November 28, 2023 Weekly This & That Newsletter

SCHH ARC Goes to the Moon!

KE4HAM’s beam antenna was visually aimed at the Moon and had to be adjusted every 10-15 minutes to account for the movements of the Earth and its companion that orbits our planet about 240,000 miles away.

Lots of hams worked a lot of DX this weekend during the CQ Worldwide CW contest.

Not too many hams had QSOs during which signals traveled a distance of nearly a half million miles.

The SCHH ARC and KE4HAM had two EME contacts on Saturday evening during the ARRL EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) Contest.

Using a Moon Bounce set up designed and provided by Frank Pollino, K2OS, the group set up its operation at the parking lot area of SCHH’s Veterans Field on the south side of our community along Red Dam Road.

Set up began at 3:15 PM with Frank along with Lon Seward (WB4KSG), Bob McCormick (KD8IH), and Harve Hnatiuk (KB3FW) assembling the club’s 12-element beam and setting it securely on a temporary mount near the parking area.

Frank (K2OS) sets up the azimuth control with Lon (WB4KSG) on the left and Bob, KD8IH.

The ballpark site afforded us 120 VAC power, picnic tables, rest rooms, and a covered and well-lit area to set up the impressive row of radio equipment that included a 500-Watt homebrew amplifier and a dedicated power supply, a Kenwood transceiver with an Avtron power supply, a T/R switching system, an MFJ sound card, a laptop, and lots of interconnecting wiring. The idea for using this site for our event came out of a SCHH ARC Net earlier in the month after it was deemed to be unsafe to be at Lake Somerset after dark.

Bob, KD8IH (L), and Ken (KN8F) and Lon (WB4KSG) look on as Frank (K2OS) fine-tunes the KE4HAM set-up. Chip (KQ4JKI) is behind Lon.

KE4HAM operated at the low end of the 2-meter band using the JT65 digital mode and 400 Watts of power.

Our antenna, though impressive, pales in comparison to what a lot of EME stations use. Frank told the assembled group that most EME stations use arrays of antennas stacked vertically and positioned horizontally.

As the moon rose over the parking lot, we began to decode signals from local stations and then started to hear signals that were bouncing off the moon, which is a mere 240,000 miles away give or take a couple of thousand miles.

Two-way contacts were made with K5QE in Hemphill, Texas (near the Louisiana border) and I2FAK in Broni, Italy (near Milan). The exchanges were simple and based on the rules for the ARRL contest. All on hand celebrated with fist pumps and big smiles.

SCHH ARC’s KE4HAM went to the Moon and back…twice!!!

Thanks to Frank (K2OS), whose creativity and ingenuity made this event a huge success. Thanks for all the aforementioned members who helped Frank to set-up and take-down the site…and to all who participated in the outing including Charlie Bess (AD5EN) and his daughter Bree, who was visiting from Columbia, Chip Miller (KQ4JKI) and his wife Mary Ann, Ron Frick (AI4HH), Jack Frisch (K2ITZ, Ken Finke (KN8F), and Daryl Borgman (WB1DXN).

More pictures from Saturday’s Moon Bounce event will be in next week’s This & That!

Giving Tuesday: The Future of Amateur Radio Needs You

This is a time of year for Giving Back…for Paying It Forward.

Please join your club president in making a donation to the ARRL today, Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a great day to join others in their support of amateur radio and ARRL by giving back!

Donations made to ARRL on GivingTuesday provide vital support in all that we do for amateur radio.

Education and outreach are at the heart of what we do.

The future of amateur radio depends on the next generation getting introduced to these principles, and ARRL is committed to reaching and inspiring the next generation of amateur radio–our youth.

Your generous donation will help enable programs that provide pathways into successful science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers for young people through radio communications and radio technology.

Club Logo Contest Update

The club’s Logo Contest is in full swing!

The Club is planning to purchase a new banner that includes the full name of our organization and a new club logo.

The new club logo will be selected from entries to a contest that will end on December 31, 2023.

We have 3 entries to the contest as of today.

Please send YOUR ENTRY soon! Think about it: How many times have you had in your life to do this kind of thing?

The entries to the contest will be judged by all members. Each member will have one vote that identifies the best logo in that member’s opinion. The votes will be tallied in early January 2024. It is hoped that the winner of the contest can be announced at our January 4th Membership Meeting at the Lakehouse.

Email entries to Harve Hnatiuk (hnat463@gmail.com).

Holiday Dinner Celebration – December 7th at Jameson’s, Hidden Cypress

Club members and guests are invited to a “Dutch Treat” holiday dinner at Jameson’s (Hidden Cypress) on Thursday, December 7th. We will be seated at 6:30 PM. Everyone will order their own meals and drinks and will receive individual or couples’ checks for their orders.

There will be door prizes and a “gift exchange” is planned. Participation in the gift exchange is encouraged but not required. If you bring a gift, you’ll be eligible to get a gift. Cash value of new items should not exceed $25. If you have ham radio items around the shack that you are not using, you could also package one of them up and use that as your “gift”.

During the evening, we will recognize members who are present who have made significant contributions to the SCHH ARC during the past year or two or so.

Space is limited so please reserve early by contacting Harve Hnatiuk (hnat463@gmail.com).

To date, we have 18 members and guests who have reserved: Bob Officer (2), Ken Finke (1), Charlie Bess (1), Lon Seward (2), Ron Frick (1), Chip Miller (2), Bob McCormick (1), Jack Frisch (2), Ed Stratton (1), John Tregenza (1), Sherwin Tames (2), Harve Hnatiuk (2).

Hope to see you there with a gift for the exchange!

Next Membership Meeting – January 4, 2024 at the Lakehouse

Our January 4th meeting will start at 7 PM with a presentation on the ARRL’s “Logbook of The World” by Ken Finke, KN8F. The regular membership meeting will follow Ken’s presentation.

Hope to see you in early 2024!

Club Website

Click here to get to the Club’s website: https://www.ke4ham.org. If you notice any errors or have site-related questions, email: webmaster@ke4ham.org.

SCHH ARC Nets:

Sunday NET (8 PM) operates on 147.550 MHz simplex and EchoLink node: KE4HAM – L

Wednesday Nets (8 PM) operates from KK4ONF/Jasper repeater, 147.060+ and EchoLink node: KE4HAM-R

Thanks to our regular Net Controls: Bob Officer, WA6WAY; Russ Treadwell, N1ZK; and Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW.

Thanks to Ron Frick, AI4HH, for keeping the nets on EchoLink.

Net Control Schedule:

— Wednesday, November 29, 8 PM EDT: Harve Hnatiuk, KB3FW

— Sunday, November 26, 8 PM EDT: Bob Officer, WA6WAY

If you are interested in being a Net Control, please let Ron or Harve know.

SCHH ARC Net Reports:

Thanks to ALL who checked in to our SCHH ARC nets last week.
If you have the time, please check into our club’s nets on a regular basis.

Even if you don’t think you have much to say when you check in, “Hello, and hope everyone is doing well” is a good start, right?

Beyond that, as you “read the mail”, hearing what others are contributing to our collective knowledge-base and providing personal updates, you may find that you DO have a few things to say!

Last week’s check-ins and traffic:

— Wednesday, November 22: KE4HAM/N1ZK (Net Control), AI4HH, AA4KK, WA2LWO, K2ITZ, AD5EN. KQ4JKI, KB3FW, WB4KSG, WB1DXN. QNI=10, QTC=0.

— Sunday, November 26: KE4HAM/KB3FW (Net Control), AI4HH, KJ4BSM, K2ITZ, WA8NLX, AD5EN. QNI=5, QTC=0.

Note – QNI = Number of Check-ins to the net, including Net Control; QTC = Traffic handled (Radiograms).

Other Operating:

Daily — DX spotting and open chat 24/7 on 147.550 MHz simplex and the Jasper Repeater, 147.060+ (no Echolink).

KB3FW – SCHH ARC President