April 2023 – HamGab

[print_link]

Secretary’s Beat – Meeting Minutes

Hamfesters amateur radio club meeting Friday March 10, 2023  7:45pm

This meeting was held a week later, because of a snowstorm that was supposed to happen.

Please check hamfesters.org for the lastest updates.

Roll: Nora kc9mlv, Jim w9jpr, Kurt wb9fmc, Patti kc9lye, Cindy n9cas, Bob n9wdv, Steve w9kxt,.

There were; 26 members, and 12 visitors. Welcome everyone.

President Report: by Nora kc9mlv, tomorrow is Kurt’s 70th Birthday. Helen sent wonderful home made chocolate chip cookies, and pound cake. Thanks Helen.  

Thanks to Cindy n9cas, for selling split the pot tickets, and handling sign up sheets tonight

Cindy also has sign up for the Helen Keller 5k run, at Richard’s High School Oak Lawn April 30th. Hams are needed to help safety, and security. Cindy is in the club roster see hamfesters.org

Tonight Rick w9doq, has Hamfesters shirts, & sweatshirts for sale.

Minutes: The minutes were approved by; Steve w9kxt, and Al n9zd.

Treasurer’s Report: by Kurt wb9fmc, there’s a dent in the club’s checking account.

We gave a donation to Southbridge church, we hold our monthly club meetings here, and Field Day. We also bought a new GOTO tent for field days. Our old GOTO tent was OLD!

Programs: by Don kc9eqq, 

Tonight our Annual White Elephant Sale. Thanks to sellers, and buyers, for fun.

April 7, Weather Spotting The program will be held here, it will be presented by

Dave n9kpd, on Zoom. Al n9zd, will be here to answer questions.

ALSO, in April EMA has invited our members to attend their event. See Al n9zd for

details. See club’s roster on hamfesters.org

There’s no program yet for May.

June 2 program by Jim w9jpr, Field Day 2022, and details about FD 2023.  

June 24 & 25, 2023 is Field Day here at the church.

Hamfest 2023: Jim w9jpr, has hamfest tickets, and flyers, tickets are double stub, $8.00 each. Please take flyers, buy/sell tickets. MORE Hamfest 2023: by Don kc9eqq, held at Will County Fairgrounds,Peotone, IL. Hamfest Sun. Aug. 6th, setup Sat. Aug.5th. The evening of Sat. Aug.5th there will be pizza for voluteers, and vendors. Debbie Dawn will present a program at our hamfest Aug. 6th on 3D printing. 

She gave a program for us earlier this year.

Adjournment: by Don kc9eqq, & Dan, at 8:30pm.

Split the Pot Winner: Vince w9vec !! Vince bought hamfesters hamfest tickets with some of his winnings. Thanks Vince!

CQ Field Day

Jim Riley W9JPR

  Last month I wrote that our new GOTA tent was sitting in a box in my garage. I’m happy to report that it’s no longer in the box. Everything looks great from what I can see but we’ll get it checked out for sure once the weather breaks. We’ll gather a few people at the FD site and set it up.

   The new FD rules are out and there are only two changes that affects us. There is now no limit on the number of contacts a GOTA station can make. This doesn’t make any difference to us because we never come anywhere near the limit anyway. The more important change is all GOTA contacts are now worth five points. I see a huge increase in GOTA stations this year.

   I have added a participant list from last year’s sign-in sheets. Please let me know if you can or cannot repeat your role this year. If you’re not on the list, consider joining us. We’re always looking for world-class operators. More importantly, we’re looking for those new to ham radio. Field Day is a great way to get your feet wet in operating HF. Our expert GOTA staff is ready and willing to help you make your first contact. You’ll be under no pressure but high fives and pats on the back will be abundant once your first one’s in the log.

   Field Day is June 24-25 at SouthBridge Church in Orland Park. Setup begins at 0800 Saturday morning and operations begin at 1800Z or 1300 local.

Cast of characters

Does nothing, gets all the credit: Jim Riley W9JPR
Hamfesters President: Nora Pointer KC9MLV
Field Day pins: Patty Gulick KC9LYE
Setup/tear down: Larry Jennings WD9GVY, Wayne Lacoy KD9LAW, Dan Haug KA9BAR, Ed Egan WB9STB, Bob Fleischmann N9KWG, Keith Rich W9VCI, Tom Gulick, Paul Truback KD9RRY, Ron Kalat KB9TCX
GOTA: Brian Davis W9HLQ (now SK), Steve Peters W9KXT, Peggy Peters K9QLM, Gene Phillips W9PNG
Lunch: Connie Kelly AC9CK
Supper, breakfast: Rick Reynolds W9DOQ
VHF/UHF: Linas Matonis KC9PCP, Tim Szymanski KC9POS
20-meter CW, Kurt Pawlikowski WB9FMC
20-meter digital: John Swanson KB9FQB
Trailer operator and GOTA call: Al Bukowski N9ZD
Photographers: Don Pointer KC9EQQ, Paul Batchelor. 

Bouvet Island Survey

Not a lot of submissions, but I promised to show the results.

Hamfest Ticket Sales

Jim Riley W9JPR

Hamfest ticket sales have begun. We sold twenty-two tickets at the March meeting. A lot of flyers went out too. Several members of the Six Meter Club took some of each back to their club. We still have plenty of tickets and flyers left and they don’t do the club any good sitting in boxes in my garage.

   If you’re going to a hamfest, bring a batch of flyers with you. If you’re going to a ham radio gathering of any kind, take some tickets to sell. Can’t decide which to take? Take some of both.

   I prefer to distribute tickets for sale in multiples of ten to simplify record keeping. There is no pressure to sell all ten. Just return what you don’t sell. If you can’t wait until the April meeting, contact me via my roster information.

General Meeting Security Update

Jim Riley W9JPR

At the request of Pastor Dean, the front door of our meeting place at SouthBridge Church will be kept secure before, during, and after our meetings. The door will be unlocked at 7 p.m. with someone posted there. It will be locked at 7:30. If you arrive after that time, you can call W9AA on 146.43 MHz or call Jim at 708-218-0695.

The new changes in Illinois law require this policy for the security of the facility and safety of all meeting attendees.

FCC Proposed Changes

Read it here first!

The new proposal would create a 4th license called, “Super Extra”.

The “Super Extra” license will require a 75 question exam with a 1000 question pool.

“Super Extra” will be given new privileges to transmit on a new 320M band. Exact frequencies will be made public in the very near future. Only Phone and CW will be allowed on the 320M band. No DIGITAL.

“Super Extra” will also require a morse code test with a min passing of 25 words a min with a 5% error rate.

If the proposal does pass, and it is expected to pass, ARRL will be sending out new testing materials will be sent out immediatly.

Gene W9PNG

April Fools 😉

FOR SALE by Owner

ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program

from ARRL VEC VE Newsletter

The ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program went into effect on April 19, 2022. ARRL will cover the one-time $35 application fee for new license candidates younger than 18-years old for tests administered under the ARRL VEC program. The $35 FCC application fee will be reimbursed after the ARRL VEC receives the completed reimbursement form and the new license has been issued by the FCC. The reimbursement check will be mailed to the fee payer. Also, candidates younger than 18-years old would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC VE team at the time of the exam. The $5 fee is for all candidates under the age of 18 regardless of the exam level taken. Proof of under 18 status is required at the session. Visit the ARRL website for the program instructions and reimbursement form at www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program<http://www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program>.

The ARRL Board approved the “Youth Licensing Grant Program” at its July 2021 meeting in Hartford, Connecticut, expanding on the scope of the original motion proposed by ARRL Southeastern Division Director Mickey Baker, N4MB. The new program will cover the $35 FCC license application fee for candidates younger than 18-years old. The Board believes that “the recruitment and training of young amateur radio operators is a necessary and proper mission of the ARRL, and that subsidization of the $35 fee will reduce the number of new amateurs that otherwise would be lost from these groups,” the Board said. Initially the new program would serve up to 1,000 new license applicants under 18 years old. The program length is indefinite; it may be renewed or terminated by the Administration and Finance Committee or by the Board of Directors. The motion carried with applause from Board members.

Hamfesters VE Testings

Important Note: Amateur Radio Exams

1. Bring 2 pencils for the answer sheet, and a Black ink ball point pen for the FCC VEC 605 form we provide.  (FCC registration form)
2. Exam Candidates: Prior to your arrival. You are REQUIRED to register in the FCC CORES system online and receive a FCC Registration Number (FRN) before exam day.
   Once you have obtained the FRN number, please bring it with you to the exam location. To apply for the FRN, please go here.>>>  https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do 
   Already Licensed? Please bring your Official Amateur License and Photo Copy of Your License. The FRN number is printed on your FCC License. (also found on the GMRS license if you have one) ALL Copies are filed with all testing materials. You will keep the originals. The FCC ULS CORES system must have a valid email address.  Otherwise you may not get your License.
   The FRN number is a requirement on the FCC 605 form we provide and your Exam answer sheet.
3. A fee of $15 dollars is charged for the examination. Payment is Cash ONLY — no credit cards or checks accepted.
4. Please bring a photo ID such as a Government Drivers License or US passport.
5. Exam location is at Oak Forest City Hall 15440 S. Central Ave. Oak Forest.  Enter through the Police Station Door and follow the ARRL EXAM Signs to the Exam Area.
6. Yes, You may bring your calculator, however you must demonstrate that all memories are erased.

NOTE:     Starting  April 19, 2022 the FCC $35.00 Amateur Application Fee Starts. This new fee will only apply to applicants for a new 10 year License, renewal, rule waiver or a new vanity call sign.  (The $35.00 Application Fee is non-refundable) There will be no charge for future License Upgrades or administrative updates, such as a change of mailing address or email address.

The New $35.00 Fee will NOT be collected by the VE’s (Volunteer Examiners). ALL Exam paperwork including exam fees, answer sheets and Form 605s are mailed to the ARRL-VEC headquarters.  If you passed your exam the ARRL-VEC will submit your information to the FCC. Once the FCC runs batch processing, they will email you the process to pay the $35.00 fee. (usually credit card) You will have Ten calendar days to pay per instructions giving by the FCC. If payment is properly transferred, the FCC will then email instructions to download your License.  You will have 30 days to download the Amateur license. 

Again, The FCC must have your valid email address in the ULS CORES system.

ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program starts on April 19, 2022

Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of Directors, at its July 2021 meeting, approved the "ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program <https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-establishes-program-to-cover-initial-fcc-license-fee-for-young-applicants>." Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18 years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC upon examination.

To give yourself practice on all the questions: Please click on the Website below that contains Exam Flash Cards Go to  >>>  https://hamexam.org/   Click on the Flash Cards for the Class of Exam you wish to study. You can also take the practice Exams found on the same Web Site. It’s free and a good practice prior to any Exam Session.

73’s   Al – N9ZD   VE examiner

Feburary 2022 Contest Calendar

From WA7BNM Contest Calendar Website

Club Information

[donotprint]

[/donotprint]

Disclaimer

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.