November 2021 – HamGab

[print_link]

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN NORA POINTER KC9MLV NOVEMBER 2021

THANK YOU.  October Meeting was so much fun.  Thank you to Charles Magicien, Rose Dragon and Rob Santana with his Ghostbusters car. 

HEALTH AND WELFARE:  Hope everyone is staying safe and well.  Prayers are also being sent to those members who are suffering or struggling. 

NEW MEMBERS:  Welcome to JERRY DAGENAIS, K9PMV and MICHAEL CASPER, W9YXZ.

It is also Dues time.  Brian will be accepting payment for next year’s Dues.

 Jim W9JPR will be accepting payment for Christmas party tickets at $25.00.  Such a bargain for dinner and a show.  Now is the time to get them otherwise you will have to get them online or mail a check in.

NOVEMBER MEETING:  Orchestra Leader STEVE COOPER AND HIS TRIO WILL BE PERFORMING LIVE AT OUR NOVEMBER 5^TH MEETING! BRING A GUEST AS ADMISSION IS FREE. We will start promptly at 7:30 p.m., so please arrive early. Steve has become a favorite of Hamfesters for a number of years and is looking forward to what will be a great evening of fun, music and fond memories of an era gone by.

DECEMBER MEETING:  Will be our Christmas and Award Dinner.  PLEASE NOTE:  The date will be a week later on Friday, December 10, 2021.  Price of tickets will remain at $25.00 per person.  Arrival time will be 6:30 p.m. with buffet Italian style dinner to start approximately 7:00 – 7:15 p.m.  The location will be the Bridgeview Community Center located at 7902 S. Oketo Ave., Bridgeview, IL. And this year we will have entertainment provided after dinner with a special performance by Charles Magicien.  Charles is an excellent magician known both locally and internationally as a superb performer that will leave you awestruck at his incredible performance! Be sure to get your tickets now!

As always, we ask you to keep an eye on the website (Hamfesters.org) (dutifully brought to us by Brian Davis and Gene Phillips) for the most current happenings in our club. Remember to Like us on our Hamfesters Page and spread the word about our great club too! We are the fun place to have a good time of fellowship at all of our events!

On behalf of Don and I, we wish all of you a blessed and memorable Thanksgiving. Let us be grateful for all those who walk our path with us and most importantly besides us. God bless you all.

I would be remiss if I did not give thanks to all of our American Troops past and present whom through their sacrifices make it possible for all of us to enjoy such an important holiday as Thanksgiving. As a club, we are blessed to have in our presence at each meeting a good number of veterans. To you, we say thank you and a double blessed Thanksgiving to you and your families.

73 to you one and all on behalf of all our board members, Officers, Don, and myself, enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone.

Nora Pointer KC9MLV

President

Secretary’s Beat – Meeting Minutes

Hamfesters amateur radio club meeting Oct. 1, 2021 @ 7:35pm

Roll: Nora KC9MLV, Jim W9JPR, Kurt WB9FMC, Patti KC9LYE, Don KC9EQQ

Attending tonight 22 members, and 4 visitors Jerry k9pmv, welcome everyone.

Silence for troops who were killed.

From our President: Nora KC9MLV, important new business, January 2022 Don KC9EQQ, & Nora will no longer bring the refreshments to these meetings. We need volunteers to take over this task. The club pays for the refreshments. Any questions, see Nora & Don.

Al N9ZD, has radio gear that needs a new home, from K9UVA sk.

Tonight’s program: Haloween theme; Rose Phillips from Just Witchy’s performed tarot card
readings. And, Charles Maigicien’s magic act. Charles will perform at our Christmas party on Dec. 10th.

Treasures Report: Kurt wb9fmc, the club has money in checking account, and a savings account. Our club’s annual fundraiser is hamfest, we did make a small profit this year.

Christmas Party: see Hamfesters.org for details. tickets $25.00 each.
Tickets can be purchased at meetings, or online.

Minutes: The Sept. minutes were approved by Don KC9EQQ, & John KB9FQB.

Membership: Brian w9hlq, new member Jerry Dagenais K9PMV.

VE Testing: Al N9ZD, held next Sat. 9am @ Oak Forest Village Hall.
Al N9ZD, will be the VE.

The club’s officers & board members will remain in office for 2022.
All positions were unopposed.

Adjournment: Don KC9EQQ, & Gene W9PNG @ 9:10pm.

Charlie won split the pot.

Hamfester’s Dues

Hamfesters Radio club values your participation in the club. We need your dues support to keep the club running. Standard dues are $20/yr. And $10/yr for spouse or other family member. Current members will remain on the mailing list which announces the availability of HamGab and other important club news. In the early spring of the year, I remove those members who are delinquent from the list. Contact Brian, W9HLQ, if you are not getting these email announcements.

For the new members (and old members who forget!) here is a review of the dues process for Hamfesters. The final date for dues is the 31 st of December which pays for the following year’s dues. To facilitate the collection of dues I set up a table to make it easy for you to pay your dues. The table is set up for the October and November meetings. If you are going to pay in person I appreciate you pay your dues at either the October or November meeting. Thank you.

If you can’t attend either of these meetings, feel free to mail in your dues; payable to “Hamfesters Radio Club”. Send to Brian Davis, W9HLQ. When paying in person, we are equipped to accept your Visa or Master card if you don’t have cash handy. Also you can pay anytime online at our web site found here: https://www.hamfesters.org/main/club-information/

You can check your dues status by going to the Hamfesters web site and clicking on the “Members Only” link on the left side of the page. The years that you have paid for are shown as a two digit number for the years you have paid. You will need a password to access this information. If you are a paid member, contact any Hamfester officer to get the passcode.

Chrismas Party

Christmas Party tickets are now on sale!

     I will have tickets for this year’s gathering at the head table during the October and November meetings. They’re $25 each. You can pay with cash, or check made out to Hamfesters Radio Club. Can’t wait for the meeting? You can order through the club’s website and I will have them for you at the meeting.

   More info about the party is elsewhere in this issue or on the website: www.hamfesters.org.

   73, Jim W9JPR

Social Engineering?

by Gene Phillips

Social Engineering – Fear not! This has nothing to do with electrical or structural engineering!

Social engineering is something that everyone should be aware of though!

Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so that they give up their confidential information like bank account details, credit card #s, passwords, etc.

These criminals can trick you into giving your private and confidential information or they will gain your trust to get access to your computer to install malicious software- that will give them control of your computer.

If the bad guy hack’s your friend’s computer, then by accessing your friend’s email, he can send infected emails and messages to all your friend’s contacts. Since the message/ email is from a known person, you might think twice about clicking the link or attachment in the message, thus unintentionally infecting your computer.

Then there are the phone calls who claim to be the IRS or the police, for personal info or credit card info. Or the ones calling about your car warranty! Be leary of any unsolicited phone calls.

OLD CONTESTERS

from Westlakes Amateur Radio Club October 2021 Newsletter

Hamfesters VE Testings

Hamfesters conducts FCC authorized VE (volunteer examiner) tests for Technician, General, and Extra class licenses monthly.

Date: 2nd Saturday of each Month

Location: Oak Forest City Hall, 15440 Central Ave, Oak Forest, IL 60452

Time: 0900 hrs

Walk-ins accepted with FRN number in hand

The VE Team is NOT CONSIDERING any exams during the Hamfester’s Hamfest in August.

Exam Candidates: You are REQUIRED to register in the FCC CORES system and receive a FCC Registration Number (FRN) before exam day. Already Licensed? Please bring your Amateur License and Copy of Your License. Also, Bring any CSCE from previous Exams and A Copy if FCC has not acted upon.

Exam Session Requirements
Candidates could go directly to the FCC CORES User Account and Registration
page: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

FEES: (currently $15) for the test. We urge you to bring the exact amount of cash. NO CHECKS or CREDIT CARDS EXCEPTED!

VE Coordinator: Al Bukowski – N9ZD

N9ZD@ARRL.NET

PLEASE – NO TELEPHONE CALLS!

Exam Day
What to Bring to an ARRL Exam Session:

1. One legal photo ID (identification):
   a. State Driver’s License
   b. Government issued Passport
   c. Military or Law Enforcement Officer Photo ID card
   d. Student School Photo ID card
   e. State Photo ID card
2. If no photo ID is available, two forms of identification:
   a. Non-photo State ID card (some states still have them)
   b. Birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
   c. Social security card
   d. Employer’s wage statement or Minor’s work permit
   e. School ID card
   f. School or Public Library card
   g. Utility bill, bank statement or other business correspondence that specifically names the person; or a postmarked envelope addressed to the person at his or her current mailing address as it appears on
   the Form 605.
3. Students/minors without a photo ID need to bring only one of the above items if a legal guardian presents their photo ID; otherwise two non-photo IDs are required. Minor children (under the age of 18) may be accompanied in the room by an adult during the test.
4. FCC Registration Number (FRN): VECs are required by the FCC to submit your FRN with your license application form.
   New license applicants MUST create an FCC user account and register their Social Security Number (SSN) in the FCC Commission Registration System (CORES) before attending exam sessions.
   Registrants will be assigned an FRN which will be used in all license transactions with the FCC. Examinee Must bring their FRN number to the Exam Session.
   For instructions on how to register your SSN and receive an FRN from the FCC, visit the FCC’s Registration page and the FCC’s Registration instructions page. Per FCC rules, a valid email address is also mandatory on the application form.
5. If applicable, bring a printed copy of either your official Amateur Radio license or a reference copy available from the FCC website, or the original(s) and photocopy(s) of any Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) you may hold from previous exam sessions. If your license has already been issued by FCC, the CSCE showing license credit is not needed. The photocopy(s) will not be returned.
   Instructions on how to obtain an official FCC license copy are on our Obtain License Copy web page.
6. Two number two pencils with erasers and a pen for in-person sessions.
7. A calculator with the memory erased and formulas cleared is allowed. You may not bring any written notes or calculations into the exam session. Slide rules and logarithmic tables are acceptable, as long as they’re free
   of notes and formulas. Cell phone must be silenced or turned off during the exam session and the phones’ calculator function may not be used. In addition, iPhones, iPads, Androids, smartphones, Blackberry devices
   and all similar electronic devices with a calculator capability, may NOT be used.

---

November 2021 Contest Calendar

From WA7BNM Contest Calendar Website

+ ARS Spartan Sprint	0100Z-0300Z, Nov 2
+ Ukrainian DX Contest	1200Z, Nov 6 to 1200Z, Nov 7
+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW	2100Z, Nov 6 to 0300Z, Nov 8
+ High Speed Club CW Contest	1400Z-1700Z, Nov 7
+ WAE DX Contest, RTTY	0000Z, Nov 13 to 2359Z, Nov 14
+ 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, Digital	0001Z, Nov 13 to 2359Z, Nov 14
+ JIDX Phone Contest	0700Z, Nov 13 to 1300Z, Nov 14
+ OK/OM DX Contest, CW	1200Z, Nov 13 to 1200Z, Nov 14
+ SKCC Weekend Sprintathon	1200Z, Nov 13 to 2359Z, Nov 14
+ CQ-WE Contest	1900Z, Nov 13 to 0500Z, Nov 15
+ 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint	0100Z-0300Z, Nov 15
+ YO International PSK31 Contest	1600Z-2200Z, Nov 19
+ SARL Field Day Contest	1000Z, Nov 20 to 1000Z, Nov 21
+ LZ DX Contest	1200Z, Nov 20 to 1200Z, Nov 21
+ All Austrian 160-Meter Contest	1600Z-2359Z, Nov 20
+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB	2100Z, Nov 20 to 0300Z, Nov 22
+ Run for the Bacon QRP Contest	2300Z, Nov 21 to 0100Z, Nov 22
+ SKCC Sprint	0000Z-0200Z, Nov 24
+ CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW	0000Z, Nov 27 to 2359Z, Nov 28

Club Information

[donotprint]

Photos from the June Meeting

[/donotprint]

Notice: Beginning with Feb 2021, all HamGab issues will be gluten and salt-free. This is part of my commitment to provide you with the healthiest and environmentally friendly reading possible. You will notice no degradation in image quality due to the clever design of the editor. If you choose to print HamGab we suggest you use low-fat, vegetarian-based ink in your printer.