In This Issue…
- Meeting Saturday: Antenna Rotators
- Oklahoma QSO Party Saturday
- NWS Weather Spotting Seminar Tonight
- SCARS Picnic April 15
- New/Upgraded Hams
- Newsletter News
- Local Hamfests
- Dates To Remember
- Odds and Ends
- SCARS Is On The Web
- Podcast: On The Air
- This Week’s ARRL Letter
- ARRL DX Bulletin
- Podcast: Amateur Radio Newsline
- Podcast: W5KUB Amateur Radio Roundtable
- Podcast: Ham Nation / Ham Radio Workbench
It will be spring before you know it. Which means antenna and tower work. Fred Goughler K5LLZ is our Oklahoma antenna rotator repair service, and he will be joining us in person to talk about these devices at our March 11th meeting. Fred has been repairing rotators for 50 years and will share some history, service techniques, and what to do when all those ball bearings roll out.
Fred has some Ham 4s, TR-44s, and a Tailtwister to rehome to a needy ham. He can also repair your rotor or control box and is already servicing some. He will buy your old Ham Ms and Tailtwister rotors. Bring them to the meeting, and you can make a deal or send yours in for repair. The rotor man is helping hams rotate the world.
Join us in person at Norman Firehouse #7 – 2207 Goddard – Norman, OK 73069 and on Zoom at https://w5nor.org/zoom/ or watch the fun on YouTube at https://w5nor.org/stream/. All meetings/presentations are recorded, so you can stream them later from the SCARS YouTube channel.
SCARS meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month (the 3rd during April for the Green Country hamfest) at Norman’s Firehouse 7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and online via Zoom / YouTube / Telephone. The monthly presentation starts at 9:30 am. The club meeting begins at 10:30 am. Guests are always welcome! Join us Saturday at 9:00 am for coffee and donuts. To join Zoom, load up the Zoom software and click this link at https://w5nor.org/zoom. You can join using 893 9952 6291 password w5nor. Or, to watch the fun on YouTube at https://w5nor.org/stream …
Oklahoma QSO Party Saturday — Menu
The 2023 Oklahoma QSO Party is this weekend, on March 11th and 12th. This will run from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturday and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday, Oklahoma time. Note that Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend.
If you are an Oklahoma station, please consider going mobile this year to help get all 77 counties on-the-air in a big way!! Connie Marshall K5CM has all the details on his OK QSO party web page. Grab your HF radio and get on-the-air.
NWS Weather Spotting Seminar Tonight — Menu
Tonight’s the night!
The National Weather Service provides Weather Spotter training annually for the general public. The 2023 calendar has been announced and is available at https://www.weather.gov/oun/spottertalk and is included below. No RSVP is required. You may attend any of the locations. The training in the OKC area alternates between Cleveland County and Oklahoma County. This year it’s at UCO on March 7th at UCO – W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute, Room 106, Corner of E 2nd St and Garland Godfrey Dr. – Edmond, OK. To be a recognized spotter, you must attend an in-person event at least every other year. See you there…
2023 Spotter Training Schedule
| City | Day | Date | Time | Location | Address | City, State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond | Tue | Mar 7 | 6:30 PM | UCO – W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute, Room 106 | Corner of E 2nd St and Garland Godfrey Dr. | Edmond, OK |
| WEBINAR | Wed | Mar 8 | 6:30 PM | https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3792617354191249244 | ||
| Fairview | Thu | Mar 9 | 6:30 PM | Northwest Technology Center | 801 Vo-Tech Drive | Fairview, OK |
| WEBINAR | Mon | Mar 13 | 6:30 PM | https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6615503507343203162 | ||
| Enid | Wed | Mar 15 | 6:30 PM | Garfield County Sheriff’s Training Room (south end of fairgrounds) | 216 West Oxford | Enid, OK |
| Holdenville | Tue | Mar 21 | 6:30 PM | Holdenville High School Seminar Center | 305 N Broadway | Holdenville, OK |
| Shattuck | Wed | Mar 22 | 6:30 PM | Ellis County Fairgrounds | 822 East 5th Street | Shattuck, OK |
| WEBINAR | Thu | Mar 23 | 6:30 PM | https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2875792881904885855 | ||
| Ardmore | Sat | Mar 25 | 10:00 AM | Ardmore Convention Center | 2401 North Rockford Road | Ardmore, OK |
| Hobart | Mon | Mar 27 | 6:30 PM | Hobart, OK | ||
| ADVANCED WEBINAR | Mon | Apr 3 | 6:30 PM | https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6392804024206791776 | ||
SCARS Picnic April 15 — Menu
Special Notice: the April SCARS meeting will be held on the THIRD Saturday of the month, April 15, to allow members to visit the Green Country Hamfest on April 7 & 8, in Claremore, OK.
Time to plan ahead. Put this on your calendar. Each spring and fall, SCARS members meet for a picnic at the Denny Ranch. Bring your favorite lawn chair, a side dish, or dessert, and join us for dinner at Denny’s. Typically, folks arrive at about 4:00 pm, and dinner is served at about 5:00 pm. SCARS will provide burgers, hot dogs, hot links, buns, and lemonade.
Bring your favorite portable radio, and feel free to operate from the park-like location.
Denny’s Ranch is at 9400 Banner Rd in Lexington. If you’re coming from the north, head south on Highway 77. About a mile south of Noble, turn left (east) on Cemetary Rd for 2 1/2 miles. Turn right (south) on 84th for 1 mile. Turn left (east) on Banner Rd for about 3/4 mile. Pay attention because Denny’s driveway is about 3′ east of the bridge. Turn right (south) and park by the tree line.
New/Upgraded Hams
Please join the SCARS Exam Team in welcoming the following new amateurs to the air:
Travis, KI5ZON
Christian, KI5ZOO
Raymond, KI5ZOW
Joyce, KI5ZOX
Jordan, KI5ZOY
Paul, KI5ZOZ
Reginald, KI5ZPE
All of whom earned Technician-class licenses at SCARS’ recent “Ham In A Day” session (lead by Alfred, N5VEV), as well as:
Charles, KF4GRO
who upgraded to General class at the 2/2 session.
Congratulations!
Upcoming Exam Sessions: April 1 (Norman Library), April 6, May 4, and June 1 (Firehouse #7).
Dates to Remember — Menu
- SCARS Elmer Nights – Every Tuesday evening, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Join us in person at Norman Firehouse #7 – 2207 Goddard – Norman, OK 73069 and on Zoom at https://w5nor.org/zoom/.
- SCARS Meeting – March 11, 2023, Fred Goughler K5LLZ is our Oklahoma antenna rotator repair service person, and he will be joining us in person to talk about these devices. Fred has been repairing rotators for 50 years and will share some history, service techniques, and what to do when all those ball bearings roll out. The presentation starts at 9:30 am – Join us at Norman Firehouse #7 – 2207 Goddard – Norman, OK 73069 and on Zoom at https://w5nor.org/zoom/ or simply watch the fun on YouTube at https://w5nor.org/stream/. All meetings/presentations are recorded, so you can stream them later from the SCARS YouTube channel.
- SCARS April 6, 2023, License Test – 6:30 pm – Norman Firehouse #7 – 2207 Goddard – Norman, OK 73069
- Technician In A Day Class – April 1, 2023 – https://w5nor.org/class/
Newsletter News — Menu
This newsletter is announced in several places. Feel free to subscribe the way that suits you best. If you’re an email person, you can subscribe by visiting https://w5nor.org/email. If you’re a Twitter person, visit us at https://w5nor.org/twitter. And each newsletter announcement is posted on the Facebook group at https://w5nor.org/facebook. And if you like to search for this, you can visit the newsletter at https://w5nor.org/newsletter. Any way, you found the newsletter, and we’re glad you made it.
This newsletter should be for and about you. If you have a neat build project to share, an interesting QSO, a new radio review, a new idea, an upcoming event, or a member spotlight, or if you’d like to help produce the newsletter, please email at w5nor@w5nor.org. These don’t have to be polished articles; we’ll edit them as required. Don’t forget a picture or two. Those pictures are worth a thousand words.
Local Hamfests — Menu
Briefly, here’s the list of the upcoming local hamfests. Hamfests are always great places to buy new equipment, sell your underused equipment, and find that great flea market bargain. They are always great places to meet local hams and learn new tricks.
4/7-8/2023 | Green Country Hamfest | Location: Claremore, OK
4/8/2023 | Ozark Con – 4 States QRP | Location: Branson, MO
5/19-21/2023 | Dayton Hamvention | Location: Xenia, OH
7/28-29/2023 | Ham Holiday | Location: OCCC – Oklahoma City, OK
8/12/2023 | Reno County KS Hamfest | Location: Hutchinson, KS
8/25-26/2023 | Joplin Hamfest | Location: Joplin, MO
9/9/2023 | Enid Hamfest | Location: Enid, OK
9/9-10/2023 | Arkansas State Convention | Location: Mena, AR
9/16-18/2023 | Duke City Hamfiesta | Location: Albuquerque, NM
9/24/2023 | Springfield MO Hamfest | Location: Springfield, MO
10/01/2023 | Wichita Area Hamfest | Location: Wichita, KS
10/27-28/2023 | Hamarama Hamfest | Location: Ardmore, OK
3/3/2024 | Elk City Hamfest | Location: Elk City, OK
The ARRL lists all US hamfests if you want to travel. Click here for the ARRL list of those within 250 miles.
Odds and Ends — Menu
- All those links
- SignalServer.Okiefrog.net – RF Path prediction
- ARES Memory Settings (Red Box at the bottom of the page)
- Collector and Emitter Archive
- YLRL (Young Ladies Radio League)
- Real-time Solar Weather
- SCARS Officers / Minutes
- HF Net List
- Norman VHF Repeaters audio stream
- ARRL Outgoing QSL Service
- Announced DX Operations
- D-Star stuff
- Real-time lightning data
- Oklahoma ARES Voice Over IP Net
SCARS Is On The Web — Menu
- Homepage: W5NOR.ORG
- Hamvention Club of the Year: W5NOR.org/hvclub
- News and Updates: SCARS Newsletter
- Repeater Resources: SCARS Repeater
- Oklahoma DMR Resources: OKDMR
- Facebook: SCARS Facebook
- Twitter: W5NOR
- Email: w5nor@w5nor.org
News, links, repeater info, hamfests, licensing, and more are linked from the menu sidebar at the SCARS Homepage – W5NOR.ORG!
Podcast: On The Air — Menu
The On the Air podcast is a companion to the bi-monthly On the Air magazine (an ARRL membership benefit) and takes a deeper dive into select features and projects. Each month, host Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY offers additional resources, techniques, and hints to help you get the most from the magazine’s content.
How to Be On the Air All Year with VOTA
ARRL has designated 2023 “The Year of the Volunteers,” to shed light on the work of the hundreds of volunteers who make ARRL and amateur radio what it is. We’ve got a year-long on-air event to go with it – Volunteers On the Air, or VOTA, is already taking the bands by storm, just two months into the fun. In this episode, we talk to ARRL Director of Operations Bob Naumann, W5OV, and ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, about rules, awards, special activations, and all things VOTA.
The “On The Air” podcast homepage is available by clicking here.
ARRL Letter & Audio News — Menu
- 2023 Hamvention Awards Announced
- AMSAT Recruiting Engineering Volunteers
- Schools Set to Talk with Astronauts via Amateur Radio
- Radio Merit Badge Sees Biggest Gain in Scouting
- Amateur Radio in the News
- ARRL Podcasts
- Announcements
- In Brief…
- The K7RA Solar Update
- Just Ahead in Radiosport
- Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions
ARRL DX Bulletin — Menu
SB DX @ ARL $ARLD009 ARLD009 DX news ZCZC AE09 QST de W1AW DX Bulletin 9 ARLD009 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT March 2, 2023 To all radio amateurs SB DX ARL ARLD009 ARLD009 DX news This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by G0TLE, WB2REM, The Daily DX, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all. AZERBAIJAN, 4K. Dirk, DK1DKE is QRV as 4K7DK near Baku City until March 13. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using SSB and FT8. QSL to home call. LESOTHO, 7P. Schalk, ZS4Z is QRV as 7P8LL. Activity is on 80 to 2 meters, including 70 and 23 centimeters. QSL via EA7FTR. BARBADOS, 8P. Tom, W2SC is QRV as 8P5A until March 5. He will be a Single Op/All Band/High Power entry in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL via HA1AG. GHANA, 9G. Alan, G3XAQ is QRV as 9G5XA until March 14. Activity is on the HF bands using CW. This includes being an entry in the upcoming BERU contest. QSL direct to G3SWH. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, A6. Thomas, DL2RMC is QRV as A65CW until the end of September. He is active on 80 to 6 meters using CW and FT8. This includes activity on Satellite QO-100. QSL via LoTW. COMOROS, D6. Hiro, JF1OCQ will be QRV as D67AA from March 9 to 22. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, FT8, and FT4. QSL to home call. BALEARIC ISLANDS, EA6. Robert, OK2PYA is QRV as EA6/OK2PYA from Mallorca Island, IOTA EU-004, until March 10. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using CW. QSL to home call. GUADELOUPE, FG. Gildas, F6HMQ and Michel, F6GWV are QRV as FG/home calls until March 26. They will be active as TO3Z in the ARRL International SSB DX contest and the upcoming CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest. QSL to home calls, and TO3Z via F6HMQ. SAINT MARTIN, FS. A large group of operators will be QRV as TO5M in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL via LoTW. GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, HC8. Operators WB2REM, KE2D, VO1IDX, and K4LT are QRV as HD8M from Santa Cruz, IOTA SA-004, until March 11. Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4. This includes being an entry in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL direct to WB2REM. ST. VINCENT, J8. Sandro, VE7NY, Allan, VE7SZ and Rob, N7QT are QRV as J8NY from the main island of St. Vincent, IOTA NA-109, until March 7. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. This includes being a M/2 entry in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL via LoTW. CURACAO, PJ2. Operators N1ZZ, AF4Z, K5LD, N0OK, KE3VV, AD4ES, AK4R and K4JC are QRV as PJ2/home calls. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW and FT8. They will be active as PJ2T in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL via operators' instructions. MALI, TZ. Ulmar, DK1CE is QRV as TZ1CE and here for three weeks. Activity is on the HF bands using CW with some SSB and FT8. QSL via LoTW. ST. KITTS AND NEVIS, V4. Pete, G0TLE will be QRV as V4/G0TLE from St. Kitts, IOTA NA-104, from March 5 to 17. Activity will be holiday style on 40 to 10 meters using CW. QSL via LoTW. WILLIS ISLAND, VK9W. Sands, VK9WX is here until April. Activity is in his spare time on 80 to 10 meters. QSL via M0OXO. BERMUDA, VP9. Les, N1SV is QRV as VP9/N1SV until March 6. He will be active as VP9I in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL to home call. ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, VU4. Gopan, VU3HPF and Ram, VU2JXN are QRV as VU4T from Port Blair, South Andaman Island, IOTA AS-001, until March 5. Activity is holiday style on 40 to 10 meters using CW and maybe some SSB. They may also be active on Satellite QO-100. QSL via LoTW. CAMBODIA, XU. Thomas, DL7BO is QRV as XU7GNY until March 9. Activity is on 80 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. QSL direct to DJ6TF. CAYMAN ISLANDS, ZF. Look for ZF5T to be a High Power entry, and ZF1A to be a Multi/Single entry in the ARRL International SSB DX contest. QSL ZF5T via operators' instructions, and ZF1A via K7ZO. THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The ARRL International SSB DX Contest, Novice Rig Roundup, NCCC RTTY Sprint, QRP 80-Meter CW Fox Hunt, NCCC Sprint CW Ladder, K1USN Slow Speed Test, Wake-Up QRP CW Sprint, UBA Spring CW Contest, NSARA Contest, SARL Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated Emergency SSB Contest, Classic CW Exchange and the WAB 3.5 MHz Phone will certainly keep contesters busy this upcoming weekend. The ICWC Medium Speed CW Test, OK1WC Memorial, RSGB 80-Meter Club Data Championship, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, ARS Spartan CW Sprint, AGCW YL-CW Party, QRP 40-Meter CW Fox Hunt, Phone Weekly Test, A1Club AWT, CWops Test, VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Mini-Test 40 and the Mini-Test 80 are on tap for March 6 to 8. Please see March QST, page 71, and the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest web sites for details. NNNN /EX
The latest ARRL DX Bulletin is always at the top here — ARRL DX Bulletin
Amateur Radio Newsline — Menu
– ISLANDS RECEIVE RADIO DONATION FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE
– SENSORS ON BOARD ISS TO STUDY IONOSPHERE
– VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HAMSCI STUDY OF SOLAR ECLIPSES
– SILENT KEY: FORMER FCC CHIEF ENGINEER RAY SPENCE, W4QAW
– HAMVENTION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
– MAJOR INDIAN BROADCASTER HONORS WEST BENGAL HAM
– IN SEARCH OF ‘YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR’
– FIRST-TIME PARTNERSHIP FOR WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY
– PARKS ON THE AIR INTRODUCES 48-HOUR CONTEST
– LONGTIME 40M NET IN INDIA AVAILABLE AS LIVE STREAM
– WORLD OF DX
– KICKER: THE HEIGHT OF GRATITUDE FOR A SUMMIT RESCUE
The Amateur Radio Newsline can be found at ARNewsline.org.
W5KUB – Amateur Radio Roundtable Video
Big show tonight. Next months CQ magazine, build a 49:1 UnUn, update on w5kub-112, plus more Amateur Radio Roundtable on W5KUB.COM at 8:00 PM Central
The W5KUB YouTube channel link is here: W5KUB YouTube.
Ham Nation / Ham Radio Workbench — Menu
These two podcasts are published bi-weekly, so we alternate them in this space.
Tonight Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK and Amy Herndon, AI6ZU are back to show off their Tilt5 headset! Brian Basura, N6CVO will explain the pico ham radio balloon, Chip Margelli, K7JA has his report from Winter Field Day and his very successful club operation, and to close out the show, Don brings us the latest update from Amateur Radio Newsline!
The recent Ham Nation episodes are linked right here Ham Nation.
The most recent Ham Radio Workbench episodes are linked right here Ham Radio Workbench.
73 de Mark N5HZR
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