The PRC Wishes You and Your Family

a Happy 2019

CW ops, don’t forget New Years Eve is ARRL “Straight Key Night” !!!

Have some CW fun by ringing out the old year and ushering in 2019 with a few CW contacts on the band of your choice. Then, submit your results, photos or interesting stories to QST.  I’ve never before told my story of a few years ago. After watching the ball drop and tipping bubbly with my wife I sent out a CQ SKN and struck up a contact immediately. There were stations on both sides but he was strong. We had a nice chat going and he was describing his station… and that’s the last I remember.  When I opened my eyes, twenty minutes later, the frequency was very, very quiet. My contact had apparently given up on me.     

JOIN US FOR GOOD FOOD AND FUN AT “ROLLOUT 2019”

What a great way to kick off the new year- good food and friends. Join us Saturday, January 19th at 7 PM when we roll out 2019 at the popular Das Schnitzle Haus Restaurant and Beer Garden.

We hope you’ll join us. This will be our only get-together for January.  Please be sure write us at parmaradioclub@gmail.com to confirm your attendance. Mention how many in your party will be attending. Das Schnitzle Haus is at 5728 Pearl Road in Parma.

The restaurant’s menu is quite extensive with something for everyone. We suggest you it out at www.dshparma.com.

BOARD MEETING

The PRC  Board will be meeting on January 7th. One of the key topics will be the new year’s Program Schedule. This will not be an open meeting, but if you’d like to join us and contribute ideas, please contact me.  We want to have your ideas for consideration, so please let us know very soon any topics you’d like covered.   Also, if you’d like to share your experience and  knowledge on a tech topic this year, by all means, we’d love to “book you.”

2019 DUES

Many thanks to all who have paid their 2019 dues. It’s a great help when dues come in early. Needless to say, club operating expenses keep coming.  In fact, our 2019 insurance bill arrived just today.  An updated Member Application form is on this site. We ask you to fill out a new one every year so that we can be sure our contact data is current but also to see if you have a particular amateur interest we can address in a program. We want your club to meet your needs.

And now we know.

It seems like for years every time I’ve seen a TV  story that involves flying aircraft the pilot is wearing a green headset like the one pictured here with a can’t miss logo.  My curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to find out who this DC company is and why their headsets are so common.  So, here’s what I learned from the company:

In 1975, David Clark Company introduced the first noise-attenuating headset designed to provide hearing protection for pilots, while also providing clear reception and crisp transmission at normal voice levels in a noisy aircraft. Since then, the ‘green domes’ have consistently set the standards of comfort, quality and performance in aviation headset design and manufacture.

Today, the company’s broad line of passive noise attenuating and Electronic Noise Cancelling (ENC) aviation headsets for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft is a top choice for general aviation and commercial pilots.

On a Hawaii vacation, my wife and I took a small plane tour around the main Island. The pilot handed us DC headsets so we could communicate with him during the tour.  Talk about high fidelity and noise cancelling!  Amazing.  So, if you see a pair at a garage sale or hamfest, grab it.  They can easily be converted to amateur use using an article that appeared in QST.  The headset pictured above, sells for $995. And the pricing soars from there.

And now we know.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD    President, Communications Director

ELECTIONS ARE OVER

At the December 3rd meeting Elections Chairman Rich Nagel, W8KU announced the winning Board members for 2019:  President, Hal Rogers, K8CMD; Vice President, Mike Marganski, KE8HBK; Secretary, John Malloy, KA8VTV; Treasurer, Ken Osicki, K8OAE.

Congratulations to my fellow candidates as we look forward to another successful year.

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Tom Bedoc, K8DMM led our workshop at a recent meeting, helping to trouble shoot a problem radio, then presented an interesting program at the recent meeting on a favorite topic in amateur radio – standing waves. We enjoyed several informative videos, followed by a demo of various related SWR measuring equipment. 

 

 

You can revisit Tom’s SWR videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DovunOxlY1k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9m2w4DgeVk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1PgCOTDjvI

And a bonus program from the editor,  https://youtu.be/QWmx1_-V1-o

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LOOKING AHEAD

A reminder that the December 3rd meeting was our final meeting for 2018. Our next general meeting will be in February. However, we’ll kick the year off with a Board meeting in early January (date and time to be announced).

At that early in January meeting, we’ll be working on our program schedule and discussing ides for getting more programs to you and fewer business meetings. I can hear the cheers now. Or is that from Das Schnitzel Haus?

On Saturday, January 19th at 7 PM we’ll Roll Out 2019 dinner once again at the famous Das Schnitzle Haus. Complete details will be available soon.  Please send an email to let us know as soon as possible if you’ll be attending.

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THE PRC NEEDS YOUR $UPPORT

It’s encouraging that many members have already renewed their dues for 2019.  If you’ve not yet done so, please take a minute and download the Member Application form on this site.  We need your support.  On the newly designed application we ask you to share your particular areas of interest, helpful information as we decide program topics for 2019.

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A SPECIAL TREAT

A few years ago I gave a demonstration at one of our meetings of a service that appeals to hams as well as non-hams who share our same interest. The service is called Hamsphere, and it’s most amazing. Technically, it’s a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service. While it uses some of the same technology as Skype and Echolink Kelly Lindman, 5B4AIT / SM7NHC has taken his creation far beyond those other services.  Lindman’s Hamsphere looks and simulates amateur radio.  While the program is usable by non-hams, a surprising number of people have found it a fun place to meet other people. There are even nets, contests and award programs. Of course, it’s a great place for folks who are not able to erect antennas or just can’t struggle with our unpredictable propagation. Hamsphere is not free, but there are introductory subscriptions.

I enjoyed the introductory subscription followed by a year of paid subscription, then I went back to real radio. Of course, at the time propagation was good! All of this is to give you the “back story” on the “special treat” I mentioned in my title.  A few weeks ago, Kelly sent me a link to an e-book he compiled.  I was quite impressed. It’s really well done and I truly believe it’s a great service to amateur radio.  Give it a look. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Ham Radio      http://hamradio.se

Kelly Lindman
5B4AIT / SM7NHC
HamSphere

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Have a wonderful holiday season.

Hal Rogers, K8CMD President, Communications Director

 

 

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COMING SOON:   ELECTIONS  for 2019

Our next meeting will be our final meeting for 2018.  Nominations Chairman, Rich Nagel, W8KU will announce the results of the elections for the 2019 Board of Officers.  Other business will be discussed as we tie up loose ends and wrap up the year.

Our first get together for 2019 will be our January rollout dinner. VP, Mike Marganski, KE8HBK is heading up the event and will fill us in at the meeting.

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Our recent workshop

No one likes trouble but troubleshooting can be fun. And that’s what happened at the last meeting. Hams are all about helping each other and the recent meeting was a good example of that. Several members jumped in and did a troubleshooting session on a member’s ailing IC-718 station.  While the receiver was functioning well, the rig appeared to have low transmit power.  We’ll discuss the approach to the problem and the solution at the next meeting.

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WHAT IN THE WORLD IS “SWR”?

Hams talk a lot about “standing waves” and something called “SWR,” but what are these things, really? Have you ever seen standing waves? Can waves really stand? At our next meeting you’ll see that it’s actually possible to observe standing waves. At our December 3rd meeting we’ll have a couple short classic programs followed by a live demonstration that will give unique visualization and understanding of standing waves.

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2019 DUES

It’s that time again to ask for your support in the form of membership dues. A new Member Application form has been posted on this site. Some members change phone numbers, email or other info during the year, we ask you to submit a new application each year.  Many members have already renewed and that’s very comforting.  We appreciate your support and will continue to do our best.

Member Application

Some thoughts about nets

Many times I’ve asked myself, “why do people participate in what could be called “social amateur nets… like the PRC FM net and the our 10 meter net, where there’s no formal program such as traffic handling training.  Just social get togethers where people exchange chit chat. You can be sure that where ever in the world there are amateurs, there are social ham nets. I think it’s time well spent for net control operators and others to consider why people participate in these nets. There are certainly many more activities to choose from.

Now, keep in mind that these comments are mine not the result of professional research so I could be all wet. But after considerable thought: Hams are a lot like people and people generally enjoy being part of a group where they’re recognized, welcomed back, listened to and shown appreciation for their opinions and participation.  And while not everyone can be a regular attendee, people they like to know the others miss them when they’re not around. Being part of a group also gives you the opportunity to hear a sweet sound- your name. People love to hear their name. Hearing your name tells you the other person might like you and possibly think about you when you’re not around. People like sincere feedback and advice.  It tells them you care. So we shouldn’t hesitate to give sound technical advice that could help them fix their audio or signal strength.

People enjoy nets where they’re encouraged to contribute their personal experience, knowledge or opinion. And people like a venue where the general topic changes from net to net or within the net.

I’ve noticed that many of my favorite net control operators are sure to respond with a few words to  each participant so that he or she doesn’t feel their words fell on deaf ears. So while a busy net control often feels pressured to move along to the next check in, they’re sure to slip in responses  like, “some interesting things to think about, Tom.” “Or what a day you had, Marie. Let’s hope the rest of your week is all up.”

And many net control operators use computer logging that can recall a persons name… if it’s properly entered or isn’t a new call. A smooth net control avoids referencing the mechanics of the computer log. Mentioning the hardware breaks the illusion that they remembered your name.

A good net control operator enjoys the net as much as we do. That’s probably  because they listen closely and are trully interested in what participants have to say. The result can’t help but make for a fun net.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD, President and Communications Director

E L E C T I O N S  for 2 0 1 9

Our Nov 19th meeting will feature elections for our 2019 Board of Officers.  I’m sorry to report that at this time we do not have a candidate for Treasurer.  If you can step up for that position, please speak to Nominations Chairman, Rich Nagel, W8KU prior to the meeting.  Without that position the PRC cannot remain affiliation with ARRL. This means that a series of dominos will tumble. We will no longer be permitted to purchase ARRL club insurance.  Which means that we can no longer participate in events such as ARRL Field Day, Earth Day, picnics, or MEETINGS or other club gatherings.   So what do say, someone? Please help us out.

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Following the business meeting

We’ll have an interesting workshop session to trouble shoot a member’s IC-718.  While the receiver is functioning well, the rig seems to have a transmitting issue.  We’ll demonstrate how you can (hopefully) pin point the problem.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD, President and Communications Director

 

E L E C T I O N S  for 2 0 1 9

The 2019 Board elections really sneaked up on me. Thanks to Secretary John Malloy, KA8VTV for the reminder.  If you have a desire to participate in the progress and direction of our great club, by all means throw your hat in the ring for one of the board positions: President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer. Be sure to review the responsibilities of the position you’re interested in, detailed in the Parma Radio Club Bylaws, Article 4, posted on this site.  Or use this direct link. Parma Radio Club Bylaws. Board Officer terms run from January 1st to December 31st.

Let your intentions to run for an office known by informing Nominations Chairman Rich Nagel, W8KU at richw8ku@gmail.com.

The slate of 2019 candidates will be announced at the November 5th meeting.

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The recent program by Tom Bedocs, K8DMM was really well received as evidenced by comments on the two nets.  This program gave Tom the opportunity to share specific instruction on how to use the oscilloscope for things such as monitoring transmitter modulation or tracking down issues like amplifier or power supply problems.

Thanks to Ken Osicki, K8OAE for photographs.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD President, Communications Director

 

 

What a fun program we had last meeting when 7 or 8 members presented items for our always popular “Home Brew Show and Tell”.   So many interesting devices and circuits.

 

Back to the basics

At our October 15th meeting Tom Bedocs, K8DMM will get back to the oscilloscope, one of the most helpful tools available to amateurs. Tom’s initial program on the topic was very enlightening and well-received. In program —-two Tom will demo various test measurements in tuning receiver stages, transmitter modulation level / distortions, filter graphing and audio /  trouble shooting a power supply.  Truly, a loaded program you won’t want to miss.

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Do you have an idea for an article? Let us know.

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We have a “new” NCO for the VHF/ UHF net.  Tom Southam, W8WLI has agreed to take the 4th Tuesday net. However, with an unpredictable work schedule he sometimes gets a late notice that he’s needed on the job.  So he is looking for a backup to make this work.  If you can help, let us know. Tom has been doing a great job as a volunteer and we look forward to hearing him more often as a PRC NCO.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD President, Communications Director

It was a difficult decision to cancel the Fall QR Picnic, but with the aftermath of Hurricane Marie headed in our direction, it seemed a good decision.  My regrets to all who were disappointed by the last minute change of plans.

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Cleveland Hamfest

It was good to see many of you at the Cleveland Hamfest. The weather was perfect and the sales and socializing was spirited. Congrats to all who found good deals or won prizes.  With no hoopla, the entry fee for attendants and flea market vendors was reduced this year by a dollar.

Thanks to Chuck, K8CVM for the photo of Tom Southam, W8WLI in his PRC jacket. That jacket has some history on it.

Time for me to grumble. 

I’ve always enjoyed the Mobile Check-In. Hearing all the eager hams heading for the Hamfest fires me up and puts me in the running for hourly prize drawings.  I understand that for the past few years the Hamfest Association’s repeater has been out of commission so they operate in simplex mode using the their repeater output frequency. Total confusion for everyone, some newbies, some traveling from a distance who might actually need “talk-in” driving instructions or info on which gate to use.  Imagine the hassle of discovering while driving that you need to recall how to manually enter a simplex frequency in order to check-in.

The Hamfest Association needs to remember that attendees are customers and that kind of confusion is NOT good customer service! You shouldn’t have to start the your hamfest event with frustration.

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It’s Homebrew Show and Tell night!

Our October 1st meeting will be another fun evening for you to how off a favorite homebrew project or kit that you’ve built.  It makes no difference how big or small it is, or how sophisticated your item. Bring it and share it!

We’ll also be discussing ideas for projects that could excite and motivate young people, perhaps inspiring them to join the ranks of amateur radio.

In addition, Tom Bedocs, K8DMM, who gave us his excellent program on oscilloscopes and promised part 2, has additional video and information to share of the topic, time permitting

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD

President, Communications Director

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2nd Annual QRPicnic !!

If you participated in last year’s fall picnic you know the fun of combining a cook out and playing radio!  This year we’ll again take advantage of this wonderful time of year to  set up QRP/portable stations.  Antennas must be free standing and not attached to any park structures or trees. While battery operation is preferred, there are power outlets in the shelter but be sure to bring an extension cord.

As for the picnic: Our September picnic has always been popular. Mark your calendar for Monday, September 17th (a revised date). The regularly scheduled meeting has been canceled.  Instead, we will picnic (and play radio) at Day Park, gathering from 5pm.

Talk up the picnic among friends and on the nets and let’s have fun. The location will be the Day park pavilion we’ve used for several years.  See directions below.

Of course, our QRPicnic is open to everyone. However an RSVP is requested. Please write parmaradioclub@gmail.com and let us know if you plan to attend. If you can serve as Grill Master to start the fire your help would be appreciated. The club will provide the fire.   Bring whatever you would like to cook on the grill and your refreshment. Alcohol is not permitted in the park. In the past, some folks have brought dessert and other snacks and dishes to share — which is always appreciated, but not required.  Even fast food wrappers have been seen at the picnics. The Pavilion has electrical outlets that can be used for food warmers, coffee maker, lighting, etc.

The Pavilion shelter is behind the swimming pool at Day Park, just west of Tri-C.  We will gather about 5:00 pm and will try to listen to the 145.410 repeater in case you get lost.

We’re hoping that all of our new members will be there and give us all a chance to meet them in a totally different environment. It will be great fun! See you there.

Directions: From Ridge and Pleasant Valley, the location of our regular meetings, go West on Pleasant Valley Road past York Road.  You’ll pass the entrance to Cuyahoga Community College, then a U-shaped road that goes to  the park ball fields. Turn right (north) when at the play ground and park sign, which is Sesquicentennial Drive. At this time there is no road sign.  We’ll be in the large shelter called the Pavilion, behind the swimming pool. 

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Have a pleasant and safe Labor Day.

Hal Rogers, K8CMD President, Communications Director

10 Easy Ways to Kill a Club

You might have been around before the great proliferation of ham repeaters, some even having “phone patches”. Then came “bag” cell phones and cable television, distractions like computers, dot matrix printers, floppy disks and the internet. Before the landslide of technology, radio clubs found it a bit easier to fill a meeting room.  People were eager to participate in social activities and even meet new people face to face.  It’s true.

The challenge for clubs these days is to maintain the roster and increase club participation.  The reality is that it’s much easier to destroy a club than it is to grow one. We can blast it into history without giving it a thought.  While the PRC is strong, we have room for improvement.  At this mid point of our 70th year, I’ll share my “10 Easy Ways to Kill a Club”:

• Don’t attend club meetings, participate in nets, or read club email. If you check into a net, don’t contribute, “just listen”.
• Don’t chat with or welcome new meeting attendees or others you don’t know.
• Don’t invite friends or acquaintances to club meetings or nets.
• On nets or at meetings, be sure not to share your ideas or suggestions, or questions.
• Keep upcoming club programs a secret by not promoting them on the air or publicly.
• Afterward don’t speak publicly or on the air about how you enjoyed a meeting or program.
• Don’t share new found ham radio or other technical knowledge about a topic that interests you.
• Don’t volunteer assistance as a fill-in Net Control Operator or other role. They’ll figure out something.
• Don’t congratulate or encourage fellow members or others who recently upgraded or learned a new skill.
• Always be ready to cast negative comments about a member, a program, an event or off attendance.
• And a bonus: Never suggest how you would make the club better.  Someone might ask you to do that.                                                                 While there are many more ways to kill a club, these 10 can always be counted on to do some real damage. Can you think of others?

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Net Control Operators Needed

We continue to have a need for two NCOs for the VHF/UHF net.  The 1st and 4th Tuesdays are open. You might have noticed that from time to time the net frequency is very quiet at 9 PM and continues until someone steps up and volunteers.  If we cannot get a volunteer to take a hour a month we probably should discontinue the net.

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If you can help, write me or any officer or NCO.  You do not need to be a member to be a Net Control Officer.  You could even be on Echolink.

Thanks to Chuck Mehozonek, K8CVM, and Tom Southam, W8WLI for their recent volunteering.   Good job.

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PRC has a new CW operator!

At the recent meeting, Tom Pechnik, AC8EH informed the group that he had recently completed a self directed training program in which he taught himself CW!   I was thrilled when Tom told us that he used  a method  I shared in the CW program I gave last year.  The method requires no equipment and is unbelievably easy.

Tom simply took one or two letters or numbers at a time and sounded the dits and dahs in his head.  Repea the characters  throughout the day, and new characters each day.  You can make flash cards with the characters you’ve learned.  When you know most of the characters, “sound out” license plates, bill boards, street signs, newspaper ads.  Get creative and have fun. If you don’t have immediate recall of a character, no problem. Look it up the next chance you get.

It worked for Tom, AC8EH. It worked for me many years ago and it will certainly work for you.

Tom’s looking forward to operating CW at the next Field Day and the extra CW points he’ll bring us will be tremendous.

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Field Day 2018 Report

VP Mike Marganski, KE8HBK was the Field Day Chairman and reported that he submitted all of the required support material and data to ARRL in a timely manner. The numbers: Total QSO’s 232, Total Claimed Score 1262.  Thanks Mike for the great job.  While Field Day is not a contest, we’ll see how we compare to other groups operating in Class 1-A when the report is published in the fall QST.

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At our recent meeting, we had a real fun program called “Crazy Tool Night”.  Several members brought showed and, in some cases, demonstrated, a favorite tool. You might have a tool like this that does something no other tool does as well.

We saw Rich W8KU’s divider, a drawing tool and much more and  his super fast hole making step drills. Tom K8DMM showed his “Lucy Phone” for testing phone and audio lines, Hal K8CMD’s brought his spring loaded center punch, awesome chain wrench and home made spot welder – that really sparks! It was great fun and always a joy to learn about new tools and gadgets.

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Our August 20th meeting will be one you won’t want to miss. Tom Bedocs, K8DMM who is always a great technical resource, will be presenting part 1 of a series of programs on the oscilloscope. Following a video presentation that covers the basics of this highly valuable tool, Tom will discuss specifics of how we can put this exciting technology to work. In a future program, Tom will demonstrate how you can put a scope to use in your station or work shop.  Bring a friend. You won’t want to miss it.

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The best way to spell check – push SEND then read what was sent. Errors will stand out boldly.

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD  President, Communications Director