Prez Says for July 2010

[KA2ODP/7]

THE PREZ SAYS…

The hot weather has finally arrived in Montana, but the rain still makes an appearance from time to time. As I warned last month, with the “official” arrival of summer in June, things start getting busy! After the slow doldrums of winter, radio activities really took off at the end of June with the annual ARRL Field Day.

This year Field Day started at noon on Saturday, 26 June, and ran for 24-hours until noon on Sunday, 27 June. But there was a lot of preparation work completed long before the “opening bell” rang. Jim (N7YO) and George (AA7GS) reviewed the wish list from last year and made certain things were even better this time around. We had more coaxial cable already prepared with connectors on both ends. Headphones and speakers were purchased to allow members of the general public visiting the site to listen in on radio communications while the operators pulled weak signals out of the ether thanks to the new headphones. The speakers & headphone combination especially helped visitors to the Commo Van listen in on the Morse code (CW) signals pouring out of the radio, while Ray (KE7KZT) tried to work them all. We even had a dipole for 160-meters strung up in the parking lot! Special thanks to George (AA7GS) for providing the recycled fire alarm bell that stridently announced the 12-noon start time for all radio operators to hear. We had two High Frequency (HF) stations, one for Phone (voice) and one for Morse Code (CW). We also had a “Get On The Air” (GOTA) station bravely manned by Rod (KF7GFA), who continued to seek out new contacts in spite of the high risk of tongue cramps caused by repeatedly shouting out his call sign phonetically.

Between the three stations we had a combined total of almost 670 contacts. We managed to contact stations in 47 of the 50 states. A special Field Day bulletin from ARRL headquarters, broadcast in Morse code (CW), was copied by Ray (KE7KZT) for a bonus score of 100 points. Thanks to the outstanding public relations efforts by Rod (KF7GFA), the advance word of our Field Day event was publicized in the Great Falls Tribune. Folks who read about it in the newspaper took time to stop by and visit our set-up in order to learn more about Amateur Radio. We even got television coverage from KFBB (CH 5) on Saturday and KRTV (CH 3) on Sunday! If you missed our brief minute of fame, check out the web sites for each of the TV stations.

As always, such a successful event doesn’t happen without a lot of hard work by dedicated individuals working behind the scenes. Thanks to all the folks who showed up Friday afternoon to help set up. Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the weekend to operate and/or help with the logging of the numerous contacts. Thanks to those who helped shut-down and pack-up the equipment on Sunday afternoon. Special thanks go out again this year to Jim (N7YO) and Wanda (W7POO) for ordering our official “GFAARC 2010 Field Day” t-shirts and making sure everyone received theirs. Any concerns about a lack of sun spots this year were erased as soon as those t-shirts were passed out. We created our own solar flux. If you happen to see a faint lime-yellow glow on the horizon to the northeast of Great Falls, that’s just Gene (KC7WWY) proudly wearing his GFAARC 2010 Field Day t-shirt around downtown Malta.

Shortly after Field Day, we conducted a special Volunteer Examiner (VE) test session. It was the last chance for anyone who had been studying for the Technician Class license to take the test before the new question pool became effective on 1 July 2010. I am happy to report that Patrick Hodges, son of Tim Hodges (KD7JZ), passed his Technician exam with flying colors! His call sign, KF7LIR, was issued by the FCC on 7 July 2010. As a VE myself, it is always a pleasure to grade a test and see the vast number of correct answers that reflect someone who studied the book and mastered the material. There are some “tricky” questions thrown in by the FCC that make it difficult to score a perfect 100% grade. But by the same token, some of the answer sheets I have seen in the past that “bleed red” clearly indicate additional studying is needed. But that was not the case with Patrick! Please congratulate him the next time you see him or hear him on the local repeaters!

Following quickly on the heels of Field Day and our VE test session, the very next weekend was the annual 4th of July parade in Great Falls. Dedicated club members braved the weather to once again put GFAARC in the public spotlight. While at first we feared the 3:00 PM start time would leave us all sun-burnt to a crisp, the overcast skies and light breeze kept things very pleasant and mild. Ken (W7WOF) drove the Commo Van, while his wife Collette (KF7DFY) and daughter Nikki (N7IKY) followed in their decorated vehicle. Other club members who joined the proud GFAARC ranks with their vehicles were Jim (NW7O), Dee (W7DDL), and Mike (NT7R). Actually, Mike was accompanied by his wife and son, who added red, white, and blue crepe paper to their vehicle to give it the best festive appearance of all. Thanks to everyone for spending 4-hours on a holiday weekend to help publicize the ARES emergency communications capabilities supported by this club.

Special thanks are also due to Ken (W7WOF) for driving the Commo Van in TWO parades on the same day! At the 11:00 AM starting time earlier in the morning, Ken was in the line-up for the Black Eagle 4th of July parade. After a triumphant drive through Black Eagle, Ken quietly slipped away and reappeared in downtown Great Falls at the staging area for the afternoon parade! He managed to finish the day with gas still left in the tank and a positive charge remaining on the batteries! As anyone who has driven the Commo Van in a parade will tell you, these are often difficult things to achieve.

As a reminder to everyone, the theme of our August meeting can best be described as, “and now for something completely different…” Yes, it is time for our annual picnic! In place of the usual meeting, next month we will be gathering on the 2nd of August down at Gibson Park, near the south end of the band shell. The picnic will take the place of our regular Monday night meeting, and will start at 6:00 PM instead of the usual 7:00 PM meeting time. In the event of bad weather (thunder & lightning storm, snow, hail, locusts, etc) the regular meeting room at Westgate Mall has been reserved as a backup plan. The club will provide the fried chicken, but the rest of the picnic is a “Pot Luck” meal. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert to share with everybody. Just like our Winter Social, the summer picnic is a chance to visit with fellow club members and get to know them better in a casual gathering. Please join us for food, fun, and conversation! Be sure to bring your own folding chairs, non-alcoholic beverages, and bug spray. (And don’t forget to wish a “Happy Birthday” to John, KD7ZLU!)

Until then, 73 de

Bruce Clark, KA2ODP
GFAARC President