The club meeting is at the usual location, the Wilton EMS building in Wilton. The date is Monday, October 10, the second Monday of the month.
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME: General Meeting at 7:00 PM
At last month’s board meeting, it was decided to shorten the normal Board of Directors meeting from 1 hour to 1/2 hour, and start the general meeting at 7 PM instead of the usual 7:30. So here it is:
Board of Directors starts at 6:30 PM
General Membership starts at 7:00 PM
This month’s meeting presentation is “The Capital District Commuter Net.”
KB2GOM, Jock Elliott, has been running the Capital District Commuter Net weekday mornings for 20 plus years. The commuter net is run on the 146.94 repeater with permission from David C Edwards, W2GBO. During Monday’s presentation Jock will describe how he coordinates traffic updates with the Capital Region Traffic Management Center and how the net operates.
KB2GOM, Jock Elliott has been running the Capital District Commuter Net weekday mornings for 20 plus years. The commuter net is run on the 146.94 repeater with permission from David C Edwards, W2GBO. During Monday’s presentation Jock will describe how he coordinates traffic updates with the Capital Region Traffic Management Center and how the net operates.
Please join us for our regular monthly meeting on Monday, October 10, 2016, for what will be a very interesting presentation on the goings-on behind an amateur radio ‘net’.
Joe, KD2FWG, gets some early contacts in the ARRL Filed Day log!
Radio operators are needed to support the 14th Annual Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon will be held on Sunday, October 16th. Each year the Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon attracts top regional multi-sport athletes, as well as recreational runners and bikers. The start, exchange area, and finish are all at Riverview Orchards and the courses are through rural fall foliage lined landscapes along the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway.
Awards for first, second, and third place male and female finish in each ten-year increment starting with 19 and under. Awards also for first place male, female, and mixed teams.
Radio Operators Needed
Radio operators are strategically placed along both the running and biking course to provide real-time updates to the race coordinators and to provide communications should an accident, injury, or illness occur on the race course.
Radio operators receive a moisture wicking polyester tee shirts a Giffy’s Bar-B-Q chicken dinner after the race.
Here are a few of the race details:
Special Event: Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon.
Date: Sunday, October 16, 2016.
Time: Race start 0830 hours, Radio Volunteers to stage at 0730 hours.
Event length: About 4 hours.
Location: Riverview Orchards, 660 Riverview Rd, Rexford, NY 12148
Contact Fred, W2EMS if you’re interested in helping out at this event.
On SATURDAY, October 1st, the annual ARRL/ARES Simulated Emergency Test (SET) will take place, and Saratoga County amateurs will be taking part. The objective is to activate as many stations from as many county locations, including served agencies, as possible. The goal is to demonstrate that our county can activate a corps of radio operators quickly in case of a real emergency. Points are awarded based on the nature of each QSO, and each county will report its results to the section emergency coordinator for ENY by noon that same day.
The exercise begins at 9 am and runs until 11 am for home, portable and mobile participants. You can take part by checking-in to the club’s linked 2-meter repeaters (147.00 & 147.24) and reporting your location. You may report from home, and you may also report from local fire stations, hospitals, churches, schools, etc. — any facility that might serve as a shelter in a real emergency. If possible, go inside, introduce yourself, and tell them what’s happening. We get more points for going inside than for calling from the parking lot. Anyone wishing to be an early responder needs to submit a cell phone number and email address by noon on Wednesday.
So please join us this Saturday, Oct. 1st, from 9 – 11 am. Call in from home and then drive to “shelter” facilities in your area and check in as well.
Check-in to the SET network on the club repeaters from each location.
Do this as many times as you can … then enjoy your afternoon, knowing you’ve made a real contribution to Saratoga County’s emergency preparedness.
If you’re willing to commit in advance to visit any fire stations, etc. in your area, please let Phil-KC2YLM pweissman@nycap.rr.com or Fred – W2EMS W2EMS@ARRL.NET know.
It’s all about NY on October 15 as radio amateurs from around the world get on the air to work all 62 NY counties, Chautauqua to Clinton, Niagara to Suffolk. A dozen or more mobile operators will take to the mean streets of NYC or the bucolic surrounds of the Southern Tier and North Country. Brave souls will sneak out to the woodlands to activate a rare county, Field Day style, as temps may dip into the 30’s. And good, solid Elmers will open up their shacks to new hams and build excitement as the spotlight is on US!
The NYQP game is easy to play as all operating modes and bands are eligible. The QSO exchange is simple for NY operators: signal report and county. For those eager out-of-state ops wanting to work all 62 counties, they’ll send a signal report and their state, province or DX.
There’s a category for all operating styles from single-operator-QRP to multi-operator-high-power-mobile! And the 48 plaques, which are awarded to category winners, are simply beautiful and I think they’re the best in the business. Serious “furniture” for the discerning ham’s shack! The state-wide NYQP Plaque Sponsorship Team and the Rochester DX Association really step up to the plate each year to make all the effort worthwhile.
Please start thinking about your NYQP operations. Mobile or Fixed, SSB, CW or digital, the important thing is to get on the air with friends and make some “noise” and help promote amateur radio spirit in NY. Please consider using this event to introduce new hams into the mix. Elmering has always been an important aspect of our hobby and NYQP is a perfect vehicle from which to teach operating concepts and station engineering. Make a new antenna, try a new digital mode, operate a vintage rig, have fun!
There is a page at the NYQP website (www.nyqp.org) that we’ve created to announce activity across the state. It’s called “2016 Planned Activations” and it’s easy to list your plans online to alert others of your activity in that rare or not-so-rare QTH. It helps all of us make informed choices on how to operate to maximize fun. The event’s rules are also listed at the site.
In 2015, we had a record 314 logs, 156 from NY, 135 stateside, 14 from Canada, and 9 from DX. 5,670(!) unique call signs participated in the event, with 43,065(!) reported QSOs. Contacts were made in all 62 counties from 49 (missed AK) states, 9 (AB, BC, MB, NB, NT, ON, PEI, QC, SK) provinces, and dozens of DX countries. There were 57 amateur radio clubs (25 New York and 32 out of state) involved the event. Let’s set some new records in 2016!
Need any assistance or have any questions? Wondering which are the rare counties? Have a question about logging software? The NYQP Team is at the ready…send me a note any time at NW2K@arrl.net or check out the great NYQP website (www.nyqp.org) for all the details. We’ll help you get on the air on October 15!
