Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club – Since 1948 – Winchester, Virginia 

  73rd Annual BERRYVILLE HAMFEST and ARRL Virginia State Convention were great!
Update and pictures. See you next year August 3!

W4RKC Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club Winchester, Virginia

ThawFest! is coming – April 13 – Ruckersville VA

Mar 23, 2024

Click here to download the Thawfest Event Flyer

📡🎉 **Join Us at Thawfest II – April 13, 2024!**

**What:** Dive into the world of Ham Gear and Fine Ham eyeball QSO’s at Thawfest II! Hosted by the Greene County Virginia Amateur Radio Club, this event promises an exciting day filled with all things amateur radio.

**When:** Mark your calendars for April 13, 2024, from 08:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

**Where:** Gather with fellow enthusiasts at Ruckersville Elementary School, located at 105 Progress Place, Ruckersville, VA 22968.

**Why Attend?**

📡 Last year’s Thawfest was a smashing success, and this year promises to be even bigger and better! With expanded space, ample parking, and increased sponsorship, Thawfest II is set to exceed all expectations.

🎟️ **Reserve Your Spot:** Indoor table spaces are in high demand and filling up fast! Secure your spot now by emailing your table reservation request to Thawfest@gcvarc.net. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase SK and personal sales from your clubs.

🌦️ **Rain or Shine:** Thawfest II is a rain or shine event, with most activities taking place indoors, ensuring a delightful experience regardless of the weather.

🎁 **Exciting Prizes:** Get ready for an abundance of door prizes generously provided by our sponsors! From radios to accessories, there’s something for everyone. Plus, don’t miss the chance to win coveted items like the DX Commander Expedition and an Arrow Antennas SOTA antenna in our raffle.

🔍 **Stay Updated:** For the latest updates and details on vendors, visit https://gcvarc.net/vendors/.

Spread the word and email this flyer to your club members to ensure they don’t miss out on this thrilling event!

**Let’s make Thawfest II an unforgettable celebration of amateur radio!**

73,

Jim Dickman WA4TVN

Click here to download the Thawfest Event Flyer

Club Presentation: Mobile Bonding and Grounding by W3GX John. Fine information! Would you like more?

Mar 20, 2024

We extend our sincere gratitude to W3GX, John Foote, for his insightful presentation on March 21, 2024, at the Clubhouse. The event was a tremendous success, with a full house of 42 attendees in the shack, and an additional 10 members and visitors joining us via the livestream. John, a degreed Electrical Engineer and former network broadcast engineer with extensive experience in overseeing the construction of broadcast antenna towers nationwide, shared invaluable tips for safely installing amateur radios, particularly in modern vehicles.

For those who missed the presentation, you can access John’s presentation slides [here] Update: Audio file from John’s Presentation at the top of this article. Click to play. 

Based on the overwhelming positive feedback and attendance, John is contemplating a longer presentation, lasting between 2 to 4 hours, at the clubhouse in the upcoming weeks. Your input is crucial in shaping this future event. Kindly complete the form below to indicate your interest in attending a longer presentation. We anticipate providing an update on this page and via email to interested individuals by April 5.

For those eager to learn more about the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club, please visit our website, SVARC.us  We’ve proudly been on the air since 1948, fostering a vibrant community of radio enthusiasts.

If you’re considering becoming a radio amateur, we encourage you to explore further and schedule your exam through our website: [WinchesterHamTest.com].

Thank you once again for your enthusiastic participation and support. We look forward to your continued engagement in our upcoming events.

John spoke about a crowbar to shut power and protect your radios from voltage above 15 volts. This is the product that he referenced, the developer’s shopping cart is here: https://store.a-2-z.tech/

Minibar – Crowbar Circuit order page: https://store.a-2-z.tech/

Volunteers Needed – April 19-20 – Old Dominion Rides – No Frills Equine Race

Mar 9, 2024

Outdoor Ready – 2 Meter Capable Radio Amateurs needed – registration required – April 19-20, 2024

WHAT: Volunteer Ham Radio Spotters needed for course coverage for the NO Frills Equestrian Race. Race Sponsor: Old Dominion Equestrian Endurance Organization, Inc.

WHEN: April 19-20 2024

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:  2m HT with extra battery and/ or a 2m mobile in a vehicle. 

CONTACT To Help: KE4RL, Randy Lilly, randylilly2 [at] gmail.com

MORE INFO: https://www.OldDominionRides.com

Background: 

•The Old Dominion Equestrian Endurance Organization (ODEEO, a 501(c)3 organization) will kick off the endurance ride season with the No Frills Race on April 19-20 2024.

•Equestrian Races of 30 and 55 miles will start each day, Friday and Saturday, from Base Camp in Star Tannery, VA. The course follows trails in the GW National Forest on both sides of the border with West Virginia. Due to the mountainous terrain, ham radio spotters are stationed throughout the trail and at checkpoints to monitor the progress of the competitors and inform ride management.

•Communications are maintained primarily through local 2m repeaters. Southwest Virginia AUXCOMM provides an organized backbone and net control functions.

•Additional licensed amateur operators are needed to supplement or fill outlying stations.

•Equipment needed is just a 2m HT or a mobile in a vehicle.

•Options ARE available if you want to bring more. (P.S. Great time to activate a POTA!)

•If you have a few hours either day, (or would like to camp with us the entire weekend!) and would enjoy watching some world class equestrians and their horses course through scenic trails, please contact Randy Lilly, KE4RL, radio team administrator for the No Frills Ride: randylilly2 [at] gmail.com

 

 

Bob Heil, K9EID, Heil Sound, Silent Key February 28, 2024

Mar 5, 2024

From ARRL.org – 3/1/2024

 

The man who defined the sound of live rock ‘n’ roll music and brought audio engineering principals into mainstream amateur radio use, Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID, has passed away February 28 at the age of 83. He was an ARRL Life Member and in the ARRL Maxim Society. A Facebook post from Heil Ham Radio paid tribute to their founder: “Bob fought a valiant, yearlong battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family.”

Heil founded Heil Sound in 1966, through which he created the template for modern concert sound systems for musicians like the Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh, and Peter Frampton. The talk box used on iconic live record Frampton Comes Alive! was of Heil’s design. His audio engineering products have been featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he was honored in 2007 with the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award for his impact on the live sound industry. “My life has been about achieving great sound, whether on the concert stage or in the amateur radio world,” Bob Heil recounted in 2022. “I’ve watched Heil Sound go from a regional sound company to a world-class microphone manufacturer. This company has been my passion,” he said.

Parallel to his commercial and artistic success in live music, was his passion for amateur radio. He was active in ham radio from a young age and merged his expertise in audio engineering with his love for radio. Heil Ham Radio was founded to produce microphones, headsets, and other gear for radio amateurs with an emphasis on high-quality audio.

Heil was known as a mentor who enjoyed helping others find success in ham radio. Recently, his grandson Charlie Hartley, KF0OOP, became a licensed ham to surprise Heil for his birthday. The pair attended the ARRL Midwest Convention/Winterfest in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 27, 2024.

Heil was a generous donor to amateur radio organizations, including ARRL. Recently, he donated a host of new audio gear to the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW.

His generosity and kind nature will be missed by many, including ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL. “Bob was a titan in many areas. He was generous with his time, offered keen insights, and had the heart of a philanthropist in the ARRL Maxim Society,” Beal said. “He was a gentleman to his core, making friends easily and everywhere he went, from rock stars to captains of industry. I consider it a real privilege to have become a friend to him, too, all because of amateur radio.”

Heil was known for his passion for AM operations. He served for many years as an on-camera host of the Ham Nation podcast. Tributes to Heil have been flooding social media, including from his co-hosts.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said Heil’s passing is a significant loss. “Bob Heil’s technical achievements that brought high-quality audio to amateur radio pale in comparison to his generosity and willingness to help his fellow ham. He’s long been known as someone eager to help mentor and teach. His legacy on our hobby will be long-lasting. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”

#

ed. note: Bob Heil’s legacy and innovation lives on with heilsound.com and heilhamradio.com

Amateur Radio Operators Needed for Help with Solar Eclipse Project

Feb 29, 2024

Cross-posted from ARRL

The Case Amateur Radio Club, W8EDU, the club station at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, is asking for amateur radio operators to help with a research project centered around the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse.

W8EDU club member Adam Goodman, W7OKE, said the project centers around studying the effects of the eclipse on propagation to better understand the recombination time of the ionosphere.  

“To do this, we are recruiting North American amateur stations interested in recording the Canadian time standard station CHU (Canada’s WWV) for two weeks surrounding the eclipse,” added Goodman. “Anyone with a KiwiSDR or a rig that can interface with analysis/recording software such as Fldigi is encouraged to reach out to us to participate.”  

W8EDU club member and project software manager Maris Usis, KE8TXG, said that while the software is simple to use, there is some detailed work involved. “We can help make it easier and there are good online instructions as well,” said Usis.  

All of the participation details are on the club’s website at https://w8edu.wordpress.com/chu-eclipse-data-collection/.  

W8EDU club faculty advisor David Kazdan, AD8Y, said the research project has received positive attention from the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Programcommunity, the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) community, and Case Western Reserve University’s engineering deans. “It is already a truly international effort, and we are collaborating with more than 20 stations across the continent, from collegiate and high school stations, to a representative from the Radio Amateurs of Canada, to a station in Mexico,” said Kazdan.  

The 2024 solar eclipse will over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. ARRL is a partner with HamSCI to help promote this opportunity for radio amateurs to participate in an active science experiment, through the Solar Eclipse QSO Party.