Des Moines Radio Amateurs' Association

June 23-24: Field Day

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:53:58 +0000

Click here to visit the Field Day website.

May 22: Field Day 101

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:30:40 +0000

Dean Madsen N0XR, will be giving an updated multimedia presentation about the basics of Field Day for May’s DMRAA general meeting. Elections will also be held at this meeting (must be a paid member in good standing to vote). Everybody is welcome. The presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church at 42nd and Ingersoll in the Waveland Hall.

May 19: MS Walk

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:01:38 +0000

Members of Polk County ARES are encouraged to participate in these events as a way to train for and be prepared for emergency situations.

The purpose of Polk County ARES is to provide emergency radio communications for Polk County and surrounding communities when officially activated via authorized agency.

ARES members volunteer their time and expertise to support public service agencies when normal communications facilities are not functioning or are overloaded due to planned or unplanned events. We also provide communications support for non-profit community events, which not only helps the community, but gives us live experience in handling traffic for agencies that might call upon us for emergency communications in the future.

If you want to volunteer or need more information, visit the Polk County ARES website at PolkCountyARES.com.

DMRAA Officer & Board nominations – 2012-2013

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:05:56 +0000

The following is the ballot for the 2012-2013 selection of DMRAA Officers and Board. The election will be held at the May general meeting on May 22. You must be a DMRAA member in good standing to be able to vote. Nominations can also be taken from the floor at the meeting.

President (1 year term) – Kevin Sanders, K0KDS
Vice President (1 year term) – George Noble, KK7FM
Secretary (1 year term) – Mark Globuschutz, K0MJG
Treasurer (1 year term) – Bill Claypool, NU0Q

Board members (2 year terms)
Select only three candidates
Ron Hobbs, N0XWI
Scott Kirstein, N0OOD
Dennis O’Brien, KA0DOS
Ian Walmsley, KD0PPI

The following board members have one year of their two-year term remaining: Bruce Brumm, KC0ZMT; Craig Rose, KC0YHU; and Ben Sinclair, KC0ZMX.

Thanks for making the 2012 DMRAA Hamfest a success!

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:44:56 +0000

Thanks to everyone that made the 2012 DMRAA Hamfest a success! Several vendors were on hand as hundreds of visitors filled the aisles on a beautiful spring morning at the Iowa State Fairgrounds! The vendors said sales were solid and thanked everyone for their business and hospitality.

The Iowa Repeater Council held a forum at 10 a.m. to a standing-room only crowd. Awards were also given out on Saturday: George Noble KK7FM is this year’s recipient of the Robert M. Evans Memorial Award presented by the DMRAA, and the ARRL Iowa Section awarded the 2012 Iowa Ham of the Year award to Richard Nelson, W0HHF, of Cedar Falls.

For a list of door prize recipients, click here.

A full recap of this year’s hamfest will be included in the June 2012 edition of the Static Sheet. Planning is already underway for next year’s hamfest, so watch for the announcement of next year’s date coming soon.

With this year’s hamfest complete, the DMRAA will now look towards its next major event, W0AK Field Day, June 23-24, at Fort Des Moines Park. More event information will be posted on the website as we get further into planning.

If you have feedback about the hamfest or pictures you would like to send to the DMRAA, please send them to info@dmraa.com for inclusion on the website and in the upcoming Static Sheet.

Grand prize winners for 2012 DMRAA Hamfest

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:07:49 +0000

Here are the winners of the prizes given out at the 2012 DMRAA Hamfest this weekend:

MFJ 269B antenna analyzer and antenna adapter kit
Steven Arey KD0ORB, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Wouxun KG-UVD1P dual-band handheld radio, dual-band gain antenna, Cason multi-functional clock
Len Quelland KD0USA, Ankeny, Iowa

$50 ARRL gift certificate, 3-watt LED headlamp, two tickets to Southeast Iowa Hamfest
Ryan Butler NF0T, Conrad, Iowa

$50 ARRL gift certificate, Cason multi-functional clock, ARRL 2012/2013 calendar
Gordon Segelke KD0OJL, West Des Moines, Iowa

$25 ARRL gift certificate
Mike McQuiston WA0OMM, Urbandale, Iowa

CQ 2012/2013 calendar, ARRL book “From Spark to Space: a Pictorial Journey Through 75 Years of Amateur Radio”
Dave Berry W0DDW, Hudson, Iowa

Those who did not claim their prizes at the hamfest will be contacted with information to obtain their gifts.

April 24: Social hour, radio programming, and PowerPoles!

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:29:00 +0000

April’s meeting will be an opportunity to bond with your fellow hams and meet some new ones over some discussion of radio programming and PowerPole installation. Bring your rigs if you need help programming them or if you need PowerPoles installed. Please note that this is not our normal meeting location – we will be meeting in the rehearsal hall on the third floor way at the northwest corner of the church (not the recital hall we use for Skywarn training). The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church at 42nd and Ingersoll.

W0AK Field Day featured in 2012 ARRL Handbook

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:47:05 +0000

Check this out! W0AK is featured in the 2012 ARRL Handbook for their Field Day section. The photo by Kevin Sanders K0KDS includes, from left, Dave Johnson N0LVA, Dean Madsen N0XR, George Noble KK7FM, and a visitor from our 2010 Field Day at Big Creek State Park. (via Mike Waldron AE0MW)

Finalists named for 2012 Iowa Ham of the Year

American Radio Relay League — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:44:20 +0000

Iowa Section Manager Tom Brehmer N0LOH has announced the three finalists for 2012 Iowa Ham of the Year: Wyatt Dirks, AC0RA, Thomas Reis, N0VPR, and Richard Nelson, W0HHF.

The award will be presented at 10:00am at the Des Moines Hamfest on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at
the Elwell Family Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Two of the finalists will be runners-up and will each receive a certificate and an ARRL Repeater Directory. The winner will receive a trophy, certificate and an ARRL Handbook.

Congratulations to these Iowa hams for their contributions to amateur radio!

– From the April 2012 ARRL Midwest Division newsletter.

W0AK packet station back up and running

Kevin Sanders, K0KDS — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:31:45 +0000

After years of operating from the old Nursing School building at Lutheran Hospital the equipment had to be removed. Last fall Lutheran Hospital made the decision to tear down the old building. Other than being used for storage, the DMRAA Packet station was about the only thing operational in the building. While we were displaced from the old building we were not left out in the cold; we are now located in the “Penthouse.” While moving the equipment was not something we wanted to do, I feel the move was for the best.

The equipment is now located in a climate controlled room, running on the hospital’s emergency backed up power system and the antennas are at a higher elevation then before. Dean Madsen, N0XR went through the
equipment and it has been cleaned, serviced and upgraded in some cases. On Saturday March 10th Dean Madsen, N0XR, Bob Jimmerson, KA0OMM Bill Spencer, KC0LUL and Kirk Nelson, WL7CLI hoisted and installed the equipment.

It is now operating on 147.555, 145.010 and 446.025. Dean Madsen, N0XR is still trouble shooting 147.450 and the 9600 port.