount for 2m.

For the screws used to secure the cover to the suction up I placed the screw through the hole with the screw head on the bottom side with the moving handle. I placed a washer on top between the cover and the suction cup handle then a second washer between the cover and the nut. For the screw that is used for the tiger tail I placed a screw with a washer through bottom side of the hole and placed a second washer with a nut on the topside. I bent the top of the brass rod into a loop that would fit onto the screw. I then put a bend in the rod so it would be perpendicular to the cover plate. I measured 19.5" (1/4" wave for 2 meters) from the bend and cut the rod with a set of heavy cutters. I attached the tiger tail by placing a washer on the bottom and top of the loop and securing it with a wingnut. This allows the tiger tail to be removed for easy storage. Now time to try it out! 

This week I also registered for and started the ARRL's EC-001 Introduction to Emergency Communication Course, so I'll be working on that for the next few weeks. Hopefully this course will help further my knowledge that I can use with ARES and EMCOMM.

On Thursday the 1st I attend the monthly KY4ARC meeting in Paintsville, KY. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the local hams and make a few new connections. I hope to get more involved with this club in the future. 

KY4ARC Meeting

I think that's enough for today I have a few other projects I want to work on so there may be some more posts like this! I will also be heading back to WVU and starting classes in the couple weeks so posting will most likely switch from every week to every other week (Unless I have something that deserves its own post!)!

73
Cameron, KN4CFI