by Richard Combs

Pinecrest Expedition Academy is a very outdoors oriented hands-on school. So, under the guise of giving a presentation about amateur radio, a few of us arranged for a Fox Hunt for the students. Those in the know realize this is not an actual fox hunt, but rather an exercise in radio direction finding. With the help of Greg Kiyoi KN6RUQ and “Fox Master “Brian Zoraster KA6ZED, foxes were found, and students educated.

My task was talking about radios, its history, and how they work. There were two groups young K-3 and older 4-7 graders, somewhat of a challenge for me. Both groups were however, inquisitive and engaged. We started with some tin can phones, then I cut the string and said “Now what?” After a little history and some more discussion, we eventually headed out for the hunt. Brian Zoraster had 3D printed two custom tape measure Yagi antennas, and after some instruction the students were off for the hunt. None of the foxes got away, and the students seemed to have fun, expressing surprise when they located the fox/transmitter. 

Special thanks to Brian and Greg who made the trip up to the school near Pinecrest early in the morning. The next challenge will be to try and monitor the ISS transmissions with the antennas Brian left with the school. 

You can see Brian’s antennas and setup at Pacificon.  On with the hunt!

The post Transmitter Hunt at Pinecrest Expedition Academy appeared first on TCARES.

The post CW web app training tool Vband appeared first on TCARES.

Scroll through this presentation or download the whole file to view it any way you prefer. Enjoy.

The post Groveland Grind Mountain Bike Adventure Results appeared first on TCARES.

ORIGINAL POST HERE

The post First Photos of the new Ham Radio Comms Trailer Project! appeared first on TCARES.

The post TCARES Education Committee plan for 2025 appeared first on TCARES.

TCARES seeks to increase its mobile communications capability with a small cargo trailer customization project, built in phases, that would be used in community events and in emergencies. The trailer will have two main purposes 1) Marketing and Recruitment (with Training) and 2) Emergency Preparedness and Awareness.  The cargo trailer will be purchased new and be small enough to tow with any SUV or truck. The sidewalls will be utilized to emblazon with bill-board style branding and Radio related Logos. It should be tall enough inside to stand in and have two radio workstations with chairs inside.  Funding will come from Grants, Fundraising and Member donations. The budget will be in phases, (P1) $10,000  (P2) $15,000, TCARES is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. EIN: 77-0266803

Membership and Recruiting

With a highly visible and branded Comm Trailer and participation in public events like parades, runs, festivals, etc, TCARES can inspire and recruit members of the public to investigate what radio is and how it benefits them. Recently, TCARES has been visible with a canopy and small vinyl banner with a small public info table. Each year we get numerous new people on our newsletter and licensed.  We know we can get more attention with a larger, attractive, highly visible Comms Trailer.

Get On the Air Program

The comms trailer can be taken to local schools on Science Fair days for demonstrations and Get On the Air events.  The comms trailer can also serve as a base for hosting a school contact with the ISS.  During field day and contest events, we will go to a public park and invite Scouting groups to come for a tour and get on the air, and help them earn their radio merit badge.

STEM Learning and Youth Outreach

During school visits or Scouting events, youth will start by understanding how the radio spectrum is used every day around them. TV channels, garage door openers, weather stations, RC cars, all use a frequency. Once they learn what the frequency spectrum is, and how it is used, they can understand where Amateur Radio fits into the spectrum. The Trailer will serve as a base station for observing and discovering what is in the ‘radio-waves’ all around them and how wireless communication is used across industries and hobbies.

EMComm Training and Public Service

TCARES is a club in Tuolumne County and is in a high wildfire risk area.  When a fire starts, the power goes out, the cell phone towers are overloaded.  TCARES has been helping with GMRS repeater installations in addition to our Ham repeaters. The more visibility we can get, the more families can be prepared to have a radio in each home and vehicle to aid them in coordinating their evacuation when all other communication means are overloaded or failed.

Fundraising for Phase 1

Are able to donate to this project? The link below will accept any dollar amount you enter. We accept PayPal and Credit Card. Any amount is very appreciated!

2025 TIMELINE (ESTIMATE)

• JAN 3 ORDER CUSTOM TRAILER
• FEB 20 INSTALL MARKETING WRAP
• MAR 8 GET READY FOR FIRST RUN EVENT (EVEN IF EMPTY)

The post 2025 TCARES COMM TRAILER BUILD appeared first on TCARES.

Presentation by Jeff N6JWT – see download below.

Open-source project

● Long range: Can reach up to ~158 miles/~254 km

● No phone required

● Decentralized

● Encrypted communication

● Excellent battery life

● Text messaging

● GPS based location

● Android, Apple, Linux, Web Browser capable

The post Meshtastic – Off Grid Mesh Network with Low Power appeared first on TCARES.

December 8 @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm PST

Come join fellow TCARES members and enjoy a holiday feast with roasted turkey and ham with tasty side dishes, raffle for ham radio items, live holiday music and much much more! This is our biggest social event of the year. We will also announce who won the election to the board of directors. 

18375 Fir Ave, Tuolumne, CA 95379

Come and bring your family, a side dish, a raffle item, money to buy raffle tickets…see you there!

MENU:

• Diestel Turkey (Diestel Family Ranch)
• Ham (donated)
• Side dishes you can bring (examples)
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Green Beans
  • Rolls
  • Salad
  • Deserts
• Drinks are provided

Free (bring a side dish and an item for the raffle)

The post TCARES Christmas Party SAT DEC 6 appeared first on TCARES.

One of the popular digital modes is VARA. It comes in many variations, VARA HF , VARA FM, VARA chat, and more. This isn’t a tutorial on how to use VARA, but rather a note on how to get some practice using VARA. If you are new to VARA, you can start at https:/ /winlink.org where you can find a link to download the VARA program. And then there is Youtube!

I have been using VARA HF usually on 40 meters with Winlink. I have found Winlink RMS (Remote Message Server) stations both in Livermore, and Strawberry. Connections are propagation dependent, and VARA includes a menu item that lists predicted propagation quality for RMS stations near you.

To get started try the California Coastal Winlink Net. Each month they have a simple check in. You compose and send a brief message, as shown below, and send it via VARA. You can send the message on multiple bands, and via multiple modes. It is also possible to send it via TELNET , if you can’t send it via VARA. The send window lasts for a week. Check back, using VARA, Winlink, and a RMS station after the net is over to see a message with the net results.

Here is the format.
CHECK IN FORMAT:
T o: CAL-COASTAL
Subject: California Coastal Winlink Net check-in
YOUR CALL
In the message body enter callsign, first name, city,
state, mode, and RMS. See examples below.
K6SDR, Steve, San Rafael, CA, VARA FM, K6SDR-10
N6NKT , George, San Jose, CA, Telnet
KB6VTU, Josh, Truckee, CA, VARA, HF Node AJ7C

WINLINK THURSDAY

The EmComm Training Organization (ETO) continues the popular Winlink Thursday exercises to foster Winlink-knowledgeable operators across the country. See https:/ /emcomm-training.org/. Join EmComm-Training@groups.io for exercise and training announcements. People who would like to join the net can send Jay, (W2AFE), a Winlink message, or email him at jayhking@yahoo.com. I like to have their name, city/state, and email.

73, Sparkie
—–

The post California Coastal Winlink Net – KN6HSR appeared first on TCARES.

W6PHO

We are now entering the “Solar Maximum” part of Solar Cycle 25, which could mean four years of excellent conditions for DXing. Maximum solar activity increases ionization in the “F” region of the ionosphere (150-250 miles up) which facilitates daytime 20 to10-meter propagation and nighttime 40 through 10-meter propagation.

If you’re wondering when to look for DX, the SN (Sunspot Number) may help. While the SN is the result of observation and calculation with some tricky statistics thrown in (for a “smoothed” number), it is often a good indicator of conditions for DXing. The highest SN count in 20 years was this past June, at a level of 163.4, but higher values are predicted for late 2023 and early 2024.

Another indicator is the SFI or Solar Flux Index. This is strongly correlated to the degree of ionization of the F2 region.

Finally, the K-index quantifies disturbances in the earth’s magnetic field that cause, for us, background radio noise. When this index is 2 or less — and the SFI has been at 150 or more for a few days (to “charge” the F2, DX should be great!

A K-index over 3 can mean high absorption, i.e. poor reflection of radio waves, and a K of 5 to 9 means a geomagnetic storm is probably going to cause interference. The A-index, a summary of world K-index readings, also relates to geomagnetic stability, and low (1-6) numbers are best, 11 up worst). The Boulder K index, updated every three hours on WWV, is probably the most accurate one to use at our latitude.

Current solar data (SN, SFI, K, A, etc.) are readily found at QRZ.com, and a full page of current information is at the K7RA solar update. The ncdxc.org/propagation/ page also has alert messages about strong space weather (solar storms) that may lead to radio blackouts. Finally, spaceweather.com is an interesting resource. For activity on the sun and what it means for us, check out Dr. Tamitha Skov’s podcast (spaceweatherwoman.com).

Space weather charts will indicate which bands are good, poor, or closed for DX contacts. You can also figure this out by listening for beacons, digital signals, and WWV stations. You can generally tell from others’ spots (see below) if the band is open for us. You can also learn, e.g. from spaceweather.com, about CMEs and flares that can shut down the bands. For more information and links go to arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals.

How about where to look?

If you want help finding DX, try a spotting service. I like to use DXSummit.fi, which will give you VOACAP propagation predictions when you put in your location (e.g. CM98tb for Columbia). It will also show where you and the desired station are on the map AND in relation to that magic “gray line” when there may be an especially strong connection with that DX station. Note that this will apply to any station in the same geographic area.

So how do I find DX?

Be sure to look for DXpeditions, especially in the Pacific region that’s relatively easy for Californians to reach, especially in the late afternoon or evening.

A fuller list — going into 2024 — can be found at ng3k.com; thanks to Pat, WA6SCW, for this. The ARRL puts out a weekly DX bulletin. Information on propagation was inspired by George, N6GEO’s, recent “3rd Tuesday TCARES Tech Net” (@ 7:30 pm). Errors and confusions are of course my own!

How do I work DX?

DX-pedition stations are much sought after, and there will be pileups of US stations calling them. Finding the pileups can be a shortcut to finding DX, but be sure not to tune up on a calling frequency or, worse, on top of the DX station! DXing often requires operating “split,” with you calling up a kHz or more. The DX station will specify “up.”

Use your operating skills to figure out what frequency the DX is listening on! Another place to find DX (and pileups) is in contests. A couple of these that are useful for grabbing DX and coming up in the next few months are the CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB Oct. 28-29 and CW Nov. 25-26). A full contest list is found at WA7BNM’s page (times/dates in UTC).

You can also find DX from a spotting site, by hearing a CQ, or calling CQDX yourself. These are the most satisfying contacts and may involve more conversation than the minimum signal report required for a confirmed contact!

There are 340 DX entities currently on the official list, and 64 that have been withdrawn, mainly for political reasons. Most are familiar countries (e.g. UN member states), some are remote territories, or some uninhabited reefs or islands. You learn a lot of geography while DXing!

By the time of the next Newsletter the solar maximum should be close to its peak. Please send reports of your ATNOs (all time new ones) and what you’ve observed of the bands and times that are especially good for DX, so I can share them with the club in the next Newsletter.

Get out those world maps and start marking places you’ve contacted! Please write to dmcneil36@gmail.com with your comments, questions, and reports of your DX successes for inclusion in a future column.

The post Chasing DX – CYCLE 25 IS HERE. WHAT’S THAT MEAN?! appeared first on TCARES.