Tag: clubs & organizations

International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend-2006

This highly popular and ever growing amateur radio event is on again this year on 19-20 August. In 2005 we had 382 lighthouses in 48 countries who registered on our web site. This year’s event in particular will be dedicated to the memory of its founder and main organiser, Mike Dalrymple GM4SUC, who passed away in December 2005. The event normally starts at 0001 UTC on Saturday 19th August and ends at 2359 UTC Sunday 20th August. This year we will start at 0002 UTC reserving the first minute in silence as a moment of reflection on Mike’s life.

As you all know by now the event is a fun weekend designed to promote amateur radio and lighthouses. It is NOT a contest so take time to have a chat with the stations contacted and maybe get the public involved as well. On the Sunday the International Association of Lighthouse Keepers will hold their Lighthouse Day opening their lighthouses all around the world to the public. Last year some stations even had the media present taking film of the event.

Full guidelines, an online entry form and a list of entrants are all on our web site at together with contact details if you need further information. So, come along grab a lighthouse and join in the fun. It’s also a great opportunity to increase your DXCC contacts and other lighthouse awards.

Kevin VK2CE,
Webmaster and Co-ordinator
http://illw.net

The Flying Pigs QRP Club International, W8PIG

A guy is stopped at an intersection when a farm truck comes whipping past him. As the truck takes the corner, a pig comes flying out and lands on the road. The driver of the car puts the pig in his car and takes off after the farm truck. As he’s speeding along trying to catch up with the truck, he goes through a speed trapand gets pulled over. The driver explains to the police officer that he’s just trying to return the pig. The officer says, “Well, you’ll never catch it now, you should just bring the pig to the zoo.” The driver agrees, and off he goes.

The next day, the cop is patrolling, and who should he see drive by but the same guy. He still has the pig in the passenger seat, but now the pig is wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. The police officer pulls the car over, and confronts the driver. “I thought I told you to take that pig to the zoo!”

The man replies, “I did. We had such a great time that I’m taking him to the ball game today.”

NetMeister: Mike – WB8ICN – FP#-68

The Simplified Flying
Pig NETS check-in procedure.

I will send: "CQ FP CQ FP CQ FP de WB8ICN K" … and then listen for check-ins.

At this point, you would just send your callsign once or twice. I will acknowledge each check-in by sending their callsign and _AS_ After all stations are logged, I will go to each station in order of check-in. If you are on short-time, send "ST" after your call, followed by "K".
For example: W8DIZ W8DIZ ST K Short-timers will go first to accommodate their time constraints.
SCHEDULE OF NET DATES TIMES FREQUENCIES and Net Control Operator.

When

Freq

Control OP

Every Wednesday night at 8 PM Eastern

Usually 7044 +/-

KE1LA

Every Sunday
night at 8 PM Eastern

Usually 7044 +/-

WB8ICN

Every Friday Night at 9PM PST

Usually 3705 +/-

N7MFB

Dah-Dit-Dah, 73’s, Mike…WB8ICN

The Official Story of how FISTS got it’s Name

I used to be a member of TOPS before it went out. Quote on their banner was “Where FISTS Make Friends”. A “FIST”, as you know, is nothing more than a CW ops’ reference to another ops’ keying characteristic. Phil (TOPS founder/sec) was delighted when I told him of the connection though he was later to follow his XYL and his beloved dog, but I will never forget the enthusiasm which came back from his old vibro. 73 de Geo

FISTS is a well established and recognized CW organization in the world of amateur radio. Founded in 1987 by Geo Longden, G3ZQS, it now has a membership in the thousands, is world-wide, and growing daily.

What FISTS wants to accomplish

1. To further the use of CW on the amateur bands.
2. To encourage newcomers to the CW mode.
3. To engender friendship within the membership.

FISTS ACTIVITIES and CALLING FREQUENCIES

The club has many activities and membership in FISTS is not required to participate, just a love of Morse! All FISTS activities are designed to promote camaraderie among members of the club and help hams hone and improve their Morse skills.

CALLING FREQUENCIES

FISTS members can be found on or near any frequency ending in .x58 (.058, .158, .258, etc)

Here are recommended calling frequencies by band. REMEMBER, these are recommended CALLING frequencies and QSO’s should be moved to another frequency.

2m 144.058 MHz
6m 50.058 MHz
10m* 28.058 MHz
12m 24.918 MHz
15m* 21.058 MHz
17m 18.085 MHz
20m* 14.058 MHz
30m 10.118 MHz
40m* 7.028 MHz — All IARU Regions
40m 7.058 MHz — IARU Region 2
80m* 3.558 MHz
160m* 1.808 MHz

———-

* Note 1: The calling frequencies for 10m, 15m, 20m, 40m – All IARU regions, 80m, and 160m, are only 2 kHz. below QRP calling frequencies (7.030 MHz is the QRP calling frequency in Europe). Please only QSY *down* from these frequencies.

———-

U.S. Novice sub-bands
10m 28.158 MHz
15m 21.158 MHz
40m 7.118 MHz
80m 3.708 MHz

———-

Note 2: Please use the Novice sub-band calling frequencies as much as possible. It will benefit Novices, and also provide support for retaining the spectrum.
———-

Weekly Nets

Sunday Century Award Net
1500 EST/2000 UTC
1500 EDT/1900 UTC
14.058

Sunday Slow Speed Chat
1700 UTC
21.158

Tuesday Slow Traffic Net
2100 EST/0200 UTC
2100 EDT/0100 UTC
3.682

Thursday Slow Traffic Net
2100 EST/0200 UTC
2100 EDT/0100 UTC
3.682

Saturday QSO Groups
2000 UTC
14.058

2300 UTC
7.058

NOTE: Daylight Savings Time (DT) runs from 0200 local time the first Sunday in April through 0200 local time the last Sunday in October

We now have four “SPRINTS” each year, on the second Saturday in February, May, July, and October . These events are a CW free-for-all, from 1700-2100 UTC. Click HERE for the rules and scoring information.

The first week in September we have a “Straight Key” Week. Click HERE for more information.

There is a “Code Buddies” program which matches up experienced operators with new ones that want to develop their skills. To volunteer contact the program manager Nick, K3NY. For more information, visit The Code Buddies Information Page

The club sponsors two awards. The “Century Award”, awarded to those that earn 100 points by working FISTS stations around the world, and the FISTS WAS award. Click HERE for more information on these awards. Check sheets are available to keep track of your contacts for these awards and are available for downloading on the Awards Page.

Savannah APRS/packet is dead


I’m in Hinesville, GA (not far from Savannah) and there is no APRS coverage here. What’s up with that? It also appears packet is dead as well. You can see the lack of coverage here at aprsworld. The closest digipeaters are Walterboro, SC (to the north) and Kingsland, GA (just on the Florida border).


I’m hoping THE COASTAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY K4NLX AMATEUR RADIO CLUB can get something going. It seems to be an active club… just need them to put up a digipeater and an IGate.

SKYWARN

Tonight I attended a class to become a National Weather Service storm spotter under the SKYWARN program.

The training was held at the Newport News Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Joe Safranek, K4JJS, helped coordinate with the NWS to get one of their meteorologist from the Wakefield, VA office to conduct the class. There were a lot of hams there – coming from Williamsburg, Newport News, and Hampton. The training focused on severe weather – lightning, thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes. I got to learn what conditions lead to forming a thunderstorm and how tornadoes are created. All in all, it was pretty interesting. I know have my Storm Spotter qualification and am suppose to contact the NWS at Wakefield if there is severe weather activity around where I live and work.

The ham radio piece comes in to play in case a big storm comes through and knocks out power and telephone lines. At that point, as weather spotters, we’d pass our reports over a local VHF repeater, which would then go to the NWS.

California & Nevada

Sunnyvale, CA – Ely, NV
Daily Mileage: 571
Total Mileage: 5483
Total Number of States Traveled: 23

Great day and wonderful weather. Topped off the gas tank ($2.54 a gallon…. what kind of craziness is that?) and headed towards Tahoe. I picked up US 50 on the outskirts of Sacramento and continued east, climbing into the mountains. Stopped by In-N-Out Burger in Placerville for my Double-Double fix. I found a plateau just outside of Placerville where I was able to talk to KD6EUG back into the valley. The drive into the Sierras was gorgeous – the roads were great, some snow. Pulling in to South Lake Tahoe I realized I hadn’t loaded the Nevada map into my Pocket PC… which would prevent my GPS from talking me through Nevada to Ely. Seeing a Starbucks, I parked and hauled in my laptop along with my coffee mug and loaded up the maps.


I’d only been to Lake Tahoe once before (when I was in the 5th grade) – what a beautiful place.


After circling counterclockwise around the southern part of Lake Tahoe, I crossed into Nevada… with all the casinos. Heading east, I approached Spooner Summit and the downhill ride into Carson City. On a local repeater I had a great conversation with Jo Anne who was down in Carson City. I told her I was planning on taking US 50 out to Ely and she gave me a few tips – watch out for wild horses on the highway! She also described how her local ham club provides communication support to the annual reenactment of the Pony Express that spans the length of Nevada. I passed the Nevada State Capitol and headed east out of town.


I made it to Fallon by sunset, refueled and continued east. It’s hard to say what Nevada looks like after Fallon, because once the sun set – it was pitch black. There were about a billion stars out – but only three trucks passed during the next five hours. Austin, Eureka… and finally Ely. For some reason I imagined Nevada would be flat – but I was up at 7,000 feet, rolling up and down a zillion summits.

Ramada Inn & Copper Queen Casino
805 Great Basin Blvd
Ely, NV 89301