Vol. 5 No. 7

 www.rcarc.com

July 2007 

Pre 4th of July fireworks - I suppose that is how the activities in the month of June should be described.
First was the June ARRL VFH QSO Party that a number of club members participated in. Conditions were less than stellar but the fun was out of this world. You'll want to catch the story and pics located in this issue.

Second was the annual ARRL Field Day exercise that was held at Lake Reidsville. Most of you came out to support this club event and the success, score and fun is all because of YOU. I've included our unofficial score and some "Kodak moments".

Since annual activities are light for the remainder of the summer, this would be a perfect opportunity to dust off that license manual that you been meaning to read and upgrade. Also, be thinking of how we can continue to grow the club, get youth enthused about our hobby and by all means let the officers know what you would like to see this club do!

Paul Patterson, N4CE
The RockingHammer News editor


ARRL AFFILIATED - Help the club and be a part of the largest Amateur Radio organization in the world! Contact Dal Williams, W4YQY for more information. The RCARC is an affiliated club with the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL). Please visit their website www.arrl.org to get a complete listing of the benefits available to the club and it's members. -Consider joining or renewing your ARRL membership through the club since a portion of your payment will be received by the club..


Rockingham County is a member of the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va. Skywarn Weather Spotters (and all amateur radio operators) encountering sever weather, are encouraged to monitor, and make reports to the net control on 147.03 repeater. When; "Watches or Warnings" require net activation. The 146.85 and 147.345 repeaters will be programmed to state; "SEVER WEATHER ALERTS". The 147.03 repeater is one of several the Blacksburg office will activate when sever weather requires gathering weather reports from our county.

NOAA WEATHER RADIO BANDS
CHANNELS FREQUENCIES
1. 162.400 WXL42 Winston Salem NWS, PIEDMONT AREA.
2. 162.425
3. 162.450
4. 162.475 WXL60 BLACKSBURG NWS, ROCKINGHAM COUNTY.
5. 162.500
6. 162.525
7. 162.550 WXL58 RALEIGH NWS, PIEDMONT & CENTERAL N.C.

A Nation-wide network of radio stations broadcasts continuous weather information from nearby NWS offices. You can get weather 24 hours per day. NOAA weather radiois the best way to receive warnings from the National Weather Service. It's best to have a battery back up, and SAME (Specific Area Message Encoder) that will alert you when a watch or warning is issued for Rockingham County. Complete information at NOAA's website http://www.weather.gov/nwr/


Upcoming Events
A listing of nets, socials, tests, and meetings to remember:


RCARC club meeting:
The Rockingham County Amateur Radio Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the American Red Cross located at 3692 NC Hwy 14, south of Eden. The meeting starts at 7:00pm and everyone is welcome. Any changes in date and/or time will be announced at the club meeting prior to the change and on the scheduled Monday night RCARC 2 meter net. Next meeting is July 17th at 7pm. Please plan to attend! Why not invite a friend or fellow ham you know that isn't a member yet?

Socials:
RCARC social - Everyone loves to eat so mark the first Saturday of each month and bring the family. Please join us at the Sirloin House at 6:00pm. Catch up with what's going on and enjoy some fine cooking. The next social will be July 7th. This is a once per month time for all of us to get together informally to enjoy good food, friendship and brag about our hobby conquests! If you aren't at the beach, please make a priority on your busy summer calendar.

Thursday breakfast - Join the crew every Thursday morning between 7am and 7:30am at Chaney's Restaurant on Freeway Drive in Reidsville. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (so they say) and this is the perfect opportunity to start your day off right with a good meal and chat with gang!

Local nets:
Monday 8pm - RCARC 2 meter net…. 146.850MHz 103.5 tone
The RCARC net is held weekly. We will use the 147.345 MHz 103.5 tone machine should the 146.850 machine be unavailable.
Your support is needed to insure that the club net is conducted each week to provide net business and announcements for members of the Rockingham County Amateur Radio Club.
Please consider volunteering to be net control on a regular basis or as needed, (note, you can try it once to see if you like it). Mike, KD4CSJ, and I would be glad to let you have the net when we are scheduled to call it. Mike or I will be glad to provide assistance or answer your questions about being NCS.
Don't wait for someone else to do this service for your club, VOLUNTEER YOUR SUPPORT NOW! - Jamey, K4RVJ

Tuesday 7:30pm - 440 rag-chew net…. 443.975MHZ no tone
This net meets each Tuesday night except the third Tuesday of the month which is the regularly scheduled RCARC club meeting
Wednesday 8pm - 10 Meter rag-chew net…28.450 usb.
Charles Davis, K4SWB is net control of this weekly Virginia/North Carolina ragchew net.
Thursday 9pm - ARES net…147.030MHZ 118.8 tone
The Rockingham County ARES net is a directed net for ARES members but all licensed amateurs are encouraged to check in.

Other Area Nets

Sunday - 8:30pm..…Southern Alamance Net………………146.670 no tone
Sunday - 9:00pm..…Greensboro News & Information Net…145.150 100tone
Sunday - 9:30pm…..Central N.C. Traffic Net……… ……….146.820 no tone
Monday - 8:00pm…. Randolph County Net…………………147.255 no tone
Tuesday - 8:00pm..…Burlington ARES Net…………………146.670 no tone
Tuesday - 8:30pm…..Triad Skywarn Net…………………….147.255 no tone
Wednesday - 8:00pm..Roanoke Amateur Club Net…………..146.985 no tone
Wednesday - 8:30pm..Forsyth County ARES Net……………145.470 100 tone
Wednesday - 8:45pm..Greensboro Amateur Society Net……..145.250 88.5 tone
Thursday - 9:00pm…..Guilford County ARES Net…………..145.150 no tone
**Daily nets***
5:30am………………..Possum Trot Net………………………147.225 no tone
2:30pm……………….Vag-A-Bon Net………………………...145.470 100 tone
7:30pm………………..Tarheel Emergency Net (ARES)………3.923 lsb


HAMFESTS !
Spring cleaning should be over with. Summers are meant to spruce up that sagging antenna, plant you a 70' tower and of course attend a hamfest to get you something to feed all that stuff. Take a look at these and consult the Farmer's Almanac before planting your Antenna farm.
Check out the RCARC hamfest webpage for updated information and complete listings

http://www.rcarc.com/07festsched.html

June 9: Winston-Salem (NC) Classic hamfest, Forsyth ARC, Dixie Classic fairgounds home and garden bldg, 421 West 27th Street Winston-Salem, NC
July 28: Western Carolina Hamfest, Waynesville, NC, Haywood County fairgrounds, hwy 209, (Lake Junaluska)


READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Rockingham County VE Testing
The regularly scheduled VEC testing is held on each odd numbered month. The exams are given at the Eden branch of the Rockingham County Library located 598 South Pierce Street in Eden, NC. Registration begins at 9:00am with testing starting at 9:30am. Be sure and read what you need to bring and fee on our website link: http://www.rcarc.com/vesched.html

The next VE test session is scheduled held July 28th at the Eden public library. At the last meeting Dal stated that we need additional extra class members to volunteer to be Ves. With the no-code change, more and more hams are upgrading to extra.

JUNE VHF QSO PARTY RESULTS

Tim, WD4GXD, Dal, W4QYQ, Drew W4TRN, Calvin, KI4BWP, Jim N4ZZC and myself battled the non-existant sunspots to tally a score of 1,633. The members operated on 6meters, 2 meters and 70cm on June 9th and 10th at the Berrymore repeater site. Dal had the only band opening contact on Sunday which lasted 5 minutes.

 

 

Even though conditions were not good, we all had a great time and even had a cookout with freshly caught fish, courtesy of Calvin, KIWBWP. I think he cooked up enough fish to feed the entire club…. So no one went away hungry. Great time.. and I think I heard everyone saying that next year we need to put up some 2 m and 70cm beams.

Field Day 2007

This year's RCARC Field Day was located at Lake Reidsville. A big thanks to all those members who showed up to set things up, operate, come to the cookout and tear-down. Mike, KD4CSJ did a fantastic job in getting the #1 shelter site and managing to get elected officials out to field day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had antennas and rigs set up in 2 hours and everything was torn-down and hauled away in 45 min. Of course having George and his "toy" helped in a lot of that. Members made 384 Phone contacts, 167 CW & 84 digital (psk-31) contacts in the 24 hour period. Total QSO points 1,772 Our bonus points included Emergency power, publicity to media, public location, public info table, message to SM, W1AW bulletin, non-traditional mode demo (APRS), invited government official, invited official (law enforcement), non-licensed youth under 18 (Jake) and web submission of logs. Total bonus points 1070. Unofficial score 2842. More important than the scores was it looked like everyone had a great time, no one got injured and the weather cooperated.

We had Reidsville Mayor, James Festerman and Councilwoman Joan Zdanski speak to the club on-site and we were visited by Nelson Cole, NC House representative, 65th District.

 

 

About the Newsletter:
This newsletter is published monthly by and for the members of the Rockingham County Amateur Radio club, and friends. An email of the newsletter is available by letting the editor know in advance. Please let the editor know of your change of address! Your suggestions, articles and questions are always welcomed.
Paul Patterson (N4CE) 336-548-2027, n4ce@rcarc.com

RCARC MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON JUNE 19,2007

Meeting started at 7:07pm.
-Minutes from May meeting was read by Paul Patterson and approved by those present.
-Tim read the treasurer's report. Capital account $1701.03. General account $2,839.95. Total $4,540.98.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-Technical committee - Tim and Butch stated that they have replaced the transistor on the .85 machine without it resolving the issue. Next step will be to borrow spare duplexers from Dal and test so see if the machine will function with it.
-Membership committee - Dewey ill, no report. Dal mentioned that we need additional folks to help.
-Historian - No report but Paul stated that he has altered and printed up the previously presented draft of our club brochure to use on field day for our public information booth.
-ARES - Formal ARES no longer exists but Dal stated that members should monitor 147.03 repeater during storms and severe weather to report to Blacksburg, VA.
-Progam - Calvin not present. Frank Rogue said he would offer to do a program in July on Software driven receivers. Please let Calvin know if you have a program idea or willing to present.
OLD BUSINESS:
-Tim Walker, WD4GXD reported to the club that the Gears-n-Cheers Bike-a-thon was a success. Tim, Paul - N4CE and Jamey - K4RVJ volunteered and provided communications during the event. Tim said that member's contributions were much appreciated and that they would be contacting us next year.
-Saturday Socials need better attendance. Dal has asked members to come out and enjoy this club monthly event.
-VHF QSO Party - Paul, N4CE reported that the QSO party at the Berrymore site was fun although conditions were not good. Members had a good time, and made 60+ contacts.
NEW BUSINESS:
-VE Team - Dal, W4YQY, reminded members that we give tests every other month and that there is a serious need for additional extra class members to volunteer.
-Field Day - Paul announced that FD will be at Lake Reidsville. Setup to start at 9am and we will be operating as a class 2A. Need folks to pitch in and also come out for the cookout to be at 6:30pm. Club will provide hotdogs and members are asked to bring a covered dish, chips. Mike has invited city officials to come out. Also, persons will need to pay $1 dollar if resident, $2 if county resident. Russ mentioned he has a camping space at Lake Reidsville ,avail and will not be used. Paul passed around a sheet of what has been promised by members and items Paul and Mike still need members to bring.

+Frank, WB6IIV made motion to close.
-Meeting adjourned at 8:10pm

Respectfully submitted

Paul Patterson - N4CE
RCARC Secretary