DELARANEWS
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH. August 2022 VOL 41 Number 8

Welcome

This is the official newsletter of a great ham radio club! Our DELARA family appreciates what you’re doing with the hobby! Why not take a few minutes and write out what interests you in our hobby! We have room for your article always! Send it to Stan [at] standi.com by the end of the month.

The Prez’s Shack

Mike Fright…

Ok, my topic is really ‘mic fright’, but I wanted to emphasize a point. It happens to almost every new ham, it probably happened to you, and it definitely happened to me. Yes, even your humble president had mic fright as a newbie. And every once in a while, I still make newbie mistakes (like asking QRZ? when I meant to ask QSL?). A couple of weeks ago I sat with a new ham (who shall remain nameless) to review the equipment at the club station and to help get on HF. Everything was going smoothly, until I handed the microphone over and said ‘go ahead and call CQ’. That’s when I saw it. It was the same look I had on my face when I first got my license. What do I say? What if I mess up? And worse… what if someone actually answers??? It is a little bit like stage fright, except with radio the ‘stage’ can be world-wide (if conditions are favorable). Oh my gosh! That means there must be millions of people out there listening right now. What if I mess up! With experience, I learned that it can be hard to get someone to answer your CQ. Someone has to be listening on the same frequency, at the same time, and be within range. That might be just a handful of people, or nobody at all. With that in mind, the stage seems a lot smaller and less scary. Really the only way to get over mic fright is to press down hard on the PTT button and make your first mistake. Then make your second mistake. Then do better the third time. In almost every case where I goofed, up and someone actually heard me, they either ignored the mistake or seemed all the more excited to speak with a new ham. I’ve had some operators give me advice, but never had anyone make fun of me. It really isn’t that scary, once you key-down and just get going. I thought this might be a good topic because we are lucky to have so many newly minted hams in the club recently. I wanted to make sure the new folks know – you are not alone, we’ve all been there, and don’t let it stop you from enjoying the hobby. You will be amazed how quickly that feeling will pass, and how silly it will look in hindsight. Sure, you will still make a mistake here and there, but you are amongst friends and nobody is keeping score. In my opinion, the best way to get some experience is to volunteer to run one of our Monday Evening Nets. If you can reach the 145.17 W8SMK Memorial Repeater, then you are ready. You don’t need to wait on anything else. Everything else comes with experience. Sure, you will stumble along as people mumble their call signs, or double as they are signing in. That happens to every net control operator. The important thing is, we are all there to help and encourage you along the way. So if you are feeling a little mic fright, that’s great! It means you are officially a ham, and you are on your way to enjoying this great hobby. Welcome aboard! 73 - Mike W8MDC DELARA President President@K8es.org

DELARA

Oh the variety! DELARA members are a diverse group! And in most ways, we reflect the benefits of “the best hobby in the world”! There are so many different sub-hobbies that one could work through each interest over an entire lifetime and not double back. Our members reflect that in the many different pursuits we see. Just take a look at HF. We have a solid group of hard-core contesters (and a group of those who just enjoy contesting but not so hard); we have a group interested in digital mode operation; we have a group which diversifies its HF operation- from parks on the air to remote operating to DX-ing. Most in the club make use of repeaters and such. And there are other things to consider- I have programmed my mobile rig with the up and downlinks for the ISS repeater, and while I haven’t made a contact yet I very frequently hear the space station. Maybe one day! We have amateur television (hope to see you at the club meeting to learn more!) and we have many other ways to enjoy the hobby. Whatever your interest, I’d be willing to bet there’s someone in DELARA with experience and expertise to help you get along! Don’t be afraid to ask! -Stan N8BHL
DELARANews
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH. August 2022 VOL 41 Number 8

Welcome

This is the official newsletter of a great ham radio club! Our DELARA family appreciates what you’re doing with the hobby! Why not take a few minutes and write out what interests you in our hobby! We have room for your article always! Send it to Stan [at] standi.com by the end of the month.

The Prez’s Shack

Mike Fright…

Ok, my topic is really ‘mic fright’, but I wanted to emphasize a point. It happens to almost every new ham, it probably happened to you, and it definitely happened to me. Yes, even your humble president had mic fright as a newbie. And every once in a while, I still make newbie mistakes (like asking QRZ? when I meant to ask QSL?). A couple of weeks ago I sat with a new ham (who shall remain nameless) to review the equipment at the club station and to help get on HF. Everything was going smoothly, until I handed the microphone over and said ‘go ahead and call CQ’. That’s when I saw it. It was the same look I had on my face when I first got my license. What do I say? What if I mess up? And worse… what if someone actually answers??? It is a little bit like stage fright, except with radio the ‘stage’ can be world-wide (if conditions are favorable). Oh my gosh! That means there must be millions of people out there listening right now. What if I mess up! With experience, I learned that it can be hard to get someone to answer your CQ. Someone has to be listening on the same frequency, at the same time, and be within range. That might be just a handful of people, or nobody at all. With that in mind, the stage seems a lot smaller and less scary. Really the only way to get over mic fright is to press down hard on the PTT button and make your first mistake. Then make your second mistake. Then do better the third time. In almost every case where I goofed, up and someone actually heard me, they either ignored the mistake or seemed all the more excited to speak with a new ham. I’ve had some operators give me advice, but never had anyone make fun of me. It really isn’t that scary, once you key-down and just get going. I thought this might be a good topic because we are lucky to have so many newly minted hams in the club recently. I wanted to make sure the new folks know – you are not alone, we’ve all been there, and don’t let it stop you from enjoying the hobby. You will be amazed how quickly that feeling will pass, and how silly it will look in hindsight. Sure, you will still make a mistake here and there, but you are amongst friends and nobody is keeping score. In my opinion, the best way to get some experience is to volunteer to run one of our Monday Evening Nets. If you can reach the 145.17 W8SMK Memorial Repeater, then you are ready. You don’t need to wait on anything else. Everything else comes with experience. Sure, you will stumble along as people mumble their call signs, or double as they are signing in. That happens to every net control operator. The important thing is, we are all there to help and encourage you along the way. So if you are feeling a little mic fright, that’s great! It means you are officially a ham, and you are on your way to enjoying this great hobby. Welcome aboard! 73 - Mike W8MDC DELARA President President@K8es.org

DELARAActive

Lots of things to do!

DELARA members are bacck in the swing! Over the past couple of months, there have been a number of activities in which many of our members have participated! Over the summer in addition to Field Day (always a big draw) the Boot Camp brought a large number out for a fun day. Ironman fielded 29 ham operators from three counties to help keep that event running. The latest adventures have included a large turnout for the Ohio QSO Party, putting the ARC stations back on the air. And in mid- September came the All Horse Parade, complete with Clydesdales. And of course the nightly radio nets, the digital group, and ARES training are there to keep us interacting. We send big thanks out to all who take their time and effort to have fun and serve our community! DELARA is an active club- and if you’re a newer member to the hobby, these activities are a great way to make some serious friendships! That has always been the best part of DELARA - friendships built around a common interest!