Tag Archives: HF

Activities, Featured, General, On The Air

Calling All Rookies! ARRL Rookie Roundup is April 15th

Were you first licensed in 2016, 2017 or 2018?   Are you hoping to operate at Field Day and want to get some QSOs under your belt?  Do you want to try out contesting but need some practice before operating in the CQ WW contest?  Join us on April 15th for the ARRL Rookie Roundup!

ARRL Rookie Roundup

The ARRL holds 3 contests for “Rookies” each year.  The ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB is coming up on Sunday, April 15th from 1800z (2:00pm Eastern time) to 2359z  (7:59pm Eastern time).  The Rookie Roundup RTTY is on August 19th  and the Rookie Roundup CW is on December 16th.

2016 ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB Certificate
2016 ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB Certificate

We will be fielding a multi-op entry using the N1FD callsign from AB1OC/AB1QB’s Station.  This will be a great opportunity for newly licensed Hams to get on the air.  We will be here to Elmer you along with some experienced “Rookies”.

Elmering Session

We will hold an elmering session starting at 11:00 am on Sunday to help familiarize you with operating, using our station, and the contest rules.

During the contest, operators will work in pairs, with one operator logging and the other behind the mic.  This will give you 2 sets of ears for identifying callsigns.  The operators can switch off halfway through their operating time.  Depending on the number of operators, we’ll switch operator teams after 2 hours or so.

If you are interested in joining us, or have any questions, please email Anita, AB1QB at [email protected].

For more information on this event, see the Calendar entries at https://www.n1fd.org/event/elmering-session-for-arrl-rookie-roundup/ and https://www.n1fd.org/event/arrl-rookie-roundup/2018-04-15/

Activities, General, On The Air

Open House for New Hams – Saturday March 17

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Are you a new Ham and interested in what you can do with your license?  Or have been licensed for a while but have not been on the air?  We will be holding a New Ham Open House at Fred, AB1OC, and Anita, AB1QB’s QTH on Saturday, March 17th starting at 1:00 pm for new Hams.

AB1OC/AB1QB Shack
AB1OC/AB1QB Shack

HF Operation

We’ll have a tour of our antenna farm and we’ll have our HF Station setup for you to make some contacts.

AB1OC Antenna Tower

Satellite Operation

Satellite 3.0 Antennas
Satellite 3.0 Antennas

We will also have our Satellite Station setup for you to make contacts.

Fox Hunt and Demos

A crew going on a foxhunt
A crew going on a foxhunt

We will also have a fox hunt (Weather Permitting)  and demos of the High Altitude Balloon and some Raspberry Pi projects.

HT Programming

New Ham Open House
Kenwood TH-D74 HT

We will also help you to program your HTs using RTSystems or Chirp software.  Bring your HT and a programming cable if you are interested in this.

Hope to see you on March 17th.  See the Calendar for details.  It starts at 1pm but will go all afternoon so you can arrive any time in the afternoon.

Education and Training, Featured, General

ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees

ARRL has asked the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. The FCC has not yet invited public comment on the proposals, which stem from recommendations put forth by the ARRL Board of Directors’ Entry-Level License Committee, which explored various initiatives and gauged member opinions in 2016 and 2017.

Source: ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees

It looks like the ARRL got this one right on the mark. Expanding Technician Class License privileges to include digital and SSB phone options on more of the HF bands is just what we need to make the first level Amateur Radio License more fun, a better learning experience, and a more effective bridge to upgrading to General Class privileges. Well done ARRL!

Fred, AB1OC

Radio Amateurs Developing Skills Worldwide