136 results for author: Scott Toth

Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Fees to be Eliminated

The FCC has found that it costs the agency more to process the regulatory fees for amateur radio vanity call signs and other services such as GMRS than the fees themselves cover. Rather than increasing the rate, the FCC has decided to eliminate them altogether. This change will not go into effect until the required congressional notice has been given, which typically takes at least 90 days. Any fees paid prior to the institution of the change will not be refunded. This is great news and a welcome change from the tedious fee recovery process that has been normal. For more information, visit this page at ARRL's website.

Ham Radio Operators Aid in Nepalese Earthquake Response

Almost everyone has heard about the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25, 2015 and the devastation it left behind. More than 7,000 people were killed and many others were injured. Countless have been left homeless as the result of building collapses, and it has been difficult for people to find loved ones in the wake of the destruction and ensuing chaos. Amateur radio has played an important role in the rescue and recovery efforts in Nepal, often being the only means of communications due to the country's lack of reliable telephone and Internet infrastructure. In many ways, amateur radio operators have filled a crucial role. There ...

GARA Picnic May 16 at Hagan Stone Park

Come and have a fun and relaxing evening with GARA in shelter 5 at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden on Saturday, May 16. This is a great event to celebrate the start of summer and have fun with friends, old and new. Bring a radio or a frisbee and be ready to pack down excellent hamburgers and hot dogs.  Everyone is welcome! The picnic will start at 5pm and run until 8, with food being served around 6pm. If you'd like to attend, let Tom Bertolino, GARA president, or any board member know before May 13, and include the number of people you'll have there. You can also use the contact form on this site to let us know. The cost is a modest $7 per ...

World Amateur Radio Day April 18

This Saturday, April 18, is World Amateur Radio Day in honor of that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. According to the IARU, World Amateur Radio Day "is the day when IARU Member-Societies can show our capabilities to the public and enjoy global friendship with other Amateurs worldwide." There will be a number of Special Event Stations on the air for WARD from various countries such as Bahrain, India, Oman, and from our neighbor W4SNC, the Iredell County Amateur Radio Society! To see more information about the World Amateur Radio Day, visit the WARD page on the IARU website, found at http://www.iaru.org...

Rockingham County Amateur Radio Club Swapfest

The Rockingham County Amateur Radio Club will be holding their 11th annual Swapfest at the Community Baptist Church in Reidsville from 8am until noon on Saturday, May 9.  Admission is $4 in advance or $5 at the gate.  Plan on arriving early to find the best deals! For more information, see the flier on the RCARC's website here.

K4HC’s 8-Band DXCC

GARA's very own Chris Thompson, K4HC, recently finalized his 8-band DXCC endorsement with a confirmed QSL on the 30 meter band.  This means that Chris now has at least 100 confirmed DX entities on each of eight ham bands, including the original five needed for the 5-band DXCC (80m, 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m), and three additional bands, including 17m, 12m, and finally 30m.  It is an especially huge accomplishment considering Chris completed his initial 5-band DXCC using 100W (no amplifier) and a wire antenna.  He has since added a hex beam antenna to his arsenal, but has kept the 100w power output.  All hams who work DX should be encouraged by this ...

Yaesu DR-1X Application Approved by Yaesu!

Following the submission of the application to purchase a new Yaesu DR-1X System Fusion repeater late last week, the GARA board has just received confirmation that our application has been approved by Yaesu!  Because of the popularity of the program, there is a one- to two-month wait time to receive the repeater, but Yaesu will notify us when it is ready to ship. Thanks again to everyone who has already donated to fund this project, and thanks to all members for supporting this important initiative!

The NC QSO Party Results are in!

The NC QSO Party results from the event on March 1-2, 2015 are in, and our very own Cameron Conover, AJ4TW won first place in the Single Op/In State/Phone category!  Cameron, with setup and logistics assistance from Jesse, K4AX, operated alone from a temporary shack in a friend's house in Surrey County.  Here is the text from the RARS site where the winners were posted: Single Op/In State/ PhoneNumber 1 of 51 entries in this category was Cameron AJ4TW in SUR with a score of 142,964 and 636 Q’s. Cameron could have entered and won as an Expedition station, but chose to operate in this category. That’s a great result considering he worked a ...

Repeater Upgrade Update – Yaesu DR-1X

At the March 23, 2105 GARA meeting, following an informative and vigorous discussion, the membership voted to move forward with the purchase of a Yaesu DR-1X repeater under the club discount program.  Prior to the vote, Bill, N8KSG, described how the Rockingham Amateur Radio Club bought and installed two DR-1X repeaters and explained the benefits and drawbacks they've noticed over the past few months of operation. David, AJ4TF, presented an opposing viewpoint, and questions were asked of both.  After the discussion, a motion was made to purchase the DR-1X, including provisions to purchase an additional power amplifier to be used with the new ...

K1N QSL Update

For those of you who worked the Navassa Island DXpedition earlier this year, here is an update about QSL cards, LoTW uploads, etc from N2OO who is handling QSLing for the team: N2OO - Callsign Lookup by QRZ.COM NOTICE: K1N NAVASSAMarch 16, 2015: Current QSL status for K1N: The QSL design is almost ready to go to the printer. We just had our first incoming MAIL opening party at my QTH. 14 SJDXA QSL team members took 7 hours to open and sort 14 mail trays of QSL mail (which included some of my non-K1N QSL requests). LoTW: An LoTW upload was made for all "pre-depature" advance early donors (donations made pre-January 30) as a THANK YOU for their ...