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M.A.A.R.C.

146.94 - W8ZHO - 444.55

W8ZHO

Board Meeting Monday March 22, at 7:00 PM at the Clubhouse All are encouraged to attend!	Club Meeting Thursday April 1, at 7:00 PM at the MAARC Clubhouse MAARC Constitution and Bylaws by Barb KD8FBY Dinner before the meeting (W8AMZ)
VE Test Session Saturday April 3, at 9:00 AM Muskegon Red Cross Contact Bob WB8OQT for details	Licensing Classes Tuesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 PM at Way Point Academy Six week course, started February 16 More Information
Upcoming Contests Field Day isn't the only contest for W8ZHO Come to the Clubhouse and share the fun! March 6: ARRL International DX, (N8PPQ)	Open Shack Night The cubhouse is opened regularly for anyone to drop in and operate the station. Please join us: March 15, 7-9 PM, with N8YJT April 5, 7-9 PM, with N8PPQ

March 4 General Meeting

Dick W8KID presents the Buddy Pole antenna	It's good to see so many members return to the clubhouse for our General Meeting in March. With Spring, we anticipate the "snow birds". But here we see members who haven't been to the club in many seasons; way too long. Whatever we're doing, it must be right. A healthy radio club depends on a full and active membership.
Please join us next month for a light dinner, a program presentation, and then the business meeting.

Proposed Bylaws

The current club Constitution and Bylaws have been under scrutiny lately because they seem deficient, contradictory, and vague in many areas. Decisions regarding policies are thus, by necessity, made according to various arbitrary judgments.

The Board has worked out a document that intends to remedy this situation. It is available here to club members. (You must be logged in to download the document.)

Members are encouraged to compare the proposed new Bylaws and Standing Rules with the existing Constitution and Bylaws. (These are available to anyone by clicking the link in the side bar.)

Feedback is welcome. Email can be addressed to the board at w8zho@w8zho.org.

Dueling Antennas - EZO is triumphant in the DX Contest

The 2010 ARRL International DX Contest saw the first ever square-off between an EZO antenna and a Yagi.

Not much of a challenge for the EZO, you might guess. But to make things interesting we had the Yagi twice as high, and the EZO twice as far from the shack!

You can watch a YouTube video of the show-down by taking this link: EZO vs Yagi

The tri-band beam, our old workhorse, against an EZO

3-Element EZO Antenna

The Three-Element EZO Antenna

We have a full-blown, 3-element EZO antenna at the clubhouse! That means, among other things, that W8ZHO has the roundest HF antenna in the whole world!

Adding to it's strange appearance is the fact that the reflector is physically smaller than the driven element. The director looks unrealistically small. That's because the dielectric affects the signal both coming and going with the parasitic elements.

Please take this link to see more

Online Survey

The Muskegon Area Amateur Radio Council (MAARC) is gathering data in order to help determine how best to serve area hams.

We ask that you take time to complete a 10-question survey. The following link will take you to the online site we have prepared for this purpose.

Please visit: Our Online Survey to answer the questions.

We will analyze the results and provide a report for you to view on this Website.

Thank you for your help in making us the club you want us to be.

FM Simplex Contest!

The first ever FM Simplex Contest turned out to be an exciting event. Base stations worked HTs and mobile stations for a furious hour long sprint on two different days. W8ZHO was on the air as an HQ station, providing extra points for loggers. The mobile stations could be counted every time they reached a new municipality. The purpose of this event was to encourage amateurs to learn the basics of contesting, simplex operations, and to expand the scope of their VHF operating techniques beyond those needed for repeater operation. Contest coordinator Bill NA8M said,

Thank you to all the hams who welcomed Frank, KD8NBL into the hobby. Frank survived a trial by fire and ice in this contest. He appreciated all your help, guidance, support, words of encouragement, and your overall good cheer.

This was fun. Bill says that the most often heard comment was the question, "When can we do this again?" Bill is taking suggestions as to how to improve the rules. You will also want to send your logs to Bill.

VE Testing Welcomes 12 New Hams!

Volunteer Examiners and Testing at the Muskegon Red Cross

It was a big day for testing at the Red Cross. Bob WB8OQT reports twelve new hams earned their privilages at the February 6 session. One participant, Mr. George Kellen, actually went from unlicensed to Extra Class during the morning. Bob said that this is the first time that anyone has ever accomplished that feat at the Muskegon site, although some have come close.

We hope to hear the new ones on the air and to welcome them at the clubhouse in the near future.

CQWW 160-meter CW Contest

Kirk W8GXT led the charge for W8ZHO during the weekend-long CW contest at the MAARC clubhouse. He worked all Friday and Saturday night and rested during the daytime, after the band closed down.

He had built and installed a 160-meter Windom antenna just for the occasion. The radio was W8AMZ's K-2. Kirk's logging program was WriteLog . Matched with HRD interface and a memory keyer, Kirk is a dominable force in any contest.

NR9B, W8GXT, NA8M, and W8CCS during the 2-day contest.

Antenna Work

N8PPQ gets a lofty view

We hung Kirk's 160-meter Windom as high as we could. You can see it supported from an arm at N8PPQ's feet. It's a quality antenna with two big baluns at the tower and a transformer at the feedpoint.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we decided to get the HF beam pointing right. It was 180 degrees off from the rotator's reading. We spun the whole mast at the rotator, then turned the 2-meter beam back to where it was.

We noticed an unused coax and brought it down for testing. We brought the new 40-meter dipole down too, in order to prune it.

Kirk took the pictures. (Thanks!)

Winter at the Clubhouse

There is nothing like Nature's beauty. Standing in the silent woods, smoke from the chimney, crystalline flakes settling onto the branches, two feet of snow on the roof! These rewards greet the hardy ham who ventures to a MAARC meeting in the winter. It's not for everyone, of course. But then, neither is most of what we do.

There had been talk of meeting in town to accomodate seekers of convenience, and to save the cost of snowplowing. Then a senior member volunteered to pay for plowing in order to encourage us to use the clubhouse. We're grateful. It's an experience we'd miss.

Above: NA8M, W8AMZ, N8YJT, KI4VUO, W8GXT, KD8FBY, N8CTT, W8CCS, and N8PPQ

Join MAARC Online with PayPal!

Please consider renewing your MAARC membership online. It's quick, convenient, and safe. Your name will be added immediately to our roster, and PayPal will handle the transaction. (You don't need a PayPal account in order to use this PayPal service.) Just select "Join MAARC" from the sidebar, or take this link. Join MAARC

501(c)(3)

After considerable research and discussion, MAARC has determined to apply for IRS 501(c)(3) tax status, a change from the 501(c)(7) designation it has held since 1957. The only essential difference is that contributions to a (c)(3) organization are tax deductible. Please take this link for more details. 501(c)(3) Memorandum

EZO Antenna

We've replaced the mast and rotator on our 64' tower and raised the 6-meter antenna a few feet.

All that was in order to install our new 5-band EZO Antenna. Right now 2 of 3 elements are in place and working. See More

New Logo!

We'd like to thank Damon Talbot, KC7NEC, for producing the new logo we so proudly display here, in the top left corner of our Web pages. It's very attractive. Thanks Damon!

Web Forum and Classifides!

In an effort to make the W8ZHO website more relevant, Jason KI4VUO has extended its functionality considerably by adding a full-blown Forum. Please take the following link, register as a user, then check out the site. I'm sure you'll be pleased. New W8ZHO Web Forum and Classifieds Page

ARRL 160-meter Contest

Oh, did we have fun with this one! It was our first 160 meter contest and we really didn't know what to expect. To our delight, the band was alive with lots of stations to work. We stayed busy logging (over 600) QSOs from near and far. Operators were Bill NA8M, Kirk W8GXT, Bill NR9B, and Dan N8PPQ. You can see a short video of the Saturday night crew by taking this link: ARRL 160-m Contest!

Suggestion Box

Please consider sharing your ideas as to what the M.A.A.R.C. could or should be doing. If you have a special interest and would like to share it with others, or if you have other thoughts about our club's potential to benefit the Muskegon area, please make them known. Take this link to our forum, which includes an online suggestion box: M.A.A.R.C. Forum

November Sweepstakes

	W8ZHO was on the air during the November Sweepstakes contest with Kirk W8GXT, Bill NR9B, and Dan N8PPQ combining their efforts. Operator assistance involves computer loging, spotting, and listening. We missed the "clean sweep" on CW by one section: NL. Watch a Video		Above: John WA8RGA, Kirk W8GXT, and Bill NR9B Left: Kirk W8GXT with his 40 meter vertical.
	Tom N8YJT takes pictures for Flashovers. Chuck W8CSS and John KD8YL work SS. uck W8CSS and John KD8YL work SS.	Chuck W8CCS, Bill NA8M, and John KD8YL led the charge during the side-band contest. Kirk donated a quality 40 meter dipole for the cause, and Bill NA8M fed it with new coax. Propagation was not as good as it was for the CW SS two weeks earlier, but we came 6 sections short of a clean sweep, missing NLI, NT, ND, MO, MS, and ORG. Watch Another Video

Harvesting a Rotator

Watch Charlie W8CCS and Dan N8PPQ take down a tower. They wanted the rotator, but there were no guarentees that it even worked. It hasn't had power to it in over 30 years. Larry W8LZ had installed this tower for Jim KG2QB in 1975. To watch the YouTube video, click here: Timber!

Dale Crevier K8PY: SK

Dale K8PY, long time friend and M.A.A.R.C. member passed away on November 12, the result of Parkinson's disease. We send our sincere condolences to his loving XYL, Carol W8CJC.

Open Shack Nights

The W8ZHO radio shack is open for "business" regularly these days. Please drop in and join us. Get familiar with our radios and antennas. Log some QSOs as W8ZHO or use your own call, if you prefer.

Pictured to the right are Paul NA8B, John KD8YL, and Dan N8PPQ, on October 12.

Veteran's Day on the Air!

Kirk W8GXT is organizing our efforts to keep the Silversides submarine on the air from 3 - 6 PM this November 1 (Sunday) and 8 (Sunday). Please drop by the new ship museum on these days. You are welcome to take the mic and log some QSOs.

Bruce Reffeor WD8KPQ: SK

We sadly report the passing of long time member and friend Bruce WD8KPQ. Our thoughts and paryers are for Char WD8LGN.

Jamboree On The Air!

Boy Scouts from all around the state will gather at out clubhouse for the October 17 weekend JOTA event. Bill NA8M is supervising our commitment to this operation. You can help by visiting us there. You can fill in as a station control operator, "Elmer" the youngsters, entertain them with games or activities, or just hang out. Bill's troop will camp over night on Saturday. We could tell stories around the campfire. CU there!

The 2009 Teenage Net Picnic

The July 25 weekend brought visitors from surrounding states to the Teenage Net Picnic. MAARC has been the proud host of this annual event for a number of years. For a few pics, take the link below.

2009 Teenage Net Picnic

IARU HF World Championship - 2009

The MAARC Clubhouse was alive over the July 11 and 12 weekend with our members operating as W8ZHO for the 2009 IARU HF World Championship contest. For more, take this link:

IARU - 2009

July's Program - Ultrasonic Detector / AM Amplifier by Dan W8NWF

	Dan W8NWF provided the program for our July meeting at the clubhouse. He presented two different projecte that he built recently. One was a completely self styled AM amplifier that he designed around components that he's acquired over some decades. The very elegant amplifier is pictured at right.
	The picture of Dan above is from QRZ.com	Next to it is a picture of the Ultra-Sonic Detector he built, improving on plans in QST. Dan used this device to locate an RFI source, subsequent to his sucessful attempt to have the power company eleminate the interference. As Dan explained, an electrical arc will radiate RF from a number of points along transmission lines. The arc itself, however, may be located by listening for it with this kind of ultra-sonic ear. Dan finished his presentation by donating the ultrasonic detector to W8ZHO! It may be checked out by the club's secretary. (Thanks Dan!)

Did you know...?

When you need to modify or renew your amateur license, help is as close as the MAARC. Renewals, changes to your address, and other FCC business can be handled quickly and easily through the Internet. Contact Jon, AB8RD for assistance. He will take care of the process for you, or walk you through the steps to take care of it yourself. Please include your telephone number with your request. There is no charge for this assistance.

New and Improved 146.94

After 30 years of faithful service, our old antenna from the W8ZHO 146.94 repeater has been retired. The new antenna and feedline went into service the afternoon of April 3, 2008. We still need your help to pay for this repeater maintenance. As of September we still need a little over $1,000 to cover the cost of this installation.

We are asking those who make use of the 146.94 repeater to assist us in raising the necessary funds. Money raised will be used for:

Crew to perform the tower work
Commercial grade 2 meter antenna
Miscellaneous parts and pieces as needed for antenna/feed line repairs

Any remaining funds will be used towards:

Pieces needed for remote administration of the repeater.
The purchase and installation of a digital voice recorder.This will allow us to record and schedule announcements.
Repeater fund for future repeater needs

Thank you for your consideration and assistance!

MAARC/W8ZHO Net

Tune into the W8ZHO repeater, 146.94- (94.8) on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM. There will be club announcements and a ham related discussion for each net.

We are looking for a Net Manager, as well as additional Net Controls to share the responsibility of heading this weekly net. This is a great opportunity to learn how to run a net for those who have never tried.

Even if you just want to listen, be sure to check in and let us know you are there. Contact Tom, N8YJT or the Net Control if you are interested in helping make this net a success.

You can contact us at w8zho@arrl.net