Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Volunteer To Support The Walk

There are still slots available for the March Of Dimes Walk Scheduled for this Saturday. Please contact Rip or simply show at:
March Of Dimes Walk
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011
Location: First Presbyterian Church on Lake Hollingsworth
Arrange to be there for assignments by: 7:30 AM
The event should be over by 10:30 AM.
Hams will need an HT, or possibly a mobile rig. Please contact Rip at aa4ht@tampabay.rr.com to volunteer.

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Know anyone who would like to take classes leading up to a ham radio license? Click here for more information.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

But Wait, There's More!

If you thought the kit's flashing lights and siren were a bit to fast for a realistic Euro Police Vehicle you were right. As Ren and son Ansel pointed out, you always have to Read The Instructions. Guess I didn't. Had I, I would have noticed that they directed me to remove two resistors I so carefully soldered in place, and to replace them with two resistors twice their values. This in turn doubled the RC time constants controlling the flash rate, effectively cutting it in half. See and hear for yourself.



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

It Works!


The kits are in, and ready to be distributed at next month’s meeting. Fortunately, I was able to get one in advance, in order to present it on the blog. Here are a few things to think about before next months meeting.
1. Take your time. Under excellent working conditions it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete the kit. You will probably have to complete yours at home.
2. Come prepared with soldering iron, magnifier, extension cord, something to protect the table, and any other tools you think you might need, like needle nose pliers, wire stripper, wire cutter and tweezers.
3. Follow the assembly instructions, checking off after installation of each part.
4. Be especially careful when choosing resistors from the card. They are all identified, but it is still easy to pick the wrong one. Check the color code, or use an ohmmeter to be absolutely sure.


These are the tools I used. Click the image to enlarge it.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Soldering Irons

Kit Building Prelim
Gary gave a rousing overview of the project scheduled for next month’s meeting. There is something for everyone here. For some it is brushing up on old skills, for others a first time experience, and for many, it is a chance to help others develop the skills needed for successful kit building. Last count, nearly twenty members have signed up for the kits. For more details you can download the instructions in advance. Click here for instructions
Kit builders and Elmers, we need soldering irons, power cords, and a scrap of something to protect the tables from damage.

March Of Dimes Walk
Rip AA4HT made a plea for assistance at March Of Dimes Walk
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011
Location: First Presbyterian Church on Lake Hollingsworth
Arrange to be there for assignments by: 7:30 AM
The event should be over by 10:30 AM.
Hams will need an HT, or possibly a mobile rig. Please contact Rip at aa4ht@tampabay.rr.com to volunteer.

Field Day
Finally, Fred K1DU spoke about the upcoming field day. His message was clear. It is all about points. This is why we will be using the same antenna we have always used, the delta loop. Please check the Web Site for information on this design. This is why the number of stations will be fewer than last year. The fewer the stations, the less chance for interference, especially between CW and phone. This is why QRP will be limited only to contacts by solar power until the max of 100 points is met, and then it will be shut down. Fred will speak again at a later time to ask for volunteers to set up, take down, prepare food, clean up, and any other support activities needed on this day.

Check out the number of days until and directions to field day on the right side of this blog.

Information regarding support for the bike event coming.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

New Extra, General and Tech!

Congratulations go out to Robert Stevens, KF6ENO, who earned his Extra ticket today. Robert is seen here being congratulated by Ernie KG4YNI and Bill KJ4IAI. Bill Carter, far left, and David LaFave, far right, are in a fine mood after passing respectively the General and Tech licence exams. Bill deserves additional kudos for getting a perfect score on both exams. We don't see that happen very often. Good work Bill.