NE-FL D-STAR System

The Journal of the North East Florida D-Star Repeater Network

Archive for category Work Party

Philippine Amateur Radio Association – Annual Meeting

Apr 19

Posted by mikelee in Go Kits, Hamfests, Work Party | 1 Comment

This year’s meeting will be held in Olongopo City at the By the Sea resort on May 4-5, 2012. This will be my first year to attend, so I’m looking forward to meeting a number of operators with whom I’ve corresponded with over the past couple of years.

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The venue is a sea-side resort with a beautiful beach, so I’ll be taking my BuddiStick, as well as the AlexLoop along with my Elecraft K2 to make some ocean-side contacts (verticals  next to the ocean are WONDERFUL performers).

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We’ll bring back pictures and commentary on return.

FPCARC Repeater – More work to be performed

Feb 28

Posted by mikelee in Analog Repeaters, NET Operations, Work Party | 1 Comment

While Tim and Phil were working on the FPCARC repeater (146.715) the other day, there was mention that the duplexer might need to be check-ed out, since receiver sensitivity was not very good. Actually, there are  a number of things that probably need to be looked-at, as soon as time permits :

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  • The Duplexer – hasn’t been swept in a number of years. We’ve prepared one of our spares on the 146.715/146.115 pair that is ready to install at the site, while we take-down the old duplexer and put it on the bench.
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  • The tuning of the VXR-7000 repeater – since we’re operating about 4Mhz outside of the Commercial band (150Mhz), the receiver might need to be re-aligned for the low end (146.115) in order to achieve maximum sensitivity, without causing IMD3 to be unreasonable. If the replacement duplexer doesn’t appear to be giving added performance, then we’ll remove the VXR-7000V and ask Mr. Schwartz (WS1C) to put it on the bench and re-align the receiver based on the detailed instructions in Icom Service Manual.
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  • The coax and antenna should probably be swept with an analyzer – although Tim already did that previously with a ham-grade instrument, we’ll probably “take a picture” of the antenna/transmission system with the Agilent N9330B in the next couple of weeks, so that we can establish a baseline performance standard of the current antenna system.
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  • Any or all of the above could be contributing factors, so we’ll attack them one-by-one, staring with the replacement Duplexer, which has already been swept and certified.

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This author has now taken an interest in contributing to the improved health of the FPCARC repeater – for a number of reasons.
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  • First and foremost, I really like the guys in that club – stand-up quality, honest talk, pure in heart – a great group to fellowship with.. all are former professionals, so there’s no “one-upmanship” or power positioning going on as in other groups,
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  • Second – they do good work, whether for the children in the County thru the Cadet program, or with the Boy Scouts – these guys (and gals) want to serve – and they do it with a humble heart.
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  • Third – many of the FPCARC members are now also certified members of either FEMV, or the Hospital ARES Volunteer organization – the only two officially sanctioned and operated programs by the County and Florida Hospital, respectively. Others  make wild claims to be “affiliated” or whatever other words, but their claims are hollow and misleading at best. FPCARC members who are volunteers of FEMV and the Hospital volunteer groups are credentialed, background-checked and listed on the rosters of those respective organizations – all good things in this post-9/11 world.
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  • Fourth – the FPCARC repeater is graciously hosted by the Florida Hospital, Flagler – and has been for a number of years. This organization understands the benefit of having Amateur Radio in their emergency operations plan – and the practice it in their involvement with their volunteers. Although they never expect to use our services (due to the numerous backup systems that they maintain), they understand that it is a possibility and want to keep our skills (and theirs) sharp in case that day comes. Given their high expectations of  us, it is incumbent on us to insure that the repeater operates to its fullest potential, given the height and geographical placement.
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I would expect that the efforts would take the next couple of weeks – this author is traveling until the 10th of March, but many activities will be possible in the interim.

ARRL Children’s Day – January 8th at Hershel King Park

Dec 28

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, ARES Training, Go Kits, HF Antennas and Operation, Work Party | No Comments

The Flagler Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Organization and Flagler Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club will be Participating in the American Radio Relay League’s national Children’s Day event Sunday January 8th.  The event will be held at Hershel King Park, south of Grand Haven on Colbert Lane and will run from 12 until 3 or 4 PM. Both groups will have a number of  radios set up on different bands and Children will have a chance to talk to local amateur radio operators and have an opportunity to get on the air and talk to other stations all over the country. All ages are welcome and we encourage parents to attend as well and talk to operators to find out more about amateur radio.

For more information please contact Flagler ARES Emergency Coordinator Bill Schwartz; WS1C at ws1c@arrl.net,  Flagler Palm Coast Amateur Radio Club President Bob Matson; KA4VIV atfpcarc@gmail.com or Flagler ARES AEC-PIO Eddie Cail; KJ4LRB atkj4lrb@arrl.net and someone will reply as soon as possible.   The FPCARC web site at http://w4fpc.matsontechnologies.com/ has a lot more information on amateur radio in Flagler County and the FPARC Youth Program in particular.

Some GREAT Field Day Press – with EMCOMM-1

Jul 5

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, Flagler EOC, HF Antennas and Operation, Work Party | No Comments


(click to enlarge)

FPCARC’s field day was almost a bust – given that the Flager EOC was occupied by firefighters from the Division of Forestry – diligently fighting the stubborn fires in Flagler and Volusia Counties. The club moved the venue to Palm Coast Data, who  offered to host the group in the spirit of community involvement and support.

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The Daytona News Journal did a nice piece on Field Day – covering the activities of both “churches” in Flagler County – with good comments from Dave Snow about what got him into Amateur Radio, as well as the Field Day event itself. The coverage regarding FPCARC was mostly centered on the change in venue, but also about the EMCOMM-1 vehicle that was at the event. Our very own Doug (N4FPS) and yours truly were  featured in a full-width photo, as we were preparing for the Operation Communicate Freedom exercise occurring this week at Camp Blanding. The article is just an excerpt, but all the meat is there.

Starke DSTAR Operational

Jun 18

Posted by mikelee in D-Star Repeaters, D-Star Users, Work Party | 5 Comments

A number of the repeater installation crew converged on Starke, Florida this afternoon to install the D-Star repeater at the WEAG radio station tower. After a number of challenges with the internet connection, Jason was able to get a reliable and stable connection back to our D-Star router and confirm that we had connectivity to all the required ports. Racking-and-stacking of all the functional components was completed in about 2 hours, thanks to having lots of trained and qualified help.

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The antenna and feedline is one that was offered by Ben Dickerson, the station owner  - and swept to an SWR of 1.04. We measured the antenna system with the Agilent N9330B and found no DTF problems – and the LDF5 feed-line (7/8″ Heliax) showed a continuous, uninterrupted run to the expected height of the antenna, with the exception of the jumper at the base between the duplexer and the Polyphaser, as well as the Polyphaser to the LDF5 feed-line. Ben was looking over our shoulder the whole time and just smiled as we performed all the testing.

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One surprise – the Tx/Rx Systems duplexer that we took was one that was still factory tuned to 147.320 – YIKES… I thought it was the one we removed from Jax Beach (which was on 145.360 and close in frequency to the new Starke machine) – but alas, it turned-out well, since we used the re-tuning activity as a training exercise for all who were interested. Tuning took about 45 minutes and all was fine. Other Tx/Rx Systems duplexer is sitting in our workshop – ready for deployment if we need to replace a currently deployed unit.

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Signal reports..??   JAX Stations on base equipment can hit the repeater with absolutely no problem. Mobiles start to fade-out at about the 30-air-mile zone – but well within the coverage footprint of Big-JAX. Coverage to the south-east was well into Palatka, although the crummy antenna on my sedan wouldn’t allow me to get back into the repeater (we’re quite sure that folks with REAL antennas will have no trouble and that there will be overlapping coverage with KA4RES). Doug reported that he was still able to hear the repeater from SR-16 and I-95 – that’s 40+ air miles with thick canopy in between, although he was not able to hit it mobile – not bad..!!  He will try from home (US-1 and I-95) with his 2m beam later this evening and we’ll report it as well. Also, Leo has offered to do a drive test along the WEST side of the coverage area, since we’re expecting that we should have coverage from just south of Lake City thru Gainsville on I-75, as well as the I-10 corridor. Larry (K4EB) will be testing the coverage south to Interlachen when he goes to his lake house next week – we’re expecting good reports all throughout the area, but will report here as we get news.

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We had a great crew today (don’t we always..??!!) – namely :

  • Doug – N4FPS
  • Phil – K5BBC
  • Rick – KC2HFL
  • Jason – W4LTL
  • Leo – N4MRJ
  • Ben – K4EL (the station owner)
  • and Randy – a non-ham

Another situation where Mike does very little (YES.!!), except make suggestions and answer question – and where the guys know in advance what needs to be done and make it all work. With the exception of re-tuning the duplexer (because of MY mistake) and sweeping the antenna (which became a good training opportunity), I was basically just dead weight (just the way I like it..!!). Woohoo… go team..!!

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Pictures to follow on this post, when I receive them from the guys.

BTW – this machine will be very useful for us in the coming weeks, since we have the Operation Communicate Freedom exercise at Camp Blanding at the end of June (more details to follow).  We were able to hit the repeater with low power (1w) from the main entrance of Camp Blanding during our test drive – very nice..!!

Frequency : 145.380 – offset
Call : KJ4RYI
Port : “C”
Gateway : “G”   (operational NOW)


Above : the Starke D-Star system (click to enlarge)


Above: Ben showing us the Radio station

(Click to enlarge)

Central Florida D-Star Academy

Jun 17

Posted by mikelee in D-RATS Data, D-Star Radio Programming, D-Star Repeaters, D-Star Users, Dongles and DVAPs, DSTAR Projects, Work Party | No Comments

 

Central Florida D-Star Academy

The Central Florida D-STAR Group is hosting a D-Star Academy on July 30th in the central part of Florida at Mt Dora.  The academy will give operators – new and experienced – more knowledge on the operation of and new applications used with D-Star.  It WILL be a learning experience!  Click HERE for more information on the academy. We have leased a large convention facility whose main room will be divided into three sections for this event.  Here’s some of what we have planned for you:

We will begin registration at 0730 followed by introductions at 0815.    Ray Novak, N9JA, National Amateur Marketing Manager for Icom America will be there and give us an update on what’s new at Icom (He is also bringing the “refrigerator”*).  We will then take a short break while the room dividers are put in place with the classes starting at 0900.  There are refreshments (coffee, iced tea, water) provided all day.  There is also a buffet lunch between 1200 and 1330.  For a detailed class schedule, click HERE. 

There will be lots of things for you to look at during the breaks and at lunch.  There will be representatives from vendors on hand, like AES from Orlando and RT System software.  They will not have any wares to sell at the event, but they will answer your questions and help you in deciding on equipment.  And, there will be equipment set up in the parking lot, some of which will be used during the classroom demonstrations.
Class 1: D-Starters
The “D-Starter Session” will instruct operators on the basics of the Icom radios, programming with computer software, programming without software from the keypad, D-rats, reflectors, and dongles.  

  • John, WB4QDX, and Ed, WA4YIH, from the Georgia D-Star Group have an excellent presentation for beginners and the slightly more experienced users that will take you step by step through the D-Star maze.  If you are just starting out, or if you have had a D-Star radio for a while and just can’t figure out the manual, this class is for you.  If you are just thinking about buying one, this class will answer any questions you have.  Check out their website at http://www.dstarinfo.com/ .
  • Bob, N6USP and his group from North Brevard County will take you step-by-step through D-Rats.  We have planned two hours for D-Rats that will include hands-on training to transfer text and forms.  This is not only a useful program, it is an important tool in the toolbox during emergency events.  (Get a head start on D-Rats! Go to the North Brevard Countywebsite – Click HERE.)  Paul Eakin, KJ4G, North Florida Section Manager, will also show you how to use the “Ratflector” in Tallahassee.
  • Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC, will be there and will show you how to use his Dongles, DV AP’s, and more.
  • Many “Elmers” will be there to help with some hands-on training.
 

Class 2:  SysOp
When we first decided to have a D-Star academy, we were only targeting new and somewhat knowledgeable operators to help them gain more insight and experience using the Icom equipment.  After we started accepting reservations, we quickly learned that many of the more advanced users of the system were interested in a class like the Repeater System Administrators part of the Georgia InfoCon held in Atlanta last April.
Ed, W5TWR, has taken on the responsibility for this class.  We are still in the process of inviting some very D-Star experienced operators to this academy to assist in the classroom.  Ed wants this experience to not only be in the classroom, but the QSO possibilities to advance everyone’s capabilities.
Some of the areas to be covered include:
  • Repeater basics

  • Repeater setup and programming
  • Gateway setup Trust Server registration
  • User registration
  • Repeater operation and maintenance
  • Repeater administration
  • Gateway utilities and add-ons
  • Hotspots
  • 1.2 GHz high speed data
Keep checking the All About The Academy page on this website for up-to-date information on presenters and other activities and exhibits planned.
 

Class 3:  ID-1 Demonstrations
This is called the ID-1 Demonstrations class, but it is so much more than that.  Paul Eakin, KJ4G, is inviting the emergency managers, DEC’s, EC’s, hospital administrators, NGO’s like the Red Cross, and more to attend.  The first part of this class is in the morning and will demonstrate what D-Star can do during emergencies.  There will be live connections to various agencies, the EOC in Tallahassee, and mobile units to see outside in the parking areas that will also be part of the demonstrations.
With the assistance of Donna, WQ4M, Bob, N6USP, Robin, AA4RC, Ray, N9JA, and others, the attendees for this class are going to see a wide range of services that amateur radio operators can provide using D-Star; in the EOC, shelters, or in the field.  They will also be showing how D-Star worked during the recent tornado disasters in Alabama and Georgia.
In the afternoon, the attendees will be part of the D-Starters Class and will get a look at how the types of radios most D-Star operators have work in shelters and in the field.
The support of these elected, appointed, and administrative people will go a long way to get the funding for and installation of D-Star systems in many areas.  This, as you know, is another very important tool in the toolbox during emergencies.  If you know people who work in these areas, contact them and encourage them to attend.
* The refrigerator is a very large black double-doored cabinet on wheels.  It is as big as a refrigerator, but when opened it is full of “candy” – ICOM candy. For more information, go to http://www.cfldsg.org/Academy.htm

 

Forestry Service Fire Tower

May 25

Posted by mikelee in Work Party | 3 Comments

A message from our very own Eddie (KJ4LRB), who volunteers with a number of organizations in town. On in particular is the Forestry Service, especially in this time of drought and severe fire danger. Eddie asked us to post this entry, for any of you who might be inclined to volunteer with the agency.

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The Florida Division Of Forestry Needs Your Help.

The Florida Division of Forestry is looking for volunteers to staff the Wadsworth Fire Tower on US1 in Bunnell. Anyone interested in this program please contact Ms.Mary Brown Duty Officer Supervisor atMary.Brown@freshfromflorida.com or 386-447-4288. She will provide you with the application and information to get started. Thank you for your interest

Shuttle Balloon – Apparent Touch Down, 10:30-

May 16

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, ARES Training, D-Star Users, Work Party | No Comments

Looks like the last update on APRS was from 14:18z which is over 14 minutes ago, while at an altitude of 1,234ft. We’re guessing that there wasn’t enough antenna height to be able to relay GPS position via radio to the closest APRS node, so we’ll call this a “touch-down” for the Shuttle Balloon.

Thanks to the Quest 4 Stars organization for the balloon launch.

We’ll post pictures as we receive them..


(click to enlarge)

Shuttle Balloon – 10:26, final approach, 1200ft

May 16

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, ARES Training, D-Star Users, Work Party | No Comments

Shuttle Balloon – 09:48, descending and turning to the east

May 16

Posted by mikelee in ARES Events, ARES Training, D-Star Users, Work Party | No Comments

Funny how high altitude winds work..

The ballon has started it’s descent and is now headed south east – at an altitude of 42,000, still over the Ocala National Forest. Q4STAR-15 – one of the chase vehicles, looks to be just south of the vehicle and within about 7 miles of the descending balloon.


(click to enlarge)