Category Archives: News

Amateur Radio Organizations, Amateur Radio Relay League, News

Congratulations Rick Roderick K5UR

300-Rick Roderick K5URRick Roderick of Little Rock, Arkansas has been elected at the 16th President of the Amateur Radio Relay League at the annual meeting January 15-16. He was the first Vice President of the ARRL organization.

The Board also chose other officers, electing Dakota Division Director Greg Widin, K0GW, of Stillwater, Minnesota, as First Vice President, succeeding Roderick, and Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as Vice President, succeeding Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF. Roderick, Widin, and Mileshosky all are ARRL Life Members. Fenstermaker was later named by the Board as an ARRL Honorary Vice President.

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Award, News, Personal

Now a Volunteer Examiner

800-VE-Certificate-1I finished the Volunteer Examiner course and sent it off during the holiday season. It seemed the next logical step after receiving my Amateur Extra license.

I am now certified to assist in conducting license examinations. Like many things in Ham radio, though, you actually have to do before you actually understand all of those questions you answered.

When a Ham operator receives a General license, they can become certified to administer license examinations. Remember, however, they can only administer the examination for the Technician license. As an amateur extra, I am certified to administer examinations for all class of licenses. That is, I and two other amateur extra licensees with the same certification.

When you receive your General or Amateur Extra license, you too can become certified as a Volunteer Examiner. But why?

Administering examinations consists of collecting the $15, filling out paper, grading examinations and telling the hopefuls whether they pass or fail. Seems like a lot of work for no pay.

If your objective in amateur radio is to get to talk on your Baofeng, this program probably is not for you. It will take up your free time on weekends. It is just one way that you can give back to your community and ham radio. There are certainly any number of other ways you can help. Getting involved in SKYWARN, Races or other emergency communications efforts, for example. They all require training, as well.

I actually got started by trying to find out what all of those questions about the Volunteer Examination Coordinator was about. During the course of that investigation, I found the course and simply completed the open-book review. It was pretty easy compared with months of studying for my license.

Amateur Radio, News, Repeaters

Mount Elden icy

800-16-01-11 001FLAGSTAFF — Got a chance to go to Flagstaff today. After fighting car trouble, I made it to Flagstaff and wound up getting a close-up view of the Mount Elden repeaters. I’m surprised they are operating.

I did have a problem connecting with the 980 repeater. I thought, perhaps, that the repeater was down again. KF7QPG, Ted in Seligman, assured me the repeater was working, but I simply could not connect. It turns out that you have to have the correct duplex programmed in to make the repeater. Somehow my program file was changed. Now it is set correctly and I should be able to connect with the repeater.

When I got home I heard the SKYWARN net on the 980 repeater so it is, indeed, still working.800-16-01-11 006It was a beautiful drive to Flagstaff with the sun shining and the snow on the sides of the freeway. The freeways were clear. There was a soft fog as the heat of the sun turned the snow to steam.

News, Repeaters

Bill Williams in January

NAME FREQUENCY DUPLEX TONE OFFSET
Williams Repeater 146.78 – 91.5 .6000
WIN Sys 449.75 – 123 5.000

800-160109-IMG_1921 In Williams over a few days we received 27″ of snow. This is an image which shows why the Bill Williams Repeater is still silent. Ditto the WIN system repeater. These images were taken by my friend Steve who lives in the area.

Williams has probably received as much snow as last year and the winter is just getting started. This is great for the water situation in Williams and the surrounding areas. But it reeks havoc on electronic equipment and antennas. It can be aggravating when your favorite repeater does not work. We must remember however that amateur radio is a volunteer hobby and volunteers keep our repeaters going. Safety is important.

Fortunately in our area we have the Mount Elden repeaters we can reach in Flagstaff. With the appropriate power you can probably reach the repeater on Mingus.800-160109-IMG_1914 Continue reading Bill Williams in January →

News, Repeaters

New snow in Williams

800- Snow 2016-01-07 003Here is what Williams looked like yesterday. We received about 10″ of snow. That means that the snow on Bill Williams Mountain is thick and it is not likely that the Bill Williams repeater will be up any time soon. The last estimate is spring.

The sun did peek out for a bit, yesterday, and the sun is up this morning. The snow we picked up yesterday was the amount predicted for today. So we might get only small amounts today and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. This will melt off some of the snow.

Still, safety in amateur radio is paramount. It does not do to go through all of the trouble to get a license only to get electrocuted or fall from a tower. Even at home, safety should be your concern. Make sure that you read, and heed, all safety instructions for equipment that you purchase. Some may be over the top, but…. Well, you know that old adage.
800-Snow 2016-01-07 004800-Snow 2016-01-07 012

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, News, Repeaters, Skywarn

Oh, what a tangled mess nature weaves…

146.980 – 162.2 Mt Elden, Flagstaff W7ARA

800-980 Tower EldenJoe Hobart, W7LUX, sent out these photos of the 980 repeater on Mount Elden in Flagstaff at the end of December. Mount Elden is located in Flagstaff and the repeater frequency is 146.980. The 146.140 repeater is also located on Mount Elden and is connected to the RIMLINK network of Arizona Repeater Association repeaters. The 146.980 repeater is part of the SKYWARN system.

The image to the left shows how the tower should look. The lower image shows how the tower looked at the end of December.
800-980 Tower Elden-2The picture of the mangled tower was taken by Mike Moroney and the picture of the good tower is from Joe.

As you can see, nature can reek havoc with repeater towers. In the top photo, the antenna for 146.980 juts high in the sky. In the lower photo it dangles by a thread. Well, actually, by a cable. It was expected to be down for the winter.

I do not know if a New Year resolution was involved, but today at about 15:00 -7, the 980 repeater is back online thanks to a volunteer crew. It bears repeating that amateur radio is a hobby and these guys that climb the towers are not paid. I’d like to thank those who help us keep contact with the world.

Amateur Radio, News, Repeaters

The dang repeater is out again!

As a new amateur radio operator I learned quickly that repeaters are an important link in communications. Particularly if you have to operate, currently, on cheap equipment. When they go out, new operators tend to get mad.

For several reasons, people are flocking to the Baofeng hand-held radios. The main reason is the price. For under $100 you can get on the air (if you have the appropriate license). Hand-helds are dependent mainly on repeaters.

Repeaters dot the United States from one coast to the other. Some are connected together in links, such as the WIN system and RIMLINK. When new operators get used to talking through repeaters, they may get upset and wonder why the repeater stops working. Why does my local repeater not connect to RIMLINK? Why do I not get the ARRL news feed on my repeater?

Well, here is one reason.
800-151223-1
These pictures are from a recent storm on Bill Williams mountain. The antennas have been knocked around by high winds and ice. To protect the equipment, repeater operators necessarily have to shut down the repeaters. If you operate equipment without an antenna, you are asking for equipment failure altogether.

In fact, this is a good life lesson for new amateur operators who are not really electronically inclined. Antennas are the core of your equipment. A decent antenna will make your five-watt handheld travel farther.

I have received fair distance and reports with my Baofeng BF-F9 in my vehicle with a magnet mount antenna while travelling. The problem is the Baofeng microphone. The cheap mics you purchase through Amazon and other retailers are just that. Cheap mics. They work, but I have received reports of static. The earphone microphone I received with the Baofeng gave me a zap through the earpiece. Through the built-in mic I received pretty good reports.

If you are looking for a good microphone for the Baofeng, you might check out this web site. It is not cheap.

The point is that you can see why repeaters go down. Repeater operators cannot control the weather. Until you can afford better equipment and a decent antenna, you have to cowboy-up.

Personally I would like to help keep repeaters going. As an old Navy tweeker, I find that would help increase my knowledge of the Ham radio art. At the same time I understand that repeater operators have to carefully select who they receive help from. This equipment is not cheap.

Since I received my first license in October, I have been able to listen—but not always participate in—nets on the repeaters. I appreciate the efforts of the people who maintain the repeaters. These images even woke me up to the reality of keeping repeaters going.

Amateur Radio, News, Review

Baofeng BF-F9 +V2 Update

3-hamsLast review I gave a poor rating for the Baofeng BF-F9 +V2. Today I can give it a better review.

First I dealt with FOSCAM, a camera company, in obtaining the initial radio through Amazon. This is a good company with great customer service. They answered my email questions through the whole process.

The problem (I thought) was that they sent me the same model. They even sprang for the shipping. Was I to have the same difficulty?

I was extra gentle with the belt clip, this time. After carefully removing the screws from the radio, I put them through the holes in the belt clip first. Then screwed them into the case and they went in fine. In fact it was perfect. The screws are tight and the belt clip works like any my UV-82 (Which is not very good).

Now would the battery seat properly. Sadly, it did not. At least not initially. I went ahead and loaded up my frequency file through the CHIRP program. I began to test it having to make sure I held the battery in. It worked good except for the battery. I was not about to send it back, however, and was thinking about other means of making it useful. A battery eliminator, perhaps? That route would only make it useful in the car. I was even thinking about filing away some of the battery case, but I saw that could not be done.

In frustration I reverted to an old technician trick. I slammed the bottom of the battery and it seated into place. It has been fine ever since. At least since the 19th.

I ordered the Nagoya UT-71 for another reason, so I hooked it up and began to use it. I do not transmit much, but I did conduct several range tests. Unfortunately no matter what location I tried, I could not connect with the repeater I need to connect to.

I should note that I found out through research that the BF-F9 is NOT an updated model.

The features. The F9 comes with a 3800mAH battery. The transmit powers are 1, 4 and 8-watts in theory. I have not tested this and some tell me the Baofeng does not always perform as advertised in this area.

The antenna seems to be the biggest disappointment by other reviewers. They say it is pretty much a UV-5R antenna. Some have said that they purchased the better rubber duck antenna available for around $15 on Amazon and it seemed to work for them.

The CHIRP program does not specifically support this model. You can program it, however, through the BF-F8 model. The BF-F8 is the latest high power model from Baofeng that I know of.

The chargers seem to be the weak point of the Baofeng. They work, but last night I set up the F9 to charge and the light did not turn green. I lifted off it off the charger and set it back on and the green light came on. I still have to play with the charger for the UV-82 a bit, but they do work.

The earpiece microphone that came with this model is not a dual PTT. I do not monitor dual channels on the F9 as I do on the UV-82. I found on the UV-82 that with an external microphone, no matter what I do I can only transmit on Channel B. I had to use the dual PTT ear/mic that came with it to transmit on the correct channel.

Personally I like the feel of the radio in my hand. I do not like the camouflage pattern. The UV-82 camo that I purchased is a much better pattern. So far the radio has performed as well as the UV-82 I purchased. I have not seen much performance increase from the UV-82.

My opinion is that you should probably check out the UV-82HP which touts a maximum 7-watts out over this radio for about the same $68 price. That is, if you are interest in the lower priced Baofeng. The UV-5R still seems to be the most popular of the Baofeng line. They are a max output of 4-watts and the price is about half. At least for a new Ham.

If you are not on a budget as I am, you should probably explore the ICom and higher-end radios.

Some other thoughts:
BaoFeng BF-F9 V2+ Impressions

BaoFeng BF-F8HP first glance review at a CERT Training event.

Amateur Radio, News, Rules and Laws

Volunteer Examination Coordinator program

UPDATED: 12/12/15 11:34 a.m.

by Glen Davis KG7YDJ

Too much life story. Had to re-edit this part. This article explains a  little about the Volunteer Examination Coordinator program. Why am I interested in writing an article on this topic? Since I obtained my Amateur Extra license, I found that I could actually get accredited as a volunteer examiner.

This is not a mentor program. There are other volunteer programs for that purpose. Perhaps when I get some real world experience, I can help in that area. This is a good old Navy-type paperwork drill that anyone can learn to do. That is not to say that you cannot console and comfort a candidate who fails the exam. You can encourage them to try again. Even suggest sites with practice exams or exams apps for the cell phones. Your job as a volunteer examiner, however, is simply to administer the examination with integrity.

There are questions about the VEC program in the General Exam and the Amateur Extra exam. The most recent—as of this writing— are included at the end of this article. Yet they do not give you an understanding of the VEC program, as I learned. This article is an overall view of that program. It will not accredit you as an examiner; you will have to study more if you are interested.

At most you will see two in either examination. Maybe three on the Amateur Extra. If you have an overall understanding of the program, it will help you better understand the questions and you can breeze through those and concentrate on the tougher questions. Actually many are common sense. For example an examiner must be eighteen-years of age or older even though anyone who can pass the test can get up to an Amateur Extra license. The reason is pretty clear. You are signing what amounts to government documents so you must be of age to do so.

I am no expert and am even studying this area while I write the article. I am reasonably sure the information is accurate and include links to certain documents and web sites for further study. If I encourage you to become an accredited VE, great. But this article won’t do it for you.
Continue reading Volunteer Examination Coordinator program →