DATE: January 3, 2012 (Tuesday)
PRE NET: 1930 hours (7:30 pm)
NET TIME: 2000 hours (8:00 pm)
FREQ: 147.200 PL 141.3 HZ
NCS: Mr. Phil Burrow (KJ5OW)

Pre-net: 1930 hours (7:30) Open discussions, we can discuss anything…
Net topic (Question): TBD

Please check the Net Script so you can read along for the practice.

http://www.katyars.com/about/net-info/

“and to all, a good night”
Enjoy this video from the ARRL…

73, Dave KD5FX

2 Nights Before Christmas

Twas 2 nights before Christmas and up at the Pole,

Santa was checkin’ his radio gear for the big show.

His APRS was working just fine,

So the boys at NORAD could track him down the line.

His new HF rig was tuned up on 20.

He knew that 100 watts would be plenty.

No CW on this flight he grumbled out loud.

I have to be able to fly through the clouds.

So sideband it is for the big night tomorrow.

I hope those code guys won’t be too full of sorrow.

The two meter rig was already encoded,

with every repeater that could be uploaded.

They’ll know I’m when I’m near and won’t be surprised,

and make sure the kids have all closed their eyes.

He stopped for a moment then gave a big start,

when he suddenly realized he was missing a part.

Of course! He exclaimed, its my laptop PC!

I won’t get far without it on my knee.

Its got my log and my list and my flight plan too,

though I always have Rudolph to guide me through.

He pulled out his wallet and made sure to check,

to be sure his FCC license was there for the trek.

Well, it looks like I’m ready, they heard him declare,

I’ll be single op unassisted for the whole affair.

I better get some rest now before the big night

So that everything will work out alright.

And they heard him exclaim as walked off to bed,

CQ, CQ, CQ . . .

Merry Christmas Y’all

73, Ron, AE5NO

Fancy a party after the holidays? Like good food? Well do we have the solution for you! The Houston Vintage Radio Association has extended an invitation to all KARS members to come join them at their post-holiday party. Details below, and if you intend on going, please RSVP to the email listed below and let them know you are a KARS member.

Hope to see you there!

This week is the 100th anniversary of the first successful trek to the Geographic South Pole by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.  For the last couple nights, Andy has been on the air.  I listened to and worked KC4AAA at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station night before last with just a 100 watts and my stealth dipole.

He will be active for at least a couple more days, so here is your chance to grab a piece of history.

He is usually heard on 20 meters at 14.243 starting around 8 PM local time with a good signal, 57-59.   Don’t be discouraged, if you can’t hear him right away. Propagation at the Pole is finicky and can ebb and flow over the course of the evening.  So persevere and you will snag a new country and a new continent.

The U.S. has had a permanent presence at the Pole since 1956 and amateur radio has been there from the beginning.  I was fortunate to work Antarctica (KC4USK) in 1958 during the International Geophysical Year.  That station has long since gone QRT but you can imagine my excitement as a 17 year old making that contact in the dead of night.

Amundsen had to trek to the pole with sled dogs. Today you can fly in to the station during Antarctic Summer, when the average temperature is a balmy -30F.  Or, you can go there tonight via Amateur Radio.

73,

Ron, AE5NO

SPAR has announced the information for Winter Field Day 2012. I’ll volunteer my place again as a site to hold the event. Here are the details straight from their site:

The 2012 Winter Field Day will be held from 1700 UCT (12:00 noon EST) Saturday January 28, 2011 through 1700 UCT (12:00 noon EST) Sunday January 29, 2012. The object of the event is familiar to most Amateur Radio operators: set up emergency-style communications and make as many contacts as possible during the 24 hour period. The rules encourage as many contacts on as many bands and modes as possible, because during a real emergency, the most important factor is the ability to communicate, regardless of band, mode or distance.

So, hold the date. I intend to have us operate through the night…or at least as much as we can! If you’re interested, let me know.

DATE: December 20th, 2011 (Tuesday)
PRE NET: 1930 hours (7:30 pm)
NET TIME: 2000 hours (8:00 pm)
FREQ: 147.200 PL 141.3 HZ
NCS: Ms. Sachiko Peet (W5IDF)

Pre-net: 1930 hours (7:30) Open discussions, we can discuss anything…
Net topic (Question): What is your most favorite Christmas dish?

Please check the Net Script so you can read along for the practice.

http://www.katyars.com/about/net-info/

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to the Christmas party. We all had a great time, good food and good friends all around. La Finca really did a great job for us, and were very accommodating. They were a big part of why this party was a great success. I had many positive comments, along with “we need to do this again…and not wait until Christmas!” I think that’s a great idea. A few times a year would be fun, so keep that in mind for the next meeting and we’ll see what kind of support we’ve got.

The panoramas aren’t supported by the thumbnail, but if you click on them, you can see the whole picture.

For the following activities, please contact Mike Hardwick at n5vcx@att.net

The upcoming events are:

Saturday 3:00 pm December 24th, 2011 Santa Claus Net – 14.300 ?
Saturday 7:00 am January 14th, 2012 Olympic Trials Downtown Houston Carl Hacker ham coordinator
Sunday 7:00 am January 15th, 2012 Houston Marathon Downtown Houston Carl Hacker ham coordinator
Sunday 8:00 am January 22nd , 2012 Frost Bike 50 Cypress Mike Hardwick ham coordinator
Saturday 7:00 am February 4th, 2012 Puddle for the Ducks Katy Mike Hardwick ham coordinator
Saturday 8:00 am February 11th, 2012 Pedaling the Prairie Waller
Saturday & Sunday 7:00 am both days April 21st & 22nd, 2012 BP MS150 Houston to Austin Bike Tour Houston to Austin register at http://bpms150.n0xfd.com/

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mike or send him an e-mail.

Thanks for volunteering and putting your radio and license to a great use!

Mike Hardwick
N5VCX
713-826-6917

Just a reminder to all club members that tonight’s meeting will be held at La Finca, as detailed in this post:

http://www.katyars.com/2011/11/26/kars-christmas-meetingdinner

Look forward to seeing you there!!

Michael