October 18: @ Pacificon.org 2024:

Innovative Operational Op Amp Design

Ed Fong WB6IQN

Remember, the October meeting will be held at Pacificon in San Ramon, not in Lafayette.

https://www.pacificon.org/events/mdarc-open-meeting

September 20, 2024:

Adventure Radio Protocol

by George Zafiropolus KJ6VU

The Adventure Radio Protocol provides a common radio frequency and tone signaling standard to make it easier for radio operators in the field to find and communicate with each other.  The protocol improves on the Wilderness Protocol by adding signaling methods that allow for unattended alerting for various types of on air activities from emergencies to POTA and SOTA spotting.  More details can be found at adventureradio.info

George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU, is active in portable operating and building repeater control systems.  George is also the host of the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast focusing on technical topics of interest to the radio amateur.  George tells his story when he was interviewed by Eric Guth on the QSO Today podcast in episode 232 www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/kj6vu

August 16, 2024:

AREDNmesh.org Networking - slides.pdf

by Mike W6MEW & John KM6ZJT

AREDN is the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network. It is made up of nodes that form a self-healing mesh.  This creates a stable working computer network much like the internet, but does not rely on the existing internet infrastructure.  This network of nodes and computers allows us to connect the modern digital world over the air with radios.  With the AREDN mesh we are able to send emails, transfer files, make phone calls, and much more without the use of the internet or cellular telephone systems. This presentation will provide an update on the current status of the AREDN mesh in Contra Costa County, a demonstration of software installation, and a demonstration of a practical application of AREDN.

July 19, 2024:

A Fun and New Way to Learn Morse Code

by Mike N1CC, Jim W6JIM & Howard WB2UZE

For many, learning Morse Code (CW) is the biggest challenge of their Ham radio hobby. Dropped from licensing in 2007, CW is experiencing a resurgence since COVID-19 via POTA, SOTA, Field Day and contests. Sure, you would like to learn, but overcoming the fear of getting on the air can be very frustrating. Some people have tried other methods and quit before gaining enough proficiency to make a first contact. There is a proven way to gain support in your learning. Overcome the CW scotoma with a seasoned CW instructor from the Long Island CW Club and peers learning at your skill level.

Long Island CW Club (LICW) instructors will share how you can have fun learning and using Morse Code.  You too can take part in the recent resurgence of Morse Code. LICW has molded their curriculum from the best of the past 100 years of CW instruction history and their own experience for the benefit of their students. 

LICW offers 140+ weekly zoom sessions and fosters an encouraging environment for peers to learn morse code together at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, encouraging all 5000+ members world wide to get on the air rapidly. Special groups are offered for kids, YLs and members with impairments including the sale of a patent pending haptic decoder. The available catalog of weekly zoom classes includes getting started with no hardware required at first, learning to decode the first 40 (26 letters, 10 numbers and 4 most essential prosigns) characters as acoustic shapes, sending, keys, morserino-32, oscillators, radios, Head Copy, QSO Protocol, Instant Character Recognition, improving speed, plateaus, homebrewing, POTA, operating Field Day with your local club, contests and the NTS. The web based Morse Code Practice page continues to improve and is available to anyone. Come with your questions Dit-Dit 😊

Jim Crites W6JIM lives in Walnut Creek, CA, retiring there after thirty years in the US Air Force. A ham since 1996, he notes that his last SSB QSO was in 2006. You might have worked him earlier as KF6FCV, 7J7ACM, or KF6FCV/TF. An Extra Class ham, he joined the Long Island CW Club in February 2019 in order to improve his own CW. He was invited to teach for the club six months later. He currently teaches a weekly Intermediate class that practices the back-and-forth protocol used in a CW QSO. He has taught CW to hundreds of students and will go through the paces of how to get started and what to expect along your CW journey.

May 17, 2024:

Contesting: An Intro and Why We Do It

by Northern California Contest Club nccc.cc President David West KO6M - slides - ppt

As a newer ham, licensed in 2020, David, KO6M, will give a newcomers introduction to contesting which will show that contesting can be one of the finer activities on the bands.  He’s found both the competition factor and the speed a fantastic way to hear and be heard around the world. He hopes to spread the word about how fun contesting can be. It isn’t just about jamming the bands up every weekend. 

April 19, 2024:

To Be Confirmed: Making Home-Brew Yagi Design Simple, and a Simple Low-cost VHF/UHF Design
by John Portune W6NBC  - slides - YAGI.pdf

Hams tend to fear building their own Yagi beams, thinking that only professional radio engineers can design Yagis. The equations seem way too complex and the many on-line Yagi calculators all conflict with each other, and they do not know which one to trust. GOOD NEWS. Ham yagi design is really simple as this presentation shows. Only three easy to remember no math, no calculator rules of thumb yield results that can't be distinguished from yagis designed with the calculators and the fancy math.

The presentation also shows how to build a durable inexpensive VHF/UHF beam from easy to obtain materials.

John Portune W6NBCU

* Licensed Advanced WB6ZCT 1965; Extra 1972

* Commercial Licenses: GROL, General Radio Telegraph

* Bachelor’s degree, Physics, Oregon State University 1960

* Career (Retired) Television broadcast engineer/instructor, KNBC Ch 4 Los Angeles, Sony Broadcast San Francisco

* Ham magazine author: QST/OTA (over 35 to date) and others

* Frequent Zoom live radio club and ham expo presentations

* Active on HF, VHF, UHF – SSB, FM, digital modes and ham satellites

* Native of Los Angeles, CA

* 10 yr. resident of UK. Ham license MØGCK

* Married KF6OEB. 3 children, 12 grandchildren

* Steam railroading, pipe organ and sushi enthusiast

w6nbcmail@gmail.com, website: w6nbc.com

March 15, 2024:

HT Transmitter Harmonic Testing

by Rob Rowlands, NZ6J

As presented at the Marin Amateur Radio Society W6SG. Rob is from New Zealand, a ham since 1963 and a retired electrical engineer. Apart from climbing and skiing his interests include offbeat applications of Amazon electronics products and providing communications for public service events.

• HT Test Procedure

• HT Test Results

Rob last presented in July 2021 on The Miraculous NanoVNA.

February 16, 2024:

So You Want to Work on Repeaters

by Jim Aspinwall NO1PC

Jim has been a 'ham' all his life thanks to his dad, finally licensed in 1971 amid the days of converting used commercial radios to 2 meters. Built his first repeater in 1972, amid his work-study job running a 5-site RCC shop in Wisconsin.  He's since done field service work on a variety of electronics and computing systems including a 2-way shop and an FM station in Houston.  As the advent of PC systems expanded Jim co-authored and authored 7 PC books and various PC help columns.

While in Houston he got exposed to linked systems by Armadillo Intertie, a Cactus affiliate. That carried with him amid job relocation to the Bay Area in 1989 and soon found himself "handed the keys" of an early Bay Area repeater - 'BARF' 443.750.  From there he became climbing certified and has helped many systems in NorCal and is now one of the principals of the Calnet system.

He became a staff then board member of NARCC and is currently its president.  Because of the 'variety' of ham radio help forums Jim founded "Amateur Radio Elmers" on Facebook. Also building focus via "NorCal Amateur Radio Sustainability" FB and Groups.io.

Through all this as a beginner and helping beginners, it's obvious we need to foster more skills in repeater system creation and maintenance - in all ways, literally, from the ground up.

1972: Madison Area Repeater Association, Central Wisconsin Repeater

Association, build 3rd VHF repeater in Madison, WI

1972-1976: RCC engineer

1981-1989: VFD comms support and f/f , Cal OES 2003-2015

1985-2002: Authored 7 PC support books, multiple columns.

1991-2002: BARF, Cactus, Calnet 2003 to present.

2013 to present: NARCC staff, board, president.