Category: WEARC Blog

The West Essex Amateur Radio Club of Essex Fells, NJ, continues to conduct VE testing with the examinees remaining in their cars under a covered car port at a local office building in Fairfield, NJ.The club has been conducting the VE testing concurrently with the American Red Cross Amateur Radio Club so they could utilize the facility as well for their applicants taking the test. If an applicant passes the exam they came for, they are then given the option to take the next level exam if they so desire.

Last Saturday, October 24^th,2020, the attendance consisted of 14 applicants and was administered by 10 VE’s. The results were quite gratifying with 13 applicants passing. I would like to acknowledge those VE’s who participated in the event, they were, K2NNN, KC2WRQ, AC2EI, K2DEG, WA2WL, KD2MAR, NB1LL, W2DG, N2DH, and KD2RNG.

Those taking the test filled out all the paperwork required and submit it in advance of the test date.Mike Luongo, K2NNN, Liaison, who oversees the process, prepared the other required paperwork in advance so that the overall personal contact is reduced to a minimum.

The applicants never leave their vehicles, and everyone wears masks, maintains proper social distancing and, since it is held outdoors, the risk has been managed to mitigate exposure to Corvid.

The club has been conducting these outdoor tests since July and we hope to do one more round in November, however that will be dependent upon the weather.

The willingness to volunteer by the club members and step up in these trying times is yet another example of the great public service radio amateurs provides to the community.

The Absolute Fact is Clear. We are in the Midst of a Global Pandemic. With so many casualties due to Covid-19, and the World Powers frantically looking for a cure. What are We to do? Are we to live our lives in Fear? Or, like many others, would we choose to Live? Yes, there are the obvious truths that many are walking around with the virus unknowingly. Yes, the chances of contracting this virus is possible. But as long as we follow the protocol that the Officials have given us. The precautionary measures that our Parents always told us. Cover your face when you sneeze. Wash your hands frequently. Stay away from sick ones.  As we follow these basic and simple measures, we can Live Life without Fear grasping us. Along with our Basic instructions from our Parents, we should wear a face mask when entering a public place. Keep six feet apart from each other. And stay home if we’re not feeling well.

With that in Mind.I, myself Lou KD2TSC, in the black mask, along with Metin KD2UAF, in the white mask, decided to hit the park.It was a nice day, and I was just itching to try out my new Rig, the Kenwood TS140S, along with my MFJ 971 Manual Antenna Tuner, and an Expert Power 12v battery. We made an inverted V speaker wire antenna.Threw it up about 40ft into an evergreen. And hit the waves. Came across several groups talking. And even some that sounded like they heard us calling CQ.But none answered our calls. About 20 minutes in, the weather cut our outing.

The important this is….We went OUT! We had FUN! We LIVED LIFE! As you can see in the pictures, we were also Socially Responsible. We kept reasonable distance from each other. Wore our masks. And afterwards made sure everything was properly sanitized. Don’t let Fear grip you. Be Careful. But Live Life. And I hope to Meet you Down the Log!  73’s.

Lou Mercado,

KD2TSC.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harold was a resident of West Caldwell, New Jersey since 1973. In his later retirement years, Harold became a snowbird who spent his winters in Longboat Key, Florida. An army veteran and a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harold was an electrical engineer who worked on the space program at General Motors and at Kearfott Guidance & Navigation. He retired in 1998.
Harold was an active member of the West Essex Amateur Radio Club, the Red Cross in both Florida and New Jersey, and in the Sarasota Emergency Radio Club. He was an accomplished swimmer who always felt his best when swimming laps in the pool. Harold was a model railroad enthusiast and a member of RealRail in Bradenton, FL. He was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan.  

OK, you finally got the nerve to go and take the Technician Exam, and Wallah! You passed! What next? Well, I believe we’ve all been in that same position. Lucky for you, you’re in the right place if you took the Exam at a local Radio Club.Stick around and ask questions. Pretty much everyone in the Hobby is willing to help out a New Ham. If you’re anything like me, you already have your hand on an HT unit. A hand held transceiver. I recommend that you pick up a programming cable for it. Once you have that in hand, go ahead to repeaterbook.com and radioreference.com You can download all the local repeaters and useful frequencies for your area. And go ahead and program your HT. It’s a whole lot easier than manually programming it. Although, you should also learn to do it manually.

Don’t forget about all those great people you met at the Club. Ask if there is open membership, and go ahead and join them. This would be by far, the best thing you can do. The combined knowledge of everyone there is worth a ton of gold. You can learn soooooo much from them. And if they’re anything like everyone at the West Essex Amateur Radio Club, in Essex Fells, NJ, you’re in great hands!

Next is making your First Contact on the Radio. Ask for help on what to do. The proper procedure for making that call out. Trust me. Everyone there would be more than willing to help you out.

Never stop asking questions. Write them down as you think of them. Research the hobby. Watch a ton of YouTube Videos. There are several YouTube’s that are absolutely great. Like Ham Radio Crash Course, Ham Radio Concepts, KB9VBR Antennas, theSmokinApe, and on, and on, and on, just to name a few…You get the point. Just look up ham radio in YouTube and you’ll run into a ton of great video’s.

Another pointer, learn how to make your own equipment, like antenna’s, modifying your own equipment, making your own cables, and coax connections. Not only would it save you a ton of money, but it’s Crazy Fun and Satisfying. That’s what the Hobby is all about. Meeting new people, and having Fun.

Now get off of the computer and pick up that radio and start making some contacts. Keep a log of Callsigns and Bands and frequencies you spoke to them on. All this info is waiting for you to find online and at your Local Radio Club.

Enjoy and 73’s!

Lou

KD2TSC

Our annual Holiday party was held on Saturday December 14th, 7PM at Don Pepe II. Spouses, significant other, and other were invited. We had a great record breaking turn out this year, over 20 people attending!

Our President Don awarded a liquid prize to the person having the nearest birthday. This was won by Harold W2IBM.

On November 2, 2019, members of the West Essex Amateur Radio Club embarked on a ham-centered field trip to the battleship New Jersey located in Camden New Jersey. In attendance were members Bret, (AC2NI), Steve, (AC2EI), Phil, (KD2PQZ), Henry (KC2WRQ), Steve, (N2DH), with the group being led by our esteemed president, Don (K2DEG). We were warmly received at the entrance of the boat by members of the New Jersey Battleship Ham Radio Organization, NJ2BB, especially by member Dave Burgess. Dave expedited entry onto the ship and escorted us directly to the ham radio quarters. The setup was phenomenal, with separate stations for voice and CW operation. We were given an executive overview of the antenna array, which was impressive. All members were given the opportunity to operate 40 and 20 meters, with great success. We were also given a private tour of the original World War II radio room, currently under restoration and not open to the general public.

After our meeting with the Battleship Ham Radio Club members, the WEARC members decided to take a tour of the remainder of the battleship. To say this craft is expansive is an understatement. After four hours, we were able to tackle a modest portion of the open displays, each of which was more impressive than the next. This is not an expedition for the faint of legs. Climbing up and down to the different decks as well as into an out of the gun turrets was a chore but enjoyed by all. Making this visit especially memorable was the presence of the various guides on the battleship. Most of them had served on this craft in various capacity in years past and were uniquely qualified to provide concise insight on the daily functioning and operation of the battleship. We were fortunate to be the recipients of their experience and expertise, something which may not be available in years to come.

Subsequent to our tour, we were afforded access to the battleship wardroom. This is the dining hall on the ship where officers ate in years past and where we lunched together as a group. The sense of history that exudes from this craft is simply palpable and was a sentiment expressed by all of our members.. Of greater importance, camaraderie formed between the NJ2BB Ham Radio Group and are WEARC Ham Radio organization remain strong as ever. We will most definitely repeat this field trip in upcoming years both to enjoy the visit to the Battleship New Jersey as well as rekindle the bonds of friendship that ham radio invariably brings.

Tonight’s general meeting turned into a show and tell for DMR Hot Spots, three members showed their personal Hot Spots and these covered the range from home made to commercial supported unit.

You see all three in the photo. The one on the left was from Benett AC2NI who was the first member to build his Hot Spot and use DMR. In turn the middle unit belonging to Bob W2FKG came as part of a package he got from BridgeComSystems. The left unit is a two channel duplex system built by Steve KD2QIP and uses a Chinese Clone of the MMDVM_HS_Hat. All the units run the PI-Star open source software.

Good resources for DMR are:

• Amateur_Radio_Guide_to_DMR​ 
• Playing_with_Pi-Sta​​
• Radio ID (to get your digital ID)

We will consider if making a Hot Spot will be a suitable club project. Benett AC2NI is also planning to hold a presentation evening to discuss and explain DMR.

The following outline is an introduction to the digital mode on hf.

• 1.Get the latest software at https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html
• 2.Your computer needs digital audio drivers
• 3.Your computer has to be in sync with the time and must be within +/-.5 seconds https://time.gov/
• 4.Regardless of what band your rig is on it must be in USB
• 5.Each cycle of ft 8 is 15 seconds long.
• 6. Unlike regular SSB everybody is on same rf frequency. each station must use an audio frequency unique to their station in Hz. it is selectable on main page and can be changed any time.
• 7.When the proper hand shake is complete a pop-up window allows you to save the QSO.
• 8.every contact is color coded example bright pink means a new DXCC country, green means you have worked that station already. bright blue means new station not yet worked. in the set up menu there is a color chart with other options.
• 9.Watch the videos on you tube for more details. https://www.google.com/search?q=YOU+TUBE+FT+8&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS780US780&oq=YOU+TUBE+FT+8&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6665j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

At our general meeting on 6/19/2019 we were about to start planning the upcoming Field Day when a stranger appeared at the door. We think W3??? Announced himself and offered us the remnants of his ham gear because he wanted it to go to a good home. He was downsizing and leaving Ham Radio and had found us from our website. In the excitement to see what he had, we all forgot his call sign which makes him our anonymous donor. If you read this post, please get back in touch or leave your details as a comment. We would like you to get the recognition you deserve.  

Among the donation, I for one was lucky to find an old copy of the ARRL handbook, dated 1955, the year I was born. There was also an old copy of something I had never seen, The Amateur radio Defense, dated Jan, 1942. This is a great read, it has cartoon style strips and a joke (see picture) as well as relevant advice on how to have a successful radio club!