News from the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)
The SPARC web site is at http://www.qsl.net/sterling.
Monday, October 31, 2022
Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, 2 November, at 7 PM
We will be having our monthly in-person meeting on Wednesday, 2 November, at 7 PM at the Sheriff Substation.
Our mail activity will be building a Tape Measure Yagi. We will follow the plans at
https://n5dux.com/ham/tape-measure-yagi/ I have all the necessary wire and hardware.
Evan, KM3SK, will bring some PVC cutters.
Kevin, W4KLS, and Kenneth, KN4VKM, will bring solderlng stations.
We could use one more. Remember the solder and flux.
Kenneth, KN4VKM, will bring a couple of screwdrivers.
Kevin, W4KLS, will bring his antenna analyzer. We could use another to serve as a check.
This should be an interesting project. I have not done this before. I hope you will all read the directions before the meeting.
We do not have anyone to bring refreshments yet. We could use a volunteer to bring some refreshments.
This should be a good meeting. Hope to see you all there.
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Friday, October 28, 2022
Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, 2 November, at 7 PM - ADVANCE NOTICE
We will be having our monthly in-person meeting on Wednesday, 2 November, at 7 PM at the Sheriff Substation.
We have an activity planned. We will be building some 2M Tape Measure Yagi Antennas.
We will follow the plans at
https://n5dux.com/ham/tape-measure-yagi/
I am planning on building 5 antennas.
I think I will have all the parts. Going to Lowes/Homedepot this morning for the hardware.
I have some short lengths of RG-58 (instead of RG-217) with PL-259 connectors (instead of BNC).
We will need some volunteers to bring some equipment. We will need
2 or 3 soldering stations. Not sure how well we can solder and how long it will take.
Some way of cutting the PVC pipe. Maybe I can do this on my bandsaw before the meeting.
Some coax and wire stripping tools.
A few screwdrivers to fasten the pipe clamps.
An antenna analyzer or two.
Maybe a handheld or two. Have to think about adapters for PL-259 to handheld radio connector.
I think that is it.
This is the first time I have tried this antenna. Be interesting to see how it works.
Comments?
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 26 October at 8 PM - SUMMARY
We had a great meeting. Seven attendees, all on Zoom. No one on 2M so we disconnected the feed to the repeater after 15 minutes.
We had several "good" jokes. I picked the following as suitable for this email.
A man went into the feed store to get a dozen bees. He was going to start a hive.
As he was leaving, he counted the bees and there were 13.
He told the store owner he had an extra bee.
The store owner replied: That's a FreeBee.
A ship carrying a cargo of red paint collided with a ship carrying a cargo of blue paint.
The sailors were marooned.
HA HA
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 26 October at 8 PM
Another Wednesday is here. We will have a meeting online via the 2M repeater and Zoom.
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
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85420830985?pwd=VkwyKzgxbVJnTzJtYkxuUEE5MWhyUT09
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (New York)
+13017158592,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kew6N4ZTgf
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 19 October at 8 PM - SUMMARY
Good net meeting. Eight attendees. One on 2M repeater and 6 on Zoom. I was on both.
Two jokes struck my fancy.
No 1 joke
In the Old West, cowboys used to hang lanterns on the side of their horses to see at night.
Yep. It was the first form of saddle-light navigation.
No 2 joke.
Dad took his 8-year old daughter to the office on "Take Your Kid to Work Day."
As they walked around the office, she starting crying, so the Dad asked what was wrong.
As everyone gathered round, she sobbed:
“But daddy where are all the clowns you said you worked with?”
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 19 October at 8 PM
Another Wednesday is here. We will have a meeting online via the 2M repeater and Zoom.
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
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85420830985?pwd=VkwyKzgxbVJnTzJtYkxuUEE5MWhyUT09
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (New York)
+13017158592,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kew6N4ZTgf
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 12 October at 8 PM - SUMMARY
Excellent meeting. Eight attendees, all on Zoom. No one on the 2M repeater.
Best joke:
A man was an excellent multi-tasker.
He could listen, ignore, and forget at the same time.
HA HA.
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Sterlingfest Pictures
Posted some pictures of our activities at Sterlingfest this year. You can access them from:
https://www.qsl.net/sterling/Sterlingfest/Sterlingfest.htm
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Monday, October 10, 2022
Wednesday 2M/Zoom Net - 12 October at 8 PM
Another Wednesday is here. We will have a meeting online via the 2M repeater and Zoom.
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
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85420830985?pwd=VkwyKzgxbVJnTzJtYkxuUEE5MWhyUT09
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (New York)
+13017158592,,85420830985#,,,,0#,,111111# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 854 2083 0985
Password: 111111
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kew6N4ZTgf
Sterlingfest - SUMMARY
Sterlingfest is over. We had a good time. Met some nice people, including some tech who appeared to want to get more involved in ham radio.
Bud, W4KSN, saved the day. I arrived early and was all set to go. However, we were in a different spot than anticipated and had nothing to hang a wire antenna from. Bud arrived with this car full of equipment, including several MilSpec mast sections. They held a 40M antenna up high enough to work some HF. Did many QSOs on 40M into the PA QSO Party. Probably NVIS but it worked well.
Thanks to Bud, W4KSN; Paul, KK4AIA; Duane, K4UW; and John, W3XWT for their help in operating the booth and talking with passers-by.;
In addition, Joe, WB2SAI, and Scott, WB6EFW; and Henry, K2BFY, stopped by and offered encouragement.
73, Gordon, NQ4K
Monthly Meeting - Wednesday, 5 October, at 7 PM - SUMMARY
The monthly meeting was really great! We had 14 attendees including the guest speaker. Nice to see all again.
The guest speak was Ron, WA6YOU, who talked on coax and connectors. Very entertaining speaker and knowledgeable about his subject. Does cable cable manufacture, by hand, for a living for specialty applications. Talked about doing the cabling for a couple of satellites. Amusingly, I am once again behind time. The current method and MilSpec approach to attaching cables to coax is crimping. Better than soldering because more of the shield is tightly bound to the connector instead of just at four solder points. Also easier to do.
Amit, WY2Z, talked about doing more tech classes. He will up the number to three per year, with the next in late January or Febuary. Also try a General license class, maybe in May. Evan, KM4SK, mentioned he will do more publicity for the next class.
Eric, AJ4LN, is making excellent progress on the State QSO Party Challenge.
I think that is the highlights.
73, Gordon, NQ4K
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