Club News

2024 November sweeps are behind us and the results are in. 

When we opened the intra club contest we were remiss in mentioning that the contest was for current club members.  

Our good Friend Michael Fluegemann - KE8AQW scored and impressive 47,520 pts. working CW. This meant that Michael had the highest overall score. For his efforts the he is being awarded with an Honorable Mention of the the Top Scoring Individual Operator.

Bruce AC8KD replaced Michael's spot on the Wave:Ratios. 

With the final QSOs counted. That puts team Kill-o-Watt as the winner of this year's Club Sweeps contest. Their prize...  a year of Fortune and Glory. 

We thank the nine operators who participated. We hope next year to add more participants and bring a some kind of prize to the team that wins. Ham radio is a participation hobby. The goal of the club is to find a way to allow all members to participate in these events. 

The club will be meeting at a new location starting January 9, 2024.

Enter at the Main Entrance

The address is:

21000 Northline Rd, Taylor, MI 48180

The teams for the 2024 ARRL Sweepstakes are ready. 

Teams were randomly assigned based on the order they appeared in my inbox. 

Team - Kill-o-Watt

Stan - K8SB
Ruth - WB8AFO
Mike - K8VA
Don - K8THU

Team - Wave:Ratio

Gary - N8ZFH
Craig - N2WXD
Mike - KE8AQW
John - N8KAM

Surprise Guest

I'm going to be traveling for phone sweeps. I'm taking a radio but I'm not sure how much (if at all) I'll be able to. After the event, my score will be added to one of the two teams. We will determine that team with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors at the December meeting.

Scoring

The only scores that will be accepted are the ones submitted to the ARRL contest page by the ARRL deadline. Official ARRL awarded points will be used.

Parks on the Air - Supports your Parks Weekend

Autumn is here and the weekend of October 19-20, 2024 is the 2024 Autumn Support Your Parks Weekend. So, get out and POTA and make contacts from your favorite state or national park POTA location.

Parks on the Air

This event happens seasonally, on the 3rd full weekend of the month (Saturday & Sunday UTC). These are ‘activity weekends’ where the main purpose is to get out in the parks, and have as much fun as possible.

Upcoming Support Your Parks Weekend:

• Winter - 3rd Full Weekend of January. January 18-19, 2025
• Spring - 3rd Full Weekend of April. April 19-20, 2025
• Summer - 3rd Full Weekend of July. July 19-20, 2025
• Autumn - 3rd Full Weekend of October. October 19-20, 2024

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently allowing public comment on a proposal by private company NextNav Inc. that would reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band widely used by amateur radio and Meshtastic, and replace it with a backup GPS system...

At the very least, this product is likely to disrupt range and performance of Meshtastic devices- but the implications could be far wider. It has the potential to cripple the network and interfere with other frequency usage including that of tollbooth operators and other LoRaWAN devices.

Here is a link to a write up on the Proposed Changes on 900 MHz Band:

Meshtastic

https://meshtastic.org/blog/meshtastic-opposition-to-nextnav-proposed-changes/

ARRL

https://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-urges-protecting-the-amateur-radio-902-928-mhz-band

A published opposition letter from Meshtastic President JM Casler:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0071/3772/files/Opposition_Letter.pdf?v=1725463027

Take action before September 20th, 2024

The fastest way to take action is to submit an Express Comment at the FCC website. Here is a direct link with docket number pre-filled. 

Comments are due by September 20th, 2024, act today!

This weekend is (July 20 - 21, 2024) is 2024 Summer Support Your Parks Weekend. So, get out and POTA and make contacts from your favorite POTA location.

Parks on the Air

Support Your Parks

This event happens seasonally, on the 3rd full weekend of the month (Saturday & Sunday UTC). These are ‘activity weekends’ where the main purpose is to get out in the parks, and have as much fun as possible.

• Winter - 3rd Full Weekend of January. January 18-19, 2025
• Spring - 3rd Full Weekend of April. April 19-20, 2025
• Summer - 3rd Full Weekend of July. July 20-21, 2024
• Autumn - 3rd Full Weekend of October. October 19-20, 2024

Parks on the Air (POTA) Activation

Park Activated: 20 QSOs @ Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge US-0346.

Moved to Sunday June 30, 2024 @ 8:00 am at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (US-0346).

On Saturday, June 29, 2024 @ 8:00 am, K8UFM (Randall) will be at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (US-0346).

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
5437 W Jefferson Ave, Trenton, MI 48183
42.116331, -83.183345

I will be setup at the covered picnic area. When you enter the park, stay to the left and as you approach the fishing pier the covered picnic area will be on the left.

For more information about Parks on the Air visit: 

Parks on the Air (POTA):  https://parksontheair.com/

Welcome to the Parks on the Air (POTA) site for international portable amateur radio operations that promote emergency awareness and communications from national/federal and state/provincial level parks.

Parks on the Air (POTA) Spots: https://pota.app/#/

Welcome to the Parks on the Air (POTA) is a global initiative to activate and log parks using amateur radio. See the latest spots of amateur radio operators who are activating parks around the world, with band, and mode.

The club picnic is planned to be held on August 10, 2024 at Elizabeth Park. Bring your own food and beverages to enjoy good conversations and fellowship with other club members and guests.

More info here: Summer Picnic

There are tentative plans to have a mini on foot fox hunt.

If you have something you would like to share with the club (projects, interesting QSO, equipment, etc.) please let Stan K8SB know via his ARRL e-mail address. K8SB@arrl.net. Stan is coordinating the program.

The MCRCA is holding it's annual hamfest at the Monroe County Fairgrounds on June 16, 2024 from 7:30AM till 1:00PM.

For more information please see: https://www.mcrca.org/Hamfest/Index