San Antonio Hams

Planning is good, but sometimes even the best planning needs some “tweaking” in the real world.

Being flexible in field contesting, just as in emergency communications deployment, is the best way to get things done.  All ham radio operators need the experience of going out in to the field to do this sort of thing. It makes them better operators.

I tend to over pack my truck when it comes to doing ham radio events, and for good reason: You never know what obstacles you might encounter and how to overcome them. However, this time I had a minimal amount of gear and supplies. This was the height of my “daring”. Never again!

Lesson number one learned: Pack for the worst, pray for the best and be happy with the in between. New hams need to remember this

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Members of the BEXAR OPERATORS BROUP will be running, W5BOG/R in this contest this weekend as a rover station and plan to be in the following grid squares at the following times and on the following bands:

Saturday July 18th

Grid                          Time                     Frequency (SSB)

EL09XA             1 – 2 pm local            144.200 mhz

EL09XA             2 – 3 pm local             50.125 mhz

EL08XX             3:30 – 4:30 local        144.200 mhz

EL08XX              4:30 – 5:30 local        50.125 mhz

EL18AX               6 – 7 pm local          144.200 mhz

EL18AX               7 – 8 pm local            50.125 mhz

EL19AA               8:30 – 9:30 local      144.200 mhz

EL19AA               9:30 – 10:30 local      50.125 mhz

We will drop down to CW on request and as time permits.

Times/Bands/Grid Squares subject to change.

Besides the deer, “Murphy” came out in force when the Bexar Operators Group, W5BOG, assembled for their Field Day 2009 operation at Lost Maples State Park.

Despite “Murphys” best efforts, the Group would not bend whether it be from the 108 degree heat, no wind to drive the wind turbine, lack of park water and sewage due to a clogged septic system, the searing sun which blasted our digital camera after only a few shots nor the nearest ice machine being 5 miles outside the park entrance.

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 The photo below was taken today while I was testing the output of my solar panels that I’ll be using for the W5BOG (Bexar Operators Group) Field Day up at Lost Maples State Park. We will be setting up in the afternoon on Friday, June 26th so as to also operate during a Navy-Marine Corps MARS traffic net that evening. Field Day starts on Saturday, June 27th and runs through noon Sunday, June 28th. It is a 24 hour event, but we’ll be doing other ham-related things, including experiments, while we are there.

Since the duty cycle of SSB is much less than FM (25% vs 100%),  they’ll be able to easily keep my six banks of marine deep cycle batteries charged.

 Combine this system and my 200 watt wind turbine unit (pix shows three blades before I added three more to make it much more efficient) will mean plenty of power for at least two SSB stations to operate. This setup will also be used for my jump team programs. I may even skip bringing any of my gas generators with me to my jump team boot camps. Anyone who wishes to join us at Lost Maples is free to do so. Bring a sleeping bag (we provide the tent) and whatever personal items you wish. (check out the park  and how to get there by clicking on the red “Lost Maples State Park” title above)  All power, including the LED lighting system, will be furnished using either battery charged solar energy or wind energy. Cooking will be accomplished using propane stoves. This will be a non-polluting  “GREEN” power operation. Antennas won’t be commerically made, but will be built “on the spot” as if deploying under emergency conditions. Come and learn how to operate during a real emergency situation where all you have is what’s brought to the site. Learn about site survey and set up from scratch, setting up and using solar and wind turbine power, duty cycles of equipment, propagation (how it works for or against you) and basic contesting skills from someone who has earned several operating awards and deployed emergency stations many times using survival skills acquired over the past 35 years. Since we are out in the field, I will even give mini-lessons on subjects such as how to filter “local water” using a 4- step filter system, of my own design, which ecom workers may need if deployed to a rustic area and run out of bottled water.   Learn alot and have a lot of fun! If you plan on coming, email me at:   alonestaryank@aol.com    

Bob  W2IK – W5BOG – NNN0KSI – NNN0BGY2  MARS Ecom

 Lost Maples SNA , in Bandera County north of Vanderpool, has been chosen as the location of the “Bexar Operators Group” (W5BOG) 2009 Field Day operation.  We will be concentrating on “primitive  camping techniques” along with our amateur radio operations.

Our rigs and LED lighting systems will be powered by several solar energy panels and a wind powered turbine which will charge banks of deep-cycle marine batteries, making this a 100% “Green Operation”.

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 A great ham radio event has been revived that will provide a weekend of fun and excitement to every ham that participates.  The New Mexico QSO Party, an operating event designed for new and experienced hams alike, will take place on the first weekend of February (Feb 7-8, 2009).

The purpose of this HF and 6-meter event (both of which every ham has privileges to operate on) is to get on the airwaves and have a great time with hams from across New Mexico and the nation.  Simply put, NM hams contact as many hams (inside and outside NM) as possible.  Non-NM hams contact as many NM hams (only) as possible.  Essentially, New Mexico hams will find themselves on the “other” side of the pileup, with stations across the country and perhaps world wanting to make contact with the Land of Enchantment for the duration of the event.  And what good operating event can’t be without awards?

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Due to availability problems at Garner State Park, Bexar Operators Group – “Operation Deep Freeze” have changed it’s location. We will now be operating from Choke Canyon State Park, near the town of Three Rivers. Our operation will be from the Calliham Unit and we have reserved a screened shelter. All operators are welcome. Bring a sleeping bag and personal grub if you wish to join in on this mid-winter field operation.

Click here for a PDF map of park.

The Bexar Operators Group will be operating W5BOG during the “North American QSO Party” on January 17-18th 2009. This is a SSB only contest.

See original posting below for details and contact info.

The Bexar Operators Group will be operating W5BOG during the “North American QSO Party” on January 17-18th 2009. This is a SSB only contest. We have tagged this as “Operation Deep-Freeze” as we will be operating from a field location, CHOKE CANYON STATE PARK (Three Rivers) – CALLIHAM UNIT (Screen Shelter Area) – NOTE LOCATION CHANGE!   This is a 12 hour event and, as in the past, we will continue to do field testing/experiments of different antenna systems to further our knowledge of short-term, deployable antennas and to enhance our camping abilities. 

If anyone is interested in joining, please email alonestaryank@aol.com with your interest. 

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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