Category: Blog

Mid Minnesota 150 Dog Sled Race 2018

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The BAARC supported the Mid-MN Sled Dog Race on Saturday, February 10th, 2018, with fifteen radio operators. Net Control was located at the Village Inn in Outing, MN. We had nineteen Mushers and Sled Dog Teams; nine – six dog teams left Outing, MN at 11 AM, followed by ten – eight dog teams at 12 noon. We had radio operators at ten different checkpoints keeping track of the Mushers and their dog teams. Thank you to Bob K6RCO, Mitch ADØHJ, Alan AAØAS, Carlos NØOHX, Doug KØDWB, Ron KØGOP, John WØWY, Terry KIØFW, Leon KEØAFY, Becky KDØHBH, Jeff KDØHBI, Roger WRØG, Judi KØJLL, Shirley KØDCW and Al WØRC. Also, thank you to Steve NØCRM and Ron KØGOP for doing the maps and the spreadsheets. We had cool but nice weather and didn’t have any major mishaps or lost mushers.

Thank You also to the Crow Wing Co. Sheriff’s office for letting BAARC use their communications trailer.

73,s
Al WØRC & Shirley KØDCW

2018 Mid-MN 150 Dog Sled Race map

January Club Meeting Program: Yaesu System Fusion

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For our January meeting program, we demonstrated Yaesu System Fusion and talked about the various radios and equipment used within the Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club.

Mitch ADØHJ started the evening with an overview of the Yaseu System Fusion DR-1X and DR-2X repeaters, the FTM-400DR and FTM-100DR mobile radios, and FT-70DR handheld radio.  Also shown was the custom Rackmount PC built by Nick WØNY for our repeater sites along with the neatly integrated Yaesu HRI-200 WIRES-X Interface.

A virtual connection was made with our 444.925+ repeater to show the WIRES-X software that controls the DR-1X repeater and allows connection to other Nodes and Rooms on the WIRES-X network.  Mitch explained how to connect the repeater to a different rooms through both the WIRES-X software and through the radio interface itself.

We connected to THE-DARC-ROOM which is linked to about a dozen other repeaters located across outstate Minnesota in communities such as Alexandria, Becker, Fargo, Le Sueur, Little Falls, Minneapolis, Paynesville, Rochester, Stewartville, St. Cloud, and St. Peter.  After connecting to this Room, he called out for anyone on that repeater to please respond. A call came back from Mike WQØA located in Saint Peter and Mitch proceeded to have Mike explain the equipment being used by the Saint Peter Amateur Radio Club (SPARC) and talk about how many amateurs in his community have switched to Yaesu Fusion Digital.

After a live demonstration of the digital system, Mitch showed club members more details and answered questions.

All Things HF: January 2018

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You just know you’re going to have a good day behind the mic when the answer to your CQ starts out with Aloha from KH6 land and he was operating mobile to boot! There’s always a thrill waiting you after calling CQ, even if its just a QSO here in the USofA. My next contact was operating portable 4 with a thick French accent and perfect English. I asked him to standby while I turned the beam toward 4 land for a better signal, he agreed telling me that he was in North Africa in Algiers to be exact…operating a remote station.

I should have realized that he was remote from the slight pause in his transmission. Anyway, late December through January always to seems to provide some good worldwide propagation, this winter was no exception. Later in the morning I worked the UK and Slovenia all with good signal strength. Happy New Year from my station to yours and may it bring good DX to all. Speaking of New Year’s eve, I decided to work the annual straight key night (SKN) using my vintage WWll J44 CW key. I decided to operate CW on 30-meters using my vertical antenna. I do not call CQ when operating CW. I prefer to answer a CQ and that way I can hear in advance how the other station is transmitting…if he’s sending like a speed demon, I take a pass and listen for a station that is more 13 to 15 WPM in the neighborhood of my poor CW skills. I answered a CQ and worked a station in Alameda, California using CW. I did okay and decided not to push my luck retiring after my single SKN contact.

What a great hobby…you sit down at your station and think, where will I go today. The DXpedition to Bouvet (3YØZ) is still scheduled to begin by the end of January and…this station is going to be on the hunt. That’s all for now as I look at the morning’s temp sitting at -29⁰ and still heading south. I hope to sit at my station later today finding some nice warm place to chat with. Remember, sit at your station and call CQ because someone somewhere in this world is listening for your call, don’t disappoint them. So long from Huntersville…once again Happy New Year from my station to yours…

Best 73 es gud dx from Bob/WØZPE

A Christmas Story

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His name was Mickey Hicks and his call sign was WO6T. Mickey had an alter ego named Santa Clause who also had a call sign, W6S. Every year for 37 years, Santa was on the air reaching out to the children of the world from the 20th of December until Christmas Eve calling CQ, CQ, CQ, HO, HO, HO, this is Whiskers Six Santa inviting all children into my workshop at the North Pole.

Santa was always spotted on DX clusters worldwide with the call W6S and his web page encouraged Dad or Mom to drop him a request via ‘e’ mail detailing what the kids were asking Santa to drop beneath their Christmas tree. Also, Mickey rigged a CCTV in his shack so the youngsters could see Santa in his white beard and red costume operating from his shack at the North Pole. When you listened to the kids talking with Santa from Dad’s shack, it was immediately evident that Santa Clause was someone to believe in.

It was a magical time for both the kids and for radio operators worldwide. In the real world, Mickey’s shack was located in a high rise building in downtown Bakersfield, California in the penthouse no less. I used to hear Mickey from time to time in the pileups working DX. He was good, so good that he was on the DXCC Honor Roll. I worked the call WO6T many times through the years until Mickey became a silent key at the age of 79.

The call W6S has been reassigned as a special event station for the annual Route 66 celebration. Santa is alive and well and Mickey Hicks made thousands of children so happy…so long Santa (Mickey Hicks) Clause I know your station is still broadcasting from heaven and the world is a better place for you having been here. WO6T/SK.

A Very Merry and Blessed Christmas To One And All from my shack to your shack…

Bob/WØZPE