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PPRAA MegaFest raffle winners announced
Finally...!
- Grand Prize: HF Go Kit (Icom IC-705/Backback/Chameleon Antenna) (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Joshua Moore, WG6C (#10737)
- Second Prize: Icom IC-52A VHF/UHF Dual Band D-Star Transceiver (with RT Systems programming kit) (Donated by CMRG) ¨C Hans Post, KF0LAX (#5078)
- Third Prize: Icom ID-5100A Dual Band Mobile (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Jay Burnham, KB0MPF (#1812)
- Fourth Prize: LDG AT-1000ProII Antenna Tuner ¨C Dean Buckhouse, KB0VVA (#4751)
- Fifth Prize: Yaesu FTM-300R Mobile Transceiver (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Rob Roller, N7LV (#10171)
- Sixth Prize: Icom ID-50A Handheld Transceiver (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Chuck Lucas, WG5X (#1100)
- Seventh Prize: Anytone AT-D878UVII-Plus DMR Handheld (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Jim Gibson, KS4F (#7144)
- Eighth Prize: Powerwerx Pwrbox-10 Mini Portable Power Box ¨C Michael Scott, KF0LWE (#5008)
- Ninth Prize:?Yaeu FT-70DR Dual Band Handheld Transceiver (with RT Systems programming kit) ¨C Kathy Wildmand, AE0UX (#3674)
- Tenth Prize: Samlex SEC-1235M Power Supply w/meter ¨C Jonathan Cotten, AG5HV (#10511)
- Eleventh Prize: Zum Radio Mini 1.3 Mini UHF Hotspot ¨C Phebe Swope, K1PCS (#180)
- Twelfth Prize: Powerwerx Powerpole Case 150 Piece assorted ¨C Jeremy Broin, KF0PVI (#6539)
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--------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Reminder- TechConnect Radio Club Meeting. Aug 3 at 10 AM
Hi Everyone.
The next 285 TechConnect Radio Club meeting will be held on Saturday, August 3, 10AM, at the Bridge Church at Bear Creek, North of Hwy 285 & Kipling. We have coffee & doughnuts at 9:30 so come early for the best seats.
We will try something new for the August meeting.? We will be making one or two projects to take home.? Both will make use of your soldering skills, but using different methods.
Larry Wein (K0NA) with lead a demo project on using surface mount technology and Corey McDonald (N5YCO) will lead a project building a 2 band HT flexible antenna.? There will be a limited number of HT antenna kits and we are asking for a $12 dollar contribution (how about rounding up to $15 and anything left over will be donated to the club?).? That would be about half the cost of purchasing a "super flexible signal stick" antenna.? We are looking for a strong turn out to see if we want to do more complex projects in the future.
The meeting is in the 2nd floor conference room at the Church, near Hwy 285 and Kipling. The door code is 28582#. Someone should be monitoring 146.520 if anyone has trouble getting in. See the club website <> for complete directions to the church. Please park on the West side and enter through the West-side door. Stairs will be on your right, and an elevator is available.
Looking forward to seeing everyone.
73,
Tony Montoya
K0mcw NA0TC Program Coordinator
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This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
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Re: Neat news article on amateur radio
Excellent article! I wonder how many of the 19,629 licensed hams in Colorado are actually active in the hobby. If I had to guess, probably 10%. We definitely need to focus on getting inactive hams back into the hobby as well as recruiting new ones. Articles like that are great--we need more of them.
?
Speaking of which--anyone out there willing to step up and take on the club PR and/or events coordinator roles?
?
73,
?
Mark
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--------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Neat news article on amateur radio
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Re: Can't hit Brandmeister TGs with new hotspot
Wow! On your motorcycle? That's cool and a little bit frightening. :-)
?
Ride safe and 73,
?
Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Re: Can't hit Brandmeister TGs with new hotspot
Thanks for checking with me, Mark. ?It was pretty frustrating for a couple of days until SharkRF support told me how to fix it with one click on the programming website. ?Everything is working great now. ?I¡¯m even using it on my motorcycle.
Best, Bill
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On Jul 11, 2024, at 10:27?AM, Mark Ehr | K0EHR via groups.io <mark@...> wrote:
Hey Bill, I just noticed that you didn't get any responses to this. Are you still having issues? I was traveling a good chunk of June and got behind on checking groups etc.? 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Bill Karsell
K1BP
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Re: Can't hit Brandmeister TGs with new hotspot
Hey Bill, I just noticed that you didn't get any responses to this. Are you still having issues? I was traveling a good chunk of June and got behind on checking groups etc.? 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Your input is requested for August NA0TC Club Meeting
Hello.? Reminder ¨C There is no 285 TechConnect Radio Club Meeting for July. ? For the August 3, 2024 meeting we are planning a Make and Take, hands on project build and need your input.? Please respond to the following short questionnaire by June 30, 2024 to help out the project leads. ? ? Background ¨C We are planning on running three Take and Make stations at the August 3, 2024 285 NA0TC TechConnect Radio Club Meeting and need club members input to help plan.? The three stations are: ? - Larry Wein ¨C Surface Mount Demo Project
- Cory McDonald ¨C Super flexible HT antenna (Similar to the Signal Stick)
- Robert Polson ¨C Portable Directional Measuring Tape Antenna
? We won¡¯t have time for everyone to run through all three stations, so we need to get an idea of member preferences for each project so the leads can purchase parts and supplies.? Please fill out the short questionnaire by June 30, 2024 so we can plan for the event. (Please respond even if you can¡¯t make the event or are unsure!) ? We are looking forward to another great program and hope you can participate.? For questions: ? Tony Montoya ¨C k0mcw ahmontoya@... 285 TechConnect Radio Club Program Coordinator ? ?
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Can't hit Brandmeister TGs with new hotspot
New openSPOT4 Pro delivered today. Connected to my home network. SharkRF website says it¡¯s connected to 3103.adn.systems (Brandmeister server for central US). My HT connection to the hotspot is confirmed. But can¡¯t hit any Brandmeister talk groups.
Time slot 1 (though SharkRF says either 1 or 2 will work)
Color code 1 (which is supposed to be the hotspot default, though I can¡¯t find it in the settings)
Using the same TGs that work through local DMR repeaters.
Any idea what I might have missed?
Thanks for any help!
Bill
K1BP
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Bill Karsell
K1BP
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Sounds good! ------------------------------------------------ Mark Ehr Littleton, Colorado mark@...+1.303.618.5825 ------------------------------------------------
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 6:37?PM Bill Karsell | K1BP via <SkiTrees= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks, Mark.? I¡¯ll probably call you for some guidance.
Hotspots are great. You don¡¯t have to worry about who is using it, what talk group it¡¯s on, etc. I have 3 of them, all generic Pi-Star hotspots running ok Raspberry Pi hardware with MMDVM ¡°hats¡±. If you¡¯re interested in going that route, let me know. I¡¯d be happy to help you out.?
73,
Mark ------------------------------------------------ Mark Ehr Littleton, Colorado mark@...+1.303.618.5825 ------------------------------------------------
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 10:19?AM Bill Karsell | K1BP via ??<SkiTrees= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks again, Mark.? I¡¯ve experienced getting trapped in a talk group.? Thinking hard about a hotspot. ? ?-Bill
Thanks Jed. My experience is similar to what you described. You need to 'kerchunk' via a quick key-up when you want to change a DMR talk group on a repeater or on a hot spot. This does not cause a transmission to be received by the people monitoring that talk group, but often you can verify the change by either viewing the Brandmeister activity pages, or some repeaters (like SkyHub) have a web dashboard you can access to see if you're registered with the repeater/talk group. The only problem with DMR is that you can only switch talk groups when the channel is idle, which, on a busy talk group, can be tricky and frustrating. On a hot spot you also have the luxury of switching talk groups via the web interface, which does not have that limitation. By the way, most DMR repeaters will automatically reset to their default talk group after a certain amount of time after being "steered" to an alternate talk group (30 minutes is popular). A great resource for checking talk group activity is Brandmeister hoseline: ??which lets you monitor talkgroups using a web browser. In my experience it's a bit buggy, so your mileage may vary.? 73, Mark -- ?--------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog: ?
--?
Bill Karsell
K1BP
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
-- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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On Thu, 30 May 2024 07:01:57 -0700 Mark Ehr | K0EHR wrote: Field day is rapidly approaching (June 22-23). Anyone have any fun plans? We've usually done an informal partnership with the Colorado QRP Club, since they operate out at Jim's place, and we have some overlapping memberships. -- Jed - KD0YMG - - "... we have done as much with wireless telegraphy as is likely to be done."; Sir William Preece, 1891
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Hi all, Field day is rapidly approaching (June 22-23). Anyone have any fun plans? Unfortunately I'll be in Seattle on a business / pleasure trip, visiting my daughter and going to a cloud security conference, so I won't be able to participate this year.? We don't have anything formal planned through the 285 club, but other area clubs have Field Day events. Parker Radio Club does an awesome job on Field Day. They get together at a campground in Woodland Park (some people camp as early as the Wednesday before!) and they have plenty of activities planned including a dinner on Saturday night. Definitely check it out! Denver Radio Club doesn't appear to be doing anything this year, which is interesting as they usually have a nice set up in Golden.? At any rate, even if you don't venture outdoors for Field Day, you can still participate. Remember that the idea is to practice operating skills during an emergency, e.g. running low power, on battery / renewable power sources, etc. If you haven't participated in Field Day in the past, it's a whole lot of fun. Tons of activity on bands using all modes. A couple of years ago I ran completely QRP on battery / solar and I still got around a hundred QSOs!? Check out the details on ARRL Field Day .?  Have a great Field Day and please report back on your experiences this year! 73, Mark --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Reminder- TechConnect Radio Club Meeting. June 1 at 10 AM
Hi Everyone.? Happy Memorial Day? The next 285 TechConnect Radio Club meeting will be held on Saturday, June 1, 10AM, at the Bridge Church at Bear Creek, North of Hwy 285 & Kipling.? We have coffee & doughnuts at 9:30 so come early for the best seats. We had a last minute program change.? Larry Wein, K0NA has graciously agreed to present on short notice.? Shout out to Larry¡ ?This month¡¯s topic is: HF Radio Wave Propagation .? The basics of HF radio wave propagation using a visual aid, NEC antenna modelling to illustrate angle of radiation vs height, and the use of VOACAP to help identify the optimum time to work a station. The meeting is in the 2nd floor conference room at the Church, near Hwy 285 and Kipling. The door code is 28582#. Someone should be monitoring 146.520 if anyone has trouble getting in. See the for complete directions to the church.? Please park on the West side and enter through the West-side door. Stairs will be on your right, and an elevator is available.? 73,?
Tony Montoya, K0mcw?
NA0TC Program Coordinator
|
Thanks, Mark. ?I¡¯ll probably call you for some guidance.
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Show quoted text
On May 15, 2024, at 1:11?PM, Mark Ehr | K0EHR via groups.io <mark@...> wrote:
Hotspots are great. You don¡¯t have to worry about who is using it, what talk group it¡¯s on, etc. I have 3 of them, all generic Pi-Star hotspots running ok Raspberry Pi hardware with MMDVM ¡°hats¡±. If you¡¯re interested in going that route, let me know. I¡¯d be happy to help you out.?
73,
Mark ------------------------------------------------ Mark Ehr Littleton, Colorado mark@...+1.303.618.5825 ------------------------------------------------
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 10:19?AM Bill Karsell | K1BP via ??<SkiTrees= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks again, Mark.? I¡¯ve experienced getting trapped in a talk group.? Thinking hard about a hotspot. ? ?-Bill
Thanks Jed. My experience is similar to what you described. You need to 'kerchunk' via a quick key-up when you want to change a DMR talk group on a repeater or on a hot spot. This does not cause a transmission to be received by the people monitoring that talk group, but often you can verify the change by either viewing the Brandmeister activity pages, or some repeaters (like SkyHub) have a web dashboard you can access to see if you're registered with the repeater/talk group. The only problem with DMR is that you can only switch talk groups when the channel is idle, which, on a busy talk group, can be tricky and frustrating. On a hot spot you also have the luxury of switching talk groups via the web interface, which does not have that limitation. By the way, most DMR repeaters will automatically reset to their default talk group after a certain amount of time after being "steered" to an alternate talk group (30 minutes is popular). A great resource for checking talk group activity is Brandmeister hoseline: ??which lets you monitor talkgroups using a web browser. In my experience it's a bit buggy, so your mileage may vary.? 73, Mark -- ?--------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog: ?
--?
Bill Karsell
K1BP
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
|
Re: Local mobile installer?
Thanks for the tip on the Lido mounts, Jed! The seat bolt mount is an outstanding idea. I really don¡¯t want to booger up my dashboard.
I¡¯m thinking about the Yaesu FTM-500. The cables to the detachable head would follow the mount and be unobtrusive.
I¡¯ll check with HRO about installers.
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On May 15, 2024, at 4:03?PM, Jed Baer | KD0YMG via groups.io <KD0YMG@...> wrote:
On Wed, 15 May 2024 09:59:51 -0600
Bill Karsell | K1BP wrote:
I have an AnyTone HT that I could use with a mag-mount antenna. But,
like you, I¡¯d like to have the full 50 watts. I¡¯ll check with Car Toys
as you suggest. I might also ask the Jeffco sheriff who installs their
radios. It's probably worth giving a call to Ham Radio Outlet. They used to have a
board where people could post business cards.
What mobile rig do you plan on using?
The biggest challenge always seems to be getting power in to cabin. Also,
it's generally recommended to run both positive and ground for the radio
direct to the battery.
After that, particularly if your radio has a detachable head, Lido mounts
will get you there, without any modifications to the vehicle.
--
Jed - KD0YMG - -
"... we have done as much with wireless telegraphy as is likely
to be done."; Sir William Preece, 1891
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
|
Re: Local mobile installer?
On Wed, 15 May 2024 09:59:51 -0600 Bill Karsell | K1BP wrote: I have an AnyTone HT that I could use with a mag-mount antenna. But,
like you, I¡¯d like to have the full 50 watts. I¡¯ll check with Car Toys
as you suggest. I might also ask the Jeffco sheriff who installs their
radios. It's probably worth giving a call to Ham Radio Outlet. They used to have a board where people could post business cards. What mobile rig do you plan on using? The biggest challenge always seems to be getting power in to cabin. Also, it's generally recommended to run both positive and ground for the radio direct to the battery. After that, particularly if your radio has a detachable head, Lido mounts will get you there, without any modifications to the vehicle. -- Jed - KD0YMG - - "... we have done as much with wireless telegraphy as is likely to be done."; Sir William Preece, 1891
|
Hotspots are great. You don¡¯t have to worry about who is using it, what talk group it¡¯s on, etc. I have 3 of them, all generic Pi-Star hotspots running ok Raspberry Pi hardware with MMDVM ¡°hats¡±. If you¡¯re interested in going that route, let me know. I¡¯d be happy to help you out.?
73,
Mark ------------------------------------------------ Mark Ehr Littleton, Colorado mark@...+1.303.618.5825 ------------------------------------------------
On Wed, May 15, 2024 at 10:19?AM Bill Karsell | K1BP via <SkiTrees= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks again, Mark.? I¡¯ve experienced getting trapped in a talk group.? Thinking hard about a hotspot. ? ?-Bill
Thanks Jed. My experience is similar to what you described. You need to 'kerchunk' via a quick key-up when you want to change a DMR talk group on a repeater or on a hot spot. This does not cause a transmission to be received by the people monitoring that talk group, but often you can verify the change by either viewing the Brandmeister activity pages, or some repeaters (like SkyHub) have a web dashboard you can access to see if you're registered with the repeater/talk group. The only problem with DMR is that you can only switch talk groups when the channel is idle, which, on a busy talk group, can be tricky and frustrating. On a hot spot you also have the luxury of switching talk groups via the web interface, which does not have that limitation. By the way, most DMR repeaters will automatically reset to their default talk group after a certain amount of time after being "steered" to an alternate talk group (30 minutes is popular). A great resource for checking talk group activity is Brandmeister hoseline: which lets you monitor talkgroups using a web browser. In my experience it's a bit buggy, so your mileage may vary.? 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
-- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
|
Thanks again, Mark. ?I¡¯ve experienced getting trapped in a talk group. ?Thinking hard about a hotspot. ? ?-Bill
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On May 15, 2024, at 9:35?AM, Mark Ehr | K0EHR via groups.io <mark@...> wrote:
Thanks Jed. My experience is similar to what you described. You need to 'kerchunk' via a quick key-up when you want to change a DMR talk group on a repeater or on a hot spot. This does not cause a transmission to be received by the people monitoring that talk group, but often you can verify the change by either viewing the Brandmeister activity pages, or some repeaters (like SkyHub) have a web dashboard you can access to see if you're registered with the repeater/talk group. The only problem with DMR is that you can only switch talk groups when the channel is idle, which, on a busy talk group, can be tricky and frustrating. On a hot spot you also have the luxury of switching talk groups via the web interface, which does not have that limitation. By the way, most DMR repeaters will automatically reset to their default talk group after a certain amount of time after being "steered" to an alternate talk group (30 minutes is popular). A great resource for checking talk group activity is Brandmeister hoseline: which lets you monitor talkgroups using a web browser. In my experience it's a bit buggy, so your mileage may vary.? 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
|
Re: Local mobile installer?
Thanks so much for your reply, Mark!
I¡¯m pretty sure I won¡¯t install the radio myself. ?I¡¯m buying a brand new Subaru Outback and I don¡¯t want to take a chance on messing something up. ?The through-the-glass antenna is a great idea. ?I watched a Youtube video about it. ?It would be much better than putting a hole through the roof. ?Also I ski a lot and an antenna would obstruct putting skis in a roof rack.
I have an AnyTone HT that I could use with a mag-mount antenna. ?But, like you, I¡¯d like to have the full 50 watts. ?I¡¯ll check with Car Toys as you suggest. ?I might also ask the Jeffco sheriff who installs their radios.
Best,
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Show quoted text
On May 15, 2024, at 9:48?AM, Mark Ehr | K0EHR via groups.io <mark@...> wrote:
Hi Bill, I don't know of anyone that installs mobile ham radios per se, but I have to think that the install isn't much different than a typical car audio system. I wonder if the folks over at Car Toys might do that for you. I'm not sure if they're amenable to installing equipment they didn't sell you, but it might be worth a call to them to see.? I've installed a few radios in my cars over the years; I'd be happy to provide a few tips if you're entertaining the thought of doing it yourself. I recently moved my Yaesu FTM-100DR to my new(er) Outback and it went pretty smoothly. I went with a Tram through-the-glass VHF/UHF antenna which is working surprisingly well, and while I'm presently using the car's accessory power jack, I'm planning on running a heavy gauge power line through to the battery so that I can run full power. Due to current limitations on the power jack I'm only able to run 25 watts and it would be handy to be able to run the full 50 watts when I'm in the back country. 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
--
Bill Karsell
K1BP
|
Re: Local mobile installer?
Hi Bill, I don't know of anyone that installs mobile ham radios per se, but I have to think that the install isn't much different than a typical car audio system. I wonder if the folks over at Car Toys might do that for you. I'm not sure if they're amenable to installing equipment they didn't sell you, but it might be worth a call to them to see.? I've installed a few radios in my cars over the years; I'd be happy to provide a few tips if you're entertaining the thought of doing it yourself. I recently moved my Yaesu FTM-100DR to my new(er) Outback and it went pretty smoothly. I went with a Tram through-the-glass VHF/UHF antenna which is working surprisingly well, and while I'm presently using the car's accessory power jack, I'm planning on running a heavy gauge power line through to the battery so that I can run full power. Due to current limitations on the power jack I'm only able to run 25 watts and it would be handy to be able to run the full 50 watts when I'm in the back country. 73, Mark -- --------------------- Mark Ehr | K0EHR President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club Littleton, Colorado k0ehr@...Check out my ham radio blog:
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR
Bill Karsell | K1BP