Congratulations Sarah and Hank!

The club now proudly can boast of two new General Class Amateur Radio Operators. FB! Sarah K4EMT and Ron KK4TSG.

Pictured left to right, Glenn, Ron, Peggy, Sarah, and Richard.

Our Guest Speaker Buddy WB4OMG

Safety is everybody’s business. Amateur radio is no exception. For most of us compliance is no big deal. To check if you are, and document the fact, just in case you are ever asked, you can visit http://hintlink.com/power_density.htm

As is normally the case, our speaker’s presentation can be found on our website.

Roy, we are going to miss you

The trip down south becomes more of a challenge as the years roll by. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t still stay in contact.

If only there was a magical way to talk over great distances. 🙂 We all know there is. Don’t be a stranger. You are always welcome. We will miss you Roy. Stay in touch.

So what have you been doing in radio this week?

We hear this question every week on the net. This was an easy one  for John KK4ITX, who just completed building a Moxon antenna.

So what is a Moxon, and how much moxie do you need to put one together? For starters, the Moxon is basically a two element antenna, with one driven and one reflector section. The unique feature is that the ends of both sections are bent in toward each other forming a rectangle with a gap where two of the sides of a rectangle would normally join. A diagram should help. And yes, there is a computer program to help you with the dimensions, which depend on the band you are designing for. More on that later.

This is what John’s Moxon looks like.

The Moxon can be mounted either vertically or horizontally.

Looks pretty simple, stealthy, and compact. John’s 440 measures less than 10 – inches in its long dimension. Here are the numbers he used.

This is not the best place to go into all the details, but the following link will provide the information you will need to get started. And yes, you will find the software needed to design your very own there as well.

 http://moxonantennaproject.com/index.html

 
So, what have you been doing in radio this week? Please take the time to share with others. That’s a key part of calling yourself a ham. Hope to hear from you soon.
And once again, thank you John KK4ITX. John’s email, should you have questions is: jleahy00@yahoo.com.

New Repeater System In Town

By Ron Smith

I’m a relatively new ham using primarily a Yaesu HT60 and a small mag mount antenna on my car. I am only an occasional user, but am always interested in new, simple ways to communicate with my HT.

Recently, I found the SARnet , a network of linked UHF repeaters , tying into the Florida DOT microwave system and giving even small HT’s statewide repeater coverage. There are close 30 repeaters covering the entire state.

All the information you need is on http://sarnetfl.com, and shows a statewide coverage map, with frequencies, and tones. I believe they all use a +5 offset.

Already, from the Lakeland and Tampa repeaters, I have contacted Chipley, Jacksonville, and tonight monitored Sarasota.

Since it is linked statewide you do have to allow approximately 2-3 second both in keying up, and waiting for a reply.

Try it out and have some fun!

Ron Smith
KK4JEA