Archive for the ‘ham radio’ Category
Ham Radio License Class – Monument CO
The Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association is offering an amateur radio license class that includes the Technician (beginner) license material and the General license material. You can pursue Technician, General, or both!
Starts March 1st
• Earn or upgrade your FCC Amateur Radio License.
Earn the FCC Technician license or upgrade to the FCC General license.
• Convenient online learning with personal assistance and demos.
• Learn to operate ham radio for emergency communications.
• Learn to use the many VHF/UHF FM radio repeaters in Colorado.
• License exam session included, all learning materials included.
Instruction:
• A 20-hour, paced course of study
• Initial session equipment demonstrations
• Student self-study with the Ham Radio School Technician or General License Course, includes eBook readings, Video instruction, Focused reviews and quizzes, Optional in-depth learning media, Practice exams
• One-on-one personalized support from a knowledgeable and experienced ham radio operator
• Regular review sessions for Q&A, extra help
Schedule:
• Introductory Session, In Person Sat March 1, 1-4 pm Woodmoor Barn, Monument
• Zoom Instructional Review Sessions: Thursdays 7 to 8 pm
• FCC License Examination Sat March 29, 10:30 am Monument Library
• Get On the Air Session, In Person Sat April 5, 1-4 pm Woodmoor Barn, Monument
Class registration fee: $50 Technician or General ($40 under age 18)
Register for Technician
Register for General
For questions, contact Bob Witte KØNR: b[email protected]
Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association
The post Ham Radio License Class – Monument CO appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.
VP2V/K0NR: Another Slacker DXpedition
Operating from countries outside the US can be a lot of fun. I just completed another Slacker DXpedition, this time to the British Virgin Islands. The formula for this type of operation is simple: identify an interesting vacation spot that is also considered DX, travel there with friends and family, take along some compact radio gear, and get on the air. A key point is not to overdo the radio operating, or the friends and family will veto any radio activity on future trips. This was not a super-gonzo turbo-charged DXpedition. I just worked in some radio action in between snorkeling and exploring the island. This is referred to as a “holiday style” DXpedition, or maybe it’s just the slacker approach.
VP2V British Virgin Islands
The idea for this trip originated with a group of friends who often travel together to fun places, often an island in the Caribbean. BVI had been on our list for a while, and we had a trip planned back in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to cancel it at the last minute. It has taken us some time to get a plan back together, but here we are doing the trip five years later.
When a travel opportunity like this surfaces, I check out the implications of amateur radio licensing for that country. For a US radio amateur (and probably most other countries), getting a radio license for VP2V is easy. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) website has clear instructions on how to apply. Joyce/K0JJW and I filled out a form, provided copies of our passports and FCC licenses, and paid a $20 license fee. This did require a trip to a notary public to have these documents notarized. My friend, Paul/KF9EY was on the trip so he also obtained his VP2V license.
Location
We rented a fantastic house (Ana Capri Estate) on the north side of the island of Tortola. This house has a great view out over the water. Tortola is the main island of the BVI, and international flights are available at the airport on the east end.

The Ham Station

We took along our usual portable ham station, with a few updates. Our Yaesu FT-991 has served us well for POTA, SOTA, and island activations in the past, so it is our go-to radio for this sort of operation. The key features include a 100-watt RF output, a built-in sound card for digital modes, an internal antenna tuner, and a small enough size. This radio has HF plus 6m, 2m, and 70cm, which can be handy. Add a compact Samlex switching power supply, and we are ready. Recently, we have moved away from using End-fed Halfwave (EFHW) antennas and started using an End-Fed-Random Wire (EFRW), also called an End-Fed Long Wire (EFLW). The difference is subtle but important. The EFRW uses a wire length that is intentionally not resonant on any band, fed by 9:1 UNUN matching device. This setup radiates well over a range of frequencies but does require an antenna tuner because it is not a consistent 50-ohm impedance on all bands. I’ve found this to be a reasonable tradeoff between quick-changing band coverage and performance.

For this trip, we used the Palomar Engineers Bullet-9 UNUN, rated for 500 watts PEP. A variety of wire lengths can be used with this approach, with longer wires supporting lower frequencies. The 34-foot wire element supports operating on all bands from 40m to 6m, supported by the SOTABeams Travel Mast. The Travel Mast compacts to just 26.5 inches and extends to 32 feet. Actually, I modified the top of the mast to make it stronger, so the net height is closer to 29 feet. The end-fed wire antenna is almost vertical when deployed in this manner.
In past portable efforts, I’ve encountered issues with inconsistent antenna match and RF getting back into the FT-991. I checked this out carefully before the trip and adopted some mitigation practices that seem to help. First, I made sure the wire antenna could be supported almost vertically. This is not a strict requirement but it seems to help with getting a good match across all bands. I don’t use a counterpoise, but I do have 50 feet of RG-8X coax lying on the ground, which provides a bit of counterpoise. This length of coax also lets me keep the antenna separated from the transceiver by a reasonable distance, reducing the opportunity for RF to get back into the transceiver. Finally, I use a short USB cable, with ferrite cores on both ends, to connect my notebook PC to the FT-911. In the past, the USB connection between my PC and radio sometimes quit. These precautions appear to have paid off, as the station worked without any issues.

Operating
We set up the station outdoors under a covered patio to enjoy the fantastic view and (mostly) great weather while operating. This was not optimal, as we did get chased inside a few times when rain squalls moved in. They never lasted long, so I think the tradeoff was worth it.
The propagation on the HF bands has been quite good lately, and we continued to enjoy that while in BVI. We did not have much of an operating plan (“slacker style”) but intended to operate on the higher HF bands, mostly 20m and higher, using SSB, FT8, and FT4. Bob/W0BV pointed out that VP2V is somewhat rare, showing up at number 114 on the ClubLog Most Wanted List. Sure enough, whenever we called CQ, we were greeted with a nice pileup.

My VP2V/K0NR log has 1030 contacts, including 61 DXCC entities and 23 CQ Zones. I focused mostly on keeping the run rate up and just making contacts. About half of the Qs were with the US. The logs of VP2V/K0JJW and VP2V/KF9EY are not included in these numbers. I tended to stay on the higher bands as they were working quite well.
VP2V/K0NR Log Band Phone Dig Total % 30 0 79 79 8 20 0 46 46 4 17 0 90 90 9 15 0 161 161 16 12 44 349 393 38 10 0 260 260 25 2 1 0 1 0 -- ---- --- --- -- Total 45 985 1,030 100
As you can see from the numbers above, I made a lot of digital contacts (FT8/FT4). I found FT8 to be slow, and the normal FT8 frequency became crowded. There was much less congestion on FT4, and the run rate was better, so I found that to be effective. I enjoyed the SSB pileups for a while but found it to be a challenge to manage them. While I can work CW, I did not try to manage a pileup on that mode.
I found a 2m repeater on the island 146.73 MHz (—offset, no tone) and made a few calls on it, but I did not receive a reply.
QSLs will be via Logbook of The World only. I won’t be printing cards for this effort but the logs for VP2V/K0NR and VP2V/K0JJW are already loaded into LoTW. Thanks to everyone that worked us!
British Virgin Islands
BVI was a fantastic place to vacation. During our ten days there, we enjoyed the beaches, snorkeling, and sailing excursions. If you are interested in that, there are many online tourism sites to explore.

Thanks for stopping by.
73 Bob VP2V/K0NR
The post VP2V/K0NR: Another Slacker DXpedition appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.
Special Event Station PA80OV
Radio Club Limburg
announces
Special Event Station
PA80OV
Next week, members of Radio Club Limburg (https://rclb.nl) in the North Limburg region of The Netherlands, will activate:
PA80OV is a special event station to commemorate Operation Veritable, celebrating 80 years of freedom. Operation Veritable, namesake of the station, and the successor of Operation Market Garden, was the northern part of an Allied pincer movement in the Second World War.
We are back in 2025 for the third consecutive time with this special event station; having added another 5 years to our callsign.
Members of Radio Club Limburg will activate the callsign PA80OV from February 13 to 28, 2025, to work as many amateur radio operators across the world as possible. If you're in the area, you can visit our station in the old town hall in the city of Gennep, The Netherlands between February14 and 16.
Whether you are an amateur radio operator, hoping to contact a new country, a new callsign, or you're a casual visitor, you're welcome to our website:
https://rclb.nl/pa80ov
We hope to hear and work you.
On behalf of the PA80OV team.
Jan, PA2P
https://rclb.nl/pa80ov
Operation Manna 80
A very special, special event station
SARC has been asked to participate in a large-scale special event late in April commemorating the relief efforts of the winter of 1944-45 to drop tons of food to the starving population of NW Holland. It is well described at: Operation Manna @ 80 and in the video https://youtu.be/0PwhYFdzY_Q. Amateur stations from the drop zones in Holland, air force bases in Britain, plus the Allied forces that provided aircraft and pilots, including the UK, Canada, The US, Poland and Australia will be represented by special event stations in those countries.
Three UK Teams, one at the International Bomber Command Centre, another at former RAF Binbrook (an Operation Manna Airfield in the UK) and another at the 100th Bomb Group Museum Thorpe Abbots representing the US operation Chowhound from a former Chowhound airfield.
The national Radio Scouting team (Plusscouts PA3EFR/J) will be operating from an Operation Manna drop zone near The Hague, The Netherlands. Read on for further details on this team and their radio station location at The Team in the Netherlands – Operation Manna @ 80
The stations will be active April 25-27 (Friday through Sunday) using variations of the xx80MAN callsign. Here in Canada, we will be applying for VE80MAN.
Children and youth activities will also be included and there will be activity on HF, DMR and VHF
https://manna80.radio/w p-content/uploads/2024/12/Award_new.jpg
There will be a full article in the next Communicator (March 1st)
SARC-SEPAR Winter Field Day
Winter FD was pretty good!
Five of us set up in three sites at Derby reach including Paul VE7VP and 3 newer hams (Carl, Barbara, and Elaine from the last class). John VE7TI and Summer School graduate Grace VA7LZT came out and Grace was able to work 20m for a while which was great. We only made around 60 or 70 contacts, but we were operating more casually. We had a fair number of visitors, both Ham and non-Ham.
A full report will follow in the next Communicator.
SARC Bi-weekly Bulletin
January 22, 2025
Issued during the first and third week of each month, it provides a quick reference for member activities, resources and links for the following weeks.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Creative Assistance Needed
Do you want to get to know the members of SARC/SEPAR better? Do you want to become a columnist with what is possibly the most widely read amateur radio newsletter in the world? Have we got a job for you! We are looking for a columnist to coordinate the bi-monthly “Member Profile” for the Radio-Active column of The Communicator. The task involves sending out a questionnaire to a prospective candidate and then creating a 500-1000 word story based on the answers, along with a couple of photos. You do not need to be an expert writer, and (if needed) the editors will help with syntax, spelling and grammar. If this appeals to you, please contact John VE7TI via [email protected].Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) Brochure Available
Those of us who do POTA are frequently approached by passers-by enquiring what we are doing. For this purpose, John VE7TI has created a SARC POTA brochure that can be given to those looking for additional information. The .pdf file is available for download at https://bit.ly/POTAbrochure.
10 GHz Beacon Featured in RAC Journal
You have heard about SARC’s 10 GHz activity on these pages previously, but now the beacon project has caught the attention of Dana Shtun VE3DS who writes the 10m and Down column for RAC's Canadian Amateur magazine. See page 10 of the January-February 2025 edition: https://www.rac.ca/digitaltca/. Update to the article: The beacon callsign is now VE7SAR/B and the power output 150 mW. More on 10 GHz below.
Thursday Get-on-the-Air (GOTA) Net On Hold
The GOTA net for new hams is on hold for now. We have several exciting initiatives underway to bring a new generation of ham radio operators into the hobby, including the Kwantlen Park ham radio summer school course, and a program to offer ham radio as a full-credit regular high school course. We expect to resume the net when we have a critical mass of newly certified graduates anxious to try out their radios and get comfortable making radio contacts.UPCOMING EVENTS
Meet the Royal Marines Event (Jan. 23)
The Royal Netherlands Army Signal Corp., callsign PA25MC, is organizing a
communications event on Jan. 23rd from 1100 Z to 2000 Z. PA25MC is organized and
supported by PI4VBD, the club\station of the Royal Army. Here's their official statement:
"PA25MC is on the air for just 1 day to introduce Marines to the world of ham radio. We try
to use as many HF-bands as possible in SSB. Marines are used to speaking English but
naturally [they will] keep their communications short." Look for PA25MC on the 10, 15
and 20m bands.
ARRL Winter Field Day (Jan. 25-26)
WFD is designed to help increase your level of preparedness and operating skills for disasters in winter environments, which present unique operating conditions. It has been suggested that SARC and SEPAR members deploy the SEPAR trailer for this event. Please respond to this email if interested.BC QSO Party (Feb. 1-2)
A team has been assembled to challenge the BCQP. We plan to operate two radios, CW on one and SSB on the other, both at 1 kw. The contest runs from 8 am to 8 pm Saturday and 8 am to 4 pm Sunday. If you have never contested before, you may choose to monitor or team up with an experienced operator who will help you get started. Let's see if we can beat last year's score of 1858 Qs and 1,842,308 points which got us the Top BC Multi-Op award. Check out contest details at: Orca DX and Contest Club -- BCQP Home Page.
Winlink Coaching (Saturday mornings with Horace by prior arrangement)
In follow-up to the Winlink workshop held in December, Horace VA7XHB will be available on Saturday mornings to assist members in setting up Winlink. If interested, contact Horace at [email protected] with your name, callsign, make and model of radio and interface.Related Item… SARC now has two Winlink Gateways
One is at Surrey Firehall One using callsign VE7HME-10 on 145.710 MHz and a second is on Concord tower at 100th Ave and King George Blvd using callsign VE7ADQ-10 on 145.770 MHz. Packet 1200 Baud and VARA FM Wide capable.Every Saturday Morning (except when other scheduled events conflict)
Members, spouses and prospective members are invited to join the SARC Breakfast social every Saturday morning from 7 to 9:30 am at Denny's Restaurant 6850 King George Blvd, followed by Operations & Training Centre ("OTC") activation from 9:30 am to noon at 5756 142 St. Surrey. At the OTC you may get help with your radio issues, operate the station radios including satellite station, participate in contests, write the exam, or join in workshops and training. Or just engage in friendly discussion with your fellow hams.SARC Official Calendar
Your official reference for dates and times of events is the SARC Google Calendar, which is updated as details change, so please check the homepage on the SARC website: www.ve7sar.net.NETS & REPEATERS
Tuesday Nets
Join the SEPAR net every Tuesday at 7:30 pm and the SARC net at 8 pm on either of the repeaters: North repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 110.9 Hz and South repeater is on 147.360 MHz tone 103.5 Hz. IRLP and Echolink are only available on the North repeater.Sunday Monthly 220 MHz Net (next one is Jan. 26)
Join the 220 MHz net taking place at 7:30 pm on the last Sunday of every month on VE7RSC repeater 223.960 MHz -1.6MHz tone 110.9 Hz, with net control, Shawn VE7BD. This is not a "chat" net – just check in, exchange signal reports, and get on with your evening.Yaesu System Fusion (YSF) repeater 443.775 MHz+ tone 110.9Hz
This repeater is connected full-time to CQ-Canada (VE1AO) room 40678 – home to the Cross Canada C4FM Weekly Net on Wednesday 6 pm PST or 0200 UTC. Located on the Concord high-rise in Surrey, it is one of the few System Fusion repeaters in BC that is WIRES-X capable (i.e. it connects to the Internet). Using your Yaesu C4FM radio, you can use this repeater to talk to the world. It is connected to the highly fault-tolerant BC WARN Internet system, which is designed to remain operational during most internet outages. Familiarity with WIRES-X on our YSF repeater can play a crucial role in emergency preparedness.Net Reminders
"Net reminders" for those running or participating in various nets are automatically sent out by AdvancedAmateur.ca. If you are forgetful like me, you may want to receive reminders by signing up at Net Reminders.PROJECTS AND AD-HOC GROUPS
Satellite Station Project
Dino VE7NX is available to coach those who wish to learn how to make satellite contacts using SARC's new satellite station. Contact Dino [email protected] or reply to this email if you would like to learn more.Innovation Dept: 50 MHz and Up
As reported earlier, SARC's 10 GHz beacon VE7SAR/B running 150 mW is in continuous operation from our repeater site on Concord tower in Surrey. Dino VE7NX has promised to help members who would like to assemble suitable equipment to monitor the beacon.We can also report that last weekend, during the ARRL VHF 6m and above contest a successful 4-way 10 GHz CW contact was made between Scott VA7SC at Crescent Beach, Dino VE7NX at Boundary Bay, Mark VE7AFZ in Burnaby and Kirk VA7RKM on the Malahat Hwy north of Victoria. This was accomplished by bouncing signals off the North Shore mountains and tall buildings in Burnaby. The longest path was about 130 km.
Members Slava VE7LWW and Les VA7OM are working to construct their own 10 GHz equipment and hope to be operating soon.
What's next? Stay tuned for announcements about a 6m beacon and 24 GHz beacon, both of which are under construction and testing by Dino VE7NX and Scott VA7SC.
Contesting Group
To participate in scheduled contests, or if you wish to operate the club station radios on your own time, please reply to [email protected]. Coaching will be provided as needed. See WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home for a complete list of available contests. Next big one is the British Columbia QSO Party on Feb. 1-2 (see Upcoming Events above for more information).IC-7300/IC-9700 Special Interest Group
This group is hosted by John Schouten VE7TI, with the most recent update on pp 37-41 of the January-February 2025 Communicator.Do You Want to Learn CW?
Check out the Long Island CW Club, which has a comprehensive and highly-regarded on-line program for learning CW and how to get comfortable using it: https://longislandcwclub.org/#.Vancouver Area Frequency List
Reg VA7ZEB has created a Vancouver Area Frequency List, which is a vetted list of useful frequencies across several services including Amateur, EmComm, Broadcast, Weather, LADD, Regional Road, FRS/GMRS, Railway, Airband and Marine. It can be easily downloaded in Generic CSV, Chirp and RT Systems format, or you can download it in PDF format for printing.Incoming QSL Bureau
Any member wishing to receive in-coming QSL cards should send Ken VE7BC an email at [email protected] or call/text him at 604-816-5775 and the cards will be collected for local distribution by Shawn VE7BD. Or, if you are simply wondering if Ken has any cards for you, please contact him.Download the January-February Communicator in LARGE or SMALL format, or read it on-line like a magazine.
Free VE7DXE Advanced Certification Course: [email protected]
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Advanced Certification Course
Please contact the course instructor Dave Goodwin, VE3KG, at [email protected] for information on how to register for RAC’s Advanced course.
Link to SARC’s Basic Ham Class Overview:
Welcome to our courses.pdf - Google Drive. The current course commenced Jan. 6, 2025 with 33 students registered.
ARRL Asks Hams to Send Radiograms via the Web
In a recent issue of the National Traffic System (NTS) Letter, the ARRL encouraged amateur radio operators to utilize the Radiogram portal on the web to submit free messages to friends and family. The link takes you to a webpage where you enter the particulars for sender and recipient, select a message and operators in the NTS will send it on to the recipient. Sending Radiograms helps volunteers hone their skills in preparation for emergencies. What happens next? A volunteer, FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operator will pick up your message from this web site and then send it, by Amateur Radio, over the air to other volunteers in the National Traffic System. The message will be received by a ham who lives in or near your recipient's city. Then, the message will be delivered in person or by telephone. For more information about The National Traffic System and traffic handling visit: https://nts2.arrl.org/training/. A typical sent message reads as follows:
From: JOHN SCHOUTEN
To: FRED SMITH
1234 ANY STREET
SURREY BC V0P 1R9
604 123 1234
[email protected]
WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. ALL THE BEST,
JOHN SCHOUTEN
WANTED OR FOR SALE BY MEMBERS
Monty VA7MMW is still looking for a female connector like the one shown for his Yaesu FT-101B. It is a CINCH JONES S-312-CCT POWER SOCKET 12PIN. If you can help Monty please contact him at [email protected].
73,
SARC on 24 GHz!
Believed the first in BC
On Jan 22, 2025 at 14:30 pm local time, two members of the Surrey Amateur Radio Communications Society completed what is believed to be the first 24 GHz terrestrial contact in BC.
Scott VA7SC was in grid CN89nb at Crescent Beach and Dino VE7NX was in CN89ic at Boundary Bay, approximately 10 km distant. Scott was transmitting just 1 mW using a mixer and local oscillator into a 24" dish with shepherd's crook. Dino was using a Wavelab module delivering 80 mW output with controller and 12" dish. SSB signals were loud and clear. Antenna orientation was critical, and with a few degrees off-target the signal was gone.
We fully acknowledge and thank Hugh VA3TO and Peter VA3ELE for their assistance in making this a reality.
There's a video at https://youtube.com/shorts/PzVmCyqCIJY