Unfortunately, ARROW will not be holding in-person exam sessions for the foreseeable future. Don’t despair, though, you can take the test online. To schedule an online, amateur radio exam go to https://hamstudy.org/sessions.
W0YK Talks RTTY
On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Ed Muns, W0YK, a noted RTTY contester, gave a great presentation via Zoom to ARROW. Below are just the three first slides, which Ed used to give us a feel for the history of RTTY and its current place in ham radio. He went on to explain how RTTY works, how to set your station up to run RTTY, and how to operate RTTY in contests. For more information, download the entire presentation.
Who knew that teletypes were in use before 1850?
Although the popularity of FT8 continues to increase, RTTY continues to hold its own, especially among contesters.
ARRL Great Lakes Division Vice Director Candidates’ Forum (9/30/2020)
On Wednesday, September 30, 2020, ARROW held a special meeting, at which all three candidates for ARRL Great Lakes Vice Director were to speak. This video is a recording of that meeting. On this video, you’ll see Scott, N8SY, and Frank, KI8GW, but, unfortunately, we were unable to connect with Jim, K8JH. Below, you’ll find links to their candidate statements.
Statements:
Corwin Moore, WB8UPM (SK)
Corwin D. Moore, Jr. WB8UPM (age 77), one of the founders of the “Amateur Radio Repeaters Of Washtenaw” (ARROW), a spin-off of the HVARA (Huron Valley Amateur Radio Assn.), passed away Sunday, September 6th, according to his wife Kathy.
Corwin was a cornerstone of the ARROW for many decades, and held a Life Membership in the organization. He supported many projects by providing space on his 200-foot tower on Scio Church Road near Zeeb, some of the highest ground in Washtenaw county. Projects such as an Amateur TV repeater, UHF to 10-Meter cross-band repeater, 220MHz Packet radio digipeater, 6-meter repeater, and many others. Corwin’s primary use of the tower was in the 1970’s when he ran a GMRS repeater from there that covered much of Southeastern Michigan. Currently his 146.74 (100PL) and a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) are the current occupants.
Corwin enjoyed everything about the technology and was a valuable resource and Elmer for anyone wanting to learn more. He was always willing to share his knowledge. One of his favorite things was keeping up with radio related trends in government and as a consultant often would travel to Washington D.C. to represent his customers before the F.C.C. He certainly knew his stuff!
Corwin had a big heart and always a willingness to help out. When the ARROW lost the Tower Plaza site, Corwin put together and operated a replacement repeater on 146.96 running from his tower. And he was very helpfull in the transition from his site to the MSR2000 now running at the Wolverine Tower site. His help in getting audio levels trimmed and deviation set correctly was much appreciated.
Health issues relegated Corwin to a wheelchair which made it difficult to continue to live in the house at the base of the tower. And in November two years ago, a lightning strike came in on the DTE power lines and took out the 146.74 repeater and much of the WISP. I am proud to report that through assistance from the ARROW we have rebuilt his repeater and will be returning into full operation later this afternoon. Sad that he did not live long enough to hear and use his old repeater.
–Jay, WB8TKL
ARROW Meeting, Wednesday, September 9 – Michael Kalter, W8CI, candidate for the ARRL Board of Directors
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020, Michael Kalter, W8CI, spoke to ARROW via Zoom. He spoke about why he’s running for the ARRL Board of Directors and his vision for the ARRL. Here’s the video:
I also invited Dale Williams, WA8EFK, the incumbent, but he was unable to join us.
A different kind of Field Day
We didn’t haul generators out to the airport this year, nor did we have to deal with a porta-potty, but we still had fun. Here’s how some ARROW members participated in Field Day.
Russ KB8U
KB8U combined his two hobbies on field day by operating bicycle mobile on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter QRP CW, and 2m and 70cm with a hand-held FM transceiver. Most contacts were made while in motion. He made contacts and rode at a leisurely pace, logging 118 contacts and about 53 miles over the weekend.
John WA8TON
Got 195 CW QSO’s, including 8 on 6 meters! All using a Cushcraft R8 at 30 feet. Amazing how much brass pounding there was at around 50.095 MHz! Getting a lot easier to copy than last year! Next year, I’ll run ’em!
It sure was harder to stay awake all night than it was in 1966! Found myself nodding off at 2 AM.
Lots of fun, but it sure does not beat all the eyeball QSO’s. Hope we can do it all in person next time! (And there is Winter Field Day, too!)
Dave N8SBE
Dave, N8SBE, is all set to try out WSJT-X FT4 within the N1MM+ logger from his home station in the 2020 ARRL FD. His laptop integrates seamlessly for both audio and CAT with his USB Codec-equipped Elecraft K3S/P3. His antenna complement includes a homebrew 20M-6M six-band, two-element spider-boom quad up about 40 ft, and a ZS6BKW window-line fed dipole covering 80M-40M, up about 35 ft. Just because he’s working FD from home (class 1D), doesn’t mean he can’t dress the part — note the official 2020 ARRL FD shirt, cap and pin (and mug, not pictured)!”
Jay WB8TKL
Operating 1E with 850 Amp/Hours of deep-cycle battery and nearly 500 watts of Solar power, we kept the rigs powered, the fan blowing cool air, and the lights on, for the duration of the event. We discovered a few technical items that will need further improvement, but this “Operating Event” went VERY well. Even the Hamgate.Washtenaw.AMPR.Org JNOS Packet node was running off Solar for others to post their NTS messages through.
Three is two, two is one, and one is none…so we had an OMNI-VI Plus on standby should a backup HF rig be needed. But the primary rig (TS-430S) performed flawlessly.
The special circumstances of Field Day this year taught all of us the PRIMARY meaning of the event – to practice the skills needed to set up and operate for an extended length of time. No one just showed up at the FD site, sat themselves down in front of a K3 inside an air-conditioned 5th Wheel. This year we were EACH required to manage antennas, rigs, power, fuel, extension cables, logging software (or paper logs), and ultimately the filing of our official Log to the ARRL. It was a learning experiance for many! We all now appreciate more the hard work done by our FD Captain, the various Stations Captains, and all the volunteer work and supplies provided by our fellow club members 🙂
Dan KB6NU
With his battery-powered KX3, Dan KB6NU, managed 225 CW contacts, mostly on 40-meter CW.
I operated from my front deck, using a solar-charged, battery-powered KX3. I managed 225 CW contacts, mostly on 40-meter CW. I did pretty well with bonus points, too. I copied the bulletin, sent our Section Manager some traffic, sent out a press release, and Tweeted throughout Field Day for the social media bonus. I even had a public-information table (see below).
AC8TO on FT8
Don, AC8TO, gave us a great presentation on FT8 at our online meeting Wednesday evening. Here are his slides, if you missed it:
Join the ARROW “Shut In” Net
This really has nothing to do with this post. I found it while Googling for an “amateur radio roundtable” image and thought it would be amusing. 🙂
You may be sheltering in place or self-quarantining, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be out of touch with your fellow hams. For the foreseeable future, ARROW members will be congregating at 10 am and 7 pm on our 2 m repeater (146.96 MHz), and at 2 pm on the Brandmeister MI Talk Group (TG 3126).
Please feel free to join us, even if you’re not an ARROW member. The nets are conducted in a roundtable format, with one of the participants (often Jay, WB8TKL) acting as the ringleader. We babble on about how we’re coping with this situation, including what projects we’re working on and what bands and modes we’re operating.
STAY SAFE AND JOIN US!
ARROW Event Cancellations for March & April 2020
We would like to inform you know that the following ARROW Events and Meetings have been canceled due to COVID-19.
ARROW VE Session – March 14 & April 11
ARROW Egg Chew – March 21 & April 18
ARROW Monthly General Meeting – April 8
ARROW Hamvention Bus Trip – May 16
We are currently evaluating the Hamvention Bus Trip and are waiting to hear from the Hamvention organizers. Hamvention has been canceled. We will work on issuing a refund to all our registered bus riders ASAP. We have processed all Hamvention bus trip refunds as of March 16, 2020 if you paid using PayPal. Checks will be in the mail soon.
The ARROW Board meeting will be held via a conference call in April at which time we will decide the future of the meetings.
73, ARROW Board
Poor band conditions not a problem for our Winter Field Day team
Tucked away in a small cabin (right) at the Brighton Recreation Area, our Winter Field Day team battled poor band conditions, but still managed more QSOs than last year, reports Thom, W8TAM.
Despite an urgent call for operators early Sunday morning, Thom, Dinesh AB3DC, and John WA8TON bested our 2019 by 2 contacts. Thom said, “253 QSOs after dupe checking. 2 more than last year. I think that’s a good result. The solar conditions this year were worse than last year. Good effort by all!”
While the weather outside was frightful (see below), inside it was delightfully warm. As you can see, Thom is in short sleeves. I’m impressed that they even had a boom mike.
Thom W8TAM, Dinesh AB3DC, and John WA8TON setting up the Winter Field Day antenna.