Below is the newsletter for August 5, 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
EARS Repeater
For a number of months we have experienced intentional interference on our repeaters particularly the 147.135 VHF machine. It was bad enough yesterday afternoon that we had to disable the repeater for a couple of hours.
I would like to remind everyone that the best course of action when you hear someone creating a problem on the repeater is to ignore it. Please remember that these people seem to do this for attention so do not give them what they want. Do not feed the trolls!
Instead, please inform our trustee, Gary, AE5GS. If you are unable to reach Gary, you can also inform Bob, KM5GZ, Clay, WA6LBU, EARS President or Steven, N5ZQ, EARS Vice-President.
Earlier this year I wrote an article for the newsletter about the EARS repeaters. Included in this article is a link to our repeater info page on the website which includes a Repeater Policies and Procedures document. I also included a link to an article about repeater etiquette. This article (along with other articles) is available by clicking on the Ham Corner link at the top of the EARS website. I have included it below as well for your convenience.
Please take a moment and review the information in the article. Regardless of whether you may be a newer ham or an “older” ham, everyone can use a refresher occasionally.
As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Steven, N5ZQ
Ham Holiday
Thank you to everyone who attended Ham Holiday. It was great to see all of you! If you happened to miss Ham Holiday, Bill, N5NUK, has a video available on YouTube.
Fall Technician Class
The EARS Fall Technician Class starts on Tuesday, August 27th and it is a 9-week course. It will again be taught on Zoom. The best part is the course is FREE! All of the class details are available on the Technician License Class page on the website. There is also a link on the front page. I have also included a class flyer below.
If you know anyone who may be interested, please share this information with them. The Technician License Class page has a sign-up form at the bottom.
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Harvey, W0HGJ
class@k5eok.org
EARS August Board Meeting
EARS holds a monthly board meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. The next board meeting is Tuesday, August 13th at 7pm. The meeting is at Edmond Fire Station 5 in the training building down the hill by the tower. The blue pin on the map below shows the meeting location.
Fire Station 5 is located at 5300 E Covell Rd which is just East of I-35. If you need any help finding the meeting location, please give us a call on the repeater and we can help you out.
I am planning to have a Field Day 2024 debrief at 6pm prior to the board meeting. If you helped, attended or participated in Field Day in any way I would love to have you there so we can get your input which is valuable as we start planning for next year!
Logan County ARES Meeting
The Logan County ARES group held their bi-monthly meeting last Saturday. The next meeting is schedule for September 21st. If you are interesting in getting involved in ARES in this area, please make plans to attend. You can contact either Clay Mayrose, WA6LBU, or myself if you have any questions.
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.
Contests
Below are a few upcoming HF contests. The ARRL has a more complete list in their Contest Corral from QST which is available as a downloadable PDF file. You can also find a list of upcoming contests along with contest details at contestcalendar.com.
| Maryland-DC QSO Party | 1400Z, Aug 10 to 0400Z, Aug 11 |
| Kentucky State Parks on the Air | 1400Z-2200Z, Aug 10 |
| North American QSO Party, SSB | 1800Z, Aug 17 to 0559Z, Aug 18 |
| Hawaii QSO Party | 0400Z, Aug 24 to 0400Z, Aug 26 |
| U.S. Islands QSO Party | 1200Z, Aug 24 to 0300Z, Aug 25 |
| Kansas QSO Party | 1400Z, Aug 24 to 0200Z, Aug 25 and 1400Z-2000Z, Aug 25 |
| Ohio QSO Party | 1600Z, Aug 24 to 0400Z, Aug 25 |
| Colorado QSO Party | 1300Z, Aug 31 to 0400Z, Sep 1 |
| Tennessee QSO Party | 1700Z, Sep 1 to 0300Z, Sep 2 |
| Ohio State Parks on the Air | 1400Z-2200Z, Sep 7 |
| Route 66 On the Air Special Event – 25th Anniversary | Sep 7 to Sep 15 |
| ARRL September VHF Contest | 1800Z, Sep 14 to 0300Z, Sep 16 |
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
- EARS Breakfast – Every Saturday at approximately 6:30am at Around The Corner, 11 S. Broadway, Edmond
- Field Day Debrief – Tuesday, August 13th at 6pm (Prior to the Board Meeting) at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- August Board Meeting – Tuesday, August 13th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- EARS Dinner – Thursday, August 15th at 6:30pm – Location TBD
- Fall Technician Class – Starts August 27th on Zoom – Register on Technician License Class page
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, September 7th at 8am – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, September 7th at 11:30am
