Below is the newsletter for March 3, 2025. I would love to include your original content. If you have written, or would like to write an article, it would be great to include it in the EARS newsletter.
Steven Christy, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
Oklahoma QSO Party – March 8-9
We are right in the middle of the winter/spring QSO party season and that includes the Oklahoma QSO Party. It takes place this weekend, March 8-9, 2025. The times are 9am to 8pm on Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday. The goal is to work as many stations as possible on CW, phone and digital. For this event, FT8 and FT4 are not allowed. The exchange for Oklahoma stations is a signal report and county.
I have included a link below to the document with all of the rules. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and we will do our best to answer them. I encourage you to participate!
Steven, N5ZQ
Edmond Tower Update
I am sure many of you are aware of the new City of Edmond tower project. In case you are not, the city is installing a brand new 400 foot self-supporting tower for the city’s 800 MHz public safety radio system. As part of our partnership with the city, both of our repeaters (2m and 70cm) will be moved from their current location on the tower on the UCO campus to this new tower. Completion is still a little ways off but visible progress will begin soon.
Much of the planning, funding and preparation work is nearly completed. Part of this work was obtaining soil samples in order to engineer a base that can handle this size of tower. Due to the location, which is near Covell and Broadway to the north, a self-support tower is necessary. There is no room for guy wires.
The latest update is from the fabricator who is building the legs for the base of the tower. A few photos are below.
Stay tuned for updates as they continue to make progress!
Steven, N5ZQ
March Elmer Session
EARS has started holding a training and Elmer session prior to the monthly board meeting. Regardless of whether you are a newer or a more seasoned ham, we will have a short monthly topic that should help provide you with some good information. Following the brief presentation, there will be time to ask questions to help further your journey in amateur radio.
The next session will take place on Tuesday, March 11th at 6pm at Edmond Fire Station 5. The address is 5300 E Covell Rd. Dee, KJ5FVI, will be making a presentation about POTA (Parks on the Air) followed by time to ask questions about anything related to ham radio. Please make plans to attend!
John, N5RET
help@k5eok.org
March Board Meeting
EARS holds a monthly board meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. The next board meeting is Tuesday, March 11th 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.
Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is coming up on Saturday, March 15, 2025 and we need volunteer communication assistance. Everyone will need to arrive by 8am and we should be done by 11am.
This is a fun parade and a great way to get started in assisting with these types of events. No experience is necessary. If you are inexperienced, we will pair you with someone more experienced. Please complete the form at the link below if you are able to participate.
We could still use a few more volunteers. If you have not yet signed up, please do so today!
Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Page
Any questions can be sent to parades@k5eok.org.
Green Country Hamfest
Pre-Reregistration is OPEN!
2025 Green Country Hamfest – April 11th& 12th in Claremore, Oklahoma.
Only 30 minutes from Tulsa!
Claremore Expo, 400 Veterans Parkway, Claremore, OK, 74017
MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/X9kEa
Talk-in on: 147.09+
Free Parking!!! – Low Cost ON-SITE RV Parking!
Terrific Prizes! Fantastic Forums – Learn something new! See
Flea Market – Great Bargains!
Free Test Table – Check It Before You Buy It!
On-site VE Testing Get or upgrade your license!
Advance admission is $8.00.
Preregistered Tables are $15.00 each.
Commercial booths are $50.00 each.
Tickets are $10.00 at the door.
Tables are $20.00 at the door.
Order early and save!
Online Preregistration Closes
March 31, 2025
Children 12 and under are Free!
Friday open to public at 4 PM to 9 PM
Saturday open to public 8 AM to 3 PM
Setup Friday 12:00PM.
Setup at 7:00AM Saturday until 8:00AM.
More info at http://www.greencountryhamfest.org/
OKC Memorial Marathon
Volunteer registration is open for the 2025 Marathon. You can sign up at this link: https://coraok.org/signup/
The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was organized to be a Run To Remember for those who died, those who survived, and those whose lives were changed forever, in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995. It is usually held on the last Sunday of April each year. This year, it will be April 26th and 27th, 2025.
Operations and Duty Stations
This year, 60+ amateur radio operators are needed to cover the entire course with public service communications. We have operators that operate in all of these locations:
- at each of the 16 medical tents on the course
- this year, there will be no relay races, so those positions aren’t available
- net control operators
- five SAG vehicles
- five water and ice trucks
- in the lead vehicle for the full and half marathons
- tail-end Charlie following the last runner
- operators at the “kids’ corral” at the end of the kids’ race
- radio observers along the “last mile”
- operators on Saturday for medical tent operations, lost parents, and other positions
- operators at the Regional Emergency Operations Center in OKC
- running in the race
- and other assignments that may be needed.
Registration
Volunteer registration is now open at this link: https://coraok.org/signup/. You can join the OKC Memorial Marathon (OCMM) AUXCOMM group by clicking here to keep up with the current activities, share your pictures and experiences, or get more information there. You can also get added to the email list by emailing mkleine@live.com. Be a part of this exciting amateur radio community event.
Pre-Brief Meeting
A pre-brief meeting will be held for all amateur radio operator volunteers on April 21st at the OKC Fire Training Center, 820 N Portland, Oklahoma City, 73107. At this meeting, T-shirts, credential packets (for those in the downtown area), frequency cards, and other necessary information will be distributed.
Daily Schedules
The Saturday race day usually begins at about 0600 with an on-site check-in, and operators will be released by 1200. The Saturday races include the 5K Race, Senior Marathon, Kids Marathon, Health & Fitness Expo, and Finish Line Festival.
The Sunday race day usually begins at about 0600 with an on-site check-in, and most operators should be released by 1400. It is an enriching experience to see and assist runners from all over the world. Sunday’s races include the Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, and Finish Line Festival.
Most radio operators need a good mobile or base unit with an external antenna. Depending on your assigned location, an HT with an external antenna, spare battery packs, or an external power supply may also work. Please visit your designated area and test your radios with the repeaters used. No experience is necessary. You will be placed with an experienced operator if you’re new to this activity. Stay flexible and able to adapt to course changes and changes in the weather (hot, cold, rain, hail, wind, etc.). Make sure you follow the marathon communications plan.
Odds and Ends
Again this year, there will be a NO WEAPONS policy—open or concealed—for any part of the marathon.
This is the primary fundraiser for the Oklahoma National Memorial and Museum. It usually raises about 1 million dollars annually, with about 25,000 entrants expected in 2025. The amateur radio community contributes over $65,000 in volunteer time and equipment to the museum annually.
As we are officially members of the OCMM operation, we will all have a background check as part of the registration. Please fill out all the boxes as you sign up to expedite the process. Please send any special needs and/or comments to mkleine@live.com.
Sign up today and get in on the fun!
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.
| Oklahoma QSO Party | 1500Z, Mar 8 to 0200Z, Mar 9 and 1500Z-2100Z, Mar 9 |
| Idaho QSO Party | 1900Z, Mar 8 to 1900Z, Mar 9 |
| North American Sprint, RTTY | 0000Z-0359Z, Mar 9 |
| Wisconsin QSO Party | 1800Z, Mar 9 to 0100Z, Mar 10 |
| Virginia QSO Party | 1400Z, Mar 15 to 0400Z, Mar 16 and 1200Z-2400Z, Mar 16 |
| North American SSB Sprint Contest | 0000Z-0400Z, Mar 23 |
| Sasquatch Stomp (CW) | 1900Z, Mar 28 to 0300Z, Mar 29 |
| Georgia State Parks on the Air | 1200Z, Apr 5 to 2359Z, Apr 6 |
| Louisiana QSO Party | 1400Z, Apr 5 to 0200Z, Apr 6 |
| Mississippi QSO Party | 1400Z, Apr 5 to 0200Z, Apr 6 |
| Missouri QSO Party | 1400Z, Apr 5 to 0400Z, Apr 6 and 1400Z-2000Z, Apr 6 |
| Florida State Parks on the Air | 1400Z-2200Z, Apr 5 and 1400Z-2200Z, Apr 6 |
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
- Route 66 10m Net on 28.390 – Every Monday Following the Information Net
- EARS Breakfast – Every Saturday at approximately 6:30am at Around The Corner, 11 S. Broadway, Edmond
- EARS Breakfast Net – Every Saturday at 7am on 147.135 and 443.425
- General Licensing Class – Tuesdays beginning January 28th
- Oklahoma QSO Party – March 8-9
- March Elmer Session and Training – Tuesday, March 11th at 6pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- March Board Meeting – Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- Stockyards City St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Saturday, March 15th, 8am to 11am – Sign Up on the Stockyard’s City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Page
- Altus Hamfest – March 29th – https://ok.arrl.org/hamfests/altus/
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, April 5th – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, April 5th at 11:30am
- Green Country Hamfest – April 11th and 12th
- OKC Memorial Marathon – April 26th and 27th – Sign Up at https://coraok.org/signup/
