ARROW is testing again

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ARROW re-started in-person VE testing several months ago after pausing for COVID. We test every second Saturday of the month at Fellowship Bible Church, 2775 Bedford Road, near the intersection of Washtenaw and Stadium Blvd., in Ann Arbor.  This morning, 5 VEs tested 6 candidates. Also  in attendance was one observer and Pastor Matt Postiff, aka W8MAP.

When we got to the church this morning, Pastor Matt had already hung signs directing people to the assigned room. It seems that his job description exceeds the normal range of pastoral care. Thanks, Matt!

The good thing is that all of the candidates were successful and left with either a new license or an upgrade. One of the applicants was a young lad of 10 or 11, whose mother brought him to the test session. He passed the Tech test handily, and seemed to be very happy about this result. In fact, all of the applicants were pleased to have passed. The VEs were happy about this as well, since it is always a bummer to tell somebody they failed.

One of the applicants was ARROW member Steve Bemis, W8AYN, who got 50 correct answers on his Extra element. As he was leaving, I told him that if he had studied harder, he would have done better!

If you have been wanting to get your ham license or upgrade to General or Extra Class, our next exam session will be at 9AM EST on Saturday morning, January 8, 2022 in the Youth Room at the Fellowship Bible Church.  Walk-ins are allowed, but we would prefer pre-registration by e-mailing Mark, W8FSA, at mrkgoodwin@comcast.net, or yours truly, Ralph, AA8RK at aa8rk@arrl.net.

ARROW Elects Officers for 2022

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On Wednesday, December 8, the membership elected the following officers:

  • President: James Forgacs, KC8BGJ
  • Secretary: Don Winsor, AC8TO
  • Treasurer: Steve Rogacki, AC8GO
  • Technical Coordinator: Steve Gladden, N8LBV
  • Public Service Officer: Ed Thierbach, AB8OJ
  • Activities Coordinator: John Wasciuk, WA8TON
  • Delegate Trustee: Thom Martin, W8TAM

Ed, AB8OJ, is returning to the board, while James, KC8BGJ, is joining the board for the first time.

Congratulations to all!

General Meeting – June 9, 2021

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I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of Zoom meetings. So, instead of cramming into a University of Michigan classroom—which we haven’t yet gotten permission to do anyway—I decided that meeting in one of Ann Arbor’s lovely parks would be just the ticket. I’m not a big planner, so my original thought would be for everyone to just show up, maybe bring a radio, and a bag lunch.

Nick, W8XM (L) with Mo, KE8BZJ.

Nick, W8XM, wasn’t having any of that, though. He volunteered to head over to Costco and purchase what we needed for a real cookout. He bought burgers, brats, cheese, onions, lettuce, buns, and a cooler full of Coke (both regular and diet) and water. He even brought his pop-up canopy. Dinesh AB3DC brought a pop-up gas grill, Jack N8PMG brought some snacks, Don AC8TO also brought some beverages, and 18 of us had a real feast.

Some guys brought radios. Dave N8SBE brought his KX2 and worked some FT4. Ed AB8OJ brought his AREDN node, and Thom W8TAM showed up in what he calls his “POTA pursuit vehicle,” a former cop car, with an IC-7300 and screwdriver antenna installed. I brought my KX-3, but never did get around to setting it up.

The weather cooperated, too. At 4 pm, it started pouring, and it looked like it was going to be a wet evening, but the rain cleared out by 5 pm, and stayed nice, if a little humid, throughout the rest of the evening.

This event turned out a lot better than I had planned. It was great seeing everyone face-to-face again. We may just have to do this again next month.

18 ARROWheads showed up last night to enjoy the sunshine and some burgers and brats.

Our next event is going to be a small gathering at the same park for Field Day in a couple of weeks. Instead of our usual 4A + GOTA operation, we’ll be either 1A or 2A, and probably only operate from 2pm until 10pm on Saturday, when we’re supposed to be out of the park. Stay tuned for details.

W0YK Talks RTTY

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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.

Looking for an exam session?

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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.

ARRL Great Lakes Division Vice Director Candidates’ Forum (9/30/2020)

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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)

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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

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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

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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).