PanhandleARES.org

What Is Field Day?

Amateur Radio operators have been transmitting from “the field” ever since radio has been around. Since 1933, the American Radio Relay League – the National Association for Amateur Radio – has formalized this activity for one weekend each June, called Field Day. During Field Day, over 35,000 “hams” across the United States, Canada, and many other countries take their radio gear out of their homes and set up temporary stations almost anywhere imaginable: public parks, beaches, mountaintops, baseball diamonds, atop parking garages, and yes, even in fields. They do so as part of a local club, with just a friend or two or their family, or individually. In 2011, over 1.4 million radio contacts were made between Amateur Radio operators during the Field Day weekend.

Why do hams do this?

Many radio clubs treat Field Day as a way to keep their communications skills up in case they are needed for an emergency. Still others treat it as a competitive event and try to make as many contacts as they possibly can (good clubs will make several thousand in a weekend). Some enjoy setting up in a public place, such as a neighborhood park or the parking lot of a shopping center, to help educate the public about what Amateur Radio is and what we do.

Perhaps the best reason is, it’s simply fun! Combining the great outdoors with radio fun makes for a great weekend. Setting up an Amateur Radio station in the field, often using makeshift antennas and a power source off the commercial power grid, is at the very essence of the DIY (Do It Yourself) spirit that runs through the Amateur Radio community. Hams use Field Day to teach the general public (and themselves, too) about what it takes to reliably communicate with a person across the country, without using the Internet or a cell phone network. They learn about electronics, physics and geography, and often use “green” energy sources (such as solar or wind power) to power their transmitters.

Communication takes place via a variety of methods. You can use a microphone and talk to people, interface your computer to a radio and type messages back and forth, or even use the tried-and-true method of Morse code; it’s been around since the 1840s and is still very much alive today.

Sound like a lot of fun?

It is! If you’d like to learn more about Amateur Radio, follow the links listed below. If you‘re reading this because a local club pointed you here, be sure to ask when that club is having its next meeting; they’d be happy to welcome new people interested in learning more about Amateur Radio.

2013 PARC ARRL Field Day

The Panhandle Amateur Radio Club will participate in Field Day from the center of the new WTAMU Buffalo Sports Park across from the Activity Center in Canyon Texas. This decision was made out of necessity because PARC will be supporting the 2013 Bike MS fundraising event simultaneously from the same location, which will make things a lot easier logistically. Additionally, it is an excellent public location with all the amenities and food we need, at no cost to the club! Setup will begin at about 8:30 AM and the contest will begin at noon on Saturday and end at noon on Sunday.

The site offers a large, flat, grassy area that is well lit with restrooms very nearby. There is no access to commercial mains electricity and we do not have an available facility for indoor operations.

Click HERE for a map

PARC will enter Field Day as a category 2A, meaning a maximum of 2 transmitters may be used simultaneously and we will operate without commercial power.

PARC NEEDS VOLUNTEERS…

We need volunteers to help set up on Saturday, break down on Sunday, phone, CW, and digital operators, and captains to volunteer to head up each of the following Field Day operations. Please keep reading to see how you can help.

Stations:

Phone Station, Contacts=1 point

Captain:

CW Station, Contacts=2 points

Captain:

Digital Station, Contacts=2 points

Captain: Raymond Winter, W5RAW

Bonus Stations:

GOTA–Any Class A (or F) entry whose transmitter classification is two or more transmitters may also operate one additional station without changing its base entry category, known as the GET-ON-THE-AIR (GOTA) station. This GOTA station may operate on any Field Day band, HF or VHF, but is limited to one GOTA station transmitted signal at any time.

4.1.1.1. This station must use a different callsign from the primary Field Day station.The GOTA station must use the same callsign for the duration of the event regardless if operators change. The GOTA station uses the same exchange as its parent.

4.1.1.2. The GOTA station may be operated by any person licensed since the previous year’s Field Day, regardless of license class. It may also be operated by a generally inactive licensee. Non-licensed persons may participate under the direct supervision of an appropriate control operator. A list of operators and participants must be included on the required summary sheet to ARRL HQ.

4.1.1.3. As per FCC rules, this station must have a valid control operator present at the control point if operating beyond the license privileges of the participant using the station.

7.3.13.1. When a GOTA operator successfully completes 20 QSOs, they receive 20 bonus points. Upon reaching an additional 20 QSOs the same operator receives a second 20 bonus points, up to a maximum of 100 Bonus points per GOTA operator. An operator may make more than 100 QSOs but the QSOs over 100 do not qualify for an additional bonus.

7.3.13.1.1. Additional GOTA operators may earn the GOTA bonus points under this rule, up to the maximum of 500 bonus points. (Remember that there is a 500-QSO limit for the GOTA station. But no single GOTA operator may earn more than 100 of the GOTA bonus points except as provided in 7.3.13.2.)

7.3.13.1.2. A single GOTA operator must complete all 20 QSOs required before the bonus is earned. There is no “partial credit” for making only a portion of the 20 QSOs or “pooling” QSOs between operators.

7.3.13.2. If a GOTA station is supervised full-time by a GOTA Coach, the bonus points earned for each 20 QSOs completed under Rule 7.3.13.1. will be doubled.

7.3.13.2.1. The GOTA Coach supervises the operator of the station,doing such things as answering questions and talking them through contacts, but may not make QSOs or perform logging functions.

7.3.13.2.2. To qualify for this bonus, there must be a designated GOTA Coach present and supervising the GOTA station at all times it is being operated.

Captain:

Free VHF Station–Free VHF Station: All Class A entries may also operate one additional transmitter if it operates exclusively on any band or combination of bands above 50 MHz (VHF/UHF)without changing its basic entry classification. This station does not qualify for a 100-point bonus as an additional transmitter. This station may be operated for the clubs Field Day period and all contacts count for QSO credit. It is operated using the primary callsign and exchange of the main Field Day group and is separate and distinct from the GOTA station.

Captain:

Bonus Points:

Satellite–100 bonus points for successfully completing at least one QSO via an amateur radio satellite during the Field Day period. “General Rules for All ARRL Contests” (Rule3.7.2.), (the no-repeater QSO stipulation) is waived for satellite QSOs. Groups are allowed one dedicated satellite transmitter station without increasing their entry category. Satellite QSOs also count for regular QSO credit. Show them listed separately on the summary sheet as a separate”band.” You do not receive an additional bonus for contacting different satellites, though the additional QSOs may be counted for QSO credit unless prohibited under Rule 7.3.7.1. The QSO must be between two Earth stations through a satellite.

Captain:

100% Emergency Power–100 points per transmitter classification if all contacts are made only using an emergency power source up to a total of 20 transmitters (maximum 2,000 points.) GOTA station and free VHF Station for Class A and F entries do not qualify for bonus point credit and should not be included in the club’s transmitter total. All transmitting equipment at the site must operate from a power source completely independent of the commercial power mains to qualify.

Captain:

Media Publicity–100 bonus points may be earned for attempting to obtain publicity from the local media. A copy of the press release, or a copy of the actual media publicity received(newspaper article, etc.) must be submitted to claim the points.

Captain:

Public Location–100 points

Done. WTAMU Event Center

Public Information Table–100 bonus points for a Public Information Table at the Field Day site. The purpose is to make appropriate handouts and information available to the visiting public at the site. A copy of a visitor’s log, copies of club handouts or photos is sufficient evidence for claiming this bonus.

Captain:

Message Orientation to Section Manager–100 bonus points for origination of a National Traffic System (NTS) style formal message to the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator by your group from its site. You should include the club name, number of participants, Field Day location, and number of ARES operators involved with your station. The message must be transmitted during the Field Day period and a fully serviced copy of it must be included in your submission, in standard ARRL NTS format, or no credit will be given. The Section Manager message is separate from the messages handled in Rule 7.3.6 (Message Handling) and may not be claimed for bonus points under that rule.

Captain:

Message Handling–10 points for each formal NTS style originated, relayed or received and delivered during the Field Day period, up to a maximum of 100 points (ten messages). Properly serviced copies of each message must be included with the Field Day report. The message to the ARRL SM or SEC under Rule 7.3.5. does not count towards the total of 10 for this bonus.Available to all Classes. All NTS messages claimed for bonus points must leave or enter the site via amateur radio RF.

Captain:

Satellite QSO–100 bonus points for successfully completing at least one QSO via an amateur radio satellite during the Field Day period. “General Rules for All ARRL Contests” (Rule 3.7.2.), (the no-repeater QSO stipulation) is waived for satellite QSOs. Groups are allowed one dedicated satellite transmitter station without increasing their entry category. Satellite QSOs also count for regular QSO credit. Show them listed separately on the summary sheet as a separate”band.” You do not receive an additional bonus for contacting different satellites, though the additional QSOs may be counted for QSO credit unless prohibited under Rule 7.3.7.1. The QSO must be between two Earth stations through a satellite.

Captain:

Alternate Power–100 bonus points for Field Day groups making a minimum of five QSOs without using power from commercial mains or petroleum driven generator. This means an”alternate” energy source of power, such as solar, wind, methane or water. This includes batteries charged by natural means (not dry cells). The natural power transmitter counts as an additional transmitter. If you do not wish to increase your operating category, you should take one of your other transmitters off the air while the natural power transmitter is in operation. A separate list of natural power QSOs should be submitted with your entry.

Captain: Raymond Winter, W5RAW

W1AW Bulletin–100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW (or K6KPH) during its operating schedule during the Field Day weekend (listed in the rules announcement). An accurate copy of the message is required to be included in your Field Day submission. (Note: The Field Day bulletin must be copied via amateur radio. It will not be included in Internet bulletins sent out from Headquarters and will not be posted to Internet BBS sites.)

Captain:

Educational activity bonus–One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day operation includes a specific educational-related activity. The activity can be diverse and must be related to amateur radio. It must be some type of formal activity. It can be repeated during the Field Day period but only one bonus is earned. For more information consult the FAQ in the complete Field Day packet.

Captain:

Site Visitation by an Elected Governmental Official–One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by an elected government official as the result of an invitation issued by your group.

Captain:

Site Visitation by a Representative of an Agency–One (1) 100-point bonus may be claimed if your Field Day site is visited by a representative of an agency served by ARES in your local community (American Red Cross, Salvation Army, local Emergency Management, law enforcement, etc.) as the result of an invitation issued by your group. ARRL officials (SM, SEC,DEC, EC, etc) do not qualify for this bonus.

Captain:

Web submission–A 50-point bonus may be claimed by a group submitting their Field Day entry via the www.b4h.net/cabforms web site.

Captain: Chris Seright, KE5ZRT

Field Day Youth Participation–A 20-point bonus (maximum of 100) may be earned by any Class A, C, D, E, or F group for each participant age 18 or younger at your Field Day operation that completes at least one QSO.

Captain:

Safety–Responsible for overall safety of club members and the general public during Field Day operations

Captain:

Networking and Logging–

Captain:

Please contact Chris Seright, KE5ZRT, to volunteer to participate in PARC ARRL Field Day. 806-231-4227 KE5ZRT@gmail.com

For a Field Day location near you, please see www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

For information and rules, please see www.arrl.org/field-day

For information about the ARRL, please see www.arrl.org

and www.arrl.org/reporter-media-information

Saturday and Sunday June 22nd & 23rd

For us Amateur Radio operators, the Bike MS event serves two purposes. First and foremost it is a fun time to get together and give back to the community. We always have a lot of fun with this event each year. Second, and also equally important, it is practice for an actual emergency situation where Amateur Radio operators would be called upon to provide emergency communications. For more information, visit the Event’s Website

Enjoy the weekend and put your hobby to a good use for a wonderful cause. Helping with the Bike MS Wild West Ride is where the true spirit of amateur radio is. Let’s keep active with public service events and keep amateur radio alive and useful!

2013 Route Change! Bike MS: Ride the Rim encircles the picturesque Palo Duro Canyon. Second only to The Grand Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon is one of the seven wonders of the south. The routes include fully-stocked rest stops every 10-12 miles, a great lunch stop each day and safety provided by volunteer nurses, HAM radio operators, law enforcement and motorcycle escorts and bike repair courtesy of OE Sports and Sun Adventure Sports. We start, finish and overnight from the beautiful campus of West Texas A&M University, with a trip down into historic Palo Duro Canyon State Park on day two.

Day One starts Saturday morning at 7 a.m., on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. The route makes a loop around the rim of Palo Duro Canyon for a total of 105 miles on day 1, with an option to stop at 100K (64 miles). The finish line is back at the campus of WTAMU.

Day Two begins and ends Sunday morning at 8 a.m. on the WTAMU campus and goes to the entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Riders will be bused into the state park for brunch and photo opportunities and then bused back out to ride back to the WTAMU campus. The total on day 2 is 25 miles.

Meals

• Free lunch/snacks—rest stops catered (generally sandwiches, mixed nuts, fruit, etc.), but bring a sack lunch in case your duties at the rest stops and along the route prevent you from eating the meals provided.
• Free dinner Saturday evening at WTAMU
• Free breakfast Sunday morning at WTAMU
• Free brunch Sunday in Palo Duro Canyon
• Free lunch Sunday afternoon at WTAMU

I want to thank everyone for helping with the 2013 Bike MS Ride the Rim event. Enjoy the weekend and put your hobby to a good use for a wonderful cause. Helping with the Bike MS fundraiser is where the true spirit of amateur radio is. Let’s keep active with public service events and keep amateur radio alive and useful!

To volunteer for an available position, call Chris Seright, KE5ZRT, at 806-231-4227 or email: KE5ZRT@gmail.com

We need volunteers for Net Control Operators, Rest Stop Communicators, Sweeper Truck Communicator, and Safety and Gear (SAG) Communicators. SAG Communicator is our hardest volunteer position to fill. The MS Society is providing all of their own Safety and Gear (SAG) vehicles and drivers due to liabilities. Again, due to liabilities, a SAG driver cannot communicate via radio, phone, or otherwise while transporting a rider. We desperately need to place a communicator in each of their vehicles if possible. A 70cm HT and a mag mount antenna will be sufficient. This is a great way to participate without spending your own gas money!

Krissy Scotten, Warning Coordination Meteorologist NWS AMA, will be presenting a SKYWARN certification class for the PARC ARES group on Tuesday February 5th at 19:00 at the AES Building located at 1900 Line Avenue in Amarillo, TX. This class will be open to the public. If you are unable to attend the SKYWARN Training scheduled for our ARES meeting, the 2013 Spotter Training Schedule is available here.

SKYWARN is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service’s (NWS) severe weather spotting program with nearly 290,000 trained volunteers nationwide. Since the late 1960s, trained SKYWARN spotters have helped support the NWS’ primary mission of protecting life and property through the issuance of severe weather warnings. These dedicated citizens help keep their local community safe by conveying severe weather reports to their local NWS Forecast Office. SKYWARN spotters are integral to the success of our Nation’s severe weather warning system.

Every year the NWS conducts SKYWARN spotter training sessions. The NWS currently has 122 Weather Forecast Offices across the nation, each with a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, who is responsible for administering the SKYWARN program in their local area. There is no charge and a typical class takes about 2 hours to conduct.

Storm Spotter certification is required every two years, but please consider attending this class even if your certification has not expired. If you are not currently a SKYWARN spotter and you are interested in joining our volunteer group you are welcome to attend this training as well.

SKYWARN® is a registered trademark of NOAA’s National Weather Service.  Rules for the usage of the SKYWARN name and logo are available here.

For more information about SKYWARN, please click here.

If you are interested in joining ARES, please click here.

If you are interested in Amateur Radio, please click here.

Please join me in congratulating the new amateur radio operators that attended the December Ham Cram class on Saturday December 8th. Justin Baker of Amarillo, Phillip Holmes of Pampa, Sarah Yung of Amarillo, and Adam Snow of Perryton all attended the study class and all passed the Amateur Technician Exam! Additionally, David Doan of Amarillo passed the Amateur Technician Exam and Arthur Castillo of Amarillo upgraded to Amateur General Class! The first-time pass rate of this class was once again 100%.

I would like to thank all of those who helped make this event successful. Carl Jeans N5YXN unlocked and relocked the building for us. Dan McCabe WA8YYE and RC Harkness K5ORC stopped by the class to introduce themselves to the potential new hams, and I am especially grateful to Dan for teaching a portion of the class for me. Neal Lowe W5PVI and John Laur KF5SAB were the other 2/3 of the Volunteer Examination (VE) team and I am especially thankful to John for two reasons: John brought two of his friends to test for the Tech and General Exams, and John was a real help in putting together my first test session to serve as the fill-in liaison. Finally, I am grateful to Derek Vaughan KF5QCZ, of the Regional Advisory Council, who continues to support amateur radio in his efforts to train hams to serve as emergency communicators in all of the Texas panhandle hospitals.

I believe that the local amateur community gained some young and enthusiastic ham radio hobbyists this week!

The next Ham Cram study session will be Saturday, March 9th, pass the word!

73 y’all, KE5ZRT

Saturday and Sunday July 28th & 29th

For us Amateur Radio operators, the Bike MS Wild West Ride serves two purposes. First and foremost it is a fun time to get together and give back to the community. We always have a lot of fun with this event each year. Second, and also equally important, it is practice for an actual emergency situation where Amateur Radio operators would be called upon to provide emergency communications. For more information, visit the Event’s Website

Enjoy the weekend and put your hobby to a good use for a wonderful cause. Helping with the Bike MS Wild West Ride is where the true spirit of amateur radio is. Let’s keep active with public service events and keep amateur radio alive and useful!

Meals

• Free lunch/snacks—rest stops catered (generally sandwiches, mixed nuts, fruit, etc.) but bring a sack lunch in case your duties at the rest stops and along the route prevent you from eating the meals provided at Miami.
• Free lunch—at Miami in the park (don’t count on lunch being delivered to your rest stop). Be prepared.
• Free dinner Saturday evening in Canadian
• Free breakfast Sunday morning in Canadian
• Free lunch Sunday in Canadian at the Quiet Inn—BBQ in the park

Lodging

• YMCA—Free (bring your own bedding)
• RV Park (Rodeo Grounds—north of Canadian) $10.00/night. Tent camping is also allowed.
• Canadian Courts Motel (806) 323-8058
• The Quiet Inn (806) 323-6111
• Best Western Oasis Inn (806) 323-9660

I want to thank everyone for helping with the Bike MS Wild West Ride. Enjoy the weekend and put your hobby to a good use for a wonderful cause. Helping with the Bike MS Wild West Ride is where the true spirit of amateur radio is. Let’s keep active with public service events and keep amateur radio alive and useful!

To volunteer for an available position, call Terra Seright, KE5ZRU, AT 806-336-1746 or email: KE5ZRU@gmail.com

This is our hardest volunteer position to fill: The MS Society is providing all of their own SAG vehicles and drivers due to liabilities. Again, due to liabilities, a SAG driver cannot communicate via radio, phone, or otherwise while transporting a rider. We desperately need to place a communicator in each of their vehicles if possible. A 70cm HT and a mag mount antenna will be sufficient. This is a great way to participate without spending your own gas money!

The Panhandle Amateur Radio Club’s Amateur Radio Emergency Service group (PARC ARES) now has a Twitter account, @PanhandleARES, as an extension of the www.PanhandleARES.org website. There is no cost to the PARC for this account, and it will be maintained by KE5ZRT. The Twitter account will allow us to communicate more easily with the surrounding ARES groups in the region. We will also be able to receive and forward information from local, regional and national emergency services groups such as FEMA, TxDOT, Red Cross, local and national media, NWS personnel and more.  Further, @PanhandleARES will facilitate another avenue of dissemination of information. Please follow @PanhandleARES for news of local events related to the PARC, PARC ARES, and pertinent local emergency information.

If you are new to Twitter, or you are unfamiliar with Twitter, please check the following link for more information: http://twitter.com/about

AMARILLO, TEXAS — The Panhandle is home to some of the nation’s fiercest weather and the Amarillo Chapter of the American Red Cross will be conducting a tornado disaster drill this Saturday.

The Amarillo chapter of the Red Cross, along with 21 other Texas Red Cross chapters, will take part in the statewide simulated tornado disaster response test. In a statement from the Red Cross, it says it is the group’s first statewide disaster drill.

More than 600 disaster assessment volunteers will participate in the devastating weather scenario. Those volunteers will handle mock conditions after reports of dangerous storms.

Other American Red Cross chapters participating are in Beaumont, Austin, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Dallas, Pampa, El Paso, Houston, Waco, Kerrville, Wichita Falls, Orange, Brownwood, Bay City, San Antonio, Tyler, Harlingen, Midland, Denison and Texarkana.

The Panhandle Amateur Radio Club (PARC) Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Group will be assisting in a limited capacity with this drill. KE5ZRT, KE5ZRU & KE5WXN will meet at the Amarillo Red Cross chapter with a mobile HF radio to transmit a damage assessment to N5ARC, the Dallas Red Cross Radio Club, using HF 40 meters, 7.243 MHz.  This frequency worked well in a test last weekend, and recent MUF maps for F2 layer appear to support 40m over 80.  However, if the MUF goes down at the time of our exercise, 3.835 on 80m will be the alternate.  In both cases, if there is a conflict on the frequency, look slightly up or down to monitor this drill. If the mobile communications are not successful, we will hand carry the message to a more suitable fixed station for radio communications.

The PARC ARES group is proud to be able to assist the Amarillo Red Cross in this drill. Additionally, we look forward to assisting the chapter in selecting and assembling their own radio equipment, and we are eager to assist with training Red Cross volunteers to become new ham radio operators as well.

Schedule

9:00     Regional Chapter Check-in on HF (7.243), UHF (442.5) and VHF 146.74. 

10:30   Net Control will announce that the net is open for any regional chapters to provide a very brief summary of the DA Supervisor conference call (scheduled for 10:00), if they listened to the call.

12:00   Net Control will begin to take Form 5233 information by voice, either on HF or on one of the VHF/UHF channels.