Inside this issue: Al Paczkino hits Detroit with his little friends..

Minutes 2

Prez’s Page, Chili 3

Membership Desk 4

6m Irish DXing, Swaps 5-6

LW Beacons 7

Recipes, Humor, WX 8

Spcl Events, Contests 9

Clubs, Stahl’s, Raffle 10

Get Involved, Exams 11

HF Nets 12

Club info, Nets 13

Paczki Day/St Pat’s Edition

THE USECA EXPRESS

March 2019

You’ll miss lot’s of the Express if you don’t find the hidden links! Be sure to find ‘em all!

Volume 35 No. 3

USECA Officers President: Jim Marek/WI8W Vice President: Jim Hoffman/K8JEH Rec. Secretary: Rob Lifton/NY8W Treasurer: Gary Simms/KI8M Membership Sec: Brenda/KD8SGB Board Members (3): Glen Garant/VE3GQG Jim Blackford/KD8YAF Linda Line/KD8SAI Past President: Rich Line/KC8HMJ (Call signs link to email addresses)

Committeepersons ARRL & Club Liaison: Open Net Awards: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Express Editor: Ken/N8KC Field Day Chair: Jim/K8JEH Health/Welfare:Rob/NY8W (248) 816-2222 Net Manager: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Photographer: Wes/KD8DHS Program Director: Jim/K8JEH Refreshments: Don/KC8CPT Repeater Trustee: Jerry/N8KLX (586) 731-9041 Swap Director: Gary/KI8M (586) 322-2134 Technical Director: Jerry/N8KLX Technicians: N8SA, N8ZA, K8RDJ, W1SKU, W1IK VE Testing: Alec/NF8X (248) 4MY-TEST Webmaster: Bob/N8ZY (586) 978-1682

Repeater Control Operators Jim/WY8I,, Chuck/N8ZA, Jim/W1IK , Alec/NF8X, Dan/N8ZBA, Jerry/N8KLX

Repeater Programmers Jim/W1IK, Brad/N8VI, Jerry N8KLX

Pazcki’s… will get you LOVE @ Work!!

President WI8W Jim

Vice President K8JEH Jim

Treasurer KI8M Gary

Membership Secretary KD8SGB Brenda

Recording Secretary NY8W Rob

Board Member KD8YAF Jim

*Board Member KD8SAI Linda

Board Member VE3GQG Glen

Past President KC8HMJ Rich

*Absent

Meeting Called to Order by WI8W Jim at 7:03 pm.

Rob moved to accept the January board meeting as

published in the Express. Brenda Seconded and the mo-

tion was approved.

Gary delivered the treasurer’s report. KD8YAF Jim

offered a motion to accept, seconded by VE3GQG Glen

and the motion passed.

Brenda reported that as of tonight’s meeting USECA

has 76 paid members.

N8KLX Jerry gave his tech report. Jerry informed

board that both repeaters are up and operational.

The board members discussed the need for a head

chef for our “Eat B4 You Meet.” For next Monday (Feb

11th). The board decided to order Pizza and KE8JEH

Jim Volunteered to pick it up. VE3GQG Glen made a

motion directing the board to approve this course of

action. Brenda seconded and the motion passed.

At this time, NY8W Rob made a motion to adjourn.

Seconded by VE3GQG Glen and the meeting concluded

at 8:03 pm

President WI8W Jim

Vice President K8JEH Jim

Treasurer KI8M Gary

Membership Secretary KD8SGB Brenda

Recording Secretary NY8W Rob

Board Member KD8YAF Jim

Board Member KD8SAI Linda

Board Member VE3GQG Glen

Past President KC8HMJ Rich

All Board members present

Meeting called to order by WI8W Jim at 7:30pm.

The microphone was passed around giving everyone the

opportunity to introduce themselves.

KD8SRQ Tony moved to accept the January general

meeting minutes as published in the Express. W1IK Jim

seconded and the motion was approved.

WI8W Jim delivered the Treasurer’s Report (on KI8M

Gary). N8KC Ken made a motion to accept, seconded by

K8AE Kim. The motion passed.

KD8SGB Brenda reported that as of tonight’s meeting

USECA has 78 paid members.

Tech Report: N8KLX Jerry reported on the status of the

K8UO repeaters. They are operational.

Trustee Report: N8KLX Jerry had nothing to report.

K8JEH Jim volunteered to chair USECA’s 2019 Field

Day in June.

KD8SRQ Tony Volunteered to chair USECA’s partici-

pation in March of Dimes March for Babies. The March

of Dimes event takes place on June 1st at Lake St. Clair

Metropark.

At this time, Jim turned the meeting over to N8KLX

Jerry. N8KLX Jerry presented the club with a program

about Winter Field Day. It featured an assortment of pho-

tographs. Jerry took some time to explain the scoring data

we had from our combined logs. He also answered ques-

tions from the club members. Jerry also made a point to

recognize N8KC Ken for his work promoting Winter

Field Day.

At this time KD8ZYE Michelle moved to adjourn, se-

conded by W1IK Jim and the meeting concluded at

8:25pm.

Tonight’s meeting hosted 33 signed in members

and visitors

Page 2

General Meeting Minutes Feb 11 Board Meeting Minutes Feb 4

The USECA Express March 2019

Minutes submitted by Rob Lifton NY8W

Page 3

The President’s page… Jim/N8KKG

The USECA Express March 2019

147.180 & 444.775

Get your General

or Extra NOW!

If you own a Yaesu

System Fusion radio..

Join our all-digital

Thursdays @ 7pm

On 444.775MHz

& linked repeaters

QRZ… aka “the “Zed”,

Created by Hams for

Hams. Free software

downloads, free practice

FCC exams, free member

forums, free world-wide

call sign database with

advanced search functions,

free on-line LOTW com-

patible log, and your own

free customizable personal

QRZ page.

Super EZ MEATY WFD Venison Chili N8KC

I made two gallons of my

MEATY Venison Chili as my

pass-a-dish for WFD up at

Camp Ozanam. It all disap-

peared over the course of Satur-

day, so I assume it was well-

liked. It’s ridiculously easy to

make, (I use a mix) and it only

takes about 35-40 minutes.

You’ll need a bag of mix for

approximately a gallon of Chili,

its available in Kroger’s. You’ll also need

1 small can of tomato paste and about a

pound or more of your choice of meat.

(I’ve used ground Venison, Beef, Tur-

key, and even Pheasant.) Start by putting

the mix, 6 1/2 to 7 cups of wa-

ter, and the can of tomato paste

in a large soup pot and bring to

a boil. Turn to simmer for 30-

35 minutes once it boils. While

doing this, brown your meat in

butter n a large pan (venison &

fowl have little fat and the fat is

what makes it taste gamey).

Once fully browned, put the

meat in a colander and spray

with scalding water to rid the meat of as

much grease as possible… then simply

add the meat to your simmering chili

mix. This mix has very mild heat.. If you

like it hot, add spice to taste! EZ PZ !!

Hello from the Prez,

I hope everyone's antenna

farm survived the wind

storm on Sunday the 24th.

My farm survived just fine.

My fiberglass push-up mast

was bending like it was a

fishing pole with a fish on. I

was ready with the generator incase I

needed it.

I decided to finally program my FTM

100 and the Yaesu 991. I was surprised

that it wasn't that hard. It just took a

while, but that's what cold weekends are

for. I installed the 100 in the work van. I

mounted a small speaker behind my head

and I can hear everything loud and clear.

I signed up for the Skywarn training

class at the Warren library

which is in the city hall

building 3/14/2019 6:00 to

7:30. Thursday. If you're

interested in joining me, the

link is on the USECA face-

book page or Google Sky-

warn training. It's an inter-

esting class.

Don't forget the Board meeting is on

the first Monday of the month. Everyone

is welcome and it is held at the Elks club.

Testing is also that day combined with

the meeting to save $. Come early to the

general meeting for the eat before we

meet... Sloppy Joes, applesauce, and

coleslaw will be served with a smile!

73 de Jim WI8W

Bench tools, Soldering, De-

soldering, Lighting and

Magnification… No matter

what the job is, EAE Sales

and Owner Bruce Sander

(Retired USAF Master Ser-

geant) have the right tools

and supplies to do the job

and can show you how.

Click the logo above to visit

EAE’s website and support

USECA’s largest Hamfest

vendor.

Page 4

From the membership Desk.. KD8SGB

The USECA Express March 2019

147.180 & 444.775

Get to our meetings! Enjoy socializing & food! Feb 11th

Hi Everyone! Let’s all welcome new

member Robert Barnes, KE8KTB, who

joined our club at February's meeting.

At this time we have 78 paid members.

Stay in the loop, get the “Express”, be

notified for “Larks” and club events...

make sure your dues are up to date.

Save the date… put Saturday March 2,

2019 @ 12 noon on your calendar for the

club trip to Stahl’s Auto Museum 56516

N Bay Dr., New Baltimore, MI 48051.

This would make a nice family outing.

Stay warm and get active in our club,

see you at March’s general meeting.

73

Brenda KD8SGB

Always great food with great company for just $6

Get to meetings around 6ish and join us!

Bring a friend! Get your 2019 DUES Paid up!

100,000 Old

Radio Shows

for FREE From Rich KC8HMJ

Make your own Paczki.. WB8E

Fresh outt’a Walt’s

kuchina.. His secret

method and recipe

for perfect Paczki.

Click on the video

link (left) to have the

secrets revealed...

Page 5 The USECA Express March 2019

A Look back at Irish Amateur Radio and 6m, 1957 to ~1980.. John EI7GL

With St. Patrick’s Day right

around the corner I decided it was

time to have a look at amateur ra-

dio in Ireland. I hope you enjoy it.

VE3GQG (The Grizzly)

Some Facts :

A. At present, there are about

1,700 amateur radio licences in

EI. Ireland

B. There are no regional call areas

like in Italy, USA, Sweden, etc

C. The "EJ" prefix is reserved for

stations on offshore islands.

For example, if I were to oper-

ate from one of the Irish off-

shore islands, I would just

change my call from EI7GL to

EJ7GL

D: The national society for Radio

Amateurs in Ireland is the Irish

Radio Transmitters Society

Their Amateur Ra-

dio Organization

symbol at right and

DX Group below:

Early History of 6m in EI

(1957 to 1980) By John, EI7GL

In 1957, several countries in Eu-

rope gave their radio amateurs spe-

cial permission to operate on 50

MHz for the International Geophys-

ical Year. In Ireland, Harry Wilson,

EI2W, received such a license. Due

to the fact that this was the peak of a

very good sunspot cycle, EI2W

made many contacts on 50 MHz

that were all time firsts from Ireland

and Europe.

EI2W's station was located at Fox-

rock, Co. Dublin at 240 Feet above

Sea Level. He used a homebrew

AM transmitter, with an input of 40

watts, crystal controlled on 50.016

MHz. During this time, he was able

to operate from the 27th of October,

1957 to the 28th of January, 1958.

At the peak of Solar Cycle 21 in

1979/1980, conditions in Europe

were completely different. At this

time, TV was firmly established on

Band 1 (45 to 65 MHz) and the vari-

ous licensing authorities around Eu-

rope were hostile to the use of 50

MHz by radio amateurs. The only

exception was in Ireland where

EI2W was given special permission

and was the only 50 MHz licensed

amateur in Northern Europe for the

peak of Cycle 21.

For this cycle, EI2W was using 10

watts into a 4 Element J-Beam Yagi

(below). He was operational from

the 8th of November 1979 to the

29th of December 1980. All his con-

tacts were on SSB. During this cy-

cle, he succeeded in working 40

states of the USA on 50 MHz.

When I received special permis-

sion to use the 6m meter band in the

late 80's, I received a letter from

EI2W which outlined what he had

worked in Cycles 19 and 21.

Cycle 19 (1957/1958)

States worked by EI2W on 50

MHz during the International Geo-

physical Year and dates 27th of Oc-

tober 1957 to 28th of January 1958.

The call signs given are the first

stations worked in each state or

province.

During the period 27th of October

1957 to the 28th of January 1958,

W1HOY was worked 19 times and

was the most consistent signal on 50

MHz over the whole operating peri-

od. W8CMS and W4UCH were al-

ways reliable and strong signals

when the band was open. The

strongest signals were from the

states of Texas and Arizona.

The earliest recorded opening was

on Christmas Day, the 25th of De-

cember 1957 when W1LGE was

worked at 13:35 UTC. The latest

opening was on the 5th of January

1958 when W5NSJ (New Mexico)

was worked at 18:28 UTC with the

beam pointing to the North Pole.

During this period, 271 contacts

were established with 190 different

stations in 35 states and 2 Canadian

provinces.

During this cycle, I was operating

from a different QTH about 12km

South of Dublin City, Locator

IO63ND. I operated from the 8th of

November 1979 to the 29th of De-

cember 1980. I used exclusively

SSB for all contacts with 10 watts to

a 4 Element J-Beam.

My very happy memories of this

cycle was the large number of sta-

tions operating from North America

and the co-operation received from

my good friend and fellow amateur,

Albert EI6AS. He was always ready

with advice and help when needed

and many of my contacts can be

attributed to his expertise as a most

dedicated amateur.

I found the use of SSB a great

advantage over the AM used during

the 19th cycle. 741 different stations

were worked in North America,

many several times in one day. The

break down was as follows :

W1 - 120 Different stations worked.

W2 - 110 Different stations worked.

W3 - 78 Different stations worked.

Page 6

N8COQ’s

Laser Sidebar

Ken’s been foolin’

around with his Laser en-

graver and will be hitting

local swaps to show off his

samples and, if you’re in-

terested, make something

for you. Plaques, coasters,

Ham shack trinkets.. rea-

sonable! You can contact

Ken at:

plcpro@wowway.com for

custom orders. Below are a

few USECA & Winter

Field Day samples.

The USECA Express

Early 6m DXing in Ireland.. continued EI7GL

March 2019

W4 - 65 Different stations worked.

W5 - 120 Different stations worked.

W6 - 29 Different stations worked.

W7 - 57 Different stations worked.

W8 - 76 Different stations worked.

W9 - 39 Different stations worked.

W0 - 47 Different stations worked.

Also worked were VE1-2-3-4. Also

Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. In

all during the cycle, 3,020 QSO's were

made.

New states added to the 35 already

worked during the 19th Solar Cycle were

as follows :

36 Nov 1979 - DE - W1NGR

37 Nov 1979 - GA - WB4NMA

38 Nov 1979 - NV - K7ZOK

39 Dec1979 - KY - WA4ELH

40 Dec 1979 - WA - K7KI

41 Dec 1979 - WV - WD8QAA

42 Dec 1979 - ND - WA0CQL

43 Dec 1979 - SD - K0UDZ

44 Dec 1979 - SC - K4RV

One memorable contact during the 21st

Cycle was with WD8DRD on the 15th of

January, 1980. His power was 3 watts!!!

On the 18th of November 1979, 106

stations were worked in USA and Cana-

da, including VE4AS in Winnipeg. The

band opened at 13:05 UTC and closed at

17:27 UTC. Areas 5,6 and 7 were very

strong signals.

Two way QSO's have now been made

with the following countries:

USA, Canada, Gibraltar, Malta, US Vir-

gin Islands, Puerto Rico, Liberia, Greece,

United Nations, Luxembourg, G, GD, GI,

GW, GM, GU and GJ.

I trust these results will convey to oper-

ators on this band the wide potential.

Outside the cycle, a great opening took

place to the USA and Canada on the 19th

of June 1987. WA1OUB, K1JRW,

K1TOL, AF1T and VE1YX were strong

signals between 18:15 and 19:00 UTC.

WA1VTA and WB2WSE were still com-

ing through around 2000 UTC.

Our thanks are due to stations like Ted,

G4UPS who opened up new territories.

Thanks Ted.

73, John Desmond EI7GL

Ed: Blog Article re-printed with the

blessings of the original author, John

Desmond EI7GL. Thanks to Glen Garant

VE3GQG for forwarding it! 6m can seem

a frustrating band to work… but it has

the characteristics of both HF and VHF

and can pop open with ducting during

large weather events, aurora events, and

ionospheric propagation. Dedicated 6m

players keep a rig tuned to the calling

frequencies and LISTEN.

MI Crossroads Hamfest Sat Mar 16

Location:

Wings Event Center

3600 Vanrick Drive

Kalamazoo, MI 49001

Website: http://www.w8df.com/index.php?content=

hamfest

Sponsor: Southern Michigan ARS

Talk-In: 147.000 +600 (PL 94.8)

Public Contact: Thomas Goodson , WR8G

PO Box 934 Battle Creek, MI 49016

Phone: 269-815-8007

Email: crossroadshamfest@w8df.com

Upcoming Hamfests

TMRA Hamfest Sunday Mar 17

Location:

Owens Community Col-

lege

30335 Oregon Road

Perrysburg, OH 43551

Website: http://www.tmrahamradio.org

Sponsor: Toledo Mobile Radio Associa-

tion

Talk-In: 147.27 (PL 103.5)

Public Contact: Brian Harrington , WD8MXR

4463 Holly Hill Drive Toledo, OH 43614

Phone: 419-285-5624

Email: wd8mxr@gmail.com

Page 7 The USECA Express March 2019

Longwave DXing.. Airport beacons KC8HMJ

I enjoy MANY aspects of the

radio hobby, like most I suspect, I

started out as a listener. I won’t go

into all of that now as I want to

cover 1 specific part of “Listening”

This part is the Non Directional

Beacons which really are Airport

Identifiers.

Supposedly they aren’t used

much to guide aircraft, just to iden-

tify the airport. Guidance is the job

of VOR and TACAN nowadays.

The signals are MOSTLY code

usually 3 letters, some 2 letters and

some letter and number combina-

tions. Also all of the Canadians

have a 6 second dash at the end of

their I D. It’s mostly Canadian bea-

cons that I hear from here. Also the

reference points out that the US and

Canada transmit on different audio

frequencies.

The signals that aren’t code are

voice, I’ve only heard only 1 and

that was with a beverage antenna

probably 800 feet long in an area

away from interference. It was 254

HLB from Batesville, Indiana

broadcasting on 25 watts. Some

beacons show 4,000 watts and oth-

ers as little as 25 on the reference

I’ll provide (tail end of article). Of

course the low power stations pro-

vide the most interest to a beacon

chaser.

The audio NDB’s are identified

on the reference with a light yellow

strip across that portion of the info

for that id.

I heard station OO on 391 KHZ

from Oshawa just a couple weeks

ago which is near Toronto, not very

far from here as it shows 50 watts

but I’ve read it’s a smoking 7 or 7

½ watts in reality. I listen to most

of these signals in LSB, but it does

depend a little on which receiver

I’m using. Also your displayed fre-

quency might be different than

what you are actually listening to.

On my WinRadio my displayed

frequency is usually 1KHZ high.

The new Longwave ham band

around 137 KHZ is below the low-

est beacon frequency. If your rig

goes below 100 KHZ you might try

for WWVB on 60 KHZ cw mode.

Although like most lower frequen-

cies that favor night time I have

heard WWVB every time I have

tried, any time of day or year.

I haven’t done the low frequency

mod on my K3 so I can’t even try it

down there. I use an R75 receiver

that’s modified for enhanced recep-

tion on BCB and LW frequencies

or a WinRadio SDR. There is a lot

more info on LW of course as well

as foreign broadcasters on those

frequencies. For some reason the

site which is a part of a much larger

frequency site is clunky at times so

I will just give the Google info

which takes me there:

LW Radio Beacons-DX Info Ctr

https://www.dxing.com/lw.htm

Rich KC8HMJ

Ed: Rich also supplied the interest-

ing map below which pinpoints Air-

port locations across North Ameri-

ca linked with weather, wind, pre-

cipitation, etc.. Click on the map

below to link to the website.

Page 8 The USECA Express

Papa Bear’s Irish Beef and Sweet Potato Stew VE3GQG

March 2019

A few years back, some of you may remember me passing out

CW Course CDs from K7QO at meetings and swaps. USECA

bought the CDs back then, for the cost of postage.. A special

“club” deal from the FISTs CW group. The full course is also

downloadable as an ISO file that can be burned to your own CD

for FREE. Click on the CD’s (left) to get yours….. Ken N8KC

Koch Method, K7QO Code Course for FREE!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck

steak, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-

sodium beef broth

1/3 cup dry red wine or additional re-

duced-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1

teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons cold water

1-1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2

medium), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound baby Portobello

mushrooms, halved

4 medium carrots, cut

into 1/2-inch slices

2 medium parsnips, cut

into 1/2-inch slices

1 medium turnip, cut into

3/4-inch cubes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. In an ovenproof

Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over

medium-high heat. Brown beef in batch-

es. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions;

cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender.

Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add

broth and wine, stirring to remove

browned bits from pan. Stir in thyme,

Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Bake,

covered, 1-1/4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and

cold water until smooth; gradually stir

into stew. Add sweet potatoes, mush-

rooms, carrots, parsnips and turnip to

pan. Bake, covered, 45-60 minutes longer

or until beef and vegetables are tender. If

desired, strain cooking juic-

es; skim fat. Return cook-

ing juices to Dutch oven.

Enjoy! Glen VE3GQG

Ingredients:

2 oz. strong cold-brew coffee

2 oz. stout (such as Guinness or Mill

Street Cobblestone Stout)

1½ oz. Irish whiskey

¾ oz. simple syrup (a water & sugar

mix Google it!)

1/2 ounce heavy cream

Freshly grated cinnamon stick (for serv-

ing)

Preparation:

Mix coffee, stout, whiskey, and simple

syrup in a highball glass. Add ice to fill.

Gently pour in cream so it gradually sinks

into coffee, sprinkle with cinnamon.

From Glen’s years as a Coffee Barista.

Grizzly’s Irish Iced Coffee VE3GQG

Pub Story:

Into the local pub comes

Paddy Murphy, looking

like he’d just been run over

by a train. His arm is in a

sling, his nose is broken,

his face is cut and bruised

and he’s walking with a

limp. “What happened to

you?” asks, the bartender.

“Jamie O’Conner and I had

a fight,” says Paddy. “That

little shit, O’Conner,” says

the bartender, “He couldn’t

do that to you, he must

have had something in his

hand.” “That he did,” says

Paddy, “a shovel is what he

had, and a terrible lickin’

he gave me with it.”

“Well,” says the bartender,

“you should have defended

yourself, didn’t you have

something in your hand?”

“That I did,” said Paddy.

“Mrs. O’Conner’s breast,

and a thing of beauty it

was, but useless in a fight.”

O’Rourke, the

barber, was hear-

ing complaints

from his custom-

er about the price

of his services. “I tell you

O’Rourke, you Dublin bar-

bers have a stranglehold on

the citizens. I was in New

York just last month, and

you charge me double what

they charge there.”

“That may be true, Sir,”

said the barber, “but think

of the airfare.”

Page 9

4th Annual "RST" Special Event

Jan 15-Feb 28, 0000Z-2359Z, N1RAC, various, AK. North

Country DX Association. All bands, all modes. Certificate &

QSL. For QSL: John Reisenauer, 2573 Old Georgetown Rd W,

Kershaw, SC 29067. For QSL, US please send $1 and SASE,

foreign send $3 and SAE. See website for information on re-

ceiving a certificate, and for more information on this event.

Participating calls: KL7RST, VE8RST, OX7RST, VY1RST, VY0RST, N1RAC, and

K7ICE. www.qrz.com/db/k7ice

The Battleship Texas 105th Birthday

Mar 1-Mar 14, 0000Z-0000Z, W5T, Cleburne, TX. Club KC5NX.

14.225 14.045 7.225 7.045. QSL. CLUB KC5NX, 9200 Summit

Court West, Cleburne, TX 76033. Club KC5NX is back on the air this

year to help celebrate the 105th birthday of our Grand Lady, The Bat-

tleship Texas...really neat QSL card, special freq / time request hon-

ored, whatever... We'll be on the air ! ! SASE requested. 73.

club.kc5nx@gmail.com https://www.qrz.com/db/kc5nx

C-47 Skytrain Special Event

Mar 5-Mar 12, 0000Z-0000Z, W5S, Oklahoma City, OK. Mid-Del

Amateur Radio Club. 7.100 14.070 14.280 28.380. QSL. Aaron

Scott, 2108 Turner Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73110. The Douglas C-

47 Skytrain was a valuable asset to the Allies during World War 2.

More than half of the 10,174 C-47’s that were built, were built at

Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. 2019 marks the 75th Anniver-

sary of the C-47 that is on display at Regional Park in Midwest City, OK just a few

miles from the location that it was built. The Mid-Del Amateur Radio Club will be oper-

ating a C-47 Special Event Station during the week of March 5-12th 2019. w5mwc.org

The American Legion's 100th Birthday celebration

Mar 9, 1800Z-2359Z, K9TAL, Indianapolis, IN. The American Legion

Amateur Radio Club. 14.275 7.225; *CrossRds* EchoLink Conference;

IRLP Reflector 9735. Certificate & QSL. The American Legion National

Headquarters, P.O. Box 1055, Attn: TALARC, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

k9tal@legion.org or www.legion.org/hamradio

St Patrick’s Day Special Events Station GB1SPD

Mar 16-Mar 17, 0930Z-1600Z, GB1SPD, Omagh, NORTHERN IRELAND. West Ty-

rone Amateur Radio Club. 18.120 14.225 7.150 3.725. QSL. Ian Morrow, 90 Bracky

Rd., sixmilecross, Omagh BT79 9PH, NORTHERN IRELAND. West Tyrone Amateur

Radio Club which is based in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland are running a

special event station to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The station will be running on the

weekend of the 16th & 17th March 2019. The station will be operational from approxi-

mately 0930 to 1800hrs Saturday and from 10am to 1600hrs on Sunday. Depending on

band conditions, we will be operational on the following bands. HF: 17 / 20 / 40 / 80

phone HF: CW 20 meters HF: PSK31 & FT8 2 meters & Echolink. QSL cards will be

sent out to all contacts. www.wtarc.org.uk

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 Air-

port. Spots on DXSummit.fi. Email request for PDF certificate to

qsl@tucsonhamradio.org. Please, no paper QSLs.

https://www.tucsonhamradio.org

March Contests

ARRL Inter. DX , SSB

0000Z, 3/2 to 2400Z, 3/3

CQ WW WPX , SSB

0000Z, 3/30 to 2359Z, 3/31

The USECA Express

147.180 & 444.775

March Special Events of interest...

March 2019

Oklahoma QSO Party

1500Z, 3/9 to 0200Z, 3/10

and

1400Z-2100Z, Mar 10

Idaho QSO Party

1900Z, 3/9 to 1900Z, 3/10

Wisconsin QSO Party

1800Z, 3/10 to 0100Z, 3/11

Virginia QSO Party

1400Z, 3/16 to 0400Z, 3/17

and

1200Z-2400Z, Mar 17

Louisiana QSO Party

1400Z, 3/16 to 0200Z, 3/17

March QSO Parties

Click here for MI

Section news/info

Click here to

Sister Clubs L’Anse

Creuse ARC:

Meets every

1st Wednesday

of the month at

7:30 pm. The location is the

Tucker Senior Center located

at 26980 Ballard off 21 mile

Rd, East of I-94 in Harrison

Twp.

Hazel Park ARC:

Meets every 2nd

Wednesday of

each month at 7:30

pm. The location is UFCW

Hall, 876 Horace Brown Dr,

Madison Heights.

General Motors ARC:

Meets 3rd Tues-

day of the month

at 7:00 pm. The

Meetings are

held at the Pack-

ard Proving

Grounds, 49965 Van Dyke,

in Shelby Twp, MI

Not a member?

Page 10 The USECA Express March 2019

ARC

USECA… Needs Y O U!! No club can long survive with only a very few doing all the work.

You are the club.. Step up and help! It’s FUN! Positions open are:

Kitchen Help always appreciated @ meetings

FD Chairs, Meeting Chef

Stn Assignments, Food planning

USECA Express Article Writers

Expound upon your life & Ham experience..

ARRL/Club Liaison

Report on ARRL & local club activity

Step up.. Help run your club.. Volunteer!

Contact board members listed on page 1.

After a bit of a

hold-up, raffle tick-

ets are now printed

and ready for sale.

Don’t miss out on

your chance on a

great VHF/UHF rig.

Tickets will be

available for sale at

the January board

and General Mem-

bership meetings for

a chance at a new

Yaesu FTM-400 DR, just $10 each or 3

for $25. All proceeds from the sale of

these tickets will help

support USECA’s

club activities.

So, bring an extra

$10. or $25. to either

the board meeting or

the general meeting

and show your sup-

port for the club. I’m

hoping that one of

our club members

will end up the win-

ner of this great Fu-

sion radio!

Gary - KI8M

USECA’s 2019 Raffle.. Get a ticket! $10 ea or 3/$25

Plans are made for a club

activity that everyone

(including your spouse/

kids) might enjoy, a trip to

Stahls Automotive Founda-

tion/Museum in Chester-

field Township. The muse-

um is located on 56516

North Bay Drive. Check

out their website by click-

ing on the image in the cen-

ter ...they have an amazing

collection of old cars, auto related signs,

tool boxes, music instruments and an old

Wurlitzer organ (it works!). I know some

of our members have gone there and said

it was quite an experience.

According to their web

site, they are open every

Tuesday from 1pm to 4 pm

and on the 1st Saturday of

every month from 11 noon to

4 pm. We’ll be meeting there

(the museum) on March 2nd,

12 noon. There is no admis-

sion fee involved, but they

do have a donation box near

their front desk and they ap-

preciate any donation to help

keep the facility open.

This sounds like a fun activity that eve-

ryone can enjoy. Mark it on your calen-

dar and be there! 73, Gary - KI8M

(Check out the videos at the link!)

Stahl’s Museum.. Sat, March 2nd.. Come along!!

Get Involved, Show Up, Participate.. Have a blast!

♦ The Utica Shelby Emergency Communications Association Board usually meets on the first Monday each month, September

through June. Board meeting dates can vary due to a Holiday. Visitors are welcome.

♦ General Membership meetings are generally on the second Monday of each month, September through June. Visitors are of

course welcome and strangers aren’t strangers long. The official meeting begins at 7:30 pm, show up around 6 pm for a great

home-cooked meal (normally $6) and a heaping helping of camaraderie! Both the board meeting and general membership meet-

ings are held at the Mt. Clemens Elks’ Club, 179 S. Main Street, Mt. Clemens, MI, just south of the US Post Office on the east side

of the road. Map Link

♦ Throughout spring, summer, and fall, USECAns often gather in impromptu ‘Larks in the Park’. These can happen during the

week or on weekends, and are not always announced far in advance. What is a ‘Lark’? Radios, fun, relaxation, gab session, and

BBQ rolled into one! Larks are often held at Stony Creek Metropark or Lake St Clair/Metro Beach Metropark. How do you know

when USECA is having a lark? Check USECA’s Facebook page, check your email, or listen to our repeaters, K8UO at

147.180 (100Hz) & 444.775 (123Hz) Bring “munchies” and a favorite drink!

Page 11

Renewals due Jan 1st of each year

1st time memberships are pro-rated

The USECA Express March 2019

USECA’s W5YI VEC exam sessions.. get licensed or upgrade!

Testing is the 3rd Monday of the month from September thru June. Alec, NF8X, is the Con-

tact VE. Pre-registration is encouraged. Test fee is $14.00 cash (exact change only,

please!). Examinees must bring Xerox copies of their current license and un-expired

CSCE's, if any. There is no copy machine at the testing site! Exam start time is 7:00 PM.

Walk-ins are welcome. Test site is at the Mt. Clemens Elks Club, 179 S. Main St. in Mt.

Clemens, just south of the Post Office. (Map Link) Other VE test sessions can be arranged.

Contact Alec, NF8X, at (248) 4MY-TEST or nf8x73@gmail.com for info.

The USECA Express Page 12

Support our Michigan HF Traffic Nets

March 2019

Net Name Net Mgr Meets Comments

MACS Michigan Amateur

Communications

System

WB8TQZ Sun-Sat 10:00:00 3.952

For more on NTS and

Traffic Handling, see

the NTS link

UPN

Upper Peninsula Net WA8DHB

Sun-Sat

Sun

17:00:00

12:00:00

3.920

3.921

MIARPSC Michigan Amateur

Radio Public Service

Corps

WB8RCR Sun 17:00:00 3.932 MI-ARPSC meets on 7.232 if summertime

conditions warrant.

QMN

The Michigan Net WB9JSR

Sun-Sat

Sun-Sat

18:30:00

22:00:00

3.563

3.563

QMN Meets twice per day. QMN will also

hold a 9AM session if stations are availa-

ble. Summer conditions sometimes change

net frequency to 7.063. Recent poor condi-

tions sometimes dictate 1.812 MHz.

MITN

Michigan Traffic Net WB8TQZ Sun-Sat 19:00:00 3.952

Please consider volunteering as a net con-

trol station for MITN. MITN meets on

1.892 if winter conditions dictate.

MIDTN Michigan Digital

Traffic Net

N8LBF Tues, Thur, Sat 20:00:00 3.583 Within waterfall, typically around 3.584

GLETN Great Lakes Emer-

gency and Traffic Net

WA8IAL Sun-Sat 20:00:00 3.932 Great Lakes generally holds a "pre-net".

..and don’t forget our local VHF Traffic Net: SEMTN...

SEMTN Southeastern Michi-

gan Traffic Net

KD8QPF Sun-Sat 22:15:00 146.76

If you’d like to try other HF Nets, see the link below, supplied by Richard (KC8HMJ).. 100’s of Nets on many bands:

http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cpaIUPJOG9Kdb0Xo-hyzhcVKcyvOr37vrGIF1mIETHs/edit#gid=906307814

Local HF Nets...

Get active on the air… SSB, CW, FM, or Fusion

Click on the graphic or search

for USECA Amateur Radio Club

The USECA EXPRESS is published monthly (except July and August),

by the UTICA-SHELBY EMER-

GENCY COMMUNICATION AS-SOCIATION INC., of Macomb

County, Michigan. Articles for THE

EXPRESS should be submitted to the editor no later than one week

before our board meeting for publi-

cation in that month’s edition. The articles within are property of the

author and not necessarily endorsed

by USECA. Material contained in THE EXPRESS may be reprinted

provided credit is given to the USE-

CA EXPRESS and the author, except material published by permission of

a copyright holder. Articles with no

author noted can be assumed to be

written by the editor.

USECA ARC

PO Box 46331

Mt Clemens, MI

48046

Local VHF/UHF nets…

The Happenin’ Club!

We’re on the web

at usecaarc.com

Page 13

The USECA Express March 2019

147.180 & 444.775

MON 7:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter CW 21.165 MHz

MON-SAT 1 PM GM Net (Old Firebird Freq) 7.277.5 MHz

MON 8:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter Phone USB 21.395 MHz

TUE 2300 UTC USECA / 75 Meter Phone LSB 3.830 +/- QRM

THU 7:30 PM LCARC / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.435 MHz

THU 9:00 PM USECA / 15 Meter CW 21.140 MHz

FRI 9:00 PM USECA / 80 Meter CW 3.570 MHz

FRI 9:00 PM USECA / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.425 MHz

SUN 1:00 PM USECA / Information Net 147.180 +100 PL

SUN >1:30 PM ARRL/ARN Bulletin after Info Net 147.180

SUN 7:00 PM USECA / Traders/Tech Support 147.180 +100 PL

SUN 9:00 PM HPARC / Info (EchoLink ) 146.640 +100 PL

SUN 9:00 PM Garden City ARC 146.860 +100 PL

SUN-SAT 10:15 PM S. E. Michigan Traffic Net 146.760 +100 PL

MON 7:00 PM KA8WYN Tech, Misc Net 443.550 +107 PL

MON 7:30 PM SATERN 147.180 +100 PL

1st MON/mo 8:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink) Trivia Net 443.075 +123 PL

MON 8:00 PM MECA / Info Net 147.200 +100 PL

MON 8:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink ) Info Net 443.075 +123 PL

TUE 8:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink) Tech Net 443.075 +123 PL

TUE 9:00 PM Motor City Radio Club 147.240 +100 PL

WED 7:00 PM USECA 6m USB Net 50.145

THU 7:00 PM USECA Fusion Net (Linked Rptrs) 444.775

THU 8:00 PM Macomb County RACES / ARES 147.200 +100 PL

THU 8:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink) YL Net 443.075 +123 PL

THU 8:30 PM LCARC / Info Net (EchoLink ) 147.080 +100 PL

FRI 5:00 PM GMARC (EchoLink) Guild Net 443.075 +123 PL

SAT 9:00 PM GMARC AR Newsline 443.075 +123 PL

SAT 11:00 PM USECA International Hoot Owl 147.180 +100 PL

SAT 12:00 PM KA8WYN World-Wide Net (DMR) 442.0375