Saturday 28th January

Cullen Park
18203 GROESCHKE RD
HOUSTON 77084

Please join us for Winter Field Day 2023. The event starts at 1 pm. 
We will start setting up around 11 am. Mid afternoon we will cook up some burgers and hot dogs.

We will be located in Pavilion C (same spot as previous years)

Feel free to bring HF radios and antennas you’d like to try in a portable setting

On behalf of Ed Messman

A FREE, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Extra Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and will run through Thursday, March 23.
There will be 11 sessions. The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. Sessions will be recorded. Those attending should hold (or be studying for) the General Class Amateur Radio License.
These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum. Please publicize this with anyone that you think would be interested. Those wishing to sign up should email roland.anders@comcast.net
This class is recommend for folks either beginning to study for or already studying for their Extra Class license exam.

The Christmas Dinner will be held on Tuesday 13th December at Rudi BBQ on the I-10

The 2m Simplex net and the 2m regular nets will now be held on the Monday 12th

Where:Duhacsek Park 17034 Old Richmond Rd Sugar Land, TX 77498 When:June 25th – 26th 2022(From Saturday at 7am until we wrap up Sunday afternoon)

As you are all likely aware, Field Day is just around the corner! Taking place at Duhacsek Park on June 25th-26th, BVARC, KARS, and TDXS will be joining forces for ARRL Field Day 2022. We will be operating as many as 10 stations simultaneously, calling CQ, and racking up contacts. Our goal is to provide a fun and engaging environment for hams of all classes and those without a license to experience various aspects of the exciting hobby of ham radio! There will be food and refreshments as well.

We are looking for operators (THAT’S YOU) to run our stations and help out with various Bonus Point activities this year. We need many more voice (SSB) operators, but also CW and FT8 operators. Technician class operators CAN run our HF stations using the club call sign, and we will have help there to get you going calling CQ. We are trying to get as many points as possible, and WE NEED YOUR HELP! We would like to get as much coverage of our event as possible and are seeking anyone with connections to news media to contact us.

A Few of the Roles Needed:

• Voice mode operators (i.e., Single Sideband) to call CQ and log contacts
• Educators (folks willing to teach one or more short structured lessons on ham radio skills)
• An operator(s) to run the GOTA (Get On The Air) station to advise the new or unlicensed operators with the equipment there
• Social Media promoters (utilize social media to promote the event and post about the activities during the event)
• Experienced hams to assist new hams or unlicensed operators using the equipment at the main stations
• Help setting up equipment (radios, antennas, cabling, etc.) on Friday June 24^th starting at noon
• and many more!

We will be announcing an online sign-up sheet for these roles and operating positions soon; keep an eye out for the email or check on BVARC.org for the link. If you have any questions or concerns send them directly to Anthony Morones (W5LIC) at W5LICTX@gmail.com, or Mike Hardwick (N5VCX) at N5VCX@att.net.

Let’s get out there and GET ON THE AIR to represent Houston area hams this Field Day 2022. We can’t wait to see you all out there, 73! – Kori, WX5KR

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BVARC are running this event, any queries please contact them directly

The time is finally here for the GHTG. Due to COVID issues, the Greater Houston HamFest committee decided this year we will have a small tailgate affair instead of the normal hamfest format which will return next year.

Mark your calendars for next year March 3rd and 4th, 2023 for the return of the Greater Houston HamFest.

So, for this year we will have the tailgate will be very basic event. Entry is $5 dollars whether you are selling or buying. There are 45 spaces for tailgaters and 6 spaces for vendors. We will have foodand drinks available at the community center and there will be a raffle at the pavilion. A map of the event area is below as well as the coordinates to find the entrance.

The times for the TailGate is 7 am to 2 pm on Saturday, April 16. Friday afternoon set-up is available but there is NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING ALLOWED. If you would like to set-up on Friday,please contact the BVARC Board of Directors to arrange access.

The raffle will be held on site and tickets will be $2 each. The grand prize will be a ICOM IC-2730A so make sure you get your tickets. You will need to be present to win. 

Some of the other things happening at the TailGate are:

Balloon launch by the Houston Balloon Launch Team 
Fort Bend County Communications trailer
Harris County Communications trailer License Testing

If you have any questions about the tailgate, contact anyone on the BVARC Board of Directors.

Minutes from the KARS BOD February 28, 2022

Original agenda:                                          

1. Apologies for absence

2. Treasurer report

3. Secretary report

* Activities coordinator report

4. General discussion

Meeting notes:

Our KARS board of directors meeting was conducted via Zoom.

1. The meeting started at 7:33 PM with all board members present.

• The treasurer reported that there is $xxxxx in the bank account. This reflects membership renewals of which we already received 42. This is the first year HamClubOnline automated messages are going out for members to renew their membership and there are some teething problems that are currently being worked out. In a few cases members had inadvertently received an email stating that their membership had expired. All these cases have been addressed.
  
  The idea was raised to have another raffle with a dearer raffle item, for instance a high-end antenna analyzer. Care needs to be taken to obey Texas state law that limits the number of drawings to a maximum of two per year. At this point it is unclear if a raffle with multiple prizes counts as a single drawing or multiple drawings.

• KARS received a new member application from Douglas Johse who will be put up for a vote at the March General meeting. Another person who emailed and expressed an interest (but who has not applied for membership) is David Bucklew. Reading between the lines he is keen to join, too.

• The Katy Safety Fest will be held on April 23 this year at Katy Mills Mall but at this stage it is not yet clear how many HAM operators the organisers need to shadow communications. When more details become available it will be shared with the members.
  
  Our Vice-President, Sergio, has a new call sign: KX5F.
  
  Potential topics for presentations were mentioned to be a presentation on FT4 for satellite, on different antenna options for mobile solutions, and on coax.
  
  Dave Scott is willing, when the weather gets warmer, to organize a fox hunt for the club and/or other interested parties.
  
  The club is still in the market for a laptop and the right machine at the right time is expected to come along in short order.

The meeting concluded at 8:10 PM.

Hielke Buddelmeijer

KARS Secretary

KI5JYX

Minutes from the KARS Monthly Meeting February 14, 2022

 

The meeting was held in person at the fire station and a contingent of members attended via Zoom. The meeting was started at 7:35 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.

We had three new members to report: Dan Mumford (WB5DSC, Advanced), Michelle MacDonald (KI5MDW, General), and Jonathan Taylor (KI5OZK, General). There being no dissenting votes all three are now official members of the Katy Amateur Radio Society.

The Katy Safety Fest will be held on April 23 at Katy Mills Mall (Burlington entrance) and promises the be a rather large event with many participants from public safety, law enforcement, and branches of the military. Geographically, too, the event will be spread out and HAM operators are requested to held with supportive communications to free up radio channels for official business.

The sidewalk sale outside of Freddy’s Café of some of Mike Brennan’s bequeathed radio equipment will become a regular swap meet to be held every third Saturday of the month, except for March as not to conflict with the Houston Area Tailgate (which replaces the Houston Area Hamfest this year). The swap meet at Freddy’s Café will be advertised to local area HAM clubs.
There is $xxxx in the account with no outlays coming up until June/July for the insurance.

All board positions were opened for new candidates, but there being no new candidates and the existing board members all indicating their willingness to serve another term meant that the board was reappointed by acclamation.

A new location for VE testing was named, being the Episcopal Church on Grand Parkway and Highland Knolls. This is in addition to the American Shooting Centre on Westheimer Parkway (inside the reservoir) that has also been offered as a potential location. Gerald Doucet will be the final arbiter to make a decision as he runs the VE program.

Sheree and Bill run a local traffic net and there is a push for the creation of a digital traffic net, similar to the current traffic net.

The MS 150 bike ride is held at the end of April. A training ride, Peddling the Prairie, will take place on February 26. The Buffalo Bayou Regatta will celebrate its 50^th anniversary on Saturday, March 5 from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. All three events are opportunities for HAM operators to volunteer their services.

The meeting concluded shortly after 8 PM

 

Hielke Buddelmeijer KI5JYX

Secretary KARS

 

Minutes from the KARS BOD January 31, 2022

Original agenda:                                         

1. Apologies for absence
2. Treasurer report
3. Secretary report

* Activities coordinator report

4. General discussion

 

Meeting notes:

Our KARS board of directors meeting was conducted via Zoom.

 

• The meeting started at 7:30 PM with all board members present.

 

• The treasurer reported that there is $xxxxin the bank account and $xxxx in the PayPal account. This reflects membership renewals and the proceeds from the sale of Mike Brennan’s bequeathed radio equipment. HamClubOnline automated messages are going out for members to renew their membership.

 

• KARS received new member applications from Dan Mumford (Advanced), Michelle MacDonald (General), and Jonathan Taylor (General) who will be put up for a vote at the February (Valentine’s Day) General meeting.

 

• Bridgecom was mentioned as a potential speaker on DMR and/or DMR equipment for the General Meeting as was ABR Industries to give a presentation on coax cable.The Katy Safety Fest will be held on April 23 this year at Katy Mills Mall.

  There will be a swap meet outside of Freddy’s Café every 3^rd Saturday of the month from 8AM, except in March as not to conflict with the Houston Area Tailgate (which replaces the Houston Area Hamfest this year). The swap meet at Freddy’s Café will be advertised to local area HAM clubs.

The meeting concluded at 7:54 PM.