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 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:14:02 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/163/2/ Ken Kauffmann, KR4FM will present: Public Service Communications using High Speed Multi-Media Mesh (HSMM) Ken will discuss the use of modified consumer-grade WIFI equipment to provide back-up Internet access for public service and emergency communications. Examples of modified equipment will be displayed, and possibly demonstrated. Ken is currently the president of OCRA and is very active in ARES. News - Meeting Announcements Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:19:41 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/162/2/ DSL service at the KR4RDU D-STAR Repeater near Chapel Hill is out. The repeater is still working fine - just no Gateway connections. Repair will depend on the speed of the phone company. We don't expect it to be up for tonight's SEWX Net. Might be up for Tuesday's NC D-STAR net. If not, aim your Dongles and DVAPs directly to 17C. Thanks to Rhett KB4HG for running up to the site to determine the problem. 73, Gary KN4AQ ARVN: Amateur Radio//Video News Gary Pearce KN4AQ 508 Spencer Crest Ct. Cary, NC 27513 www.ARVideoNews.com (http://www.arvideonews.com/) News - Latest Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:53:14 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/161/2/ The Shelby Hamfest if fast approaching, so let's see if we can get a load together for my van. It held together for the Johnston County fest a while back and should make it to Charlotte OK. SO, here's the deal. The gates open at 0700 on Saturday, Sept. 4. We probably don't have any rabid buyers among us, so I'm thinking if we could leave my place by 0630-0700 we would be OK. I'm near I-40 and I think we can be there by 0900 or so. There's food on the grounds and in the nearby town. I've been happy to eat onsite, often with friends, to maximize my shopping/eyeball QSO time. I spent the night the first time I went, but last year I was shopped out by dinner time, so I suggest we play dinner by ear...get a snack onsite, fast food on the way out, or even do sit down somewhere, according to what people feel like. Even staying until 1900, 7PM, would get us home at a reasonable hour. So there you have it. Drop me an email if you think you want to join the BOHmobile. We have seven seats counting John and me, so we can take up to five more. We can even pull my little trailer to haul our loot! 73, Wilson W4BOH infomet@embarqmail.com (mailto:infomet%40embarqmail.com) News - Latest Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:17:01 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/160/2/ Sharon Kilkelly Rogers Born: 23 December 1947 Died: 12 August 2010 terogers40@nc.rr.com (mailto:terogers40@nc.rr.com) or 919 949 1753. The service is at: Walker's Funeral Home120 W. Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (919) 942-3861on: Monday, 16 August 2010 Visitation: 12Noon to 1PM Informal Service: 1PM to 2PM Luncheon: 2:30PM at Carolina Inn News - Latest Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:00:59 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/159/2/ Program at Bullock's BBQ:Wayne, KJ4GDW, will speak about RF SafetyWayne has taught RF safety to communications professionals in his long carreer in television broadcasting. He is adapting this material to the typically lower power, but also less controlled environment of amateur radio. (Wayne did a super program for us last year on Digital Television.) Wayne recently retired from the position of Chief Engineer for UNC TV. As always: 6:00 pm to eat7:00 pm for the program News - Meeting Announcements Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:20:51 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/158/2/ Program at Bennett Pointe Grill:Digital Voice Communications - HF We will view the HF portion of the DVD produced by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ. Last meeting Gary presented the portion on D-Star and digital communications. (He donated the disk to the Club.) Thanks Gary!Check out Gary's web site: ARVideoNews.com Preliminary Report on Field DayField Day was hot, impressive (10 stations) and a lot of fun. At the meeting Dave, W4SAR, will give us a report with the latest results. Time permitting, Dee, KU4GC, will show some Field Day pictures. Note: Time and Location Since Bullocks always closes for a couple of weeks each July we will met at the:Bennett Pointe Grill4625 Hillsborough Rd (US 70)(Bennett Pointe Shopping Center)Durham [click for maps]As always: 6:00 pm to eat7:00 pm for the program News - Meeting Announcements Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:32:29 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/157/2/ I have attached a PDF of the operator sign up sheet displays our schedule. Essentially it is a matrix of the 10 stations to be set up, with the 24 hours of Field Day operations broken up into two hour time slots. [click here for FD 2010 Schedule Form] Ideally, we should have at least two volunteers in each time slot, one for operating and the other for logging. They can always switch roles and even more people can play and rotate roles, but that is up to the band captains. What I want to start is getting indications of interest from people, I will list the stations and their band captains, the time slots will be 2 hours each running from 2:00pm Saturday June 26, to 2:00pm Sunday June 27. So the times will be 2:00pm to 4:00pm, 4:00pm to 6:00pm, 6:00pm to 8:00pm and so forth. The Stations and Band Captains are as follows: 80M CW Mac WQ8U 40M CW Steve KZ1X 20/15M CW Wilson W4BOH 80M Digital Patrick KJ4EWX 40/15 Digital Dave W4SAR 20M Digital Ken KR4FM 80/160M Phone Bill W1REP 40/15M Phone Chris KG4CFX 20M Phone Ted KE4NBB 10M Phone Karen KD4YJZ Here's how it will work: Look at the schedule. Then email a message telling what stations you want to work with, and what times you'd be available to w4sar at aol.com. I'll pass this on to each of the respective band captain who will okay who gets to operate and when. I give the band captains the first and last say as it is their equipment! They might already have some slots covered, but then they will be looking for relief when it's been busy a while. Once I've gotten the okays, I'll start filling in the schedule. Do note that CW operators in particular are badly needed. Also, lots of hands to help setting up the stations on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, as well as tear down on Sunday afternoon. 73, Dave Snyder, W4SAR News - Latest Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:28:34 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/156/2/ Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, will present on D-Star and digital communications, a very timely topic. D-Star repeaters are coming on line in this area. This presentation may well raise the question: should the DFMA play a role in this? Check out Gary's web site: ARVideoNews.com Gary presented a program to the DFMA several years ago on the power industry's efforts to promote data over power lines (and why that wasn't such a good thing for hams). Election of OfficersAll officers have agreed to allow themselves to be nominated for re-election. However, there will be opportunity to nominate others interested in those posts. You may even nominate yourself.DurHamFest 2010 We should have a preliminary report. News - Meeting Announcements Thu, 27 May 2010 23:09:38 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/155/2/ The 36th edition of the DFMA DurHamFest is less than a week away. Saturday, May 29th at 8:00am the doors will open to the public. See the info poster on this web site by clicking on DurHamFest 2010 . DFMA members (and all hams) can help out with this event. There will be a setup work session on Friday from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. You can help set up tables, the pa system, help with any signage, etc. Vendors may also set up during that time period. Work on Saturday starts at 6:00am when the Little Rive Community Complex will be open for setup. Again you can come and help out for this and through the rest of the event. We will break things down at about 2:00pm. As in previous years, food and drink will be available. President Wilson, W4BOH, will man the grill cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. Chef Bob Clarke, W4RWC will also be selling his special Apple Fritters. These may normally only be found at the Winston Salem farmers marked, so here's you chance. Like last year, there will be free coffee. Come join us! Picture from DurHamFest 2009. See the picture gallery for more pictures from last year and previous years. News - Latest Sat, 22 May 2010 15:57:26 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/154/2/ Paul, KE4OXN, our Hamfest Chair will lead in final planning for DurHamFest which is coming up fast. This will be your opportunity to volunteer for the various operations that probably still could use some additional volunteers. Set Up Friday Evening (4:00pm -7:pm), Parking , Talk-In (EARLY Saturday), Ticket Sales, Food prep and sales, Club Table, Break Down (All on Saturday) Of course, you can just show up and help, but it helps to know we can count on you. Picture from DurHamFest 2009 See more pix in the Picture Gallery[click here for more info] We will also be joined by Dave, W4SAR, who will update us on the joint OCRA-DFMA Field Day plans. He will go over the plans to date and show the many ways you can join in and participate. W4MKR, MCU, and KE4QOZ: Field Day 2009See more pix in the Picture Gallery [click here for Field Day page] News - Meeting Announcements Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:43:03 +0100 http://www.dfma.org/index.php/content/view/152/2/ Wilson, W4BOH, and Mac, WQ8U, will talk about boat anchors. They will discuss the progression of tube equipment over the years. They will also demo a receiver from that era. Both Wilson and Mac have extensive collections of working vintage ham radio gear. Both are active in repairing and restoring such equipment. Mac also organizes a pair of contests dedicated to using the older equipment (extra points for age, ect.). News - Meeting Announcements Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:50:06 +0100 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