Welcome to the April edition of the CLARA Current! We are excited to announce a new project that Marty WTØZ is heading up. The local 4H club has over a dozen youth interested in amateur radio and we are getting a team together that can help these kids learn the basics. Please let a board member or Marty know if you are interested in helping this project gain traction! Now, let’s see what we have planned for April.
From Bob KØNR
Our next Ham Help Workshop is set for April 26th, 2pm to 4pm, again at the Casa Del Rio Clubhouse. More info here: https://w0cla.org/ham-help/
Our special topic for the April 26th session is operating digital voice (DV) on the VHF/UHF bands. We will provide an overview of the three most common DV formats: D-STAR, Fusion, and DMR. Then we will drill down on DMR, which is the most common format in our area. If you have recent experience with DMR, especially with hotspots, Brandmeister (or similar), let me know. We can probably benefit from your knowledge and assistance at this workshop.
At every workshop, we address other topics as needed, especially to help folks working on getting their Technician license or upgrading to a higher license.
Hamcon Colorado
The largest ham radio convention in the state will be held Oct 23 to 26 in Grand Junction. Take a look at the website here: https://www.hamconcolorado.com/
The details on the specific programs during the weekend are still coming together, but previous conferences have had an excellent lineup for the weekend.
So stay tuned to the website as more information becomes available.
Joyce/K0JJW and I will be there, helping out with the Ham Radio School booth. I’m also giving a presentation on VHF Mountaintop Operating (SOTA, POTA, contests, etc.).
It is going to be a fun weekend.
From Tom W9TR
It’s time for more foxhunting fun!
Hold the date for the next WØCLA Foxhunt: April 12, 2025. Group Start @ 10:00A MDT. Start location TBA.
The Fox will transmit on 446.025 MHz and will use our club call WØCLA.
This will be a drive/hike hunt like the last one. I will be the fox. The Fox will be somewhere in Chaffee County at less than 9,000 ft elevation and less than 1000 ft from a county, BLM, or Forest Service road. People finding the Fox will receive one of the coveted WØCLA Fox QSL cards. I recommend hunting in packs (teams). It’s hard to drive and run a radio at the same time. We will be having an antenna building workshop starting at 5:00P on April 8, 2025, before the next club meeting at the Casa del Rio Clubhouse.
If you want to build an antenna please contact me via e-mail or post in the WØCLA Groups.IO Group by April 1, 2024 so I can order the parts needed. The cost is $15.
This Foxhunt will have a theme: “Hams in Space”. Amateur Radio has a long history in space. The very first Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio (OSCAR) satellite was launched in 1960, 65 years ago! Owen Garriot, W5LFL, made the first Amateur Radio contact from the Space Shuttle Colombia, STS-9 December 1, 1983. Since then, Amateur Radio has played a part in most MIR and International Space Station (ISS) missions. As you hunt for the fox, you’ll learn about the rich history of amateur radio in space.
Today, the ISS is active on ham radio and even sends pictures from space via SSTV on 145.8 MHz FM. The ISS uses a 50W Kenwood rig so the signals are strong and receivable on an HT with a simple ¼ wave antenna. The fox will be sending some SSTV pictures using the same format used by the ISS, PD 120. This will allow you to test out your setup so the next time the ISS is sending SSTV you’ll be able to receive them. You will NOT need to decode these pictures to participate in the hunt. The fox WILL NOT be sending picture clues! So if you don’t want to mess with SSTV you don’t have to. But if you do, read on!
SSTV
All you need to do to receive SSTV pictures is to connect the audio output of an amateur radio transceiver or SDR to the soundcard on a Windows PC or a smartphone. You can even receive pictures by holding a smartphone next to the radio loudspeaker.
You’ll need some decoding software. The options and setup info are described in this link.
You can rig up a cable between your radio and phone or PC, or more simply place the speaker of your radio near the mic of your phone or computer. SSTV is an FM analog signal so amplitude is not critical, within reason. I have used MMSSTV (free) for the PC and CQ SSTV for iOS. Both work well. I hope to see you on the hunt!
The Fox – Tom W9TR
From Rick WA6NUT
CLARA April Meeting Notice
When: Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 Social: 6:00 PM, Meeting: 7:00 PM Where: Casa del Rio Clubhouse 27665 CR 313 #24 in BV
Radio Communications for Search & Rescue by Bill Sample, NØIET
Our speaker for our April meeting will be Bill Sample, NØIET. Bill is in charge of radio communications for the Chaffee County South Search & Rescue (SAR) organization.
Bill’s presentation will outline the history of radio in SAR, and describe propagation issues encountered in an SAR operation. Bill will describe the various types of radio equipment used in an SAR operation. He’ll also tell us the frequencies used by SAR (including VHF/UHF, 800 DTR and FRS), and he’ll describe the role of repeaters for work in the backcountry. And we’ll learn the basics of radio etiquette in SAR.
Bill has an extensive avionics background, having been employed on the engineering staff at Bendix/King (now Honeywell). He worked on the design of the user interface for aviation GPS units.
You won’t want to miss Bill’s presentation!
To join our meeting Tuesday evening by Zoom, click HERE! The passcode is 7373
From Doug KØILO
CLARA Board meeting was called to order by Brian KF5WCW at 7:00 March 20, 2025. All board members Bob, Rick, Jim, Doug and Brian were present along with guest Marty. The first item of discussion was the 4-H project that Marty is leading. The discussion centered around what projects the kids could do and how the club could help.
A small CW kit seems to be a good project to begin with. A small area foxhunt was discussed as well. Marty can use some more help. Brian will help and encourage other club members to do the same. Brian and Marty made a Donations Committee report. The discussion center around the “Go Box” that will be made with some of the donations. A motion was made to have the Go Box available to dues paying members. It carried unanimously. The next discussion was about an Emergency Communications Committee and how it might work with the county EOC. The Monarch repeater is still not working correctly after it was reinstalled. Getting it working properly is a priority and it was decided to work on it sometime after ski season ends on April 13. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20.
From Jim KDØMRC
Our cash assets are $1758. We’ve had 15 members 2025 dues as of this writing. We collect dues at monthly meetings, at the weekly breakfast, or via the donation link on our website (please check the box that helps cover fees related to paying online).
Dues are NOT required to participate in CLARA activities. Associate members can join in all the fun CLARA has going on throughout the year. Aside from raising funds to help keep the club and its assets functioning, paying dues allows us to properly track voting members and makes other administrative tasks easier to manage. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Summer Field Day is less than three months away and we are still looking for volunteers to serve on the planning team. Let a board member know if you are interested in helping plan this event. That’s it for this edition of the CLARA Current. Thanks to everyone for being a part of CLARA. From myself, KF5WCW, Tom W9TR, and the entire board, 73 and see you at the monthly meeting on April 8th!