Below is the newsletter for September 2nd, 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
Ham Corner – Handheld (or HT) selection
Over the weekend I happened upon a couple of videos about selecting a handheld (or HT in ham lingo). A few months ago I wrote an article on this topic and these are more resources that could be very helpful. I think these are excellent resources for new hams trying to make sense of all of the radio options available and they can also be helpful for others who either have not purchased a radio in a while or have not been active in quite some time.
I hope you find these resources helpful. Feel free to send me any links or videos you think may be helpful so I can include them in an upcoming newsletter!
73
Steven, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
September Siren Test
The next Edmond Siren Test is Saturday, September 7th. The siren assignments have been sent out for Saturday. If you would like to be added to the list to help, please send an email to Clay, WA6LBU, at sirens@k5eok.org.
September VE Test Session
The next EARS VE Test Session is Saturday, September 7th at 8am. If you or someone you know is planning to attend, please visit the License Testing page and complete the sign-up form. This allows the VE team to prepare to accommodate all of the testers.
If you have any questions, please contact Ralph Turner, N5AMR at Raltur47@gmail.com or you can contact him by phone at 573-999-4748.
EARS September Board Meeting
EARS holds a monthly board meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. The next board meeting is Tuesday, September 10th 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.
Enid Hamfest
The 2024 Enid Hamfest is coming up on September 14th from 8am to 3pm. All of the info can be found at https://enidarc.org/enidhamfest.
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
National Fire Prevention Week Special Event
National Fire Prevention week is coming up October 6-12, 2024. As in previous years there will be amateur radio special event stations. The callsign for the 5 call area will be N5F.
Clay, WA6LBU, is the coordinator for the entire 5 call area this year. Please contact him at wa6lbu@gmail.com if you have any questions or if you would like to get scheduled to operate the special event station!
Cycle 66
We will once again be helping with the Cycle 66 bike race which takes place on Sunday, November 3, 2024. This year there are multiple races of 10 miles, 33 miles, 66 miles, a kids route and criterium race. Our amateur volunteers are a fundamental part of insuring the success of this event. We will need a decent number of volunteers so please consider helping. A sign-up form will be available very soon and that will be publicized as soon as it is ready.
If you have any questions, please contact Clay at wa6lbu@gmail.com.
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.
| 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 |
| ARRL EME Contest | 0000Z, Sep 21 to 2359Z, Sep 22 |
| ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest | 0900Z, Sep 21 to 0759Z, Sep 23 |
| New Jersey QSO Party | 1400Z, Sep 21 to 0159Z, Sep 22 |
| Texas QSO Party | 1400Z, Sep 21 to 0200Z, Sep 22 and 1400Z-2000Z, Sep 22 |
| Iowa QSO Party | 1400Z, Sep 21 to 0200Z, Sep 22 |
| New Hampshire QSO Party | 1600Z, Sep 21 to 0400Z, Sep 22 and 1200Z-2200Z, Sep 22 |
| Washington State Salmon Run | 1600Z, Sep 21 to 0700Z, Sep 22 and 1600Z-2400Z, Sep 22 |
| Wisconsin Parks on the Air | 1600Z-2300Z, Sep 21 |
| Maine QSO Party | 1200Z, Sep 28 to 1200Z, Sep 29 |
| Masonic Lodges on the Air | 1400Z-2200Z, Sep 28 |
| Collegiate QSO Party | 0000Z, Oct 5 to 2359Z, Oct 6 |
| California QSO Party | 1600Z, Oct 5 to 2200Z, Oct 6 |
| National Fire Prevention Week Special Event | Oct 6 to Oct 12 |
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
- POTA (Parks on the Air) – https://pota.app
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
- 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
- September Board Meeting – Tuesday, September 10th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- National Fire Prevention Week Special Event – October 6-12
- Cycle 66 – Sunday, November 3rd
