Below is the newsletter for April 15, 2024. I could use some help with the newsletter so we can keep sending one out weekly. I am trying to include original articles and I would like to thank Chuck, KP4DJT, for contributing the AREDN articles. If you can write an article or even if you have a suggestion for an article, please let me know!
Steven Christy, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
April EARS Dinner
The April EARS dinner is this Thursday, April 18th at 6:30pm. We will be eating dinner at the Edmond Railyard. If you have not been there before, they have multiple restaurants and common eating areas. The address is 23 W 1st St, Edmond, OK 73003. Additional information can be found on their website: https://www.edmondrailyard.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Ham Corner – AREDN Part 5 – Setup Screen Part 2
The Port Forwarding DHCP, and Services screen, depending on your needs you may work here a bit.
Starting on the left you have DHCP Address Reservations. Hostname is the host name of the device you are going to set as static. IP address is the address assigned by the DHCP server, and the MAC address is that of the device being served. The Do Not Propagate box is to keep the device info from being propagated out on the mesh, in this case the Grandstream is not being propagated.
DEL is Delete the information for that device.
To the right you have Advertised Services, this is where the URL’s for your devices and services are published on the mesh. Name must match the hostname of the device to be published, link must be checked to link the hostname to the URL. You will setup the URL the way you want it to appear on the mesh status screen. The URL is followed by the port type, most are http or port 80.
Below left is Current DHCP Leases this is where the DHCP leases show up. The [ADD] button is used to add leases to the DHCP Address Reservations.
The sections on Tags for Advanced DHCP Options, Advanced DHCP Options and Port Forwarding, are quite extensive, I will not go into them here but you can continue to read about them at:
https://docs.arednmesh.org/en/latest/arednGettingStarted/advanced_config.html
The next page is the Tunnel server page. Here you can set up links with your node serving as a tunnel server. In this case the device is no longer doing this function as it has been passed off to the mesh tunnel server, but here is the page view:
You have the client ID which must be exactly as setup on the client side. The password for the client connection, and the IP address which will be assigned for this tunnel. The password will be copied and sent to the client side. At the bottom is a section for setting up wireguard tunnels which are faster and more efficient.
The next screen will be the client screen:
Here we see some old setups that are no longer in use, but they have not been deleted. Notice the checked one has a small blue cloud with an upward pointing arrow, this indicates that tunnel is active. Indeed the device is connected to the mesh tunnel server.
In a separate section we will review the OK Mesh tunnel server and supernode server screens so you will be familiar with them.
In the next part we will look at the two administration pages and how they are used.
Chuck, KP4DJT
Field Day 2024
Field Day 2024 is June 22-23 from 1pm CDT Saturday to 1pm CDT Sunday. It will be held at the Edmond Masonic Lodge which is located at 1026 North Blvd, Edmond, OK 73034. This is a new location for us this year so we will have some things to figure out but it is a large space with a kitchen that should be great for Field Day operations and also the dinner.
The number of simultaneous transmitters has not yet been determined but we set up 3 last year along with a 6m station (which does not change the classification) and there was plenty of time where not all transmitters were on the air. We will likely set up the same number of stations again this year.
We will again be running on battery power with the on-demand propane generator. A member has graciously offered to let us use this equipment again. It worked really well last year. We ran the generator during the afternoon and evening and turned it off and ran off battery most of the night. We also ran off of just battery power during the dinner which eliminated the generator noise. It was fantastic!
Now we get to the part where I ask for volunteers. Field Day does not happen by itself and I cannot do it all alone. We need to determine what class we want to run, figure out what radios we will use, what antennas we need and where/how to set them up. Logging is computerized so we need to get the computers updated and tested. On the morning of June 22nd, we have to set up antennas, computers and all of the radios. It is traditional to have a dinner on Saturday evening which also needs to be planned.
My plan is to have someone in charge of antennas, someone in charge of radios and someone in charge of computers. Each of those people will need others to help them get everything organized prior to Field Day and then set up on Saturday morning. I currently have computer help but I do not have any help yet for radios or antennas.
We also need a team to plan the Field Day dinner. I believe I have enough people to plan the dinner but I am sure help will be needed to get everything set up that evening.
As you have probably figured out, we need you! Below you will find a Field Day 2024 volunteer form. If you are able to help in any way, please complete the form on the Field Day 2024 page and indicate how you can help.
Steven, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
The Marathon is only 2 weeks away!!
As of Wednesday, there were 18,183 registrants…up 19% from last year.
- Kids Marathon is up 41% from last year,
- 5K up 23%;
- Relay up 22%;
- Half Marathon up 15%
- Full Marathon up 13%
- Senior Marathon down 1% (which is only 4 runners…)
As usual, our Communications Section could use some additional personnel…so if you have friends, new club members, or anyone else, ask them to consider signing up. The link is https://okcmarathon.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=76852&job_name=Auxiliary%20Communications …when asked for a password or code, please enter 20HAM24 which should take you directly to the communications section of the volunteer registration.
Marathon personnel are also still looking for other hams who signed up, but ended up in the “general volunteer” database. If you know of someone who signed up but haven’t received any email from me, PLEASE have them email me and we’ll get this corrected!!
I will have assignments out to you early this week.
As a reminder, we will have the pre-briefing on Monday, April 22nd, 7 pm, at the Oklahoma City Fire Training Center located at 800 N. Portland in Oklahoma City.
We’re about there!!
Gayland / WX5MOR
Gayland Kitch OCEM COML AUXC
Director of Emergency Management
The City of Moore, Oklahoma
109 E. Main St. Moore, Oklahoma 73160
405-793-4477 office 405-793-5062 EOC
gkitch@cityofmoore.com
Ham Holiday – July 26-27, 2024!
Preregistration for Ham Holiday 2024 continues!!!
Ham Holiday 2024 will be on Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th at the Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC).
The Ham Holiday 2024 website for preregistration is: https://hamholiday.com/tix/
The preregistration prize is a Buddipole “Buddistick Pro” portable antenna and the grand prize for Ham Holiday 2024 is a Yaesu FT-710 AESS HF/50 MHz SDR Transceiver with matching speaker.
The special drawing prize is a Yaesu FT-710 FIELD HF/50 MHz SDR Transceiver package. The package includes a DX Commander vertical antenna, TekPower TP30SW power supply, coax, a Vibroplex SRacer key, along with other accessories. Only 300 special drawing tickets will be sold. Special drawing tickets are $20/ticket.
There will also be a Royal Order Of The Wouff Hong ceremony on Friday evening. Stay tuned for further details on vendors, programs, seminars, and hourly prizes.
Tom, WA9AFM
Tickets Available Now – Click To Get Yours Today
EARS Volunteers
I am sure all of you are aware that EARS is an entirely volunteer organization. That means we alway need volunteers. There are many tasks to get done and the more we share the load, the more this club will be able to do!
Below is a summary of just some of the events and activities in which the club participates:
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
LibertyFest Parade
Cowboy Christmas Parade
Cycle 66 Bike Race
Monthly Siren Test
Weekly Information Net – 52 Net Control Volunteers
Monthly VE Test Session
Bi-Monthly Club Dinner – 5 Dinners
Christmas Dinner
Technician License Class – Spring and Fall
Field Day – Also One of the Club Dinners
Severe Weather Spotting
This list does not include all of the administrative and management function of the club. The website needs frequent updates, this newsletter needs to be written, etc.
What does all this mean? It means We Need You! If you are able to help in any way, please let us know. Even if you are unsure how to help or where you might best fit, please let us know and we will work with you to find the best fit.
If you are willing to help, please contact us at k5eok@k5eok.org. That will send a message to both myself, Steven, N5ZQ, and Clay, WA6LBU and we will be in touch!
LibertyFest
The LibertyFest events are coming up starting on June 14th and culminating with the fireworks celebration on July 4th. EARS has been helping with these events for many years and this year is no exception. LibertyFest is an entirely volunteer organization and EARS plays a large role especially with the parade and fireworks.
Below are the LibertyFest events in which help is needed:
- Rodeo Day 1 – Friday, June 28, 4:00pm to 11:00pm
- Car Show and Park Fest – Saturday, June 29, 6:30am to 2:30pm
- We need 5 golf cart drivers in addition to other volunteers for this event
- Rodeo Day 2 – Saturday, June 29, 4:00pm to 11:00pm
- Parade – Thursday, July 4, 6:00am to 12:00pm
- Fireworks – Thursday, July 4, 5:00pm to 11:00pm
As you can see, we need quite a number of volunteers to help LibertyFest happen. If you are able to help, please visit the LibertyFest page and fill out the form. It is not too early to volunteer!
All of the information on LibertyFest can be found on the LibertyFest website.
Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test – May 11, 2024
The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD)
Crossband Test, scheduled for May 11, 2024. This annual event is open to all
licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private
communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken
part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between hobbyist and
government radio stations.
– The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications
between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service
(ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111.
– Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and will
announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All times are ZULU (Z), and all
frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted.
– The following stations will be making two-way radiotelephone contacts with
stations in the ARS between the time periods listed on the frequencies listed in
Kilohertz below:
= AAC / BARROW ARMY RESERVE CENTER, KY (USB + RTTY)/ [1100Z – 2259Z]
4011.0 kHz USB / 5,346.5 kHz USB / 6,968.5 kHz USB/ 13,963.5 kHz USB/
18,254.0 kHz USB = AAN / U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND, CO (USB + RTTY) [1300Z – 2100Z]
6,970.5 kHz USB/ 14,550.5 kHz USB/
= AAZ / FT HUACHUCA, AZ [1500Z – 2359Z]
7,645.0 kHz USB/ 14,579.0 kHz USB/ 18,211.0 kHz USB = AFM4NPD / NAVAL SUPPORT
ACTIVITY MID-SOUTH, MILLINGTON, TN [1200Z – 2200Z]
4,575.0 kHz USB/ 7,540.0 kHz USB/ 13,993.0 kHz USB = AGA0WJ/ NAS WHIDBEY
ISLAND OAK HARBOR, WA (USB + RTTY) [1600Z – 2200Z]
5,403.5 kHz USB/ 7,431.5 kHz USB/ 13,528.5 kHz USB/ 18,272.5 kHz USB = AGA2SY
/ HANCOCK FIELD, NY [1200Z – 2000Z]
4,540.0 kHz USB/ 7,473.5 kHz USB/ 15,807.0 kHz USB/ 19,955.0 kHz USB/
20,740.0 kHz USB / 27,736.0 kHz USB = AGA5SC / SCOTT AFB, IL [1600Z – 2300Z]
5,186.0 kHz USB/ 7,938.0 kHz USB /14,832.0 kHz USB/ 27,736.0 kHz USB = AGA5TR
/ TRAVIS AFB, CA [1700Z – 2359Z]
7,329.0 kHz USB /14,411.0 kHz USB/ 20,873.0 kHz USB/ 27,877.0 kHz USB =
GRIFFIN1 / 193rd RTI ARMY NATIONAL GUARD BETHANY BEACH, DE [1300Z – 1800Z]
7,533.5 kHz USB /14,441.5 kHz USB /18,293.0 kHz USB
= NAF / NEWPORT NAVAL RADIO STATION MUSEUM NEWPORT, RI (USB + CW) 1400Z – 2300Z
7,498.5 kHz USB 14,463.5 kHz USB = NBGC/ USS HORNET AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ABLEMEDA,
CA (USB + CW) 1500Z – 0000Z 7362.5 kHz USB 14,375 kHz USB 21,886 kHz USB 27,860
kHz USB = NEPM / USS IOWA BB 61 LOS ANGELES, CA (USB + RTTY +CW) [1400Z – 2300Z]
7,469.0 kHz USB /14,667.0 kHz USB/ 18,444.0 kHz USB//21,856.0 kHz USB /
21,918.0 kHz USB = NIIW / USS MIDWAY CV-41 SAN DIEGO, CA (USB + CW + RTTY)
[11May 0001Z-0400Z]
[11May 1400Z-12May 0300Z ] 4,010.0 kHz USB/ 5,371.5 kHz USB/ 7,455.4 kHz USB/
14,476.0 kHz USB / 18,060.0 kHz USB
= NMC1/ US COAST GUARD BASE ALAMEDA, CA (USB + RTTY) [1700Z – 2359Z]
7,3530.0 kHz USB/ 14,461.0 kHz USB
= NSS / US NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS, MD (USB + CW) [11May 1300Z – 12May 0200Z]
4,038.5 kHz USB/ 5,330.5 kHz USB/ 7,533.5 kHz USB/ 9,447.0 kHz USB/ 14,487.0
kHz USB = NWKJ / USS YORKTOWN PATRIOTS POINT, SC [1400Z – 2300Z]
4,027.0 kHz USB/ 7,360.0 kHz USB/ 14,438.5 kHz USB/ 3,325.0 kHz USB 6,913.0
kHz USB
9,988.5 kHz USB/ 13,974.0 kHz USB
= WAR / PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC (USB + CW + RTTY) [1200Z – 2400Z]
4018.0 kHz USB/ 5,357.0 kHz USB/ 7,305.0 kHz USB/ 14,383.5 kHz USB/ 20,997.0
kHz USB//
For additional information & QSL card input , go to
https://www.usarmymars.org/events BT
Space Weather
Space (Solar) Weather is important is impacts our radio communication. While the greatest impact is usually on HF frequencies, it can also impact VHF, UHF and even higher frequencies. The video below comes from a YouTube page that is updated about every 2 weeks with new space weather reports. I encourage you to watch her channel for updates when you can as it is very educational.
Web Links
Here are a few links to other websites that may be of interest.
- ARRL (American Radio Relay League) – https://arrl.org
- CORA (Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs) – https://coraok.org
- Ham Holiday (OKC Hamfest) – https://hamholiday.com
- ARRL Oklahoma Section – https://ok.arrl.org
- South Canadian Amateur Radio Society (SCARS)
- DMR Info – https://w5nor.org/okdmr/
- They have lots of other good info on their website such as modes of operation, weather/emergency info etc.
- ARES
- ARRL ARES – https://www.arrl.org/ares
- OK ARES – https://aresok.org
- Winlink – https://winlink.org
- AREDN – arednmesh.org
Upcoming Events
- EARS Information Net – Every Monday at 8pm
- Green Country Hamfest – April 12th and 13th
- April EARS Dinner – Thursday, April 18th at 6:30pm
- Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon – April 27th and 28th
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, May 4th at 8am – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, May 4th at 11:30am
- All Ham Dinner – May 9th at 6pm at Golden Palace Buffet at 1224 South Air Depot Boulevard
- May Board Meeting – Tuesday, May 14th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- Field Day – June 22nd – June 23rd at Edmond Masonic Lodge at 1026 North Blvd, Edmond
- LibertyFest Rodeo Day 1 – Friday, June 28 – Volunteer on the LibertyFest Page
- LibertyFest Car Show and Park Fest – Saturday, June 29 – Volunteer on the LibertyFest Page
- LibertyFest Rodeo Day 2 – Saturday, June 29 – Volunteer on the LibertyFest Page
- LibertyFest Parade – Thursday, July 4 – Volunteer on the LibertyFest Page
- LibertyFest Fireworks – Thursday, July 4 – Volunteer on the LibertyFest Page
- Ham Holiday – July 26th and 27th
