Below is the newsletter for July 15, 2024. Please let me know if you can help with the newsletter so we can keep sending one out regularly.
I am trying to include original articles and I could use some help. 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
Field Day Dipole Antenna Build Activity
During the K5EOK Field Day on Saturday, June 22nd, we held a 10M dipole build activity and we had the following high level results. In total 13 dipoles antennas were built during field day from 20 parts kits with 5 of them raised and tested successfully during the activity period. The class was full of lots of helpers who participated during the day and during the successful build period.
K5SRT – Ross Terry started receiving questions via email and upon arrival that morning as excited participants saw DIY kits being assembled on site. The class was officially started as scheduled at 4pm and wrapping up to clear tables before dinner at 6pm. The class started a with basic theory discussion followed by a hands on build event. Several hams worked together with the primary participants listed below and helped with cutting the dipole legs and helping others use the shared tools which were new to some participants.
Most of the DIY kits involved two basic dipole models (circular or triangular base centers) with SO-239 connectors. Some of the wire crimping and hardware kit assembly was done in advance to allow for the basic build process in the time allowed. At least six of the new dipoles were raised out front and tested with SWR meters and I know of QSOs being made on at least one during the final minutes of the class.
Melinda Thompson, KE5IGK
Larry Kennedy, WA5GLO
Brandon Roussel, KI5ZIR
Kahner Garnett, KJ5FVJ
Ethan Short, KI5VME
Morris Feigel, KJ5EWC
John Wilson Jr, KI5PHF
Jhansi Garnett, KJ5FVK
Dee Cordry, KJ5FVI
Jerry Thomason, WB5SYT
Ross Terry, K5SRT (3 different types, first was prototype built for board meetings discussion)
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Ross, K5SRT
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.
Due to a low number of registrations, the Royal Order Of The Wouff Hong ceremony on Friday evening has been cancelled.
Please visit the hamholidy.com website for all of the details!
Tom, WA9AFM
Tickets Available Now – Click To Get Yours Today
This is the 2024 list of forums to help you plan your day.
| Time | Room 1H5 | Room 1H1 | Room 1H2 | Room 1H8 |
| 0900-0950 | ARRL Forum OK Section Manager Mark Kleine –N5HZR | HF APRS and VARA HF Jeff Scoville–AE5ME | AREDN MESH NETWORK Chuck Hast — KP4DJP | |
| 1000-1050 | ARES Mark Conklin–N7XYO | M17 PROJECT Jeff Scoville–AE5ME | POTA/QRP Duane Angles–AA5KD | |
| 1100-1150 | AUXCOM Gayland Kitch–WX5MOR | OKDXA Jeff Martin–K5WE | QUANGSHENG UV-K6 Duane Angles – AA5KD | |
| 1200-1250 | HOSPITAL RADIO NETWORK–Chris Pape | OKC Memorial Marathon Communications – Jon Love – KJ5DBL | DIGIPI and APRS on Steroids – Dave Downing – WD5G | VE Session Ed Hatch — AG5DV |
| 1300-1400 | VE Session Ed Hatch — AG5DV |
Logan County ARES Meeting
The Logan County ARES group is holding their bi-monthly meeting this Saturday, July 20th at 9am. The meeting will be in the Logan County Sheriff’s Office training room at 219 S. Broad St in Guthrie which is directly across from the Sheriff’s Office.
All are welcome to attend! If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.
Steven Christy, N5ZQ
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!
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
- Ham Holiday – July 26th and 27th
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, August 3rd at 8am – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, August 3rd at 11:30am
- August Board Meeting – Tuesday, August 13th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
