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Secretary’s Beat – Meeting Minutes

The Hamfesters Radio Club general meeting for July 10, 2020, was called to order by President Nora Pointer at 1930 hours via ZOOM.

President’s Report: Nora thanked all who participated in COVID Field Day and reminded everyone that Hamfest 2020 is cancelled.

Announcements: None

Health & Welfare: Gregg AB9MZ reported that his mother is doing well after surgery. Rich Schneider is rehabbing in Manor Care.

Motion to approve the minutes of last general meeting was made by Ed WA9EOL and seconded by Gregg AB9MZ. All voted to approve.

Treasurer’s Report was given by Ed WA9EOL.

Secretary’s Report: Secretary Patti KC9LYE was unable to attend due to internet issues. Vice President Jim W9JPR took the minutes.

Standing Committees

Membership: Brian W9HLQ reported no new members.VE Test Results from July

Program: There was discussion about having the August meeting in person with proper safety precautions. Some members were not comfortable with this and no final decision was reached. Watch the website for any updates.

Publicity: No report

Hamfest: No report

Field Day: Jim W9JPR talked about his experience with COVID Field Day as did others. Kurt WB9FMC operated as W9AA, making close to 300 CW QSOs.

Awards: No report.

Education: Brian W9HLQ brought up a possible tech class in January 2021.

Special Committees

Old Business: None
New Business: None

Motion to Adjourn was made by Jim W9JPR and seconded by Dave N9KPD. The meeting adjourned at 2015 hours.

CQ Field Day

de Jim Riley W9JPR

When the big day came, the setup was easy. All I had to do was set up the rack and my logging computer on the table and hook up the radio to a splice I’d made in the coax from my G5RV. As expected with the additional Delta and Echo stations, the bands were crowded and there were plenty of pileups. I found it much easier to contact the weak stations. No one was responding to them and they were happy to make a contact, even though it took several tries to get through the noise. Ten meters had a nice opening on Saturday. It was great operating on a quiet band. Calling CQ netted me a good run even with my 100 watts.

COVID Field Day had its plusses like easy access to a kitchen, bathroom, and bed but it wasn’t the same as being with the team. I hope we can have a normal Field Day next year.

ARRL Club Scores for Field Day

“On second thought, I’ll take the stairs.”

by Wayne Burdick, N6KR

I have a friend about my age who got into amateur radio only a few years ago. Like many of us, he was enthusiastic about the technology. Intrigued with DX.

I showed him my station; we talked endlessly about gear. Later, I helped him put up a simple wire antenna.

Then, when his license arrived, he dove straight into FT8 and didn’t look back. Within days, he’d worked all states, then DXCC. He’d bag a few rare ones over a light lunch, then pat his laptop on the back and congratulate his software app for its near-mythical ability to extract weak signals out of noise.

Within weeks, he’d mastered everything there was to know about this glorious new hobby.

Point. Click.

In this new world order, those of us who took the longer, slower path to ionospheric enlightenment — and who still occasionally enjoy making waves by hand — often fail to explain why.

I had failed to explain it to my friend. Even as hints of his boredom crept in, creating an opening, the best argument I’d made for trying CW was that he could do it without a computer. Coming in a weak second was the notion that CW was the original digital mode. For obvious reasons, I didn’t bother with the classic argument about CW’s signal-to-noise advantage over SSB.

I had all but given up.

Then, in a moment of delayed clarity, I decided on a different approach. I invited him to a weekday brunch. A bit of an escape. He willingly took the bait.

On the appointed day, arriving at his workplace, I bypassed the lobby’s glistening elevators and climbed the four flights of stairs to his office. I insisted we take the stairs down, too.

“Why?” he asked. “And how’d you get up here so fast?”

I pointed out that I always chose stairs, when possible. That’s why I wasn’t out of breath. We hustled down, jockeying for position, and emerged on the ground floor invigorated by the effort.

“So, where are we going?” he asked. We’d been to every overrated twenty-dollar burger venue at least twice.

I replied that we’d be going someplace we’d never tried. My kitchen.

When we arrived, I put him to work chopping onions and broccoli and squeezing oranges while I whipped eggs into a froth and grated Swiss cheese. We ate our omelettes outside, in full sun and a cool breeze.

“What’s for dessert?” he asked. “Isn’t there a frozen yogurt place a two-minute drive from here?”

I had something else in mind. Back in the kitchen, I handed him a water bottle, then slipped on a small pack I’d prepared earlier.

We walked a mile or so through my neighborhood, admiring the houses’ varied architecture, ending up (as planned) at a local park festooned with blackberry bushes. The most accessible branches had been picked clean, but with teamwork and persistence we were able to gather several large handfuls of fat, ripe berries, which we devoured on the spot.

We’d been poked and scratched but didn’t care.

“Doesn’t brunch usually end with champagne?” he wondered aloud, admiring his wounds.

Not this time. I pulled out two bottles of craft beer that I’d obtained from a neighbor in trade for repairing his ancient home stereo. Carlos had spent years crafting an American pilsner to die for, sweating every detail, including iconic, hand-painted labels.

My friend accepted the bottle, then tried in vain to remove the cap. Not a twist-off.

“Opener?” he said.

I handed him a small pocket knife, an antique without extra blades. He soon discovered it could not be used to remove the cap directly. He looked at me with a bemused expression, no doubt wondering what I had up my sleeve this time.

I pointed out that we were surrounded by white oaks, a species known for its hard wood. He got the message, smiled, and began hunting. Within seconds he’d collected a small fallen branch. I watched as he used the knife to fashion a few inches of it into a passable bottle opener. We popped the caps, toasted his new-found skill, and traded stories of misspent youth.

“Oh, one more thing,” I said.

I pulled a KX2 out of my pack, along with two lengths of wire. Of course he knew everything there was to know about Elecraft, and me, so he wasn’t surprised when I also pulled out the rig’s attachable keyer paddle. We threw one wire in the closest tree and laid the other on the ground.

He didn’t have to ask whether I’d brought a laptop.

We listened to CW signals up and down 20 meters, open to Europe at the time. As he tuned in each station, I copied for him using pencil and paper. He’d learned Morse code, but only at very slow speeds.

After making a contact, I set the internal keyer speed to 10 words per minute and dialed power output to zero, for practice purposes, then showed him how to use the paddle. He smiled as he got the hang of it. Sending the full alphabet was a challenge, but he got there. The KX2 decoded and displayed his letters, providing confirmation.

We’d blown through his allotted lunch break by a factor of three, so it was time to go. We coiled up the antenna wires, packed up, and walked back. As I drove him back to his employer, we made plans to get together again for a weekend hike.

I could have just dropped him off, but we went back into the lobby together. Out of habit, he stopped in front of the elevator. We watched the illuminated floor numbers flash: digital and predictable eye-candy.

“OK,” he said. “I get it. This CW thing. It’s slow, doesn’t always work, and takes years of practice.”

“Like hunting for your own food, or carving your own tools,” I added.

“Or cooking from scratch. Or brewing your own beer. Or building your own radio. But you use more of your senses. Not just your eyes, but your ears. Your sense of touch.”

I nodded. Listening; feeling. That was the radio I’d grown up with.

“Of course it’s harder to work DX with CW than with FT8,” I reminded him, playing devil’s advocate.

“Is that what matters, though?” he asked, with a sideways glance.

A longer discussion for another day.

“Your call,” I said.

He gripped my shoulder and smiled, then aimed a forefinger toward the elevator’s glowing, ivory colored UP button, gilded in polished brass.

The path most taken. The easy way.

Point. Click.

“On second thought,” he said, “I’ll take the stairs.”

VE Test Results from July

Here are the candidates with callsigns and their accomplishments: AC9XC – Daniel was the young chap went from nothing to extra in 80 minutes..

• KD9PRF Christopher Lameter – General
• KD9PRG Dominik Lameter – Technician
• KD9PRI Todd Whitmer – General
• KD9PRJ Ted Papadopoulos – Technician
• KD9PRK Will Jenkins – Technician
• KE8OKX David Neckolaishen – Extra
• KD9PKJ Don Lyman – Extra
• KD9PRL Michael Clement – Technician
• KD9PRM Samuel Mullins – General
• KD9PRN Jerry Dinnocenzo – Technician
• AC9XC Daniel Zee – Extra
• KD9PRP Andrew Barnette – Technician
• KD9PRH Brian McCormack – Technician

The ARRL-VEC is doing a fantastic job getting these candidates their license(s) even during the Pandemic situation.

They are all working from Home still and sure they get tons of mail everyday.

73’s AL – N9ZD

VE Testing

Hamfesters VE Testing Report
Al Bukowski N9ZD – VE coordinator

The Hamfester’s VE examinations to Continue on APPOINTMENT TIMES ONLY for the remainder of the year. NO WALK-INS

The Hamfester’s Radio Club VE test session(s) for 7/11 – 8/8 – 9/12 – 10/10 – 11/14 – 12/12  will be Appointment only.

Candidates MUST email to get an appointed time (earliest 8AM), other instructions, and directions to the Exam Location
Liaison Al Bukowski (N9ZD)        ( aln9zd@gmail.com )

TEST Location: TBD – Oak Forest, IL  60452  (will be using a VE’s Garage for now unless Oak Forest City Hall reopens)

VE Stock test material will be in Plastic protective sleeves to protect the next user after disinfectant cleaner applied.

NOTE: Since Hamfester’s average candidate attendance the past years has been average of 4, the 
Appointment times will be 3 candidates 8:00 AM / 3 candidates 9:30AM /  3 candidates 11:00AM  / Flexible as needed

A Special ‘Thank You’ to All the VE’s volunteering there Saturday morning to assist me at the Exam sessions.

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Club Information

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Pics from July Meeting

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