DStar Class Tonight at 6:30 PM

The class on DStar will be today, June 17th 2020.  Connection information is below.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350965944?pwd=Z202QlNIZ2xhMTgvdnFXSE5HWTY0QT09

Meeting ID: 833 5096 5944

Password: 679880

This is one of the modes that we will using during our August drill.

Mat

K2MJM

Upcoming August Drill

As announced on Thursday's NET, we will be holding a Valley wide drill on August 29th.  At the moment the final details regarding the drill are being worked out.  I can share with you a high level overview of what we will be doing.

Each city will be setting up a station.  The goal is to make contact with other city's using different modes and frequencies.  These modes will be phone, packet, Winlink, Dstar, DMR, Winmore, and VARA.  We will be utilizing both VHF, UHF, and HF frequencies.  We will try to contact as many cities using as many of the different modes as possible.

In order to be as successful as possible we have arranged to hold valley wide training's over the next couple of months.  The topics that we have currently scheduled are as follows.

June 17th - DMR

July 1st - Packet

July 8th - Winlink and HF Modes

July 15th - DMR

As additional information is received I will post it here.

Mat

K2MJM

UVARC Presentation "The Ham Police"

I received the following email from Noji Ratzlaff KNØJI

This Thursday, June 4 at 6:30 pm, you are invited to a special meeting of the Utah Valley Amateur Radio Club.  The topic this time is "The Ham Police," being presented by special guests Brett Sutherland (N7KG) and Riley  Hollingsworth (K4ZDH), former FCC Special Counsel for ARRL and the Amateur Auxiliary.

All ham radio clubs and organizations are hereby invited to join us in this historic meeting via live-stream on our YouTube channel. You'll be able to enter questions in the comments area on YouTube, and they'll be relayed to the presenters. The link to the YouTube channel is:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QYyTDcbI907LXChF3h8Pg

Or just do a search on YouTube for "utah valley amateur radio club" The live stream will automatically appear on the channel when it starts.

The ARRL had planned to present this topic at Dayton, to the masses, but as you know the Hamvention was canceled. So, when the ARRL caught wind that UVARC was planning to present this topic in a monthly club meeting, they asked whether they can invite all clubs in the Utah ARRL Section to the meeting, and we approved. Hence, the special arrangement. Hams all over Utah will be invited to our "club meeting" this Thursday, so they could hear first-hand about the new Amateur Auxiliary program, which supersedes the now-retired Official Observer program.

We only hope it's enough notice. If you could, please forward the above YouTube link to your members at your earliest convenience.

Hopefully this is of some interest to some of you. 

YouTuber Hamfest Going On Now

There is a virtual Hamfest going on now.

http://youtubershamfest.com/

Mat

MicroHAMS Digital Conference 2020

The MicroHAMS Digital Conference 2020 is Saturday from 9:45 AM to 5:00 PM.  It will be online only this year.  You can find out more here: https://www.microhams.com/mhdc/mhdc2020/.

Skywarn Amateur Radio Network and How to Get Involved

Posted by Kim Klimas on March 10, 2020 at 12:45 pm 

Keeping the public aware of severe weather hazards isn’t just for meteorologists anymore. Amateur Radio operators, known as storm spotters, partner with the National Weather Service (NWS) to recognize and notify the NWS of critical weather situations through a volunteer program called SKYWARN®.

The organization is comprised of between 350,000-400,000 severe weather spotters trained to stay abreast of severe weather situations and communicate potential threats to the NWS using Amateur Radio. With over 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, and over 1,000 tornadoes reported annually, SKYWARN is more than just a hobby—it saves lives.

The critically important organization got its start in the 1970s. Today, it’s combined with Doppler radar technology and satellite data to create a strong first line of defense against the dangers of inclement weather. Seemingly harmless to some, thunderstorms, lightning, and problematic weather situations are responsible for hundreds of injuries, deaths, and billions of dollars spent on property and crop damage each year.

The NWS encourages those with an interest in public service to volunteer their time and Amateur Radio abilities with the SKYWARN program. Volunteers regularly include police, fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers, and of course, private citizens interested in keeping their communities safe and informed.

Training for SKYWARN is generally free of charge and is condensed into a two-hour module. During the course, participants learn the fundamentals of thunderstorm development, basic storm structures, how to identify potential severe weather features, how and what to report, and basic severe weather safety.

Want to learn more? Head to the NWS website to find training programs in your state or check out SKYWARN spotter training to begin the training process online. Most states require in-person class participation in addition to the online course load. Or pick up ARRL’s Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio 2nd Edition from DX Engineering for additional reading material.

You can contact your local Warning Coordination Meteorologist for information on how to find or replace your spotter number and ways to participate in upcoming training seminars—or head to the NWS website to learn how to participate in annual SKYWARN Recognition Day activities. 

For real-time updates, check SKYWARN out on Twitter at #skywarn19.

You can find more information regarding SKYWARN in Utah by going to the UTASAG website, and click on Training & Classes.

Online Winlink Training This Saturday

Stuck at home? Well, this Saturday at 9:00 AM we will be offering an online training on how to set up and use Winlink for Windows.  The training will go no longer the 2 hours and will cover account creation and basic Winlink usage.  A more advanced training will be scheduled following this session.  The link to the meeting will be posted on our website 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time.  It will be helpful if you have Winlink installed on your computer prior to this session.  You can download it here: https://downloads.winlink.org/User%20Programs/Winlink_Express_install_1-5-27-0.zip.

If you have any questions post them here.

Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday. Something a bit different

This Winlink Wednesday will be a little different and will probably stress out the infrastructure a bit, which is a good thing.  This week, we will have you take a picture of something spring like and send it in.  A picture you say?  Well, yes you can send pictures, although it will need to be resized a bit.  The Windows Winlink client can help you with this.  What you will do is fill out a Winlink Check-In form like you normally do and then attach a picture to that same message.  Watch this video on how to attach a picture and resize it properly.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=886P6ygHm00&list=PL-7mirT-kjfs84FQzLr-qv066Kl94rtYM&index=20&t=0s.  Make sure your picture size is no larger then 50 kb if at all possible. (It took me about 8 min to send 50 kb at 1200 baud, 5 min at 9600 baud.)

You can view my test picture here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KyeK7bb_NgWxRwkV4CQ_Mo9jRU-pLKyj

I look forward to seeing all of your pictures!

As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html.
Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

WVCARC Great Shake Out Drill Results

We had a successful drill Saturday.  We started at 10:00 AM and completed the drill at 11:20 AM.  We had operators check in from 39 schools and 6 fire stations.  12 operators did the check-ins and my daughter and I ran Net Control for a total of 14 operators.  We ran Net Control from the church at 4333 S 6400 W on solar and battery power.  Most operators were assigned 3 - 4 locations and the majority of the operators checked in via voice.  We did have two operators who checked in over packet Winlink which helped lighten the load on the repeater.  I think this was the best drill yet.  It is always good to set goals for the next time we do this.  I would like to have more operators able to check in by Winlink, as well as have more operators participate next year.

A special thanks for those operators who participated.  It sounded like everyone had an enjoyable time.  Let me know your thoughts on the drill.

Mat

K2MJM

2020 West Valley City Drill Assignments Posted

You can find your assignments for this Saturday here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pe0jdDLtTSTACrXZI-regkC7YXFWG8L1QYGj8tAxFis/edit?usp=sharing

I had to make a few adjustments, as some schools had multiple operators assigned to them.  I tried to keep each operators schools somewhat close to each other.  I will be starting the NET at 10:00 AM.  We will be using our repeater, 448.800 Mhz, negative offset, 100 Hz tone.  Please wait for instructions before checking in.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding your assignment please let me know.  If there are other operators who would like to participate and have not yet signed up please email me at mat.murdock@wvcarc.com.

Thank you again for your willingness to help out with this drill.

Mat
K2MJM

Shake Your Hobbit Hole - Utah Great Shake Out NET

The Great Utah Shake Out is Today, Thursday, April 16th.  WVCARC will be holding a quick NET at 10:00 AM on our normal repeater which is 448.800 Mhz, negative offset, 100 Hz tone.  This is always an interesting NET as people are generally at a different location then our normal Thursday Night NET.


Mat Murdock
K2MJM

April 18th Drill Information

This April 18th we have the opportunity to participate once again in a Salt Lake Valley wide drill.  The goal is to have Amateur radio operators check in from each and every elementary school and Fire Station in our city limits.  We are expanding the drill again to allow check-ins via Winlink Packet.  This will be a challenging task as there are 29+ schools and 6 Fire Stations.  This is the third year we have done this drill, the past two years we have been successful.

Before the drill we will make assignments largely based on what elementary school you choose on the Operator Panel.  You can select schools in addition to your fire stations, so stop reading and go do that now.  :)  This needs to be completed by Thursday night we we can get the assignments posted Friday.
.
Please also fill out his form so we know who all will be able to participate.



At 10:00 AM we will start voice check-ins and share final drill check-ins at that time.  You can check-in two different ways, the first is by voice utilizing our repeater frequency, 448.80 Mhz.  The second is by Winlink packet.   Please utilize one of the three packet frequencies which can be found on our website.  You will send check ins to K2WVC and use the ICS-213 form.  Based on where people check in, we may make additional assignments for operators to go and check in from another school.  We need to complete this drill by 11:00 AM.  Because you will not need to make physical contact with anyone this drill will satisfy current advisories.  We will NOT meet together after the drill as we have done in the past.

This is a simple drill, however it does allow us to it will show us and the city what we are capable of doing.  So for now the assignment for each of you is to get on the Operator Portal and get select your school.  If you have any additional questions let me know.

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday - New Node!

Happy Wednesday.  I have brought a second Winlink Node online today.  I felt it was probably a good idea to have a back up.  Information on this node can be found on the website on the right hand side, but here is the info.  The frequency is 144.950 and the SSID is K2WVC-11.  Please note the frequency and SSID difference compared to our other node.  The node is close to the West Valley City Fitness Center.  For this Winlink Wednesday, try to use that node if you are in the area, and let me know how well it works for you.

Use the Winlink General Check-In Template.  As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html.
Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday

Happy Wednesday.  Given the popularity of toilet paper these days, I guess it only makes since that you tell me your favorite brand!  Are you the rough and tough type, and choose single ply or are you the gently and caring sort, and prefer the double ply?

Use the Winlink General Check-In Template.  As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html.
Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday

Happy Wednesday.  Well this is timely.  Tell me an earthquake story this week.  It was my first and it was bouncy.

Use the Winklink General Check-In Template.  As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html.
Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday

Happy Wednesday  It is Spring time!  Things are starting to green up and so are allergies!  Post your least favorite spring time activity.  We have a have an in-person meeting this week.  Hope to see you there.

Use the Winklink General Check-In Template.  As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html.
Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Winlink Wednesday

Happy Wednesday  This week let me know what fun vacation plans you have this year.  Use the Winklink General Check-In Template.

As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html

Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

6 position DC Distribution Board Manual

For those coming to the site looking for a manual for out 6 position DC Distribution board you can find it here: Manual

Winlink Wednesday

Happy Wednesday  This week post how much snow you still have.  Was going to use this one last Wednesday, but that day was a bit challenging.  Use the Winklink General Check-In Template.

As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html

Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

In Person Meet

This month’s In-Person Meet will be this Saturday February 8th at 9:00  at Station 74.

This month we will be learning about the Pi-Gate Emergency Email Server, how to build one how to program it and how to use it in an emergency. This also includes how to program our 96kTNC to work with the Raspberry Pi.

Also we will be talking about how to connect your radio to the TNC, So if you are not sure how to setup these cables please bring your rig and and your Laptop, etc, and we will help you get it running.

WVCARC Store

We have setup an online store for club stuff.  Not much on there yet, but it is a start.

It can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WVCARC.

Mat

WVC CERT Course

West Valley City CERT will be holding their spring training class starting February 13th at Monticello Academy.  You can sign up at http://www.wvcert.org.  The classes start at 7:00 PM and the cost is $50.  You can register here: http://wvcert.org/?page_id=48.  If you have started your CERT certification but missed a class you can find the schedule on their main page.

Winlink Wednesday

Super late post, but I guess that is better then what I have been doing the past few months.  If you haven't checked in yet, why don't you include in your message if you are going to go to the Utah Digital Communication Conference http://utah-dcc.org.  Use the Winklink General Check-In Template.

As always, if you need more information regarding Winlink Wednesday, go here:  https://www.wvcarc.com/p/winlink-wednesday.html

Thanks,

Mat
K2MJM

Technician License Ham Radio Class Registration

In Person Meet Location

We will be holding our in person meet at 9:00 AM at Monticello Academy, 2782 S. Corporate Park Drive.  Please come through the north doors and head up the stairs just inside the door.  Hope to see you there!

Mat
K2MJM

In Person Meeting - Elections - Call For Help

This Saturday at 9:00 am is our in person meet.  I haven't heard if we have Station 74 reserved or not, so check the website Friday night for the final location.  It will either be at 74 or at Monticello Academy.

There are two things we will be doing.  First is elections for Vice President and Net Control coordinator.  I haven't had anyone put their hat in the ring for any of these which isn't good.  We are also looking for people to help plan the in person meets.  I am struggling with holding them regularly on my own and could use some help.  If you would like to run for any of the above offices or to help with the meets send an email to mat.murdock@wvcarc.com.

The second item was to briefly cover DMR.  It is a cool digital protocol is seems to be picking up steam.

As always we will leave time for other to share something or get help on something if they would like as well.

See you there!

Mat