San Antonio Hams

Under the direction of Mike, AB5EB, a rather large contingent of boy scouts and cub scouts converged at Overlook Point near the Canyon Lake dam in Texas to see what amateur radio was all about. They got more than they envisioned as the diversity of amateur radio was revealed. The amateur radio operators, featuring Mike, AB5EB, Rich, N5RAG, Carlos, KE5DFK and Bob, W2IK, were ready and waiting with several stations that operated using several modes, such as voice, digital and slow-scan television.

Other events were offered such as two antenna building sessions where scouts built actual antennas from scrap materials and used them to make contacts.The most rewarding event was the merit badge class given by Mike, AB5EB. During the class, they learned quite a bit about radio communications, “Q” signals, etc and were each also required to make an actual ham radio contact.

Also covered were basics in fox-hunting using a homemade “tape measure” antenna, PSK digital operating basics, viewing slow-scan television pictures being sent by other hams, MARS, Military Affiliated Radio Systems were explained and as added bonuses, several scouts assembled short wave radio kits using point to point wiring and in the afternoon a “geo-caching” hunt was held where scouts used GPS units, under the direction of a scout dad, to discover hidden “treasures”.

Also available were food and refreshments sold under the direction of scout moms and dads as a fundraiser. Next year’s event promises to be bigger and better!

Below are more photos from the event.  For more information about the sponsoring group, please visit them on the web at www.KX5BSA.org

Bob  W2IK

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Rock and Roll Marathon

by Teri KC5BJI

Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo (Where is Rick Derringer when you need him?)

We came to the San Antonio Marathon in 1995 through Walt DuBose (K5YFW), who was our contact person out at Kelly AFB to Sam Idrogo, chairman of the organizing committee. Since then we have been providing communications support for both operations and logistics, and, thanks to you, bestowed the designation of one of its co-sponsors.

{Photo of Greg KD5VBG setting up for net control during the 2006 SA Marathon down in the bowels of the Alamo Dome – taken by Lee N5NTG}

And 13 years later we’re right back where we started. Kind of …

November 16, 2008 will be our first time to work with a new group,Elite Racing, Inc., this year’s organizer.  You can find more info onRock `n Roll Marathons by going to http://www.RNRSA.com/home.html where the course is profiled as “flat, fast and scenic” and they list San Antonio’s race as a qualifier for Boston’s upcoming marathon.So, in several ways, it’s a whole new ball game for us. Althoughsome things will ultimately remain the same (we have been asked to supply at least 35 ham radio operators), there are some major changes and new perks, too.

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Veterans Day Parade – Universal City

by Gary Tangrady, K5GST

In addition to the Motorcycle Marshals I have so far received responses from the following people that have volunteered for helping out on the parade. First I would like to say Thank You for all the support. It is truly overwhelming.If you are not going to be able to make it or things have changed, please drop me an email. In any event it looks like we will have plenty. Read the rest of this entry »

The first “MacGyver” antenna building session held during the 2008 JOTA operation at Canyon Lake, Texas was so successful that in the afternoon several scout moms cornered me and almost begged that I run it again so the afternoon group could join in on the fun.What was the “MacGyver” antenna project?

The scouts began at a long table where I dumped the contents of a large popcorn tin, which was filled with wire, plastic pieces, odd metal parts, tools, two 12 foot measuring tapes, a spark plug wire and other useful and useless items along with a scrap of paper which had a hand-drawn diagram of a dipole antenna with just a series of total length per bands scrawled on the top.

It was up to the scouts to find the proper pieces and share in the building of a simple dipole under the supervision and extensive verbal support, cheering and crying of the “MacGyver Special Assistance Team”.
The scouts measured and cut wire, stripped ends, put on PVC end insulators, a center connector was added, and put rope on each end. Imagine their surprise when we ran the dipole up the “flag-pole” masting and promptly made a contact to a ham in Oklahoma!

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Over 70+ Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts attended the JOTA event held this past weekend out at the Canyon Lake Dam.  Members of GVARC and other hams came out to support this event which turned into a mini-field day event.Scouts got to try three modes of communications, Voice, PSK31 and CW.  Only 20 meters was really working well, the other bands seemed unresponsive, at least thru the morning hours.

W2IK was there with his boxes of antenna goodies, and he challenged one group of scouts to build something “MacGyver Style”.   He got lots of blank looks from kids who had never heard of MacGyver, until one scout popped up and asked “wasn’t that the guy who plays the part of the guy in charge of the teams on Stargate SG1?”Despite the generation gap, Bob was able to explain that in this large Popcorn canister, were parts. Lots and lots of parts, with some junk tossed in for good measure. 

The challenge was to build a working dipole antenna out of these parts.And the challenge was met after a couple of hours, and the first contact was from Oklahoma.

I’m expecting a full report from W2IK with photos since he was there the entire time, and I was only there about an hour around lunch time, since I had been working the Triathlon instead that morning.  I’ll correct any errors / discrepancies in this report at that time.

BEXAR OPERATORS GROUP
TESTS NVIS ANTENNA THEORIES
DURING THE TEXAS QSO PARTY

A group of hams representing the Bexar Operators Group, and using the W5BOG callsign, drove over 100 miles to Garner State Park to operate during the 2008 Texas QSO Party (September 27-28) handing out contacts from Ulavde County.

While we were there, we also tested our camping/deployment abilities and did some tests of NVIS antennas at different heights.

Not wishing to get “soft”, we reserved a tent site to operate from rather than a cabin. Krissy, KD5YTN, set up the eight man tent while Bob, W2IK, began the station set-up using a 10×10 screened “EZ Up” as the main operating area.

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Keep the 147.14 Repeater On The Air!

Says the banner!

Fund drive started by REACT Team

Members of Hill Country REACT manned a booth at the 2008 Austin Summerfest event to raise funds to help with the anticipated repair needs for the 147.14 Canyon Lake Repeater. Water has been detected in the feedline leading up to the antenna which is 580′ up on the tower. At this time, it is unknown whether the existing feedline can be repaired and salvaged, or if it will need replaced. This repeater is owned by San Antonio Radio Organization (SARO) and REACT has been providing some funding for the past several years to help keep this important repeater on the air.

As of the conclusion of the Summerfest, REACT had raised nearly $750 from area hams, but this is only a fraction of what may be needed if the full 680′ of feedline needs replaced. All donations will be dedicated for this purpose, and you can use PayPal to make donations or mail checks to the REACT Team’s PO Box address.

Visit the REACT’s website for more details at www.hillcountryreact.org.

From Noon Saturday thru Noon Sunday by N5NTG – Lee Besing

I made a tour of three FD locations this year… I used to do this in previous years, but with fuel prices increasing, I had sort of slowed down a bit. But this year, I decided to spend the bux and go visit some of my friends. I had planned to visit two others, but one shut down earlier than planned on Saturday, and around 1am I decided I was too tired to safely drive all the way out to Boerne to visit Kendall County, so I headed home to get some sleep instead.

I started this with compiling a list of known locations around San Antonio, then we received contact from other clubs in Central and South Texas asking that we list their FD site, so we ended up with 13 locations. Click Here for a full list of 13 sites in or around San Antonio, as far west as Ulvade, north to Austin, South to Laredo and Southeast to Corpus Christi.

This report will contain photos from the three locations I managed to visit (GVARC, SARC, AARO) plus photos that were sent to me from other operators. Band conditions this year were sort of weak, so contacts appeared to be less than in some previous years, but the weather cooperated with us locally. The Bexar Operators Group set up down on Mustang Island, “roughing it” with a portable A/C unit sitting on the edge of his picnic table sticking out thru the sides of his pop-up shelter that they rigged around the table. His pop-up was the only one that didn’t blow away in the high winds that hit the gulf coast during that weekend because he rigged for the possibility of high winds at the start.

Photos are embedded in the 2008 Field Day Page here.

From Noon Saturday thru Noon Sunday 

using only Old Vacuum Tube Radio / Equpment by K5AXN – Jerry Barry

Jerry says… It’s time for my 8th annual Vintage Field Day. this is mostly a social event, so bring a yard chair and join the fun. The place may need mowing and I might be slow in getting the equipment set up, but come pitch in and have fun. This is a gathering of some old AM guys and some family, plus new friends, and not a contest, so come join us to discuss Ham Radio or the problems of the world. Enjoy some tiem under the big pecan trees down by Cibolo Creek near Marion, Texas. We will have Polish Sausage wrapped in tortillas and bottled water. Carol will play you Hammered Dulcimer. If there is a lot of rain, call first because this is near a creek bottom with the usual country / creek insects.

TALK-NET – PICNIC AND SWAP MEET FESTIVAL

MAY 31, 2008 SATURDAY – TIME 11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M.

FREE HOT DOGS, DRINKS, AND CHIPS AT ORSINGER PARK  12230 HUEBNER

For more information, check in to the Tuesday night net on 146.42 at 7:30pm, or contact Andrew Watson at 210-422-5304 or BEXARTALK@GMAIL.COM

Close to 3 dozen hams showed up for this first annual event at Orsinger Park. Free foot long hot dogs, with buns almost long enough to hold them, plus all the toppings, chips and cold iced tea you could ever want. Click here to view some photos taken during the event by Lee N5NTG.