Antenna range, that is… The Quad-County ARC held its first-ever antenna shootout preceding the July meeting. Using a low-power transmitter located almost 1/4 mile away, the group of antenna experimenters set up a monitoring position in a large parking lot adjacent to the meeting room on the Penn State DuBois Campus and took signal strength measurements of various 2-meter antennas that they brought for the occasion. The winner was a homebrew contraption made by Lars SM7FYW/KB3WBT.
Larry KB3YJH placed his home-made groundplane atop the test mast and the measured signal strength was good enough to take second place. Lars and Don KB3LES each tested several antennas and found the truth about directivity and gain.
After the meeting Joe W3BC presented a program on computer modeling of antennas. The highlight of the presentation was to input the dimensions of Lars’ blue ribbon winner, and see if it was supposed to work in theory. The answer was surprisingly close to the pattern measured on the test range, with deep side nulls predicted just like those measured on the range, and a fairly large lobe off the back of the antenna, again in accordance with the actual measurements.
It was so much fun, that another shootout is planned for 6:30 August 17th, before the meeting at 7:30. This second shootout will also be for UHF antennas.
Don KB3LES will be bringing his secret weapon, which looks like something from NASA… You’ll have to be there to catch all the fun!!!
The Quad-County ARC would be delighted to welcome you to our Field Day operation. We are located in the Community Building on the Clearfield County Fairgrounds. Here is a map and directions.
Directions:
From US-322 turn onto Weaver Street at (A).
Drive to the Fairgrounds Gate at 700 Weaver Street (B).
Say the magic words “Ham Radio” to get in free, then…
Turn left immediately and park near (C).
Our Field Day operation is in the yellow brick house immediately in front of you!
On Saturday, June 2, 15 QCARC members and guests set up a demonstration station and and gave a public exhibition of foxhunting at the American Red Cross PA Heartland Chapter’s “First Bash of Summer” carnival in the DuBois City Park. Don Jewell KB3LES was the project leader, and provided the HF radio, VHF/UHF J-Pole, antenna analyzer, hardware and know-how. The Punxsutawney Area Amateur Radio Club provided the tent, which turned out to be very much needed when Mother Nature showed everyone who was boss.
Jeff Rowles KA3FHV held down the fort on the HF rig, and the HF antenna system built by Joe W3BC was given a thorough workout. The results were good, and Jeff reported that he was able to work every station he heard. The entire operation was set up in under an hour and it was great to see so many hands make light work of all the heavy lifting. In a Quad-County first, at no time did anyone discover they had left something important at home!
Joe Rouse K3JLR drove in from Strattanville and brought Deirdre and Magi who gave us a special treat: Homemade Ham Radio cookies!
Technology Specialist Lars KB3WBT/SM7FYW led several teams on foxhunts, and fielded questions from curious fairgoers. There seems to be a growing interest in foxhunting locally, and it’s a great opportunity to show the public another side of Amateur Radio they probably didn’t know existed. It’s an activity for the whole family, and participants don’t even need a license to have some ham radio fun!
Jefferson County ARES EC Kevin Snyder KA3YCB, along with assistant EC and Punxsutawney Area Amateur Radio Club President Steve Waltman KB3FPN were both on hand to help out and take part in the activities. Kevin also serves as the Quad-County ARC Public Service Officer, and brought portable tables and chairs for the event. Red Cross Liaison Greg Donahue KB3WKD made sure we had everything we needed, and connected us to the electrical power system for the duration. He also set up PA announcements directing fairgoers to our location.
Before the rainstorm hit, we discussed how much fun it was, and our desire to do more events like these. We look forward to the next events: Field Day, Race Day, Car Show, and Baker Trail Marathon.
The crew makes short work of putting up the tent. Now where is that missing part??? The crew makes short work of putting up the tent. Now where is that missing part???
KA3YCB, W3TM and KB3WBT check out W3BC's portable antenna The crew checks out the antennas.
Getting on the air, Don Jewell KB3LES and Kevin Snyder KA3YCB check the operation of the just-installed equipment, as Gref Donahue KB3WKD looks on. Getting on the air, Don Jewell KB3LES and Kevin Snyder KA3YCB check the operation of the just-installed equipment, as Gref Donahue KB3WKD looks on.
Deirdre, Magi and Joe K3JLR brought Ham Radio snacks for everybody. Deirdre, Magi and Joe K3JLR brought Ham Radio snacks for everybody.
Joe K3JLR and family,and Lars Kvant SM7FYW, foxhunting at the Red Cross Carnival in the DuBois City Park. Joe K3JLR and family,and Lars Kvant SM7FYW, foxhunting at the Red Cross Carnival in the DuBois City Park.
Total vehicle-miles traveled by the subjects: 80 on the left and 40 on the right.
It’s that time of year again—time to put on the old feedbag and spend a night out with your ham radio friends! We will meet in the upstairs Banquet Hall of the DuBois Diner at 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 5. Plenty of free parking in the back of the diner, and you can take the elevator or climb the stairs.
Our guest speaker is Mike Sapp, WA3TTS, a technical writer from Pittsburgh, who will fill us in on his recent work with Amateur Radio beacons, including his world-famous 6-meter beacon on the old KDKA-TV antenna.
The menu is a buffet, featuring Stuffed Chicken Breast and Beef Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots, salad and beverage for $13.99 per person, plus tax and an 18% gratuity. It works out to $17.50 per person.
The main door prize will be a brand-new Baofeng UV-5R dual-band portable transceiver.
Plan on attending one of the best ham radio social activities in the area. We hope to see you there!
Please make a reservation by sending an email to banquet@qcarc.org, or on the air during a net!
(Or fill out the convenient form below and hit the [Submit] button.
We finally stopped talking about it and just did it! Before the April meeting, several members tried their hand at finding W3BC’s hidden UV-3R somewhere on the Penn State DuBois campus. Lars KB3WBT brought his DF tape-measure antenna, and Don KB3LES brought one of his home-built log-periodic antennas with his UV-3R for a receiver.
Ed and Don close in on the fox, as passing drivers gape in wonder...
Stomping around the campus with antennas, the hidden transmitter turned out to be harder to find than expected. Lars reported the signal level picked up INSIDE the Swift building, and Don couldn’t get a good direction as he got closer to the fox.
The “winner” of the first heat was… Ed KB3VWX, who found it without using either a radio or antenna! We’ll have to call him “Eagle Eyes” from now on! Don took some time to introduce Bev W3BEV to the art of foxhunting before heading out to find the fox.
The first to find the fox using proper radio and antenna technique was Don KB3LES. After finding it, he got to silence it, and hide it in a second location. That second location was even harder than the first, utilizing a brick wall, a large flower pot, a metal trash can and a pile of leaves to hide out from the DF antennas. Lars was zeroing in on it when time ran out. Ed “Eagle Eyes” KB3VWX retrieved the radio and we all went inside for the meeting.
Reports were all positive, and some areas for improvement were discussed, notably signal attenuation when close to the fox. Others remarked that passing drivers gave us some astonished looks as we marched around campus with “space antennas!”
Everyone thought it was a lot of fun, and we look forward to perfecting our setups to do it again next month.
Don KB3LES shows us how happy he was to find the fox!
Ed and Don close in on the fox, as passing drivers gape in wonder...
The big brother of the Baofeng UV-3R micro-HT is now available for a few dollars more. The UV-5R has a numeric keypad for entering frequency and DTMF tones, 128 memory channels, and 5 watts output power. It features a true drop-in charger, and a 7.4v 1800mAH (13.3 WH) Li-ion battery pack. The dot-matrix, alphanumeric display features tri-color LED backlighting, and the keypad has backlighting as well for night operation. See the article in the April Parasitic Emission for a review.
The group price is $60, and shipments are arriving within a week of ordering.
I am looking into sourcing for extra battery packs. The best pricing I can get is $16 each with approximately two week shipping time. This situation should quickly improve, as this is a brand-new model that was just released this month. So far in our area, 10 have been purchased. They sound great on the air, and no complaints have been registered! This radio is every bit as good and in many ways superior to its nearest competitor, the Wouxung dual-band HT and only costs half the price!
RIGHT-CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS AND SELECT “SAVE LINK AS” FROM THE MENU!!!
Here’s the manual:
Here’s the programming software: uv-5r (Caution! Primitive!)
Here’s a USB-Serial driver for “Prolific” chipsets that works with 32 and 64 bit Windows: PL2303_Prolific_GPS_AllInOne_1013
Here’s a local frequency list: QC-HAM+PS
Here’s a schematic for building a serial programming interface:
Amateur Radio Volunteer Examiners from Clearfield and Jefferson Counties administered FCC license examinations for members of recently completed training classes and others hoping to obtain or upgrade their Amateur Radio licenses. The classes and the exams were held at the PA Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross in DuBois.
“This is the largest turnout for Amateur Radio exams locally for a significant number of years,” commented Volunteer Examiner Team Liaison Bryan Simanic WA3UFN of DuBois.
Recently Licensed Radio Amateurs (l-r) James Withers KB3YJF, Ian Gerard KB3YJM, Joel Best N3UOA, Wayne Kocher KB3YJE, Jay Lorance KB3YJL, Bob Thunberg N3DIR, Nick Lorance KB3YJJ, Devon Lorance KB3YJK, Bev Hudsick KB3YJI, Jim WickerKB3YJG, Greg Donahue KB3WKD, Larry Whitten KB3YJH, Ed Stewart KB3WRX
Ranging in age from 10 years old to senior citizens, those participating in the exams came from DuBois, Curwensville, Reynoldsville, Luthersburg, Brookville and surrounding areas. They became involved in Amateur Radio for a variety of reasons, ranging from interest in science and electronics, to emergency and disaster preparedness, and the desire to serve the public.
They will now be able to get on the air and join with thousands of other “hams” nationwide and around the world to participate in this growing and active radio service. Over the past year, the news has carried many reports of ham radio operators providing vital communications during emergencies across America including wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events. During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio—also called “ham” radio—was often the only means of communication with stricken areas. When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio volunteers are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications.
Volunteer Examiners (l-r) Charlie Lindahl N3DEO, Scott Mathewson WA3FFC and Bryan Simanic WA3UFN score the exams. Not pictured, Herb Murray W3TM and Joe Shupienis W3BC
Their slogan, “When all else fails, Ham Radio works!” is more than just words to hams as they prove they can get the message through without the need of telephone, cable, cellular or internet systems which are usually rendered unavailable in a crisis.
In the local area, The Quad-County Amateur Radio Club offers training classes to prepare for license exams, and schedules regular examination sessions. The Club meets monthly in the Hiller Building at Penn State DuBois on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 pm. Meetings are free and the public is invited to attend. Following each meeting are programs and activities for radio amateurs and those interested in radio and electronic communications.
Getting It Right – Prospective hams concentrate while taking their Amateur Radio Exams
I will be ordering 5-unit lots of Baofeng UV-3R HTs from China as orders come in. The cost is $46.00 per radio, shipped. I will program them with all the local ham radio frequencies of interest free of charge. (If you prefer to do it yourself, here’s the file: QC-Ham)
I can also obtain spare batteries at $3.95 each. Better deal: I found a supplier of 1800 mAH batteries for $4.00 each, which gives 20% longer battery life for a nickel more!!!
These prices are for 5 units or more, so orders will be held until I get at least 5.
Please note, these are the improved “Mark II” version with the dual frequency display and 19 menu functions. Color (red, blue, yellow or camo) units are $49.00 each and take longer to ship (two weeks). The regular ones take a few days. The first group order was for 8, I expect them to be here in time for the Meeting Friday.
The winter air was filled with the happy shouting of nearly 400 Cub Scouts at Camp Mountain Run on Saturday, February 11th, as they gathered for their annual Klondike Derby. “It’s a great way for them to enjoy winter activities in the great outdoors,” explained District Director Carl Hall.
This year, there was a new activity that captured the interest of the Cub Scouts from the north-central Pennsylvania region served by the Bucktail Council. That activity was an Amateur Radio station and exhibit set up by members of the Quad-County Amateur Radio Club.
Nearly 400 Cub Scouts got on the air to experience Amateur Radio first hand, as Quad-County hams volunteered to help.
Club President Joe Shupienis W3BC led the hams in greeting each 50-60 Scout unit as they entered the room. Quad-County members Don Jewell KB3LES and Lars Kvant KB3WBT/SM7FYW demonstrated VHF antennas they built, and answered questions from the Scouts and their parents. Jesse Tucker KG4ZXC and President Shupienis W3BC discussed how Amateur Radio is a lifelong activity which can lead to careers in engineering, science and technology.
Club Member Kevin Hoynoski W3PIG showed the Scouts his “Go Box”–a portable amateur radio station in an easily carried container.
Next, the Go-Box was put into action on the Quad-County 147.315 repeater, and each and every Cub Scout got to speak on the air with Phil K3PJ at his home in Clymer. They learned from talking with him that he is a Scoutmaster for a unit in Indiana County.
After putting 381 Cub Scouts on the air, both groups were very happy with the operation and look forward to working together again!
Photo Gallery:
Kevin demonstrates his Go Box as the Cub Scouts eagerly await their turn at the controls!
Show and Tell. Lars and Don exhibit their antenna craftsmanship for the surprisingly interested Cub Scouts!
Jesse and Club Technology Coordinator Lars ready the equipment for flawless operation before using it to put hundreds of Cub Scouts on the air!
Don KB3LES, Lars KB3WBT, Jesse KG4ZXC and Kevin W3PIG prepare displays and handouts.
Cub Scouts gather around the radio and await their turn to say "Hello" on the air!
Our February meeting will be held on Friday, February 17 at 7:30 pm in the Hiller Building Quiet Lounge on the Penn State DuBois Campus. There is plenty of free parking, within a few feet of the meeting location. Please see the map for details. Talk-in will be on the 147.315 repeater.
On the Program
We welcome Trooper Bruce Morris, Public Information Oficer, Troop C, Pennsylvania State Police, and a representative of the DuBois City Police Department. Trooper Morris will present a program on the Crimestoppers and Crimewatch programs, and will also discuss Burglary Prevention.
TTHE JANUARY MEETING will be held at the DuBois Eat ‘n Park Restaurant at 7:30 pm, Friday, January 20th. Members and guests who want to eat should arrive by 6:30 pm, and the meeting will start at 7:30. Following the business meeting, Herb Murray W3TM will present an interesting program on Amateur Radio Contesting, and how to get started in this exciting facet of our hobby.
Please plan on attending, and note the new location at Eat ‘n Park is for this month only. (Beginning in February, our meetings will be at the DuBois Campus of Penn State, in their extremely nice conference center!)
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An Executive Board meeting has been called for 9:30 am, Saturday morning, February 4th at the DuBois Diner in the “Coca Cola Room.” All officers and Executive Board members are requested to attend.
Breakfast service will be available, including the Diner’s famous Weekend Breakfast Buffet and Omelet Chef, at affordable prices!
Quad-County Executive Board meetings are open to all members, but only officers and Executive Board members may make motions, debate and vote.
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Don KB3LES will be bringing his secret weapon, which looks like something from NASA… You’ll have to be there to catch all the fun!!!
