San Antonio Hams

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Action:

Once again a bill is being introduced into the Texas Legislature to ban the use of cell phones while driving unless the call is being made using hands free operation. Senate bill (SB582) is being sponsored by State Senator Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio includes language to the effect of exempting Amateur Radio.

However, a bill being introduced by State Representative Jose Menendez from Bexar County does not include such language, Otherwise the bills are almost exactly alike.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 10:12
 From: FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Currently the United States is in the midst of one of the largest food recalls in American history. As Americans dig through their cabinets and refrigerators to remove potentially contaminated food associated with the recent peanut recall, we would like to also remind citizens to open and check their Emergency Preparedness Kits to remove any potentially harmful items from these also.

Because peanut products are often recommended as staples in Emergency Preparedness Kits due to their long shell life and because they are a good source of protein, we encourage all kit owners to look at their kits to ensure food products are not on the peanut recall list. Please keep in mind that the peanut product recall extends beyond peanut-flavored products.

Read the rest of this entry »

History is in the making for San Antonio Hams in 2009.    All of the major  Ham Clubs in San Antonio appear to be reaching agreement in coordinating a single Field Day location rather than holding a half dozen separate locations as had been done in the past.

AARO led the way, after losing their normal comfy spot over by the VA Hospital. They started the search for a new location, and thanks to our Ham Radio ties with the City of San Antonio, specifically our ties with the Fire Department, they found a new location to hold Field Day.   The City Fire Department offered them the use of their Firefighters Training Academy, located west of the downtown area near Hwy 151 and Callaghan Road, as the site of their 2009 Field Day event.

Read the rest of this entry »

Local radio operators manned the radio station inside the National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, TX from 6pm Friday (Dec. 5th) thru 6pm Saturday (Dec. 6th) in two hour shifts.

I’ll update this report once I receive more details, but my wife (Pat Knight AD5BR) and I (Lee Besing N5NTG) were there Friday from 6pm – 10:30pm, along with J.C. Smith N5RXS, Lew Archer KD5MSW, Bob Hejl W2IK and visitation from Danny McCarty WA5KRP and Chuck Kenworthy WB5FWI.

J.C. N5RXS started out the operations by tagging onto the end of the Arkansas Razorback Net on HF, telling the Net Control what he was doing tonight and asking that stations interested in talking with this NWS stay on frequency afterward.  The calls stacked.   Then he moved over to the Texas Traffic Net and repeated that technique.  He quickly filled up almost 4 pages of log sheets, with 14 contacts per sheet.

Then comes Bob W2IK.  The reluctant Bob.  Pat AD5BR talked him into getting on the radio after he first resisted the idea, and he quickly filled up about 3 sheets of contacts in about 45 minutes.  This guy knows how to work a contest, even when it wasn’t really a “contest per se”.   He staked out a heavily used area on the HF band, started talking, and started logging contact after contact.

Read the rest of this entry »

Basic talks are underway to help our “Wounded Warriors” find a new path within the military, unencumbered by their physical restraints. Bob Hejl, W2IK – NNN0KSI (MARS Ecom), who works at CFI (Center For The Intrepid) at BAMC/ Ft. Sam, has begun discussions with officials at BAMC and CFI for ways in which our soldiers can redirect their abilities by using amateur radio as a stepping stone with their next goal being communications careers within the armed forces or in the private sector after their military careers are completed.

Planned are a special events/demo station so soldiers can see the possibilities of communications and the vital roles they can assume during an emergency or in everyday military communications work. Tri- Service MARS operations will also be integrated so they can get an actual “taste” of  military communications in a relaxed atmosphere.

An amateur radio course will be offered with actual “hands on” operation using W2IK’s portable MARS Ecom station. After the classes have been completed, there will be on base testing so many can obtain their amateur radio licenses.

If any local ham or group is interested in this project, please write W2IK at alonestaryank@aol.com.

ARRL WEST COAST CONVENTION – “With A Little Texas Touch”

In mid July, Bob Hejl, W2IK, was approached via email by Per Brashers, KI6JJS, requesting permission to reprint several of his Emcomm and antenna building web sites to assist in presenting a RACES forum at “PACIFICON 2008”, which is also known as the “Dayton Of The West”. It is the major ARRL West Coast convention held in mid October and offers dozens of lectures, a swap meet, exhibits, demonstrations and even an operational JOTA station. To learn more, see:

http://www.pacificon.org/index.html

Emails were exchanged and the request soon escalated into more than simple reprint permission. KI6JJS also requested assistance with creating his actual presentation script.

Read the rest of this entry »

As of November 1st, AOL is closing down all of their web page services so as a result, W2IK’s 45 ham-related web pages will no longer be available through AOL. To keep most of these pages intact, they are being moved to a new address: W2IK.com    Please visit them often as they are sorted, upgraded and posted. Currently posted are the older antenna building pages, Ecom and family preparedness pages. Totally new pages will be added as time allows.

2008 National Weather Service
Skywarn Recognition Day
December 6, 2008
0000-2400 UTC

SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the National Weather Service. During the day SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the world.

Check with your local National Weather Service office to see if they are participating in this event or having an “open house”. It is not a contest, but rather an operating event. Amateur radio operators will be on the air from National Weather Service offices and from their home stations as well. Depending upon how many NWS stations a ham operator contacts they will be given certificates of varying levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

A Short Note On Hurricane IKE

de Bob Hejl W2IK – NNN0KSI – NNN0GBY2 Ecom STX

One of the advantages of preparing for a hurricane is that it may take a few days before it “concerns” your area. As the projected path of hurricane IKE became more focused on the Texas Gulf coast area, it became evident that I might be called upon to deploy as a MARS Ecom station to report conditions at whatever location I might find myself. I was, of course, going to use my station with one of my NVIS antennas due to it’s ability of having lower noise floor reception and wouldn’t be prone to too much of an increase in “static crashes” caused by distant lightening.

Read the rest of this entry »

August 18 , 2008 – MOU Signed between Texas MARS and Texas REACT

August is hurricane season but apparently it is also the season for cooperation between various radio communications agencies as well.  On August 18, 2008, Charles Land, president of the local San Antonio based Hill Country REACT Team, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the South Texas Navy – Marine Corps MARS (Military Affiliated Radio System).  Minutes later, Texas State REACTCouncil Secretary, Lee Besing, signed a similar agreement with the Texas Navy – Marine Corps MARS. The MARS signature was NOT that of Bob Hejl, W2IK, but rather that of a MARS officer higher up in the chain of command for Texas. See links at bottom of this article for PDF copies scanned with signatures of both agreements.

{Photo Left – Right; Charles Land (KC5NKK) signing as president of Hill Country REACT, Bob Hejl, (W2IK, NNN0GBY2) representing MARS, and Lee Besing (N5NTG) signing as the secretary for the Texas State REACT Council.} Read the rest of this entry »