| KC9ROI Presents at Dayton Hamvention 2013 |
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| May 18, 2013 - Ben KC9ROI and his father Steve NØXC pose for a picture just after Ben's "satellite" presentation at the Radio Club of America's "youth forum." Ben received the personalized Icom knapsack he's holding and other gifts including a new HT. His presentation was delivered to a packed assembly hall in front of hams from around the world, other ham-youth and their parents. |
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| May 18, 2013 - Participants of the Dayton Hamvention 2013 Youth Forum included PCARA member Ben KC9ROI (back row middle). His "Getting Started with Amateur Radio Satellites" provided an overview of the FM sats, and his experience with ARISSat-1. All of the youth presenters gave excellent orations augmented by photos and video supporting their topics. Prizes were awarded afterward by Ray Novak N9JA of Icom, Gordon West WB9NOA and MFJ Enterprises. |
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| KC9ROI QSL K8YSE at Dayton Hamvention! |
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| May 17, 2013 - Ben KC9ROI met with John K8YSE and exchanged QSL cards of their Satellite QSO from earlier this month. It was Ben's first QSO via a satellite. Meeting up with your first QSO of any type is special, but meeting them at the Dayton Hamvention brings it's own special meaning. |
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| PCARA Members at Dayton Hamvention 2013 |
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| May 17, 2013 - Ben KC9ROI, Greg N9CHA and Steve NØXC met up at the 2013 Dayton Hamvention on Friday. Ben and his father Steve arrived in the flea market and found Greg helping sell items with friends of his who had several table spaces. Ben will be presenting "An Introduction to Amateur Radio Satellites" on Saturday during the Youth Forum. Friday started out muggy and foggy, cleared by mid-day and by 2:00 pm full sun bathed the festers. |
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| PCARA Member Supports Gary ARISS Contact |
Photo: John J. Watkins - Northwest Indiana Times |
May 8, 2013 - An ARISS contact between students from the Gary, IN school district and Cmdr. Thomas Marshburn aboard the International Space Station was achieved with help from PCARA club member and ARISS Mentor, Greg N9CHA. Roy Gillis KC9JQN organized the ham radio effort with support from ARISS Mentor John AG9D. Chuck WD9GWG, Rick W9WS and Steve NØXC reported hearing the downlink. Members from the Lake County Amateur Radio Club provided their support as well. 16 students in grades 4 thru 12 were selected to ask questions.
Audio files can be downloaded HERE. |
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| W9WS "Adventurer" Restoration Project |
Photos: Rick W9WS |
| April 26, 2013 - Restoring a 1950's vintage transmitter can be a rewarding challenge as well as a good technical adventure. Rick W9WS worked on this EF Johnson Adventurer which belonged to John NØTCN. The TX was sold as an 80 - 10 meter kit and competed with the Heathkit AT-1, DX-20, Globe Scout and Globe Champ. This CW only rig was marketed as a 50 watt transmitter, but in actual use it is capable of putting out 25 to 35 watts depending on the band. In 1954-1963 you could purchase the kit for $54.95 or spend a little extra, $69.95 to have it delivered to you factory assembled. Today they range in price from $75 to $200 depending on condition. |
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| April 26, 2013 - The EF Johnson Adventurer transmitter utilizes a 6AG7 tube in the oscillator. A crystal is used for frequency selection. The power output tube is the venerable 807 running a B+ of 665 VDC. This was a very popular transmitter for Novice class operators of the time since it was limited to 75 watts input, a requirement of that age. The Adventurer uses what is referred to as an "MPOA" configuration; master oscillator power amplifier. |
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| April 26, 2013 - Rick W9WS replaced most all of the components and cleaned the chassis, front panel and rebuilt the front meter. He reports finding several "fried" components on the AC side of the circuit. He is looking for a 40 meter crystal to see if the oscillator is working properly. (Thanks to Dale W9DKB for the historical & technical data.) |
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| UHF Repeater IRLP 3443 On Air |
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| April 7, 2013 - The photo above is a close up of the Raspberry Pi computer being used to run the clubs new IRLP Node 3443. The UHF repeater is currently running at a test location waiting for permanent installation at the clubs repeater site. More information about the repeater and IRLP use can be found HERE. |
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| Polk Hams Support Washburn Disaster Drill |
Photo: Rick W9WS |
| February 28, 2013 - ARES/RACES Northwest Wisconsin District Emergency Coordinator, Chris KC9NVV and Washburn County Emergency Coordinator Kris KB9KRH discuss communication resources during the disaster drill test. The EOC in Spooner, Wisconsin was staffed by public service employees, Sheriff department officers, community volunteers and amateur radio operators. The disaster scenario was defined as an area 1.5 miles in radius within the city of Minong where an ammonia leak was discovered coming from a local snack food company. The drill started at 1pm Thursday and concluded by 5pm. PCARA members included Chris KC9NVV, Rick W9WS and Tom KC9UWA. For more information and additional photos, navigate to the ARES/RACES page. |
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