VP’s Corner

Jeff Fuller  WB6UIE Soon spring will be here, birds will be singing, and a young ham’s fancy turns to … antennas. Yes, as part of spring cleaning, now is a good time to check your RF plumbing or maybe think about expanding your antenna farm (cover your ears Pinkie …) A popular ham radio saying: “If your antenna stayed up last winter, it wasn’t big enough. After that last storm, I’ve determined that mine was big enough.   Want to brush up on your antenna theory? Learn some new concepts? Then our latest additions to the OVH lending library (right)are for you. W1CRO recently donated several several copies of each to the club. Thanks Art! I’ll bring them to the meetings where they’ll be available for check out.     … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

Jeff Fuller WB6UIE It seems our recruiting efforts have been paying off with several new members joining the club recently.  When you see them at a meeting or club function, please take a minute to introduce yourself and welcome them to OVH. Club recognition has definitely helped our recruiting.  So, as spring approaches with Hamfest and other activities, this would be a good time to order your club polo and nametag if you don’t already have them. Nametags can be ordered from the above link.  It will be some time before our next custom polo order. However, I have several generic polos (club logo but no name or callsign) available for purchase. E-mail me with your size and I’ll check stock. This year’s Virginia QSO Party, sponsored by the Sterling … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE This month we’ll explore what has become one of amateur radio’s hottest high tech topics – Software Defined Radio, or SDR. SDR works by sampling the radio frequency spectrum and turning those samples into a stream of bits.  Sounds simple, but it takes quite a bit of computing horsepower to do so in real time.  Seems like just a few years ago in grad school when this was a computer exercise (submitted on punched cards) and actual SDR was just a pipe dream. Today, with the addition of a digitizer and software, you can have your own SDR running on a PC.  Here’s a short You Tube video covering SDR basics You can listen to a variety of SDRs from around the world via http://websdr.org/  Cascade your sound card’s output to Fldigi to demodulate digital … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE The holiday season is a time for gathering with family and friends, celebrating our many blessings, and of course exchanging gifts. As I think back over the years, I’m thankful for the many gifts I’ve received from amateur radio – a chance to expand my technical skills, volunteer opportunities within the local community, and of the course the many friends I’ve made. I was first licensed back in the prehistoric era of the 1960s. Back then all telephones had wires and a rotary dial, there was no Internet, and computers were mainframes that needed punched cards for input. I remember running into quite a few young hams about my age as I made my first QSOs. Without today’s social media sites like Facebook, how did … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE The approaching holiday season and year’s end are traditionally a time for reflection and giving thanks for our many blessings.  This Veteran’s Day, lets take a moment to express thanks to our veterans – the young ones who are in harm’s way today defending our freedoms, and those who have gone before, sometimes giving all. In honor of Veteran’s Day, here’s an account of some brave WWII vets who put their electronic  knowledge and amateur radio skills to work in an amazing example of extreme homebrew. It begins in 1941 with Wendell Fertig, a recent college graduate on his first job as a mining engineer in the Philippines. Having earned an Army Reserve commission through ROTC, Fertig soon found himself called to active duty as war clouds darkened in the Pacific. Within months Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, followed shortly afterward by … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE How many of you have mentioned your amateur radio hobby to family and friends? If so, I’ll bet you’ve heard comments like “Does anyone still do that?”, and “That’s so out of date. Everyone has cell phones and Internet now.” Well … if you’ve been following the news about the hurricane aftermath in Puerto Rico, you’ll know that two weeks after the storm most of the power is still out and less than 30 percent of the cellular network is working. The Red Cross went directly to ARRL and requested a deployment of 50 hams with equipment to support the relief effort. That “Force of Fifty” is now in place and providing communications support for hospitals and other key nodes [1]. So …keep those batteries … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE Many thanks to Rob Saul,KK4MXU, and the crew of Buckhall Volunteer Firestation for offering the use of their Training Room for our new OVH monthly meeting site. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 19 Sept at 1930 local. A map and imagery are shown here. Please use the guest parking area at the front of the station (near the flag pole).    Since this month is National Emergency Preparedness Month, it’s a good time for everyone to check their emergency kits and portable rigs and make sure your batteries are charged. NOAA’s prediction of an active hurricane season has come true in spades. Looks like amateur radio will be a valuable member of the Florida emergency response team. They’ve put out a call for … Read more >>

VP’s Corner

VP’s Corner Jeff Fuller WB6UIE Since many of you will be on travel to view the eclipse or off on vacation with your family, we’ve decided to postpone the club meeting until next month.  Our next meeting will be held on Monday 18 September in the Developmental Services Building at the Prince William County Center.  Map and details will be posted on the web page. Next month is National Emergency Preparedness Month.  This is a good time for everyone to check their emergency kits and portable rigs and make sure your batteries are charged.  NOAA is forecasting this year’s hurricane season to be an active one. Speaking of emergency power, how many of you are involved with solar backup or charging?  If so, let me know if you would like to … Read more >>