In case you missed it…
There were 41 at the last TARC meeting on September 19th and it was a meeting packed with lots of good stuff! We sort of semi-wrapped up Route 66 on the Air. Since it had just ended the previous Sunday, by the meeting on Tuesday not all the logs were in and results had not been tallied, however, preliminary results showed that there were over 1,800 contacts made. The final results will be shared at the October meeting.
Andrew W5AWS wrote an e-mail to David Minster NA2AA, the Chief Executive Officer of the ARRL in response to David’s lead article in the October edition of QST.
Andrew wrote the following:
David,
Thank you for your lead article in the October edition
of QST, particularly the fourth paragraph.
The Tulsa Amateur Radio Club has grown significantly
over the last five years. A big problem for new
hams is getting the help and direction they need to get
started. Ham radio is a vast subject that makes it difficult
to know what to do or where to turn. As a club,
we take action to encourage newcomers and to be inclusive.
We now provide bimonthly test sessions, in conjunction
with which we advertise a free one-year Tulsa
Amateur Radio Club membership to anyone passing
their technician license exam. Our youngest new ham
last year was ten years old.
Any successful technician teste who is under the age
of eighteen receives a free handheld transceiver, programmed
with the local repeater frequencies. If there
are several young person’s passing the exam session,
we enter their names into a drawing for a free HT.
Periodically, we receive email inquiries to the club
officers through our website www.w5ias.com.
Since I am the club secretary, I make sure that I reply
promptly with information to any legitimate inquiry,
in particular with a link to our explanation of how to
become a ham radio operator:
https://drive.proton.me/
urls/8FB0DQFAGW#hdSqoSRskvFa
We have also instituted regular events that we call
Ham Radio University during which we discuss aspects
of operating on different bands and other topics.
Part of each seminar is devoted to just answering
questions from participants.
We are present at local bicycling events, providing
safety and support to the riders:
In recent years, we were present at the annual
Maker Faire. Here is a short video tour of the
2023 Maker Faire in Tulsa. Tulsa. At the three-minute
mark, our club makes a brief appearance showing
the inside of our communications trailer and
David, K5TZS, getting young visitors on the air
talking to another operator elsewhere on the local
VHF repeater.
Each participant received a certificate of accomplishment:
Each Tuesday evening we conduct a club net on
our UHF Superlink system that links sixteen repeaters
covering northeastern Oklahoma, southeast
Kansas, and northwest Arkansas, except the
third Tuesday of the month. That is our in-person
meeting. During the net, we discuss topics of interest
to the ham radio community and give other
clubs within the service area a chance to advertise
their club activities.
Most recently, we started a Monday night Nervous
Novice Net at 7 p.m.
on 7.037 MHz to encourage prospective CW operators
to take the plunge and get on the air in
real conditions. Speed is 10 wpm. We have two
experienced ops who act as net control and a
script, an example of which you can see here:
https://drive.proton.me/
urls/3A2S54RC0R#JTRM0CdsaqaV
That script was for last week that we didn’t follow.
Instead, we operated as W6L in contest conditions.
Us nervous novices got in first before we
were spotted and the pile-up ensued. CW can cut
through S9+ noise on a mag loop antenna inside
a city residence at QRP power levels; it is also an
inclusive mode by default because there is no telling
who is on the other end of a contact — could
be space aliens for all we know.
As a club, we voted to build HF go-boxes that
club members can check- out from the club quartermaster
to take with them on portable
activities:
We are also in process of starting a YL/XYL net where participants can support and encourage each other. Bottom line is that clubs are where the action is, with the engagement we need to support newcomers and sustain interest in amateur radio in a welcoming, friendly, safe, and inclusive environment.
Regards,
Andrew, W5AWS, TARC Secretary.
cc: Mark, WA5MA, TARC President.
And David’s response:
Andrew,
Thanks for your detailed and passionate email!
I am going to share this with the team at ARRL.
Congratulations on a job well done!
Very 73.
David, NA2AA
As I read Andrew’s letter at the meeting, it was an opportunity to thank those individuals for stepping up to lead each club activity and as you just read, there were a lot of thank you’s going round!!!
Thanks Andrew for an amazing article and how you’ve shared your passion for the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club and Amateur Radio!
Wrap up the DamJam and MS100 Bike Rides…
Paul WB5ANX said that each year our club supports six bike events, of which the Dam JAM covers the largest area and the most challenging geography for radio communications. This year, the Dam JAM enjoyed the support of twenty-five ham radio operators who served as safety observers, drove Safety And Support vehicles, ride-alongs, or, new for this year, drive-along where the trainer drove while the experienced operator gave instructions and handled communications. Paul also said that this year was the first time we employed mobile digipeaters, which worked as planned. Previously, Paul said that if mobile digipeaters didn’t do any good then that would be the last we heard of them; so it seems that mobile digipeating is successful. Paul said that generally,
everything went well, and expressed appreciation for the operators involved who volunteered their time and expertise. Paul KE5EHM said that the MS100 went well and that the club covered the area from Avant to Bartlesville. Bob, W5RAB, interjected saying that the MS100 is very well-organized.
Dave W5PPA presented info regarding the Scouting Jamboree On The Air (JOTA).
David distributed a JOTA flyer, a copy of which you can download via this URL: https://tinyurl.com/22sbfyyh David said that he has been involved with the Scouting program for a very long time, but only recently became a licensed ham radio operator. He is the organizer of the JOTA 2023 that will happen on Saturday, 21 October 2023 at the Jack Graves Scout Reservation from 0900 hrs
until 1500 hrs in Broken Arrow, which is located at 101st & County Line Road.
This being his first major event as the lead ham radio operator, all help is desired and welcome. So, step up and lend a hand by contacting him by telephone at 918-645-2095 or via email at
dave.medrick@cox.net. From the floor Jeff AE5ME, volunteered to assist during the event.
We’re trying something new…
Introducing the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club YL Group! There’s a part of this great hobby for everyone and one part that we’ve missed has been a YL Group. I’ve had conversations with Linda
KI5VYF and Megan K5MEM as well as some others and they think it’s a wonderful idea and so do I. So…I’m asking club members and others for a show of interest and to let you know that we will
be discussing the YL Group at the next TARC meeting on October 17th at 7 PM at Tulsa University’s Keplinger Hall Room 3140. We would love to have all the YL’s show up and help us put this together!!! We’re already working on some activities!!! If you have any questions or concerns…or any ideas for the new YL Group please let me know and we hope to see you on the 17th. My e-mail is wa5ma.mark@gmail.com or call me at 918 845 7606
Something else that’s new… TARC now has an HF Go Box and it’s really a nice setup. It was demo’d at the September meeting and we’ll also have it out at the October meeting. The Nervous Novice CW Net is going strong and growing… Ky KY5VAR said that the net is going well and that yesterday we had a check-in from W5GUS in Dallas, and that it is a boon for those wanting to get into operating on CW. W5AWS interjected that we’ve also had an op from Pacific, MO, check-in, and that despite the noise, Andrew W5AWS was able to hear everyone on the net, all this with a QRP rig into a mag loop antenna inside a house. Ky encouraged anyone with even a mild interest in CW to join the Nervous Novice Net on Monday evenings at 1900 hrs on 7.037 MHz. Speed is 10 wpm but ops will adjust to accommodate any speed around that number.
Check it out on Monday evenings at 7 PM on 7.037 +/- QRM.
Paul WB5ANX said that the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is scheduled for 7 October 2023 and that interested operators should check-in to the Thursday night ARES net, details for which you can find on the Oklahoma ARES web-site at this URL:
https://aresok.org/
Do you Know someone who would like to get their Ham license or upgrade to General or Extra…
Your chance is coming up on October 7th, 10 AM at TU’s Keplinger Hall Room 3140 (same location as our monthly club meetings). David N5DMK and the TARC VE team do a fantastic job of running the exam sessions and can have you in and out with a new license or upgrade in about 2 hours.
If you miss this one your next chance to attend a
TARC license exam session will be in 2024!
Start studying today!!!
Do you like the new TARC badge? See Andrew W5AWS and bring $2.00.
During severe weather monitor the Superlink Repeater System… As we’ve seen recently, storms and strong winds can be here year-round, so please monitor the Superlink System for the W5IAS Weather Watch when severe weather is forecast. Frequencies for the repeater in your area can be found at W5IAS.com, click on Repeaters and scroll down to TARC: Wide-Area Link System.
Coming to the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club in
2024…
2024 will be the 100 year anniversary of the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club. It’s just a few months away so we can start planning now. It’ll be here before you know it! Got any ideas about how we can celebrate? Maybe a special event station? Ham banquet? What’s your idea? We’re still looking for Net Control Operators and Loggers for the Tuesday night TARC Net.
To save time we’re using NetLogger more now for check ins so if you’d like to give it a try let us know and we’ll be happy to show you how easy it s and how you can help your club stay strong and
active. Start small and when you feel comfortable, move on up to other duties. No pressure…just fun doing ham radio! Thanks going out to those currently doing the logging and Net Control! The Tuesday TARC Net is going strong… We’re averaging 40 check-ins between NetLogger and over-the-air check-ins. We give signal reports, answer ham-related questions, give announcements of upcoming ham radio events and activities and we even have time for some trivia!
Both, Ian KC9THI and Grant KC1KCE are doing a great job as net control!
Speaking of the Tuesday Net… Don’t forget about Club Spotlight! If you belong to a club and have an event coming up, you need operators for an event, you have a hamfest or just want to talk about your club or your station, you can have 5 – 10 minutes on the Tuesday net to reach anyone listening on the SuperLink Repeater System. Just let us know, it’s that simple.
Every month is a contest month…
Pick a Contest…any Contest! Go to ARRL.com, click Contest Calendar, scroll to Contest Corral, click on the month you want to check.
Try POTA or SOTA! Call CQ! Go to a local park, throw up a wire and get on the air!
Use the new TARC HF Go Box!!!
Upcoming events…
We’re still working on a date and topics for the next Ham University. Stay tuned!
If you’ve read this far…
in the TARC Newsletter, thank you! I try to make it interesting reading and give lots of important club information on past and future activities. Maybe you’ve seen a recurring theme in this newsletter about volunteers volunteering their time, experience, and knowledge to help others in the club who are just starting out or returning to the hobby after a long absence. Many things are new, and many things have changed over the years. We have over 175 members with different interests, and we need your help to keep that interest alive and the club growing!
As was said earlier in the newsletter, all the club activity shows that there is a lot happening with TARC and that the club depends on its members to exist and thrive.
Send me an e-mail with your interest and how you’d like to help your fellow hams at wa5ma.mark@gmail.com, and have some fun yourself!
The next regular meeting…
of the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club will be October
17th at 7 PM at TU’s Keplinger Hall Room 3140.
See you there!
Be safe, Be a good friend, Get on the air!
Mark WA5MA
President – Tulsa Amateur Radio Club