Twofer Saturday in October

Saturday October 7th was a big day for amateur radio in Frederick County.  We participated in both the Scouts BSA Seneca District Camporee and the ARRL Maryland DC section Simulated Emergency Test (SET), operating from the Frederick County Health Department, using their equipment.  While the morning was a tad wet, the afternoon was glorious and both events were a success. 

At the camporee, dozens of scouts learned the fundamentals of radio communication, things like keying and releasing PTT on mic, speaking clearly, etc.  We also reviewed the basics of finding a hidden transmitter using a receiver and Yagi directional antenna.  All of the scout troops that came through were successful in both aspects.

At the SET, several operators went out to find US Geological Survey markers and reported located markers to Net Control, which was operating from the Frederick County Health Department.  We look forward to including the FCHD into a regular testing/exercise routine. 

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FARClub meeting October 16

The Frederick Amateur Radio Club will meet on Monday October 16th at 7pm in the social hall of the Independent Hose Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick.  Parking and entrance are in rear of the building.  Our presentation this month is by Tony KC3MBE on strategies for using a spectrum analyzer, specifically the TinySA in amateur radio.  If you have a spectrum analyzer (any variety) and/or anything that you’d like to test, please bring it along.

While it’s always better in persion, we expect to broadcast the meeting via Zoom – link is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85487265741?pwd=VFErODAzeUVVVVkwQytLN2NrbVJrZz09

Club meetings are open to all interested parties from the community – we welcome visitors.  If you have an interest in any aspect of radio communications, feel free to drop by.

 

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Bellringer Ride 2023
The Bellringer 2023 ride is coming up on Saturday October 21st and we’re looking for volunteers to work rest stops and Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles.  This ride starts at Georgetown University and runs NW through Montgomery and Frederick Counties, circles through Middletown, then ends in Urbana.  We’re working in conjunction with the Montgomery (https://www.marcclub.org/) and the HacDC clubs (https://www.w3hac.org/).
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It looks like the Frederick County locations include a rest stop and finish line at different locations in Urbana, plus rest stops at Valley Elementary School near Jefferson, and one in the heart of Middletown.  We’re still working out the logistics and would be happy to have additional folks involved in the planning as well.
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So, if you can volunteer in any capacity, we’d sure appreciate it.  The sign-up form is here: https://forms.gle/NNcuDdLVe8atWoMm8
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As always, let me know if there are questions.
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73!
Mike Forrence K3MMM
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Frederick Amateur Radio Club September 2023 meeting

The Frederick Amateur Radio Club will meet on Monday September 18th at 7pm in the social hall of the Independent Hose Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick.  Parking and social hall entrance is at the rear of building. This month our speaker is Jim (W1DF) from nearby Gettysburg, who is an ARRL and CQ Magazine multi-Honor Roll DX’er. He has been active chasing DX since the late 70’s. He has volunteered to present a program at the September meeting  that he calls “DX’ing 101.” Topics he’ll cover will be:  What’s DX?; Why DX?; What’s needed to chase DX?; Types of countries; Tools available; QSO confirmation; and Awards.

Joining us in person is always best, but if not possible, please join via Zoom – link here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85487265741?pwd=VFErODAzeUVVVVkwQytLN2NrbVJrZz09

The Frederick Amateur Radio Club invites ALL members of the community to join us – no need to be a member.  If you’re a ham or simply want to know more, please stop in.

 

 

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