Category: E-minder

1st meeting: an important one

Hope that you and your family had a good a good holiday. I know it’s cliche, but I’ll say, “I can’t believe it’s 2016 already.”  But, indeed it is and it’s time for us to lay out some program topics for the year.  I call this meeting “Design your Club” and would like to have your ideas for tech topics for the year. As you know, we’re all about increasing our technical knowledge. So if there’s a subject you feel comfortable sharing or would like us to bring in an expert, let’s discuss it.  This is a brainstorming session, so let’s have fun January 4th.

This is also the time to discuss club event ideas.  ARRL Field Day(June 25-26 this year),  is traditional and the Earth Day celebration is well-established, too.  This year we’ll celebrate on April 23rd. Would you like more operating events? How about Winter Field Day? Yes, there is one and this year it will be January 30-31st. See http://www.winterfieldday.com/ for information.  We can participate in WFD and it doesn’t have to be an outdoor operation!

So we have lots to talk about. See you at the meeting.

New NCO for the FM nets

After trying out the NCO seat and doing a fine job, our new Vice President, Jeff Ronay, KF8CQ will be taking the 2nd Tuesday FM Net Control Operator position.  Please welcome Jeff and join him on the net. Our net schedule and operators are listed under PAGES.

Our nets have been very popular and that’s because so many people contribute. If at some point you’d like to give the NCO position a try, just inform Jeff or one of the other NCOs. 

Dues is due

We all know that we can’t have a strong club without some basic ingredients: Good people, good conversation, and great events.  Unfortunately, everything we do requires funds: the web site you’re reading, the room we meet in,  the 2016 club insurance we just paid.  So we need your support by participating in the meetings and events and by contributing your dues. Please consider paying your dues as soon as possible. Honestly, it’s discouraging to have to remind members to send in their dues.  Did you know that our coffee and donuts (when we have them) are usually funded in part by contributions to the “kitty”?  We’re been very frugal with your club funds and some time ago decided to no longer mail reminders and application forms. Everything you need to be “current” is on this site.

Hal Rogers K8CMD

President/ Communications Director

Good Time Had By All

Our Christmas party was an enjoyable get together and it was great to see all the new faces. Thanks to Larry Shimerka KC8VZZ for organizing the evening.  The event gave us the opportunity to pay special recognition to the club officers, net control operators, and Field Day organizers who have made this another successful year.

Ken Osicki’s (K8AOE)  photos can be seen at Christmas 2015

December 21st Meeting

Due to illness and other reasons we did not have a quorum for the December 7th meeting. We’ll wrap up business at the December 21st meeting.  It will be a short business meeting.  Note: If you will be paying  2016 dues, please do that before the meeting begins so the records are up to date at treasurer’s report time.  At this meeting the current treasurer will turn his records over to the incoming treasurer. We’ll also be discussing programming plans for the incoming year.

We’ll follow the business with a couple fascinating short videos on the Mars Rover.  This new time-lapse video, NASA’s Mars Opportunity takes an 11-year journey across 26 miles of the red planet. You won’t want to miss it.

  What in the world is that spotted square all about? We’re seeing them everywhere with little explanation as to what it is or what to do with it — until now.  A clue – it’s not one of those frustratingly evil graphics you stare at until your eyes cross and then you might see a picture.  This square is called a QR Code and it’s similar to a barcode except better. You can store many more characters, about 230.  Read on and I’ll tell you how you can make your own. You could even write secret messages to your friends!  But first the brainy stuff:

 According to Wikipedia:  QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. A QR code uses four standardized encoding modes (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and kanji) to efficiently store data; extensions may also be used.

The QR Code system became popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. Applications include product tracking, item identification, time tracking, document management, and general marketing.

A QR code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device (such as a camera, scanner, etc.) and processed using Reed–Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. The required data are then extracted from patterns that are present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image.

If you have a smartphone you can download a free app that uses your camera to read QR Codes and most barcodes. How could you use it? Let’s say you purchased a product that you like but have no idea where it was made or where to buy more. Just scan the QR Code and it will give you the option to go to the manufacturer’s site or to a vendor like Amazon where it’s can be purchased.  QR Codes might only contain a web site address.

Now here’s the fun part. Go to www.goqr.me and make your own QR Code for free, then send the picture to your email address to use later. By the way, what does the above QR code say?

 What’s the Connection?

 Lately, I’ve been challenged by the need to upload large video files (5-7 GB) to a server. I was disappointed to discover that with my current DSL speed it would take nearly 40 hours! So I started looking into the speed issue. I found a free site called www.speedtest.net where you can check your connection speed. You can find the nearest volunteer server or let it take a pick from their map.

  First, it does a “ping” test. I think this is similar to shouting into a well, or like sonar and radar. It sends a signal to the server then waits. Upon the signal’s return it the graphic displays how long the “echo” took. I assume that the bigger the number, that worse the connection. Readings will vary. One time I got 8 and the next time it was 98!  Next it downloads a file then uploads a file and displays the travel speed in each direction in Mbps megabytes per second. Try speed test for yourself. Nothing against radio, but Wi-Fi connections might be slower and are dependent on signal strength. I’d be curious as to your speedtest results and what service you use. Mine are pathetic. Be sure to take several readings and average them out.

Hal Rogers K8CMD

Communications Director & President

December 7th meeting

Our final meeting of 2015 is an important one.  This is a business meeting and we have some important issues to discuss. Among the topics will be proposed constitutional changes that are designed to address some critical areas that were not addressed when we adopted our By Laws.  I hope you will be present to voice your opinion. 

 Election Decided by acclamation

Since there was only one candidate for each office, the PRC Board of Officers for 2016 was decided by acclamation at the November 16th meeting.  This is a provision made possible under Article 6 of the Club By Laws.

Please welcome and congratulate our officers for 2016 and get to know those you’ve not yet met.

 Hal Rogers K8CMD, President

Jeff Ronay KF8CQ, Vice President

Jim Bis N8FND, Treasurer

John Mallow KA8VTV, Secretary

CHRISTMAS PARTY

This will be the last opportunity to inform Larry KC8VZZ if you plan to attend our December 14th Christmas party at Lunas at Pearl and Brookpark Roads.  For complete information, check the previous post.

How high are you?

Ever wonder why you’re not able to hit a repeater or other station with your VHF/UHF radio?  We’ve known that those bands are “line of sight” so structures and natural topographic elevations can totally block your “view” of the other station.  How high would your antenna need to be to reach the other station? Thanks to Mark Wensel KB8RST (who maintains the KB8WLW repeater), on a recent 10m net we learned of a web site where you can get those answers. Elevation Map is a handy resource.

Use it like a travel map. From the MENU select DIRECTIONS . Then enter your address (A) and another station’s address (B).  A line will appear between A and B. Right click on the balloon at each location and and click “i” to read the elevation at that location.  Click MENU and a box will appear that gives “walking” information between the two points. The data includes the lowest and the highest elevation between A and B. You might find your signal has a straight shot at the other station or you could find  there’s is a point along the route that’s higher than your target. Click MENU again and add a way point and you now have a 3rd location  you can drag along the route, reading the elevation at various points and find the actual location of an offending peak. Of course, this site will only tell the elevation of topographical “obstructions”.  I had to play with it to get the hang of it but it will work for you.  Thanks, Mark for passing this tool along!  

Check the site at  www.elevationmap.net

Hal Rogers K8CMD, Communications Director

Meeting November 16th

At our coming meeting the 2016 slate of PRC Officers will be announced and I hope you will be there to welcome them to their new roles. Following the meeting we’ll have a brief video that should be of great interest to many: “Ham Station Grounding”.  Thanks to new member Jeff Ronay KF8CQ for bringing this program to our attention.  We’ll also have a look at NVIS antenna project that Larry Shimerka KC8VZZ is working on. These HF antennas are a great antenna to use under certain conditions and very popular on HF nets. Why? That’s just one of the things you’ll learn from Larry.

 Give the club an early present!

It’s time to think about your 2016 PRC dues.  A member application form is required. Available on this site, you can print our form from this link  membership form.  A new form from each of us every year permits us to be sure our roster information is up to date. This is to be sure we have your current contact information correct. 

 PRC Christmas Party

Larry Shimerka KC8VZZ is organizing the event for Monday, December 14 at 6 PM at Luna’s Restaurant on Brookpark Road.  Please let Larry know by December 7th if you will be attending so he can tally a head count for the restaurateur. 

You can contact Larry at kc8vzz@yahoo.com
 

 Hal Rogers, K8CMD

President, Communications Director

How to perform as Net Control

Ever wonder what it takes to run a net, such as the PRC nets? The folks who fill that position for us make it sound so easy. How do they do it?  That’s the subject of our meeting on November 2nd.  VP Dave Semanik K8WRS will be presenting a program on the topic, sharing many tips and demonstrating the software he and several others use to perform the task. If you would like to give the role a try, talk to Dave and he’ll get you up to speed. Anyone who has ever taken the position says its more enjoyable than they ever imagined.

PRC Christmas Party

Yes, you read it right. It seems early but the date will be here sooner than you think.  Larry Shimerka KC8VZZ will be orchestrating the evening and recently informed us that we now have December 14 at 6 PM reserved at Luna’s Restaurant on Brookpark Road.  Please let Larry know by December 7th if you will be attending so he can tally a head count for the restaurateur. 

Contact Larry at kc8vzz@yahoo.com
 

Let’s Share

I hear many of members chatting about interesting coming (or past) events, new ham products and technologies and think, “that would be something to share with fellow members.  How about the next time something like this comes your way, send me an email, web site or link and I’ll share it with fellow members.

By way of example, Larry KC8VZZ recently shared a link to the manufacturer’s site for the end fed antenna the Woodchuck Club successfully used in a recent QRP event. It could be just what your looking for.

Here’s a link to reviews and other information. http://kx3helper.com/endfed-40-6m-antenna/

 Hal Rogers K8CMD, President/ Communications Director

Nominations for 2016 Announced

At the October 19th meeting, Nomination Chair, Rich Nagel W8KU announced the nominations for the 2016 Board positions as follows:

President: Hal Rogers K8CMD
Vice President: Jeff Ronay KF8CQ
Secretary: John Malloy KA8VTV
Treasurer: Jim Bis N8FND
Trustee: Dave Semanik K8WRS

Current Vice President, Dave Semanik K8WRS, decided to not run for another term in that position. However Dave was nominated to remain on the board for a one year term as Trustee for 2016.  Although our By Laws permit, we have not had a Trustee in recent years.

Jeff Ronay KF8CQ is a new member. Jeff, volunteered to be nominated for the Vice President position. Larry Shimerka KC8VZZ will be vacating the Treasurer seat.  Jim Bis N8FND will was nominated for the Treasurer position.

Elections will be at the November business meetng, November 16th. Since the offices have only one nominee, in accordance with the PRC By Laws the election will be decided by a motion of acclamation.

Hal Rogers K8CMD, Communications Director

The past meeting’s program in which we enjoyed the old film, “Crystals go to War” created much discussion about the crystals used for transmitting and receiving.  Rich Nagle W8KU provided a short presentation prior to the film that included some show and tell samples of crystals. Thanks to Ken Osicki K8OAE for the photo:

Above, a disassembled FT-243 transmitting crystal. Inside, is a thin sliver of quartz sandwiched between two metal squares, foil electrical contacts, a rubber seal and a spring that applies a constant gentle pressure to the “sandwich”.  The highest square in the above photo, is the fragile sliver of quartz. 

Next meeting Monday October 19th

 Our next meeting is Monday October 19th, a business meeting. A major topic will be the finalization of the slate of officers for the 2016 PRC election. If you wish to hold an office in the PRC contact RIch Nagle W8KU, Elections Chairman.

I can’t stress enough how important is for everyone to step up and do what they can to keep our club going. No function in this club is all-consuming. It’s the minimal effort of many that make the PRC possible. We have a couple of officers who can not be available next year. Those slots are open. If they are not filled we can not remain an ARRL affiliated club! Please do what you can. Discuss your interest with Rich Nagle W8KU, Elections Chairman.

Microsoft Creates the Quietest Place on Earth

You might think that a library reading room or well-insulated basement is a quiet place, but compared to the anechoic chamber in Microsoft’s audio lab, they’re about as quiet as a jumbo jet. The chamber, housed in Building 87 on the company’s Redmond, Washington, campus, was recently verified by (who else?) Guinness as being the quietest place in the entire world, reaching an eardrum-bending -20.3 decibels.

That’s amazingly close to the limit of how quiet things can be on our planet: -23 decibels or so, which is the amount of noise made by air molecules bouncing off one another. Of course, it’s much quieter in space — silent, in fact. But going to space is cheating, since there’s no air to propagate sound. The previous record was -13 decibels, set at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis.

For the video:  Quietest Place on Earth

NBC News

 Hal Rogers K8CMD

Communications Director

Approaching Election time

At the past meeting Rich Nagel W8KU stepped up to be nominated as  Election Chairman for the November board election.

Rich reminds us that the positions available will be: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. For a review of the duties of these positions please see the club By Laws at PRC By Laws. 

Be sure to review Article 6 for details about club elections. Nominations will be accepted until the October business meeting. Following the October meeting ballots will be prepared and made available to members in good standing.

Elections will be held at the November business meeting.

If you are interested in running for any of these positions, please contact Rich Nagel at parmaradioclub@gmail.com.

Thanks to Bill Squires N8WS  for his very informative program on the ARRL QSL bureau. Bill brought many years of experience to this presentation (15?) and announced that he was in the process of turning the chores over to another ham.

Bill also shared photos from various club events.  These have all been posted on our club album and the link is below and toward the left of this post.

 Meeting Oct 5th

What is a piezoelectric crystal? We’ll briefly discuss how these amazing devices work and show a few at the next meeting.

Piezoelectric crystals have long-played an important role in generating a stable radio frequency oscillator. While other means of generating a stable frequency have been developed since the early days,  the quartz crystal can be said to have helped us win WWII. Our program at the October 5th meeting will be a 1943 Signal Corps film entitled, Crystal go to War. Many thanks to Bob Majkrzak KA8WQL for bringing this informative historic film to our attention. 

  Father of single sideband on amateur radio passes

The man who could be called the father of single sideband on amateur radio is a silent key.  Wes Schum, W9DYV passed away last week at the age of 94.  Wes Schum founded Central Electronics in 1949, the first product that Central Electronics manufactured was a hearing aid device.  

But radio was what Wes envisioned for CE.  He had a budding interest in single sideband during World War II.  He and colleague Joe Batchelor began development of amateur SSB transmitters for use on 75 meters.  The Central Electronics 10-A exciter, the company’s first amateur product, is credited for being amateur radio’s first practical SSB transmitter.

The next time you call CQ on single sideband send up a little thank you in memory of this unsung amateur radio pioneer, Wes Schum, W9DYV.

 courtesy www.arnewsline.org

A Phish Story

One of the many benefits afforded ARRL members and affiliated clubs is an “email alias” that forwards mail to your email address. An e-mail to w8prc@arrl.net will be forwarded to our regular email address.  This is convenient when. for example, you don’t want to divulge your email address publicly.

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If you use an arrl dot net email alias and the ARRL email forwarding service, be on the lookout for a phishing scam. A number of ARRL members have reported to the League that they received an email from “Arrl Webmail Admin” with “account upgrade” in the subject line. The email requests such personal information as user names and passwords, and includes a bogus message telling the recipient that the accounts are being removed and upgraded to an enhanced service. The ARRL emphatically states this is not an official message and is cautioning recipients of these emails.

Andy Shefrin, KB1YHB, the ARRL’s IT Infrastructure and Operations Manager, says: “The ARRL is aware of this phishing scheme and is working to block the sender’s  email address at our upstream provider. As with any emails of unknown origin, do not open or reply.”

In short, ignore it. If you do develop problems with e-mail forwarding, contact the ARRL IT Department.

courtesy www.arnewsline.org

Bill  Squires N8WS’ photos are in 5 separate albums that all bigin with his name. to check them out, use the link above and click the HOME tab or use the ALBUMS link to the left.

Many thanks to grillmaster Mike N8WHB and wife Sharon Pardue for sharing her photos from the recent picnic. Check them out by clicking this link: Sharon Pardues’s photos from the picnic

Fall picnic

It’s time to put the picnic basket away for another year.  Unfortunately, due to a schedule conflict with the PCARS meeting, I was not able to attend the fall picnic.  However, the word is that those who attended had good weather, great conversation and, as always, terrific food. What more can you ask for?  If any one took some photos or would like to provide a write up, please send it my way and we’ll be sure to publish it

Our Sept. 21st meeting

Our next meeting will be our first business meeting in a while. If you have any issues to brig to our attention, please do that.  If you have any information to bring to the attention of the Sunshine Chairperson, please let us know. Also, we’re approaching the busy fall season but have some slots available for programs so let us know if you have a suggestion for a program.

It’s not too early to think about a new slate of officers for the club. Is this the time you jump in?

PCARS meeting

As I mentioned at the last meeting, I was looking forward to attend the Portage County ARS meeting where the guest speaker was the Chief Executive Officer of ARRL, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ.  Sumner who has been employed in various positions at the ARRL over many years, mentioned that he will be retiring next year.

Dave’s presentation was very enlightening as talked about the gains and struggles of our hobby.

Sumner said when speaking with hams from other countries where amateur radio is losing population – and there are many, England and Japan are just a couple – he’s often asked why the amateur numbers keep growing in your country? His answer has been, “For one thing you need to be in a part of the world that is often threatened by natural disasters”.  As we know, natural disasters quickly remind us that amateur radio is far more dependable than cellular phones.

 Click this link for the complete presentation:

Dave Sumner, K1ZZ at PCARS meeting 9/14/15 on YouTube

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Hal Rogers, K8CMD

President & Communications Director

Picnic Sept 14th

Time to get the picnic basket out.  Our Fall picnic will be Monday, September 14th. 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.  See directions below. There’s road work being done on Pleasant Valley Road but there shouldn’t be any problem getting into the park.  

Our picnic is open to everyone. The club will provide the fire and condiments.   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.  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 BIG pavilion shelter is behind the swimming pool at Day Park, just east of Tri-C.  We will gather about 5:30 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 three roads that go into other areas of the park and the city maintenance garage. Turn right (north) when at the park sign (below) at  Sesquicentennial Drive.  We’ll be in the large shelter called the Pavilion, behind the swimming pool.  

A note from Bob, KE8UV

 Get yourself a treasure and help the club at the same time.  If you remember the club auctions we used to have at some meetings, bring a few dollars with you to the picnic meeting on 9/14/15 at the usual place in Day Park.

 Cleveland Hamfest September 27th

If you did not  receive the mailing from the Cleveland Hamfest Association a printable/downloadable copy is posted on this link:

   Cleveland Hamfest 2015

Other Area Hamfests/ Events

                    Click for the printable/ downloadable PDF

Kalamazoo Hamfest

Peoria SuperFest

Q: Why isn’t this list complete? 

A: This info comes from clubs and organizations who are savvy enough to send promotional fliers or emails. Many are not good marketers and just hope that you find out about their event. There is a list on the ARRL site. 

If the PRC had a “Hamfest/ event” contributor we would gladly publish the information. Collecting this information is not a difficult task and would not be a large time commitment. Could you volunteer? I or others can advise you as to where to begin.  Keep in mind that providing this service to the club will look great on your resume!

Hal Rogers K8CMD

Communications Director, President