Apr 7

The location for the April 27, 2019 VE session Ham Tests has changed, since the regular location (Great Northwest Library) will be temporarily closed for remodeling.

Ham tests will be given at 10 AM April 27 at this NEW Location:

Maverick Library
8700 Mystic Park
San Antonio, TX 78254
(Near Bandera and Guilbeau)

Please plan to be there before 10 AM. Early voting will be taking place, so allow extra time to get a parking place.

RSVP requested so sufficient space can be reserved for test candidates.

If you have any questions, please contact Pat AD5BR at hamtest@gmail.com or call/text her at 210-273-5927.

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Feb 25

I was notified via a sharp eyed ham who recognized a bad photoshop.

Here’s how it works.

1) Scammer goes on QRZ and finds a valid call sign.
2) Scammer then goes to FCC ULS database with the call sign to get your name and address.
3) Scammer creates an email account that includes your call sign. In my case it was ki5aiu.qrz@gmail.com
4) Scammer trolls the QRZ (or other) swapmeet areas looking for someone who wants a specific piece of equipment.
5) Scammer downloads pictures of the equipment off the web or from prior sales.
6) Scammer photoshops the pictures and adds your call sign to the picture.
7) Scammer contacts buyer with a too good to be true offer. The scammer wants to be paid via Paypal (friends and family – which offer no buyer protection), and at a different email address than the one they just created.

In this case, the buyer was suspicious and contacted me at the email I have listed in QRZ (my real email address).

1) have contacted the scammer and blown up his scheme.
2) I have updated my QRZ bio with a warning to contact me should anyone contact them about an offer to sell equipment.

73s,
Don KI5AIU

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Feb 5

Announcement for SARC Centennial Special Event Operation
Saturday, 9 Feb 2019

This Saturday, 9 February, SARC members will be able to celebrate the club’s Centennial in true radio fashion. This will be the first of FOUR Special Event operations during 2019. The others will be held in May, August, and November.

We will be using the new station at San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology.
[
http://samsat.org/ ] The station is set up in an office space at the Museum, and is supplied with equipment from the Museum’s warehouse and some donations from SARC members.

The Special Event day will proceed in three parts:

1. Setup, done by a volunteer team headed by Joe Bruno W5AUQ, which will begin at 7:45 AM at the storage facility. The setup team will move the club’s tower, beam, and rotator to SAMSAT on the club’s trailer. They will then set up the antenna system, connect it, and test it for proper operation.

2. Operation, done by volunteer operators, will begin at 10 AM when the Museum opens.

For this Special Event, Tom O’Brien AB5XZ will coordinate the station operation. Logging will be done on a computer provided by Tom O’Brien, and will utilize logging software he provides. Operators will be given instruction on logging, antenna rotation, and transceiver operation. SARC members may operate the station between 10 AM and 4 PM, when the Museum closes. We will use special event call sign W5SC/100. Other amateurs may operate, but SARC members will have priority. Operation will be on the 20 meter band using SSB mode.

3. Teardown, done by a volunteer team headed by Joe Bruno W5AUQ, which will begin at 4 PM. The teardown team will disconnect the antenna system, disassemble it, and prepare it for transport back to the storage facility.

Contact Joe Bruno to volunteer for the Setup or Teardown team (or both). jlbruno4433@gmail.comor 210.363.9500

Contact Tom O’Brien AB5XZ to sign up for operating time. There will be plenty of time/room for everybody. ab5xz@arrl.net or 210.845.4966
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Jan 10

Visit the San Antonio Radio Club website at www.w5sc.org for latest details, but here’s what I’ve got… (my apologies for the mixed formatting)

Date: January 12, 2019

Location: Schertz Civic Center on Schertz Pkwy. Watch the speed limits!

Admission: $10 at the door ($8 in advance) see below…

Events and Schedule
⇒ 6:30 am to 8:00 am – Setup for Flea Market, Dealer, and Tailgate Areas
¤ 8:00 am – Open Flea Market, Dealer, and Tailgate Areas
⇒ 9:00 am Programs begin
¤ 9:00 am – DX and WAS Card Checking (until noon)
¤ 1:30 pm – ARRL VE Testing Sign Up & Testing at Convention Center
⇒ ⇒ Bluebonnet Room
⇒ ⇒ Please PRE-REGISTER for the test session at hamtest@gmail.com
⇒ ⇒ If you have no email, call Pat at 210-273-5927
¤ 1 pm – Raffle Grand Prize Drawing
¤ 2 pm – Close

FEES
Note: there are no ATM’s onsite or within walking distance. So make sure to “cash up” before for looking for deals. Most vendors take credit cards, flea market tables may not.
Admission – $8 Advanced / $10 at the door
Flea Market Tables – $10
Tailgate Spaces – 1 free space with admission
⇒ Extra spaces $5 each
Extra door prize tickets $1 each /12 for $10
San Antonio Radio Club Dues
⇒ $12 by Jan 12, 2019 ($15 Jan 13, 2019)

Prizes (do not need to be present at drawing to win Grand, 2nd, or 3rd Prizes):
Grand Prize: Yaesu FT-891 HF-6M, 100 watts
2nd Prize: Kenwood TM-281 FM 2M, 65 watts
3rd Prize: Wouxun TH-350 Tri-Band Analog 5 watts
Many hourly door prizes (Must be present to win hourly prizes)

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
COMMUNITY CENTER – GYM:
09:00 – 9:50 am De Bohannan, KC5ULU — DIY Quad Antennas
10:00 – 10:50 am ARES Forum
Jeff Walter KE5FGA – SEC, South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator will conduct the ARES forum.
11:00 – 11:50 am ARRL Forum
Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, South Texas Section Manager will conduct the ARRL forum.
12:00 – 12:50 pm Greg Lewis, N5XO, VHF/UHF Weak Signal

1:30 pm ARRL VE Testing
Please PRE-REGISTER for the test session at hamtest@gmail.com.
If you have no e-mail, call 210-273-5927

BLUEBONNET MEETING ROOM:
9:00 – 9:45 am Tom O’Brien AB5XZ – Introduction to EZNEC Antenna Design
10:00 – 10:45 am Ben Fogt, N5AMD – The Life and Death … and Life of D-Star and a Look at Home Brewing Today
11:00 – 11:45 am Harold Fleischer, AE5AS, Grounding for Amateur Radio
12:00 – 12:50 pm Frank Dickey, KF5ZHR—CERT and Amateur Radio Serving Your Community
1:30 – 4:00 pm VHF Society Winter Meeting

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Jan 10
Larry, KG5RVR, has set up a booth at Texas STEM Conference to promote radio clubs in schools.

The event location is at Grand Hyatt, in the Lone Star room.
Wednesday 9th: 4pm to 6pm reception
Thursday 10th: 9:30 to 6pm.
Friday 11th: 9:30 to 3pm.
Would like to promote the hobby in schools? Please call Larry at 210-710-6422 to volunteer if you can help him out.

Thanks

William N5YER
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Dec 24

The HAMster VHF/UHF Weak Signal Group

5th Annual Lunch & Learn + Swap Meet

February 2nd 2019 @ 8:am

American Red Cross: 3642 E Houston St, San Antonio, Tx

Technical Training, Spaghetti Luncheon, VE Testing plus swap meet

RAFFLE of Multiple prizes/Grand Prize Yaesu FT-920 with Desk Microphone

FREE TRAINING—- FREE LUNCH

{Spaghetti Luncheon, Soda.Water — coffee in morning}

Swap meet Table setup – 7:15 am to 8:am

Event Schedule

===============================================

Time: Rm #: Presenter: Event:_________________________________________

7:15 N/A N/A Check in and Raffle Ticket purchases

7:15 #4-5 KG5OMX Swap Meet Check in and table setup

8:am #1-2 N5XO Introduction to VHF/UHF Weak Signal & HAMster Group

9:am #1 N7LRY Quadrifilar Helix Antenna. A surprising performer

9:am # 2 WA5FRF Antennas and Propagation

9:am #3 N5XO Is your Coax Charging you a TAX?

10:30 #1 K5VH Antenna Basics and Design

10:30 #2 N7LRY Analyzer Tools to get you that last db

11:30-13:30 Lunch is served and SWAP MEET OPENS

13:30 #1 KC5ULU How to build a 2 meter 4 element quad for under $50

13:30 #2 KA2GZW Traffic Handing-How to create a message and send it

13:30 #3 K0MHC Introduction to VHF Roving

13:30 Meeting Rm VE TEAM VE Testing for New Hams & Upgrades

14:45 #1-2 N5XO FINAL PROGRAM & RAFFLE

Raffle Grand Prizes

FT-920 100 Watt HF/6 Meter Radio with Desk Microphone

Yaesu HT, VX-5 with desk Charger

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Nov 10
Dear Colleagues:
There is a very important communication we should take a moment to read.
Whatever your viewpoints are on the issue, please spread the word, far and wide through all of hamdom.
This requires immediate attention and public comment to the FCC and ARRL.
Scot Stone, in the FCC, has been involved with this filing from the summer- it appeared just days ago at the FCC.
It’s from the maker of Pactor. SCS.
https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/110731917879/16-239.pdf
It’s urgent that hams around the world read this and comment, calmly, succinctly and factually.
I claim that the thousands of hams who have credibly and earnestly commented on 16-239, RM-11708, RM-11759, and RM-11306 are NOT pactor haters, but are simply devout, dedicated hams who love the amateur radio hobby, who care about public safety, who care about the self-policing open nature of the hobby, and who want to honor the FCC rules that mandate that amateur radio communications be open and interceptable, that they not bypass commercial services, that they not create interference, that they not conduct business over ham radio, and that they be such that it is easy to identify the callsign of the transmitter.

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Oct 26

Amateur Radio is a wonderful hobby. But how much do you really know about it?

I have compiled everything I have learned as a licensed ham for 40 years in this document:

http://hamradio.se
Want to help out? Please let me know if there is anything missing and I’ll add it.
Let us keep the Ham Radio spirit going.
Kind Regards
Kelly Lindman
5B4AIT / SM7NHC
HamSphere

hamradio@hamsphere.com

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Oct 21

Howdy All,
Just a friendly reminder SARO’s General Membership meeting will be held Friday October 26, 2018, at Beethoven Hall Located at 422 Pereida St., San Antonio TX.

This is in the King William neighborhood, between S. Alamo St. & Adams St. and Mission St. Parking is Free, but PLEASE be sure to park in the Beethoven Parking Lot. The lot is across the street and one lot east of Beethoven Hall. The meeting will start at 7:00 P.M.

I sure hope to see everyone at the meeting.

73
Eric
WB5ZJQ

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Oct 14

I’m a boy scout and ham operator (K5AJE) who works with the troop to teach the scouts about radios. On October 20th we will be participating in Jamboree On The Air where scouts across the world meet with amateur operators to use radio frequencies (mainly HF) to communicate to others. We plan to meet at Steven’s High school (Potranco & Ellison Rd) where we will have an open soccer field and no power lines.

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