Elko Club Elects Officers
The Elko Amateur Radio Club has chosen their slate of officers to guide the group during the upcoming year.
Dave Potter will assume the Presidents position, while Charles Hall will serve as the club Secretary. Robert Palmer and Joe Sasgen will serve as members of the Board of Directors. The positions of Vice-President and Treasure will be appointed at this months meeting. Nevada Has New Youngest Ham
Marty Simon is believed to have become the youngest Nevadan to be a licensed amateur radio operator.
Eight year old Marty is several months younger than Zorion Connell-KG7KNK who briefly held the distinction as Nevada's Youngest Ham. Zorion earned his Technician ticket in April. Marty is a member of the Nellis Radio Amateur Club. A third generation ham, Marty is the son of Larry Simon-KC7QJO and the grandson of Dennis Simon-KB7UTV. Marty earned his CSCE at a special three day Memorial Day weekend license seminar held at Nellis AFB. Connecticut Ham Uses Radio To Save Girls LifeOn the evening of May 4th, Keith Mutch-KB1RBI of Torrington, CT was on Ocean Beach looking out over New London harbor when he spotted an unidentified 12 year old girl and her dog, in distress as she attempted to paddle her canoe in the rough waters and increased winds on Long Island Sound.
Mutch quickly attempted to contact the U.S. Coast Guard with his cell phone, only to find that device did not have reception. Of course, When All Else Fails.....Mutch turned to his hand held amateur radio. Mutch, a Technician Class licensee, was able to communicate with the Coast Guard who alerted the nearby cross sound passenger ferry "John H" to be on the look out for the girl. Meanwhile the canoe in which the girl and dog were paddling had capsized. The ferry located the girl and the crew began "Man Overboard" procedures, tossing her a life ring, which she clung to until a boat crew from Coast Guard Station New London arrived to complete her rescue. The dog swam 3/4 of a mile back to land, where ironically, Keith Mutch spotted him. Mutch says that he chased the German Shepherd up and down the beach for more than a half hour before being able to grab the leash and calm the animal. Mutch contacted the Coast Guard and he was able to reunite the dog with the girls family. A ceremony at New London City Hall honored those involved in the rescue. The boat crews from the ferry and the Coast Guard received commendations. Las Vegas Newspaper Features World Of Amateur RadioThis mornings Sunday Edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal featured a two page article in the Life Section on amateur radio. Numerous Las Vegas area hams were included in the article.
The well-written and accurate story portrays ham radio as a fun and relevant tool for communications in the modern world. A website version of the story includes a number of pictures of amateurs having fun while operating their radios, including last weeks W1AW/7. John Przybys from the Review-Journal goes beyond the usual, "When All Else Fails" type of story and actually digs a bit into the reasons why the hams featured came to become amateur radio operators.
Nevada Youngsters Tried Their Hands at W1AW/7
Ham Radio Girls Turn the Tables on Newsman At W1AW/7 Newsman Chase Stevens operates W1AW/7
Weekends are always big in Vegas. After a grueling work week there is no better way to unwind and blow off a little steam than a wild 48 hours in Sin City.
When you are a newsman for the cities only daily paper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, you know that big weekends bring big news in the entertainment capital of the world. So what big assignment would news photographer Chase Stevens draw for Saturday? Were Hollywood celebrities mis-behaving? Was a Senator or Congressman caught partying away on the tax-payers dime? Will it be a shooting? A horrible accident? A scandal in the making? Nope! None of these. Chase Stevens is assigned to gather photographs of the Sisterhood Of Amateur Radio's (SOAR) operation of W1AW/7 for an upcoming story about amateur radio.  Several of the SOAR W1AW/7 team
Stevens, a capable and likeable, young professional, was going about his business of capturing the images of the W1AW/7 operations when the SOAR girls suddenly reversed the roles and Stevens found himself, microphone in hand, as the voice of W1AW/7, while the SOAR ladies pointed the lenses of their cameras in his direction.
The W1AW/7 station was a special commemorative operation of the ARRL headquarters station as a part of the year long ARRL 100 Centennial Celebration. The station was on the air during Saturdays running of the 7th Call Area QSO Party. The station joined similar operations in Amargossa Valley, Carson City, Reno, and Virginia City. The Virginia City W1AW/7 operation hosted by the Comstock Memorial Station W7RN continues thru 5:00 PM Tuesday. The upcoming feature story about amateur radio will appear in this coming Sunday's Las Vegas Review-Journal, in the Lifestyle section. Washoe County Emergency Manager Praises Amateur Radio On KTVN Channel 2The Washoe County Emergency Response Team held a simulated train crash exercise today in Gerlach and Washoe County Emergency Manager Aaron Kenneston had high praises for Nevada's amateur radio operators.
Channel 2's Chris Ciarlo reported on this evenings 5:30 news broadcast: Nevada QSO Party 2014 Mustang Round Up May 10 W7YKN's 2013 First Place Plaque
The amateur radio spotlight will be on Nevada throughout the month of May and one of the events helping to make this possible is the 2014 Mustang Round Up, also known as the Nevada QSO Party.
The contest begins at 17:00 (10:00AM) Saturday and runs until 17:00 Sunday. The purpose of the event is to promote good will between Nevada hams and radio operators throughout North America and the world. The Nevada QSO Party has been in operation for more than 25 years, however participation by Nevada hams fell several years ago when the organizers of the 7QP contest moved their event to the first weekend in May, which had been the long running date of the Nevada QSO Party. The Nevada QSO Party was buried under the weight of the 7QP and was forced to moved to the second weekend in May, which is Mothers Day weekend. Plaques are awarded to First Place finishers in each category. Engraved certificates are awarded for the highest score in each state, province, and DX entity. Full information can be obtained at: www.nvqsoparty.info SUPER SATURDAY! packed Full Of Amateur Activity
Events all over Nevada will keep Silver State hams busy this Saturday, May 3rd. Nevada takes it's place as this week's host to W1AW during the year long ARRL Centennial Celebration.
Las Vegas amateurs have at least six activities taking place on Saturday. Southern Nevada hams involved in emergency comm-unications will be busy taking the Auxiliary Communications course. 
The monthly Las Vegas Ham Radio Swap meet kicks off before sunrise.
Public service minded hams will be providing radio and other support activities for two major fund-raising events. 14,000+ participants are expected for the Komen Southern Nevada Race for the Cure a 5K (3.1 mile) dash and it's associated 1 mile Fun Walk. Las Vegas area hams will also be looking after the 450 riders in the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure bicycle ride. This event has rides of 20, 35, 60, and 100 miles. The Las Vegas Volunteer Examiner Team will also be at work giving the monthly licensing examinations to new and upgrading amateurs. It's also a big contest weekend with the huge 7th Area (7qp) and New England QSO Parties dominating the bands, along with the smaller Indiana QSO party. See story on Nevada's W1AW/7 stations participation. New Amateur Radio Operator May be Youngest In Nevada KG7KNK QSL Card
Less than a week after passing his Element 2 Technician Class exam, eight year old Zorion Connell KG7KNK is already on the air and making contacts.
Zorion (pronounced Zor-Ryan) is believed to currently be the youngest amateur radio operator in Nevada Although he is young, KG7KNK is not a new-comer to radio. He has held GMRS license WQNZ596 since age 5 and has been attending amateur radio events for a number of years. Zorion, the son of Dan (K7QQQ) and Roxanne Connell, is a third grader at Judith Steele Elementary School in Las Vegas, where he excels in math and science. According to his father, "Zorion just didn't memorize the material, he actually understands and knows how to work with this kind of math which is usually introduced at the middle school or high school levels" hELP iS nEEDED! eVENTS aLL oVER Nevada aRE asking fOR oUR aSSISTANCE....cLICK hEREU.S. Coast Guard, Liberian Tanker, and Panamanian Ham Operator Rescue 3 From Sinking SailboatThree people were plucked from a sinking sailboat in the waters 50 miles south of Balboa, Panama on Monday, thanks to the combined efforts of the United States Coast Guard, a Liberian tanker, and a Panamanian amateur radio operator.
Following a fire onboard, the 42 ft sailing vessel Even Star, under way from California in route to Panama, began taking on water Saturday. The boats pumps were unable to curtail the incoming sea waters. At 4:15 AM Sunday morning the U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda, California detected a distress signal from a 406 Mhz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) which was registered to the Even Star. A check by Coast Guard personnel revealed that the tanker MT / Glenda Meryl was approximately 30 miles away from the sinking vessel. With the help of an amateur radio operator in Panama, the Coast Guard was able to guide the 600 ft Liberian flagged tanker to the area of the sailboat. The Glenda Meryl is a 47,250 DWT oil and chemical tanker is co-owned by the Italian firms of D'Amico International Shipping and Glencore. She is a participating ship in the Coast Guard's Automatic Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) program. The tanker arrived at 5:23 PM. The ships Master, Captain Singh deployed a lifeboat and rescue party, who safely recovered the Even Star sailors, who were now adrift in a raft. All three were U.S. citizens. They were transported to Balboa, Panama where they were met by Panamanian officials. In a U.S. Coast Guard Press Release the Chief of the 11th District Response, Captain Michael Eagle said,"The EPIRB was the key to saving these lives, we appreciate the quick response from fellow mariners and Ham radio stations in this case, but without that initial signal from the EPIRB we may never have known about this distress." The ham radio operator credited with assisting with communications and coordination of rescue efforts has not been identified, but is reported to be a member of the Panamanian Air Force. The Glenda Meryl has received an award from the Coast Guard for a previous rescue. 
The MT/Glenda Meryl
Navy-Marine Corps M.A.R.S. appoints New Nevada Director Jim Bassett W1RO
The Navy Marine Corps Auxillary Radio System has a new Nevada State Director.
Jim Bassett W1RO / NNNøZKQ of Las Vegas has assumed the position from Dale Yanz KJ6IX / NNNøBCF of Gardnerville. Bassett has more than 45 years of communications experience. He served 20 years in the US Navy, retiring as a Chief Radioman. He also was employed for an additional 20 years as a Communications Specialist with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue. Bassett joined MARS in 1979. He is a Life Member of the ARRL and is a member of Clark County ARES/RACES. 
MARS is primarily composed of civilian amateur radio operators. The mission of MARS is to provide auxiliary communications for the military and to assist with emergency communications for FEMA, Homeland Security, the Red Cross, and similar disaster response groups.
In 1925 an Army program, the Auxiliary AmaService was established, with the intent of using amateur radio operators to train new radiomen for the army. This program evolved into what would be known as the Military Affiliated Radio Service, acronym MARS. In 1962 the Navy, Marin Corps, and Coast Guard joined the program and the Navy-Marine Corps branch was established. In 2009 Navy MARS almost became extinct. Plans were underway to eliminate the Navy from the program. Then a Department of Defense directive breathed new life into the program, changing MARS' status from an "affiliated" organization to an "auxiliary". This status change put MARS on an equal footing with other military auxiliaries such as the Civil Air Patrol and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
City Of Las Vegas Corporate Challenge seeks Volunteers
On March 15th, as company logos emblazoned across the world's largest video screen canopy, the Fremont Street Experience down below, was hosting an Olympic style "Torch Relay" as a part of the opening ceremonies for the 29th City of Las Vegas Corporate Challenge
Spanning 11 weeks of competition, Corporate Challenge brings the spirit of Athens to the local level, when teams from area companies test their skills against other teams in 36 different events. These events are held at various venues throughout the Las Vegas valley. Activities range from the mildly sedate chess and poker, up to the physically challenging Track and Field, Tug of War, and basketball. Companies are divided into one of three categories, depending on the number of employees. Amateur radio plays an important part in these games. The Nellis Radio Amateur Club provides communications and safety during several of these events. Their next volunteer activation is for the Bicycle Race competition on Monday April 21, held at the Las Vegas International Motor Speedway....and they could use a little help. 
Dennis Simon-KB7UTV coordinates the communication and safety for this event and says that he can use up to 25 amateur operators for this event. As of this writing only 7 hams have committed to helping.
Simon states that he usually is only able to garner around 12 people to help with this event. In past events he has had to use non-ham volunteers and equipped those people with Business Band radios. "I could use about twenty-five people for this and it would work just fine. I do currently have seven people committed to it and normally only get about a dozen at best. It has normally stretched us thin to do it." said Simon. The Bike Race covers all areas of the Las Vegas Speedway and volunteers will get to access areas of the speedway not normally opened to the public. Simon continues: We do have to cover the main track, bleachers area, drag strip, dirt track, test track and bull ring along with adjoining areas for this." As volunteers are deployed to their various stations they travel the main oval. Imagine, here is an opportunity to "take a lap" on an actual NASCAR series race track. Simon reminds us of the nature of their work, "We do have full responsibility for the safety of the riders and have full support of the track security team". Volunteer hams meet on the infield of the main track at 4:00 PM for a Pre-Race briefing and assignments. The Starting Pistol for the race sounds at 5:00 PM. Simon releases his crewmembers from their duties as soon as the final racer passes their station. This means that some ham volunteers are released and free to leave as early as 5:30 PM. Hams assigned to the latter stations may look forward to being relieved of duty between 6:00 and 6:30 PM. The tactical frequency is 147.06 Mhz, with a positive offset and a 100 hz tone, (Nellis KC7TMC repeater) will be used for this event. Back-up and secondary communications will be via 445.200 Mhz simplex. Owing to the time of the year, the early evening start time, and the short duration of the event, the Corporate Challenge Bike Race is an excellent activity for any ham looking for a couple of hours of radio fun while helping out with a worthy cause. Interested in lending a hand? Drop an email to Dennis Simon- KB7UTV Southern Missouri non-Profit Seeks Funds To Assist Ham RadioThe Community Foundation of the Ozarks, an organization which provides financial support for a wide array of community services in Southern Missouri has issued a Press Release soliciting equipment funding for amateur radio operators.
According to the Press Release, the Southern Missouri Emergency Communications Fund has been established by the 49 Repeater Group, an ARRL Affiliated Club, located in Willard, Missouri Springfield radio station KTTS-FM also aired an interview with the 49 Repeater Group President Michael Blake-NØNQW. The Press Release and KTTS interview are shown below. 
PRESS RELEASE
Amateur radio (or HAM) operators across southwest Missouri now have a resource to help repair or replace equipment through the Southern Missouri Emergency Communications Fund, established by the 145.49 Repeater Group.
The purpose of the fund is to provide financial support for the more than 4,000 amateur radio operators in southern Missouri. Michael Blake, president of the 49 Repeater Group and a board member for the Southern Missouri Emergency Communications Fund, says the group’s radio equipment is funded solely by its members, and costs can mount quickly for aged equipment. Now the group is actively seeking private and corporate donors to support upgrades to a network of radios that help keep communities in touch and forewarned in times of bad weather and emergency. “Most people in the community don’t realize that amateur radio is a vital ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground for the National Weather Service, and helps keep people safe,” Blake said. “NOAA weather radar doesn’t see what’s happening at every level of the atmosphere, particularly when the equipment is far away. Having trained weather spotters with private radio access on the ground is very important to staying informed.” Amateur radio operators also are enlisted as backup by the Department of Homeland Security in disaster areas. This use was called into action for several days following the May 22, 2011 Joplin tornado in which amateur radio was a major means of communications within the disaster zone, Blake said. Operators helped coordinate everything from search and rescue to hospital availability in cities as far away as Tulsa. Those interested in learning more about the Southern Missouri Emergency Communications Fund are welcome to e-mail Blake at [email protected]. If you would like to make a donation to the Southern Missouri Emergency Communications Fund, you can do so at www.cfozarks.org/donate (please type SMO Emergency Comm) in the Fund/Program field on the page) or by mailing a donation to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks at P.O. Box 8960, Springfield, MO, 65801, indicating the fund in the memo line KTSS interview with Michael Blake-NØNQW
Full Steam Ahead For NvCon
Plans for Nevada's first ARRL State Convention are right on track with a little more than one month to the big event. Online registration has begun at the NvCON website.
The event gets under way Friday morning May 30th with the12th annual VoIP Conference in the Banquet Room of the Silverland Inn. This is a full day event covering virtually all of the most popular Voice over IP digital communications for the amateur radio service.. Demonstrations and presentations will be made relating to D-Star, IRLP, Echo link, and other VoIP modes and equipment including Raspberry Pi applications. Friday afternoon will see State and Local Emergency Managers join with State ARES Officials at the State Emergency Managers & State ARES Leadership Conference held at the Comstock Center. The evening is capped off with a Bar-b-que, followed by an evening on the town, old west style in Virginia City-America's Largest National Landmark. The day starts early on the Comstock. Tailgating and Swapmeet at 6:00AM Saturday morning on the Silverland Inn parking lot. A full day of ham radio activity awaits you. Inside vendors galore, all day Technician License Class / HamCram, and a full day of ARES or General Interest seminars,. Want a break from the convention? Head over to the Delta Saloon and wet your whistle. But stay clear of the "Suicide Table" least you suffer the same fate as many before. You might opt for the much tamer Bucket of Blood Saloon. Take an underground tour of one of Virginia City's legendary mines. Climb aboard the historical Virginia and Truckee Railroad for a trip back into Nevada's past. 
After a day crammed full of amateur radio excitement get yourself down to Piper's Opera House. Because, Saturday night is fun night
You will start the evening out with wine tasting and socializing while enjoying the musical treat of blue-grass band Wild Horse Drive 
After the social hour get ready for a delicious banquet. As you feast, your speaker for the evening will be none other than that brilliant young newspaper man from the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, Samuel Longhorne Clemens.
You may know him by his pen name "Mark Twain". Samuel Clemens will be portrayed by Mr. McAvoy Layne in his presentation "The Ghost of Mark Twain." You will want to be on hand for Mr. Twain's final curtain, as raffle prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the evening. Make sure you get a good nights sleep, because the Silverland Inn will have the convention's Sunday Morning Breakfast ready at 7:30 AM. Stick around for the ARRL Forum at 9:00 AM.......the Grand Prize Drawing will follow right afterwards. 
For those hardy souls who have survived the weekend and still have a bit of energy, head over to the W7RN Comstock Memorial Station for a tour of the facilities.
W7RN has been designated as W1AW/7 as a part of this year's ARRL Centenial Celebration, WAS W1AW award program. Net Manager Dave Ruppert-KF7BNO is Silent Key
The Net Manager of the popular daily Noon Net in Reno has passed away.
David Ruppert KF7BNO expired March 9th at Renown Regional Medical Center. Ruppert was a past Board Member of the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society, a member of Reno QRP, and had served as the Secretary of the Wide Area Digital Group. Additionally, he was a member of FISTS, the North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC), and the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC). Memorial services for David W. Ruppert will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday March 15th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 4751 Neil Road in Reno. Salvation ARmy puts New EDS Satern Station "On The Air"
Jackson, MS (March 5, 2014) – The Salvation Army has announced that the FCC recently approved a new call sign for a newly crated SATERN station located in the Salvation Army's Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi (ALM) Division's Emergency Disaster Services center.
SATERN, which is an acronym for Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, is the volunteer amateur radio communications arm of the Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services (EDS). The new station call-sign WB5ALM signifies, William Booth 5 Alabama Louisiana Mississippi (William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army). WB5ALM was activated for the first time on March 5th during a check-in to the International SATERN Net on 20 meter phone. The new call sign will be used for operations at the EDS center and for mobile operations from the Southern Territorial Communications Trailer and the SATERN Coordinators vehicle. Nearly a years work went into the development of the SATERN station, which is said to be a "State of the Art" facility. The station is capable of being operated 100 percent via the internet. Ken Standard, AD5XJ, SATERN Net Manager for the Southern Territory said, “The goal is to allow for a select group of qualified, trained Net Control Operators to operate a state-of-the art SATERN station that is centrally located within the ALM Division and the Southern Territory from their home location anywhere in the Territory.” Southern Territorial SATERN Coordinator Bill Feist – WB8BZH, commented, “This new station will make it easier to recruit SATERN operators to operate the station during a disaster or emergency by reducing the need for them to be physically present at the EDS Center.” The Silver State Receives A New Section ManagerNevada Section Manager Joe Giraudo - N7JEH of Spring Creek has announced that he will be stepping down from that position effective February 28.
Giraudo is a professional engineer and property manager for Barrick Gold Mining. New employment duties have increasingly made it necessary for Joe to be out of Nevada, and even the states, for extended periods. “This absence from the Section makes it increasingly difficult to effectively serve the membership within Nevada,” said Giraudo. Giraudo recommended that his Assistant Section Manager Gary Grant - K7VY of Reno be appointed to fill the remainder of his term which expires at the end of June, 2015. Changing Of The Guard
Monthly Seminars Introduce New Operators to the fun of Ham RAdio
It's not unusual to find licensed amateur radio operators who passed the test, often a decade or more ago, received their callsign, and have never been on the air!
Since 9-11-01 many groups have advocated the need for their members to be licensed hams. The internet makes it easy for just about anyone to learn the question pool and get a Technician license. Even formal classes tend to only teach a person to pass the 35 question quiz. Little, if any, of this, prepares the new licensee to actually acquire and operate a radio. The K7QQQ Repeater Club has begun a series of monthly seminars designed to introduce the new licensee to the equipment, modes, and methods to get on the air and have fun with ham radio. The first session found sixteen newly minted hams in attendance. They eagerly soaked up information about getting that first radio, ham radio clubs, CW operations, and a variety of topics.  Click on picture for full information
The upcoming session in March will feature an introduction to Packet and other digital modes.
Participants will receive "hands-on" experience in operating in these modes. Yaesu AND C.A.R.G. TEAM up In Support of New Amateur Radio Station at Arecibo Telescope
 Arecibo Observatory/Angel Ramos Visitor Center
Yaesu and the Caribbean Amateur Radio Group have joined together in supporting the Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club (KP4AO)located at the world's largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, USA.
During a behind the scenes tour of the facility given to ARRL Officials and guests, KP4AO's President Angel Vazquez-WP3R announced that they were establishing a new amateur radio station in the exhibition hall of the Angel Ramos Visitor Center located at the observatory. Vazquez said that their group was thrilled to be able to showcase amateur radio activities to the thousands of visitors and scientist who pass thru the visitors center each year. 
ARRL President Dr. Kay Cragio-N3NK, Southeast Division Assistant Director Dr. Jose Vicens-NP4G, CARG Officer Juan Montijo-WP4OV, Director of Telescope Operations Angel Vazques-WP3R, and Yaesu Executive Vice-President Dennis Motschenbacher-K7BV (Assistant Puerto Rico Section Manager Abimael Padro-KP4RY is shown in the background)
Following the announcement of the new station, CARG officials presented a new banner to the KP4AO group for use in their new station. Newly appointed Southeast Division Assistant Director Dr. Jose Vicens-NP4G called on Dennis Motschenbacher-K7BV, Executive Vice-President of Yaesu.
On behalf of Yaesu, Motschenbacher donated a new FT-DX1200 transceiver for the KP4AO club to use in their new Visitor Center station. Construction of the station is expected to be finished in about 3 months.  Scanning the bands on the new radio
ARRL representatives, including President Kay Craigie-N3NK, CEO Dave Sumner-K1ZZ, Southeast Division Director Doug Rehman-K4AC, Southeast Division Assistant Director Jose Vicens-NP4G, Pacific Division Assistant Director John Bigley-N7UR, Puerto Rico Section Manager Rene Fonseca-NP3O, and guests were touring behind the scenes at the telescope as part of the activities of the ARRL Puerto Rico Section Convention. The ARRL visitors also presented the observatory station with a Centennial Edition of the ARRL Handbook.
The Arecibo Observatory which was completed in 1963 recently celebrated it's 50th Anniversary. KP4AO hosted a Special Event Station as a part of that celebration. The massive radio telescope explores the deepest corners of space. It also feeds data to SETI an organization searching for life in outer space. Deadly Tower Collapse in West Virginia-Ham RPTRS LostA 300 ft tall communications tower in Clarksburg, West Virginia collapsed Saturday during repairs, killing two workers, and causing the collapse of a second tower which killed a Nutter Fork Volunteer Firefighter.
The two workers that were killed were identified as 32 year old Kyle Kirkpatrick of Hulbert, Oklahoma and Terry Lee Richard Jr., age 27, from Bokoshe, Oklahoma. The pair were employed by SBA Communications, an Oklahoma firm which operates and maintains 23,000 communication towers. Twenty eight year old Firefighter Michael Dale Garrett of Clarksburg, WV was walking from his vehicle to the scene of the first tower collapse, when guy lines attached between the two towers failed. He was struck and killed when the second tower failed. Three amateur radio repeaters operated by the Stonewall Jackson Amateur Radio Association (SARA) were destroyed in the mishap. A VHF repeater on 147.210 Mhz, a UHF repeater on 444.175 Mhz, and a third Link repeater used to connect to the HAMLINK system were all lost. SARA had recently made expensive repairs and upgrades to all of the machines. Reno Work Party Installs New Repeaters-Sites Are Upgraded
On Saturday a ten member work crew tackled the Mt. Davidson and Ophir repeater sites outside of Reno.
Their efforts resulted in two new machines going on the air. A 220 Mhz repeater for the CONDOR System and a 900 Mhz repeater. Antennas and heliax were installed, along with new ground rods, and feedline cushions. A ANt-220 antenna was installed for the CONDOR machine and a DB-806 antenna was set for the 900 MHz repeater. The workers also removed a DB-408 antenna from the Ophir site and erected it on the Mt. Davidson tower in preparation for activating a D-STAR repeater/node.
The crew reports that the site is 100 per cent D-STAR ready from an RF standpoint and only requires Internet activation to have the node operational.
Pajama Party of the Air waves
Remember back to the days when all of us girls would get together at a friends house for a slumber party? Pizza, Coca-Cola, talkin' about boys, trying on make-up.....pillow fights... trying not to fall asleep. The Las Vegas Chapter of the Sisterhood Of Amateur Radio (S.O.A.R.) will re-live those memories when we host our SECOND "Pajama Party" Special Event Station, Saturday night March 15th, 2014. That's right ladies. Throw your favorite jammies in your overnight bag and come join us for our combination girls sleep-over/radio operating party. All girls, whether you are a teen, pre-teen, tween, or way beyond are invited to join in. If you are a YL outside of the area or an OM, we will see you on the air. Listen for the call "CQ YL Pajama Party" The fun begins at 5:30 PM. PDT (Sunday 00:30 UTC) For details and location email Judy Carpenter-KC7ZVE [email protected] Home Owners Association on board with New Repeater
Las
Vegas, NV – K7QQQ Amateur Radio Repeaters, Inc. has launched a new UHF amateur
radio repeater located in the Enterprise Township (Southwest) portion of the
Las Vegas Valley. While repeater bring-ups seem routine, this repeater has
quite a unique feature in that it’s located in the heart of a deed-restricted
community.
The Savannah Place Homeowner’s Association board of directors (SP-HOA), in an update to their CC&Rs, officially recognized the importance and essential contribution of locally licensed amateur radio operators within the Clark County ARES/RACES group, the Nye County ARES/RACES group, and the Las Vegas Regional SKYWARN group. The SP-HOA directors deemed it would be in the best interest of the community, as well as in the best interest of the public, to allow and support the installation and use of amateur radio equipment, antennas, and other radio equipment within their community as outlined under 47 CFR 97.15(b) - the FCC’s rules for station antenna structures. “We are extremely pleased to have worked with the board and put this repeater into operation, and, should need arise, to dedicate its use for emergency communications,” said J. Dan Connell, a Nevada Section ARRL Technical Specialist and President of K7QQQ Amateur Radio Repeaters, Inc. Connell, who championed the CC&R changes, went on to say, “With this installation, we hope to show the surrounding communities that Amateur Radio Operators and deed-restricted HOAs can partner in practical and cooperative ways. In our case, the radio operator gets to practice the art and science of radio communications while Savannah Place residents and the surrounding community benefit from having a local emergency communication station in time of need.” The repeater system’s operational frequencies have been formally registered / coordinated through the Southern Nevada Repeater Council (SNRC) and K7QQQ notes that while the repeater is open to all licensed Amateur Radio Operators, it may be reserved for emergency traffic, scheduled nets, training, educational, and/or club functions. In order to access the repeater, radio operators should set their rigs to the following parameters: RX: 441.875 MHz TX: 446.875 MHz DCS Code: 023
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Field Day Updates
The Longest Morse Code Message Ever, Established Nevada As A State Final transcribed page and cost
It was October 1864. The Civil War was winding down and Abraham Lincoln was facing re-election. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was looming on the horizon.
Lincolns stay in the White House is being seriously threatened by the candidacies of General John Freemont, a Republican and General George McClellan, a Democrat. The Republican party was still in it's infancy. Lincoln needed the votes from new states to ensure that he would remain in office and be able to enact his reconstruction polices for the South. Earlier, gold and silver had been discovered on the Comstock in Virginia City. In 1861 the United States was eager to make sure this wealth did not find it's way into the coffers of the Confederacy. They lost no time in forging Nevada into a new federal territory away from the Utah Territory. Lincoln appointed James Warren Nye, a police commissioner from New York and a newly converted Republican, to be the Territorial Governor. Nye, nicknamed, "Old Grey Eagle" made sure the new territory government was well organized. An avowed supporter of civil rights, he also stamped out any attempts to become a part of the Confederacy. With the help of Nevada votes Lincoln could win the election and Nevada could help to ratify the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery. Having only 40,000 residents Nevada fell far short of the 60,000 people usually needed to become a state. But Lincoln needed new states and as election time drew near, three territories were tapped to become states: Nevada, Colorado, and Nebraska. Nebraska voted against statehood and Colorado failed to pass a constitution. In Nevada things were different, the vote for statehood was 8 to 1. Nevada was heavily Republican, the votes from Nevada could ensure Lincoln a victory. Nevada sent certified copies of their proposed Constitution overland to Congress for approval. By October 24, they had not arrived. With only days to go Nevada needed it's newly passed Constitution to arrive in Washington in order to be admitted to the Union. Governor Nye decided to send the entire 16,543 word text of the proposed Nevada State Constitution by Morse code, via telegraph, to Washington. On October 23, 1864 in Carson City, telegrapher James H. Guild, labored for seven hours over his key, pounding brass, until the entire 175 page document was transmitted to Salt Lake City, to be relayed to Chicago, Philadelphia, and on to the War Department in Washington, DC. Guild's work netted his company $4,303.27 in fees, roughly $60,000 in todays money. The 1864 transmission remains to this day as the longest Morse Code message ever sent. On October 31st, just eight days after Guild's record setting message, the United States Congress admitted Nevada to the Union. In a twist of fate, John Freemont withdrew from the Presidential race and Lincoln won easily. The votes from Nevada were not needed. Nevada also almost missed it's opportunity to ratify the 13th Amendment, when both of her Senator's failed to arrive in Washington in time to cast their votes. Congressman Henry C. Worthingham cast the lone vote from Nevada and on January 31, 1865 slavery ended in the United States. James Guild left his mark on Nevada's history by his use of Morse Code and so can you.
The Nellis Radio Amateur Club has announced that they will be starting a code study class. Interested in learning Morse Code? For more information, send your contact information via email to Sean Sheehan [email protected] Flagstaff City Council Rejects Cell Phone Ban
The Arizona Daily Sun is reporting that the City of Flagstaff will be opting out of the recently enacted Coconino County Hands-Free cell phone ordinance.
Under Arizona law Flagstaff has the option to exclude their community from the county regulation. The new Coconino County law not only prohibits the use of cell phones in motor vehicles, but also specifically prohibited the use of two-way radios, including amateur radios, unless the operator was relaying a message between first responders in an emergency. During a recent working session of the Flagstaff City Council, it's members rejected the county ordinance as being too broad. City officials paid particular attention to the ban on two-way radios. The Council agreed with member Celia Barotz's assessment that the ordinance would interfere with amateur radio operators ability to provide volunteer services and with truckers who rely on CB radio as a part of their jobs. Councilwoman Barotz suggested that the city allow the use of two-way radios and focus solely on the issue of texting while driving. Mayor Jerry Nabours inquired if the Police Department had experienced any issues with the use of radios by their officers while patrolling. Deputy Chief of Police Walter Miller stated that he uses two-radio quite a bit in his job and is not aware of any problems from it's use. Reno Spring Swap meet
Fifteen sellers turned out for this mornings Spring Reno Ham Swap. Sales are reported to have been good. The event was held on the Denny's parking lot in Sparks.
Three new Technicians earned their licenses and one ham received a General Class upgrade. After paying their expenses, the organizers were able to clear $172.90 toward maintaining their repeater system. W1AW/7 The Whole Story Tom Taormina K5RC Reports From Virginia City
W1AW/7 is now on the air from Nevada. Operations began this evening at 5:00PM. W1AW will have a temporary home for the next week in Nevada. As part of the ARRL 100 Centennial Celebration W1AW will be operating as portable seven in the Silver State.
 W7RN
Primary W1AW/7 operations will be from the Comstock Memorial Station W7RN in Virginia City Highlands.
However, during next Saturdays 7th Area QSO Party, several satellite operations will also be on the air around the state. Nevada's contributions to the W1AW event is being coordinated by Tom Taormina K5RC. Planned operations are for 160-6 meters CW,SSB, RTTY, and PSK. Operator slots are still available. Contact Tom. You can be a part of W1AW/7 Operations in Nevada
The following County Operations will be on the air May 3rd. 
W1AW/7 Nye County will be hosted by N7TP in Amargosa. Guests operators are welcome. 
W1AW/7 Clark County is being hosted by the Sisterhood Of Amateur Radio (SOAR) and will be held at Amateur Electronics Supply (AES) 4640 South Polaris Avenue from 6:00 AM until Midnight. Everyone is invited to join the fun. CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK.
W1AW/7 Washoe County will be on the air from the QTH of N7TR in Reno. 
W1AW/7 Carson City will be operated from the QTH of N7YQ. Guest operators are welcome. New Yaesu Digital Repeaters Debut In Reno and Las Vegas
Brand Yaesu System Fusion DR-1 repeaters have recently appeared on the air in both Reno and Las Vegas.
Yaesu has supplied the repeaters to the Sierra Amateur Radio Society and to the Nellis Radio Amateur Club. These new repeaters have the capability of receiving both traditional FM analog and Yaesu's new proprietary C4FM FDMA digital platform. In addition the repeaters have the ability to automatically convert and retransmit a signal received in either mode to the other mode. For example a signal received in analog FM would be retransmitted in FM analog and digital C4FM FDMA. A received digital signal would also be retransmitted in digital and analog. 
The Reno machine replaces an old GE Master II repeater. It is operating from Mt. Davidson at an elevation of 7756 ft. The repeater is located at 444.825 Mhz, with a positive offset and a PL tone of 123.0 HZ. Early reports and testing have been very positive for this machine. Over on the other side of the state, the Nellis group reports that their repeater is in place atop Apex Peak and functioning as intended. The System Fusion repeater replaces a Vertex VXR-5000 machine. The Nellis Repeater is a 2 meter machine, operating on 147.06 Mhz, positive offset, with 100hz CTCSS encode/decode. John Byerly N7ROJ is the SNARS Technical Committee Chairman in Reno. Larry Simon KC7QJO is the NRAC Technical Committee Chairman in Las Vegas. Both teams are interested in signal reports and comments from the users of these two new repeaters. Clark County ARES/RACES gets MCV Command Center
Southern Nevada District Emergency Coordinator Jay Peskin- KE7EGO has announced that Clark County ARES/RACES has received a fully self-contained Mobile Communications Vehicle (MWC) command center for their use.
Dubbed "Big Yellow", ownership of the vehicle was transferred from the Clark County Fire Department to the Clark County Office of Emergency Management. Clark County IT/OEM and ARES/RACES enjoy a long history of working together. 
The acquisition came about due in a large part by the efforts of Andy Gagliardo N7SGV.
Although it now lacks amateur radio capability, the unit is set-up for interagency interoperability. Plans are underway to begin the purchase and installation of amateur radio equipment. 
ARES/RACES volunteers staffed the vehicle for the first time during the recent "EXTREME THING" sports and music festival in Las Vegas.
ARES / RACES members are looking forward to next month when the vehicle is scheduled to participate in the Las Vegas Mobil Command Vehicle Interoperability Rodeo. The Storey County ARES Repeater, KS7AA, is now operational for public use. 146.865 (-) PL123 ARRL Booth Returns To NAB Las Vegas Area Hams Welcome Broadcasters
Amateur radio and the ARRL will once again have a presence at the world's largest gathering of broadcasters, the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
Beginning this Sunday, the more than 100,000 attendees at the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters will have the opportunity to attend seminars and browse the booths of nearly 1,700 exhibitors. Among these exhibitors will be the ARRL. Staffed by the members of several Las Vegas area amateur radio clubs, the ARRL booth provides conventioneers with information on how to get involved in amateur radio, how to become an ARRL member, and how to access League services. ARRL Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio- W6RGG will join the local hams in staffing the booth. Jim Bilan - W7UXB is coordinating the volunteers. As in past years, John Marino - KR1O , Science and Technology Vice President for the NAB arranged for the generous donation of the booth space from the NAB. Speaking of John Marino and NAB Technology...they will again be joining Bob Heil of Heil Sound, Broadcast Supply World, Turner Engineering, and DX Engineering in hosting the hugely popular Amateur Radio Operators Reception at the NAB.
More than 600 hams from around the world are expected to attend this annual event Wednesday evening April 9th at 6:00 PM in Ballroom B of the LVH Resort. All amateur radio operators are invited and there is no charge. 
Just Announced......
Gordon West - WB6NOA will be on hand with his Comm Van at the ARRL Nevada State Convention Don't miss it......Virginia City May 30 - June 1, 2014 Ten Thousand Plus Police Officers Entrust their Lives to Amateur Radio
More than 10,000 law enforcement personnel from around the world are assembling on Death Valley Road, in the Mojave Desert outside of Baker, California to begin this weekend's 30th annual running of what is known as "The World's Longest Police Foot Pursuit".
The Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race, a grueling, 120 mile ordeal, has become the premier competitive event among the worlds law enforcement agencies. The race begins outside of Baker, California at the gateway to Death Valley. Death Valley holds the record as the hottest location on earth, with an officially recorded temperature of 134.0 F (57.6C). Ground temperatures in this area can exceed 200 F. This land truly belongs to the rattlesnakes and coyotes. The race winds through the Mojave Desert before crossing the Spring Mountains at Mountain Springs Pass (5,530 Ft Elv) and then descending into the glitter gulch, Las Vegas, Nevada, some 120 miles from the Start Line.  A look at the race course
Humans do not fare well in this extreme environment. Severe medical incidents, as well as deaths occur in this event.
There is no telephone service or medical facilities in this desolate part of the world. The event must carry in all of their own emergency medical personnel and equipment. They must also build their own communications infrastructure. The communication system needs to cover an area of 8,100 square miles, roughly the same area as the states of Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island combined. Entering the picture is Joy Matlack-KD6FJV and her 650 amateur radio volunteers. Matlack, the long serving Communications Director oversees a multi-tiered infra-structure of ham radio, business band, aeronautical, and public safety communication systems. Above: Video featuring the B2V amateur radio communications
 A B2V stage
Amateur radio operators build and deploy the portable repeater systems that seamlessly cover to entire 8,100 sq miles. They also build and deploy the links used by the med-evac teams
Baker to Vegas, known to those around it as the B2V is broken up into 20 race stages. It is at these stages that the teams change runners. Amateur radio operators serve as the staff for these stages. The hams provide the timing and scoring functions, operate the public address system, staff early warning and early, early warning positions, summon medical assistance, and relay all of the routine and emergency radio traffic for the event.  Ham operators await their first runner
Although the majority of the traffic handled deals with routine logistical and operational functions of the event, the primary mission of the amateur radio operators is the protection and safety of the runners and their support vehicle staffs.
All of the roadways used during the event are still open to regular vehicle traffic. The first half of the race is on what is typically lightly traveled wilderness roads. But come race weekend these routes are covered with thousands of vehicles belonging to support staff, course volunteers, and family/friends of the runners. The race takes a dramatic turn once it reaches Pahrump. Nevada. Pahrump which was a tiny dot on the map with B2V began 30 years ago, has now grown to be a small city of 37,000. The once quiet little route NV 160 which links Pahrump to Las Vegas is now a heavily travelled thoroughfare. NV 160 is notorious for it's large number of traffic fatalities. which primarily occur as it winds into the Las Vegas valley at Blue Diamond. Once the race enters the Las Vegas Metro area (pop.1,951,269) the runners will spend a dozen miles on urban streets. Here they will share the pavement with thousands of motor vehicles. The average vehicle in Las Vegas travels in excess of 50 MPH!  A Canadian team passes Early Warning hams
For these reasons, a team of highly trained, motorcycle mounted, amateur radio operators, known as "Motors" patrol the entire 120 miles of the race. Most of these hams are either active duty or retired peace officers who look for hazards, rules violations, and runners in need.
Also as the road skirts Death Valley at the early stages of the race from the Start Line to Shoshone, California (pop. 31) the runners face the most severe conditions. A 2,000 ft rise in elevation, coupled with high temperatures and arid conditions cause this to be the location of most of the severe medical emergencies and deaths to runners. Even police officers do not always make the wisest choices. Follow vehicle personnel often fail to correctly observe the deteriorating condition of their runner. In a few instances, they have replaced a sagging runner and then simply left him along side of the road. In one such case, the abandoned runner was experiencing a complete shut-down of his vital organs. Found by another team, he hovered near death in ICU for weeks.  Early AM arrival of runner at a ham's timing stage
Matlack now deploys a "Patrol Unit" team. This group consists of a coordinator and 6 specially trained amateur radio operators who patrol this section of highway observing the condition of each runner. They maintain continuous communications with the follow vehicles, medical evac, and race officials. They are empowered to take a runner off of the course, summon a medical response, and to enforce violations being committed by the runners support team. Both the Motor and Patrol Unit hams can issue a special green violation card affectionately called "Meanie Greenies" which can disqualify a team for infractions.
 2014 Berlin Team displays national pride
Baker to Vegas is sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club.
In an attempt to keep the hugely popular event manageable, LAPRAC limits the number of entries to 270 teams. Despite this, participation by support crews family, and friends from around the world has caused the number of direct and indirect participants to swell to more than 10,000 people. Many of these teams also utilize their own independent crews of ham radio operators. These team specific hams provide effective logistical support for the officer-athletes on their team. With such a huge communications network, one that bridges several radio services, equipment failures are to be expected. When they do, a special technical team of amateur radio operators spring into action. This very mobile, highly qualified, crew of specialists quickly deploy and resolve any technical issues. They are also the people who set up and take down the system of temporary repeaters and links. One final team of amateur radio operators contribute to the overall enjoyment of this event and they are the APRS specialists. This group coordinates the real time position reporting activities of the various team follow vehicles. You can follow your favorite teams progress here: http://b2v.findu.com/ In the three decades of this rugged, isolated event. More than a quarter of a million law enforcement personnel, their families, and their friends have felt safe in the knowledge that "In this chase, Amateur Radio is on the Case". New Nevada Section Staff Appointments MadeARRL Nevada Section Manager Gary Grant - K7VY has announced that he has made two new appointments to the Nevada Section leadership staff.
John Bigley - N7UR of Las Vegas has been appointed as Section Public Information Coordinator and Ray Maxwell - W7TAP of Reno will serve as the Section Official Observer Coordinator. Additionally, Grant has appointed Randall Lorenz - KG7GEU to serve as Public Information Officer for Reno ARES. Lorenz has experience working with the Alaska Legislature. He is currently upgrading to an Extra Class license and is busy studying the ARRL EmComm Level 1 and various FEMA courses.
Idaho Ham Seriously Injured In tower Repair AccidentRobert Galindo-KE7ADT was critically injured around noon last Thursday when the winching cable snapped while he was working on his forty foot crank-up tower.
Galindo, who goes by his middle name of BearPaw, age 52 of Athol, Idaho was trapped and dangling 20 feet up in the air when rescue crews arrived at his home, located near the entrance of Farragut State Park. The accident which was witnessed by his wife Gail Perry-KE7ADN resulted in the loss of Galindo's right hand and several fingers on his left hand. Ms. Perry stated: "I saw his fingers fly off of his right hand," "I never want to see something like that again." Multiple agencies responded to Ms. Perry's 911 call, with help arriving 25 minutes later. Timberlake Fire Protection District officials say that it took rescuers 20 minutes to raise the upper tower sections and to extricate Galindo. Galindo was transported by a Life Flight helicopter crew from Sandpoint, Idaho to Kootenai Health in Coeur d' Alene. At 3:00 PM trauma surgeons began more than 4 hours of surgery to Galindo. Galindo was listed in critical condition following the surgery and is expected to remain hospitalized for several days. The town of Athos is unique, in that one out of every 10 residents is an amateur radio operator. The small community of 692 residents located in extreme northern Idaho boasts 69 licensed ham operators. Yet Another Police Department has been targeted with intentional RF via Ham Radio
Police in McMinnville, Tenn have reported that for more than a month they were the subject of intentional interference to their public safety frequency by a "Pirate" broadcaster using ham radio.
A suspect has been captured, but has not been identified. No word on whether the person is a licensed amateur radio operator. The radio has been seized. Nashville Channel 5 reports: Reno Hams Help to Raise $240,000 in Donations and
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SNARS Meeting Site Is ClosedJack's Restaurant, the meeting site for the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society, closed their doors recently.
The sudden closure forced club officers to suspend the March Breakfast Meeting. The Board of Directors is working to secure a suitable location for April's meeting. An announcement will be made as soon as information is available. Sam Case Is On The ChaseEditors note: The following is an article about young Samuel Case-KG7HBY, who it appears has been bitten by the DX bug.
Meet Sam Case (KG7HBY).
When he’s not engrossed in a game of Minecraft or wrestling with his older brother, he’s talking about how long it will take to earn his ‘Worked All States’ (WAS) certificate from the ARRL or the next time he can go to Gary Grant’s shack and use his “awesome radios and talk to some guys who are super far away’. In case you haven’t guessed, talking to ‘super far away guys’ is 10-year-old speak for working DX and Sam is a new ham radio operator who just turned 10. He is from Sparks, Nevada. For next year, Sam wants to earn his Extra Class license and visit Japan with his mother, who is Japanese, and meet Yoshi---an amateur operator in Japan he talked to the day he received his General Class license. In the meantime, there are a few more field trips to go on and a ‘cool ham shack’ that Mom and Dad will have to figure out a way to afford. Sam likes to call CQ on 15 or 20 meters after school. If you hear him, give him a call back. You can tell him to stop fighting with his brother and to do his homework. Written by: Sam’s Dad (KD7QXO)Sparks, NV Nevada Section has a New Website
Recently, Nevada Section leaders asked John Bigley-N7UR to create a new web-site for ARRL activities in the Silver State.
The new site went on-line a couple of weeks ago. Content and additional features are continuing to be added. The Nevada Section is receiving this website at no cost. Production services, annual Domain Registry fees, and monthly hosting fees are being paid by Bigley To date more than 2,500 people have visited the site: www.arrl-nevada.org |
Grand Sierra Repeater-Reno
The IRLP / EchoLink Node on the GSR 147.300 is back up and running again! After a couple of days of down time it is running again at a new host. Thanks to John, N7ROJ for hosting the node. The previous node host is moving from their location and was not able to continue to host it at this time. Mt. Rose Repeater-RenoThe repeater link on the 147.15 MHz Mt. Rose repeater is down until further notice.
LVRAC Repeater Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club reports that their 70cm repeater on 448.500 mhz has been temporarily removed from service. Club members will be notified when it returns to the air. Emcomm "1"
Certification Reno Group Offers Classes 
Washoe County ARES will be starting an EmComm Level 1 Class, starting the first week of February. This is a certification class on/of the ARECC EC-001 course material.
Persons interested in attending and earning the ARES EmComm Level 1 Certification should contact Doug Abramson-KA7FOO for information. Doug can be reached by email at: [email protected] or by phone at: 775-225-5679 Radio Classes Scheduled in ElkoPeople in and around Elko will be able to train to take the FCC Technician Class exam.
Classes have been scheduled for March of this year at the North-Eastern Nevada Regional Hospital. Instructor Dale Scott-KF7MT, has scheduled the classes so that they may be completed in four 2-hour long sessions held over an 8 day period. The first class will begin in the Conference Room at 8:00 AM on Saturday March 8th. The remainder of the class schedule will be: Tuesday March 11th, 7:00-9:00 Wednesday March 12th, 7:00-9:00 Saturday March 15th, 8:00-10:00 A licensing exam session has not yet been scheduled. |
On Track- The Nevada State Convention
Just months from it's inception the new Nevada State Convention or NvCon for short is right on track for its May 2014 debut.
A cooperative effort of the Washoe and Storey County ARES groups and the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society the event will have as a backdrop the historic town of Virginia City, the site of the Comstock lode.
A cooperative effort of the Washoe and Storey County ARES groups and the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society the event will have as a backdrop the historic town of Virginia City, the site of the Comstock lode.
Beginning on Friday, May 30th and running thru Sunday afternoon June 1st., the event will have a full range of amateur radio activities. Including all of the usual fare, swap-meet, forums, speakers, banquets, breakfasts, vendors, raffles/door prizes, and ARRL staff.
The Silverland Inn has been designated as the host for the event.
Virginia City offers a wide selection of family oriented activities including such things as museums. mine tours, walking tours, rides on the historic V and T Railway, souvenir shops, and dining.
A bar-b-que is planned for Friday evening, a banquet Saturday night, and a buffet breakfast Sunday morning.
A controversial young newspaper man, who is beginning to make quite a name for himself since taking up employment in Virginia City, is the scheduled speaker at Saturday evenings banquet. Samuel Clemens, who sometimes pens his articles under the moniker "Mark Twain" is said to have grown up in Hannibal, Missouri and became a Master Steamboat Pilot on the Mississippi River before making his way to the Comstock.
The Silverland Inn has been designated as the host for the event.
Virginia City offers a wide selection of family oriented activities including such things as museums. mine tours, walking tours, rides on the historic V and T Railway, souvenir shops, and dining.
A bar-b-que is planned for Friday evening, a banquet Saturday night, and a buffet breakfast Sunday morning.
A controversial young newspaper man, who is beginning to make quite a name for himself since taking up employment in Virginia City, is the scheduled speaker at Saturday evenings banquet. Samuel Clemens, who sometimes pens his articles under the moniker "Mark Twain" is said to have grown up in Hannibal, Missouri and became a Master Steamboat Pilot on the Mississippi River before making his way to the Comstock.
Click here for an early sneak peak at some of the planned activities. LET ME PEAK!
S.O.A.R. Kicks Off ARRL Centennial Celebration With Parade Appearance
The Las Vegas Chapter of SOAR, the Sisterhood Of Amateur Radio, could not wait for 2014 to begin promoting the 100th Anniversary of the ARRL.
They hit the pavement rolling on December 7th, when their group was one of the units in the 42nd Annual Santa's Electric Night Parade in Boulder City.
The theme of their entry was "Lady Radio Operators and the ARRL-100 Years of Volunteer Service".
An Artic air blast, unusual for Southern Nevada, had engulfed the area for several days. Thermometers had plunged to freezing. The SOAR ladies had originally planned to re-enact different decades of amateur radio thru the wearing of period attire and using vintage equipment. The freezing cold forced them to forgo the costumes and to bundle up in parkas and fur hats.
Affixed to their vehicle were vintage photographs showing YL's of yesteryear in action. These photos were joined by those of modern day YL Ham astronauts, scientists, and celebrities.
A section of radio tower with a UHF Yagi attached, was covered in evergreen garland and Five hundred Christmas lights. SOAR Vice-President Judy Carpenter KC7ZVE rode on the tailgate and "pounded brass" on a 1930's era Hallicrafters rig.
Club members walking in front of and behind their entry, carried brightly decorated Christmas "gifts to the community". The packages had scenes of the local YL's volunteering their communications skills. One package was emblazoned with the ARRL Centennial logo.
They hit the pavement rolling on December 7th, when their group was one of the units in the 42nd Annual Santa's Electric Night Parade in Boulder City.
The theme of their entry was "Lady Radio Operators and the ARRL-100 Years of Volunteer Service".
An Artic air blast, unusual for Southern Nevada, had engulfed the area for several days. Thermometers had plunged to freezing. The SOAR ladies had originally planned to re-enact different decades of amateur radio thru the wearing of period attire and using vintage equipment. The freezing cold forced them to forgo the costumes and to bundle up in parkas and fur hats.
Affixed to their vehicle were vintage photographs showing YL's of yesteryear in action. These photos were joined by those of modern day YL Ham astronauts, scientists, and celebrities.
A section of radio tower with a UHF Yagi attached, was covered in evergreen garland and Five hundred Christmas lights. SOAR Vice-President Judy Carpenter KC7ZVE rode on the tailgate and "pounded brass" on a 1930's era Hallicrafters rig.
Club members walking in front of and behind their entry, carried brightly decorated Christmas "gifts to the community". The packages had scenes of the local YL's volunteering their communications skills. One package was emblazoned with the ARRL Centennial logo.
A sign from one of the "gifts"
The ladies report that they encountered at least six reviewing stands along the route, where they heard PA systems describing amateur radio's role in the community and thanking amateur radio operators for their commitment.
Additionally, the entire parade was broadcasted live on Las Vegas television and rebroadcasted on December 17, 21, and on Christmas Eve.
"It is with great pride that we celebrate 100 years of the ARRL and the legacy of those women before us who were truly pioneers of the electronic age......." said SOAR President Elizabeth "Liz" Bigley-KD7RIN, ".....our Centennial year is now upon us and the commitment of YL's to serve the Amateur Radio Service has never been greater."
Bigley reported that SOAR has several activities scheduled during the next year to help celebrate the beginning of the ARRL's second century.
SOAR has local chapters as well as National and International Sisters located worldwide. www.soar-yls.com
Additionally, the entire parade was broadcasted live on Las Vegas television and rebroadcasted on December 17, 21, and on Christmas Eve.
"It is with great pride that we celebrate 100 years of the ARRL and the legacy of those women before us who were truly pioneers of the electronic age......." said SOAR President Elizabeth "Liz" Bigley-KD7RIN, ".....our Centennial year is now upon us and the commitment of YL's to serve the Amateur Radio Service has never been greater."
Bigley reported that SOAR has several activities scheduled during the next year to help celebrate the beginning of the ARRL's second century.
SOAR has local chapters as well as National and International Sisters located worldwide. www.soar-yls.com
W7RN Comstock Memorial Station Active As W1AW/7
The Comstock Memorial Station has been selected to represent Nevada, operating as W1AW/7, for a week in May and another week in October.
Since we are representing the State, we invite all interested hams to come to Virginia City and spend some time on the air as “rare DX.” So far, the first operation from W1AW/4 and W1AW/8 have generated huge pileups. There are many hams across the globe chasing the ARRL Centennial QSO Party awards. http://www.arrl.org/centennial-qso-party The Comstock Memorial Station is a not for profit foundation that exists to further the state of the art in Radiosport and to provide a venue for hams to advance their operating skills. During the W1AW/7 events we will attempt to staff two operating positions for the entire 168 hours of each week we are on the air. We have 8 towers and stacked yagis on all bands from 80 through 10. We have other antennas for 6, 2 and 440 and hope to have those stations operable on CW and SSB. For those new to HF pileups, we will have Elmer’s on hand to coach you. If you are passionate about digital modes, we do not currently have those capabilities but would be open to you setting up digital modes and teaching us how to use them. If you are interested in one or more operating time slots (usually 2 hours) please respond via email with the date(s), times and preferred bands and modes. We will attempt to accommodate everyone’s preferences. The only priorities will be to give our volunteers and workers first choices during the 7th District QSO Party in May and the CQ WW DX Phone contest in October. To those who respond, I will develop an operator’s mailing list and send you regular updates as the slots get filled and as we find volunteers to set up alternative modes of operation. We would really like to set the standard of manning the station for every hour of the two weeks and, perhaps, garnering the most QSO’s, putting Nevada on the map for the ARRL Centennial Operating Events. Tom Taormina, K5RC The Comstock Memorial Station, W7RN Storey County ARES, KS7AA Virginia City, Nevada On the Comstock http://www.w7rn.com/ |
Letter From Ten-Tech President:
I would like to take a few moments to wish our customers and Ambassadors a very Happy New Year and thank you all for another abundant year at TEN-TEC. We have seen many unique changes to the electronic industry this past year and again we continue to persevere with a comprehensive design philosophy and customer acceptance throughout the world.
So, what will happen at TEN-TEC in 2014 and what unique advantage can you expect from this American manufacturer? As of January 1st we have had a very positive changing of the guard. Jack Burchfield, has turned over his daily management responsibility to myself, Jim Wharton. Jack will still remain as CEO and majority stock holder of TEN-TEC, however his plans to begin retiring and spending more time with family will begin this year. My challenge will be to coordinate and oversee production, improve scheduling and manage our design and sales teams. In short, my goal for TEN-TEC is for more unique and affordable Ham products, speedier production time, and more innovative technology. Will our new strategy make a difference? Without a doubt. With your help, you will see a greater presence in the Ham community, offering more affordable products plus unique new items that TEN-TEC customers have requested. Thank you again for another great year. We hope you will continue to tell others about some of the positive and innovative changes going on here at TEN-TEC. Sincerely & 73, Jim Wharton, President TEN-TEC, Inc. Jim Rosima Named Bob Davis Award Winner
The Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society has named Jim Rosima -KD7DPW as the 2013 Bob Davis Award winner. Rosima, of Sparks, served as the Chairman of the Wide Area Data Group which recently disbanded and merged into a new SNARS club. He coordinates many of the races, swapmeets, and public service events which SNARS supports. Among these are: theTahoe Rim Trail , the Expedition Man race, the Reno Tahoe Gran Fondo, the Reno 5000, the Sierra Valley Grand Fondo, and the just completed "Share Your Christmas Food Drive. The Bob Davis award is presented to the amateur radio operator who best demonstrates devotion to amateur radio thru outstanding service to the ham radio community. |
Tim Hunt Retires: Las Vegas VE Has New Changes
Tim Hunt WA6TNW has retired from the position of VE Coordinator. Click and Read
NWS Stations Recognize SKYWARN
The three National Weather Services Field Offices in Nevada will be on the air for the 15th annual SKYWARN
Recognition Day. Click and Read Invite An Airman To Thanksgiving
You can make Thanksgiving a little more enjoyable for one of Nellis AFB's 2,500 single Airmen and Airwomen.
Click and Read Nevada Field Day Results
The Results are in. See how Nevada did in the 2012 ARRL Field Day.
Click and Read Reno HamCram Class
Reno group plans one day class and license exam.
Click and Read ARRL Mentor Award Given
The ARRL Mentoring Award was recently given to John Bigley-N7UR Click and Read
Search Team Locates Airman
The body of a missing Airman has been located by search team.
Click and Read Tamarack Tailgaters
SNARS hosts the Reno Fall Swap-meet at Tamarack Junction.
Click and Read Baking a Batch of TS-990's
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New Hams Workshop in Reno
SNARS is offering a free workshop especially tailored for the newcomer to ham radio. Click and Read
Black Friday- Let's go Play RADio
Two things that really seem to enhance the amateur radio operating experience. Click and read
Phonetic Alphabet
YL Operators On Parade
Nevada's largest YL group will showcase Ham Radio in annual parade. Click and Read
State Convention Being Planned
Several Northern Nevada groups are organizing a State Convention. Click and Read
Pahrump VE Pays It Forward
Pahrump Volunteer Examiner helps young people get into ham radio. Click and Read
Help For New Reno Hams
New hams in the Reno area can get on the air help in getting started in amateur radio.
Click and Read WWII POW Is Silent Key
Former POW Dorothy Susie Davis Thompson-KF5IX is Silent Key. Click and Read
Richard Mertz-N3QJF Silent Key
Noted broadcasting engineer Richard Mertz- has succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Click and Read
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W1RO Report: Black Friday Radio Day at Red Rock
Fun morning. Great sunrise. 1/2 dozen hams showed up Click and Read
Mike Lee-AA6ML Is New SE Vice Dir
Is SAROC Version 3.o Coming?
It was the largest ham gathering east of the Mississippi River. Now flyers are being handed out touting its return. Click and Read
New State Government Liaison
Nevada has a new State Government Liaison.
Click and Read Cq Reno...Cq Reno..
Scout tries to contact Reno area via radio and isn't successful.
Click and Read Ham Clubs Outnumber Places
There are more ham clubs in Nevada than their are towns and places.
Click and Read Repeater Group Has Picnic
The Las Vegas Repeater Association held their annual picnic.
Click and Read Event Volunteers Needed
Volunteer radio operators are needed for the Nurses Half-Marathon and the MS150.
Click and Read QRP Group To Meet
Information about the Reno QRP Groups monthly meeting. Click and Read
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