As was announced on the net tonight, MARA will not be putting up a field day station this year. However, you can attend UARCs doings at Payson Lake or go to the Davis Amateur Radio Club set up. More info on the Davis doings HERE.
Tomorrow, Thursday the 20th, is the VHF/IRLP RACES net. If you have a RACES number, feel free to check in between 8PM and 9PM Utah time. Scan the local repeaters to find the one nearest you that is carrying the checkins.
A LOT more information will be added to this post tomorrow, the 20th.
N7OZH
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
FootHill Net 06-18-2013
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be setting up a field day station at the Stake Center this year. However, here are some excellent YouTube videos of people working PSK31 and others showing how to set it up and giving tips on good practice.
PSK31 Intro PSK31 Intro
LOTS of PSK31 videos here PSK31
PSK31 was going to be our major demo at the field day site, now you can get the same info in the comfort of your own home with the air conditioner running.
To hear actual sounds of ALL the digital modes and find out more info on them, go to this amazing ham radio site. WB8NUT Ham Radio
N7OZH
PSK31 Intro PSK31 Intro
LOTS of PSK31 videos here PSK31
PSK31 was going to be our major demo at the field day site, now you can get the same info in the comfort of your own home with the air conditioner running.
To hear actual sounds of ALL the digital modes and find out more info on them, go to this amazing ham radio site. WB8NUT Ham Radio
N7OZH
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
6/12/2013 MARA - A Few Important Things and A Few Handy Things and A Few Interesting Things
If you follow MARA on Twitter, you should have received a Tweet around 8PM reminding you of tonight's net. There are ham radio operators all over the USA and some foreign countries following @MARA_SLC on Twitter for EmComm Radio.
It was reported on the ERC net last night that the Harbor Freight magnesium fire starters do not work. They do if you follow correct procedures. Thanks to Scott/W7OXZ for the following link to a YouTube video showing how to do it right. The demo is done with a Harbor Freight Magnesium Fire Starter. You can see it HERE.
There are lots of other YouTube videos showing people trying to use the Harbor Freight Magnesium Fire Starter and other magnesium fire starters the wrong way and concluding that they do not work. I have 10 of the Harbor Freight models. Mine all work.
IW5EDI has a nifty QSL maker for your computer. You can see it HERE.
He also has lots of interesting Ham Radio articles on his HOME PAGE.
You need to ID every 10 minutes. I often forget. Here is the solution for THAT.
Useful Ham Radio Links HERE.
Misc Ham Radio Software HERE.
Baofeng Radio Prices and Reviews HERE.
One commentator said that the Baofeng is a Chinese $200 radio that is subsidized by the Chinese government to sell for under $50 so that the Chinese can damage the Japan radio market and then take it over. That's one person's opinion - I don't have any facts to support it.
Why Ham Radio For Disaster Management? HERE.
An excellent article that you could print out and give to your Stake Presidency to get them on board with a stake net and annual emergency drill if they do not already have one.
More on the net and then this will be updated.
-N7OZH-
It was reported on the ERC net last night that the Harbor Freight magnesium fire starters do not work. They do if you follow correct procedures. Thanks to Scott/W7OXZ for the following link to a YouTube video showing how to do it right. The demo is done with a Harbor Freight Magnesium Fire Starter. You can see it HERE.
There are lots of other YouTube videos showing people trying to use the Harbor Freight Magnesium Fire Starter and other magnesium fire starters the wrong way and concluding that they do not work. I have 10 of the Harbor Freight models. Mine all work.
IW5EDI has a nifty QSL maker for your computer. You can see it HERE.
He also has lots of interesting Ham Radio articles on his HOME PAGE.
You need to ID every 10 minutes. I often forget. Here is the solution for THAT.
Useful Ham Radio Links HERE.
Misc Ham Radio Software HERE.
Baofeng Radio Prices and Reviews HERE.
One commentator said that the Baofeng is a Chinese $200 radio that is subsidized by the Chinese government to sell for under $50 so that the Chinese can damage the Japan radio market and then take it over. That's one person's opinion - I don't have any facts to support it.
Why Ham Radio For Disaster Management? HERE.
An excellent article that you could print out and give to your Stake Presidency to get them on board with a stake net and annual emergency drill if they do not already have one.
More on the net and then this will be updated.
-N7OZH-
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
06/11/2013 Foothill & ERC Net - 3 CRUCIAL Things
If you plan to work as a ham radio communicator during a major disaster, there are three things you MUST have or you will be of very limited usefulness.
1) The first is EXTRA BATTERIES. The batteries in your HT will only last for a very limited time under the heavy traffic of an emergency situation. In the early stages, you radio will probably not ever be silent. You will be at a middle level power drain almost constantly. [NOTE: Power drain levels when the radio is ON - LOW - silence, squelch is unbroken, nobody is talking - MIDDLE - the squelch is open and other operators are talking - the audio driver circuits consume a lot of power - HIGH - you are transmitting].
If you are going to work in a shelter or command center using a mobile rig, how will you power it? Mobile rigs draw a LOT more power than HTs and they do not come with batteries. If the power is out (a VERY likely scenario) you are going to need a way to get your own power. A good idea is to have cables that will plug into the mobile rig and have Anderson Power Poles on the other end. With this set up you can then use alligator clips or a cigarette lighter plug to connect to any available 12 volt power source.
2) A LONGER ANTENNA with gain for your HT. The antenna that comes with your HT is technically a "rubber attenuator". It is designed to be VERY broad band so that the radio can "hear" signals across its entire spectrum. That spectrum includes LOTS of stuff outside the ham bands. With many radios this includes the AM and/or FM broadcast bands, the Weather Bands, the FRS/GMRS bands, and more, all in addition to the specified ham bands. That antenna is a "jack of all trades, master of none".
3) An antenna that you can mount 20 to 30 feet in the air. This includes the mast and a tripod and some guy wires and tent stakes for the guy wires. This is an absolute necessity if you are going to be the communicator at a command center or shelter that was selected at the last moment. This happens a LOT in major disasters due to the planned command center or shelter being damaged in the disaster. You aren't going to get out very well on simplex using just an HT and its little rubber attenuator. This antenna setup is something you can keep handy in the garage where it is easy to grab and move quickly to your assigned station.
These are not things you need to get all at once, but they should be on your "gotta have it" list. You can acquire the antenna that goes up 20 or 30 feet in stages. Get the tripod or other mount, then get the mast elements and finally the actual antenna, etc.
4) OK, there's actually a fourth thing. You must have a "CHEAT SHEET" for your radio. You may be asked to operate in cross band repeat mode using frequencies you are not familiar with. You could be required to use squelch tones with a new temporary portable repeater on frequencies you have never worked before (SLC emergency services has at least two of these). You could be required to use tones to ignore all transmissions except those with the proper tone/signal on the carrier. There are many modes that your radio is capable of that you never use. In an emergency you could be asked to get your radio in and out of modes you've never worked before.
You can buy pocket reference manuals and special abreviated full size manuals from dealers like AES Ham and also on eBay. They are CRUCIAL in an emergency situation. If you can find the manual that came with your radio, you can also make your own using your computer. I strongly suggest that you laminate it if you do make your own.
-N7OZH-
1) The first is EXTRA BATTERIES. The batteries in your HT will only last for a very limited time under the heavy traffic of an emergency situation. In the early stages, you radio will probably not ever be silent. You will be at a middle level power drain almost constantly. [NOTE: Power drain levels when the radio is ON - LOW - silence, squelch is unbroken, nobody is talking - MIDDLE - the squelch is open and other operators are talking - the audio driver circuits consume a lot of power - HIGH - you are transmitting].
If you are going to work in a shelter or command center using a mobile rig, how will you power it? Mobile rigs draw a LOT more power than HTs and they do not come with batteries. If the power is out (a VERY likely scenario) you are going to need a way to get your own power. A good idea is to have cables that will plug into the mobile rig and have Anderson Power Poles on the other end. With this set up you can then use alligator clips or a cigarette lighter plug to connect to any available 12 volt power source.
2) A LONGER ANTENNA with gain for your HT. The antenna that comes with your HT is technically a "rubber attenuator". It is designed to be VERY broad band so that the radio can "hear" signals across its entire spectrum. That spectrum includes LOTS of stuff outside the ham bands. With many radios this includes the AM and/or FM broadcast bands, the Weather Bands, the FRS/GMRS bands, and more, all in addition to the specified ham bands. That antenna is a "jack of all trades, master of none".
3) An antenna that you can mount 20 to 30 feet in the air. This includes the mast and a tripod and some guy wires and tent stakes for the guy wires. This is an absolute necessity if you are going to be the communicator at a command center or shelter that was selected at the last moment. This happens a LOT in major disasters due to the planned command center or shelter being damaged in the disaster. You aren't going to get out very well on simplex using just an HT and its little rubber attenuator. This antenna setup is something you can keep handy in the garage where it is easy to grab and move quickly to your assigned station.
These are not things you need to get all at once, but they should be on your "gotta have it" list. You can acquire the antenna that goes up 20 or 30 feet in stages. Get the tripod or other mount, then get the mast elements and finally the actual antenna, etc.
4) OK, there's actually a fourth thing. You must have a "CHEAT SHEET" for your radio. You may be asked to operate in cross band repeat mode using frequencies you are not familiar with. You could be required to use squelch tones with a new temporary portable repeater on frequencies you have never worked before (SLC emergency services has at least two of these). You could be required to use tones to ignore all transmissions except those with the proper tone/signal on the carrier. There are many modes that your radio is capable of that you never use. In an emergency you could be asked to get your radio in and out of modes you've never worked before.
You can buy pocket reference manuals and special abreviated full size manuals from dealers like AES Ham and also on eBay. They are CRUCIAL in an emergency situation. If you can find the manual that came with your radio, you can also make your own using your computer. I strongly suggest that you laminate it if you do make your own.
-N7OZH-
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
More Neat Stuff (06/04/2013 Foothill/MARA postings)
Go to NiteIze.com to see some cool LED lights AND the most amazing guy wire tightner available today. It is called the figure nine rope tensioner. They sell these at the ACE Hardware on 4th South and on eBay. Prices vary widely, so it is best to shop around.
The figure nine device comes in three sizes. Here is the link to the Small one which is the one that is most handy for use on ham radio guy wires. Guy wires that are not metal can and do stretch. This gadget fixes that. Here is the link for the SMALL unit.
An amazing cleaning solution can be brewed up using a product that is in grocery stores, camping stores, and lots of other specialty stores. It is citric acid (as in lemon juice). However, this works better than lemon juice, especially if you heat it and add a little salt. It not only cleans brass, but it "passivates" the brass to prevent future tarnish. It will clean your sterling silver in the blink of an eye. Mix it stronger and it will remove rust. It has an amazing number of uses. Also available on eBay.
NOTE: This is NOT harmful - it is weaker than lemon juice and is biodegradable. In the stores it is known as LEMI SHINE and comes in a small yellow box. It is on the top shelf in the soap and cleaner section at our neighborhood Fresh Market store. WallMart has it also. Google this stuff and prepare to be amazed at all its uses. Definitely something to add to your emergency planning.
WARNING: Never put a rubber band around sterling silver or real silver. Rubber bands contain Sulphur. Sulphur attacks silver. Placing a rubber band around sterling silver for any length of time guarantees that when you remove the rubber band there will be NO silver under it! Pure silver will be pitted and tarnished by rubber bands. Who knew?? Learn something new every day!
-N7OZH-
The figure nine device comes in three sizes. Here is the link to the Small one which is the one that is most handy for use on ham radio guy wires. Guy wires that are not metal can and do stretch. This gadget fixes that. Here is the link for the SMALL unit.
An amazing cleaning solution can be brewed up using a product that is in grocery stores, camping stores, and lots of other specialty stores. It is citric acid (as in lemon juice). However, this works better than lemon juice, especially if you heat it and add a little salt. It not only cleans brass, but it "passivates" the brass to prevent future tarnish. It will clean your sterling silver in the blink of an eye. Mix it stronger and it will remove rust. It has an amazing number of uses. Also available on eBay.
NOTE: This is NOT harmful - it is weaker than lemon juice and is biodegradable. In the stores it is known as LEMI SHINE and comes in a small yellow box. It is on the top shelf in the soap and cleaner section at our neighborhood Fresh Market store. WallMart has it also. Google this stuff and prepare to be amazed at all its uses. Definitely something to add to your emergency planning.
WARNING: Never put a rubber band around sterling silver or real silver. Rubber bands contain Sulphur. Sulphur attacks silver. Placing a rubber band around sterling silver for any length of time guarantees that when you remove the rubber band there will be NO silver under it! Pure silver will be pitted and tarnished by rubber bands. Who knew?? Learn something new every day!
-N7OZH-
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