POTA+WFD 2024 Information, a Special Invite from DDXG, and more
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RATS General Mailbox
Jan 20, 2024, 11:33:56 AM1/20/24
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Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society
General Announcement
In this e-mail:
- POTA+Winter Field Day 2024 - Information and Directions
- A Special Invitation from DDXG: Guest Speaker Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
- Have you tried the RVA Simplex Net? Now meeting twice monthly.
- RARC Spring 2024 Exam Prep Class & Skills Seminar Schedule
- Programming Update: Fusion PC Reboot Schedule
_______________________________________
POTA+Winter Field Day 2024 - Information and Directions
RATS POTA+Winter Field Day 2024 will be located at the Appamatuck Cabins at Pocahontas State Park January 26-28. This is a great opportunity to visit with your fellow club members, eat some good food, and play on the radio. We'll have at least two HF stations and several antennas to pick from. We will be operating from the same cabin we used last year. An approximate schedule of activities can be found below.
Follow this link on your desktop or mobile device for a map and directions to the site. If the entry station is staffed, let them know you are there for the RATS Winter Field Day event - there is no entry/parking fee for WFD participants! Look for the RATS banner. Talk-in assistance will be available on our 146.88 repeater - call for W4RAT.
GPS coordinates: 37.377136, -77.566642
All are welcome to join us. You do not need to be a member of RATS or even a licensed amateur to participate in this event.
Here's more information about Parks on the Air (POTA) and Winter Field Day.
Any questions about our event should be directed to in...@rats.net.
Approximate schedule of activities:
FAQ:
Can I operate Winter Field Day from home? Yes. Refer to the Winter Field Day rules for information.
What license class do I need? None! You may operate the POTA portion of this event under either your personal call sign and license privileges (General or higher), or under the club call sign using your control operator's privileges. RATS control operators will be on site for the entire event to supervise unlicensed or under-licensed hams. Winter Field Day activities will take place under the club's call sign and control op (General or Extra Class) privileges.
Do I have to operate a radio? No! You can listen, you help log contacts, you can stand off to the side and watch, or you can ignore the radios altogether while you socialize and graze on snacks. No pressure! Even if you just drop by for five minutes to say hello, we'd love to see you.
Can I visit other areas of the park? Absolutely. The cabin rental fee paid by RATS covers park admission/parking fees for all attendees. Tell the folks at the entry station that you're here for the RATS Winter Field Day event and they'll wave you through. Come see us for a bit, and the rest of the park is yours to enjoy for the day.
Can I stay overnight? Yes. There are several small cabins available to us within walking distance of the main POTA/WFD event. These cabins are cold, a little drafty, and they're not designed to hold heat very well. However, if you have a warm sleeping bag, maybe an electric blanket, small space heater, etc., you might be OK. Contact in...@rats.net for more information.
Is this a rain-or-shine event? Yes. We may suspend radio operations during any periods of severe weather (which are not expected at this time) but we will be indoors. Rain or shine, we'll be there.
Are there restroom facilities? The club has rented a portable toilet which will be available near the main POTA+WFD area.
How can I support this event? Show up. You can also help move equipment to/from storage, or make a donation to offset the club's expenses relating to this activity. Our major expenses are cabin rental (around $370), the portable toilet ($175), and food/beverage. You can drop a few bucks in our donation bucket, or donate online.
Follow this link on your desktop or mobile device for a map and directions to the site. If the entry station is staffed, let them know you are there for the RATS Winter Field Day event - there is no entry/parking fee for WFD participants! Look for the RATS banner. Talk-in assistance will be available on our 146.88 repeater - call for W4RAT.
GPS coordinates: 37.377136, -77.566642
All are welcome to join us. You do not need to be a member of RATS or even a licensed amateur to participate in this event.
Here's more information about Parks on the Air (POTA) and Winter Field Day.
Any questions about our event should be directed to in...@rats.net.
Approximate schedule of activities:
- Friday 1/26, 9 AM - Tech Committee and other volunteers arrive at the club's storage unit (near Chesterfield Town Center) to help transport equipment and supplies. If you are available to assist, please contact Jeff Walton KN4SYE.
- Friday by noon - Arrive at the park to begin POTA setup.
- Friday by 2 PM - Finish setup and begin operating as a POTA station.
- Overnight Friday to 2 PM Saturday 1/27 - POTA
- Saturday 10 AM - VE testing begins. Administered by CATS/KC4TS. See their web site for paperwork/ID requirements and fees.
- Saturday 2 PM - Winter Field Day operations begin.
- Saturday - TBD/Tentative - Transmitter fox hunt, maybe? We'll bring the club fox hunt transmitter, you bring the DF gear.
- Saturday - 6:00-ish? - Dinner. Hamburgers, hot dogs, water, soft drinks, coffee, and chips will be furnished by the club.
- Overnight Saturday to 10 AM Sunday 1/28 - Winter Field Day
- Sunday 10 AM - Tear-down begins. Winter Field Day technically continues until 2 PM, so if we have a bunch of guests at 10 AM we may stay a little later. It's unlikely we will still be operational when noon rolls around. If you plan to visit Sunday, come early!
- Sunday by 1 PM - Club radio equipment and supplies returned to the club storage unit.
FAQ:
Can I operate Winter Field Day from home? Yes. Refer to the Winter Field Day rules for information.
What license class do I need? None! You may operate the POTA portion of this event under either your personal call sign and license privileges (General or higher), or under the club call sign using your control operator's privileges. RATS control operators will be on site for the entire event to supervise unlicensed or under-licensed hams. Winter Field Day activities will take place under the club's call sign and control op (General or Extra Class) privileges.
Do I have to operate a radio? No! You can listen, you help log contacts, you can stand off to the side and watch, or you can ignore the radios altogether while you socialize and graze on snacks. No pressure! Even if you just drop by for five minutes to say hello, we'd love to see you.
Can I visit other areas of the park? Absolutely. The cabin rental fee paid by RATS covers park admission/parking fees for all attendees. Tell the folks at the entry station that you're here for the RATS Winter Field Day event and they'll wave you through. Come see us for a bit, and the rest of the park is yours to enjoy for the day.
Can I stay overnight? Yes. There are several small cabins available to us within walking distance of the main POTA/WFD event. These cabins are cold, a little drafty, and they're not designed to hold heat very well. However, if you have a warm sleeping bag, maybe an electric blanket, small space heater, etc., you might be OK. Contact in...@rats.net for more information.
Is this a rain-or-shine event? Yes. We may suspend radio operations during any periods of severe weather (which are not expected at this time) but we will be indoors. Rain or shine, we'll be there.
Are there restroom facilities? The club has rented a portable toilet which will be available near the main POTA+WFD area.
How can I support this event? Show up. You can also help move equipment to/from storage, or make a donation to offset the club's expenses relating to this activity. Our major expenses are cabin rental (around $370), the portable toilet ($175), and food/beverage. You can drop a few bucks in our donation bucket, or donate online.
_______________________________________
A Special Invitation from DDXG: Guest Speaker Anthony Luscre, K8ZT
Tom Mundy N3GTG at the Dominion DX Group has invited RATS members to join DDXG's monthly meeting for a special guest speaker.
The guest speaker at our upcoming Dominion DX Group meeting may be of interest to some of your members. Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, will be joining our meeting via Zoom on Saturday, January 27th to present on the CQ DX Marathon.
Anthony has a long list of operating accomplishments and awards - and he has achieved them all with five watts! The DX Marathon requires DXing, contesting, operating, and technical skills – especially if you are operating QRP as Anthony does. Anthony will share general information about the Marathon, as well as perspectives he has gained from his experience in the event.
In addition to his operating accomplishments, Anthony makes a tremendous contribution to amateur radio with his education and outreach efforts. He has made hundreds of presentations to groups from local clubs to major venues such as Hamvention. He also shares a library of slide show presentations covering a truly vast range of topics.
You are welcome to join our DDXG meeting on Saturday, January 27 in person at Deep Run Recreation Center, 9900 Ridgefield Parkway, Richmond, VA, or via Zoom at the link below. Our meeting begins at 9:00 AM, and Anthony’s presentation begins at 10:00 AM.
Anthony has a long list of operating accomplishments and awards - and he has achieved them all with five watts! The DX Marathon requires DXing, contesting, operating, and technical skills – especially if you are operating QRP as Anthony does. Anthony will share general information about the Marathon, as well as perspectives he has gained from his experience in the event.
In addition to his operating accomplishments, Anthony makes a tremendous contribution to amateur radio with his education and outreach efforts. He has made hundreds of presentations to groups from local clubs to major venues such as Hamvention. He also shares a library of slide show presentations covering a truly vast range of topics.
You are welcome to join our DDXG meeting on Saturday, January 27 in person at Deep Run Recreation Center, 9900 Ridgefield Parkway, Richmond, VA, or via Zoom at the link below. Our meeting begins at 9:00 AM, and Anthony’s presentation begins at 10:00 AM.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82921744667?pwd=MER1VGRBMGRUTFJvdlF0MDdhUWJQdz09
Meeting ID: 829 2174 4667
Passcode: 704322
Meeting ID: 829 2174 4667
Passcode: 704322
Thanks for the invite, Tom!
_______________________________________
Have you tried the RVA Simplex Net? Now meeting twice monthly.
The RVA Simplex Net has expanded to a second monthly session, still on 146.49 MHz FM.
- First Friday of each month - 7:00 PM - also carried on Zoom, ID: 853 3771 9194 / pw: simplex
- Third Friday of each month (NEW) - 9:00 PM - RF only, no Zoom
Regarding the new third-Friday net, Scott KO4UOR mentioned on the RVAHams Slack #simplex channel, "This version of the RVA Simplex net is more casual than the net held on the first Friday of each month. We won't be using Zoom or Netlogger. It will be much more of a roundtable discussion. Last month we had 6 of us and the net ran for about an hour."
_______________________________________
RARC Spring 2024 Exam Prep Class & Skills Seminar Schedule
Dan N4DOB let us know that the Richmond Amateur Radio Club's Spring 2024 Exam Prep Class & Skills Seminar schedule has been posted and registration opens January 29.
RARC will have license classes for all three levels, plus some skills seminars featuring topics like antenna modeling, D-STAR setup, radiosport and contesting, remote station setup and operation, and "Station Setup 101."
If you see something that interests you, we encourage you to mark your calendar for January 29 and sign up early! RARC's high quality educational programs can fill up fast.
You'll find their schedule and registration links at https://rarclub.net/license/class-schedules/
_______________________________________
Programming Update: Fusion PC Reboot Schedule
The Fusion PC at our repeater site normally executes a preventive maintenance reboot every Saturday morning at 2 AM to work around instability in the Yaesu WIRES-X application. To help ensure the system is in good working order prior to the weekly net on the Virginia Room, which is often called via our repeater, the preventive maintenance reboot has been rescheduled for Saturday evenings at 6 PM, effective today. WIRES-X users on our 442.55 repeater will experience a disconnect and brief system outage promptly at 6 PM each Saturday night. Local repeater traffic (analog and digital) will not be impacted, aside from a brief burst of C4FM digital when the WIRES-X system comes back online. The reboot should take less than five minutes to complete.
This computer also provides network time services (NTP) and an experimental Winlink RMS-Relay service on the AREDN mesh system. Those services will also be impacted by this reboot.
Questions about this change or other inquiries relating to the RATS WIRES-X services can be directed to our Technical Committee, tech...@rats.net.
_______________________________________
Board Meeting - Wednesday, February 7 at 6:30 PM
Membership Meeting - Friday, February 16 at 7:30 PM - Guest speakers Gordon Miller NQ4K: Virginia QSO Party 2024; plus Kevin Behn K0KLB: QRP operations
Weekly Club Net - Every Wednesday evening at 7 PM on the W4RAT 146.88 MHz repeater
Meetings are held via Zoom. See rats.net/meetings for current details.
You can find video and minutes from recent meetings at rats.net/minutes.
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