Please have a wonderful and safe thanksgiving with your friends and family this year. Don’t forget to wish your amateur radio friends who keep amateur radio going in your area a happy thanksgiving. Most of all let us remember those who can’t be home for the holidays because they serving our country both domestically and aboard. God Bless those who serve others…
As of this year the VARC has stopped its regular mass emailing of area amateurs in regards to its activities and updates.
This was done in a effort to limit the amount of email coming into personal email boxes and to better support those who are actually interested in keeping up with the VARC and area amateur radio happens.
If you would like to be added to the email list server simply go to the “help me” on the w4vld webpage and request to be added to the list.
Make sure to provide your name, call sign, and good email address.
Once you join you can either read the mail, add content, comment on happens, etc.
73, VARC Webmaster
The VARC provided communications support to the Honey Bee Bike Ride in Hahira – Thanks to our members for their continued support of this event.
Be sure to listen out for K2BSA this week as they are operating from West Virginia for the 2013 National Boy Scout Jamboree. We will keep our D-Star repeater, W4VLD B, connected to D-Star reflector 33A during the duration of the Jamboree.
[ribbon toplink=”true”]K2BSA On Air Frequencies[/ribbon]
SSB in MHz: 28.390, 24.960, 21.360, 18.140, 14.290, 7.190, 3.940
PSK-31 in MHz: 28.120, 24.920, 21.080, 18.100, 14.070, 10.142, 7.080, 3.580
EchoLink: K2BSA-R Demonstration Station (node 4566), WV8BSA-R VHF Repeater (node 6544), W6BSA-R UHF Repeater (node 9877), Conference *JOTA-365* (node 480809)
D-Star: WV8BSA and Reflector 033A
CW: There will be limited operation on CW as time permits
Members of the VARC just finished up field day for this year. What a wonderful experience for members, visitors and perspective amateurs alike. Ham radio shouldn’t be hard but rather fun and enjoyable which is what this event was.
It was great to see the following amateurs: Bobby, Michael, Greg, Payne, Sheila, Barry, Tim, John, Bob, Mike, and several others who came to socialize. There where several non-hams attending which were mostly member’s family or invited friends. The pot luck Saturday evening was delicious and just plain enjoyable! Again Mike’s grilling expertise was top notch! The grilled sausage was very tasty…
The VARC operated with three stations again this year using emergency power provided by solar panels. One station operated 6 meters and the two others operated in the HF bands. The 6 Meters station antennas was a 3 element cushcraft beam up 70 feet on a tower. One of the HF stations used a 520′ loop antenna and the last station used a tri-bander beam up on the tower at 66 feet. There was also a 40/75 inverted V but it failed during the event.
The HF bands were really good this year. In fact very good! Most contacts where made on 20,15,10, and 6 meters. Around 100 on 6 meters alone. The HF bands were just plain HOT! Especially 6 Meters Sunday afternoon just before the event was over.
The goal this year was 500 points but after just the first hour the VARC scored already 300 points. The overall contact score was 1160 contacts using only SSB. When the score for using emergency power is factored in the final score is 2300 points! Bobby KF4GTA (the contest machine) scored the most contacts for the event. Thank Bobby for raising the bar for next year!
The greatest quote heard from many of those who visited field day was… “I didn’t realize that ham radio was this high tech.”
Make plans to attend next year… Field Day 2014…. CQ Field Day… This is W4VLD… 3E…. GA….
Make plans now to enjoy this year’s W4VLD Field Day. We’ll be operating at 5202 Phillips Road (Coordinates: 30.7432,-83.3949) in Valdosta. Don’t forget the potluck meal Saturday evening at 6:00pm. Even if you can’t stay for the whole event, at least make plans to come share some time with your fellow hams over a meal. If you have any questions, please click the “Help Me” on the above menu and then click “Contact W4VLD”.
Recently the VARC was contacted from members of the local American Legion post. The wanted to know if any of the local vets who are also hams would be interested in joining the legion to promote both the legion and the VARC. If you are a VET and this sounds interesting to you please contact either the local post or the VARC.
Information about the American Legion Amateur Radio Club has been posted below.
The American Legion has formed a special entity to provide a forum for military veterans who today are engaged in a hobby that can also provide emergency communications “when all else fails.” During the May 2011 Spring Meetings, the National Executive Committee authorized the establishment of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC).
There are estimated to be 700,000 federally licensed amateur radio operators, or “hams,” in the United States. Over the years, countless members of the U.S. military were trained as technicians or engineers, and later obtained amateur-radio licenses to continue to use their abilities at home, as both recreation and a public-service commitment.
“The beauty of amateur radio is that it attracts folks of all career interests, from doctors, Ph.D.s, engineers, rocket scientists to mechanics, housewives, construction and office workers, students and everything in between,” says Robert L. Morrill, chairman of the Legion’s Public Relations Commission. “Hams provide backup communications to emergency-management agency offices across the country when ‘all else fails,’ and have done so with distinction in virtually every major disaster when cell towers and commercial communications have been knocked out after earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and man-made disasters.”
The club has established an amateur radio station at National Headquarters with the call sign K9TAL (K9 The American Legion) in order to conduct special-event operations on The American Legion Birthday, Veterans Day, etc.; operate SKYWARN during local severe weather; and provide members an opportunity to operate the station during visits to National Headquarters. A special QSL card is provided to all amateur radio stations that work K9TAL on the air.
In January 2005, the Legion signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to support emergency disaster preparedness. Subsequently, the Disaster Preparedness Booklet was made available to posts. Amateur-radio support was an integral entity.
“The potential to serve here is limitless,” Morrill says. “Legionnaires who are hams can help others get licensed, coordinate with local emergency authorities, provide counseling and assistance to schools, and a whole array of other support.
“While some people may think that ham radio is an old technology, the simple truth is that hams were working with digital transmissions long before folks had home computers, and they provided the impetus to make ‘wireless’ happen. They were transmitting emergency calls from their cars long before anyone had a mobile phone to do the same. Today, hams are conducting broad-spectrum experiments on ham bands that may eventually become routine ways to communicate for all of us.”
Membership is free to members of The American Legion family.
For information, or to join: [email protected]
Last Saturday morning VARC members gathered to support the Azalea City Festival 5K run. Because of the help from the VARC the event went off with out any major issues and everyone running made it through the course safely. And the weather was just perfect for both the run and the festival. This will be the last run or ride event until the Honeybee festival this fall. Hope you will come and help out then. A big thanks to Ed, Matt, and Micheal for their support with the 5K!
This last Saturday club members and non club members took off their “I am No. 1” jerseys and put on the club colors to support the Century Bike Ride. These giving members braved the early cold morning in order to setup communication and GPS tracking for the bike ride. The ride organizers were again very happy with the ham support because of the special support we provide to them. Thanks team!