ARRL ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIVISION CONVENTION
Forums and Presentations
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View the Forum and Hamfest Schedule at the links below.
FRIDAY Schedule SATURDAY Schedule
Check back for more updates. Last Updated 8/4/2019
Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning – Kevin Reeve N7RXE
Send a weather balloon to over 100k feet with amateur radio on board,
along with experiments, sensors, video cameras and more. Several ham
radio groups in Utah are having a great time flying and also helping
youth do the same. Come learn about all the fun you can have building,
launching, tracking, and hunting down that payload.
The Digital Radio Amateur Workstation (DRAWS™) – An Overview – John Hays K7VE
Overview of various modes and services available using the DRAWS™ Workstation
Home Brew Multiband Vertical HF Antenna – Kelby Davis AD7VO
Home Brew HF vertical antenna, continuously tune-able through 7 to 50 MHz.
Antenna modeling with 4nec2 – Kelby Davis AD7VO
Demonstration of antenna modeling with 4nec2 computer software.
Portable HF and DXpeditioning – Jared Smith N7SMI
This session will provide tips for taking your HF station portable.
Whether from your back yard, the back country, or an uninhabited Pacific
island, you’ll learn the basic equipment, skills, and considerations
for making long-distance HF contacts from anywhere.
Update your station by adding a low-cost Software Defined Receiver (SDR) – John Long KW7A
Everyone can add an SDR to their station and gain many of the features
that the newer Transceivers have. Review some of the current SDR devices
and how they work. Better receive sensitivity. Add a pan adapter, see
the complete band activity at once, in real time, see multiple band
activity at the same time. Integrate the SDR, Pan adapter and N1MM. Sync
your SDR with your Transceiver. See where everyone is transmitting to a
DXpedition when using Split mode.
DXCC For The Little Guy – John Long KW7A
Ways that anyone with a small station can have a chance at obtaining
their DXCC buy using multiple resources even if you have a very basic
station.
How and Why of DXing – Bob Carter WR7Q
Learn why we chase DX. Where to find and listen. When are the best times and places to check? What methods work best?
Go-Kits, “What Is Right For Me” – Dan Lundwall N7XDL
Dan will demonstrate various examples of creating your very own Go-Kit
so that it works for You. His emphasis will be on making a kit
that is Simple, Inexpensive and built for a targeted purpose. He
will also provide ideas for the advanced user. The goal in giving
this presentation is to show that you don’t need to be a millionaire in
order to create a go-kit that is right for you.
Learning CW After Puberty with CW Academy – Bob Carter WR7Q
You may have always wanted to know Morse Code, but now you think your
just too old to learn. Utilizing CW-Ops CW Academy, Bob will show you…if
you are willing to commit some serious time and effort you can learn
and be using CW in just a few short months at any age.
What about Decibels – Bob Carter WR7Q
We’ve all heard the term decibels (dB) and may believe we have a good
idea how they work and what they mean. But do you really? Bob will share
with us details explaining what the numbers mean and how they are
determined
Remote control of radio transceivers, design and implementation – Gary Crum KK7DV
Computerized remote control of remote radio transceivers, including
several implementations using various architectures and operating
systems including Linux, Microsoft Windows, web interfaces, iOS and
Android.
Rooftop antenna planning and installation – Richard Mead W7VQ
Home rooftop antenna planning and installation.
SOTA – Lessons From the Trail – John Overbaugh K7JTO
Lessons learned getting involved in SOTA, including recommendations to
keep costs low, equipment reviews (with no endorsement or affiliation),
antenna reviews, trip planning advice, etc. This is oriented toward
individuals who would like to get involved in SOTA, primarily as
activators, but aren’t sure where to start.
How to Build Portable Go-Boxes For Your Home And Abroad – John Jacobs W7DBO
Go-boxes are a popular way to mount your equipment in portable cases for
rapid deployment. But did you also know that is a great way to set up
your equipment in the shack? This session will cover how to get started
in building go-boxes, what equipment works best, design considerations,
tips and tricks, and a display of several boxes. Go boxes are a great
option when you need to be portable with your shack but want to minimize
the exposure to the elements. If you love field day, volunteering for
public service events, or want to be prepared for emergency
communications, you will enjoy this presentation and get new ideas for
organizing your own gear.
CW For Beginners: Why Morse Code Is Still Cool – Ryan Simpkins N2OW
A beginner-level discussion regarding the process of learning CW as a
language and obtaining proficient on-air skills. Topics include:
benefits of learning CW, training resources and recommendations,
learning using modern tools, encouraging youth (hams under 18 years old)
to try CW. We will be using live demos and lots of graphics to create
an interesting and engaging presentation.
Mobile Installation Tips and Tricks or How to Learn from Other’s Mistakes – David Mamanakis KD7GR
Mobile Installation Tips and Tricks or How to Learn from Other’s Mistakes
Winlink from Start to Finish – Mat Murdock K2MJM
This session will cover from set-up to getting one the air with Winlink. Winlink is a global radio email system.
21st Century Net Management with Google Sheets – Chris Clement K7CTC
Come see how the Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club utilizes real-time
online collaboration tools provided by Google to conduct our weekly net.
The Best ARES Emergency Communications Training Ever – LOTOJA – Kevin Reeve – N7RXE
This session will focus on how a public service event can be your ARES
groups best Emergency Communications training you will ever receive.
More than 130 amateur radio operators from 3 states spearheaded by the
Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club, provide communication and other support
to the longest single day bike race in North America. Participants will
leave with great ideas on how to leverage public service events as key
emergency communication and training exercises for their groups. LOTOJA
is a 206-mile bike race and ride from Logan Utah to Jackson Wyoming. It
travels through Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.
Impress Your Friends With Your DFing Skills – Larry Jacobs WA7BZO
Amateur Radio Direction Finding
Solar and Propagation Update for 2019 – Carl Luetzelschwab K9LA
Overview of the current status of Cycle 24, predictions for Cycle 25 and
discussion on HF propagation for the next several years.
Setting up a Pi-Star Hotspot for DMR – Chris Andrist KC7WSU
This session will cover the basics of setting up a DMR hotspot using a Raspberry pi, MMDVM hat and Pi-Star software.
Eliminating My Own QRM – Roland K. Smith K7OJL
In my new QTH and shack the noise floor was an astounding S9+. Most of
that turned out to be QRM generated by devices in the shack. The
presentation describes how I tracked down the noise sources and
eliminated them reducing the noise floor to S4.
AllStar Link … Yet Another VOIP – Roland K. Smith K7OJL
AllStar Link using the open source Asterisk PBX (private branch exchange) to link repeaters around the world
Technical Considerations for Your Shack – Bill Mader K8TE
Keeping You and Your Gear Safe, Making Your Gear Work for You,
Ideas/Gadgets That Help, Is the New Toy Worth It? Can’t Hear ‘Em? RX
Performance Listing
Army Mars Forum – Steve Carver AAA8RD
A forum for Army Mars members and those interested.
FT8 – From Setup to First QSO – Jed Petrovich AD7KG
Learn how you can take advantage of this new digital mode. Presentation will cover the basics of setup and operation.
DXing from the Middle East – Joel Shelton N8XJ
Between 2009 and 2018, I lived in the United Arab Emirates for work.
Licensed there under the call A65BX, I will share my DXing
adventures–and occasional misadventures–operating from this fascinating
oil-rich country in the Persian Gulf. For those just getting into HF
DXing, I will also explain how I was able to easily work around the
world using modest power levels and simple wire antennas.
Amateur Radio Satellite Communications – Carlos Cardon W7QL
Historically, communications satellites for amateur operation came from
the United States and Russia as an outgrowth of the Space-Race of the
1960s, through 80s. However, many other nations have now begun launching
space vehicles with amateur payloads. China is currently very active
with seven satellites in daily amateur use. The US has three
operational, with another slated for launch later this year. As a result
of all this activity, there are now more satellites available to radio
operators than ever before.
This presentation will cover the history, technology, evolution and
operational aspects of amateur satellites. It will discuss the current
“birds” and provide an overview of hardware, software and operating
techniques used in amateur satellite communications.
Summits on the Air – Ryan Etherington K7ODX
Shared experiences, gear talk, and some how-to regarding “Summits on the Air”.
A Fun Look at a History of DXing and Ham Radio – Ron Wilcox KF7ZN
A look at the early history of Ham Radio, with an emphasis on DXing. We
will mainly explore ham radio operators and their interesting and often
humorous stories, mixed with some of the milestone achievements of our
hobby.
DxLab Logging Software and much more – Ron Wilcox KF7ZN
DXLab is one of the largest logging programs in the world. Do you want a
logging program for your contacts that will interact with other
programs including N1MM, WSJT-X (FT8), and LOTW? You can use some or all
of the following: Transceiver control, rotator control, prefix, region,
IOTA and grid square lookup, language translation, callbook lookup,
award tracking and submission and more. In this presentation we will
introduce you to DXLab and give you an overview to get started with this
free program.
The Basics of Propagation – Ron Wilcox KF7ZN
This will be an introduction to HF propagation covering the sun and its
role, coronal mass ejections (CME), solar storms, sunspots, the
ionosphere, regions of the ionosphere, solar flux, K index, A index, and
the Earth’s magnetic fields, and how this affects your propagation.
Some sources for using this information will be introduced.
The ARRL Teacher Institute – Lisa Cook K7LAC
If you are a teacher or know a teacher, you should attend. We will
cover how to apply, and what you will learn. A real treat for
teachers interested in STEM.
New Ham Workshop – John Jacobs W7DBO
You just got your call sign but now what? How do you get started in
amateur radio? What equipment to buy? How can I get involved in the
community? How does amateur radio fit into personal emergency
preparedness? This workshop will cover getting started in amateur radio
and will be a mostly question & answer session. So bring your
questions and plan for an informative session.
Earthquake Preparedness – Marilyn Hoff – the Earthquake Lady
Many of us live on the Wasatch Front and that means we also live near
the Wasatch Fault. Because of this, the likelihood of being
affected by earthquakes is very high. Learn how to prepare and how
to protect yourself and your family.
Fldigi’s Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS) – Joan Rapp K6QJU
Professional digital message passing for Emergency Communicators.
Impress your served agencies with professional-looking printed message
forms. Mesh compatible.
FT8 – Tips on Making DX QSOs and Understanding the DXpedition Mode – Jed Petrovich AD7KG
Using FT8 to make DX contacts. The special DXpedition (Fox/Hound) mode will be covered.
My Favorite Commercial and Homebrew Portable HF Antennas – Jed Petrovich AD7KG
Discussion and demonstration of several HF portable antennas that could even be used in your own backyard.
Ham Radio and Emergency Management: Building Partnerships of Trust and
Benefit – a Farm Boy’s perspective
Lance Peterson, Director of
Emergency Management for Weber County will speak on how Weber County has
partnered with ARES and a local radio club to bring about mutual
benefit.
Mesh Introduction – Charles Gray KE6QZU
This introduction to Mesh or High-Speed MultiMedia radio (HSMM) will
give you an overview of what mesh is and how it works. So what is
MultiMedia? MultiMedia consists of messages that contain not just text.
The HSMM messages may contain, audio, images and/or video. High speed
file transfer. If you use the Internet, you are familiar with MultiMedia
messages, like email, YouTube, and Facebook, etc. With HSMM (Mesh) you
can do the same thinks you do on the Internet on Ham Radio Bands. Before
Mesh was available the best Ham Radio could do is 1200 or 9600 baud.
With Mesh one can do up to 54 megabits per second. Mesh is not a
replacement for the Internet, but a way for Hams to communicate with
each other using High-Speed MultiMedia. Come and see if Mesh is for you.
Programming Your Radio with Software – David Mamanakis KD7GR
You bought a Baofeng, Yaesu, Kenwood, TYT, Icom, Wouxun, etc, and… Now
what? You need to program it to use the repeaters in the area! But…
Typing all that in manually? The Horror! Hopefully we can answer a
few questions and help you get your radio programmed!
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