News from the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)

 Hi,

Another month has gone by and it is time for our Monthly Meeting.  This will be on line using Zoom.  The connection information is below.

I have had a great month.  In addition to working on Virginia QSO Party stuff, I worked a couple of CW contests.  I am trying to get to DXCC for CW.  Currently have 97.  I worked the CQ-M contest, High Speed Club CW contest, and just this past weekend, the CW-WPX-CW contest.  I am getting better at CW, but still cannot do even 20 WPM in my head, so I rely on CW Reader.  Well integrated with N1MM+ and easy to use.

The refreshments will be provided by you.  I have having chocolate chip cookies with iced tea. 

Marty, NV3H, has arranged another great presentation. 

Carl, K9LA, will talk about "Solar Cycles and Propagation."  He has a very good website at https://k9la.us/ and a simple search for K9LA will bring up other sites. Cycle 25 is starting and the predictions vary for its duration and amplitude.  All I know is that propagation is getting better.  Carl can tell us more.

We have a few items of club business.

Election of Officers.  We are at the end of the SPARC year.  If anyone wants to contribute to the club, please let us know.  You can have any position you want, or we can create a new position just for you.  I do know we need help with:

   Incoming QSL Bureau Letter Manger for the Letter Q and maybe one other.
   Vice-Presndent.  Been vacant for a couple of years.
   President.  The current one has been in the position for several years and could use a break.

Virginia QSO Party
   Plaques are ordered.
   Certificates are ready to be printed.
   Results briefing to be held on Saturday, 5 June, at 1000 online. 
   We had a really good group running the event this year.  Henry, K2BFY; Eric, AJ4LN; Marty, NV3H; Barry, KD4BK;
         Chris, KT9N; Gordon, NQ4K; and John, KX4O. 

Schedule for the next few months. 
   Do we hold a club meeting in July?
   Do we continue Wednesday evening 2M/Zoom meeting for the remainder of June and July?
   Date of the first meeting in September.  Currently scheduled in-person on Wednesday, 8 September.

We will conclude with a Tech Ten Team Talk.  Not sure who or on what topic. 

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 8:16 AM

 Hi,

We had eight attendees. 

It was interesting.  We ran our of talk after about 40-45 minutes.  I have noticed this in the past.  Each attendee is good for about 5 minutes of meeting duration.  With 10-11 attendees we go for an hour and them all are ready to end the session.

See you the June monthly meeting this coming Wednesday.  Starts at 7.  On line using Zoom.  No 2M repeater.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 10:09 AM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 26 May, at 8:00 PM.

Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

Join via Zoom Meeting

posted by SPARC'ie  # 7:06 AM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 19 May, at 8:00 PM.

Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

Join via Zoom Meeting

posted by SPARC'ie  # 7:43 AM

 Hi,

Kevin, W4KSL, has volunteered to hold our annual pizza party at his QTH as an In-Person event.

Normally we hold this on the first Wednesday of August at 7PM.  Last year we cancelled it.  Time to start it again.

We will order pizza and salad from Joe's Pizza.

Thanks to Kevin for volunteering to lead this effort.

As the event gets closer, we will ask for who will attend so we can order the pizza and salad.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 7:53 AM

 Hi,

We held the Stand-In as scheduled.  Ten members attended.

The park was not as crowded as we had expected.  We did not have trouble with finding parking space or occupying the amphitheater. 

A lot of good stories.  A few good jokes. 

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 7:00 AM

 Hi,

Our regularly scheduled Stand-In is this Sunday, 16 May, at 1 PM.  Normal gathering place.  The amphitheater adjacent to the Claude Moore Park Visitor Center.  May be more crowded out this weekend because the weather is looking good.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 4:31 PM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 12 May, at 8:00 PM.

Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

Join via Zoom Meeting

posted by SPARC'ie  # 8:00 PM

 Hi,

The presentation at our last club meeting on the Berryville hamfest is now available on our club website.

Go to our Activities page and scroll down to the May meeting.  Click on the presentation to see the presentation or click on the screenshot to see all the happy faces

https://www.qsl.net/sterling/Activities/activities.htm

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 10:47 AM

 Hi,

It is time for our May monthly meeting.  Wednesday, 5 May.  This starts at 7 PM.  7 PM   7 PM    7 PM

The Zoom meeting connection information is below.

For refreshments, we have an incredibly large selection of drinks and snacks.  Temporarily we are storing them at the local grocery store.  Before the meeting you can go there and pick out what you want.  HI HI

Marty, NV3H, has arranged an interesting presentation. 
 
Tom Brownlee, AF2D, will take us “Behind The Scenes of the Berryville Hamfest.”  Tom is a very ling time member of the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club and has been actively involved in the Berryville Hamfest for a long time.  The hamfest is always held on the first Sunday of August. We missed Berryville last year.  I believe it was cancelled. The hamfest website (https://svarc.us/hamfest/) says they will make a decision on whether to hold it this year in late spring or early summer.  Maybe Tom will let us know.

We have a few items of club business.
 
Field Day is coming up.  I believe we previously decided we were not going to do a field site.  Too mny unknown people wandering around and being close.  Maybe we can come up with another idea to encourage participation.

The Herndon Festival has been cancelled.  In the past we have hosted a booth on Saturday to promote amateur radio.  And supported the 5/10K races with radio support.  Not this year.

It is also getting near the end of the year.  It is time for nomination of new officers.

We will close the meeting with a Tech-Ten-Talk-Team Tech Ten Talk.  I believe Tod, KN4BGX, is gong to give a short presentation. 

Please join us.
73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 10:33 AM

 Hi,

Saturday is over.  Several folks stopped by.  Probably a dozen or so.  Sold about 30 percent of the items, including most of the aluminum antennas, telescoping masts, a baofeng handheld, a couple of large magnetic mounts, and lots of small stuff.  No one has purchased the two big  radios yet. 

Still have the 2M 10-element yagi, 6M 3-element yagi, and what we think is a homemade 43 foot aluminum vertical partly built.  Have 20 or so hamsticks for various bands.  And two speaker stands (i.e., tripod like stands) that would support a homemade buddy-pole.

Still have two radios. Kenwood T60S, a 6M all mode radio) and a FT-857. 

If you need something, let me know and I will look through the remaining stuff to see if we have it. 

Still some coax left.

posted by SPARC'ie  # 6:42 AM

 Hi,

Ten attendees.  Lots of fun.  Two on 2M repeater and 8 on Zoom.

I wrote down 5 jokes so they are getting better.

Remember that next Wednesday is our regular monthly SPARC meeting.  Only on Zoom starting at 7 PM.

73 Gordon NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 6:42 AM