February Club Meeting

You’ve heard about it, but always wondered… “what IS Winlink, how does it work, and why should I care?”.  Mike K3MMM will answer these and more at the February Frederick Amateur Radio Club meeting, on Monday February 19th at 7pm.  We meet in the social hall of the Independent Hose Company at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick (entrance and parking in the rear). Meetings are open to ALL interested parties from the greater community.  No need to be a member or be licensed or anything.  If you even THINK that you might possibly maybe be interested, please join us!

In addition to all of the Winlink basics, we’ll discuss logistics for the estate equipment as well as the upcoming FredFest indoor hamfest, which will happen on Saturday March 16th. Fredfest is a big deal, so PLEASE raise your hand to volunteer when we ask.

Few more things:

  • If you have purchased estate gear and need to settle up, please arrive by 6:30 to avoid the rush. 
  • If you HAVE estate gear in your care that has been purchased, please try and have it at meeting by 6:30 to facilitate the transfer.
  • If you have estate gear in your care, but will NOT be able to bring it to FredFest at zero dark thirty on March 16th, please bring to meeting for transfer.  We’ll be there by 6pm-ish.

While it’s best to join in person, sometime that’s not possible.  Next best is to join via Zoom using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86031809702?pwd=bkFCM0pYL0g1RndpZVNjd01rN2FYQT09

We hope to see you there!

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FredFest 2024 on Saturday March 16th

Thanks to ALL who came out for FFest ’24 – it was a great day!  And we’ll see you in March of ’25.  Cheers!

Be sure to join us for FREDFEST, the original indoor hamfest, on Saturday March 16th from 8am until noon.  We have items from a HUGE estate to be offered – high quality gear.  See https://frederickarc.org/fredfest for the specifics.

March 14th (Pi day!) ADDITION:  K3ERM Estate Inventory for FredFest ’24

 

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January 2024 Club Meeting

Come one, come all to the January 2024 Frederick Amateur Radio Club on Monday January 15th at 7PM.  We meet in the social hall of the Independent Hose Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick.  This month, we’ll have a presentation by Tony KC3MBE on Measuring your Transmitter and Receiver Performance Using a Tiny SA RF generator.  Meetings are open to anyone interested in amateur radio – all are welcome.

While it’s best to join in person, sometime that’s not possible.  Next best is to join via Zoom using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86031809702?pwd=bkFCM0pYL0g1RndpZVNjd01rN2FYQT09

We hope to see you there!

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Winter Field Day 2024 January 27 & 28

Please join us for Winter Field Day (WFD) 2024 on January 27th and/or 28th at the K3MMM family farm outside of Emmitsburg.  This is the same venue as last year, but with lessons learned (including improved wood stove placement for more equitable heating).  While we’ll have some ready to go stations, feel free to bring your own gear including radios and antennas.   The goal of WFD is Emergency Communications (EMCOMM) practice/training.

Couple of things:

  • You DO NOT need to bring any equipment as we’ll have a few stations ready to go.  You MAY bring your own gear to try – we have plenty of space.
  • We expect to operate with neither commercial nor generator power.  Instead, we’ll be using batteries and solar only.  Granted, we may have a generator on hand, just in case.  We’ll have some spare batteries available with Anderson PowerPole connections.
  • You do NOT need any particular level of amateur license (or to be licensed at all), as we can act as control operators while you operate.  This is a very friendly opportunity to give it a try, with your only investment being a road-trip to Emmitsburg!
  • Winter Field Day runs from 2pm Saturday January 27th until 2pm Sunday January 28th. We’ll be on site from mid-morning Saturday until Sunday afternoon.
  • Official farm address is 17247 Annandale Rd, Emmitsburg. I’ll put the FARC banner at the end of the driveway – but your GPS will get you to the right spot.
  • Because it’s winter, and the weather is not certain, we’ll either set up in the back field equipment shed, which boasts nearby tall trees and wide open spaces, warmed by a wood stove. Or in the top of the barn, which while unheated, features a roof and walls. If weather is really uncooperative, we can always end up in the farmhouse living room.
  • We expect to operate on most amateur bands, using phone, CW & permissible digital modes. 
  • If you can’t join us, please try and work us!
  • Be SURE to check back periodically for updates as the date draws closer.  It’s winter and the weather plays a role in some final and last-minute decisions.
  • Find official Winter Field Day documentation here:  https://winterfieldday.org/

We hope to see you there!

Farm site plan for parking and operating locations:

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