The Kaw Valley Amateur Radio Club Newsletter THE TRANSCEIVER. January 2014

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Arnold Briggs
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1 The Kaw Valley Amateur Radio Club Newsletter THE TRANSCEIVER January 2014 Editor: Doug Dunton ARRL Affiliated Since Club Officers President: Paul Mills Secretary: Susan Sims Treasurer: Paul Bayless January 3 Meeting will be at the McFarland s Restaurant, Topeka, KS (starts at 6pm). RSVP to AC0HY@Mills-USA.com Grounding: Think About It Before Spring Arrives By thinking about grounding you may save yourself a lot of grief in the spring. The two most important parts of you ham station are antenna and ground. Generally speaking, more metal high in the air means a better signal. Bigger is better! Well size is not everything, but certainly is helpful. Once we have all that metal in the air, we just may have a problem. This is especially true in the stormy spring and summer weather. Being the highest conductor of electricity around, it becomes a natural magnet for static discharge, including lightning. While good grounding is NOT a guarantee against equipment damage, in my 47 years or so of working with radio, EVERY case of serious damage that I personally inspected, had serious grounding problems. In many cases, the only ground in place was the ground of the house electrical system. There are many problems with this approach, which is usually just neglect, but even actively advocated by some.

2 There are a number of problems with house wiring as equipment ground in your ham shack. One is that it just may become a part of your antenna system. And if it does, your signal is not where you want it to be. Which is both a safety and a performance problem. Another problem is that large static discharges will find their way through your house wiring. Any discharge through the ground conductor may induce a current into the rest of the house wiring, causing lots of damage to other equipment in your house. Not to mention a fire hazard. Make sure all antennas are grounded BEFORE coming into the house, to safely dissipate static discharge to ground. Large conductors are best. All ground rods must be bonded to each other to meet National Electrical Code and local standards. In addition your radio should have a good RF ground. I use a 3-inch wide copper strip from my ground rod to the area behind my radios. I then use a flat braded conductor from each piece of gear to the copper strip. Note that most modern radios have NO ground of any kind until you do this. Most modern radios operate from 12 VDC using power supplies whose outputs are floating above ground. As spring rolls around in a few months, you should check all your ground connections for tightness. You should also check critical points with an ohmmeter to make sure you have a good connection. I have found clamps on tower legs and ground rods, that while tightly clamped, showed infinite resistance. The connections may need to be cleaned up a bit, and rechecked. 73 de AC0HY Message from the Editor: Please ask all of your ham buddies if they got their copy. If not, and they want to, they can sign up at We plan on sending this to all hams in the immediate area and also any others that request (in the area and not, members of KVARC or not). Please help me out. If you hear of a news story (amateur radio based of course), please send it to me at wd0dbs@arrl.net. Especially if you think others would be interested. Also pictures of local hams doing ham things. New or old. If you would like to help out by writing stories, that would be great too. Reminders: Annual 2013 Membership form at KVARC Application Ham FAQ: For Hams new to the area or are just licensed - Ham FAQ

3 KVARC Club meeting January 3rd 600pm. This will be at McFarland s this month. Topeka, KS Regular test session at Feb 14 at Topeka Library at 2pm. Pre-register with Paul at ham.test@kvarc.org Regular test session at Jan 10 at Carbondale City Hall at 7pm. Pre-register with Paul at ham.test@kvarc.org Tuesday night ARES net on at 830pm Wednesday night simplex net on at 730pm run by KB0WOW Dan Free Extra Class January 4 th, 11 th, 18 th, and 25th at Topeka Library from 9 am till 5pm. Testing on the 25 th at 1pm (there is a fee for the test) contact ham.class@kvarc.org for details and sign up Free Technician class April 5 th and 12 th at the Topeka Shawnee County Library. Testing on the 12 th at 1 pm(there is a fee for the test) contact ham.class@kvarc.org for details and sign up

4 ARES Training Topic PREPAREDNESS Topic 1 Are You Prepared To Respond to Severe Winter Weather Advisories? As we enter the month of December, the threat of severe winter weather is quickly upon us. Understanding the different types of severe winter weather that the National Weather Service will warn us of will allow us to better prepare ourselves. Why Talk About Winter Weather? Each year, dozens of Americans die due to exposure to cold. Add to that number, vehicle accidents and fatalities, fires due to dangerous use of heaters and other winter weather fatalities and you have a significant threat. Threats, such as hypothermia and frostbite, can lead to loss of fingers and toes or cause permanent kidney, pancreas and liver injury and even death. You must prepare properly to avoid these extreme dangers. You also need to know what to do if you see symptoms of these threats. A major winter storm can last for several days and be accompanied by high winds, freezing rain or sleet, heavy snowfall and cold temperatures. People can become trapped at home or in a car, without utilities or other assistance. Attempting to walk for help in a winter storm can be a deadly decision. The aftermath of a winter storm can have an impact on a community or region for days, weeks or even months. Extremely cold temperatures, heavy snow and coastal flooding can cause hazardous conditions and hidden problems. This month s preparedness topic will address the question, then, are you prepared to respond to severe winter weather advisories? NOAA Weather Radio is the best means to receive warnings from the National Weather Service. The National Weather Service continuously broadcasts warnings and forecasts that can be received by NOAA Weather Radios, which are sold in many stores. The average range is 40 miles, depending on topography. Purchase a radio that has a

5 battery back-up and a Specific Area Message Encoder feature, which automatically alerts you when a watch or warning is issued for your county. The National Weather Service issues outlooks, watches, warnings and advisories for all winter weather hazards. Here s what they mean and what to do. Use the information below to make an informed decision on your risk and what actions should be taken. Remember to listen to your local officials recommendations and to NOAA Weather Radio for the latest winter storm information. The National Weather Service uses the terms below to convey the weather threat to the public Winter Storm Watch Indicates severe winter weather such as heavy snow or ice is possible within the next day or two. Prepare now! Winter Storm Warning Indicates heavy snow (greater than 6 ), heavy sleet (½ +), or a combination of winter weather hazards are highly likely or occurring. Stay indoors and adjust travel plans! Ice Storm Warning Heavy accumulations of ice will create extremely dangerous travel, damage trees and likely cause extended power outages. Blizzard Warning Strong winds of 35 mph or greater will combine to produce blinding snow, near zero visibility, deep drifts and life threatening conditions especially for those that attempt travel. Wind Chill Warning Life threatening wind chills of 25 to 30 degrees below zero or colder. Winter Weather Advisory Indicates snow accumulating 2 to 5 inches, or a combination of winter weather conditions will cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous, especially to motorists. Use caution if you venture out! Freezing Rain Advisory Light accumulations of ice will cause hazardous travel. Wind Chill Advisory Dangerous wind chills of 15 to 24 degrees below zero. 1 As Emcomm volunteers, we know that preparing ourselves and our families always comes first. Preparing for the inevitable threats posed by severe winter weather is an important part of that preparation at this time of the year. 1 NWS: FEMA: Red Cross:

6 Other info: To sign up for this newsletter, Go to web site and fill in the request box with your address. Also, we will post these on the web site as soon as possible for you to download. If you are receiving this newsletter and wish not to, please send an to me at If there are any inaccuracies, please let me know so I can put out a correction. Classes: These folks took the General test and passed. Sean E Michael - KD0ULQ (from KC area) Travis Whitt KC0IXZ Gregory Jenson KD0ODG Rob Zachritz, KD0QOH Nick Jones (KC0YKO) Judy Riniker (KD0YEM) John Dorsch KD0RSC (from KC area) bob hitt KD0YEJ Julie Hitt KD0QOK (Some pictures are included below) We also had 3 others walk in and took tests and passed tech tests and 1 upgraded. David Blankley Chris Stratmann KS0JSX Malcomb Stapel We had one other young man who took the test but will be trying again next month. Congratulations to all! Don t forget we have Extra Classes in January! A big Thank You to Bill Kuhn and Bartlett & West for the use of the room. This is a fantastic room that we will make use again.

12 Please send any equipment you have for sale and I will include in next month s issue ARRL Affiliate since 1926

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14 Ham Radio Extra Class! Now is the time to upgrade that license. If you have had you license for quite a while or are newly licensed. Sign up for the Extra upgrade class. When: January 4, 11, 18, 25 from 9:00am-5pm Where: Topeka Shawnee County Public Library Exam Date: January 25 at 1pm To register for the Extra class send an to ham.class@kvarc.org Reply soon to register (no charge for the class, but there is for the test)

Winter Weather. National Weather Service Buffalo, NY

Winter Weather. National Weather Service Buffalo, NY Winter Weather National Weather Service Buffalo, NY Average Seasonal Snowfall SNOWFALL = BIG IMPACTS School / government / business closures Airport shutdowns/delays Traffic accidents with injuries/fatalities