News

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THIS POPULAR CLASS.

https://www.weather.gov/mlb/skywarn

Save the date of March 23,2024 for the next National Weather Service (NWS) Skywarn Spotter training class to be held "live" in Martin County, Florida. 10AM-Noon

In most years, thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning cause hundreds of injuries and deaths and billions in property and crop damages.  To obtain critical weather information, the National Weather Service (NWS) established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the focus is reporting on severe local thunderstorms. In an average year, the United States experiences more than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes.

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. SKYWARN® storm spotters form the nation's first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that your efforts have given your family and neighbors the precious gift of time--minutes that can help save lives.

Who is eligible and how do I get started?

NWS encourages anyone with an interest in public service to join the SKYWARN® program. Volunteers include police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers and other concerned private citizens. Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches and nursing homes or who have a responsibility for protecting others are encouraged to become a spotter. Ready to learn more? Find a class in your area. Training is free and typically lasts about 2 hours. You'll learn:

• Basics of thunderstorm development
• Fundamentals of storm structure
• Identifying potential severe weather features
• Information to report
• How to report information
• Basic severe weather safety

A sincere "Thank You" to all those who came out to help with the setup, exhibition, operation and tear-down for the popular four-day event!  Once again this year we reserved special event call-sign N4A (November For America) for the Veteran's Day holiday weekend.  The South Florida Winter weather was perfect!

K4GMW shows off his latest home-brew radio receiver based on a single surface-mount chip to a group of Home-school students and parents during Friday's STEM event.

(Click on the photo for a larger image)

Members of the South Fork High School Physics class gather with their instructor,  Marc KK4NFL, for a picture in front of an F15 fighter jet on the tarmac.

I don't recall a Stuart Hamfest with better weather than we had on Saturday!  Temperatures in the 70s and a pleasant breeze made it a perfect Florida Winter Day.

Although not as good as last years, attendance was healthy.  Door prizes were announced hourly, and our grand prizes were awarded at 1300 hours.  Congratulations to the following lucky winners:

First Prize: Yaesu FT-710 AESS HF/50MHz 100W SDR Transceiver

Joanna Cummings N2QFT

Second Prize: Icom IC-2730A 50W Dual-Band VHF/UHF Mobile Radio

Christopher Kyle KQ4FGV

Third Prize: Yaesu FT-70DR Dual-Band 5W Handheld Transceiver
Paul Dufresne KQ4GVD

                                                      The Youth Forum winner of a 50-In-One Electronics Kit

Our Free SWAPS area was

well attended and traffic

was good.  By all accounts,

lots of deals were made!

March 8, 2023 *

Hello members of the Martin County Amateur Radio Association,

By now, I am sure that you know that Dave Morris K4AW (President) and Stephen Sprayberry (Spray) W4SPR (Treasurer) have decided to give someone else an opportunity to serve on the MCARA Board effective February 2023.  Thank you Dave and Spray for your continued hard work, skills, friendship, and dedication towards our highly respected and “almost 50 year old” amateur radio organization.

At the Annual meeting held on February 23, 2023, we were able to fill the elected position of Treasurer, with Doug Shields W4DAS stepping up to the plate, along with the other positions per MCARA’s By-Laws.

To assist the next President, POSSIBLY YOU, and to balance the workload amongst the members, various committees such as Nomination, Program and Repeater will be established again.  Special events such as Field Day and Hamfest etc. will have leaders as well.

However, the Nomination Committee is still looking for someone who would be interested in being nominated to run as President of MCARA for the next 11 months. This is a great opportunity for YOU!  As President, your involvement will be a rewarding experience.

IMPORTANT: Please contact ASAP any member of the Nomination Committee below if you are even a little bit interested in the President’s role. We hope to have the nominations in order before the March 23, 2023 meeting so we can move forward.

REMEMBER THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AND IT’S UP TO YOU HOW YOU SPEND IT. AMATEUR RADIO IS FUN!

Respectfully submitted from your 2023 Nomination Committee,

Ray Jaworski KI4RHL 772-485-9677 autopilot9999@yahoo.com

Doug Shields W4DAS 772-349-7820 w4das@comcast.net

Joe Sawyer KI4OXP 772-485-4629 swyrjos@gmail.com

An all weekend event that lets Scouts around the world get on the air and learn what amateur Radio is all about. Check back later for more details.

Location: TK Scout camp, Hobe Sound/Tequesta ,FL.  

Hello NWS Melbourne SKYWARN Spotters,

We would like to announce that SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) 2021 will be held virtually this year on December 4th. This event is completely voluntary, but all are encouraged to participate.

What is SKYWARN Recognition Day?

SRD was developed in 1999 as a way to thank HAM radio operators, who have traditionally encompassed a large percentage of SKYWARN spotters, for all of their help in reporting hazardous weather conditions to the NWS. For 20 years, HAM radio operators would gather at NWS offices around the country and try to make as many contacts as possible around the world during a 24 hour period by exchanging weather information. From 1999 to 2018, NWS Melbourne made the most contacts out of all participating offices seven times, most recently in 2014. In 2020, due to COVID restrictions, the event expanded greatly to include a social media campaign in which we shared SKYWARN information, trivia questions, and asked spotters to check-in by sending us a weather report and their spotter ID.

How Can You Participate?

Like in 2020, 2021 will include a day of social media posts, with activities planned for 8am-4pm on December 4th via our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. 

However, this year, we ask that those who would like to participate check-in with their spotter ID here at any time between 7pm December 3rd and 7pm December 4th, 2021. After checking in, a point will be added for your zip code location to a national map featuring SKYWARN spotters from across the U.S., which can be accessed here. No personal information will be shared publicly at any point. We would like to have as many of our spotters participate as possible, but, again, this event is voluntary.

Who Can Participate?
All trained NWS SKYWARN spotters (ham radio operators or not)! All SKYWARN™ spotters provide critical weather information before, during and after adverse weather strikes. This includes reports of wind damage, tornadoes, flooding and wall clouds. This is our 24 hours to recognize all of the SKYWARN™ spotters serving our nation! 

Whether you choose to participate in SRD 2021 or not, we would like to thank all of you for time and assistance during hazardous weather all year long. It is a great help to us. 

Thank you,

NWS Melbourne

Local Contact is Ray Jaworski, KI4RHL Skywarn Coordinator Martin County, FLA

https://www.cqsanta.com/

For the 16th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets will be presenting The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good girls and boys can talk to Santa Claus, via amateur radio, nightly at 7:15 PM (Central) starting Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, through Christmas Eve, December 24th.

“

We enjoy helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they'll always remember

Pete KE5GGY

Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, "Christmastime is a very special time for our nets every year. We enjoy helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they'll always remember. And we're thrilled to introduce young people to the excitement of amateur radio."

Youngsters can talk to "Santa at The North Pole" via strategically placed operators who relay the voice of Santa. Thomson said that The Santa Net is a team effort that involves the efforts of a number of 3916 Net members. He said, "In our first year, we connected 10 kids to Santa on Ham Radio and it's grown steadily since. This year, we're expecting over 1,000 children to participate."

Prior to each night's Santa Net, pre-net check-ins can be made at www.cqsanta.com.

Third party rules and regulations apply. The Santa Nets are presented annually by The 3916 Nets. The Rag Chew Crew, The Tailgaters and The Freewheelers are all amateur radio nets that meet on 3.916 MHz nightly. For more information on The 3916 Nets, go to www.3916nets.com For more information on The Santa Net, email KE5GGY at Gmail dot com.

What could be more exciting than three Florida Winter days filled with thundering jets, vintage aircraft, good food, and Ham Radio?

The new MCARA tower, recently refitted by Jay W4EME and J.B. N5WTF worked flawlessly, and can now be extended with a single hand!

Our canopy provided ample covered space for radio gear, rag-chewers, and guests.  And since we were so well protected, just a short shower on Thursday was all we received during the entire event.

On Friday morning, we became "Station #2" in a group of five exhibits especially for local STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students from The Pine School, Clark Advanced Learning Institute, and JD Parker Elementary.

 

None of it would have have happened without your help!  Well done, to all those who participated!

Thanks to John N4NNY for taking the fantastic photos!

Please preregister:

https://www.weather.gov/media/mlb/skywarnclasses.pdf

Saturday December 5 Virtual (online class) 10am-noon Basic 

Monday December 14 Virtual (online class) 10am-noon Basic 

Monday December 14 Virtual (online class) 100-300 pm Advanced

Must be an east-central Florida resident to register (Serving Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Martin, St. Lucie, Seminole, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Volusia Counties.) 

Special Event Station N4A (November For America)- 

If you are planning to attend the 2020 Stuart Florida Air Show this weekend ,or within range, bring your HT and listen in to the Witham Field (KSUA) before and after the actual Air Show.

During the Air Show performance, the AIR BOSS directing the aircraft has the airspace under control and the frequency changes from time to time.  Try listening on Air Boss 118.05

Other frequencies to monitor are below: 

Tower on 126.6 frequency (AM mode) 

ATIS: 134.475     Ground: 121.7   PBI Approach: 132.8

MCARA Club K4ZK 147.060 PL 107.2 N4A Special Event Station Friday and Sunday on 20m.

Reminder: PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN HEADSET and NEVER TRANSMIT ON AIRCRAFT BANDS.