This is a list of the individuals that have served as Club Officers in DCARC. We would like to eventually fill in the holes all the way back to the club's beginnings. If you have any information not displayed here, please email that info to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A few months ago we installed a bandpass filter (cavity) to fix the noise problem we had with the repeater, it worked fine for a short time but the sensitivity seemed to keep getting worse and worse.

You couldn't work the repeater reliably without 10-15 watts.

Lou (W7JOF) and I (KB7YSP) went out to the site to install some additional batteries.

 The county bought some additional batteries to offset the additional load of their new repeater for public works.

We installed four 104 ah batteries, which gives us an additional 208 amp/hrs at 24 volts.

While we were there we checked the sensitivity and found the additional bandpass filter we installed before was having problems.

 Lou took the cavity apart and gave the RF coupling loop a good cleaning.

We also checked the tuning of the cavity which was still good.

We connected it back up, checked the sensitivity, and it was much better........hopefully it lasts for awhile.....:-)

I'll try to add some pics below, one of an RF coupling loop that goes into a cavity, and a pic of the monitor while we were checking the tuning of the cavity.

Keep using the repeater, the more it is used the easier it is to tell if things are continuing to work as they should be.

Thanks for everyones support and patience as we work thru the problems.

73 KB7YSP

Alan Malan

Here is segment 1 of 8

To see segments 2 through 8, use this play list.

Saturday was a day that showed that preparation is just as much a part of the job as the actual work.

It was a busy day Saturday, but all the planing and behind the scenes work we put in paid off in a big big way.

Even the buffalo and spiders were not just big out there....they were HUGE!!! Ask anyone who was out there about that!

Early Saturday morning we went to the island repeater site.
We were able to get the batteries installed, and changed over the solar and battery system to 24v.
We had been getting some readings where the solar controller was reaching it's max. of 60 amps, so converting to 24v will help out there.

We created a new power and ground distribution system in the rack to support both the 24 and 12 volts. Installed 2 new 24 to 12 converters, (installed for redundancy)
Installed a new resistor for the D/A converter for the repeater controller to read the 24 volts from.

It went very very well, we had few glitches, and I am very pleased with how it all turned out.

Thanks for everyone's help,w7jof,w7cwk,n7dnd,kc7qqr,kc7ctr...thanks for all your help Saturday.
And thanks to Hall for reprogramming the voltage readout in the repeater controller on Sunday night.

Thanks again everyone for all your help and support!

The May newsletter was sent out yesterday.  I also have the April newsletter published.

If you are not receiving the newsletter, the login and check your email address and/or your club membership expiration date.

Event Date: Saturday, April 20th 2013

The Salt Lake City Marathon is a 10 year old event that benefits Huntsman Cancer Institute/Hospital and occurs fully within the Salt Lake Valley. The course directs runners through Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, and Hollady. The course begins at the Legacy Bridge on the University of Utah campus and heads south through Sugar House Park and continuing on to 6200 south. It then turns north and ends at Liberty Park. The full course has not yet been approved.

The Marathon is made up of 5 events; full marathon, half marathon, bike tour, 5K and Kids marathon. Of these events only the full marathon, half marathon and bike tour are supported by Ham Radio operators.

There are 16 aid stations along the course, along with the start line, finish line, medical tent, SAG wagons, race shadow and net control that will be manned by Ham Radio operators. Each position (where possible and with the exception of the SAG wagons) will be staffed with at least 2 operators.

This is an excellent event for those new to Amateur Radio or those wanting more experience. The goal is that at each position there will be someone to “Elmer” those with less experience.

Communications for the course will be accomplished using two repeaters, each on a different band. You will need to supply your own dual band radio. HT’s capable of 5 watts with an external antenna are sufficient. You will need to supply your own support equipment as well. In short is this a great opportunity to exercise your Grab-n-Go kit!

You may register using the following link:

http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer2/user-volunteer-signup.tcl?event_id=202251&x=35&y=5&job_id=44090658

please state your location preference in the comments section. We will make every effort to get you as close as possible. But, this is not a guarantee.

If you would like more information please contact me via email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks for your Support.

Well we are back on the air witht he primary repeater since Saturday afternoon. (1/22/2011)

We have put a few more batteries out there to help out until we get the new ones installed.

The better solar days have helped too.

Thanks to all those who have helped get us through everything with the backup repeaters etc.

I hope that light we see at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.....;-)

73 KB7YSP

Attention all packet operators for the Buffalo Run.  The test system will be taken down on Thursday evening so make sure all your testing has been completed before that time.  Downloaded the latest client.  Also look at the manual for the client.  You may also be interested in the Google Earth file that maps the location for the aid stations.

Full information below:

• Packet on 145.070 MHz
• Connect to Node KD7HHW-4 (located in Roy, UT)
• If needed, use Node ANT

The KD7HHW-4 node is connected to a test database, so test as much as you would like.

Thanks Tim and Gary!!!!!

A large tank was removed from the shack, we had to have the folks at the sewer plant use their bobcat to move it to their scrap metal pile because of the size and weight.

They also helped us pull out a metal cylinder that was cemented in. Once we got those two things removed it made a lot more room for us.

It is a small facility and we can use all the room we can get.

The 449.700 repeater was moved up onto a raised platform.

The repeatrer committee is working toward getting a backup 147.04 repeater that we can use out there, in case of problems at the island site

we can use the one at the sewer plant, the intent is to make the switch between using the  two sites as seemless as possible,

so most people may not even be aware  that a switch took place. That is the ultimate goal....we will see what it takes to get there...;-)

73 - KB7YSP

The videos have been uploaded to youtube.  You can view them in this article, but first, click the read more...

Just a note to keep everyone up to date on whats going on.
We have a repeater loaned from state emergency management set up for the
147.04 repeater for right now up at Brent's house.

  Lou and I went to the island on Saturday and retrieved the backup 147.04 repeater and
duplexers, controller etc.
   We took them to gooses house, but could not get the backup controller or duplexers
working, so there is on going work that they are doing to try and get that up and
on the air.

The generator was in an over crank condition and it is out of propane.

There is about 6" of snow out at the island, we needed  4wd, but got there without any
problems.

I swept the snow off the solar panels, and brought up a portable generator and hooked
that up to the charger for awhile to see if we could get the batteries up a little.
Lou and I checked out the solar panels and discovered some loose connections once we
tightened them up we got about 120 more watts coming into the controller.

We will probably have to bring some locktight or lock washers or something next time we go up.
We suspect that the wind is the culprit, but no way to tell.

We expected to have the backup repeater up sometime this week, but have run into more unexpected problems with the controller and the duplexers

Alan - KB7YSP

Drawing of the winning tickets

Gary Davis giving out certificates

Ray White Homebrew

Hal Blankenship Homebrew

John Mabey Homebrew

Goose Homebrew

Gerald Hasty Homebrew

Winner of the handheld

Winner of the mobile

I have published the newsletter for January 2012.  There was a problem at first becuase of the size of the file.  XMission has limited my upload size to be 2MB.  This limitation still allowed the newsletter text to be created and sent, but the attachment was 0 bytes.

There is another issue with the latest version of Firefox and the calendar.  We can't create events in the calendar.  Other browsers seem to work just fine and I have not been able to figure out why.  I tried updating the software being used and it went from bad to worse.  I have restored settings, but some of the items John Gold may have entered have been lost.

I have sent out the November Newsletter via email.  If you did not receive your newsletter, please let me know.

Also, check to make sure you have a date for when your club membership expires for your profile on the site.  If you there is a date, then your information is linked with the membership database.  If not, then please send me an email to let me know.

73,
Matt

Dear club members,

We are in the need of a secondary Emergency Communications Trailer. As this is the end of the camping season, we are hoping that you might know individuals that that are looking to dispose of a camping trailer. We would like to find someone who would be willing to donate. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. This means that you could donate (for reasonable value) to the club and get a write-off on your taxes. What we are looking for is a travel trailer in the 22' - 28' range in decent condition. We will most probably remodel and refit it in order for it to function as an Emergency Radio Command Post. Please forward any options or questions to Roy Rasband at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call his cell at 801-541-0862. We appreciate your support! 73,

Roy

Roy Rasband visited the Field Day site on the week of May 21-25 (sorry I don't know the exact day).  The pictures have been posted here.

Thanks Roy!

Tentative Schedule

FRIDAY -   Registration, BBQ, Seminars, Wouff-Hong

SATURDAY - Swap Meet, Vendors/Dealers, Seminars, ARRL Forum, Women’s Crafts, Children Activities, Fun & Games, Mobil Installation Contest, Pulled Pork Dinner, Home Brew Craft Boutique, VE Test Session

SUNDAY - Buffet Breakfast, Keynote Speaker, Grand Prize drawings      

Lodging

Special discount rates at Ruby’s Inn

Camping

A block of RV sites are available at Ruby's Inn Campground and RV Park

Other Activities

Bryce Canyon National Park, Shopping, Scenic Tours of Bryce Canyon, Guided ATV rides, Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo, Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill Show, Scenic Van Tours and Shuttle, Mountain Biking, and Horseback riding

If you are looking at this section, you have must have an interest in what happens on the website.  If you would like to help, let me know ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

I uploaded the pictures from January and March club meetings.  If you have any picturs from Feburary, please send ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) them to me so that I can place them on the website.

The results are in and published on ARRL's site. Here is an extract for the results (the top 5):

XMission had to move our site to another server.  I am not sure of all the reasons for the move.  After the move, the website would work a little.  I had to have XMission reset the permissions on all the files.  This caused one component to fail.  I have reinstalled the site user management component.  If you see any issues, please let me know.

73,
Matt
KD7HHW
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I sent out the February newsletter today.  I also published January's newsletter on the site.

-Notes-
I had an issue sending it out.  The first time I sent it, I clicked on the send link too quickly and it sent out the message without a proper attachment.  Just delete the message that doesn't have the proper newsletter attachment.

The January newsletter has been sent out via email.

The December newsletter is available for download.

 THANKS,

 I TOLD YOU,  IT WOULD BE

70, AND SUN !!

See you next year.

It is time for the annual Buffalo Run Races on Antelope Island on March 25th & 26. I am looking for volunteers again. The races are the same as last year with the exception of the start time for one race. We will be using packet from all sites as well as voice. Packet will be on 145.07, and voice will be on the DCARC 147.04 repeater. There will be a feed with the normal buffalo stew. Check out the web page at www.buffalorun.org

I would like to ask for help from the ham operators who manned the check points.  I know it was not comfortable sitting or standing out in the cold for so many hours.   We had packet on one frequency,(145.07 MHz) Voice on three different frequencies (147.04, 447.2, 446.5) and a monitor receiver on the Check Point/Island Trail frequency.  If you did not get answered immediately, it was not because you were being ignored, but the person you called was busy with someone else.

The Race Director has asked to help again this year !     The event proved to be a great exercise.  It allowed the operators to set up their equipment and operate in a tactical environment.  I tried to make the assignments such that newer hams were working with more experienced hams so they could mentored by them and be exposed to actual operating conditions in the field. I think that some of you now know why I said to bring sunscreen. It was cold and windy, but that does not stop the sun from shining.

Please call Gary Davis, 8018650299. Email me at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   73,

Please download the Spreadsheets here.

 

 

 

 

I discovered there were two problems with the Swap Meet section on the site.  The first was just some wording and the other was a potentially dangerous item.

Postal Code
The component was developed by an individual in the UK.  One item of carry over was the Postal Code -- He had it setup to accept UK postal codes only.  While I removed the code that restricted postal codes for the UK, I failed to remove the wording.  This wording has been removed and replaced with our standard postal code format: XXXXX or XXXXX-XXXX.

SQL Injection
There was a potential for an SQL injection on the site through the swap meet component.  I have added some extra code to parse any input from the browser to prevent SQL injection.  With a successful SQL injection, a malicious individual could read/write/delete any part of the database.  This was a good hole to have plugged.

New functionality has been added to the DCARC site that deals with your information.  You have the ability to change your profile image, email address, website address, mailing address, city, state, zip, home phone, ARES membership, ARRL membership, call sign, license class, APRS tracker address, and newsletter email address.  You also have the ability to authorize the site to publish some of your information and to see when your club membership will expire.  Another feature added is User Lists.  The last feature I will discuss is the form email.

To access and see what information would be published, click on Your Profile after you login to the site.  You will see two tabs: Contact Info and Ham Radio.  Contact Info shows your login name, your name how you entered it in your profile, a website address (if you entered one), your city, state, and zip.  On the Ham Radio tab, it shows if you are an ARES member, ARRL member, your call sign, license class, and APRS web address.

You can change your information by hovering over Edit and choosing Update Your Profile.  Notice the addition of the Portrait and Membership Status tabs.  Each tab will be explained below.  Once you have finished editing an item, click on the Update button to save your changes.

Portrait tab
The portrait tab is where you can upload a picture of yourself so other can see your smiling face.  You may choose from some generic images or upload your own photo.  If you choose to upload your own photo, make sure the size of the photo is no larger than 2000KB in size.  The photo will automatically be resized, if needed, to 200 pixels wide and 500 pixels high.

Contact Info
Here you can update your display name, email address (for the site and receiving email from the message form -- discussed later in this article), username, password, website address, mailing address, city, state, zip, home phone, and if your information may be published.  Notice the items that have a red dot with a white line through the middle; these items are not published.  The phone number needs to be entered in the format xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Ham Radio
The Ham Radio tab allows you to specify if you are an ARES member and/or an ARRL member.  You can also update your call sign and license class (congratulations if you upgraded!).  If you have an APRS tracker, you can enter the address used to see your location.  For example, if my APRS tracker is sending out the beacon of KD7HHW-2 then I could use www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?KD7HHW-2  Feel free to copy this address and then replace the KD7HHW-2 with your tracker ID.

Membership Status
The last tab is Membership Status.  You can see the date we have on record that your club membership will expire and your membership type.  You cannot edit these two fields and are for your information.  If they are incorrect, contact any member of the Member Committee (see the Club Officers page).  The item you can change is the newsletter email address.  We will use this address to send your newsletter.

User Lists allow other users, both guests and registered users to find your information.  Only registered users can see your profile, while guests may be able to see your name, call sign, APRS address, and personal web address.  Registered users may be able to see your profile by viewing the APRS tracker or Member Pages links, even if you have not checked the Publish check box in your profile.  If you do not wish any of your information published, then make sure you do not enter a link in APRS or Website addresses and uncheck the Publish checkmark.  There are 3 User Lists, two of which are viewable by guests.

Club Members
To be on this list, you must be current on your club membership and you must check the box to publish your information.  Only registered users may view this list and see your profile.

APRS Trackers
This is a list of all registered users that have entered an address to track their location.  You do not need to have a club membership to be placed on this list.  This list is viewable by guests but your profile is still only viewable by registered users.

Member Pages
This is a list of all current club members that have entered a website address.  Just like APRS Trackers, anyone can view this list, but only registered users can view your profile.

Form email
If you are a registered user, you have the ability to send an email to another registered user.  To do this, find the user in one of the three lists discussed above and click on their name, which will pull up their profile page.  Hover over Messages and click on Send Email.  From this form, you can fill in your subject line and message.  When sending, your email address will be visible to the recipient so they can reply back.  All email will look like it came from the webmaster but will have a return email address of the correct user.

I hope you enjoy these new features.  I have spent quite a bit of time getting them to work.  I will soon retire the old APRS Trackers and Club Members page.

If you have comments or suggestions about these feature or other features, please let me know.

73,
Matt Zundel
KD7HHW
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BOUNTIFUL — Lots of hands and cool heads make for a successful Handcart Days Parade.

Among the hundreds of volunteers who will make it look like a smooth, easy operation this year are 47 amateur radio or “ham” operators.

They’ll be there at the Five Points Roundabout on 1500 South mid-afternoon, July 23, lining floats and entries up, making sure each group is properly situated to make the parade stroll up Main Street to Bountiful City Park.

And they’ll be doing a lot more than that, says Gary Johnson, who is in his ninth year coordinating much of the behind-the-scenes magic that makes the parade run.

Preparations started in March for this year’s ham operators’ involvement, which is multi-faceted.

At the parade staging area, ham operators print maps determining where various entries should be placed. Entries start arriving at the staging area several hours before the parade’s start.

Ham operators call out every entry before the parade, to determine who might not have shown up, or is late.

With dozens of entries, it could spell disaster to randomly place horses next to bands, and the LDS Primary children must be properly taken care of prior to the big event.

Entries have to be properly spaced and timed, although that can get a bit tricky when a high school band wants to stop in place and perform for a bit, as do some entries of the motorized variety, at times.

“We’re also like float doctors,” Johnson says, referring to the tow trucks kept on hand to move disabled entries out of harm’s way, if need be, or assure that they make it to the end of the parade.

“The parade always starts at 6 p.m.,” he said, which means the parade went on even when a tardy governor didn’t show up on time. He was placed later in the parade lineup.

Ham operators are interspersed along the parade route at such places as the announcers’ booths, so they can relay any changes necessary in lineup dialogue, in case a change has to be made in an entry’s placement, Johnson explains.

Thanks to the generosity usually of area auto dealers, ham operators also use their trucks to shuttle parade volunteers to their appointed spots.

There is also a “shadow,” or ham operator, tagging every parade official, called into action to provide communication if there is a problem, he says.

“We spend pretty much all day (on the 23rd) involved with the Bountiful parade, and then have to be at the Days of 47 Parade early the next morning,” Johnson says.

The hams, who are officially known as members of the Davis County Amateur Radio Club, also assist with parades in Clearfield, Kaysville, Layton, Centerville and West Bountiful.

They also assist with races, with many members CERT certified (Certified Emergency Response Team), which was the original reason for the group’s formation, Johnson said.

The group had its start in 1983, the year the big floods hit Bountiful, Farmington, and elsewhere in the county and beyond.



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The following updates were made to the site:

• Uploaded pictures from the December meeting
• Updated the Club Officers page to reflect the election of officers
• Setup a blog for the Webmaster (special access only so far)
• Setup a blog for the Repeater (special access only so far)