20210221 Weekly Report

Amateur Radio, Weekly Report

Ham Radio Enthusiasts Weekly Report

Weekly Nets

Please join us tonight at 7:00PM  for the Five County Ham Radio Enthusiasts net on the Carolina 440 network. You will be able to find your closest repeater at https://www.carolina440.net/440uhf-repeaters/repeaters-on-link.html.  If you are not close to the repeater or  are unlicensed and you would like to  listen on line try  https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/34503 Tony Hall (WW4TCH) is our regular net control station.

If you have thought you would like to serve the community during an emergency the best way to get ready is to learn to call a net. Let me know if you are interested in becoming a net control operator.

Thanks to the Carolina 440 net for the use of the repeater. If you would like to help see https://www.carolina440.net/membership/support.html.  Tell them FCHRE sent you.

Our weekly DMR net is Wednesday at 9:00 PM on the TGIF Talk Group 1870.

VE Team Report

Since September 2018

Applicants 224, Exams 351, T 120 G 38 E 20 Savings $3,360 (Not including retakes)

March 6 Exam 24 applicants registered. (Almost full)

Laurel VEC announced that the teams will not have to send paperwork thru the post office a savings of $7.50 for each package we send out.  Thanks to the owners of Supreme. T-shirts & Apparel Paulette (K4PKD) and Stan (WA2KQY) Disbrow for the Banks Road testing facility and the new Printer/Scanner they purchased for our use we now have a turn key operation. I will not have to bring any supplies or computers for the exam.  The VE team discussed the possibility of adding another day to test but the majority opted in for a longer day on the first Saturday of the month and that means we will start at 9:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM.  This does not mean we will not do exams by appointment during the week or other times applicants need us to facilitate at a mutually agreeable time.

 

IRLP History

I talked to a station out of Michigan yesterday on the IRLP.  That brought back some memories of using that back around 2001.  Here is an article in the Repeater Journal http://www.echolink.ru/downloads/seratic1.pdf  You may see a familiar call mentioned in the article.

Member Submitted Article

Thanks to K7RLH Richard Hall for submitting another article for the website A SLIGHTLY OFF-CENTER-FED DIPOLE

Thanks for reading.

20210206 Testing Session Results

Amateur Radio, BRTC, Testing

Our first Saturday of every month testing session schedule resumed on Saturday February 6, 2021. Session Manager Richard Hall, (K7RLH) managed his first testing session Saturday.

Session Manager, Richard Hall (K7RLH)

We thank the VE Team Members Lannie Godwin, (KK4QEF), Anthony Hall (WW4TCH) Michael (Glenn) Tylor (NC4KG), Stanley Disbrow, JR (WA2KQY), John Stein (K9JWS), Martin Brossman, III (KI4CFS), Mark Gibson (N4MQU) and non VE helper Christopher Lougee (KO4GQM). Chris helped us with the registration desk.

Thanks to Chris for helping at the registration desk.

Waiting their turn.

Thanks to KI4CFS for producing this video showcasing FCVET on his YouTube channel.  

KK4QEF, Wa2KQY, K9JWS

Martin (KI4CFS), Glenn (NC4KG), Tony (WW4TCH)

We have the following applicants that gave me permission to take the photo in order of the FCC response file. I honored all request for anonymity.  

William Mullins (KO4LYR)

Dan Hamm (KO4HAT)

Sammy Estridge III (KO4LZN)

Cormac Meiners (KO4LZS)

Robert Sepe (KO4LZT)

Angus Clark (KO4LZU)

Henrique Farinhail (KO4LZW)

Andrea Smith (KO4LZX)

Duane Cutlip (KY4EC)

Walt Paulson (KO4LZZ)

David Smith (KO4LZV)

20210130 Testing Session Results

Amateur Radio, Testing

The little train that could came thru once again Saturday. Thanks to the owners of Supreme. T-shirts & Apparel Paulette (now K4PKD) and Stan (WA2KQY) Disbrow that allows us to use their office in the capital city of Raleigh for amateur radio testing. While all the other established clubs in the area are cutting out the in-person exams in favor of the on-line exams or not doing it all the informal FCHRE clubs VE team had another in-person exam with 12 successful applicants. In addition to the office they have provided us with a turn key facility where all I have to do is show up with two other VE’s and we can do an exam.  Our host supplies us with the computer and just recently a brand new scanner/printer. 

VE KK4QEF Lannie Godwin

It has been reported to me from some of our applicants the requirements for on-line testing is just too strict for some applicants.  We took an added precaution Saturday and are limiting our applicants to 4 per hour.  This will keep our total number in the facility down to 10 due to covid requirements. This made a half day testing session into a 7 hour testing session. This presented a scheduling challenge but I think our first session with the new requirements went smoothly.  In addition to limiting the number of people we spray down the desk after each exam. I also request all applicants take the CDC Self-Checker prior to coming to the exam.  We do not take this covid thing lightly.

We had two applicants from as far away from  Chocowinity, NC and 1 from Siler City. It’s funny how this was the only time I was able to take a picture of all the applicants at once.  This is from the first hour. It’s just a coincidence our longest distance commuters was in our first hour.

Clarence Owens (KO4LRD) and Travis Wiggins (KO4LRF) of Chocowinity. and Stephen Lask (KO4LRG) of Siler City.

My VE teams likes to make fun of me taking pictures but I can’t help it. As you hear  (In order of the FCC response file) Jeremy Whorton (KO4LQR), Raymond Mcguinness (KO4LQS),Charlie Owens (KO4LRD), Jonathan Horvath (KO4LRE),Travis Wiggins (KO4LRF), Kelly Padgett (KO4LRH), Kenneth Florentine (KO4LRI),Gary Ybarra (KO4LRJ), Robert Randsdell, Jr (KO4LQZ) and Stephen Lask (KO4LRG). Not all applicants are mentioned. I honored everyone requesting anonymity. As you hear them on the air be sure to welcome them to amateur radio.  Please practice courtesy when you hear someone give their call on the radio especially after a conversation with someone else tell them you have to excuse yourself but wanted to let them know you are getting out.  I got to speak to one of our applicants from Saturday this morning Raymond Mcguinness (KQ4LQS).  That made all the work worth while.  We are full for our exam February 6, 2021 but register for March here.   We can also do exams on a weekday. Select other if you wish a weekday exam and indicate your preferred day of weekday request in the comments section. We will try to work out a date for you. Also we do exams for groups like we did last week. Here is our Banks Road Testing Club Stats – Sheet1-3 since we started at Banks Road last year.  Pretty interesting.

Thanks to the Laurel VEC for allowing no charge amateur radio exams.  Click on the link to see who is testing at no charge in your area or for more information on how to start a group.

Jeremy Whorton (KO4LQR)

Raymond Mcguinness (KO4LQS)

Gary Plante (KO4LQX)

Charles Owens (KO4LRD)

Jonathan Horvath (KO4LRE)

Travis Wiggins (KO4LRF)

Kelly Padgett (KO4LRH)

Kenneth Florentine (KO4LRI)

Gary Ybarra (KO4LRJ)

Robert Randsdell, JR (KO4LQZ)

Gary Plante (KO4LQX)

Stephen Lask (KO4LRG)

Thanks to the greatest VE team in the world AJ4NX, WA2KQY, KE4QEF.  Not pictured but another valued team member KK4QDZ.

AJ4NX, WA2KQY, and KK4QEF