Rochester Amateur Radio Association - RARA

Past Meeting Topics

"Show and Tell”

May 1, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

There are many local amateurs that enjoy finding an old piece of radio equipment and bringing it back to life with that showroom look. We will have Bill Hopkins (AA2YV), Dave Payne (KA2J), Kevin Carey (WB2QMY), Jeff Miller (N2AWA), and Dan Waterstraat (W2DEW) bringing in some of their special restoration pieces and the invitation is still open for other restorers to join in the fun.

This is some of the equipment you could see at the meeting: a Multi Elmac AF-67 transceiver, a PMR-6A receiver, an M1070 power supply, a BC-348, a Hallicrafters S40A, a Lafayette HA-350 receiver, a Heathkit HW22 transceiver, a Heathkit HW32 transceiver, a Hallicrafters S-40, Simpson meters, and a Zenith Trans-Oceanic 600 in the restoration process. There will be plenty of time to view the equipment and talk to the restorers of this equipment or talk about the restoration process in general.

This is also going to be “QSL Card Night”. Please bring in the odd, unique, favorite, or special QSL cards. With the increasing cost of postage and the increasing use of LoTW and eQSL, the use of paper QSL cards is decreasing. Club members would love to see your special cards. This promises to be a great night of show and tell.

"Old Timers’Night”

April 3, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Our club historian Ed Gable, K2MP, will be our host for the evening. There will be the usual greeting of the oldest ham, the longest licensed member as well as recognizing past RARA presidents.

We invite and hope to have as many past presidents as possible so that we can have a group photo taken after the meeting. In the spirit of the evening, Ed is going to bring in a functioning 75 year old amateur receiver for folks to view and twiddle the knobs.

Sharing the venue for the evening will be the new leadership people at the A.W.A. Electronic Communication Museum who will answer, using the newest available photos, the many questions the A.W.A. staff has been receiving about the status of the new museum building and moving plans. Leading this portion of the meeting will be the new museum Curator Bruce Roloson (W2BDR), Assistant Curator Lynn Bisha (W2BSN), and the museum Operations Manager, Ron Roach (W2FUI).

SKYWARN^TM

March 6, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

The last time the National Weather Service was at a RARA meeting was March 2006 and it is time to renew our SKYWARN^TM training. SKYWARN^TM Spotter Training is good for 3 years. The training is not only for amateur radio operators but for anyone with an interest in weather and reporting on severe weather events back to the NWS office in Buffalo. Severe weather events can be reported via designated ham radio repeaters, telephone, or the website. Judy Levan, N2TEZ, will be our special guest for this free training. Judy is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Buffalo office.

The ARRL and You: One on One

February 6, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

The Atlantic Division Director, Bill Edgar (N3LLR), will be our special guest for the evening. The Division Director is a voting member of the ARRL Board and is our voice to the national organization. Bill is one of us, a ham radio operator who has taken his passion for the hobby from the local club level to the national level. Bill will tell us what the League has done over the past few years and what we can expect in the future. Please bring your questions and comments to the meeting. Having Bill in town should help to add a personal touch to what may seem like just another large national organization.

Rovers & the January VHF Sweepstakes

January 2, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Our special guest for the evening is the Chairman of the Rochester VHF Group and a long time rover. Bill Rogers, K2TER, will explain the concept of roving and what it means to the January VHF Sweepstakes (January 17-19, 2009). He will also share his thoughts on rover system design and operation strategy; what it takes to place in the top 5 nationally. These are the hams that fill their SUV or van with radio equipment and then try to camouflage it with antennas.

A remotely controllable and operable HF station

December 5, 2009 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Paul Mackanos, K2DB, has put together a remote operated station at his camp in south-central St. Lawrence County. He can operate this station from anywhere there is internet access by wire, Wi-Fi, or cellular. Paul will explain the radio equipment, computer hardware, and software that make this possible. He will also have a live demonstration from the fire house of this fascinating set up. If you like the mix of ham radio and computers this is one presentation you will not want to miss.

Annual RaRa Auction

November 7, 2008 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

University of Rochester Repeater System

by Mike Rink, W2HYP
October 3, 2008 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Every wonder what goes into a good repeater site? Show up and you will get an inside glimpse of what goes into a VHF/UHF repeater. Mike will explain what he has installed at the University of Rochester, Highland Hospital, Bristol Mountain, and other locations.

RF Safety

by Raj Dewan, N2RD

September 5, 2008 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

The "do's and don'ts" about working on and around Radio Frequency radiation.
A "must attend" seminar for every Ham and anyone that lives near antennas!

Emergency Preparedness – Are YOU ready?

by Jeff Wigal, WY7Q, Monroe County ARES Emergency Coordinator (see presentation slides)

When disaster strikes will you know what to do? Take no chances: Come find out! Our educator will be Jeff Wigal, WY7Q the Emergency Coordinator for Monroe County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Jeff will teach us how to keep our family safe; how to prepare and maintain communications equipment in a ready state; and how to help others in time of need. There are thousands of Hams in the Rochester area, sadly only about 500-600 will see this notice, and have this empowering opportunity. Make sure YOU are one of us who knows what to do in an emergency. (National Preparedness website)

QRP night - with a twist!

by Bill Hopkins AA2YV; Ned Asam W2NED; Norm Schrader WB2GGM (see presentation slides)
Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Bill Hopkins, AA2YV will be presenting: "QRP for Newcomers and Fiddlers". I doubt this has anything to do with stringed instruments, but I make no promises. Bill will be joined by Ned Asam, W2NED and Norm Schrader, WB2GGM. They say "Less is More"... so, come see how these guys rack up the QSO's with so little power. The presentation will include all their inside secrets on QRP operation.

Twist #1: "Come-Show-Your-QRP-Stuff-Night"! We will have tables set up so that you can bring your QRP gear in for a show and tell! Whether it's commercial, homebrew, or kit; a radio or a QRP enhancement item we want to see it. Please note: a QRP enhancement item is not your amplifier, or a little blue pill.

Twist #2: We're going to have an "Award Drawing" for a Surprise QRP kit! So, save your allowance and bring it to the meeting because you may be going home with a little something extra.

Software Defined Radios

by Raj Dewan, N2RD (see presentation slides)
Friday, May 4, 2007 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Raj will discuss the basic architecture and the technology used in software defined radios. We will demonstrate two SDR systems: Softrock 40 which utilizes a postage size USB plug in receiver and the software used by Flex Radio, and Bob Larkin, W7PUA's DSP-10 2m SDR. He will also talk about the Pic-a-Star project, started by Peter Rhodes G3XJP in a series of Radcom articles. The performance of this transceiver rivals that of the latest $10,000+ transceivers and yet you can build one at home. He is building one and will bring some modules along.

Old Timers Night

by Ed Gable, K2MP
Friday, April 6, 2007 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Meet your friends at Old Timer's Night. This year will again be a popular program brought to you by our Club Historian and Curator of the AWA Museum, Ed Gable K2MP. Ed will bring to us a story that was recently in the news, the story of the first AM broadcast transmission in 1906 by Reginald Fessenden. Commonly heard news articles feted Fessenden for his historic deed, but Ed asks the question... "Did he really?" Was he first? Did he do it at all? Was there equipment available in 1906 to achieve this? Humm, I wonder. You'll have to come and hear and judge for yourself.

As always, you can expect nothing short of a professional, interesting and entertaining program celebrating Old Timer’s Night. Don’t miss this opportunity to Meet Your Friends at RaRa and join in the celebration of one of the many rich traditions that have carried through the 75+ years of our club’s existence. See you there.

Double Header

Meet your friends at RARA on Friday, March 2. We will have two exciting presentations starting with the spectacular Ham Radio QSO between students at Sherman Elementary School in Henrietta and astronaut Sunni Williams on the International Space Station. Peter Fournia, W2SKY, Rocky Chambers, W2ROC and Jim Stefano, W2COP, will be here to give you the inside story on this QSO that was three years in the making.

Also, Larry Lavery, WW2J, will demonstrate MMTTY. MMTTY is a free RTTY software program that uses a PC sound card. It will run on a simple Pentium class PC running MS Windows 95 or higher. It uses DSP to detect and demodulate RTTY signals and generates AFSK/FSK modulation for transmission. Features include spectrum scope and XY scope displays to assist in tuning. Larry will demystify MMTTY by demonstrating the installation, configuration and on-air use of this innovative program. In a recent email, Larry wrote: “Much to my surprise, RTTY is going through a renewed popularity. DX expeditions always include RTTY and there are numerous contests available. I operated one contest and received email afterwards welcoming me to the mode. That has never happened to me since I was first licensed in 1958.”

RDXA and 60 Years of DX

by Chris Shalvoy, K2CS and Ed Gable, K2MP
Friday, February 2, 2007 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

RARA will host the members of the Rochester DX Association at a joint meeting celebrating RDXA's 60th year. Ed and Chris will present an overview of the club and sprinkle it with references to historical items and local events that many of you lived through. Several special operating events have been planned for this yearlong celebration and will be discussed after the presentation.

Come relive a bit of amateur radio history and the glory days of ham radio in Rochester, NY.

Recent FCC and ARRL Issues

by ARRL Atlantic Division Director, Bill Edgar, N3LLR
January 5, 2007 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

This is a very timely topic for our January meeting. The recent FCC changes to our hobby can have a large impact on us. The most popular issues like dropping the Morse Code requirement for a ham license, restructuring the HF band plan and lax enforcement of interference requirements by BPL companines are facts we will live with. Differences between the ARRL and the FCC on these topics has been great and is the center of a law siut in one case.

Bill Edgar is our representative who participates in ARRL decisions at the highest level. He will address these and other issues at our meeting. It is also a chance for us to voice our concerns and pass on suggestions to the ARRL. Get it from the horses mouth!

Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

by Curtis Braun, N2HKD and associates
December 1, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Meet your Friends at RARA for a very timely and relevant topic... Broadband over Power Lines (BPL). Welcome our guest speaker Curtis Braun, N2HKD, Senior Engineer at Current Communications. Current Communications is developing and deploying different forms of BPL in our area.Curtis and a few of his associates will be on hand to present an overview of BPL technologies. The team will review the history of Current Communications. They will discuss BPL architecture, effects on spectrum, capacity and will discuss some of their unique BPL products such as Smart Grid, VoIP, Automatic Meter Read and more.

Annual RARA Auction

hosted by Ed Gable, K2MP and Dick Goslee, KG2I
November 3, 2006 7:30 PM (doors open 6:30 ) - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

This month is the Annual RaRa Auction hosted by Ed Gable, K2MP and Dick Goslee, KG2I. These knowledgeable and witty auctioneers can sell even your most unlikely Amateur Radio items. If you have never attended a RaRa auction in the past or don’t have anything to sell, come on out anyways…and bring your cash…because Ed and Dick can spin an irresistible and attractive description of even the most obscure Amateur Radio trinket…and entertain you in the process. You will part with your money with a smile on your face and feel good knowing that your Club will benefit from your generosity.

Our original October Program was a presentation by Bill Edgar, N3LLR, ARRL Atlantic Division Director. Bill has informed me that he will not be able to attend our meeting on October 6, due to unforeseen circumstances. He has rescheduled for our January meeting.

Our new October program will consist of three short presentations:

The History of VHF

by John Gilly (W3OAB) and Ed Gable (K2MP)
September 8, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

RARA is pleased to host the Rochester VHF Group membership at our September meeting. That’s right, RARA and the ‘Groupers’ under one roof! Be sure to attend this historic meeting and extend a warm welcome to our fellow Amateur operators. Andy Flowers, K0SM/2, RVHFG chairman has assured me that they are as excited as we are to about this landmark event. The meeting program will be provided by one of the ‘groupers,’ John Gilly, W3OAB/2. John has been collaborating with Ed Gable, K2MP, and curator of the A.W.A. Electronic Communication Museum to put together a walk down memory lane. You guessed it; the September program topic is The History of VHF. If you have ever heard one of John’s presentations you know that they are informative and entertaining, top notch in every respect. It is sure to be an interesting night.

RARA website http://rochesterham.org
Rochester VHF Group website http://www.rvhfg.org
A.W.A. website http://www.antiquewireless.org

Projects and Bread Boarding

By Dr. Jerry Svoboda, KB2QIU
May 5, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

All of us have bread-boarded a circuit to test it now and again. Some of us do this scientific test better than others; Dr. Jerry Svoboda, KB2QIU, has made an art form of bread-boarding. When not working QRP CW, KB2QIU builds. You've seen the highly varnished single tube transmitters, receivers and power supplies that Jerry has built at the auctions, hamfests, and on the cover of the October, 1999 /QST/. Now you can see his latest projects up close while KB2QUI discusses his process and ideas about the projects.

RARA Old Timer's Night

By Mr. Ed Gable K2MP/W2AN
April 7, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

This year's Old Timer’s Night, hosted by the popular, entertaining and creative Mr. Ed Gable K2MP, will celebrate one of the most significant events to enhance, promote and ensure the growth of ham radio: the Novice Class License. The novice license contributed for over 50 years to the sustained growth of the Amateur Radio Service.

Mr. Gable will entertain and enlighten us about the events leading to the creation of Novice license, how it evolved over several years of the FCC trying to get it right, and how it affected the overall growth, stability and structure of Amateur Radio ever since.
Equipment and artifacts of the period will be demonstrated by members of the Antique Wireless Museum.

Rochester Hamfest / Weather & SKYWARN Training

by Harold Smith, K2HC and Buffalo NWS Team Judy, N2TEZ and Bob, N3QQT
March 3, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Hamfest: Mr. Harold Smith, K2HC, the Rochester Hamfest General Manager will present a short discussion on this year's hamfest features and opportunities. The long range weather forcast may not include the Monroe County Fairgrounds this year, but RARA predicts a successful hamfest event.

Weather: It's not too early to prepare yourself and your station for the upcoming nasty weather season. Part of preparation is having the right tools and training at hand for the task. The Buffalo National Weather Service Team of Judy N2TEZ and Bob N3QOT will provide an entertaining and official SKYWARN training session. These training session are required every three years to remain on the active SKYWARN Spotter rosters maintained at the NWS in Buffalo.. Judy and Bob will be registering ham and non-ham weather spotters and mailing the training certificates.

Spring DX, Contests and Propagation

by Chris Shalvoy, K2CS
February 3, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Also a special visit and address from our new ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR. Bill is visiting from Bradford, PA.

In the springtime a young ham’s fancy turns to DX and contests. Come to the RARA February General Membership Meeting where Chris, K2CS, will discuss this springs contests and DX conditions. We do not have time to work each and every contest, so which ones will give us the best chances to work the stations we need to flesh out our state and country scores? What contest skills do we need to hone? How do we study the DX station’s operation so we can get him in our log? Earphones come in pairs, keys and mikes are single units, so should we listen twice as much as we transmit? What bands will be best this spring? What times of day? What can we expect from the cw, phone or digital contests? Will our position in the sunspot cycle hurt our propagation? What antennas and power levels will do the job we need for those rare ones? Can logging programs help with the contest operations?

Community Preparedness - Monroe County Operations and Planning

by Sande Macaluso, MC OEP
January 6, 2006 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Mr. Sande Macaluso, the Operations and Planning Officer from Monroe County's Office of Emergency Preparedness will discuss some of the community preparedness issues that affect all of us in our day - to - day lives and the preparedness aspects of the local ham radio operators.

We have taken measures for our families to be prepared for winter weather by stockpiling food, water and fuel. We have our vehicles ready for the cold and snow. We have trained, planned and practiced emergency communications by working the special events, field day and public service. Antennas are ready for the winter contest season and our batteries and rigs are all set. We dress warmly in the winter because we may slide off the roads and have to walk home. We feel somewhat prepared for many of the events that could happen to us this winter season. When hams prepare we do two things: we are less likely to need resouces FROM the community, and we are more able to provide resouces TO the community.

Red Cross Response to Hurricanes Katrina, and Rita

By Peter Fournia, W2SKY
December 2, 2005 7:30 PM - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

The hurricanes of 2005 in the gulf coast have been one of the worst natural disasters in US history. The devastation has effected more than the communities along the gulf coast. It has touched all of us in the nation including our government, FEMA and the American Red Cross. Peter Fournia, W2SKY has recently returned from the area after volunteering 3 weeks with the American Red Cross in Baton Rouge, LA He will be sharing his experiences with us. They will included many pictures of the devastation along the cost, of radio equipment used and of the ARC HQ operation in Baton Rouge. He will also help us understand some of the hardships and loss that people have faced in the area and how the Red Cross is giving some relief to that disaster.

Annual Auction

Auctioneers: Ed Gable K2MP and Dick Goslee KG2I
- November 4, 2005 (6:30 doors open; 7:30 Auction Starts) - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

The Dynamic Duo of Ed Gable K2MP and Dick Goslee KG2I have once again succumbed to our pleas to be the auctioning staff for RARA's November Membership Program. This is a highly entertaining evening folks! While Dick and Ed are substantially younger than the history of radio, their combined knowledge and first hand access to historic radio communications gives them unique perspectives about the items that turn up in this RARA Annual Auction.

RARA has a highly informative meeting planned for October 7! Rochester will host the Empire State Games next summer. A large number of hams volunteer each year. Learn how and what these amateur radio volunteers have done. Get ready to volunteer for next years event! Information is from Bob Bracket KD2IM who has been involved with this activity for years.

The Pumpkin Patrol is sponsored by the NYS Police on the halloween days of October 30 and 31. Hear how the volunteers did last year and what is planned for this year. Sgt. Brian Guise of the NYSP will be here to explain it.

Lets say you are working on your DXCC and need QSL cards from some rear DX stations. How do you convince those stations to send you their QSL card? They already have thousands from the US! Bill Kasperkoski, WB2SXY will give you tips on how to get those rare stations to give you their QSL card.

Our WNY ARRL Section Manager Scott Bauer W2LC is also planning to briefly address the ARRL Atlantic Division Director election.

September 9, 2005 (7:30 PM) - Henrietta Fire Hall, 3129 E. Henrietta Rd.

Rochester Amateur Radio Association, Inc.

Past Meeting Topics

"Show and Tell”

"Old Timers’Night”

SKYWARN^TM

The ARRL and You: One on One

Rovers & the January VHF Sweepstakes

A remotely controllable and operable HF station

Annual RaRa Auction

University of Rochester Repeater System

RF Safety

Emergency Preparedness – Are YOU ready?

Are we there yet???

A Trip Down Memory Lane aka: Slam, Bam! Thank you, WHAM

Antennas:
You can’t live with ‘em, and you can’t live without ‘em!

Get On The Air From Anywhere

Hardware Defined Radio
"The Lore of Vintage Communication Receivers"

Annual RARA Auction

Radio Club "Round-UP"

QRP night - with a twist!

Software Defined Radios

Old Timers Night

Double Header

RDXA and 60 Years of DX

Recent FCC and ARRL Issues

Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

Annual RARA Auction

The History of VHF

Projects and Bread Boarding

RARA Old Timer's Night

Rochester Hamfest / Weather & SKYWARN Training

Spring DX, Contests and Propagation

Community Preparedness - Monroe County Operations and Planning

Red Cross Response to Hurricanes Katrina, and Rita

Annual Auction

Rochester Amateur Radio Association, Inc.

Past Meeting Topics

"Show and Tell”

"Old Timers’Night”

SKYWARNTM

The ARRL and You: One on One

Rovers & the January VHF Sweepstakes

A remotely controllable and operable HF station

Annual RaRa Auction

University of Rochester Repeater System

RF Safety

Emergency Preparedness – Are YOU ready?

Are we there yet???

A Trip Down Memory Lane aka: Slam, Bam! Thank you, WHAM

Antennas:You can’t live with ‘em, and you can’t live without ‘em!

Get On The Air From Anywhere

Hardware Defined Radio"The Lore of Vintage Communication Receivers"

Annual RARA Auction

Radio Club "Round-UP"

QRP night - with a twist!

Software Defined Radios

Old Timers Night

Double Header

RDXA and 60 Years of DX

Recent FCC and ARRL Issues

Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

Annual RARA Auction

The History of VHF

Projects and Bread Boarding

RARA Old Timer's Night

Rochester Hamfest / Weather & SKYWARN Training

Spring DX, Contests and Propagation

Community Preparedness - Monroe County Operations and Planning

Red Cross Response to Hurricanes Katrina, and Rita

Annual Auction

SKYWARN^TM

Antennas:
You can’t live with ‘em, and you can’t live without ‘em!

Hardware Defined Radio
"The Lore of Vintage Communication Receivers"