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Race
N5JLB

Last weekend's ARRL Field Day got me thinking about doing a field day in much cooler weather. I mean, disasters can happen in winter, too, right?

Not everyone may know there is an organization that promotes a preparedness exercise each winter. I'm wondering if anyone else is interested in doing some radio contesting outside without sweltering in the Texas heat.

The next Winter Field Day is scheduled for 30/31 Jan, 2021. I would love to hear some ideas about location, activities, gear.

For more info re: winter field day, check here

Discuss!
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Race (Jack)//N5JLB
N5JLB

Excellent idea!?

I offer up Redawg Ranch. I have 2 acres up front with a large covered patio (size of a single wide trailer) with electricity, bbq, and tables. Also in vicinitiy is a heated/cooled cabin with kitchen and restroom. If you want more remote, head down pasture and hang with the cattle.

There is plenty of room for those who want to bring own power and those that need to plug in.?

Ranch is located between Seguin and La Vernia. It is about a 35 minutes drive from Fort Sam Houston. Search for Redawg Ranch on Google maps for precise location.?

If all goes well, we will also have 3.5 acre homestead across street with additional room and two more restrooms, etc.
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Bob Dole, N2MOO (Moderator)

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I would love to participate in this event.? Although this is a little ways out, I would support it.? I like the idea of cooler weather as well.

Doug

N8IQT

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Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator

Bob,

That sounds perfect! As Doug mentioned, it's still months away, but I'm feeling kinda excited as I think about this.

Maybe even some hands-on training opportunities along the way. Maybe a good excuse to get together a few interested people to build a portable dipole antenna or a Yagi antenna for V/UHF. Sorry, just spewing ideas as they come to me.
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Race (Jack)//N5JLB

Sounds great. Count me in. This would be my first field day

Jack,?

As a newly license Ham, i love the idea of training opportunities. I truly need time to just watch how folks QSO or DX.?
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Dr. Bob Dole, N2MOO (Moderator)

I was chatting with Paul today and he mentioned camping at the ranch. I fully support this but would need contributions to rent a port-a-potty for those necessary times.?

I might also need people to sign non liability waivers. I am covered under the Agritourism act, but....
--
Dr. Bob Dole, N2MOO (Moderator)

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Hello,

SADRC made many improvement on our network this year!? We recently purchased and installed an 8000 BTU AC unit to protect and keeping our equipment and network operating efficiently. ? Our operating temperatures prior to the AC unit exceeded in excess of 120 degrees in the room itself not including the internal operating temperature of the equipment.? This high heat led to early component failure of our Astron power supply's, Sinclair Duplexers, and old DR1 Repeaters etc. We traded in our DR1X repeaters and? purchased Two (2) brand new DR2 repeaters late last year. The AC unit is required in order to protect our investment while maintaining efficiency of the network. The equipment is operating very cool and the equipment is performing really well.

Solar or Back Up Power

I have not discussed this with all club officers, however, the Kendall Amateur Radio Society (KARS group) that is connected to SADRC is setting up a battery backup along with solar panels to operate their 444.900 in Boerne.? I will stay in touch with this group to learn more and conduct a feasibility study to see if we in time could get a grant to run on Solar or backup battery.

Emergency FM Cross Band Link

We? recently moved our 146.780 into AMS mode.? This means our repeater is capable of operating on FM with a PL of 114.8.? Please do not use the repeater on FM unless we are in an emergency situation.? If needed during an emergency and we lost internet, we would switch to FM and connect with Boerne repeater on 444.900 to expand coverage. They purchased a cross-band radio to link between their 444.900 and our 146.780 on FM.?? I personally own a 5,000 watt generator that could be put on site within an hour for an extended emergency to power the main repeater as well as our 442.750 and 147.160.

146.780 Repeater - This repeater has coverage with a high gain mobile antenna to Kyle South of Austin, SW past Castroville on I90, South to Pleasanton, North to Blanco county, and NW past Boerne.? The antenna is a Hustler G7 with a? 6DBd gain Omni designed coverage intended for long range communication.? It does not have incorporate a 2% down-tilt that many commercial antenna's incorporate in order to enhance HT close coverage. This results in low power signals with a low elevation/and low gain not necessarily always hitting the repeater.? You may need to consider using a higher gain HT antenna or outdoor antenna if you are not solid.?

We are exploring a front end Filter that would limit the receiver to only see signals on the input of 146.180 and then adding a pre-amp and Pre-Selector. The front end Pre-Selector/Cavity is difficult to find but I am looking for one.? We recently purchased a new pre-amp for this repeater but with the Yaesu receiver being extremely wide on the front end, the pre-amp currently increases signals but the noise to ratio figure is not providing an improvement. When we find a Pre-Selector, we will retest this to see if we see an improvement.

443.200 Repeater

We are currently operating at 50 watts - minus duplexer loss =32 watts to the antenna.? We are using a Hustler G6 at 6Dbd gain antenna here as well.? We will be reinstalling our Henry amplifier with new cables and should see about 85 watts output.? The repeater is currently out receiving the transmitter mainly as we have a pre-selector and pre-amp in line.? I anticipate the amplifier to be on line by the end of July pending the new cables to be custom made and delivered.? Coverage area matches the 146.780 generally speaking but not as good in the hill country as our 2M machine.

Grounding

We have the grounding hardware required and need to ground all of the equipment inside the rack.? With Covid, some of these activities have taken a back side but are important.

Relocating of Repeaters

I am trying to relocate two of my (N8IQT)? repeaters to the following areas potentially:? I am working on 2 different opportunities near Canyon Lake that would provide coverage on 281 into Blanco county, Canyon Lake, and New Braunfels.? Costs associated with this project on outside of the scope of the "Gifts of Money" for our 2 repeaters.

We are also exploring a repeater site near Sea World but we do not have any monies in our budget to allow for thus unless we can find a free site.? John W5NZK is willing to relocate his repeater where it makes sense but he would require full access to the site as I do.? His repeater currently operates on 441.8125 in Live Oak.? Low profile right now as he is doing construction work on his property and the antenna is lowered to 15 feet.

Louis K5UUT is still working to obtain a site in Round Rock, TX located on a 380 foot tower.? This would cover North to Waco and South to Buda providing coverage several hundred miles with our network.? His repeater also operates on 147.160 same as mine (Doug N8IQT here in SA)

Keep in mind that the K0BRN repeater in Watauga, a suburb of Fort Worth is connected as well on 145.270.? There are discussions of enhancing or adding another repeater in the DFW area.? Their are no formal plans but this is in exploration mode at this time.

I hope this provides a good overview that we would normally cover in our quarterly meetings.

73

Doug

N8IQT

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Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator

Great information, Doug. Thanks for all you and your partners do!
--
Dr. Bob Dole, N2MOO (Moderator)

Hello,

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July weekend with friends and family!

San Antonio Digital Radio Club (SADRC)



--
Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator

I would be grateful for any advice on best way to run antenna cable from inside to outside of house with minimal damage to house. I have stone exterior.?

Thanks,
--
Dr. Bob Dole, N2MOO (Moderator)

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--
Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator

--
Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator

MNWis FUSION Technical Net 443.200

When:
Monday, 29 June 2020
7:30pm to 8:30pm
(UTC-05:00) America/Chicago
Repeats: Weekly on Monday

Where:
443.200 WS5DRC Repeater

Organizer: MNWis

Description:

MNWis FUSION Technical Net 443.200

When:
Monday, 29 June 2020
7:30pm to 9:00pm
(UTC-05:00) America/Chicago
Repeats: Weekly on Monday

Where:
443.200 WS5DRC Repeater

Organizer: MNWis

Description:

MNWis FUSION Technical Net 443.200

When:
Monday, 29 June 2020
7:30pm to 9:00pm
(UTC-07:00) America/Los Angeles
Repeats: Weekly on Monday

Where:
443.200 WS5DRC Repeater

Organizer: MNWis

Description:

开云体育

Hello,

The 1st QSO Virtual Ham expo is taking place the weekend of August 8th and 9th.? I am not real familiar with this event but it looks interesting and worth while exploring.? It says attendance is free but I would imagine different events have a cost.? I love to continue to learn about the art of amateur radio.? See below for your consideration.

The first , which takes place the weekend of August 8 - 9, has confirmed what it's calling "a packed lineup of over 70 great speakers" for the ARRL-sanctioned event. Attendance is free and is open.

Presentations will cover a range of topics, with two tracks focused on providing hands-on, practical advice for those just getting started in amateur radio. Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, will demonstrate basic soldering techniques for repairing equipment and building projects. Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, will offer an overview of common battery types, discussing the pros and cons of each -- including battery chemistry, common uses and misuses, and everyday application tips.

For experienced operators, topics will cover new techniques, equipment upgrading, 3D printing, and more. Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, will attempt to answer the question, "Is 3 dB Worth a Divorce?" and cover a wide range of antenna topics. Jim Veatch, WA2EUJ, will explain how to build a QRP radio. In his presentation, "The Slot Antenna -- Undiscovered Country for Most Hams," John Portune, W6NBC, will demonstrate how a satellite TV dish can be "slotted" to make an effective outdoor 2-meter or UHF antenna for use in antenna-restricted neighborhoods.

Prominent youth educator Carole Perry, WB2MGP, will moderate a lineup featuring amateur radio's future leaders. Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, will speak on "Getting Girls Involved in STEM, Specifically Amateur Radio!", while hot-air ballooning will be the focus of a talk by Jack McElroy, KM4ZIA, "Highly Flying Kids with HAB."

QSO Today's Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, says that one challenge to any ham radio convention, whether in person or virtual, is keeping the content of presentations from becoming overly complicated and overwhelming. "For our inaugural virtual Expo, we've made sure that there are great speakers for both beginners and experienced hams," Guth said. "We've asked all of our speakers to be laser focused on their topics while providing hands-on, practical advice." Each presentation will wrap up with a live question-and-answer session.

For more information or to register, visit the website. Attendance is free, and there are early bird prize incentives for registering by July 24.???

--
Doug Svitchan,
N8IQT
SADRC Administrator