Field Day 2015 becomes a distant memory
No doubt, it was one of the wetter Field Days in my history but we fared well. We had an excellent turnout, the tent did a good job of keeping us dry, the food prepared by Mike and Sharon Pardue and family was tremendous and we had more overnight operators/ campers than I can ever remember.
The colored areas in the above map represent sections that we worked. We even worked Hawaii and had much success on 6 meters. We’ll have all the numbers and final stats at the July 6th meeting. There are many folks to thank for the success of this event, which we’ll cover next time.
If you have photos of our Field Day operation, please send them for posting. in the next eminder.
Ultimate Battery Backup Hack/Mod
I came across this video and thought it could be of interest to you. If you’d like to operate a QRP rig or other 12V device on a backup supply it’s something to consider.
(If you have a UPS (Uniterruptable Power Supply) you know that, while they serve a great function, most have a couple of drawbacks. For one, if f you want to operate a 12V device you have to take take the inverter’s AC out and convert it back to DC! This video demonstrates a neat solution to that problem. Another issue (the author of the video might address it) as soon as a I popped off the case I would disconnect that aggravating beeper that reminds me the device has kicked onto backup power. Keep in mind that these UPS devices are intended for use on a computer. It gives a few minutes to stop what you’re doing and properly shut down the computer until the commercial power returns.
In this video the author, Dave Murray, KF5QQV, takes a popular battery backup (APC brand) and modifies it to have 3 direct DC output jacks as well as an LED display with voltage readout. This gives him a power supply for his ham gear as well as many other useful capabilities during a power outage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ur-D37-juo
Picnic July 20th !
Our July picnic will be Monday, July 20th. Talk it up among your friends and let’s have fun. The location will be the Day park pavilion we’ve used for several years. There’s road work being done on Pleasant Valley Road but no problem getting into the park. July 20th would normally be a business meeting so in honor of that we will have a brief, informal, business meeting at the picnic.
The BIG pavilion shelter is behind the swimming pool at Day Park, just east of Tri-C. The club provides the fire, you bring what you want to cook, eat or share. Bring your own refreshments. No alcohol permitted, of course, in city parks. We will gather about 6:00 pm and will try to listen to the 145.410 repeater in case you get lost.
Club Roster
The PRC roster is in hand and will be published soon. It will only be sent to paid members. If you don’t receive the email with an attached roster it means that we have no record of your 2015 dues having been paid so your membership is not current. If we made a mistake, let us know and we’ll rectify the situation.
Hal Rogers, K8CMD
President, Communications Director