Hamfests

I had already mentioned RACK's 45th Annual Hamfest and Electronics Exposition on Saturday, June 11, but there are a couple of other local hamfests to get on your calendar.

Ten-Tec - 12th Annual Ten-Tec Factory Hamfest
Friday, September 23, 2011 - 2:00pm to 7pm
Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 9:00am to 2pm
1185 Dolly Parton Parkway
Sevierville, TN 37862

"Welcome hams from around the country to the 12th annual Ten-Tec factory hamfest! Featuring a discount sale on Friday and Saturday on new and used Ten-Tec ham radio equipment! Door prizes! Tour of the Ten-Tec factory! Meet the Ten-Tec factory representatives! 4 HF stations will be simultaneously on the air to try out the latest equipment. License testing at 12:30 Saturday afternoon."

Sweetwater Hamfest
Friday, October 8, 2011

"There will be a Hamfest in Sweetwater TN Oct 8th! Free admission and free setup. Also, free coffee and doughnuts while they last! Talk in will be on the 145.25 repeater 100 HZ tone. The tone wil be turned off during the hamfest."

Cultural Center of the World

Not only is Knoxville the center of the gun blogging universe (Uncle, Tam, Linoge, Les Jones, etc.), but we also like to read books. Heck, we might even get a new brewery just outside of town. Scruffy little town in deed.

The 145.470 Repeater is Down

The 145.470 repeater is down. When it rains, it pours.

WB4GBI 147.075 Repeater is Up

I posted earlier that the 147.075 repeater was down. As of Wednesday, Tim had it back up and running after replacing a power amplifier.

He also reminds everyone that the 147.075 has an autopatch to allow hams to make phone calls via the repeater. Here are his instructions for using the autopatch:

• Key your mic and identify yourself, with your intentions to use the autopatch... Such as: "This is WX4ABC accessing the Autopatch..."
• With the mic still keyed, and using your DTMF buttons... enter the (*) key.. followed by the 7-digit phone number. (No Long Distance numbers will be accepted)
• Release the mic key... and listen. If the autopatch is accessed correctly, it will repeat back to you "Accessing Autopatch..." (followed by the number you just dialed)
• You will then hear a series of beeps... while the machine dials your number. In a few moments, you will hear the phone ringing... then your party will answer.
• Note: Be sure to tell them they are on an autopatch, so they will know the conversation is being transmitted!
• Carry on your conversation as normal - releasing your mic to hear the other party's responses.
• (Note: There is a 4-minute limit to each autopatch session!)
• To hang up... simply key your mic, and press the (#) key -then release.
• The Autopatch will hang up the phone, then ID itself... give the time... then ask you to "Please Identify..."
• Give your callsign to let everyone know that you have finished using the autopatch, and have returned the repeater to normal use.

Baofeng UV-3R: My Orders - Updated

All three of my orders have arrived now, so I have updated the list below. The accessories all showed up within about a week, but the radio itself took almost two. Not bad for coming from Hong Kong to the scruffy little city.

UV-3R
Ordered May 6
Shipped May 6
Delivered May 19

FBA-37 (AA Battery Case)
Ordered May 11
Shipped May 11
Delivered May 18

USB Programming Cable
Ordered May 14 (Sat)
Shipped May 16
Delivered May 24

Repeater Guide - SERA

I posted briefly about two options for repeater guides. The post got an almost immediate response from the editor of the SERA Repeater Journal. Clearly, he is monitoring (Google Alerts, maybe?) for anytime someone links to the SERA site. So that his reply doesn't get lost as a comment, I've copied it below:

"It is true that there is a huge typographical error on the cover of the May issue of the Repeater Journal which incorrectly identifies it as the February issue. As that issue will be replaced two more times this year, I will make every effort to insure the correct date is on future covers. I apologize to our readers for the error and hope it does not detract too badly from the writing therein.
John Ghormley KJ4UFG
Editor, SERA Repeater Journal
editor@sera.org"

The fact that he found my post and responded has sold me on the SERA organization. Clearly they are keeping an eye on things. I'll be signing up for my Associate Membership.

Attention to Detail

Now this is attention to detail..

"Eckert was dedicated to testing every part. According to Scott McCartney, in order to choose his wiring, 'Eckert acquired some mice in cages and starved them for a few days. Then he put different kinds of wire in their cages to see which kind they enjoyed eating. The least appetizing brand was used in ENIAC.'"

Heard on the 940 Repeater: Exam Prep and Repeater Guides

Exam Prep
A ham on the 940 repeater was discussing his plan to upgrade from Tech to General and then to Extra a month later. He was also planning on talking his XYL into getting her Tech, too. The usual suspects were very critical of his plan to upgrade so quickly. They encouraged him to learn the material instead of taking one of the local classes and memorizing the answers to the question set. They even offered to buy him the books, so he could learn the material. I really appreciate the "tough love" they were giving the guy. They were hard on him, but they followed it up with a way to help. (Of course, I'm more of a paper ham than an expert in electronics and radio communications, but I'm still trying to learn!)

Repeater Guides
As part of that discussion, the new ham asked about getting a repeater guide. The ARRL offers their guide, which has tempted me, but not to the point that I've ordered one. The other hams recommended subscribing to SouthEastern Repeater Association (SERA). See below for information on both resources.

The ARRL Repeater Directory (Desktop Edition) $10.95

• Spiral Bound Desktop 2011/2012 Edition
• Directory of repeater locations and frequencies for the 21,800+ repeaters around the country
• Includes D-Star and APCO-25, references for operating practices, emergency message handling, tips for handling interference and much more.
• New lay-flat spiral binding allows for easy reference on the road. And, now including the ARRL Radiogram and ICS-213 Message Forms.
• Handy indexing tabs on the cover
• Easy-to-read listings
• Key to ""Repeater Notes"" located right up front
• Icons to identify ""Open"" or limited access repeater systems.

SouthEastern Repeater Association (SERA)

• Associate Membership - All repeater users are invited to join SERA as Associate Members. Although Associate Members have no voting privileges, their support is the heart of helping finance the successful operation of the organization. The $15.00 per year membership fee enables you to support the efforts of the organization and receive the Repeater Journal. Associate Membership deadlines are the 15th of the month preceding the months of publication (January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th). The Repeater Journal is mailed third class mail.

It looks like the SERA guide may not be as closely edited as the ARRL guide.

"YES! We know the cover says February 2011, but it is indeed the May 2011 edition of the SERA Repeater Journal. To solve this dilemma, take a magic marker, cross out February and write in May and the problem is solved!"

Baofeng UV-3R: eHam.Net Reviews

There are a few reviews of the Baofeng UV-3R coming in at eHam.net. Generally, they are positive, but I would give the radio a high score based on the value provided for such a low cost.

Baofeng UV-3R Reviews at eHam.net

Wouxun Dayton Surprise

As I reported earlier, Ed from wouxun.us said he would have a surprise at Dayton. He said it would not be the KG-UV920R, but I was hoping for new hardware of some sort... instead, Dayton attendees could pick up a KG-UVD1P for $85! Price of $85 confirmed here. Amazing.