Happy Holidays and

Two Happy Campers!

Pryor and Geoffrey congratulate each other as Ernie KG4YNI looks on. Pryor passed his Technician, while Geoffrey passed both his Technician and General in one sitting. Supper job guys! Those hours spent studying paid off.

Not shown but also present were the other VE’s: Mike KT2T, Bill KJ4IAI, Bill KI4ZMV, and Jim AI4LE

Merry Christmas 2009

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Rose Among Thorns

Tampa Bay Hamfest 12/4, 5 and 6/2009

The Tampa Bay Hamfest will be held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the 4th, 5th, and 6th of December. Check here http://www.fgcarc.org/ for more information.

Teresa Johnson Passes Technician

In a special session for a very special person, Teresa Johnson passed her Technician License exam with flying colors. Lakeland has a new ham operator! Welcome aboard Teresa!

Teresa is seen here being congratulated by our new VE, Bill KJ4IAI. Also in attendance were Ernie KG4YNI, Bob WA4YFN, and Bill KI4ZMV.

Four Very Happy Faces!

Four tested, four passed! A happy day for everyone.



Starting at the top Ernie, KG4YNI, congratulates Aubrey KJ4ODY on his new General Class License.

Next, Al, K2RXD, congratulates Harry on passing the Technician Class Exam. Great work Harry. Be sure to join us on the net this coming Thursday and show off that new call sign.

Jim, AI4LE, and Al, K2RXD, congratulate Roger on passing the Extra exam. Roger, KI4YQT, no stranger to the club, has earned some EXTRA bragging rights. Good job!

Last but not least, Thom, KF4I, congratulates Pete, N2OCF, on passing the General Class License Exam. Despite some health issues, Pete never gave up, and his persistence and hard work paid off.

Other VE's present were Mike, KT2T, and Bill KI4ZMV.

Coming up, build a 20 meter for pennies.

Well, almost pennies. During February’s meeting we will describe a rather 20 meter antenna design that anyone can build. It consists of a simple wood base plate, some screws, some 14 gauge household wiring, and an SO235 connector. Oh, and a nearby tree would be nice.

The completed antenna is so stealthy we had to resort to some special imagery just so you can see it. Here is the prototype side view animation. You may want to paint yours green to make it even more stealthy.

Below is the base plate, also animated.

The Key Man

There are the keys to success, keys to the kingdom, keys to the city, keys to happiness, keys to riches, and even the key to the executives' men’s room. But, for Bert, KG2G, the key means only one thing, a tool to communicate using Morse code. Every ham has his thing, and clearly, Bert’s is collecting Morse code keys. Bert is pictured above with part of his collection. While Bert would agree that keys are things of beauty, he is quick to point out that he also uses them. Voice is great, but there is nothing quite like communicating the ole fashion way with Morse code.

For those reading this, who are not already licensed ham radio operators, I must point out that while sending and receiving code is still alive and well, it is no longer required to satisfy any Amateur Radio License. Code is a fun option, along with many other communication modes enjoyed by hams.

An Old Idea Turned On Its Side

Sooner or later every ham has to answer the question, "Now that I have my antenna up and coax or ladder line up to the house, how do I get it inside?" In some cases drilling through the wall is a good option. Every case is a little different. This is how KI4ZMV solved the problem. After noticing how some hams placed a passthrough board horizontally between the window sash, Bill decided to turn this idea on its side and use it with his lanai's sliding doors. Works great! Plenty of room for expansion, and the best part, it is practically invisible from the inside.

Three New Hams and One New VE

Now on the other side of the table, Al congratulates Henry left and Chuck right. Henry is a new General, Chuck a new Technician. Just last month, Al, K2RXD passed his extra, and then went on to get his VE certification. Congratulations are due all three for their accomplishments.

Jim, AI4LE, is seen here with two happy hams Henry and Mike. Henry sat for both the Technician and General and passed both. Mike passed his Technician, and has already started studying for his General. Although from Kissimmee, Jim never misses a VE session with the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club. Dedicated, knowledgeable, friendly, and always ready help, Jim is a model for all of us.

KAHS Fall Festival

Please plan to attend the:

KAHS
Fall Festival
Saturday, October 17th, 2009
8950 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland (Across from Bethel Baptist)

Free Entry
Breakfast 8 to 10 AM
Lunch 10 AM to 4 PM
Activities
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Entertainment
Craft Vendors
Exhibits
Food

Food – Breakfast – Eggs, sausage, grits, biscuit. Lunch – Pulled pork sandwiches, BBQ chicken sandwiches, bratwurst, French fries, hot dogs, boiled peanuts, home-made cakes and drinks.

Entertainment – Various kinds of Folk, Country and Gospel Music, cloggers, line dancing. (Bring your own chairs.)

Other activities - Face painting, hand made boutique items, trash to treasure (yard sale items) Academy of Martial Arts, The Lakeland Amateur Radio Club, Polk County Crime Prevention Unit, Florida Masonic Child ID Program, Supervisor of Elections, train tram rides for children of all ages.

Drawing will be held at 3:45 for a quilt pieced by KAHS and Providence Homemakers members.

Y’all come for a “Day of Ole Time Family Fun.”
No animals or alcohol allowed in the park.

Proud New Extra!

The Lakeland Amateur Radio Club offers VE testing the third Saturday of the month. This month we are happy to report that Al, K2RXD earned his Extra ticket. He is seen here being congratulated by Roger, KI4YQT, a visiting VE.

Other VEs present were Jim AI4LE, Thom KF4I, Ernie KG4YNI, and Bill KI4ZMV

Field Day 2009

Our thanks to Don Jeerings for sharing his photos.

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A Message From K9PUGY

No bones about it, the club needs net operators. All it takes is a little effort on your part. Of course, a pleasant personality, a gift for gab, and deep voice doesn’t hurt, but even if you’re not a natural like me, you can be trained. With a little coaching you will do just fine.

I know what your thinking. Look, we all have a lot on our bowl these days. But that’s no excuse for rolling over and playing dead. A little effort on your part can make a big difference. So get off the couch, drop the ball for once, and grab the mike. Become a net operator. There, I’ve said it. Please don’t make me beg.

"If at first you don't succeed . . . "

After breezing through his Technician in June, Tyler Asay missed his General in August by one point. Undaunted, he hit the books, and a few days later during a special session he retook the test. The extra effort paid off. Tyler is now counted among the General Licenses in the club, including his uncle Steve Asay who upgraded to General in June.

Tyler has set his sites on getting that Extra license, as well as doing well in school. He enters the ninth grade this year. We wish him well on both counts!

Good going Tyler. You are in inspiration to all of us.

Field Day 2009 - a Success

Field day is the one day in the year when amateur radio operators get to practice for an emergency in an organized way. Almost out of nowhere, antennas appear and hams all over the country focus on communicating by the many modes of radio technology available to them. These range from Morse code, to relaying messages from satellites flying overhead to hams halfway around the world. But it’s not all work. It is a fun time as well for young and young at heart.

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Hams Supply Communications Support

This year as years in the past, LARC supported the “March of Dimes-March For Babies”, a truly worthy cause. Fourteen club members supplied auxiliary communications for the event. The volunteer services were greatly appreciated by the organizers, and as a bonus, club members got the opportunity to fine-tune their radio skills.

The Power Factor Story

Don Jeerings, assisted by his wife Norma, addressed the concept of power factor by way of a hands on demonstration. Resistive, capacitive, and inductive loads and their effect on phase angle were demonstrated for all to see.