The Durham FM Association is a group of friendly amateur radio operators interested in all aspects of amateur radio service. Members in Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and surrounding areas of North Carolina enjoy operating through VHF and UHF repeaters sponsored and maintained by the club. http://www.dfma.org Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:57:53 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/148/2/ Adriano and Gerry will be unable to return as band captains for the 40/15 M phone station, though they do plan to assist this year in whatever other ways they can. My thanks to them for their hard work operating that station over the years.I am throwing open a call for a new captain or captains to step up from either DFMA, OCRA or even co-captains from both organizations. Why are 40M and 15M usually lumped together? Back in the early days of the club when we were a 5A operation we primarily used dipoles. It turns out that a 40 M dipole can operate harmonically on 15 meters. So it made sense back then that one station could work both bands. We can still work it that way, but a 15 M yagi antenna would be much more productive than a harmonically tuned dipole. So we can look at other options for operations, i.e. 15 meters and 40 meters as standalones , 15/10 meters together, 40M appended to another station. I'm open to all ideas. 73, Dave, W4SAR News - Latest Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:27:50 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/147/2/ OCRA / DFMA CONTEST WITHIN A CONTEST 2010 WPX RULES I. Objective: For OCRA DFMA members to contact as many amateurs and different prefixes as possible during the contest period. II. Period of Operation: - SSB: March 27-28, 2010 - Starts: 0000 GMT Saturday Ends: 2359 GMT Sunday III. Bands: Only the 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands may be used. Observance of established band plans is strongly encouraged. IV. Terms of Competition for All Categories: (a) All entrants must operate within the limits of their chosen category when performing any activity that could affect their submitted score. Only the entrant’s call sign may be used to aid the entrant’s score. (d) Self-spotting or asking other stations to spot you is not allowed. V. Entry Categories: A. For our Contest within a Contest there will be three different categories. The only difference for a single-op and multi-op entry is the power level. (a) High Power (All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 1500 watts.(b) Low Power(All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 200 watts.(c) QRP (All Band or Single Band): Total output power must not exceed 5 watts. VI. Exchange: RS(T) report plus a progressive contact serial number starting with 001 for the first contact. (ie: 59 001 if your first QSO, and 59 035 if your 35th QSO.) VII. Contact Points: (If you have Contest Logging software this is all automatic. If you are logging by hand, leave space on the right side of your paper log for a score per QSO. See example below.) (a) Contacts between stations on different continents are worth three (3) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and six (6) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz. (b) Contacts between stations on the same continent, but different countries, are worth one (1) point on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and two (2) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz. Exception: For North American stations only—contacts between stations within the North American boundaries (both stations must be located in North America) are worth two (2) points on 28, 21, and 14 MHz and four (4) points on 7, 3.5, and 1.8 MHz. (c) Contacts between stations in the same country are worth 1 point regardless of band. VIII. Prefix Multipliers: The prefix multiplier is the number of valid prefixes worked. Each PREFIX is counted only once regardless of the band or number of times the same prefix is worked. (a) A PREFIX is the letter/numeral combination which forms the first part of the amateur call. Examples: N8, W8, WD8, HG1, HG19, KC2, OE2, OE25, LY1000, etc. Any difference in the numbering, lettering, or order of same shall count as a separate prefix. A station operating from a DXCC country different from that indicated by its call sign is required to sign portable. The portable prefix must be an authorized prefix of the country/call area of operation. In cases of portable operation, the portable designator will then become the prefix. Example: N8BJQ operating from Wake Island would sign N8BJQ/KH9 or N8BJQ/NH9. KH6XXX operating from Ohio must use an authorized prefix for the U.S. 8th district (/W8, /AD8, etc.). Portable designators without numbers will be assigned a zero (Ø) after the second letter of the portable designator to form the prefix. Example: PA/N8BJQ would become PAØ. All calls without numbers will be assigned a zero (Ø) after the first two letters to form the prefix. Example: XEFTJW would count as XEØ. Maritime mobile, mobile, /A, /E, /J, /P, or interim license class identifiers do not count as prefixes. IX. Scoring: A station may be worked once on each band for QSO point credit. Prefix credit may be taken only once. (i) All-Band score is total contact points from all bands multiplied by the number of different prefixes worked.(ii) Single-Band score is total contact points on the band entered multiplied by the number of different prefixes worked on that band only. X. Instructions for Submission of Logs: We would appreciate receiving all logs in electronic format. However, paper logs will also be accepted. Please submit a separate log per band. This will make it easier for you to identify duplicate QSOs (they don’t count) and for us to score you submission. (a) The log MUST show the following for each contact: correct time in GMT, frequency (or band), call, serial number sent, and serial number received. A log without all required information may be reclassified to checklog. This is a sample of a log format if you want to use paper that would work for our Contest within a Contest ***************************************************************** Date__Time (UTC)__Frequency__Call__NR SENT_NR_RCVD_Score If anyone has questions - - please send my an email, call me on the phone or call me on the repeater ! I hope to work many OCRA and DFMA members during the WPX-SSB contest. 73, Bruce – N1LN News - Latest Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:05:29 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/146/2/ As you all know, ARRL Field Day is just a few months away. Dave (W4SAR) has already started to discuss this year’s event and the planning has started. One of the topics discussed at the meeting on Monday night was how we might be able to increase our score and maybe beat that California station this year. We discussed putting more stations on the air, getting more operators, putting up different types of antennas and – making more QSOs. The last item, making more QSOs is possible with or without implementing any of the other suggestions. When you combine the Field Day discussions with many comments made on the weekly Monday night 10 meter SSB net about band conditions improving, contacts made with other US and DX stations, Laurie and I had a thought. Why not have an OCRA and DFMA Contest within a Contest. The CQ WPX SSB contest is coming up so that would offer a great opportunity to run them both at that same time. The bands would be active bands and, as the contest rules allow working everyone (Domestic and DX) anyone that has HF capabilities would be able to participate. I will be putting together a set of Contest w/in a Contest rules over the next couple nights, but until then, take a look at the WPX rules. They can be found here: URL: http://www.cqwpx.com/ A few of my thoughts so far are: > multiple entry classes - QRP: 10 watts or less (yes, this is more than usual) - LOW power: Less than 200 watts- HIGH power: More than 200 watts- NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE YET: Issue certificates for working more than 50 contacts > no difference between single op or multi op entries - good training for Field Day teams > when completed, the log needs to be sent to us, not CQ - paper is fine, no need to use a computer (more on this later) - if using paper logs, QSOs info must be split by band (20 meter on a different log page then 40 meters) - the detailed contact exchange information will be in my next email, but must be the same as WPX so others will work you - NO DUPES. You can work the same station on different bands, but only ONCE / band > operate as much or as little as you want. - yes, it is a 48 hr contest, but you might just win by only spending 2 hrs on the air > MORE TO COME NOTE: AT A MINIMUM – CERTIFICATES WILL BE AWARDED TO THE WINNERS 73, Bruce – N1LN (aka: NC4KW) News - Latest Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:10:15 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/145/2/ Hi All- Field Day 2010 will be the weekend of June 26-27. The overwhelming majority of persons I spoke to planning to participate desired a return to Blackwood Farm. I am in the process of applying to use the site again, and no problem with that is anticipated. As in years past, band captains who served the year before will have right of first refusal to act in that capacity again. Band captains oversee the construction and operation of a station particular band and mode and are responsible to get the results to the field day coordinator. The following prior band captains were at the recent OCRA meeting, and have agreed to participate again this year: Mac WQ8U - 80M CW Steve KZ1X- 40M CW Wilson W4BOH - 20/15M CW Dave W4SAR - 40M DIGI Ken KR4FM Patrick KJ4EWX 20/15M DIGI Dave W4SAR - 80M Phone Karen KD4YJZ Wayne KJ4GDW - 10M Phone Chris KG4CFX - VHF/UHF The following are last year's band captains not present at the meeting, I will be contacting them to confirm if they are returning: Adriano KV7D Gerry KD4YJV 40/15M Phone Ted KE4NBB Russ KF4WXD 20M Phone All band captains should let me know as soon as possible what primary and backup antennas they plan to use so I may start mapping the site to try and minimize local QRM. A suggestion was made that we put together a roster of operators and time slots for the various stations. This will help assure that the band captains have some relief, can keep their stations running at maximum efficiency, and will give operators a chance to work different bands or modes if they desire. CW operators in particular are badly needed, these stations tend to pull in the highest numbers of QSO's, but are labor intensive. Relief operators are needed every couple of hours so that it will remain an enjoyable experience and not an ordeal. Of course, lots of volunteers will be needed to aid in building the stations on that Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, as well as tear down on Sunday. Lastly, I have been shown a newer logging Field Day logging program which is intuitive and has a much smoother interface than the freeware we had been using. Band captains, go to this website: http://www.n3fjp.com/ (http://www.n3fjp.com/) Download the evaluation copy of the Field Day Logging Program, it will allow you to log in 20 entries. Have a look, I think you will like it! Bruce, N1LN will be getting the CD of the fully capable version which will license the entire FD operation. We will have an installation and tutorial session at the May meeting of this logging software which will be quite an improvement for our computer logging capabilities this year. Thanks to all of you for your dedication to Field Day, we have improved our score every year, and I have a feeling this year will be exceptional! 73, Dave, W4SAR OCRA/DFMA Field Day Coordinator News - Latest Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:04:21 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/144/2/ As you know from the DFMA meetings and the reports in the Newsletter, we are, again joining forces with OCRA. Two related items will be posted on this web site soon (and there is sure to be more). Dave Snyder, w4sar, is again coordinating the Filed Day effort. His post will report on early plans and Band Captain assignments. Remember that the Band Captain (or co-captains) are responsible for coordinating a station that is to operate in a particular band in a particular mode. There are still many volunteers needed to fill out the schedule. If you are interested in being a Band Captain, contact Dave. If you would like to be part of a particular team, you can contact Dave and/or go directly to the person responsible for the band you are interested in. Of course, you can just show up and help out. Additional hands and operators are always needed. However, it helps if you sign on in advance and your team members know that they can count on you. The other posting will come from Bruce Meier, n1ln, contester extraordinaire. He is proposing that we get some contesting experience by spending some time in a contest later this month and that we run a contest within a contest. This will be a warm up foe Field Day. You participate by using your own equipment at home and participate only to the degree that your time and interest permit. He will give you the details. News - Latest Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:49:12 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/143/2/ The Durham ARES Net has changed its time from Mondays to Sunday at 8:00pm. It continues to meet on the DFMA's 145.450- repeater located in the Durham VA Hospital. Look at the web site DurhamARES.org for more info. The Central Carolina D-Star Net is moving from Thursdays to Tuesday at 9:00pm. It is increasing its scope to become the North Carolina D-Star Net. News - Latest Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:04:19 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/142/2/ The March program at Bullock's BBQ is:Jeff Orrock, KI4KKX, of the National Weather Service, will present on severe weather typical of this time of year. He will focus on Tornado Damage, Storm Surveys and the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Jeff Orrock, KI4KKX, at a recent presentation on hurricanes. News - Meeting Announcements Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:40:29 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/139/2/ Gaynell Powell Collins Click for Condolences (http://www.timeformemory.com/fh_obituary.cfm?obitid=32870 fhid=411 locationid=437#condolence) Printable Version (javascript:%20newWindow%20=%20openWin(%20'fh_obituaryprint.cfm?obitid=32870',%20'newindow',%20'width=724,height=590,toolbar=1,location=0,directories=0,status=0,menuBar=1,scrollBars=1,resizable=1'%20);%20newWindow.focus()) 1932 - 2010 Gaynell Powell Collins, 77, of Ramseur, passed away Tuesday, January 12, 2010, after a brief illness, at Wesley Long Community Hospital in Greensboro. Funeral Services, 3 PM, Thursday, Loflin Funeral Home Chapel, Ramseur. Officiating, Dr. Charles Fleshman. Burial, Sunset Knoll Cemetery, Ramseur. She was a Wake County native, retired from Cornell Electronics, a member of the Society of Amateur Ham Radio Operators, and also a proud member of the Possum Trotters. She was of the Baptist Faith. Survivors: daughter, Michelle Collins Brandon and her husband, David, of Pleasant Garden , son, James C. Collins and his wife, Barbara, of Whitsett, step sisters, Donna Galvin and her husband, Ernie, of Greensboro; Lou Langston and her husband, Charles, of Galax, Va., grandchildren, Christy Collins, Erika Follansbee, Derek Collins, Meredith Brandon, Matthew Brandon, five great grandchildren. Visitation, 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM, Thursday, Loflin Funeral Home, Ramseur. Arrangements by Loflin Funeral Home, Ramseur. Memorials may be made to, Humane Society of NC, 4527 West Wendover Ave., Greensboro, NC 27409. From the Time for Memory Web Site: http://www.timeformemory.com (http://www.timeformemory.com) News - Latest Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:14:34 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/138/2/ From the Durham Morning Herald:HILLSBOROUGH -- Mr. Russell Clyde Laws, 51, passed away during the week of January 7, 2010. He was born in Durham but lived most of his life in Hillsborough. Russell graduated from Orange High School and Rowan Technical Community College with an Associates Degree in Occupational Health and Safety. He was a former employee at SCM Metal Products as a safety manager.Surviving are his son, Scott Laws, Efland; his mother, Helen Roberts Laws, Chapel Hill; and his sister, Teresa Laws Ellis, Chapel Hill. He was predeceased by his father, C. R. Robert Booty Laws.The family will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Walker's Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Walker's Funeral Home, P.O. Box 506, Hillsborough, NC 27278, in his memory. Online condolences: Walkersfuneralservice.com. News - Latest Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:53:37 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/137/2/ The Triangle ATV Association's (http://www.qsl.net/tri-atv (http://www.qsl.net/tri-atv)) special interest meeting will be held at O'Charley's Restaurant at 8115 Brier Creek Parkway (off Highway 70 north of RDU airport) on Thursday, January 14th. Please RSVP to nc4tv.triatv@gmail.com (mailto:nc4tv.triatv@gmail.com) if possible if you're planning on attending. The 6:30PM start time ought to provide an opportunity to eat before the meeting proper takes place. News - Latest Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:15:11 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/136/2/ Randy McCray, K4XRM, our Durham County EC, will do an ARES Forum and present what ARES has done over the past 6 mos, and an outlook for 2010. Some of the main goals will be to increase our ARES membership through recruitment, and training activities. Audience participation is solicited. Come with questions and ideas. News - Meeting Announcements Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:34:35 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/135/2/ On Sunday, December 6, we will be participating in the Parkwood Christmas Parade. Last year the Club drove the MCU in the Bahama Christmas Parade and all of the participants had lots of fun. (See the picture gallery). We will be assembling in the Parkwood Shoping Center on Revere Road in Durham at 1:00pm to stage before the final lineup. I you just want to come and watch, the actual parade begins at 2:00PM. We can use additional help. People are needed to walk alongside of the MCU during the parade to hand out candy. Bringing a bag of candy will also be a big help. Please send email to Randy McCray, K4XRM (new call -- former KE4UCM) if you plan to participate. You cans use: rwmccray at gmail dot com for contact. News - Latest Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:54:26 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/134/2/ Continuing a tradition of having the DFMA pick up the tab for our December Holiday Dinner Meeting, we will meet at Bullock's Barbecue Restaurant in Durham starting at 6:00pm. You will be able to order from the menu. This is our Holiday Meeting! In that tradition you may (optionally): Bring a Christmas gift for a child to be distributed to Durham's needy. If wrapped, mark gender and age range on the outside. (Last year DSS expressed a preference for not having the gifts wrapped -- a gift bag would work, though.) The Club will make its annual gift to the Durham Rescue Mission. We will be passing the hat for additional personal contributions to that cause. Bullock's Bar B Cue 3330 Quebec DrDurham, NC 27705(919) 383-3211(Between: Lasalle St Mountainview Ave) (Near: Lasalle St N Hillsborough Rd) [click here for map] News - Meeting Announcements Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:06:59 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/133/2/ Jeff Forbes will talk about his experience in Teaching with Robots. The goal of the Duke/Durham Public Schools Robotics program is to foster interestand competence in science, mathematics, and computers, while developingproblem-solving skills, enabling creative thinking and design, and providing adomain for application of scientific concepts. Middle and high school studentslearn and apply the scientific, mathematical, and technological fundamentals behindthe construction of robots and the design of control algorithms in weekly afterschool meetings with undergraduate student mentors. This talk describes the program and includes live demos of robotics projects. Jeff Forbes is on the faculty of the Duke Computer Science Department. News - Meeting Announcements Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:27:57 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/131/2/ Program at Bullock's BBQ:Bill Cole, KG4CXY, will speak about North Carolina Helping Hams 10 years of Public Service Bill will relate some of his experiences founding and working with North Carolina Helping Hams. He will cover important issues such as personal liability coverage. We will also leave time for general Q A. It's all about public service and you. News - Meeting Announcements Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:17:57 +0100