Geeklog Site

Next Meeting: January 19, 2012 - The Boston Marathon

Admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:46:05 -0500

The next membership meeting will be Thursday January 19th, 2012. The meeting will feature Steve Schwarm, W3EVE on the topic of Radio Communications at The Boston Marathon. It starts at 7:00 PM at the Reading Senior Center at 49 Pleasant St, Reading, Mass.

Next Meeting: November 17th, 2011: Linux Software for Ham Radio

Admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:25:52 -0500

The next QRA Meeting will be on November 17th 2011 starting at 7:00 PM. The speaker will be Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, on Linux Software for Ham Radio. Andy is the president of PART, the Police Amateur Radio Team, of Westford, MA. He also founded and has been acting president of two Linux User Groups (Worcester and Chelmsford), as well as a teacher of Linux classes for the Chelmsford Community Education program. His talk will be about his use of ham radio related software that runs on Linux, such as logging programs, satellite tracking, digital modes, CW practice, and antenna modeling. Andy will also make available some Linux CDs containing ham radio software.

Next Meeting: May 19th 2011 - Log Book of the World

Admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 22:28:29 -0500

The next membership meeting will be Thursday May 19, 2011, and it will start at 7:00 PM. Our speaker will be Mike Rioux, W1USN. His subject will be on The ARRL Log Book of the World. You can get to the meeting in Reading, MA at the Reading Senior Center, 49 Pleasant Street. The meeting is open to all.

Next Meeting - January 21, 2010 - See How Antennas Work

Admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:33:50 -0500

The next general meeting will be held on January 21st, 2010 at the Reading Senior Center at 49 Pleasant Street in Reading, MA. This months speaker will be Dale Clement - AF1T. He will be doing his talk on "See How Antenna's Work." I've seen this talk before, and it is not one to be missed. Click "Read More" to see the official info about the talk.

"SEE HOW ANTENNAS WORK", is a visual demonstration of various phenomena related to radio communications and different types of antennas. Originally, it was a one hour program for understanding the concepts encountered in studying for the entry-level Technician Class Amateur Radio License. Topics included Frequency, Wavelength, Polarization, Dipoles, Ground Planes, and Directional Antennas (Quads and Yagis). Working antenna models were set up to receive 432 MHz radio energy across a room, detected by small light bulbs.

Audience participation helped to make this a success. Use of light bulbs instead of meters was more dramatic and less mathematical, an important consideration for newcomers. 432 MHz was chosen because of available equipment (a Microwave Module Transverter), and because practical antennas are small enough to easily transport. A one-half-wavelength dipole is about 13 inches (33 cm) long, and many antennas can be easily constructed from No. 12 house-wire and wooden supports. Going to a much lower frequency would result in larger antennas and require a longer room. Going to a much higher frequency would make construction tolerances too critical especially when accounting for the wire leads to the light bulbs.

The presentation was later expanded to cover topics encountered in the General Class and Extra Class Exams. Quite a few model antennas were constructed; some of these (such as the half-square and Moxon rectangle) are normally used at H. F., where they would be too large to fit in a room. Many topics can be demonstrated, including phasing and stacking of antennas. These topics can be chosen by the audience if time is limited.

BIO � Dale P. Clement, AF1T, of Henniker, New Hampshire, has been involved with varied aspects of Radio Communications and Technology for many years. Dale's Electronics career has included employment in Short-Wave Radio Repair, Antenna Design and Development Engineering, Research, Design, and Development of Satellite Communications Circuitry, and Electronics Instruction. His RF experience spans the range from VLF through SHF Microwaves.

Dale owes much of his RF background to a nearly life-long enthusiasm for Amateur Radio. Home-built equipment first got him "on the air", and he still enjoys designing and constructing station gear and antennas. Pursuits include world-wide DX Contacts, HF and VHF Contests, Meteor-Scatter, Microwave Experimentation, and EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) Communications. Dale has a 10 GHz (3 cm) World- Record Rain-Scatter Contact, and a 902 MHz (33 cm) World Record Moon-Reflected Contact. He has an Extra-Class License (call sign AF1T), is a Life Member of the American Radio Relay League, and of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation.

Welcome to the new Quannapowitt Radio Association home on the Internet

Admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:56:26 -0500

As you can see, this new page brings the QRA's website to new levels. Watch as new features evolve, and more content is added. All QRA members are welcome to register with site accounts to post comments, join in the forum, and access other Members Only sections.