Month: March 2019

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held Monday, March 11, 2019 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 21 members and guests present.  The meeting was opened by PARA President, Jeff Wielgos.  Jeff welcomed us and asked each attendee around the room to give their name, amateur call and total contacts made since the last club meeting. Two came for FCC VE testing, see pictures below.

Club Business Items Discussed

• Secretary Ron Cowherd read the Treasurer’s Report in absence of Bruce Huyck.
• The Secretary’s report followed with a review of items covered at the February meeting.  The February meeting featured two demonstrations the first of which was presented by Ed Pflueger and his new Elecraft K2 that was constructed during December and January.  Jason Brambach demonstrated the Flex Maestro, an SDR control interface for his 6000 series Flex transceiver.  In addition, Jason later prepared an excellent detailed synopsis of his presentation with text and pictures, now linked on the February Monthly Meeting web page or the following:  flex maestro presentation
• Garry Wheatley told about McCracken County VOAD, Volunteer Organizations Aiding in Disaster.  Ari Dinson from the Red Cross is trying to collaborate the various volunteer organizations in the area, e.g., churches, Salvation Army, etc.  VOAD is looking for more groups to get involved.  Garry spoke at a VOAD meeting recently explaining how amateur radio could serve in case of disaster.  He suggested that if each of the individual groups had two or three operators imbedded within their organizations it would be a great help to McCracken Co. ARES.  Garry said he got many questions about amateur licensing, testing, etc.
• Dave Perry brought ten KY QSO plaques with engraved brass plates that were ready to be mailed out to high scoring participants.  Two of the plaques were to be presented to 1st and 2nd place non-Kentuckians and eight plaques to high scoring in-state Kentuckians of different categories.  Paul Smith, with 84,548 points, took 1st place in Kentucky.  See picture at top.  Dave continued with ideas to fine tune the next KY QSO Party to be held 1st weekend in June.  Much discussion followed with suggestions for improvement from the  club.
• President Jeff Wielgos warned us of the possibility of high winds and possible damage that may occur later in the week.  In retrospect, Jeff’s prognostication was “spot on.”

Great Testimonial for KY QSO Party from David Smith (ND4Y):

“a proud pic of me and my KyQP plaque.  Thanks for PARA’s sponsorship.  Had a great time and looking forward to the 2019 KyQP.”

Net Control Operators for Late March/Early April

Sunday night nets are at 9:00 PM on 147.060 Mhz. PL 179.9

March 14            tornado event        19 observer rpts.

March 17            Jeff KB9BVL            10 PARA ck-ins

March 24            Roger KC4WPS       13 PARA ck-ins

March 31             Jason KY9I              13 PARA ck-ins

April 7                   Ken KW4DI           14 PARA ck-ins

New License Successes

We are happy to report that Roger Rives, left. pic. and Michael Burr, rt. pic. have successfully passed the Technician class FCC exam.  Congratulations to both of you.  We cordially invite you to enjoy your new licenses and join us at future monthly meetings.

Remember:

• PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm, each month except December.  Prospective hams in search of general info concerning the hobby may Google ARRL.com and click on relevant headings.
• New License and upgrades exams are offered at the close of each meeting night throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site.  For info,  click button at the top of the page:   About Us, then VE License Testing.
• The Sunday Night Net meets each Sunday night at 9 PM. All amateur radio operators are invited to check in. 147.060 PL 179.9  The ARES monthly net convenes immediately following PARA net on first Sunday nights.
• CW round table for on-the-air operating practice, 7:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  Meet on W4NJA 147.060 repeater at 7:00 to get instructions.
• Amateur Radio Emergency Services meetings are held at 7:00 pm on 3rd Thursdays, 3700 Coleman Road EOC building in the Jack Johnston meeting room.
• 2019 KYQSO Party scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2019.
• 2019 ARRL Field Day, June 2019.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held Monday, February 11, 2019 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 23 members and guests present.  The meeting was opened by PARA President, Jeff Wielgos.  Jeff welcomed us and asked each attendee around the room to give their name and amateur call. Two came for FCC VE testing, see pictures below.

Club Business Items Discussed

• Secretary Ron Cowherd reviewed business items from the November meeting.  Those items included:  KY QSO Party planning.  Dates for party will be June 1st and 2nd.  Secretary Cowherd requested seasonal selfie pictures to be used as a banner for future Monthly Meeting web site web page posts.  Send medium size pix to roncowherd@aol.com.
• Treasurer Bruce Huyck reported the club’s current financial status.  He reminded us that 2019 club dues ($20) are now payable.  Bruce told us that the club treasurer position is still open for the year 2019.
• Ed Pflueger (AB4IQ) gave us an excellent demo of the Elecraft K2 Transceiver Kit that he had recently constructed.  The radio covers 160-10 meters, 5, 10 or 15 watts.  Ed explained that he was looking for a project to do during the cold days of winter.  Also, it was a nostalgic experience that reminded him of previous Heathkit projects that he had completed in past years.  The kit is a challenge in that it is not a modular build as today’s kits offer but employ a 20 year old point- to-point construction technology.  He even wound the coils that were needed.  The K2 followed the KX1 and preceded the K3, KX3, KX2 and K3s in that order.  All of these radios enjoy excellent Sherwood ratings.  The Elecraft company has the reputation of offering superior products as well as outstanding customer support.
• Jason Brambach (KY9I) continued the “show and tell” evening with a demo of the Flex Maestro, an SDR control interface for his 6000 series Flex  transceiver at home.   Please see:   flex maestro presentation

Net Control Operators for Late February/Early March