PARA Meeting Minutes 10/9/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, October 9, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 16 present.  No one came for FCC license testing.

The meeting was opened by Club Vice President, Ken Wontor (KW4DI).  Ken invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name, call and report of ham activities during the past month.

Items Discussed and Passed

The business portion of the meeting was as follows:

• The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce Huyck (KS4V) followed by the Secretary’s report given by Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both reports were subsequently approved by unanimous vote.
• Ed (AB4IQ) reminded us that the PARA annual Christmas Party is planned for Monday, 6:00 pm, December 12th at Casa Mexicana restaurant located at 4793 Village Square Drive directly behind Walmart in the Strawberry Hill area.  This event will replace the December meeting and testing.  No reservations required.
• Ron Cowherd announced that Jeff Wielgos had gotten a request from Bryan Pickering to come to our November meeting to give a followup on the presentation that he had given at the January 2017 meeting.  The Powerpoint presentation was on the understanding, maintenance and operation of lead acid batteries.  Bryan works at a local Paducah retail battery establishment that specializes in battery and light bulb sales.
• Bruce announced that DX Engineering is scheduled for March 2018 meeting to give another Skype presentation to the club similar to the one given August 2017.  The subject will be on lightning and grounding techniques.

Presentation

Bruce (KS4V) reviewed Reverse Beacon.net/main.php, a free website of skimmer stations around the world in all modes and frequencies.  Bruce projected the web page and explained how to use the app’s features.

Ken (KW4DI) showed his magnetic loop antenna and MFJ QRP Loop Tuner.

Contest Success

Congratulations Paul Smith ND4X:

Reminders:

PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm of each month except December.

New License and upgrades are offered on meeting nights throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site at w4nja.org.  For info click at the top of the page on 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

Christmas Party, Monday, 6:00 pm, December 12th at Casa Mexicana restaurant located at 4793 Village Square Drive directly behind Walmart in the Strawberry Hill area.  No reservations needed.

PARA Meeting Minutes 9/11/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, September 11, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 21 present.  One came for FCC license testing.  See pic. below.

The meeting was opened by Club President, Jeff Wielgos (KB9BVL).  Jeff invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name and call.

Items Discussed and Passed

The business portion of the meeting was as follows:

• The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce Huyck (KS4V) followed by the Secretary’s report given by Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both reports were subsequently approved by unanimous vote.
• Treasurer Huyck asked for a motion to reimburse Rob Larrison $16.17 which was paid to Hover.com for the yearly W4NJA web domain.  The motion was made, seconded and passed.
• Jeff announced that Bryan Pickering had asked to come back to finish a presentation on batteries that he gave February 13, 2017.  His Power Point presentation covering all the parameters of understanding, maintenance and operation of lead acid batteries was most enlightening and well received.  Jeff will try to schedule him for the November meeting.
• Paul Smith (ND4X) gave a positive health and welfare report concerning John Hudson’s (KO4XJ) recent shoulder replacement surgery.  Several have chatted with John on 2 meters while he is recuperating.
• Mike Newman (WD4EFZ) commented on the need to inventory the Force beam antenna that is stored in his garage.  Mike also gave a progress report on the new tower and beam installation soon to be erected at his location.
• Bruce Huyck passed around a thank you letter from Baptist Hospital for the memorial donation made in the name of Jerry Foland who recently became a silent key.   Bruce also spoke of a new change in the FCC Form 605 (formally Form 610).  When renewing or upgrading our license, we will now be required to check a yes or no box to indicate if we have ever been convicted of a felony by any state or federal court.  A yes indication will not prevent you from getting your license but if you don’t answer truthfully, you may forfeit your license or lose your right to hold a license.  If you check yes or fail to answer any other questions, your application may go into a holding file until the information is given.

Presentation

Bruce Huyck gave a very well prepared “show and tell” session introducing the  SDRPlay pan-adaptor ($99) and associated free SDRUNO computer software.  Bruce showed sharp and clear Powerpoint screen shots of actual software pages to show the system’s amazing capabilities.  The pan-adaptor and software require a transceiver with a USB or RS232 IF output port.  Bruce followed up the demonstration by answering many questions from the club about the new technology.  Thanks Bruce.

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

September 17            Jay KD9HRH       10 check ins

September 24            Frank KY4LDS      7 check ins

October  1       Jeff KB9BVL 7 PARA – Logan KG4VKB 9 ARES

October  8                   Ken KW4DI           7 check ins

New License and Upgrade Success

We are happy to report that David Mason earned his Technician license at the close of the September meeting.  Congratulations David, well done.

Remember:

• PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm of each month except December.
• New License and upgrades are offered at end of meetings throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site at w4nja.org.  For info click at the top of the page on 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 mhz. PL tone 179.9
• Subscribe to PARA by clicking on the right side bar link:  Subscribe to Paducah Amateur Radio Association by Email.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Cowherd (Sec. PARA) roncowherd@aol.com

PARA Meeting Minutes 8/14/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, August 14, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 31 present.  No one came for FCC license testing.

The meeting was opened by Club President, Jeff Wielgos.  Jeff invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name and call.  The usual order of business was altered this night due to a special Skype presentation presented by DX Engineering.

Skype Presentation

Mark Ludwick (W8BBQ) from DX Engineering, Akron Ohio, gave an overview of emergency communications as it relates to Amateur Radio.  Mark’s comprehensive Powerpoint presentation was originally created for an amateur group that was just beginning to get prepared for emergency readiness.  At the close of the prepared comments Mark took questions from our members.  Our varied questions ranged from “how to recruit new, younger amateurs,” to “what is the differences between the MFJ magnetic loop antenna and the DX Engineering model and why were they so expensive?”  Overall, the program was quite informative and very well received by our PARA members.

Items Discussed and Passed

The business portion of the meeting held after the presentation is as follows:

• The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce Huyck (KS4V) followed by the Secretary’s report given by Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both reports were subsequently approved by unanimous vote.
• Dave Perry told of his positive experience with the new FT8 digital mode.  Several others also told of their experiences.
• Logan Blewett (KG4VKB) told us that the Will Ed Winfield estate still has not disposed of his electronic equipment.  If interested contact Logan:  <jloganblewett@gmail.com>
• Treasurer Huyck asked for a motion to reimburse Secretary Cowherd $30.00 which was paid to WordPress for No Adds.  This guarantees that no adds will appear on the W4NJA web site for one year.  The motion was made, seconded and passed.

• PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm of each month except December.
• New License and upgrades are offered at end of meetings throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site at w4nja.org.  For info click at the top of the page on 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 mhz. PL tone 179.9

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Cowherd (Sec. PARA) roncowherd@aol.com

PARA Meeting Minutes 7/10/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, July 10, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were approximately 20 present.  One came for FCC amateur license upgrade.

The meeting was opened by Treasurer Bruce Huyck (KS4V) in absence of President Jeff Wielgos (KB9BVL).  Bruce invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name and call.  The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce.  The April 2017 meeting minutes was read by Secretary Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both treasurer and secretary reports were were approved by unanimous vote.

Items Discussed and Passed

• Bruce and Paul Smith (ND4X) analyzed and pointed out interesting aspects of the Field Day 2017 Summary spreadsheet showing PARA’s total QSOs by band, mode, operator and points.  Various strengths and weaknesses were revealed:  The overall total number of QSOs surpassed numbers from years past.  The high scores were attributed to very capable operators and the beautiful weather.  However, we need more operators to be available to sit-in for all stations and particularly CW ops for overnight.  Paul Smith pointed out that those who came early to set up antennas and stations were “beat” by the time the contest began.  The addition of the VHF station offered the opportunity to “know what to do” and “what not to do” in the years to follow.  One problem was that the N1MN logging program recognized the JT65 mode as a RTTY mode.
• Ed Pflueger made a motion (later passed) that monies given PARA in honor of Jerry Foland (WA4TTL) be donated on to the Ray & Kay Eckstein Regional Cancer Care Center in Paducah.  Jerry, 76, passed away Friday, June 30.  He served in the Navy aboard the U.S.S Enterprise.  After receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy, he was hired by the Westinghouse Nuclear Division.  After retirement from Westinghouse, he and his wife moved to Paducah in 2007.  Jerry, a long time amateur radio enthusiast, will be missed by his fellow  hams.  He was a wealth of knowledge and donated his expertise and energy often to the members of the local club.  His name and call will be listed as a Silent Key in QST magazine in a future issue.
• Ed Pflueger suggested that the Icom 7200, bought for an intended club station sometime ago, was never utilized.  It was discussed, motion made and passed that the radio and several beam antennas be inventoried, priced and offered for sale. It was also decided that the radio would be priced at $600 and offered first to club members first.  The items not sold will be put on the ham market.  Bruce will put out an email to club members with info concerning the items before advertising in QST.com.  Contact:  Bruce, ks4@comcast.net or Ed, ab4iq@comcast.net.
• Bruce reminded us about the August 14, PARA meeting:  DX Engineering Skype presentation.  The program will be just for our use with two-way Skype communication.
• Frank Baumer emphasized the importance of protection from an EMP attack by showing us a $2.50 mylar EMP proof bag designed to encase a spare rig “just in case.”

Net Control Operators for Late June/Early July

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

July 16       Steve NW9W         8 check-ins

July 23        Ken KW4DI          11 check-ins

July  30        Frank KY4LDS    11 check-ins

August 6      Logan KG4VKB   15 PARA, 9 ARES

August 13     Jay KD9HRH        9 check-ins

New License and Upgrade Success

We are happy to report that Chuck Culver upgraded to Extra Class license at the close of the July meeting.  He passed both the Technician and General exam the month before.  Congratulations Chuck.  You have shown us how to “git’er done.”

PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm of each month except December.

New License and upgrades are offered on odd months throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site at w4nja.org.  For info click at the top of the page on 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

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Cowherd (Sec. PARA) roncowherd@aol.com

PARA Meeting Minutes 6/12/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, June 12, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were approximately 20 present.  Two guests came for FCC amateur license examinations and one member for license upgrade.

The meeting was opened by President Jeff Wielgos (KB9BVL).  Jeff invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name and call.  The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce Huyck (KS4V).  The April 2017 meeting minutes was read by Secretary Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both treasurer and secretary reports were were approved by unanimous vote.

Items Discussed

• Final plans for Field Day, June 24 and 25 at Keiler Park, were discussed.  Set up for the event will begin at 9:00 am Saturday morning.  It was announced that use of McCracken County Mobile Command Center had been approved.
• Bruce Huyck gave an in-depth review of the ARRL Field Day rules, classifications, and extra points as well as the local site set-up, antenna plan, wireless net-work, etc.  Bruce also suggested some ideas for discussion to get more participation from all the club members.
• Paul Smith gave a presentation on the use of the N1MN logging software that the club uses for Field Day.  Paul showed us the many features of the app that simplify logging when all transmitters are linked together.

Net Control Operators for Late May/Early June

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

June 18   Brent W4CHE      16 check-ins

June 25   Frank KY4LDS       6 check-ins

July  2     Ken KW4DI

July 9       Logan KG4VKB     6 check-ins

New License and Upgrade Successes

We are happy to report that three have passed or upgraded their FCC Amateur radio exams at the close of the June meeting.  Congratulations to the following:  Chuck Culver passed both the Technician and General exam.  Richard Reid passed the technician and Jeff Estes upgraded to General.  You are all cordially invited to join us again at future meetings and hopefully become club members.

Chuck Culver, new Extra Class License

Pictured L to R:  Chuck Culver, Wayne Reid and Jeff Estes

Reminders:

PARA meets at Emerging Technology Center, WKCTC on 2nd Monday, 7 pm of each month except December.

New License and upgrades are offered on odd months throughout the year.  See W4NJA web site at w4nja.org.  For info click at the top of the page on 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

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Cowherd (Sec. PARA) roncowherd@aol.com

PARA Meeting Minutes 5/8/2017

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Paducah Amateur Radio Association was held  Monday, April 10, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, in Paducah, KY.  There were 19 present.

The meeting was opened by President Jeff Wielgos (KB9BVL).  Jeff invited each attendee around the room to introduce themselves with their name and call.  The Treasurer’s report was given by Bruce Huyck (KS4V).  The April 2017 meeting minutes was read by Secretary Ron Cowherd (K4GYD).  Both treasurer and secretary reports were were approved by unanimous vote.

Items Discussed

• Jeff announced that Bruce Huyck is now the trustee for station W4NJA replacing Walt Welch who has since moved from the area.  The former station license was due to expire in October 2017.
• There was a brief discussion about the Dayton Hamfest to be held May 18th thru the 21st.  Several club members were planning to attend this year.
• Quite a bit of time was devoted to the planning of field day (June 24 and 25) discussing the following items:  three stations, two of which (SSB & RTTY) to be located in the McCracken Co. Emergency Mobil Command Center on the parking lot of the First Baptist Church and one (CW) station located in a park pavilion and a snack area in another pavilion.  Mike Newman will bring the radios, computers and antennas that are stored at his home.  Dave Perry will bring a radio and computer for the CW station.  Ken Wontor has secured the park permits.  Bruce will write a letter of formal request for use of the County’s Mobil Command Center.  In the past the County EMS has furnished generators and gas.  Food was discussed. Jay Smock offered to bring his grill.
• There was discussion about what could be done about an Icom 7200 radio that had been purchased for a Field Day Go-To station by the club but is no longer utilized.  Nothing definite was decided.
• Mike Newman added that the club had been given two beams, a Force 12 tri-bander and a 15 meter monobander that could be cleaned up and perhaps sold.
• Bruce told about the W5KUB.com webcast that is available each Tuesday night at 8:00 pm.  For example this coming Tuesday, May 9th, will feature the person who is in charge of the Dayton Hamfest along with his co-worker.
• Bill Call (KJ4W) from MSU club sent word that Al Grant (KG4SXQ) will soon be moving to Brookdale Assisted Living located on New Holt Rd. in Paducah.  Al may need help setting up a 2m station in his apartment.  Al, you are welcome to join us when you get settled in Paducah.  Contact Ron (K4GYD)  (270)554-4139.

Net Control Operators for Late May/Early June

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

May 14   Logan KG4VKB   13 chk-ins

May 21   Jay KD9HRH        15 chk-ins

May 28   Frank KY4LDS       7 chk-ins

June 4      Logan KG4VKB  13 PARA, 8 ARES

June 11    Ken KW4DI         16 chk-ins

Email to PARA from Paul Smith (ND4X)

There is a known problem in the version of TQSL that Bruce and I were both running (the one just before this new release).  The old version will not work correctly with the link that pops up when you launch to TQSL update process.  Dan says this is a known problem, but since the problem is in the version of TQSL that we currently have installed, there is nothing they can do to fix the automatic link problem.

To get around this problem:  1) Sign into LoTW;  2)  Click on the “Home” tab;  3)  In the middle of the screen under “TQSL Status” you will see “Current Trusted QSL software: TQSL v2.3.1 (Download)”.  Click on the download link.  4)  That will take you to the TQSL Download page.  5) Click on the “Go Now” under TQSL 2.3.1 for MS Windows.  6)  Save the file to your local disk.  7)  Run it from there (run as normal user, not as administrator).

Contest Success

ND4X – FL QSO Party

Band   Mode  QSOs     Pts     Mul     Pt/Q
7      CW         48       192       16       4.0
7      LSB         10         20         3        2.0
14     CW         68       272       31       4.0
14     USB        34         68       21       2.0
21     CW         13         52         1       4.0
28     CW           1           4          0       4.0
Total  Both      174       608       72       3.5
Score: 43,776
1 Mult = 2.4 Q’s

8 Hours, 13 Minutes

Congratulations Paul

Remember our next Scheduled Meeting will be Monday, May 8, 2017 at the WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 140, Alben Barkley Drive, Paducah, KY.