2012 Utah VHF Society Swap Meet
Saturday, February 25, 2011, beginning at 8:00 AM.
Where will the swap meet be this year?
At the Utah State Fairpark. This is located along the north side of North Temple at about 10th West. The festivities will be in the Zion building - the same building as last year - and the year before that , and the year before that.... The Zion building is located next to Gate B (see map) in building 34. If you have any doubt, just follow the crowd.
The Utah State Fairgrounds are big! Where do we go?
The entrance is through Gate 1 (shown in the picture at the top of the page.) This gate is about 500 feet north of North Temple on 10th west and is the main entrance to the fairgrounds. There is ample parking to the north of the building after you go through the gate. Parking and access near the building itself is limited, so please leave that parking for those who need to unload/load their stuff, as well as those who need special access.
Where do we park?
Again, please park ONLY in the main parking lot to the north of the Zion building.
If you park on the south or west side of the building and do not need "special" access (i.e. actively loading/unloading stuff, or have a "Handicapped Parking" permit) you will be asked to move to the main parking lot. These requests are being made to assure compliance with fire regulations.
Which building will it be in?
The 2012 swapmeet will be in the Zion Building - the same building as last year - and several years before that! The Zion building is next to Gate B - building 34 (refer to map.) The main entrance to the Zion building is on the West side (See the picture below.)
What is this swapmeet about?
The swapmeet is an annual event held by the Utah VHF Society where the members of the amateur community gather together and meet, swap/sell/trade stories and lies, equipment, and junque. It is also at this meeting that the UVHFS officers are chosen and elected and important matters of policy discussed/voted upon.
What sort of junque will be there/should I bring?
As you would expect, the emphasis of the swapmeet is on Amateur Radio - so if all you bring are a bunch of Vacuum Cleaners and the warped head from a '73 Buick, you will look out of place! Generally, anything ham radio-related will be fine, as are electronic and computer-related items, generally.
What about admission?
Admission is FREE for current UVHFS members
$5.00 for non member adults
$2.00 for non members 12 years old and under.
Your membership may have already expired by the time of the swapmeet - see below for info on how to renew!
Remember, for just a few bucks more than the admission, you can get UVHFS membership which, in addition to getting that nifty VHF Society booklet, will give you that warm feeling of helping support many repeaters in Utah!
For more information follow this link and scroll down half the page:
Utah VHF Society
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
What Radio Should I Purchase...
An email written from Susan Smith KJ7ABC
to participants in the SLC SE Division CERT net
sent February 13, 2012
Dear Friends of Amateur Radio,
The classic two-pronged question a newly licensed ham usually asks is "Which radio should I buy and how much will it cost?" As in most hobbies, this question cannot be answered in a straightforward, easy fashion (but read on for a particularly low-budget option). I venture to say that the typical ham has more than one radio, including one or more handheld transceivers in addition to his or her main station, which may be a mobile radio or base station. After the primary question of which radio come the questions about antennas, power sources, other equipment, gear, manuals, organizations, nets, etc.
But, let's get back to the question of which radio to purchase. The Web offers many primers and guides to choosing a ham radio, including one at http://www.eham.net/newham/firstradio and one by ARRL to download at http://www.arrl.org/buying-your-first-radio . Some important considerations in choosing a radio include:
1.) Which bands do you plan to use? For instance, 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands are common for the Technician class and will get you onto a variety of simplex and repeater frequencies, but if you plan to upgrade to General or Extra licenses relatively soon, a broader range of bands might be considered. Do you want a radio capable of operating on more than one band? Dual-band handheld and mobile radios with 2 meter and 70 centimeter are common, with 1.25 meter as a third band on some models.
2.) Where or how are you going to be using the radio? For instance, will you be using the radio only at home, in the car, at work and/or roaming the city or hills? Many hams enjoy assisting communications for public service events such as marathons, parades, and festivalKG-UV3Ds. More and more cities are involving ham operators in preparedness for emergency disasters and in real-life community emergencies. Reaching other operators either by voice or CW (Morse Code) around the world can be exciting and challenging.
The classic two-pronged question a newly licensed ham usually asks is "Which radio should I buy and how much will it cost?" As in most hobbies, this question cannot be answered in a straightforward, easy fashion (but read on for a particularly low-budget option). I venture to say that the typical ham has more than one radio, including one or more handheld transceivers in addition to his or her main station, which may be a mobile radio or base station. After the primary question of which radio come the questions about antennas, power sources, other equipment, gear, manuals, organizations, nets, etc.
But, let's get back to the question of which radio to purchase. The Web offers many primers and guides to choosing a ham radio, including one at http://www.eham.net/newham/firstradio and one by ARRL to download at http://www.arrl.org/buying-your-first-radio . Some important considerations in choosing a radio include:
1.) Which bands do you plan to use? For instance, 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands are common for the Technician class and will get you onto a variety of simplex and repeater frequencies, but if you plan to upgrade to General or Extra licenses relatively soon, a broader range of bands might be considered. Do you want a radio capable of operating on more than one band? Dual-band handheld and mobile radios with 2 meter and 70 centimeter are common, with 1.25 meter as a third band on some models.
2.) Where or how are you going to be using the radio? For instance, will you be using the radio only at home, in the car, at work and/or roaming the city or hills? Many hams enjoy assisting communications for public service events such as marathons, parades, and festivalKG-UV3Ds. More and more cities are involving ham operators in preparedness for emergency disasters and in real-life community emergencies. Reaching other operators either by voice or CW (Morse Code) around the world can be exciting and challenging.
3.) Is D-Star or packet radio (etc.) of particular interest to you? Radios and the extra equipment for such options can be pricey.
4.) What is your budget? Some people ask whether this is a hobby they can afford even before they prepare for a licensing exam; hence, asking licensed hams their opinions and doing research on your own is extremely important to answering that question. There is a huge range of prices for radios and radio-specific accessories, from memory-programming software to replacement antennas for a handheld to
5.) What other personal considerations do you have to take into account? Is the weight or size of a handheld a major consideration? Will the radio fit your hand well if your hand is large or small? Are the keys too small for you to tap? Might you have a difficult time seeing a display with lots of information in a small font?
So, what does this boil down to? I have not attempted to develop here a guide on this topic, especially as I am a relative newbie myself and am not conversant with much of amateur radio yet, but I will offer a few insights and possibilities to those who are at the earliest stages as an amateur radio hobbyist and can't or don't want to spend a whole lot of money at this time. I plan to keep this short and sweet: radio, power, antenna.
My husband and I have purchased multiple radios since licensing as technicians in July 2010. Recently, I purchased a Wouxun (pronounced o' shing) KG-UV3D 2m/70cm radio online (http://www.powerwerx.com/wouxun-radios/kg-uv3d-dual-band.html) for $119.99 and the high-gain antenna for $29.99 to carry to work and on trips. If I'm a bit rough on packing it around, I know I'm not spending hundreds to replace it. Also, knowing that some prospective hams in the
In case you consider buying a Wouxun, here are some things of which to be aware. The purchase list I have attached below serves as a reference on this topic.
* I find the relatively short and simple operator's manual helpful and succinct.
* Some operators may feel they need a lot of memory for programming frequencies. This radio has "only" 128 memory channels.
* The connector on the radio for the antenna is not a typical
* Charge at least six to eight hours before first use, even if the green light on the charging base appears before then.
* Judging by experiences of another recent buyer and myself, the radio comes set in duplex with negative offset ... as if connecting to a repeater. For simplex operation (as in 147.50 MHz for the
* The Wouxun weighs 9.2 ounces and is 2.3 x 4.1 x 1.6 inches.
* Unlike some other radio manufacturers, the software for programming frequencies into the Wouxun is free by downloading from the Internet. One ham recommends using the free Chirp programming software at http://chirp.danplanet.com/ .
* I would be glad to lend my programming cable and/or cloning cable to anyone who purchases the Wouxun.
My purchases January 2012 from www.powerwerx.com follow.
|
WXAAB
|
$10.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXNRG
|
$5.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXCLN
|
$9.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXGAT-RV
|
$22.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXBTE
|
$14.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXS16
|
$5.99
|
|
|
|
|
KG-UV3D-2/420-520
|
$119.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXUSB
|
$15.99
|
|
|
|
|
HM05JSJ
|
$14.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXHST
|
$8.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXRSM
|
$44.99
|
|
|
|
|
WXLTR
|
$14.99
|
|
|
|
|
Flashlight
|
$0.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product Total:
|
$290.88
|
|
|
Saving:
|
$9.99
|
|
|
Shipping:
|
$14.11
|
|
|
Tax:
|
$0.00
|
|
|
Total:
|
$304.99
|
In response to an email on this topic, a ham says,
"After playing around with my wife's Wouxun, I don't think I'd be afraid
to try one of the other Chinese brands.
For example, AsiaRadioSales (http://www.asiaradiosales.com/en/) has dual-band handhelds
starting at $46 shipped direct from Hong
Kong . I've purchased some
other stuff from them and been satisfied.
It only takes a week or so to get here."
In addition to a radio, power and antennas are extremely important components for effective communications.
A radio can receive ("hear") radio communications on relatively low power, but transmissions require a great deal more power. If you have a handheld radio with a rechargeable battery such as the Wouxun above, most hams recommend buying an alkaline-battery pack/adapter (i.e., for AA's or AAA's), if available for your radio, and lots of batteries to act as standby when your rechargeable battery gets low. Over time, rechargeable batteries can decrease in power capacity or life, and batteries with a full charge can be critical for effective communications. There are lots of other battery or power options for handhelds, but I will not cover that here.
As antennas are a vital consideration in good radio transmission, many experienced hams recommend dedicating extra money to the antenna over buying a pricier radio when other features of possible radios are about the same. When I attached the Wouxun via the adapter mentioned above to my dual-band rooftop antenna, I was able to reach a repeater inUtah
County SLC
Southeast Division, rising above Highland Drive Salt
Lake Valley
If anyone has experience with the Wouxun, other handhelds, mobiles or base stations that could be considered budget radios for new amateur operators, please let me know your impressions of them, including model numbers, at ssmithrph@aol.com .
Kong
In addition to a radio, power and antennas are extremely important components for effective communications.
A radio can receive ("hear") radio communications on relatively low power, but transmissions require a great deal more power. If you have a handheld radio with a rechargeable battery such as the Wouxun above, most hams recommend buying an alkaline-battery pack/adapter (i.e., for AA's or AAA's), if available for your radio, and lots of batteries to act as standby when your rechargeable battery gets low. Over time, rechargeable batteries can decrease in power capacity or life, and batteries with a full charge can be critical for effective communications. There are lots of other battery or power options for handhelds, but I will not cover that here.
As antennas are a vital consideration in good radio transmission, many experienced hams recommend dedicating extra money to the antenna over buying a pricier radio when other features of possible radios are about the same. When I attached the Wouxun via the adapter mentioned above to my dual-band rooftop antenna, I was able to reach a repeater in
If anyone has experience with the Wouxun, other handhelds, mobiles or base stations that could be considered budget radios for new amateur operators, please let me know your impressions of them, including model numbers, at ssmithrph@aol.com .
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Philippines 6.9 earthquake Ham Radio update
Central Philippines earthquake update
Communications have been set up on HF as the emergency activity of amateur radio becomes established in the earthquake and landslide hit areas.
Chief Operating Officer for IARU society PARA, Eddie Valdez DU1EV said that Ham Emergency Radio Operations (HEROs) has activated the emergency frequencies of 144.740 MHz and 7.095 MHz.
Eddie DU1EV said 'They have established their command centre on board the Philippine Coast Guard search and rescue vessel BRP Davao del Norte. HEROs have been busy forwarding traffic from the disaster areas to Cebu and Manila.'
Rescue workers are searching for survivors after the 6.7-magnitude quake earthquake killed dozens of people. The death toll is 43 but rescuers are still searching for missing people in the rubble and landslides.
It struck just before noon local time on Monday in the heavily populated islands of Negros and Cebu in the country's central region.
Eddie DU1EV said that the traffic handled included mainly responding to overseas inquiries for persons looking for information about their family and friends in the earthquake areas.
He said 'As land lines and cellular phones have been erratic, amateur radio has provided a vital link. Among the active HEROs are RJ DU7RJA, Roy DU7DDJ, DW7XKS and, DW7RDX.
'Alvin DU1AJ/7 has set up his station so that it could act as relay for the HEROs at the earthquake stricken areas. He receives and sends traffic via HF, VHF, echolink and Facebook.
'In Manila, HEROs operatives Butch DU1RP and Lito DU1PA have set up camp at the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) under the Department of Defence.'
They are active on HF and they act as liaison between the disaster area and the NDRRMC command centre in Manila, reported Eddie DU1EV.
Jim Linton VK3PC
Chairman, IARU Region 3,
Disaster Communication Committee.
Chairman, IARU Region 3,
Disaster Communication Committee.
Article from www.southgatearc.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)