PowerFilm Solar of Ames erected an impressive 1 kW military-grade Solar Shade for our use over the weekend, providing electricity for most of our Field Day equipment.

Two dignitaries also visited the site: Joyce Flinn, the Readiness and Response Bureau Chief for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division; and Lt. Col. Kevin Plagman of the Iowa National Guard. Both took a tour of the Field Day site and learned the purpose and goals of the Field Day event, and then visited with operators.

The DMRAA would like to thank everyone who helped with setup, tear-down, and operating and also to all of the visitors that made a trip to Polk City to see what amateur radio was all about!

If you would like to be on the Field Day committee to help plan next year’s W0AK Field Day, see a DMRAA board member or e-mail us at info@dmraa.com.

A video of the event is embedded below, and pictures will soon be added to the DMRAA’s Flickr account. Do you have pictures you want to share with us? E-mail them to info@dmraa.com with your name and callsign (if applicable) for proper credit.

Bill Schemmel, WA0TYQ, was awarded this year’s Bob Evans Award for his contributions to the central Iowa amateur radio community. Schemmel frequently offers study classes to General license upgrades and also makes contributions during Skywarn Recognition Day each December.

Des Moines ham Paul Johnson KC0FFC, is the proud recipient of the DMRAA 2010 Hamfest’s Grand Prize, an Icom IC-880H. This dual band D-Star radio is valued at over $500. Not a bad return on a $6 Hamfest ticket. Johnson commented that he will be at next year’s Hamfest for sure!

Already, the DMRAA board will meet this week to begin planning next year’s hamfest. If you would like to provide any input, feel free to e-mail us at info@dmraa.com. Also if you have any pictures you would like to contribute to our website, also e-mail them to that address.

Next year’s hamfest will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2011 in Des Moines.

Look for more information and pictures from this year’s DMRAA Hamfest activities in the upcoming issue of the Static Sheet.

DMRAA club member Dean Madsen, N0XR, provided a thorough look into the world of software-defined radio on the HF bands to kick off the club’s 2010 presentation series. Here are some websites that were referenced in the presentation:

Inexpensive SDR kits
http://www.kb9yig.com/

SDR manufacturers
http://www.philcovington.com/QuickSilver/
http://www.rfspace.com/
http://www.microtelecom.it/perseus/
http://www.telepostinc.com/
http://www.flex-radio.com

SDR software
http://www.dxatlas.com

Listen to an SDR radio on the internet
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
http://www.websdr.com

The Reverse Beacon Network
http://www.reversebeacon.net/

Join us for our next meeting. The February presentation will be from the National Weather Service for Skywarn training. Radio amateurs and the public are welcome. The presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church (map) in the recital hall (NOT the normal meeting location). A brief Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association meeting will be held at 6:30 before the DMRAA meeting.

Noble was presented the award by Wynell Mager-Kisner, the daughter of the late Rev. Winthrop Mager, whom the award is named after. Noble was nominated and then selected by the nomination committee for his outstanding leadership in community and youth education of amateur radio, his participation in Field Day, SKYWARN Recognition Day, Jamboree on the Air, and other educational and volunteer activities. He currently serves on the DMRAA board as the program director.

Russ and Dale Day were also awarded for their contributions to the amateur radio community. The 146.61, 443.4, Grimes APRS I-Gate, and the entire KD0IAN D-STAR system are located in facilities owned by the Day brothers at no cost to the community. The Day brothers were recognized by the DMRAA board and Russ was presented the award by DMRAA President Tom Reis at the dinner.

The purpose of the Winthrop Mager Award is to perpetuate the memory of the Rev. Winthrop M. Mager WØMJH, and to stimulate the activity in all fields of amateur radio in the central Iowa area. Any radio operator with any class license who is a member of the Des Moines Radio Amateur Association is eligible. Mager would have been 101 this year. The award was presented by daughter Wynell Mager-Kisner, who found out that the award was in existence through a recent web posting on the DMRAA website. Mager-Kisner spoke about her father’s love of amateur radio, education, and his passion to enhance the community through innovation.

At the dinner, the group was entertained by the Plymouth Congregational Church handbell choir, who performed several holiday-themed tunes. About 50 people attended the potluck-style event, including XYL’s and other family members.

Past recipients of the Winthrop Mager Award

The Get On The Air (GOTA) station proved successful, working 89 stations this year, including the only PSK31 contact. The GOTA station was reserved for operators that have been generally inactive in the past year, or members of the public with no license.

CW, PSK31, and SSB all saw an increase in QSO’s compared to last year. Click here to download a complete breakdown of QSO statistics from this year’s Field Day and a comparison of last year’s QSO’s, courtesy of the Field Day committee.

Not even slightly hindered by a few minutes of rain on Saturday, the clouds made way to blue skies at Big Creek State Park. We had four stations running (including the GOTA station) and ran on generators and solar power.

Click here to see pictures of Field Day 2009. Do you have pictures from Field Day that you want to share with us? E-mail them to kevin • at • k0dsm.com.