Starting at 0000 UTC tonight, for the next 48 hours the HF bands will be filled with the sounds of amateur radio operators from all over the world trying to contact as many hams across the bands as they can…this is the CQ World-wide SSB DX Contest weekend!
DX will be there for the taking and with 100 watts and a wire you can work the world. See you on the air!
On Saturday, November 5 the Lakeland Amateur Radio club will meet up and eat up at Lake Parker Park. Fred Delaney, K1DU will be there early with coffee and donuts, and the big eat will be around 11:30 or 12:00 with barbecue sandwiches provided by the club. Everyone else is welcome to bring sides, drinks, desserts or whatever moves them.
We’ll be meeting at the pavilions all the way in the back and all are welcome. See you there!
DMR is one of the fastest growing areas of amateur radio today, and why shouldn’t it be? The arena can be entered inexpensively (a decent DMR H/T can be purchased for around $100.00, although the sky is the limit!) and we have some great DMR repeaters in our area. If you feel like spending a little more and getting a hotspot, it can open a whole new world…it’s like having a band opening all the time that you can work with an H/T.
Here are some resources from N4RTD, Russ Delaney’s presentation at the club meeting last Monday which he has graciously allowed me to use. If you’re interested in trying something new or just need a little help with DMR there are lots of folks who’d be glad to help.
https://radioid.net – (where you get your DMR ID) Once you get there, click on “Log In/Sign Up” at the left hand side of the screen towards the bottom of the black options bar. From here you can create an account and work through all of the prompts. You will get to a point where it will ask you to upload an official copy of your FCC license. If you do not have an official copy of your FCC license, you may obtain one by going to the FCC website.
https://www.fcc.gov/how-obtain-official-authorizations-uls – At this Web site, you will obtain an official copy of your FCC license. This is needed for you to get your DMR ID at radioid.net
https://www.radioid.net/support – If you’re still having trouble getting your DMR ID, this is the place to go for support during the process.
https://dmrfordummies.com – Yes, there is such a place, but no one is a dummy in DMR. Just get on and start learning.
https://fdarn.com/ – The Florida Digital Amateur Radio Network – DMR repeaters in our area and the talkgroups they support.
An additional resource would be a good video done by TheSmokinApe on YouTube. This is a DMR for Beginners video and can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FAFt1QCtC0&t=746s
73
So Hurricane Ian has come and gone and thankfully spared the Lakeland area the catastrophic damage that our friends to the south are dealing with. For those of you still without power, rest assured Lakeland Electric and the other power companies are doing all they can to get you back on,
From an amateur radio standpoint it looks like the repeaters in the area are on and things are operating normally.
For those of you that were planning on going to the Melbourne Hamfest next weekend, it is on as scheduled. As for the Gulf Coast ARC swapmeet Saturday and the Manatee ARC hamfest on October 15, we’re still looking for updates.
Because of Tropical Storm Ian and all of the necessary preparations that go along with a possible hit in Florida, the Simulated Emergency Test scheduled for October 1 has been cancelled.
Please keep an eye on the weather forecasts, including those from the National Hurricane Center and make preparations now! Once watches and warnings get issued, preparations need to be done.
Also check http://arrlwcf.org/ for information as we go. ARRL West Central Florida Technical Coordinator Darrell Davis, KT4WX does a great job with updates and issues press releases as necessary. If you’re not on the ARRL WCF mailing list, this would be a great time to sign up for it.
On Saturday, October 1 ARES members in the West Central Florida section of the ARRL will be participating in a simulated emergency event called “Service Denied”, which will simulate a cyber-attack taking down communications and various other services. ARES groups from the entire state will be participating.
All amateur radio operators are welcomed and encouraged to participate, not just ARES members. If you’ve thought about participating in ARES this would be a perfect time to get your feet wet.
For more information, please check out the ARRL WCF website at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/west-central-florida-section-ares-simulated-emergency-test/ and the Polk ARES website at polkares.org
We have a published antenna expert among us! Fred Delaney, K1DU had an article published in the October issue of QST:
Where’s the rest of the article? Well you’ll just have to get the October issue of QST, or better yet, join the ARRL!
The September meeting of the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club is going to be Monday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Parkview Baptist Church, 509 Parkview Place in Lakeland.
Bob Doherty, KM4BAO will be speaking to us about the upcoming Warrior Walk on October 23.
Be there or suffer the wrath of the Wouff Huong!
August TARCfest is this coming Saturday, August 20th from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00/person and tailgating is free with paid admission.
Event will be held at the Tampa Amateur Radio Club clubhouse at 7801 N 22nd St in Tampa.
See you there!
On Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. the ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES net is on the air on 3940 kHz. You don’t have to be an ARES member to check in, all are welcome. It’s a great opportunity to check the “close-in” communication capability of your station.
But wait…there’s more!
At 7:45 a.m. (or after the WCF net if it runs long) on the same frequency is the South Florida ARES net, and they welcome check-ins from all stations and run it as a combined net with WCF. They are looking for check-ins from Polk county so lets make sure we represent!