News

  • 02 May 2017 08:24 | Steve Sprayberry (Administrator)

    Stuart Amateur Bob Dye (N4PSK) just put up a new UHF repeater in Hobe Sound!


    Bob says “443.900 107.2  It is on the air.  I just tested it from Hobe Sound to Tradition's in PSL at Gatlin on a 2W hand held.”


    The repeater uses a positive 5 MHz transmit offset, and requires a 107.2 Hz tone.


    Bob indicates that the repeater is on private property.  All licensed amateurs are welcome to use the repeater.  Questions or comments should be directed to Bob via

     email:  bob (at) n4psk.com


    Thanks to Dave N4DWM for reporting and providing the photos!

      
  • 30 Apr 2017 17:51 | Steve Sprayberry (Administrator)
    http://www.marchforbabies.org

    Almost a dozen MCARA members came out for the Saturday, April 28, March of Dimes event in Jensen Beach's Riverside Park.  Radio Operators were stationed around the course to improve communications for event support personnel. The March raises awareness and funds to improve the care of babies from preconception to annual family walk day.



    Left to Right: K4TMA, N4DWM, KV4MS, K4MNJ, KE4MZT, KD4PQQ, K4GMW, K4OIL, W4SPR, KI4OXP.  Photo by K4OIL.


  • 25 Jan 2017 16:28 | Raymond Jaworski

    5 1/2 Hour Skywarn Net Summary

    On the evening of January 22,2017, at the request of National Weather Service- Melbourne Florida, we activated a Martin County Florida Skywarn Spotter Net on the 145.150 repeater. The net started at 8:00PM and lasted through the night until 1:30AM on the 23rd with Net Controllers* changing guard at the top of the hour. While Martin County was spared any major damage, no reports of hail, rain, or wind damage (that met the Spotters guidelines) were reported.


    Successfully, we monitored the path of the potentially severe storm in Martin County which impacted the entire state of Florida. The Skywarn Net was prepared to take any reports which could have been relayed to NWS-Melbourne via RF, Echolink,landline, cell phone, Twitter, and Facebook. The Statewide Amateur Radio (SAR) Net was also monitored on UHF 444.150 as well as the Treasure Coast Weather Net (TCWN) on the 146.775 repeater.


    Thank you to all that checked in and/or monitored:

    WW4RX*

    KD4PQQ*

    W4SPR

    AJ4Q

    KM4STV

    N4BG

    N2IVN

    N4BKT

    KI4OXP

    W4DAS

    K4BQP

    KJ4CWJ

    KI4RHL*


    73

    Ray Jaworski KI4RHL

    Martin County Florida Skywarn Coordinator

  • 08 Dec 2016 18:00 | Steve Sprayberry (Administrator)

    KM4RTQ, W4ELB (hiding) and K4OIL, Photo W4SPR


    Our members operated a station at the Road To Victory Military Museum to commemorate Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Wednesday, December 7th.

    There were many commemorative stations on the air from all over the country, including the Battleship Iowa in Los Angeles,  the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, and special event station W2W hosted by the Pearl Harbor Commemorative National Electronics Museum in Baltimore.


    Thanks to all who participated!

  • 23 Jun 2016 22:01 | Steve Sprayberry (Administrator)

    Take advantage of a great laptop deal posted on eBay by our neighbors in Tampa:


    http://www.ebay.com/itm/151744607899


    This site is not affiliated with MCARA, and we do not benefit in any way by your patronage of this site.


  • 11 Jun 2016 09:30 | Raymond Jaworski

    National Weather Service (NWS) Melbourne will come to Stuart Fl on Saturday June 11, 2016 to teach and certify anyone that wants to become a Skywarn Spotter. Registration is requested. If you haven't attended a Skywarn class in 2 years please attend to get recertified with the NWS program. Hope to see you there! 

  • 14 Feb 2016 20:35 | Doug Shields (Administrator)

         Wow, what a weekend!  The 2016 Orlando Hamcation and the ARRL National Convention are now over.  But, what a hamfest it was.  This year's Hamcation has to rate at the top of my list of all time favorite hamfests.  The only one better might be my first time at Dayton.  I am sure I had more fun at this hamfest than any other.

        The weekend started early as I went up to Orlando on Thursday to set up the MCARA table.  As I was on the floor assembling the support for our sign, I heard a familiar voice of a friend from Canada.  He had traveled down to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather and take in the Hamcation.  The weather certainly cooperated as it was just as good as it gets all weekend.  I saw dozens of my radio friends and barged right up to Doug rehman, K4AC, our division director to invite him to Stuart.  I met Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, the new ARRL CEO-elect from West Palm Beach.  Of course, I invited him to our hamfest as well.  I saw lots of ARRL staff members at the ARRL Expo area.  

         Friday I left the Hamcation at closing time and headed to the Florida Contest Group dinner.  I was among contesting royalty.  At least two WRTC world champions were there, and lots of the BIG names in contesting.  Ward Silver, N0AX, gave a very interesting talk on the future of contesting.  He had a lot of ideas that would revolutionize contesting as we know it.  For a contester wannabe like me it was a pretty amazing gathering.

         Fortunately for us, the Hamcation organizers mover the prize ticket barrel into our building this year.  Everyone that wanted to drop their ticket in the prize barrel had to walk right past our table.  There were far more people in the room than I have ever seen.  We handed out more flyers, and offered more prize tickets than ever before.

         Many thanks to the club members that helped at the table.  I think everyone had a good time and again we heard many comments about how people like our hamfest.

         So the Stuart Hamfest is less than 5 weeks away.  There is lots of work to be done.  There are many opportunities to help out.  Be sure to be at the next MCARA meeting on Thursday the 25th. There will be stories and reports from Orlando, election of Club Officers and Directors, and a LOT of planning for our hamfest.  If you only make one meeting a year, this should be the one.  We hope to see you there.

  • 17 Aug 2015 19:47 | Anonymous

    ILLW Setup


    We had a great time at the Lighthouse this past weekend for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend as a joint event with the Jupiter Lighthouse Radio Group. 


    This year we were set up in the Lighthouse Park which is about the same distance from the Lighthouse as the museum location. We had a fair number of Amateur Radio visitors to the station but not as many public visitors as in years past. We did have a chance to get some new hams on the air on HF as well as some regular members and visitors.


    ILLW Operations


    A big thanks to our President Ron Schoner, K4OIL for hauling the tower trailer, setup, and providing a second station - also thanks to VP Gary for setup and patience helping us figure out what- and how- to set things up. 


    Setup and take down:


    Joe  KI4OXP

    Gary K4GMW

    Ron K4OIL

    Mike KV4MS 


    We had a lot of showers and thunderstorms - and also a Geomagnetic storm hit as well- making the physical, and aether conditions a challenge. Even with the challenges we were able to rack up over 100 contacts on our operating position- with the JLRG gang doing about the same from their position. Contact modes included digital, CW, and Phone. 


    Ron KD4PQQ


    Operators:


    Joe WI0JMP

    Bill N4BKT

    Ron K4OIL

    Ron KD4PQQ

    Kathy KM4MJA

    Peggy KM4MIZ

    Ron KF4FJP

    Anson WU2F


    Visitors included Ron McCord and Family (who also just got their Amateur Radio licenses), Joe Pelikan WI0JMP, Dennis Marshall (who has a pending application to join us), ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Jeff Beals WA4AW, and I'm sure a few others I did not get to meet and greet.


    At the end of the event we had a short memorial and final send off for our former Director- Lee, K4LJP from the top of the Lighthouse.


    Farewell to Lee K4LJP


    73


  • 27 Jul 2015 18:36 | Anonymous

    Julian Frost N3JF and John Amodeo NN6JA have made a short piece title Antenna Restrictions and Making Antennas Fit.  You'll see members of PSL ARA, MCARA, and Jupiter Lighthouse Radio Group in this short story of success, cooperation, and thinking outside the box. 




    MCARA member Nancy, KK4WCC lives in a community for people aged 55 and older. The home-owner's association banned Nancy from putting up any kind of outside antenna. John Amodeo, producer of the hit TV show "Last Man Standing" (starring Tim Allen, himself a ham radio operator) and Julian traveled to Stuart to see what they could do to make a 39ft long antenna, fit in a 23ft long attic!

  • 14 Jun 2015 22:44 | Anonymous

    Crystals


    Quartz crystals are a natural structure. When plates of Quartz are cut in certain relationships to the crystalline axes, the plates will show the piezoelectric effect.  


    The crystals have mechanical resonance and will vibrate at a very high natural frequency due to the stiffness with the natural period depending upon the dimensions of the crystal. 


    Quartz Crystals may be rotated at specific angles for grinding to yield a particular coefficient of frequency. Figure 5 shows the coefficients of frequencies for given angles of cut. 


    The AT (+35 deg 15') and BT (-49 deg cuts) are used at HF. AT is most used for 500 KHz to 6 MHz. The BT cut is widely used over the same lower range and up to 12 MHz, though the AT cuts is more stable at the lower range than the BT. 


    For Lower Frequencies, say a 100 KHz standard oscillator, the GT cut is recommended, the the CT and DT cuts are also commonly used. The CT, GT, and DT cut plates are called contour cuts. They oscillate along the long dimension of the plate and are much smaller than a AT or BT plate cut for the same frequency.


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