t The next General Membership Meeting will take place on Monday,

March 25th at 7:00 pm in the Livonia at the Civic Center Library.. We will be

meeting in the library auditorium. There will be a skype presentation on

“Beginning Contesting” by Tim Duffy, K3LR.

Weekly Breakfasts take place each Saturday at Senate Coney Island,

34359 Plymouth Rd. It is just east of Stark, on the south side of Plymouth.

We begin arriving around 7:45 am. t

The LARC in the Park Program is held on the second Saturday of the

month, around 9:30 am (after breakfast). For April, LARC in the Park will

combine with the Michigan QSO Event, on Saturday, April 20 from Noon

until Midnight. Antenna set-up will take place on Friday afternoon, with

teardown on Sunday. t

t Operators are needed for our Thursday 2-meter Net Call-Ins. You may

check out the upcoming schedule on the website at http://www.livoniaarc.com/

index.php?page=NetControl&keep_session=1770083364.

You may also contact Net Manager, Hiro, AD8AE at ad8ae@arrl.net, or Vice-

President, Keith Maven, kmavin@sbcglobal.net.t

Skywarn spotter training sessions are held to train individuals on how to

accurately observe severe weather phenomena. Skywarn training presenta-

tions usually last around two hours.. At a minimum, it is asked that Skywarn

volunteers review procedures by attending a Skywarn spotter training session

every two years. The next local Skywarn training will take place on Wednes-

day, March 20, at 7:00 pm in the Livonia Civic Center Library Auditorium. t

t LARC will be holding our annual Michigan QSO Party on Saturday,

April 20 from Noon until Midnight in the Livonia Police Department Training

Room, the same location as our winter monthly LARC in the Park. Antenna

set-up will take place on Friday, April 19 with teardown on Easter Sunday,

April 21. Times are TBD and will go out via email. What is the QSO Party? It

is a contest. It is an event. The object is for Michigan amateurs to make as

many contacts as possible with anyone we can, wherever we can. Amateurs

outside the state of Michigan try to make contact with as many Michigan sta-

tions as possible. Only LARC members may attend and must RSVP in advance.

IN THIS ISSUE

Up Front 1

Solar Minimum 2

Bruno/Arrow Bus 3

Tech Privileges/

Library Display 4

Casting the Net 5/11

DX News 6

Special Events 7

Contests 8-9

Swaps & Hamfests 10

Local Nets 11

About LARC 12

MARCH 2019 VOLUME XI ISSUE III

VE SESSIONS

The next VE Sessions will May 8, followed by July 10. Contact Mike,

N8MR, for more information.

IMPORTANT DATES

Mar. 25 – General Meeting

Budget Presentation & Approval

TOPIC: Intro to Contesting, K3LR t

Apr. 8 – Board Meeting

Tas’ & Doris’ Home t

Apr. 15 – Tax Day t

Apr. 19-21 – Michigan QSO Party

& LARC in the Park

Livonia Police Department t

Apr. 22 – General Meeting

TOPIC: Arduino Rig Interface,

KB8TL

LIVONIA REPEATERS ♦145.35 PL 100HZ ♦ 444.875 PL 123 HZ ♦ ECHOLINK W8WQU-R

LARC 2-METER NET EVERY THURSDAY ♦ 8:00PM LOCAL TIME

WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.LIVONIAARC.COM. AND, JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

UP FRONT

THE REPEATER PAGE 2 MARCH 2019

THE SOLAR MINIMUM: ARE WE THERE YET? BY JOHN SCHOUTEN, VE7TI

You have probably heard mention the lack of

DX activity on the phone bands for the last several

months. Among the discussions are the terms

“solar minimum” and “solar maximum.”

But what exactly is meant by solar minimum,

or maximum for that matter?

Solar minimum is the period of least solar ac-

tivity in the 11 year solar cycle of the Sun. During

this time, sunspot and solar flare activity dimin-

ishes, and often does not occur for days at a time.

The date of the minimum is described by a

smoothed average over 12 months of sunspot ac-

tivity, so identifying the date of the solar mini-

mum usually can only happen 6 months after the

minimum takes place. Solar minima are generally

correlated with changes in climate and recent

studies have shown a correlation with regional

weather patterns. Solar minimum is contrasted

with the solar maximum, where there may be

hundreds of sunspots.

The sun is heading toward solar minimum

now—better yet, we hope we are there. Sunspot

counts were relatively high in 2014, and now they

are sliding toward a low point expected in 2019-

2020. While intense activity such as sunspots and

solar flares subside during solar minimum, that

doesn’t mean the sun becomes dull. Solar activity

simply changes form.

For instance, during solar minimum we can see

the development of long-lived coronal holes. Coro-

nal holes are vast regions in the sun’s atmosphere

where the sun’s magnetic field opens up and al-

lows streams of solar particles to escape the sun as

the fast solar wind. We see these holes throughout

the solar cycle, but during solar minimum, they

can last for a long time - six months or more.

Streams of solar wind flowing from coronal holes

can cause space weather effects near Earth when

they hit Earth’s magnetic field. These effects can

include temporary disturbances of the Earth’s

magnetosphere, called geomagnetic storms, auro-

ras, and disruptions to communications and navi-

gation systems.

Their unpredictable character makes predic-

tions of solar activity very difficult. observed sun-

spot numbers. During 2008–09 NASA scientists

noted that the Sun is undergoing a "deep solar

minimum," stating: "There were no sunspots ob-

served on 266 of [2008's] 366 days (73%). Prompt-

ed by these numbers, some observers suggested

that the solar cycle had hit bottom in 2008. Sun-

spot counts for 2009 dropped even lower. As of

September 14, 2009 there were no sunspots on 206

of the year's 257 days (80%).

It adds up to one inescapable conclusion: "We're

currently experiencing a very deep solar mini-

mum," says solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the

Goddard Space Flight Center.

"This is the quietest sun we've seen in almost a

century."

We hope it gets better, but we may have to wait

a couple of years. In the meantime, there’s FT8.

More on HF Propagation at Sunspot Minimum

from a RSGB Convention lecture: https://youtu.be/

mDGVk-a88Y8.

John is from Vancouver, British Columbia, enjoy s all aspects

of Amateur Radio but is especially interested in emergency

communications and contesting, Reprinted with permission of

the Surrey Amateur Radio Club, of which John is a regular

contributor.

THE REPEATER

Once again, it is that time of year when lots of

hams around the world start thinking of the Day-

ton Hamvention. After all, with 28,417 attendees

from all amateur radio interest areas, what’s not

to like!

As in years past, The Arrow Communication

Association is sponsoring a bus trip from Ann Ar-

bor, Michigan to the Greene County Fairgrounds

and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio and back. The

date is Saturday, May 18. The bus departs from

Ann Arbor (AATA Park & Ride at Pioneer High

School, 601 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI) at

5:00 AM, arriving in Xenia, OH around 9:00

am. On board, you can stretch out, relax, chat

with other Hams and enjoy a continental break-

fast with coffee as the coach takes you directly to

the door of the country’s largest amateur radio

event! What more could you ask for?

Please Note: The departure time is 5:00

am this year because Xenia is one-half hour

farther and the doors open up this year at

9:00 AM.

The cost is $55.00 for the round trip. (This in-

creases to $65.00 on or after April 1.) Please

mail all applications to ARROW Communication

Association, 2545 S. Lima Center Rd., Chelsea,

MI 48118. Please note that this does not in-

clude the Hamvention ticket. That one you’ll

have to do yourself! You may also use the link be-

low to purchase a seat using PayPal.

Find out more at https://w8rp.org/activities/

dayton-bus-trip/ , or simply visit the club’s web-

site at https://w8rp.org/.

PAGE 3 MARCH 2019

Bruno Walczak, WA8DHP, senior member

of the Livonia Amateur Radio Club, passed

away March 6th at age 89. He is survived by

his wife Cecilia of 61 years and their six chil-

dren, 12 grandchildren and two great-

grandchildren

Bruno was an Army veteran who served

during the Korean War. He enjoyed being an

active member of LARC, acting as VE Liaison

for many years. Active in his retirement from

Ethyl Corporation, Bruno belonged to the

Knights of Columbus, was a former BSA

Scoutmaster of Troop 907, loved traveling

with Ceil and the Livonia Senior Club as well

as playing bridge and pinochle. Bruno was al-

so an avid photographer and loved tending his

fruit trees and making his own wine.

Rest in peace, Bruno.

PAGE 3

ARROW BUS TO HAMVENTION PRICE GOES UP APRIL 1ST

HAMVENTION

HERE WE COME!

SILENT KEY: BRUNO, WA8DHP

THE REPEATER PAGE 4 MARCH 2019

After more than two years of work, the ARRL’s En-

try-Level Licensing Committee made its recommenda-

tion to the ARRL Board, and on February 28, 2108, the

ARRL submitted a formal Petition for Rulemaking. In a

nutshell, the proposal asks the FCC to give Techs:

phone privileges at 3.900 to 4.000 MHz, 7.225 to

7.300 MHz, and 21.350 to 21.450 MHz.

RTTY and digital privileges in current Technician

allocations on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters.

Now, the FCC is asking for comments on this pro-

posal, which has the official designation RM-11828. You

can file your comment by going to the FCC website.

I’m not against this proposal, but personally, I don’t

think that this proposal is going to have the effect that

the ARRL is hoping for. In the news story announcing

the call for comments, the ARRL writes:

Now numbering some 384,500, Technician licensees

comprise more than half of the US Amateur Radio pop-

ulation. ARRL stressed in its petition the urgency of

making the license more attractive to newcomers, in

part to improve upon science, technology, engineering,

and mathematics (STEM) education, “that inescapably

accompanies a healthy, growing Amateur Radio Ser-

vice.”

Doesn’t this seem contradictory? The Tech license is

already the most popular category of license. How is

giving Techs more HF privileges going to make it more

popular? And, with HF phone and digital privileges,

won’t fewer Techs feel the need to upgrade?

Bruce, K1BG, has done some wonderful research on

entry-level licensing, and he recently gave a presenta-

tion on this topic to ARROW, our club here in Ann Ar-

bor. You can see the slides from his presentation on the

ARROW website.

If you ask me, the conclusion to be drawn from this

research is that what we need is a new version of the

Novice license, not a Tech license with more privileges.

Take a look at the slide, “What Worked, What Didn’t?”

in K1BG’s presentation. It seems to me that what we’re

getting with this latest proposal is more of what didn’t

work than what did work.

I guess a new Novice license is not in the cards,

though. I’ve got some half-baked ideas on this subject.

(When don’t I, right?) I’ll be writing some more about

this in the future.

The post FCC looking for comments on proposal to enhance

Tech privileges appeared first on KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog.

Dan blogs about amateur radio, writes exam study guides

(www.kb6nu.com/study-guides), and operates CW on the HF

bands. Look for him on 30m, 40m, and 80m. You can email

him about your experiences with 3D printing at

cwgeek@kb6nu.com. Reprinted with permission.

FCC Looking for Comments on Proposal to Enhance

TECH PRIVILEGES BY DAN ROMANCHIK, KB6NU

We are in need of ham radio and LARC-specific items to place in the four display cases offered to us

by the Civic Center Library for the month of May.

Small items like keys, bugs, small electronics. QSL cards from exotic locations and/or with cool de-

signs, photos of old and new installations, digital comms screen shots, satellite comms shots, ISS

events, Field Day, Dossin event, you get the idea.

Would also love to get the balloon payload from 2013 as well, and a model of an OSCAR-type Cu-

beSat.

Idea is to have sections with past, present, future, to display ham radio, and our club to the public

at a glance.

We have a few members already on board with helping out. Please contact Chuck Reti, PIO, direct-

ly (wv8a@mac.com) if you have physical items, and importantly, ideas and experience in such dis-

plays and associated graphics, and if you also have a bit of time to create and assemble the display.

HELP NEEDED FOR LARC LIBRARY DISPLAY

CASTING THE NET BY CHRIS WARREN IN OFF THE GRID

THE REPEATER PAGE 5 MARCH 2019

It should not be this hard.

Off Grid Ham reader Jim from Oregon, USA recent-

ly emailed to comment about the lack of on air radio

nets specifically for preppers/survivalists and off grid

hams. That sent me straight to my computer, where a

cursory search suggested that he’s onto something. I

decided to dig into this further and confirmed he was

right. There are very few on air ham radio nets devoted

solely to off grid amateur radio or preppers/survivalists.

Preppers, survivalists, and off grid hams are cer-

tainly out there. How do I know? They’re all over the

internet. The rapidly growing number of monthly visi-

tors to this website affirm that there is a lot of interest.

So Jim’s observation got me

wondering: Why are there

so few organized on air ham

radio nets for off gridders?

Where are you folks? We

are, after all, radio opera-

tors, right? It seems to be a

no-brainer that the air-

waves would be buzzing

with ham radio nets just for

the likes of us. But there

aren’t.

For OPSEC reasons very

few off grid amateurs are

inclined to “out” themselves

on ham radio nets. They

often freely talk about their

activities on the relatively

anonymous internet. On the radio where anyone can

look up the identity of any operator is another matter.

Amateur radio is not a spectator sport.

I have two theories as to why there are so few spe-

cialized off grid ham radio nets. First, operational secu-

rity (OPSEC) concerns. Second, there are too many

folks who like to read about off grid amateur radio on

the internet but do it barely if at all in the real world.

I have little to offer those in the latter group. Re-

searching on the internet, watching YouTube, reading

blogs…it’s all really swell. Obviously I believe in it or I

would not be running this website. However, there is a

point of diminishing returns. If you’re not putting that

learning to practical real-world use, you’re merely en-

gaging in some vain intellectual exercise.

It’s the thought that counts?

There have been numerous good faith attempts to

organize ham radio nets for off gridders but I’m not

aware of any that have gained any critical mass. It

seems every survival-related website and blog has a list

of would-be “prepper & off grid frequencies” where

hams can gather. I’m sure all of them were conceived

with the very best intentions. The problem with these

schemes is they’re compilations of random frequencies

someone just made up and often include frequencies

that are either outright illegal to use or require special

licensing. It’s pointless if everyone is using their own

reference.

Without coordination or standardization, it’s a glori-

fied version of picking numbers out of a hat.

Who are these guys?

One high profile effort to organize & promote ham

radio nets for off gridders and survivalists is the Ameri-

can Redoubt Radio Operators Network (AmRRON). The

group claims nearly 4000 members from every US state

and Canada. It has a

strong internet presence

and a substantial social

media following.

I wanted to see what

they’re all about so I

signed up and included the

suggested-not-required

$5.00 donation. They said

it would take 5-7 days to

process my application.

We’re very far past that

and I haven’t heard back

from them. They also offer

an “AmRRON Corps” level

membership for $40.00/

year.

I don’t know what to make

of AmRRON. At the very least, I was not able to dig up

anything negative about them. Their stated purpose is

commendable yet they don’t seem to be anything be-

yond a website & Facebook page. I’m deferring judge-

ment on them, for now. If any Off Grid Ham readers

have any experience with or detailed knowledge of Am-

RRON, please let me know.

Back to where we started.

What it all comes down to is that there are a lot of

well intentioned hams with a lot of great ideas, but the

“holy grail” of large, nationwide HF ham radio nets for

off grid amateurs and survivalists is yet to be realized.

The best and only option may be to organize amongst

yourselves in small local groups.

Solutions & alternatives.

Having a large selection of organized radio nets spe-

cific to off grid amateur radio and survivalism would be

a perfect forum for hams to practice their skills and

exchange ideas, but that’s not a realistic option. We

must expand our expectations and work with what is

available.

(Continued on page 11, Communicate)

THE REPEATER PAGE 6 MARCH 2019 PAGE 6

DX NEWS

Start

Date

End

Date DXCC Entity Call

QSL

via

Reported

by Info

MARCH 2019

2019 Mar27

2019 Mar31

South Cook Is E51 Home Call

DXW.Net By DL1AUZ as E51AUZ and DM7PQ as E51NPQ fm Aitutaki (IOTA OC-014); holiday style operation 20190215

2019 Mar28

2019 Apr10

Jamaica 6Y5KB LoTW TDDX By DL2SBY fm Negril and Lucea; 80-6m; CW

SSB FT8, perhaps RTTY; QSL also OK via DL2SBY direct (no Buro) 20190226

CQ WPX Contest, SSB (Mar 30-31, 2019) Check here for pericontest activity too.

APRIL 2019

2019 Apr01

2019 Apr07

Maldives 8Q7DM SP3DX DXW.Net By SP3DX fm Lankanfinolhu I (IOTA AS-013);

20-10m; FT8 SSB 20190307

2019 Apr01

2019 Apr14

Norfolk I VK9N TBA

DXW.Net By VK3QB VK3HJ VK2PN VK3BDX as TBA; HF; CW SSB; focus on lowband CW; SOTA activation of Mt Bates and Jacky Jacky 20190204

2019 Apr01

2019 Apr15

Gambia C5DL LoTW

DL7DF By DH7KU DK1BT DL6SAK DL7DF DL7UFR SP3CYY fm IK13pj; 160-10m, incl 60m; CW SSB + digital; 1kw; loops, Spiderbeam, vertical; QSL also OK via DL7DF (Buro or direct) 20190304

2019 Apr06

2019 Apr16

Burkina Faso XT2AW M0OXO

TDDX By DF2WO fm Ouagadougou; focus on 160 80 60m; CW SSB RTTY FT8; hexbeam, verticals; QSL also OK via DF2WO direct 20181031

2019 Apr14

2019 Apr20

Djibouti J20DX/p LoTW DXW.Net By MM0NDX MM0OKG fm Moucha I (IOTA AF-

053) and Sept Frere I (AF-059); dates tentative; QSL also OK via Club Log 20181231

2019 Apr14

2019 Apr22

Iceland TF LoTW TDDX

By EB3GCP as TF/EB3GCP; HF; mainly FT8; QSL also OK via EB3GCP and eQSL 20190206

2019 Apr16

2019 Apr23

East Kiribati T32AZ KH6QJ DXNews By KH6QJ fm Kiritimati I (IOTA OC-024); 80 40

20 15 10m 20190308

2019 Apr17

2019 Apr25

Burkina Faso XT2MAX LoTW DK1MAX

By DK1MAX; HF; CW FT8; QSL also OK via eQSL; Club Log uploads; no paper QSLs 20181201

2019 Apr21

2019 Apr28

South Cook Is E51DLD W4HB

DXW.Net By W6HB fm Rarotonga I (IOTA OC-013); @E51AND/E51JD; 160-10m; SSB; holiday style operation 20190128

2019 Apr21

2019 May03

French Polynesia FO LoTW

OPDX By KE1B as FO/KE1B fm Bora Bora I (IOTA OC-067); mainly 20m; FT8; 10w; QSL also OK via KE1B (Buro or direct), Club Log (preferred), eQSL 20180827

THE REPEATER PAGE 7 MARCH 2019

Wings of Freedom

Mar 30, 1600Z-2000Z, W7AI, Marana, AZ. Oro Valley

Amateur Radio Club. CW: 7.040, 14.040; SSB: 7.200;

14.250; FT8: 14.074, 18.100. Certificate. send request,

to, qsl@tucsonhamradio.org . Located at the Marana

Regional Airport. Spots on DXSummit.fi. Email request

for PDF certificate to qsl@tucsonhamradio.org. Please,

no paper QSLs. https://www.tucsonhamradio.org

40th Anniversary of W6RO aboard the

Queen Mary

Apr 1-May 1, 1600Z-0000Z, W6RO, Long Beach, CA.

Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach. 14.340

14.048 7.240 7.040. QSL. W6RO - QSL, P.O. Box 7493,

Long Beach, CA 90807. Times are daily. Other bands

possible as conditions permit. Help us celebrate 40

years aboard the Queen Mary with this month-long spe-

cial event! See details at www.qrz.com/db/w6ro or

www.aralb.org

Batalla de Maipú

Apr 1-Apr 30, 0000Z-2359Z, XR201, Los Angeles,

CHILE. DiscoloDXGroup. 40 20 15 10 meters. Certifi-

cate & QSL. DiscoloDXGroup, P.O. Box 422, Los Ange-

les 4449401, CHILE. www.discolodxgroup.cl

Petal-Southern Miss Pow-Wow

Apr 8-Apr 14, 0000Z-2300Z, W0W, Petal, MS. Hatties-

burg Amateur Radio Club. 14.033 CW 14.260 (GEN

BAND) SSB 7.033 7.200 (GEN BAND) SSB 3.533-3.900

(GEN BAND) SSB 10.115. QSL. N5CW, P.O. Box 52,

Petal, MS 39465. Event focus is on Native American

culture. Details at www.qrz.com/db/w0w or

www.hattiesburgamateurradioclub.org

16th Annual Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival

Apr 13, 1600Z-2100Z, W5BMC, Franklin, LA. Bay-

ouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service. 14.280

14.260 7.280 7.260. Certificate. Jackie Price, 708 Front

St., Morgan City, LA 70380.

7th Annual Earth Day

Celebration

Apr 13, 1500Z-2000Z, W8PRC,

Cleveland, OH. Parma Radio Club.

14.245 7.195. QSL. Parma Radio

Club, 8111 Laumer Ave., Cleveland,

OH 44105. Our 7th Annual Earth

Day Celebration. Operating on solar

power from historic, educational

Stearns Farm in the Parma, Ohio

town center. parmaradioclub.com

Activation of State Parks in the State of Texas

Apr 13-Apr 14, 1500Z-2100Z, K5LRK, The Colony,

TX. Lake Area Amateur radio Klub (LAARK). CW -

Bottom of band +40 kHz Phone - General Segment

+25kHz VHF (SSB) - 50.210,144.210 MHz VHF (FM) -

146.535,446.100 MHz. Certificate & QSL. Ken Rainy,

AC5EZ, 529 Kenilworth Ave., Little Elm, TX 75068.

Daily activity, Apr 13 - Apr 14, 1500Z - 0300Z and Apr

14, 1500Z - 2100Z www.k5lrk.com

USS Midway Museum Ship Special Event: Doolit-

tle Raid

Apr 13, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS

Midway (CV-41) Museum Ship. 14.320 7.250; PSK31 on

14.070. QSL. USS Midway (CV-41) COMEDTRA, 910

N. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101.

World Amateur Radio Day

Apr 18, 0100Z-2300Z, W2JLD, Rochester, NY. Nevada

Amateur Radio Repeaters inc.. IRLP 9251 *WORLD*

CONFERENCE ON ECHOLINK ALLSTAR 47620.

QSL. W2JLD, 85 Amherst St, Rochester, NY 14607.

This our 5th annual event. Send an SASE for a QSL

card. theworldradionetwork.com

San Jacinto Day Special Event

Apr 20-Apr 21, 1500Z-2300Z, K5T, Nacogdoches, TX.

Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club. 14.265 14.074

14.035 7.215. QSL. Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club,

167 CR 2093, Nacogdoches, TX 75965. All contacts will

be confirmed via LoTW. QSL requests must include SA-

SE. www.w5nac.com

and IRLP node 4868. srharmon1974@sbcglobal.net

Vermontville, MI, 78th Maple Syrup Festival

Apr 20-May 4, 0100Z-0100Z, W8S, Vermontville, MI.

Rev. Dr. Rodney L. Harmon. 446.200 MHz PL 74.4 HZ;

145.560 MHz; 147.080 MHz PL 100 HZ; IRLP Node

4868 446.200 MHZ. Certificate. Rev. Dr. Rodney L.

Harmon, WK8H, 172 E. Second St., Vermontville, MI

49096. Enjoy the 78th original Michigan Vermontville

Syrup Festival on the Amateur

Radio Frequencies. srhar-

mon1974@sbcglobal.net

Commemorating the Louisiana

Purchase

Apr 27-May 5, 0000Z-2359Z,

W5L, West Monroe, LA. North-

East Louisiana Amateur Radio

Club. 18.150 14.275 7.225 3.850.

QSL. Jim Ragsdale, W5LA, 111

Eagle Lake Dr., West Monroe, LA

71291.

PAGE 7

SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS

THE REPEATER PAGE 8 MARCH 2019

CONTESTS

INFORMATION ABOUT THESE AND MANY OTHER CONTESTS AVAILABLE AT:

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/contestcal.html

NAME DATES MODES BANDS CATEGORIES LINK

MARCH 2019

+ FOC QSO Party 0000Z-2359Z, Mar 23

CW 160, 80,

40, 20, 15, 10, VHF

Single Op http://g4foc.org/qsoparty/

+ North American SSB Sprint Contest

0000Z-0400Z, Mar 24

SSB 80, 40, 20m

Single Op http://ssbsprint.com/rules/

APRIL 2019

+ SARL 80m QSO Party 1700Z-2000Z, Apr 4

SSB 80m Only Single Op http://www.sarl.org.za/Web3/Members/DoDocDownload.aspx?X=201812141215058LWc1oCc5X.PDF

+ Missouri QSO Party

1400Z, Apr 6 to 0400Z, Apr 7

and 1400Z-

2000Z, Apr 7

CW, Phone, Digital

160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/

UHF

Single Op Multi Op

http://www.w0ma.org/index.php/missouri-qso-party

+ Florida State Parks on the Air

1400Z-2200Z, Apr 6

and 1400Z-

2200Z,

CW, SSB, Digital

80, 40, 20, 15, 10m

Several http://flspota.org/rules/

+ Mississippi QSO Party

1400Z, Apr 6 to 0200Z, Apr 7

CW, SSB, Digital

80, 40, 20, 15, 10,

VHF/UHF Several

http://www.arrlmiss.org/2018_-_2018_MSQP_Rules.pdf

+ Texas State Parks on the Air

1400Z, Apr 13 to 0200Z, Apr 14

and 1400Z-

2000Z, Apr 14

All

All, except WARC

Several

http://www.tspota.org/rules

+ New Mexico QSOParty

1400Z, Apr 13 to 0200Z, Apr 14

CW, Phone, Digital

160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6m

Single Op Multi Op

http://www.newmexicoqsoparty.org/

+ North Dakota QSO Par-ty

1800Z, Apr 13 to 1800Z, Apr 14

CW, Phone, Digital

160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m

Several

http://www.kg0yl.net/QSO.html

THE REPEATER PAGE 9 MARCH 2019

MORE CONTESTS

INFORMATION ABOUT THESE AND MANY OTHER CONTESTS AVAILABLE AT:

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/contestcal.html

NAME DATES MODES BANDS CATEGORIES LINK

APRIL 2019

+ Georgia QSO Party

1800Z, Apr 13 to 0359Z, Apr 14

and 1400Z-

2359Z, Apr 14

CW/Digital, Phone

160, 80, 40, 20, 15,

10, 6m

Single Op Multi Op Rover

http://www.georgiaqsoparty.org/

+ International Vintage Contest HF

1200Z-1800Z, Apr 14

CW, SSB, AM

80, 40, 20m

Single Op Multi Op

http://www.contestvintage.beepworld.it/rules-2012.htm

+ Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest

0600Z, Apr 20 to 0559Z, Apr 21

CW, SSB 80, 40, 20,

15, 10m Single Op http://www.mulandxc.org/582#more-582

+ Nebraska QSO Party

1300Z, Apr 20 to 0200Z, Apr 21

and 1300Z-

2200Z, Apr 21

CW, Phone, Digital

160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, VHF/

UHF

Fixed Mobile

Out-of-State

http://www.qcwa.org/chapter025-rules-ne-qso-party-2018.pdf

Michigan QSO Party

1600Z, Apr 20

to 0400Z, Apr 21

CW, SSB 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m

Several http://www.miqp.org/Rules.htm

+ Ontario QSO Party

1800Z, Apr 20 to 0500Z, Apr 21

and 1200Z-

1800Z, Apr 21

CW, Phone 160, 80,

40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2m

Several http://www.va3cco.com/oqp/rules.htm

SWAPS AND HAMFESTS

THE REPEATER PAGE 10 MARCH 2019

2nd Annual GMARC Technology Expo Start Date: 04/07/2019

End Date: 04/07/2019

Location: UFCW 876 Union Hall

876 Horace Brown Drive

Madison Heights, MI

Website: http://www.gmarc.org

Sponsor: GM Amateur Radio Club

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Talk-In: 443.075 (PL 123)

Public Contact: Bobby Corr , N8CY

45601 Fox Lane West, Apartment 106 Shelby Town-

ship, MI 48317

Phone: 248-346-2733

Email: BobbyCorr@att.net

65th Annual Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club

Hamfest Start Date: 04/13/2019

End Date: 04/13/2019

Location: Emidio & Son's Party Center

48 East Bath Road

Cuyahoga Falls , OH 44221

Website: http://cfarc.org

Sponsor: The Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club, Inc.

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Talk-In: 147.270 (PL 110.9)

Public Contact: Pat Morrow , N8OQP

627 Brewer Avenue Akron, OH 44305

Phone: 234-206-0270

Email: retired_guru@neo.rr.com

Chassell, MI Hamfest Start Date: 05/14/2016

End Date: 05/14/2016

Location: Chassell VFW

42103 Wilson Memorial Drive (US 41)

Chassell, MI 49916

Website: http://kcra-mi.net/

Sponsor: Copper Country Radio Amateur Assn. &

Keweenaw County Repeater Assn.

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Talk-In: 146.28/.88 (PL 100)

Public Contact: Howard Klann , KD8ABP

57966 Kallio Road Calumet, MI 49913

Phone: 906-337-0234

Email: msgklann@pasty.net

Athens Hamfest Start Date: 04/28/2019

End Date: 04/28/2019

Location: Athens Community Center

701 East State Street

Athens, OH 45701

Website: http://www.ac-ara.org/

Sponsor: Athens County Amateur Radio Association

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Talk-In: 145.15 (-) no PL tone

Public Contact: William McFadden , WD8RIF

12600 Adeline Circle Athens, OH 45701

Phone: 740-593-7176

Email: wd8rif@arrl.net

Cadillac Hamfest Start Date: 05/04/2019

End Date: 05/04/2019

Location: Cadillac Jr High School

500 Chestnut Street

Cadillac, MI 49601

Website: http://wexaukeearc.org/

Sponsor: Wexaukee Amateur Radio Club

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Talk-In: 146.980 no tone

Public Contact: Duane Eubanks , KD8ULW

3950 North Brown Road Manton, MI 49663

Phone: 231-824-9813

Email: kd8ulw@arrl.net

2019 ARRL National Convention at Dayton

Hamvention® Start Date: 05/17/2019

End Date: 05/19/2019

Location: Greene County Expo Center

120 Fairgrounds Road

Xenia, OH 45385

Website: http://hamvention.org

Sponsor: Dayton Amateur Radio Association

Type: ARRL Convention

Talk-In: 146.940- (PL 123), Bulletin System - moni-

tor 145.525

Public Contact: Henry Ruminski , W8HJR

PO Box 964 Dayton, OH 45401

Phone: 937-232-9272

Email: media@hamvention.org

THE REPEATER PAGE 11 MARCH 2019

SOME POPULAR LOCAL NETS

Net Day Time Frequency PL Tone Link

Michigan Traffic Net Daily 7:00 PM 3.952 MHz None MITN

Michigan Net Twice Daily

6:30 PM 10:00 PM

3.563 MHz None QMN

Southeastern Michigan Traffic Net Daily 10:15 PM 146.76 MHz 100 Hz SEMTN

Wolverine SSB Net Daily 2300 UTC 3.935 MHz None WSSBN

Michigan ARPSC Net Sunday 5:00 PM 3.932 MHz None MIARPSC

Garden City ARC Sunday 9:00 PM 146.86 MHz 100 Hz GCARC

Salvation Army Team Emerg. Radio Net Monday 7:30 PM 147.18 MHz 100 Hz SATERN

ARROW ARC Monday 8:00 PM 146.96 MHz 100 Hz ARROW

ARC

Utica Shelby Emerg. Com Slow Code Monday 9:00 PM 147.18 MHz 100 Hz USECA

Motor City ARC Tuesday 9:00 PM 147.24 MHz 100 Hz MCARC

Wayne County ARPSC Net Wednesday 9:00 PM 145.330 MHz 100 Hz WA8EOC

Hazel Park ARC Kids Thursday 7:00 PM 146.64 MHz 100 Hz HPARC

Oakland County ARPSC Net Thursday 8:00 PM 146.900 Hz 100 Hz W8OAK

LARC 2 Meter Net Thursday 8:00 PM 145.35 MHz 100 Hz Livonia ARC

So what to do? The obvious path is for off grid hams to

conduct normal communications without the formality of

ham radio nets. Or, participate in contests and nets that

are open to everyone. In both these scenarios there may

not be many (or any) other off gird hams to trade ideas

with, but you’ll still get a lot of operating experience.

Consider meeting up with local hams for a “radio in

the park” outing. Some clubs are very active in this area

and sponsor regular events. If there are no organized

events near you, do it on your own. Every now and then

I’ll take my portable station to a local park and enjoy ra-

dio in the great outdoors. I think of it as my own personal

Field Day. Keep in mind that some parks have rules re-

garding amateur radio stations on the property. Always

be a respectful ambassador and protect natural resources.

Don’t assume anything. Make it your business to know

what is allowed before you set up.

The internet is a resource, not a substitute.

Lastly, you can always connect with other off grid

hams on line and then QSY to the radio for further discus-

sion. I am very measured when endorsing this idea be-

cause it erodes the purpose of amateur radio and is the

equivalent of “calling CQ” on the internet. Still, the inter-

net is a legitimate communications medium so if it can be

used as starting point then so be it. Just don’t let yourself

become the person who spends more time on line talking

about amateur radio than actually operating a real radio.

What we learned today.

Ham radio nets provide a handy infrastructure for

communicating, but a lack of them should not stop anyone

from creating their own opportunities. If all else fails,

wing it on your own. I realize that’s not always easy to do,

and the internet is a convenient and compelling resource.

Keep in mind that we are radio operators not “internet

operators”, so finding ways to make the most of our radio

capabilities -and then going out and doing it- should be a

top priority.

Chris Warren blogs “Off the Grid: Keeping Amateur Radio on

When the Grid is Gone.” Find out more at: http://

offgridham.com/about-me/. Reprinted with permission.

(Communicate, Continued from page 5)

THE REPEATER PAGE 12 MARCH 2019

ABOUT LARC

LIVONIA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB OFFICERS

& COMMITTEE CHAIRS President - Mike Cononie, KE8CEH— president@livoniaarc.com

Vice President - Keith Mavin, KE8AUO

Treasurer - Bill Allen, KD8KTF

Recording Secretary - Tas Foley, K8TAS

Public Information Officer - Chuck Reti, WV8A

Membership Manager - Bill Allen, KD8KTF

Past President—Ryan Marrs, K8RDM

Club License (K8UNS) Trustee—Stanley Philips, N8SP

ARRL VE Liaison - Mike Rudzki, N8MR

Webmaster—Dane Bohr, K8DPB

LARC/LPD EOC Liaison—Bill Allen, KD8KTF

Repeater Maintenance - Dan Saputo, K8PLW

Swap-N-Shop—Doris Kelterborn, K8DXJ and Gordon Scannell, KD8COJ

Field Day Coordinators—John LaRock, K8XD

2-Meter Net Manager - Hiro Wakamatsu, AD8AE

Refreshments—Jason Mitchell, NG8J

Equipment Manager - Mike Rudzki, N8MR

Safety Officer - Andy Biggs, KD8ZPX

Volunteer Examiners - K1QD, N8RI, K8LU, KN8B, N8MR, AC8ND, W2EQX, KD8KTF, AC8QI,

KD8ZPX, WV8A, KB8DGC, AC8TG, NG8J, K8XD, K8GNG

Repeater Newsletter Editor - Sandy Allen, KD8UTR — sallen17@gmail.com

LIVONIA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

P.O. BOX 51532

The Livonia Amateur Radio Club, founded in 1969, has been a long-standing part of the Li-vonia, Michigan community. Our club has wide and varied interests -- Special events, DX,

Contesting and More. LARC has been affiliated with the ARRL since February 7, 1976.

When mailing dues or other Club pay-ments, please send to Bill Allen, Treasurer 19682 Norwich Rd. Livonia, MI 48152