2025 Ham of the Year
The 2025 Ham of the Year is none other than Ben Curry, KJ5IEB! Ben has been exceptionally active in the club since earning his license just over a year ago, quickly becoming one of the most engaged and dependable members we have. Many of you know Ben as the Edmond Emergency Management Director, a role that comes with tremendous responsibility. Yet even with his demanding schedule, Ben consistently makes time to support EARS and help us grow.
In both capacities—club member and emergency manager—Ben has worked tirelessly to strengthen and modernize the relationship between EARS and the City of Edmond. His leadership has helped open doors for new opportunities, better communication, and a clearer understanding of how amateur radio can support the community during emergencies.
One of the most significant examples of his dedication came as construction began on the new public safety communications tower. Recognizing the importance of reliable infrastructure, Ben collaborated closely with club leadership and city officials to secure funding for brand-new repeater systems. Thanks to his efforts, we can look forward to state-of-the-art equipment coming online in the months ahead—an upgrade that will benefit club members and the broader community for years to come.
Ben has also become a steady presence at EARS board meetings, where he now has a standing place on the agenda to provide updates and insight on matters affecting the club. His guidance, professionalism, and willingness to help have made a tangible difference in how we plan, prepare, and operate.
Ben, thank you for your enthusiasm, your partnership, and your unwavering support of the club. Congratulations on being awarded the 2025 Ham of the Year—an honor you have truly earned!
Clay, WA6LBU
AUXC activity & Edmond EOC
With support from the Edmond Ham Club, Carl Abrahamson activated a VHF direct/simplex net at 10:00 a.m. as part of our emergency communications exercise. The goal was to simulate providing evacuation-notice updates to HOAs in the immediate area without relying on any repeaters, ensuring we could still function effectively in a grid-down or infrastructure-limited situation. We had a solid response, with eight stations checking in and providing their name, call sign, and map grid square, giving us a good snapshot of real-world coverage and participation.
At the same time, we’ve been forwarding resource requests via ham radio to the Edmond EOC. To my delight, the EOC has been fully engaged in the simulation, sending back detailed status updates on each request. This back-and-forth has created additional traffic on the net and added a valuable layer of realism to the exercise. Overall, it’s been a productive test of our capabilities and a great demonstration of how well amateur radio can support local emergency operations.
Lucien Jones, KD5LPV
How to Handle Unlicensed or Malicious Operators
From time to time, we may run into unlicensed or disruptive operators on the air. The easiest—and most effective—way to deal with them is simply to ignore them. If someone isn’t using a call sign, it’s best to assume they don’t have one and avoid engaging.
If you’re in the middle of a conversation and someone starts playing music or causing other disruptions, don’t acknowledge it. Just continue as you were. Most of the time, the interference stops when it doesn’t get a reaction. If it continues, feel free to clear the repeater and pass along the time and date of the incident to the EARS Repeater Trustee or a designated control operator so they can look into it.
If you happen to be monitoring when the interference occurs, it’s very helpful if you switch to reverse and listen to the repeater input. If you can hear the interfering signal there, please send an email with the date, time, your location, and a brief signal report to trustee@k5eok.org. These details make it much easier for us to pinpoint where the interference is coming from and to prepare accurate reports for the ARRL.
And one last reminder: please don’t discuss the incident on the repeater. Keeping the airwaves calm helps everyone.
Gary, AE5GS
No December Board Meeting
There will be no board meeting in December. Our next board meeting and mentor session will be held on Tuesday, January 13th. We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!
Steven, N5ZQ
Stockyards City Cowboy Christmas Parade
I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to help with the Christmas Parade on Saturday morning. Despite the cool (okay, cold) temperatures and foggy conditions, we had a fun and uneventful event. We’ll be back at it again in March for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade!
Thanks again!
Andrew, KF5YEP
7th Annual 12 Days of Christmas – 2025
W2P – Partridge in a Pear Tree, W2T – 2 Turtle Doves, W2F – 3 French Hens,
W2C – 4 Calling Birds,
W2R – 5 Golden Rings, W2G – 6 Geese A-Laying, W2S – 7 Swans A-Swimming,
W2M – 8 Maids A-Milking, W2L – 9 Ladies Dancing, K2L – 10 Lords A-Leaping,
K2P – 11 Pipers Piping, and W2D – 12 Drummers Drumming.
Dec 14th through Dec 25th
Work 1 for a certificate or work all 12 for a Clean Sweep.
Any of the 12 Special Event call signs out of the 2 call area will have a /call area to identify the location of the operator.
If you want to know where any of the call signs are at any given time, go to Hamalert.org and download the app to your phone.
The 12 Days of Christmas 2025 Special Event Certificate link is below:
Enter the call sign you used to contact us.
There is a drop-down box for events, select 12 Days of Christmas 2025, Press Search.
A list will come up showing your contacts if you are in the log. Click “Get Certificate” to download your certificate. You can enter a comment if you wish.
http://cert.elemcoshopfloor.com/
Please DO NOT send QSL’s cards. Download Certificate Only!
Why Space Weather Matters for Radio Operators
Space (solar) weather plays a significant role in radio communication. While its most noticeable effects are often seen on HF bands, solar activity can also impact VHF, UHF, and even higher frequencies under certain conditions.
Understanding space weather helps us better predict band conditions, plan operations, and troubleshoot unusual signal behavior.
Below is a recommended video from a trusted YouTube channel that shares updates on solar activity and space weather about every two weeks. The presenter breaks down complex topics in a way that’s easy to follow and incredibly informative.
📺 Watch the latest space weather report
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to follow her channel. It’s a valuable resource for amateur radio operators at all levels!
Upcoming HF Contests
Here are a few upcoming HF contests to keep an ear out for! These events offer a great opportunity to sharpen your operating skills, test your equipment, and connect with hams across the country—and the world.
For a more comprehensive list, check out the ARRL Contest Corral in QST Magazine, available as a downloadable PDF from the ARRL website.
You can also find up-to-date contest schedules and detailed information at:
🌐 contestcalendar.com
| ARRL 10-Meter Contest | 0000Z, Dec 13 to 2400Z, Dec 14 |
| RAC Winter Contest | 0000Z-2359Z, Dec 20 |
| ARRL Rookie Roundup, CW | 1800Z-2359Z, Dec 21 |
| YOTA Contest | 1000Z-2159Z, Dec 29 |
| ARRL RTTY Roundup | 1800Z, Jan 3 to 2400Z, Jan 4 |
| ARRL Kids Day | 1800Z-2359Z, Jan 3 |
| North American QSO Party, CW | 1800Z, Jan 10 to 0559Z, Jan 11 |
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
- December Board Meeting – No December meeting, see you in January!
- EARS Licensing Testing – Saturday, January 3rd – Sign Up on License Testing page
- Edmond Siren Test – Saturday, January 3rd at 11:30am – Send email to sirens@k5eok.org
- January Mentoring Session and Training – Tuesday, January 13th at 6pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
- January Board Meeting – Tuesday, January 13th at 7pm at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell
We’d love to feature your original content! If you’ve written—or would like to write—an article, we’d be happy to include it in an upcoming issue of the EARS newsletter.
Steven Christy, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us
