News

  • 13 Mar 2013 15:11 | Anonymous
    Want to know about the Hamfest? Ask Grumpy!

    Grumpy Ham says "In My day hamfests were..."

    Grumpy Ham Stuart Hamfest On Vimeo

    Grumpy on Stuart Hamfest's FaceBook Page- Like and Share please forward this to your friends.

    Grumpy on youtube.com (or watch below)

    And don't forget to SHARE and post your comments answering... "In my day, hamfests were..."

    Check out the video below:



    Grumpy Ham tells it like it is! Stuart Hamfest from MCARA on Vimeo.

  • 09 Mar 2013 16:55 | Anonymous

    Here is the Video promoting the Stuart Hamfest. More details on the hamfest at http://www.stuarthamfest.com/ - March 16th starts at 8AM- Tailgaters get in a 7AM. Did I mention it's FREE?


    Here is the Video promoting the Stuart Hamfest. More details on the hamfest at http://www.stuarthamfest.com/ - March 16th starts at 8AM- Tailgaters get in a 7AM. Did I mention it's FREE?
    I have the video URL embedded here as it seems that YouTube links in our email system are getting clobbered. We apologize for any email you may have received without a link.
  • 05 Mar 2013 09:24 | Anonymous

    Note: Martin County has a FREE SKYWARN training class in Indiantown, May 04 2013. You may register online for the free class now.

    To predict severe weather, forecasters rely on radar, satellites and computer models. But they also receive help from people gazing out their windows.

    Maurice Dake has frequently called the National Weather Service to report strong storms, hail and flooding. Once he relayed a report of a tornado blowing a truck off Interstate 95 in northern Palm Beach County.

    "That's a problem in Florida," said Dake, of Lake Worth, a retired electrical engineer. "Tornadoes can occur so quickly and move so quickly that you only have a short period of time to report them."

    Dake is one of about 3,000 weather spotters in South Florida, trained to be on the lookout for tornadoes, strong storms and other severe weather. Read story
  • 01 Mar 2013 12:12 | Anonymous
    This is some amazing video of a solar event from last July. If you were visiting our table at the Hamcation, the fellows at the table to our right were passing out a card with a time lapse image of this and it has a spot of the earth drawn to scale. I can see smudges where several people tried to remove the little dot of earth. This is a "medium" sized flair. 

  • 23 Feb 2013 12:53 | Anonymous

    Want to join SKYWARN? Here is your chance to get training for free- you do not need to have a ham radio license to join or help- but it helps.

    SKYWARN Class 2011

    SKYWARN members, please check your SKYWARN spotter card- are you due for a renewal of your skills? Are you registered in the correct county? Just want to brush up on your skills?

    Here is the FREE Class Registration URL http://goo.gl/4q9y0 registration is free to all (members or not), allows us to have proper staffing, and also provides reminders so you remember to join us. See you there!


    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEEDS YOU
    Weather Watching and MARTIN COUNTY SKYWARN

    Free Class

    Saturday May 4th

    9:45 am-12:00 noon

    Family Worship Center, 15285 S.W. Indianmound Drive
    Indiantown, FL, 34956 off State Route 710/Beeline Hwy/Warfield Blvd, north on SW Citrus Blvd, left on SW Indianmound Dr., ½ mile on right.

    The class is open to the public

    Please register for the free class using the "Register" button here http://goo.gl/4q9y0 . Questions? Contact Ron Tagg, kd4pqq@arrl.net, 772-631-5846 (Church Office, 772-597-2423)

    This SKYWARN Spotter Training class, taught by a National Weather Service meteorologist, will give you all the info needed to become a registered spotter for the NWS Center-Melbourne.

    NWS Website:

    http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/?n=skywarn

    See also, Martin County SKYWARN

    Family Worship Center Location Map URL:
    http://goo.gl/maps/hrAUp or
    http://mapq.st/XMTSqq

    Why SKYWARN is needed


    The National Weather Service uses sophisticated radar and other equipment to provide emergency information to those in the path of severe weather.

    But sometimes, nothing beats the information that comes from someone in the middle of it.

    Often the NWS centers need trained observers to be their eyes and ears in the field

    Typical reports include 

    • Tornadoes, waterspouts, funnel clouds 
    • Winds that blow down trees, power lines and/or damage buildings 
    • Dime-size hail or larger 
    • Flooding of homes, buildings or major roadways, including direction and distance from a town
    • Time event occurred
    • SKYWARN spotters give their spotter number to provide authenticity. 

    Why spotters? 


    Radar equipment has limitations:
    • Curvature of the earth means the radar beam is high above the earth’s surface- at 100 miles details below two thousand feet are limited. 
    • The beam is cone shaped widening as it travels which means it offers less detail at the limits of around 100 miles. 

    Quick facts 


    • Lightning is the top cause of weather related deaths in Florida with 10 fatalities and 40 injuries on average per year, the highest in the U.S. 
    • Lightning and rainfall are not included in severe thunderstorm criteria, which are winds of 58 mph or greater and/or hail 3/4 inch or larger. 
    • The 10,000 square-mile area that includes Florida has the most tornadoes per year in the nation at a rate of 8.4, most are small but they can still cause damage. 
    • Flooding becomes dangerous due to stranded or flooded autos.
  • 21 Feb 2013 08:58 | Anonymous
    Bob Calvert K4NBC (SK) Memorial
    Via JTRG: 
    "Robert J. Calvert, 59, of Indiantown, Florida who was a legend to those that knew him as “BOB”, died December 14, 2012 in a Highway 710 accident a mile from home.

    Bob was born on April 8, 1953 in Cincinnati Ohio. He is survived by his sister Karen Alessio and her husband Joe, niece Amanda Alessio Sauve, and nephew Eric Alessio, all from West Nyack, NY. Bob was the stepson and best friend of Florence Bowen, affectionately known as Micki, of Sunrise, Florida. They, like anyone who was close to Bob, will miss him dearly. After High School he continued his education through various technical training programs and was most proud of his FAA Airframe & Engine Power Plant Certification, giving him the authority to get his Bell (Jet ranger) OH-58-C, purchased from the Charleston County Sheriffs Office airborne.

    Bob moved to Florida in 1972 and lived with his father Ronald Calvert and wife Micki at the Sunrise home before relocating to the remote area of Indiantown Florida, where he built a Stilt home and remained until his passing. He loved nature and could be found feeding his favorite pigeons, raccoons, turkeys, deer and bobcats. Bob was known for his enthusiasm for life and addiction to Ham Radio and K4NBC call sign. On the 11 acre homestead Bob built an assortment of dwellings and was most proud of his 300 foot Ham Radio Tower that permitted him to communicate all over the world. Fluent in Spanish, Bob had many followers throughout South and Central America. Bob was full of stories from his time as a freelance Investigative Journalist and professional photographer, developing stories for Hard Copy, Inside Edition, A Current Affair, The National Inquirer and national Broadcasting companies that include ABC, CNN, CBS and NBC. His visual media was shown on Prime Time in the William Kennedy Smith and O.J. Simpson cases. He was an insider with celebrities that include the Kennedy Clan, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds. The list of stories is as long as his trove of film clips is deep, because Bob was at the center of nationally syndicated news events. Bob was always looking for action and found one such opportunity during Desert Storm by covering in-country war events for broadcasters for months.

    An expert at electronics, communication systems and photography, Bob was quick to respond to neighbors in times of need. As neighbor Buck puts it, Bob was quick to call for “back up” at the first sign of suspicious activity. He enjoyed his trips to New York, where he spent quality time with family. In September he used his photographic genius to take photos and videos at niece Amanda’s wedding. After touring his childhood neighborhood, taking pictures and videos he could be found climbing a tower for friends and colleagues for one more favorite picture. When it was time to return to Florida he collected an assortment of NY goodies, Pizza, Italian food, bread, and sweets to bring back to his friends.

    He was simple Bob to us, with his own peculiarities, and those that knew him realize they broke the mold when our Bob Calvert was born. He was a unique friend that led an amazing and interesting life. Bob documented historical and high profile events that were titillating to the average viewer and we all have our favorites to share at Bob’s Lifetime Memorial Service on property at 23701 SW Cardamine Street in Indiantown, FL 34956-4020 on Saturday, March 9, 2013 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, hosted by his family and friends. Please extend the invite to Bob’s friends and make an RSVP for food and beverage purposes.

    RSVP – Gary J. Mc Daniel aka “Bob’s private investigator” at 1-888-579-3639 / 561-845-1414 for directions. To those afar and ca not make the visit – forward your best Bob’s story and condolences, by Email:www.pretext@bellsouth.net/ or to Gary J. Mc Daniel, P.O. Box 14613, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 and once on your way, call Gary for directions at Mobile 561-718-3830."

    Note from Bill, N4BKT: Bob was a MCARA member and though not active with the group in recent years, he was always a friendly and helpful fellow to all- the Amateur Radio fraternity is poorer for his passing. 73 OM- we miss you.

  • 19 Feb 2013 10:26 | Anonymous
    Hi All,

    This is a open survey for all interested in our Amateur Radio Club.  There are only ten questions so it should be a quick task and should help us better serve the wants and needs of our membership as well as those who may wish to join us moving forward.

    Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
  • 16 Feb 2013 14:04 | Anonymous
    As the Northeast finishes cleanup from last weekend's blizzard, ham radio volunteers are credited with providing crucial real-time weather updates.

    SKYWARN, a cooperative venture of ham operators and the National Weather Service, was activated for the February 8th and 9th storm that left up to three feet of snow across Connecticut and brought the state to a standstill.

    While media outlets were broadcasting blizzard warnings, SKYWARN hams were reporting local snowfall, temperature and wind conditions in all eight Connecticut counties, says Steve Williams, district emergency coordinator for SKYWARN.

    "All information received was passed on to the three National Weather Service offices that cover Connecticut. At least two of the forecast offices had amateur radio stations operational," he said.


    Find out about Martin County SKYWARN here.
  • 15 Feb 2013 06:19 | Anonymous
    Episode 50 of AmateurLogic TV with Tommy, Peter, and George. Peter builds the NS-40 40-Meter QRP Transmitter Kit. George and Tommy visit friends and find new toys at the 2013 Capital City Hamfest. Emile talks about Ham Radio Deluxe and Automating routine tasks. We run into someone you may remember and much more.
  • 13 Feb 2013 08:07 | Anonymous

    13 February is World Radio Day -- a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves.

    As radio continues to evolve in the digital age, it remains the medium that reaches the widest audience worldwide. This multi-purpose medium can help people, including youth, to engage in discussions on topics that affect them. It can save lives during natural or human-made disasters; and it provides journalists with a platform to report facts and tell their stories.


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