News

  • Pete Lynch, W1MNY Silent Key

    19 Feb 2014 11:41 | Deleted user
    Pete Lynch, W1MNY, Silent Key
    Pete Lynch W1MNY- photo courtesy Gus, NU4L

    It is with sadness that we announce the death of former MCARA President and member Pete Lynch, W1MNY. Pete was 73 years at the time of his passing on Valentine's day, 2014.

    You may read the Obituary and Funeral Arrangements here.

    73 OM Pete.

    I just uploaded a album of older club photos from Gus, NU4L to the MCARA Facebook page. Can you help ID some faces we may not have seen in awhile? Thanks.

  • US Postal Service First Day Issue Stamps at Jupiter Lighthouse 17 August

    15 Aug 2013 11:00 | Deleted user
    QSL Card
    We just received word that officials from the US Postal Service will have a first day issue stamp available with a special cancellation featuring a Radio Tower and the ILLW initials at the Jupiter Lighthouse International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend.


    The stamp issuance with special cancellations is scheduled for 1PM local time. A limited number of special Florida Lighthouse Station QSL (post) cards will be available as souvenirs for affixing the stamps if desired. The Jupiter Lighthouse gift shop also has postal cards available.

    Best regards or "73"
    We hope to see you all there again this year!

    Our thanks to the Loxahatchee Historical Society and JTRG

  • Islands on the Air starts Saturday Evening 27 July at Stuart Beach.

    24 Jul 2013 10:49 | Deleted user
    RSGB Islands On The Air- Hutchinson Island NA-141

    Details updated July 25th 7:00 AM.

    Operating July 27, 8:00 AM - July 28, 08:00 AM 
    Setup begins at 7:00 AM 27 July.

    The IOTA (Islands on the Air) events are a Contest held every last full weekend in July, organized by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). This year is a special event as it marks the RSGB centenary. 

    The basic objective of the event is to promote public awareness of amateur radio by activating Islands On The Air worldwide. As this is a contest type of event, we will operate in accordance with the event rules as stated on the RSGB web site here.

    We plan to set up at the newest pavilion area on Stuart Beach at Pavilion 11 to operate during the contest. We will operate overnight as Stuart Beach is open 24 hours. Stuart Beach is located next to the Elliot Museum on Hutchinson Island. The pavilion 11 is next to the Fire Station.

    Pavilion 11 is new- it is not on any map- but if you get to the Stuart Beach, you will find it. Map to Stuart Beach is here: http://www.martin.fl.us/portal/page?_pageid=354,1238847&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL It is listed as "Stuart Beach"

    As this is a relatively easy contest- it is a great starting point for newcomers to the art. Please check out the Contesting Newcomers Help Guide.

  • Classes start this Saturday!

    24 Jul 2013 10:09 | Deleted user
    Classes to get your Technician class FCC license begin July 27, 2013.
    Class at the Martin County EOC
    Download the Full Info Sheet or look in EVENTS to register now.
    Learn how you can assist your community during hurricanes and other disasters as a volunteer Emergency Communicator. This Class can be the gateway to the exciting world of Amateur Radio. Students of all ages are welcome.

    On 27 July the Martin County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (MC-ARES) and Martin County Amateur Radio Association (MCARA) jointly sponsor free Amateur Radio Licensing classes for the entry level Technician Class FCC License.While the classes are free, it is highly recommend to have a License Study Guide, which is available at the class on a cost donation basis of $25.00, the testing sitting fee, including FCC required costs is $15.00
    Introductory Session; explanation of how course will proceed; and schedule of events session is on 27 July from 10am-1pm at 800 SE Monterey Road at the Martin County Public Safety Complex Room 225B, in Stuart Florida.

    Also after class, come out and visit us at Stuart Beach where we will be on the air from Hutchinson Island for the Islands On The Air (IOTA) weekend contest- the event starts at 8:00AM - and we operate "contest style" through the night to Sunday morning.

    Best regards or "73"
     

  • Has Storm Chasing gone too far?

    04 Jun 2013 07:37 | Deleted user
    With so much activity from Tornadoes and the recent deaths of researchers who actually moved into storms- the question arises: Have Storm Chasers gone too far? Many of these "chasers" are not trained- and none of the professional chasers report their observations to the National Weather Service. Often these folks clog the highways and can be an added nuisance in the path of a storm. This is diametrically opposed to NWS trained SKYWARN Spotters, who are trained to observe and report phenomena directly to NWS to help warn and save lives. There is a big difference between watching and reporting to the NWS, versus moving into harm's way. What are your thoughts?

    This report from Arkansas explores the question. 


  • Communications Support at March of Dimes March for Babies 27 April

    24 Apr 2013 10:57 | Deleted user
    For many years we have supported the March of Dimes "March for Babies" and are invited again this year to provide support for the event. Due to delays of personnel changes at the March of Dimes, we just received the invitation this morning- short notice- but we would like to help. Members may register to help here.

    Renewed interest in our participation comes in the wake of the events at the Boston Marathon- and the role of support played by Amateur Radio. We hope to *never* be needed in an urgent way, but cell phones are generally not in operation immediately after a major event.

    If you would like to know more about what happened in Boston and learn how ham radio affected this- have a look at Gary Pearce's interviews with hams who were there- and if you enjoy the videos- please consider supporting Gary's effort to bring HamRadioNow to the world by making a donation.

    Also see W3ATB's blog post here


    Part 1

    Part 2

  • Hamfest Photo Album

    26 Mar 2013 22:23 | Deleted user
    Hey There- Here is a link to the hamfest photo album on Facebook (you don't need a FB account to view them) 

    Also you should find a slide show from Picasaweb below.


  • Stuart Hamfest Video- Walkabout, Activities, and Prize Drawing

    26 Mar 2013 10:15 | Deleted user
    We had a blast at the hamfest this year and hope you did too. If you were there or not, we thought you might enjoy this overview walkabout, some friends remembered, Kits for Kids (of all ages), and an angel or two...

    Please Like and Share- look for the "Thumbs up" and "Share" icons in the top right corner of the video player- got comments? Click on the "comments" link below. Thanks to all who participated!

  • 2013 Stuart Hamfest Prizes Winners

    16 Mar 2013 21:28 | Deleted user
    We are pleased to announce the major prize winners for the 2013 Stuart FREE hamfest. The grand prize ticket was drawn by Carl Hererra of WC4H.com- Thanks to all who came out to the hamfest- we still have Gigabytes of photos and video to sort through- and should post some video and photos of the event soon. Right now we all need REST. :-) 
    K1JCL John Leonard- he's seems to be wondering if he really won!
    Our Grand Prize Winner seems to be a little shocked that he won this great radio! Congratulations John! John was kind enough to include his phone number on his tickets- he came back to the Fairgrounds to pick up his prize. We won't tell you what he said on the phone when we called... but we suspect he thought we were fooling him. Enjoy that new radio John.

    • Grand prize: John Leonard, N1JCL, of Hobe Sound, Florida
    • Second prize: Bill Carrigan, K3DC, of Palm Bay, Florida
    • Third prize: Lu Vencl, KA4EPS, of Deerfield Beach, Florida

    Our thanks to all of you who support our hamfest to make this free event possible! We hope to see you all again next year.

    73
    Martin County Amateur Radio Assocation

  • Electronics Kits building LIVE at the hamfest

    14 Mar 2013 10:16 | Deleted user

    This year at the Stuart Hamfest we have some simple Electronics Kits for Kids of all ages to put together to have a souvenir of the hamfest. The kits are a donation from Nightfire Kits. A three dollar donation to the club is appreciated. Ben, KK4FNW has volunteered to help with the assembly. 


    Here is the assembly manual in PDF.


    Below is the assembly video:


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