DELARANEWS
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH.
July2022 VOL 41 Number 7
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
Putting the Field Back in Field Day...
We had another great Field Day event this year - or should I say two great events? This year we had two options for club members. You could either operate at the Red Cross, or at Scioto Township Park. I had a chance to operate both, and really enjoyed my first Field Day outdoors at the park. Of course, the most fun for everyone was when our newest club member, 10-year-old Owen W8OGF, spent several hours at both locations. To me, the biggest surprise at the park was the combination of simplicity and high tech. Ed K8MEJ, Tom N4HAI and Alex N8QL brought out all the fancy equipment, including band filters and multiplexers to allow multi-station operation on the same antenna. Along with the high-end radio and solar power equipment, it was all very impressive. At the same time, the antenna setup was amazingly simple yet effective. They just deployed a few portable multi-banded antennas and presto, they were are on the air. With no nearby buildings, power lines, transformers or sodium lamps, RFI just wasn't a problem. And then there was the cool breeze from the nearby trees. I've got to say, it was a lot more relaxing than operating on blacktop. The same group are engaged in POTA activations, and will be out again at Alum Creek the weekend of July 16th using the club call K8ES. If you want to get involved in these outdoor events, send an e-mail on the reflector and watch for announcements. I'm not sure what Field Day 2023 will bring, but I hope it includes an actual field again. I think we would have much more success with drawing visitors, public engagement, and running GOTA if we are outside. I hope you were able to participate in Field Day this year, even if from your home station. No matter where you operated, I hope you had fun. If you haven't submitted your personal log yet, the deadline is July 26th. You can contribute to our aggregate score by supplying the club’s name (Delaware ARA) on the entry form at time of entry. 73 - Mike W8MDC DELARA President President@K8es.org
DELARA
Am I too old, or is it just over-the- limit complex? Please understand I’m not a stranger to programming radios. I’ve written my own code plugs for DMR radios, and programmed many. But I have to confess I really long for the days of the venerable Icom 2AT. A quick thumbwheel adjustment on the top to get on the right frequency and bang- you were on the air. On the death of my trusty MD-380 DMR handheld, I ordered an MDU/V 380 (dual band) version with hopes it would program DMR and all my favorite two meter sets. After four different software packages (even one I ~paid for~) I got… nuttin. Radio would not accept a load. Because of some outside “interference” I was also watching the followers of DMR kind of degenerate at the management level. Meanwhile, I find Fusion leadership to be really enthusiastic. All of that led to simply returning the radio. I was able to buy a pristine FT1DR fusion handheld and got it running fairly quickly. First contact was Gary on the Delaware Fusion repeater. I still think DMR is completely valid, and we do have DMR at the ARC for emergencies. But the whole thing can be frustratingly complex. -Stan N8BHL
DELARANews
DELARA NEWS is the monthly publication of the Delaware
Amateur Radio Association, Delaware OH.
July2022 VOL 41 Number 7
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
Putting the Field Back in Field
Day...
We had another great Field Day event this year - or should I say two great events? This year we had two options for club members. You could either operate at the Red Cross, or at Scioto Township Park. I had a chance to operate both, and really enjoyed my first Field Day outdoors at the park. Of course, the most fun for everyone was when our newest club member, 10-year-old Owen W8OGF, spent several hours at both locations. To me, the biggest surprise at the park was the combination of simplicity and high tech. Ed K8MEJ, Tom N4HAI and Alex N8QL brought out all the fancy equipment, including band filters and multiplexers to allow multi-station operation on the same antenna. Along with the high-end radio and solar power equipment, it was all very impressive. At the same time, the antenna setup was amazingly simple yet effective. They just deployed a few portable multi-banded antennas and presto, they were are on the air. With no nearby buildings, power lines, transformers or sodium lamps, RFI just wasn't a problem. And then there was the cool breeze from the nearby trees. I've got to say, it was a lot more relaxing than operating on blacktop. The same group are engaged in POTA activations, and will be out again at Alum Creek the weekend of July 16th using the club call K8ES. If you want to get involved in these outdoor events, send an e-mail on the reflector and watch for announcements. I'm not sure what Field Day 2023 will bring, but I hope it includes an actual field again. I think we would have much more success with drawing visitors, public engagement, and running GOTA if we are outside. I hope you were able to participate in Field Day this year, even if from your home station. No matter where you operated, I hope you had fun. If you haven't submitted your personal log yet, the deadline is July 26th. You can contribute to our aggregate score by supplying the club’s name (Delaware ARA) on the entry form at time of entry. 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!
