There are only a few hamfest‘s that I would classify as “classic”. The Benson hamfest in Benson, North Carolina is one of those. It has your typical environment of a large parking lot with people parking their cars and selling tables full of old Ham Radio gear out of them. It has a large grill cooking thick hamburgers for everyone to enjoy at lunch. Inside there are long tables with vendors selling either used equipment, test equipment, wire antennas, in various and sundry different things that are difficult to find. This is usually one of the better attended hamfest but it is a smaller one. Big enough that you can go around and see everything in a couple of hours, have a hamburger and then go home. This year I woke up at 4am and drove with Doug K4ROK and his daughter and son-in-law. When we arrived, we set up tables out in front of his minivan and unloaded a lot of equipment that came from two different estates. He managed to sell a lot of the stuff sitting out there enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Half of the time there’s a lot more talking about radios and experiences than selling. It is a good time to have “eyeball QSO’s”.
The mission to go to the hamfest was just to look and not buy anything. Oh well, the best laid plans went astray. The first thing I find is what looks like an aluminum box off a ship that is some kind of tuner for 160 meters. Looks like it has potential. Get it home, clean it up and paint it so that it can hide in the bushes and tune a hidden antenna!
Got up at “Oh dark 30!”Blow Guns GaloreEyeball QSOTARPN DemonstrationBox with potentialInside the boxPaint it green to put in the bushes
Other things that I could not live without soon appeared in my bag like antenna wire, chokes and baluns. Of course you cannot have enough adapters from the RF Connection (yeah Joel!). Finally two thick hamburgers later, we went home and took a nap! The end of a perfect hamfest day. Look forward to the next one as I know I forgot to buy something.
On October 16, 2021, and intrepid crew of three took the Brightleaf amateur radio club’s communication trailer to Winterville. They set it up to be able to communicate with the world for the Cub Scouts, Boy and Girl Scouts to allow them to get radio experience (radio merit badges are for Scouts). Those involved were Jim Lowe (AC4JL), Bernie Nobles (WA4MOK) and Mark Raysin (KG4GVJ). JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) is a world wide scouting event.
JOTA with Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club Radio Trailer
Once the trailer was set up, there were about 30 kids that came to the event. Many of them manage to talk on the radios and at least see what local repeater communications look like as well as HF communications around the world. Many questions were answered and new experiences doled out to those willing to do it. There were initial problems with getting the generator to run so battery power was used until Mark set up his portable solar panel.
Thanks to Richard L. Cannon, III for asking us to participate in the event. Glad to do it.
Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club (BARC) was recently approached by Voice Of America (VOA) to host one of three special event stations for the 80th anniversary of the first transmission from VOA. In preparing for this event, we discovered that the big rhombic antenna feed lines had been disrupted from all antennas. Repairs were in order. Thinking on how to repair them awoke a personal dream I had nurtured since moving here and becoming a Ham. A big dream, one that would go on to hopefully make a difference in the world. One that is shared by VOA. How about really repairing the antennas and feed lines the right way rather than just having temporary lines to the antennas that eventually fall apart. How about setting up a class act of a radio room that can not only be used for special events but also as an emergency back up communication hub for disasters anywhere in the world? How about remote control station that can be monitored for cries for help whenever or wherever they occur? How about teaching new students the art of radio? To this end a plan is being hatched to accomplish these lofty goals. No one knows if this can be done but it will not happen unless we dream BIG and act on that dream. So here we go…
Drone images of site C
11/12/21: We met representatives from ECU & VOA at site “C” to inspect the antennas and the radio room that we have used in the past 20 years for special events. This is the site that communicated all the way to the dormant volcano in Hawaii where in 2000 the RIMPAC humanitarian exercise was being held by the armed forces. A contingent of BARC members went out there and set up an amateur radio station and had it on the air in 24 hours. The next service to get on the air was rumored to be the Navy about 3 days later. The Brightleaf ARC members managed to communicate to site C and relayed messages to the hospital and the physicians there to provide telemedicine service. This was great event providing evidence that amateur radio is most needed when the conditions turn bad and as a fall back mode of communication. This was shown again when hurricane Floyd hit eastern NC in 1999 and Governor Hunt stated that a lot of people would be dead had it not been for the services that amateur radio provided.
It seems only prudent that this decommissioned station should get a new chance at life again by turning the remaining large antennas to amateur radio use and to provide a vital link to areas in the world that are hard hit by disasters. These antennas can reach anywhere in the world. It would be such a waste of an incredible resource if this were not to happen. To that end, planning to repair the antennas and feed lines would be undertaken by volunteers from VOA and amateurs. Further talks with ECU to establish an understanding and access to the radio room and antennas will be discussed. The possibility of restarting an ECU Amateur Radio Club came up and could be done with BARC being the parent club. Funding is being sought by grant applications. It should also be considered as a very small infrastructure project for Homeland Security.
Tower for Digital
Outside Radio Room
1 of 2 Log Periodic Ant.
Conduit to Feed Lines
Broken Poles
Disconnected Feeds
Vertical Feed to Rhombic
Connection from Feed to vertical member
West Rhombic
Vertical feed to corner of Rhombic
Feed Line Issues
This is not a small project and it will take “all hands on deck” to accomplish it and run it. A more worthwhile project I cannot think of right here in our own backyard for the members of the Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club to commit to. So let’s get started!
To Do List:
Estimates of cost of repairs and in what order – – – in process
Funding for the repairs are being submitted, possible GoFundMe – – – in process
Overall Plan development being formulated – – – in process
Feed line repair of at least 3 out of the 4 large rhombic antennas – – – To start
Tie the central distribution point of the feed lines into the building – – – To start
Renovation of the radio room and clean up – – – To start
Purchase and install of radios and computers – – – To start
Establish ECU Radio Club – – – To start
Look into repairing the rotatable log periodic antennas – – – To start
Add remote control functions – – – To Start
Overview of Site C
Previous Temp. Feeds
Site Plan
South Rhombic
Log Periodic
EZNec on 20M
Overview of the siteThe yellow feed lines need to be repaired, proposal.
Keep checking this blog for updates on this project. If you think you can help, send a message. A GoFundMe page will be coming up shortly… If you would like to donate to this project, press button below to use PayPal and help us get this done, Thank you and DREAM ON! from the President of BARC, N4PVH.
ON OCTOBER 28TH, 2021 our dear friend became a silent key (SK). The Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club expresses our deepest condolences to the family and friends. The Board of BARC purchased a cluster of three trees to be planted in his honor.
In memory of Richard Cox.
Dave W4YDY wrote the “Meet the Member” section of the Ham Chatter highlighting Richard published November 2004. Richard was BARC Secretary for 2005 & 2006 (scanning the old Ham Chatters). Here is the section reprinted:
Hamchatter, November 2004
Richard is one of the new members of BARC and Amateur Radio. He joined BARC in November 2003 and has been a very active member attending meetings. He has been nominated for BARC Secretary for 2005. Richard really became interested in Amateur Radio in the summer of 2003. He received his Technician license in October 2003 and his call, KI4CRD. He received his General license in November 2003. Over the course of his career, he was exposed to a number of hams that tried to interest in the hobby but he said he always gave the “dumb” answer “I am a professional why would I want to become an amateur”. An old friend of Richard’s, Fred Thomson, W3BKR, who was first licensed when he was about 13, got him interested during a visit the summer of 2003. He studied on his own and passed the Tech exam and then a month later went to a hamfest in Benson where he passed the code and General test.
His equipment consists of a Yaesu FT840, Yeasu SP-6 with a MFJ941E tuner. His antennas are a dipole and a Hustler 4 band vertical. For 2 meter operation, he has a Yaesu FT1500 transceiver. He prefers operating SSB with a little CW. Richard is originally from Hueytown, Alabama. His home is in Grifton after living in some ‘faraway’ places such as California, Washington, DC, Rhode Island, Virginia and Florida. He was in the US Navy from 1955 to 1974 from which he retired as a Chief Radioman. He later worked for the for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1978 to 1996. He is presently a Property Manager for a local Real Estate firm. He received Associated Degrees in finance in 1986 and Computers in 2001. Richard married his childhood sweetheart, Jackie, 48 years ago and they have three grown daughters, four grandsons, 1 granddaughter and great-granddaughter. Now he has to get some of them interested in Amateur Radio and get their license. BARC always like to involve new members to help with the club duties and BARC is lucky to have members that will step up and help run the club. Richard is one of those. – W4YDY
In an effort to learn Morse code even better, I’ve had recommendations to try out the Morserino. It is a micro processor based Morse code machine that will be an automatic iambic keyer as well as sending and receiving Morse code. It has Wi-Fi and LowRA transmission capabilities where you could communicate between two of these machines over short distances of a few miles or over the internet.
The kit to be built.
Well it took a little less than two hours to do. I went slowly to make sure I didn’t make a mistake. What I forgot to do is order the 3.7v single cell Lipo battery. That’s on order and will come in next week. You can run it just off of a USB cable connected to either a computer or a USB charger, at 5v. It has a battery management module in it that will take 5 V and charge a 3.7 V lithium ion battery pack or if you don’t have the battery it’ll just run it. Do you have several options, you could put in a 600 mA small pack right underneath the main control board or they give you standoffs so you can put a 2000 mA pack that will run for a long time but then makes the whole thing thicker. They give you some options and the tools to allow you to adapt it to the bigger batteries. Very well thought out, very nicely executed.
Built w capacitance paddles. LoRa antenna.
My first experience playing with it tells me that the paddles are very sensitive. You have to hold your fingers just right so you don’t make too many dits. I had it at 18 words per minute so my reaction time was a little slow. What’s really great about it as as a keyer it translates what you send into text on the screen. If it’s connected to a radio it would decode the Morse code coming into it. You also can connect it up to a speaker or a headphone and you can hook up your own iambic paddle instead of using the capacitance paddles. You can also use the Koch trainer where it will send you a couple of letters and you need to tap them out and it’ll tell you whether you got it right or wrong immediately. It has other modes of training as well as being able to send a text well that you have, common words, common abbreviations and many other capabilities. It also can communicate over the Wi-Fi to another unit anywhere in the world or via LoRa locally by radio frequency.
Side w mini USB
Contacts to radio, speaker, headphones
“Head Copy”
I’m hoping to finally get morse code “Head copy” into my head! (Impossible task however)
Famous words that have been used many times at the beginning of the 1960’s TV series “Star Trek”, searing them into our brains with repetition. The phrase encapsulates and awakens the dormant explorer in us all. William Shatner, as Captain Kirk on the show, went to different worlds dealing with different life forms and situations on other planets. Today on October 13, 2021, more than 50 years after the original show was over, life imitates art in an emotionally moving fashion. In a masterful public relations stunt, Jeff Bezos invited the 90 year old William Shatner to actually fly in his “Blue Origins” vehicle to the edge of space, commonly referred as the “blue line”. The boundary layer somewhere about 60 miles up where the atmosphere of earth essentially stops and can be seen by a change of color from the beautiful sky blue to the inky blackness of space.
The Crew
The flight takes place with the passengers in a capsule that is launched by super powered rocket straight up to the edge of space, where is detaches from the rocket and lingers for a few minutes, giving the passengers a chance to leave their seats and enjoy feeling weightless. The capsule then returns to earth slowed by parachutes and a booster engine that assists as the capsule lands close to where it took off. This is like the “spy hops” that dolphins jumping out of the water do to take a look around above the water and see what is out there. Watching the takeoff, flight and landing was very familiar to those that monitor the space race and each step was impressively executed.
The best moment of the short news clip I saw about this adventure was at the end where William Shatner gets out of the vehicle and thanks Jeff Bezos for the most transformative experience he has had in a life time. Totally unscripted he grows eloquent about his impressions and experience that is incredibly moving to watch. He talks about shooting right past the blue line into the inky blackness of space in seconds, making him realize just how thin our atmosphere is that protects the whole planet. Looking up he could see death. Looking down, he could see wondrous life on the planet. At 90 years of age, he mentions his nearing personal death and that he is grappling with it mentally. At 90, he is still riding and showing horses and having a great life. It is rumored that he visited his horses before going on this trip as he knew that this joy ride might kill him. Yes, we all say: “Well what do you expect at 90? He would not lose many years compared to a younger person.” The safe play it not to fly. No one wants to go into death sooner but at the same time he has the guts to put it on the line and go for the gusto and live life to the fullest, a full representation of the spirit of “Captain Kirk”. A lesson we all need to learn again and again as we seem to forget it.
William Shatner, and the other passengers with him, were technically just passengers on the capsule, as they did not play any role in guiding or controlling the vehicle in which they were riding, like a highly trained professional astronaut would be expected to do. Nonetheless, they have been warmly welcomed by professional astronauts into the small club of those who have ventured into space. When asked how it felt to be an astronaut, Shatner basically explained the it is Captain Kirk who was the true, fearless and skilled astronaut, while he was just a scared human on the adventure of a lifetime.
From launch to landing, a smooth flight.
What Jeff Bezos may not have anticipated is the full impact of what William Shatner said spontaneously. This event will be remembered by any Star Trek fan watching it (of which there are millions out there including Bezos, who has not heard of Captain Kirk?). His comment on how fast he traversed the blue line, how thin it is, how fragile this only defence of this planet is and that life on it that can be snuffed out in an instant. This will have ramifications on the ecologic movement looking to “save the planet”. I would hope this is a unifying call to all of us to look at what humans are doing to mother earth. We need to look at what we can do to help.
Shatner waxes eloquent on his experience to Bezos.
“Life imitating art” happens when we imagine something but then it becomes reality, as was really evident today. Jeff Bezos is a Star Trek fan who really enjoyed the antics and experiences that Captain Kirk had on the show. How much of that enjoyment and stimulation of the imagination was the motivation for him to build “Blue Origins” when he finally had acquired enough money to build it? He had the imagination to build all the companies that he has, write the software that runs certain businesses like The Washington Post, create countless of job opportunities, and in so doing improve the economy and the country. Now, with this PR event and the help of William Shatner, he may have ignited the imagination of those watching and unified our understanding that we must take care of mother earth. WE HAVE SEEN A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE IF WE USE OUR IMAGINATION!
The final warning is also evident: be careful of what you desire and imagine as these thoughts can become reality! (good or bad!) For me it had all these effects and made me realize that time is fleeting and we are all eventually terminal so make the best use of your time and energy. You need to get out there and experience life to the fullest. It does not mean that you need to take unnecessary risk however, but do calculate the risk to reward benefit and if favorable, GO FOR IT and “To boldly go where no man has been before…” is a great motivating mantra.
Good Luck and “Live long and prosper.” (I will quit now) 73 PVH.
Mark KG4GVJ, Judy W3JUU, and I recently signed up to volunteer at the Bike MS fundraiser in New Bern. Mark has done the event several times before, but for Judy and me, it was the first time. There were approximately 1,200 cyclists riding and they could choose from 30, 50, 75, or 100 mile courses around New Bern. Radio operators were needed at rest stops along each course and in SAG vehicles throughout the courses. Here are my thoughts…
Me before the event: “Ohgoshohgoshohgosh, what did I get myself into? I just volunteered to be a ham for a huge bike event. Why did I volunteer for both days?!?”
Judy, Mark and Beth
Me after the event: “That was fun and very well done. I’m putting it on my calendar for 2022.”
I was hesitant to sign up, since I had no experience, but the radio coordinators were very encouraging. They said that no prior experience was necessary, and no special radio equipment was required either. Hams could either be assigned to a rest stop or as a Safety And Gear (SAG) vehicle, but for that you should have a mobile installed. We were required to sign up in two places, the MS website, which is the main coordinating site for ALL volunteers and with the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, who arranges for the ham volunteers because of the numbers that come from that area.
There was an online informational meeting for all the ham volunteers about a week prior to the event, and a team meeting first thing in the morning on the day of the event. Additionally, there was a volunteer release form to sign, an online covid screening questionnaire, and for SAG drivers, background and driver checks since you might have riders in your vehicle.
I knew that I would be assigned to a rest stop, but not much else. Eventually we received information manuals with schedules, maps, forms, rules, phone contacts, etc. And the radio coordinator sent out separate emails with the repeater and simplex frequencies and our ham assignments. I programmed our frequencies into the radio and prayed that I had done it correctly.
The communication duties fell mainly into two categories, arranging for SAG drivers to transport injured or tired cyclists and monitoring the flow of riders along the course. If a cyclist fell or had a mechanical problem, they were transported to the next rest stop, where the medical team could check them out, or the mechanic could look at the bike. If the situation was an easy fix, they could get back on the road and continue. If not, they waited at the rest stop for a SAG to come take them back to the start/finish line at the convention center. Monitoring the flow of riders was important to make sure that none became lost or got left behind as rest stops closed in one section and opened at new points further up along the course. Additionally, there were some sites where the local sheriffs were directing traffic and they wanted updates so that they would know when to change positions.
I arrived at my rest stop to meet up with about a dozen other volunteers who were setting up. Ice and water were being dropped off, tables and chairs were being set up, food was being put out, and medics were inventorying their kits. Two heavy duty pop up tents had been set up for the event, and PortaPotties were on site. On this first day, my rest stop was used twice on the course as riders made a big loop, so I stayed in the same place all day,although other volunteers came and went throughout the day. I wasn’t sure where to station myself, but I was on a HT, so I didn’t really need a “place”. Eventually I wound up sitting with the medics, where it was a little quieter than at the food tables. The volunteers were enthusiastically cheering on the riders, and I found that I couldn’t hear very well and I had to move off a little at times, even with an earbud.
On my second day, I worked the first rest stop, which then closed and I was forwarded on to another rest stop. In the meantime, yet another rest stop reported that they didn’t have they’re medical kit, so, after checking with net control, I shuttled the one from our closing rest stop as I moved to my next position. There were fewer bikers riding on the second day, but still four routes with the varying distances, and different from the previous day’s routes. When traveling from one rest stop to another, I found it helpful to make sure that I was not following the bicycle route, which were slow moving for car traffic in some cases.
My second rest stop was one of the farthest out along the 100 mile course (called the century loop). I had a little trouble getting a consistent signal. It seemed like the signal would be fine, then cut out, unless I moved around the parking lot looking for that sweet spot. Most of the time I could receive and transmit well, but at the end of the shift, it seemed to get worse. A SAG was temporarily at my rest stop and helped passing information, but was also receiving scratchy messages. I probably should have attempted using my jpole or climbing up on some of the playsets on display to attempt a better receive, but by then, my stop was closing and I was dismissed as all the other positions were covered.
Over the two day event, most of the traffic was about tracking the riders or arranging for SAGs. Occasionally we called to arrange for restocking if we ran out of items. There was a time when I was instructed to hold riders at my rest stop because of a bottleneck up ahead. We occasionally were told to watch for a certain rider who seemed tired, had been injured, or warranted monitoring in some other way.
One other note is that all the hams and SAGS were connected on a tracking app that shows your position on a map. This was helpful for knowing where the final riders were along the routes and which SAG was near which rest stop. However, riders weren’t on the map, so sometimes they were difficult to locate if they had a flat or had popped their chain. Sometimes they called in asking for a SAG, then would push the bike to a convenience store or some other location and the SAG had to really search to find them. Our ham coordinator suggested looking into using a mapping app called https://what3words.com , which uses three random words, assigned to a 3 square meter grid location. It can be used like map coordinates, but might be easier to transmit than strings of numbers. Plus it’s fun to look up your location’s string of words (I’m at dirt.categorically.boasted as I write this).
Our information packets contained rest stop information, including whether there was electricity, rest rooms, or running water. My stops had no electricity, and I was worried about my battery holding out. I had back ups with me, in addition to a charger, which I could run from my car if necessary. Both days, I was able to work the whole day on a single battery though. I was unsure about what else to bring but ended up not really needing as much gear as I thought I might. Even though we had canopy shelters with tables and chairs, I was happy to have a hat, sunnies, and a chair of my own. I also brought my own snacks and drinks, but we were allowed to share in the plentiful food and drinks put out for the riders. Lunch was supposed to be provided, but my rest stop didn’t receive any on the first day (although I did get two lunches the second day). There were first aid supplies and sunscreen with the medical kits, although I also had my own. At my rest stop with the inconsistent signal, I might have acted sooner to set up my jpole at my vehicle if I had my own shelter from the sun available. I hate the heat and didn’t want to sit in the hot sun. Maybe I will look into getting an EZ Up of my own. And as I mentioned above, I wish that I had a headset, rather than just an earbud with me. Those other volunteers can be pretty noisy. I was happy to have pockets so that I didn’t have to hold the HT the whole time. It was good that I had a notebook and pen to make notes of riders that I had called for transport for, sent forward, or to watch out for as they came through. Also, I had downloaded a local map to my phone and I was able to visualize most of the action over the whole course even though I wasn’t required to keep up with anything but my rest stop.
I think this event in particular was very well done. It had over 1,000 riders, and probably at least 100-150 volunteers in various positions. This has been a long running event and I think all but the random kinks and acts of nature have been worked out. All the other hams were very helpful and encouraging, and even complimented us on our professionalism. I had a good time, felt like I was serving the community, met some nice people, and will definitely volunteer for this again in the future.
73, Beth KN4FZB
JUDY W3JUU: Here is my take. I thought Beth would give fine details of the race so I did not, just to not say the same thing basically.
On race day we had a meeting early morning to discuss how the day would go. It gave me time to get to my rest stop once the meeting was over. I was stationed way out on the coast in Oriental at a marina with no cell phone or internet coverage. The only thing working here was ham radio.
I ended up setting up a mobile 25w radio with a 14ah agm battery and mag mount antenna strapped to a microphone boom stand to get it up higher. This worked lovely. I shared a table with the medic who was quite happy to have company as well as be able to hear what was going on.
At one point, in the far distance we could see a rider down and police vehicle with them. My medic went immediately with a sag to offer medical assistance until the doctor could arrive if needed. I called this in to net control and they dispatched their protocol but it was canceled once the medic found the rider was not injured luckily. Sag (safety and gear) was able to take the bike and rider where they needed to be.
I called in for supplies needed once in awhile. Some of the volunteers were brand new like myself there but seemed to feel better with having a ham radio person around. Possibly a bit uncertain without cell service.
I also called for sag to pick up riders and bike on occasion. I relayed information passed to me from sag as well as the medical doctor.
Not only did I have the 25 watt mobile radio setup on the table in the shade, but I used my HT to walk around every so often. Just to reassure the volunteers a ham is around if needed. I also gave them information such as 7 riders heading into our rest stop any minute now so they could prepare better. It was especially helpful for all volunteers when telling them how many riders were left on the course. This meant, tables and chairs could be packed up, up to a certain amount of food moved, etc…. All the behind the scenes clean up involved with shutting down a rest stop.
It was a wonderful experience with constant chatter on the radio. It was nice hearing the information coming through and knowing what was happening.
I was a little nervous at first, not knowing what to expect, but that went away quickly once it felt like a normal net we would do with the club to a degree. It was great experience trying out my gear to see what worked or did not. I had my HT which worked great on location but not well while driving to location. Once I realized this, I put the mag mount on the roof and used that driving and it solved that. Once my “job” was completed and my rest stop closed, I called net control for reassign. They sent me to another rest stop. I had planned to do this the next day as well but instead, when I called net control to tell them we were closing, net control asked me if I could stay and do another rest stop. I of course jumped at that.
I can’t tell you how many riders thanked me for being there. It felt good. Not to be thanked necessarily, but the fact we are needed, it is important. As I found out with no cell phone coverage, the only way to get 911, or our medical team quickly, is via ham radio. In other spots there was coverage but it was frustrating for the higher up officials coming through with sag drivers. They are trying to text or call things but can’t always. They know how important the ham radio operators are. Of course, it goes without saying, without riders, there is no fundraising, so it’s amazing these people rode 30, 50, 75, and 100 miles each day. I would need a sag and the doctor. Haha!
I got to see some very impressive vehicle setups with radio and antenna. Talk to many long time hams, I definitely learned a thing or two. I spoke to many riders and volunteers as well. Everyone was happy to be there. I, like Beth and Mark, will be doing this again. I’ve signed up to do some other races coming up in October. It’s really fun and ham volunteers are always needed…. hint hint.
Watching TV today brought back all the horrors and feelings I had on that fateful day. We, as a nation, came together on that day with a renewed commitment to unify and fight terrorism in all parts of the globe to make the world a safer place. Looking back, I hope 20 years of war and trillions of dollars spent on this actually did something positive. My thanks to all the service people and first responders that did their duty. My sorrow and sympathies goes out to the families of the lost ones in this struggle. Although we can criticize the outcome, many good things were accomplished. I will not go into this but looking back at the massive loss of communication infrastructure on that day makes me realize what we, as ham operators, can do. It is our duty to be ready for the “next big one” to hit us whether it is an attack or a hurricane and be there to assist our fellow man or woman in times of need. We are the last line of defence so when we are needed, things are really bad! We need to be ready!
Connections are about 65mm from the bottom on our version of the antenna. Use VNA to determine the best position, then solder it,
To that end, David (K1KK) and I had our antenna party (everyone was invited) and worked on 2 meter communications. The limiting issue is usually the height of the antenna as 2m tends to be line of sight so the higher you place the antenna, the farther you can “see”. We all have Handy Talkies (HT) that have a rubber duckie antenna at 6′ and can only produce low power as it is next to your head and limited by the FCC for exposure reasons. This may be ok if the repeaters are working and your not in a valley where you cannot “see” the repeater. Repeaters go down, towers are taken out by hurricanes, power failures are common to make communications difficult. So to try and fix some of these issues David and I build four Slim-Jims and tested them on 2m. These antennas were built with 450 ohm stranded #16 ladder line.
No, they are not snakes!
The 1″ gap that starts 19″ from the bottom on one side.
1″ windows to attach the coax starting 65mm from bottom (on right).
Center conductor to one side and shield attached to other. About 60-90mm from the bottom
Coax attachment & hot glue and shrinkwrap for waterproofing.
Coax physically attached to the bottom w 2 turns for a choke.
Finished Slim-Jim 2m product.
We put one up at 40′ and used 10 watts to communicate to New Bern where the Bike-a-thon was underway. The direct line was about 50 miles with good signal reports. We could monitor the situation on the bike-a-thon without problems. Further testing allowed us to activate repeaters in Raleigh and out to the Outer Banks.
Using Google Earth
David also built a 7 element Collinear 2m antenna with matching stub. This was also highly successful in hitting all the same repeaters. There are 1″ PVC “Tees” that the wire is taped to, inorder to make the half wave “U” turns that cancel the negative portion of the sine wave, while the positive portions are in a line and add up to broadcasting a strong signal.
Looking up the antenna
Testing SWR w Nano VNA
7 element Collinear 2 meter antenna
Now the 2m Go Kits are almost complete, needing a barrel connector and 50-100′ of coax to connect from the operating station to where the antenna is located. You will also need the other things like a radio (in the kit) and power supply to round out the station. Now we need to make lists of repeaters, their locations and settings. We need to practice like we did a few weeks ago on simplex and operate at bike-a-thons and other public events. We need to take the ICS courses and be part of AuxComm/Ares/Races etc…
Let’s Get Ready!
73 Peter, N4PVH.
Featured Photo courtesy Michael Foran, Creative commons 2.0
As I write this, there are three hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean coming our way. We are just getting into the active part of the season (August-September) and need to think about how to prepare both to survive a disaster of some kind and be ready to help others as Hams. I had just seen the QSO Today Ham Expo on line that had 90 presentations on a large assortment of topics. Two of them talked about the Campfire disaster in California and the other about the severe flooding in Alberta Canada and the government agencies response to these disasters. In short, the agencies were overwhelmed and their responses were an epic failure. In both cases, reliable help came down to the help of Amateur Radio members that kept it together and managed to communicate what was needed to get the situation under control. We have had our flood of the century in Eastern NC, Hurricane “Floyd” in 1999, that was our “epic fail” as well, so we have all experienced this kind of disaster where cell phones are out, power is out, transportation and supplies are cut off and you cannot get any kind of help. Now 22 years later, we have forgotten that mother nature may want to challenge us from time to time and we have become fat (in my case) and lazy. This happens just before another hit so maybe we can be really smart and start to prepare for the next “BIG ONE!”
We need to think about preparation of a “Go-Bag” or bug out bag that is waterproof, contains things like clothing, medicines, snacks, drinks and what ever you need to survive being assigned to a shelter for at least 3-7 days while running a radio. You can see youTube videos on the general idea of a go-bag here: https://youtu.be/j_e_jHMd8yM. There are two parts to the video.
Thank you DOUG BARRY on “BATTLE READY:” on youTube video
Think about a 2 meter and 70 cm radio with a portable antenna and a power source that could last 3+ days of running. A lot of planners use 70/30 as a power calculation where you are listening to the radio 70% of the time (low amps), transmitting 30% of the time (high amp draw) so that you could calculate the power requirements for each function and get the batteries or generator to match it. Note paper pads and message forms, pencils with sharpeners and erasers, folding table and possibly a cot to sleep on would be helpful. Your station should be able to reach the Emergency Coordinator to be able to pass traffic for several days. The station you set up may have to be relocated to another place if the situation changes. This happened many times in the two disasters that were presented as the fire line moved and the flood waters changed flooding the shelters. Having multiples of equipment is useful such as two radios and several options on antennas will allow you to adapt to the conditions and get the messages out there. A rubber duckie antenna may be ok on your hand-talkie (HT) if the repeater is still on the air, but more likely it will be down and simplex will be the mode of the day. Having a roll up wire antenna like a “J Pole” or “Slim-Jim” that could be thrown into a tree will get you out there much further.
Slim Jim pulled up a mast
We need to make the “J-Pole” antennas, throw it into a tree and see if we can communicate with each other via simplex NOW. We need to prepare the go bag and gear to be ready NOW otherwise we become one of the victims of the disaster, not a helper. There are many web pages and youTube videos on preparation for disasters but starting now to get ready will be the best move we can make. Monday night 2 meter net at 7:00pm is a good place to start to practice how to run a “NET” on the air and take and send messages. Message handling is another skill we need to have on the ready. There is the traffic net on 444.725 N4HAJ repeater in Greenville each night at 8:30pm for traffic handling. Some people have a 2m/70cm radio in their truck that can cross band repeat so that you can wander using a 440 HT linked back to your truck and it repeats on 2m to the repeater or net control with an amplified signal. We need to get familiar with the capabilities of our equipment so that we can adapt to conditions that happen in disasters.
Finally, the smart move to be able to fit into any government disaster response is to take the FEMA ICS courses 100, 200,700, 800 that are on line here. With these certifications under your belt, you are not likely to be turned away from a disaster response and probably be put to good use. After all, the reason we exists is to not only survive but also to help others in times of need.
Whether you believe in “Global Warming” or not, there is no question that there are going to experience more and more hurricanes, floods and fires happening. So getting ready for it is the smart play!
Results of the 2 Meter VHF Test 8/21/21 in Greenville, NC:
Want to thank KG4GVJ for starting the net on time. We had a few technical issues to grapple with first. Wrong feed lines and a mag-mount antenna that was knocked off the stand were a few things that plagued the start of the test. Other things included trying to figure out how to set your rig to simplex in order to avoid using the repeater. I had two radios running: on on the repeater (via the mag mount) and the other on simplex on the repeater output frequency (146.090 MHz) not the input frequency (147.690 MHz or +600kHz). Also the use of PL tones can get in the way on simplex if everyone is not on the same tone (131.8) and the other stations do not open up the squelch, therefore not hearing it and missing the call. Here is a simple “truth table” of who could hear each other on simplex where the left column is the transmitting station while the listening station is the top row. 1= good readable contact and 0= not heard or not understandable. We need to do this again to be able to fill this out. That way we all know that to get a message to one particular person, you could look at the table to select and sent the message to a person that can talk to both parties and be an intermediary message passer.
A Truth Table of Contacts
There are many open or blanks in this table and we need to try again another weekend to fill it out after we have corrected some of the problems. I have put up a Slim-Jim 2 meter antenna at 40′ and in subsequent tests, it did better than the 4 element center fed collinear antenna (once I figured out which feed line to use!) Testing and corrections went on for 3 hours past the initial net. A few items that came to mind as we were correcting the issues: 1: Everyone needs to have the manual to the rig nearby and understand how to get the rig on simplex. 2: Probably need to program the rigs with all the local repeaters but also have the next memory spot set up on the same repeater frequency but set up as Simplex. That way you could just change the memory location to go to full duplex on the repeater and then change the memory location to the next one and it is already set up on simplex. (kiss principle) 3. Program the first memory slot as the national calling frequency 146.520 MHz (no PL) and simplex. Make it easy to get to the right frequency in times of stress. If we are having interference on what ever frequency we are on, we know that we can check the National Calling Frequency to establish contact and then find a clear frequency to use. 4. We need to have an antenna building party and have people come out and build their own Slim-Jim antenna to have ready in their go bag.
Thanks to all that participated: KG4GVJ, WA4MOK, K1KK, KN4FZB, W4SLC (mobile), W4EJ, W3JUU, AF4QY. If you all can try and contact each other on the repeater, then switch to simplex and see if you two can communicate via simplex, then let me know of the results and I can fill out the table with the results. I would appreciate it greatly. Ultimately we could have a map of our locations and lines representing the possible contacts on simplex. This would be very useful to have when the “chips are down”.
Please comment below with what you think should be in your “Ham Radio Go Bag”. I know we need some independent power sources for the go kits. Anything else?
Stay tuned on this blog for more tips and tricks… 73 Peter
Albert WA7FXB called inquiring about getting rid of a ladder that he felt he should not use as a visually handicapped person. He was giving it to the club. In the course of the conversation, he also mentioned that his braille machine had stopped working. This is a typewriter device that is portable and has a “screen” consisting of a series of bumps that raise or lower in a pattern that indicates the letters. It has all his contact information, notes and other documents on it so a loss of this machine also represents a real hardship. I also knew of several people that had offered to get an antenna set up for him to get on the air as he has been out of the high frequency radio world for quite a while. His last antenna had been struck by lightening. Nothing had happened for over a year (for many other reasons) so when I asked about it, he demurred and stated that someone would eventually help. I called my “antenna man” David K1KK and asked if he would help out and see what we could do.
Selection of aluminum poles for antennas
Braille Machine
Arriving at his apartment Saturday morning, we cased out where an antenna could be placed. Looking at our options it was decided to use the broken poles and masts he had in the back yard and assemble two poles strapped to the back fence. One on 40 meters and the other on 20 meters. The 20 meter antenna was easy to make as it was simple interconnected poles tied to the wooden fence. The plan was to have one feed line to connect to two resident antennas. Returning to my man-cave, we cut the wires and soldered the connections making the components of the antenna system.
The biggest pole was the anodized aluminum telescopic flag pole of about 30 feet in length, not quite long enough for 40 meters. We clamped an extension on to the top to get the right length. Next problem was that the anodized aluminum is a poor conductor and the plastic cam device in the junctions of the pole and were better insulators. A little brain storming produced the idea to have three 14 ga wires coming down the pole, 120 degrees apart and bypass the pole as a conductor. The extension pole at the top would be connected to the top of the three wires making one continuous element on 40m. Hose clamps secured the sections of the pole from moving and tape secured the wires in position.
Three 14ga wires for the top of the flag pole
Flag pole extension
Ground wires and Coax connection
Ground wires were cut for 20 & 40 meters and attached to the inside of the fence. Once a rather nasty thunderstorm passed by with 60 mph winds (the antennas held up fine) we then went out with the Nano VNA and trimmed the ground wires until resonance was achieved. We then went up to where the radio was located and tested it with the radio on. The SWR was jumping around from a low of 1.5 to a high of about 2.5 and back again. Was the feed line at fault or something else? Thinking about it we decided on two faults: 1: the wet wood now acted as a conductor and needed to be insulated from the poles. We put electrical tape around the pole under where the stainless steel clamps were located to provide more insulation, and 2: One of the sections of the 20 meter pole was slid into the other pole but the clamp was not tightening it enough to make a solid connection. This was remedied. Voila! Good SWR of 1.1 to 1.5 across the entire 40 meter band was achieved. 20 meters was 1.8 to 2.2 and 15 meters was 2.5 (needs to use the installed tuner in the radio on 15). Only one feed line was needed to get three working bands at a rather good resonance. Signals from Europe were heard well on 20. The band was dead on 40 at that time so more testing will need to be done to get the final performance figures.
40m & 20m antennas
We did it!
The funny part of the testing was that while David was tuning the radio, Albert could not help himself and in his excitement, had his fingers all over the face of the radio pushing buttons that were not needed at the moment. Remember, for a blind person, feeling things is “seeing with his fingers” trying to find out what is going on. That may not be helpful in the moment but was fun as we could see his excitement of getting the radio back on the air. This alone made the two day affair worth while.
Testing the antennas and trouble shooting the SWR
The braille machine had dirty contacts and were cleaned. It sprung back into life making Albert a very happy man. The ladder was carted off to remove temptation of climbing it.
A couple of lessons were learned in the two days of antenna building and problem solving and they were the following: – Wood is an insulator but when it is soaking wet, it may conduct RF affecting your SWR. – Tune the lower frequency antenna and ground radials first then do the next higher band. – Do not throw away good aluminum tubing as it may be used for another antenna. – Just about the time you are tired, hungry and fed up with the project, do what it takes to finish it now as the person you are helping is relying on you to finish it.
And the biggest lesson is: – If you offer to help someone in need, commit to it and do it soon. The act of offering help will make others that could help, put the need on the “back burner” and wait for you to do it. If you do not do it, others have gone on and the person in need is left in the lurch, not getting the help. In this case, I heard that others were going to help so I did nothing and did not ask as I thought this would be taken care of. This person waited a long time and was not going to ask again.
So, identify the need, offer to help, commit to getting it done and see it through! Now that is real help that is needed the world over in many areas. Lesson learned!
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