Martin County Amateur Radio Association Inc News

Communications Support at March of Dimes March for Babies 27 April

Bill Laakkonen — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:07:25 GMT

For many years we have supported the March of Dimes "March for Babies" and are invited again this year to provide support for the event. Due to delays of personnel changes at the March of Dimes, we just received the invitation this morning- short notice- but we would like to help. Members may register to help here.

Renewed interest in our participation comes in the wake of the events at the Boston Marathon- and the role of support played by Amateur Radio. We hope to *never* be needed in an urgent way, but cell phones are generally not in operation immediately after a major event.

If you would like to know more about what happened in Boston and learn how ham radio affected this- have a look at Gary Pearce's interviews with hams who were there- and if you enjoy the videos- please consider supporting Gary's effort to bring HamRadioNow to the world by making a donation.

Also see W3ATB's blog post here

Part 1

Part 2

Hamfest Photo Album

Bill Laakkonen — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:11:00 GMT

Hey There- Here is a link to the hamfest photo album on Facebook (you don't need a FB account to view them)

Also you should find a slide show from Picasaweb below.

Stuart Hamfest Video- Walkabout, Activities, and Prize Drawing

Bill Laakkonen — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:17:54 GMT

We had a blast at the hamfest this year and hope you did too. If you were there or not, we thought you might enjoy this overview walkabout, some friends remembered, Kits for Kids (of all ages), and an angel or two...

Please Like and Share- look for the "Thumbs up" and "Share" icons in the top right corner of the video player- got comments? Click on the "comments" link below. Thanks to all who participated!

2013 Stuart Hamfest Prizes Winners

Bill Laakkonen — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:36:10 GMT

We are pleased to announce the major prize winners for the 2013 Stuart FREE hamfest. The grand prize ticket was drawn by Carl Hererra of WC4H.com- Thanks to all who came out to the hamfest- we still have Gigabytes of photos and video to sort through- and should post some video and photos of the event soon. Right now we all need REST. :-)

Our Grand Prize Winner seems to be a little shocked that he won this great radio! Congratulations John! John was kind enough to include his phone number on his tickets- he came back to the Fairgrounds to pick up his prize. We won't tell you what he said on the phone when we called... but we suspect he thought we were fooling him. Enjoy that new radio John.

Grand prize: John Leonard, N1JCL, of Hobe Sound, Florida
Second prize: Bill Carrigan, K3DC, of Palm Bay, Florida
Third prize: Lu Vencl, KA4EPS, of Deerfield Beach, Florida

Our thanks to all of you who support our hamfest to make this free event possible! We hope to see you all again next year.

Martin County Amateur Radio Assocation

Electronics Kits building LIVE at the hamfest

Bill Laakkonen — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:18:14 GMT

This year at the Stuart Hamfest we have some simple Electronics Kits for Kids of all ages to put together to have a souvenir of the hamfest. The kits are a donation from Nightfire Kits. A three dollar donation to the club is appreciated. Ben, KK4FNW has volunteered to help with the assembly.

Here is the assembly manual in PDF.

Below is the assembly video:

Want to know about the Hamfest? Ask Grumpy!

Bill Laakkonen — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:12:33 GMT

Want to know about the Hamfest? Ask Grumpy!

Grumpy Ham says "In My day hamfests were..."

Grumpy Ham Stuart Hamfest On Vimeo

Grumpy on Stuart Hamfest's FaceBook Page- Like and Share please forward this to your friends.

Grumpy on youtube.com (or watch below)

And don't forget to SHARE and post your comments answering... "In my day, hamfests were..."

Check out the video below:

Grumpy Ham tells it like it is! Stuart Hamfest from MCARA on Vimeo.

FREE Stuart Florida Hamfest is coming March 16th 2013!

Bill Laakkonen — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:00:43 GMT

Here is the Video promoting the Stuart Hamfest. More details on the hamfest at http://www.stuarthamfest.com/ - March 16th starts at 8AM- Tailgaters get in a 7AM. Did I mention it's FREE?

I have the video URL embedded here as it seems that YouTube links in our email system are getting clobbered. We apologize for any email you may have received without a link.

SKYWARN Spotters help weather service anticipate bad storms

Bill Laakkonen — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:33:57 GMT

from Sun Sentinel

Note: Martin County has a FREE SKYWARN training class in Indiantown, May 04 2013. You may register online for the free class now.

To predict severe weather, forecasters rely on radar, satellites and computer models. But they also receive help from people gazing out their windows.

Maurice Dake has frequently called the National Weather Service to report strong storms, hail and flooding. Once he relayed a report of a tornado blowing a truck off Interstate 95 in northern Palm Beach County.

"That's a problem in Florida," said Dake, of Lake Worth, a retired electrical engineer. "Tornadoes can occur so quickly and move so quickly that you only have a short period of time to report them."

Dake is one of about 3,000 weather spotters in South Florida, trained to be on the lookout for tornadoes, strong storms and other severe weather. Read story

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Video

Bill Laakkonen — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:16:12 GMT

This is some amazing video of a solar event from last July. If you were visiting our table at the Hamcation, the fellows at the table to our right were passing out a card with a time lapse image of this and it has a spot of the earth drawn to scale. I can see smudges where several people tried to remove the little dot of earth. This is a "medium" sized flair.

SKYWARN FREE Classes May 04, 2013

Bill Laakkonen — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:57:15 GMT

Want to join SKYWARN? Here is your chance to get training for free- you do not need to have a ham radio license to join or help- but it helps.

SKYWARN members, please check your SKYWARN spotter card- are you due for a renewal of your skills? Are you registered in the correct county? Just want to brush up on your skills?

Here is the FREE Class Registration URL http://goo.gl/4q9y0 registration is free to all (members or not), allows us to have proper staffing, and also provides reminders so you remember to join us. See you there!

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEEDS YOU
Weather Watching and MARTIN COUNTY SKYWARN

Free Class

Saturday May 4th

9:45 am-12:00 noon

Family Worship Center, 15285 S.W. Indianmound Drive
Indiantown, FL, 34956 off State Route 710/Beeline Hwy/Warfield Blvd, north on SW Citrus Blvd, left on SW Indianmound Dr., ½ mile on right.

The class is open to the public

Please register for the free class using the "Register" button here http://goo.gl/4q9y0 . Questions? Contact Ron Tagg, kd4pqq@arrl.net, 772-631-5846 (Church Office, 772-597-2423)

This SKYWARN Spotter Training class, taught by a National Weather Service meteorologist, will give you all the info needed to become a registered spotter for the NWS Center-Melbourne.

NWS Website:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/?n=skywarn

See also, Martin County SKYWARN

Family Worship Center Location Map URL:
http://goo.gl/maps/hrAUp or
http://mapq.st/XMTSqq

Why SKYWARN is needed

The National Weather Service uses sophisticated radar and other equipment to provide emergency information to those in the path of severe weather.

But sometimes, nothing beats the information that comes from someone in the middle of it.

Often the NWS centers need trained observers to be their eyes and ears in the field

Typical reports include 

Tornadoes, waterspouts, funnel clouds
Winds that blow down trees, power lines and/or damage buildings
Dime-size hail or larger
Flooding of homes, buildings or major roadways, including direction and distance from a town
Time event occurred
SKYWARN spotters give their spotter number to provide authenticity.

Why spotters?

Radar equipment has limitations:

Curvature of the earth means the radar beam is high above the earth’s surface- at 100 miles details below two thousand feet are limited.
The beam is cone shaped widening as it travels which means it offers less detail at the limits of around 100 miles.

Quick facts

Lightning is the top cause of weather related deaths in Florida with 10 fatalities and 40 injuries on average per year, the highest in the U.S.
Lightning and rainfall are not included in severe thunderstorm criteria, which are winds of 58 mph or greater and/or hail 3/4 inch or larger.
The 10,000 square-mile area that includes Florida has the most tornadoes per year in the nation at a rate of 8.4, most are small but they can still cause damage.
Flooding becomes dangerous due to stranded or flooded autos.

Bob Calvert, K4NBC Memorial 09 March, 2013

Bill Laakkonen — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:03:00 GMT

Via JTRG:

"Robert J. Calvert, 59, of Indiantown, Florida who was a legend to those that knew him as “BOB”, died December 14, 2012 in a Highway 710 accident a mile from home.

Bob was born on April 8, 1953 in Cincinnati Ohio. He is survived by his sister Karen Alessio and her husband Joe, niece Amanda Alessio Sauve, and nephew Eric Alessio, all from West Nyack, NY. Bob was the stepson and best friend of Florence Bowen, affectionately known as Micki, of Sunrise, Florida. They, like anyone who was close to Bob, will miss him dearly. After High School he continued his education through various technical training programs and was most proud of his FAA Airframe & Engine Power Plant Certification, giving him the authority to get his Bell (Jet ranger) OH-58-C, purchased from the Charleston County Sheriffs Office airborne.

Bob moved to Florida in 1972 and lived with his father Ronald Calvert and wife Micki at the Sunrise home before relocating to the remote area of Indiantown Florida, where he built a Stilt home and remained until his passing. He loved nature and could be found feeding his favorite pigeons, raccoons, turkeys, deer and bobcats. Bob was known for his enthusiasm for life and addiction to Ham Radio and K4NBC call sign. On the 11 acre homestead Bob built an assortment of dwellings and was most proud of his 300 foot Ham Radio Tower that permitted him to communicate all over the world. Fluent in Spanish, Bob had many followers throughout South and Central America. Bob was full of stories from his time as a freelance Investigative Journalist and professional photographer, developing stories for Hard Copy, Inside Edition, A Current Affair, The National Inquirer and national Broadcasting companies that include ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC. His visual media was shown on Prime Time in the William Kennedy Smith and O.J. Simpson cases. He was an insider with celebrities that include the Kennedy Clan, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds. The list of stories is as long as his trove of film clips is deep, because Bob was at the center of nationally syndicated news events. Bob was always looking for action and found one such opportunity during Desert Storm by covering in-country war events for broadcasters for months.

An expert at electronics, communication systems and photography, Bob was quick to respond to neighbors in times of need. As neighbor Buck puts it, Bob was quick to call for “back up” at the first sign of suspicious activity. He enjoyed his trips to New York, where he spent quality time with family. In September he used his photographic genius to take photos and videos at niece Amanda’s wedding. After touring his childhood neighborhood, taking pictures and videos he could be found climbing a tower for friends and colleagues for one more favorite picture. When it was time to return to Florida he collected an assortment of NY goodies, Pizza, Italian food, bread, and sweets to bring back to his friends.

He was simple Bob to us, with his own peculiarities, and those that knew him realize they broke the mold when our Bob Calvert was born. He was a unique friend that led an amazing and interesting life. Bob documented historical and high profile events that were titillating to the average viewer and we all have our favorites to share at Bob’s Lifetime Memorial Service on property at 23701 SW Cardamine Street in Indiantown, FL 34956-4020 on Saturday, March 9, 2013 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, hosted by his family and friends. Please extend the invite to Bob’s friends and make an RSVP for food and beverage purposes.

RSVP – Gary J. Mc Daniel aka “Bob’s private investigator” at 1-888-579-3639 / 561-845-1414 for directions. To those afar and ca not make the visit – forward your best Bob’s story and condolences, by Email:www.pretext@bellsouth.net/ or to Gary J. Mc Daniel, P.O. Box 14613, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 and once on your way, call Gary for directions at Mobile 561-718-3830."

Note from Bill, N4BKT: Bob was a MCARA member and though not active with the group in recent years, he was always a friendly and helpful fellow to all- the Amateur Radio fraternity is poorer for his passing. 73 OM- we miss you.

MCARA Activities Survey

Bill Laakkonen — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:29:45 GMT

Hi All,

This is a open survey for all interested in our Amateur Radio Club. There are only ten questions so it should be a quick task and should help us better serve the wants and needs of our membership as well as those who may wish to join us moving forward.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

SKYWARN provides crucial storm updates

Bill Laakkonen — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:08:54 GMT

As the Northeast finishes cleanup from last weekend's blizzard, ham radio volunteers are credited with providing crucial real-time weather updates.

SKYWARN, a cooperative venture of ham operators and the National Weather Service, was activated for the February 8th and 9th storm that left up to three feet of snow across Connecticut and brought the state to a standstill.

While media outlets were broadcasting blizzard warnings, SKYWARN hams were reporting local snowfall, temperature and wind conditions in all eight Connecticut counties, says Steve Williams, district emergency coordinator for SKYWARN.

"All information received was passed on to the three National Weather Service offices that cover Connecticut. At least two of the forecast offices had amateur radio stations operational," he said.

Find out about Martin County SKYWARN here.

NS40 Kit, Hamfest, Ham Radio Deluxe, and more on Amateur Logic TV Episode 50

Bill Laakkonen — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:24:50 GMT

Episode 50 of AmateurLogic TV with Tommy, Peter, and George. Peter builds the NS-40 40-Meter QRP Transmitter Kit. George and Tommy visit friends and find new toys at the 2013 Capital City Hamfest. Emile talks about Ham Radio Deluxe and Automating routine tasks. We run into someone you may remember and much more.

Today is World Radio Day

Bill Laakkonen — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:08:38 GMT

13 February is World Radio Day -- a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves.

As radio continues to evolve in the digital age, it remains the medium that reaches the widest audience worldwide. This multi-purpose medium can help people, including youth, to engage in discussions on topics that affect them. It can save lives during natural or human-made disasters; and it provides journalists with a platform to report facts and tell their stories.

- See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/world-radio-day/

Orlando Hamfest 2013 Photos

Bill Laakkonen — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:59:58 GMT

Photos report from 2013 "Hamcation" the largest Florida Hamfest- Saturday only

Thanks to Amy KI4RHM for shooting many of these photos for us. Got photo's to share? Let us know please!

Orlando Hamcation 2013 Saturday

1930 QSL card finds home after 83 years

Bill Laakkonen — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:26:11 GMT

A QSL card from 1930 finds it's call holder after 83 years at Orlando Hamcation today thanks to MCARA and Stuart Hamfest

Can you "Like" us on Facebook too?

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.563796056972858.132231.458024030883395&type=1&l=4ba0bdc7e8

The Secret Life of William Hopkins AA2YV

Bill Laakkonen — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:44:02 GMT

William Hopkins AA2YV of Nazareth College talks about his "Secret Life" and the History of Amateur Radio- thanks to Rochester Amateur Radio Association for the heads up on this- and many thanks to Bill Hopkins for all he does for the hobby of Amateur Radio- people like Bill are a big part of what makes the hobby so enjoyable. Become a Ham- you'll be in good company.

Ham Radio mentioned in Television Ad- funny.

Bill Laakkonen — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:54:21 GMT

Funny ad from VELVEETA talks about that guy with a ham radio in his basement who talks to China... etc. Not exactly Flattering, but I guess as long as they are talking- it's all good. What do you think of it?

That Ham Radio Guy from eric baldwin on Vimeo.

Eric W4ELB, Ben N4BG, and Bill N4BKT visit the K4ZK repeater site for a check and a quick survey for improvements

Bill Laakkonen — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:22:31 GMT

Some forgotten video found- sorry about the wind noise. Eric W4ELB, Ben N4BG, and Bill N4BKT visit the K4ZK repeater site for a check and a quick survey for improvements on 14 December, 2012

K4ZK-Site-Visit from MCARA on Vimeo.

Martin County Amateur Radio Association Inc News

Communications Support at March of Dimes March for Babies 27 April

Part 1

Part 2

Hamfest Photo Album

Stuart Hamfest Video- Walkabout, Activities, and Prize Drawing

2013 Stuart Hamfest Prizes Winners

Electronics Kits building LIVE at the hamfest

Want to know about the Hamfest? Ask Grumpy!

FREE Stuart Florida Hamfest is coming March 16th 2013!

SKYWARN Spotters help weather service anticipate bad storms

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Video

SKYWARN FREE Classes May 04, 2013

Why SKYWARN is needed

Why spotters? 

Quick facts 

Bob Calvert, K4NBC Memorial 09 March, 2013

MCARA Activities Survey

SKYWARN provides crucial storm updates

NS40 Kit, Hamfest, Ham Radio Deluxe, and more on Amateur Logic TV Episode 50

Today is World Radio Day

Orlando Hamfest 2013 Photos

1930 QSL card finds home after 83 years

The Secret Life of William Hopkins AA2YV

Ham Radio mentioned in Television Ad- funny.

Eric W4ELB, Ben N4BG, and Bill N4BKT visit the K4ZK repeater site for a check and a quick survey for improvements

Why spotters?

Quick facts