Radio Active Times, Issue 2, June 2025

Download Issue 2 as a PDF (14 pages, 179 KB). See all issues of the Radio Active Times.

The official newsletter of the Handiham Radio Club. Issue 2, June 2025.

Welcome from the Editor

Welcome to our second issue of the Radio Active Times. Let me first thank everyone who sent me a note of encouragement after our first issue last month. It was great to know that club members enjoyed and benefited from the content of the newsletter. With such a large and diverse club membership, from newbies to old-timers in the hobby, digital fiends to CW purists, basic communicators to hardcore experimenters, it can be hard to know what to put in each issue. I hope that this month’s articles will inspire you to get on the air and be Radio Active.

Mélanie Carriveau, KN4ZSY, Editor in Chief

Greetings from the President

Greetings from the presidential ham shack. This month has been marked with travels outside of the radio shack; however, I have kept my mind on growing the HRC, connecting HRC members and sharing HRC activities. We now have a membership of 178 members. Our last meeting had 45 members in attendance. Our club net has over 300 members who check in at least once a month. We will soon be holding our semi-annual HRC board meeting, where we will continue to look for additional ways to strengthen our club.

Not only have we grown from a dream to a reality, but we’ve expanded to what some club members describe as a family feel. I want to especially thank club members for reaching out to those who have little social interaction outside the club. Keep your ideas, articles and license upgrades coming to the Radio Active Times. If you keep them coming, we’ll keep it going.

Jerry Maccoux, W0UH, HRC President

Contributions Wanted

If you have something related to ham radio or technology that you want to share with the club, please submit it to our Editor in Chief, Mélanie Carriveau, KN4ZSY. There is no deadline for submissions, and the submission guidelines are quite flexible.

Handiham Daily Nets

Check-ins to the Handiham Daily Nets for May 2025, by net
Net Check-ins Average per net
Monday 70 17.5
Tuesday 85 21.25
Wednesday 84 21
Wednesday night 72 18
Thursday 98 24.5
Friday 99 24.75
Monthly total 508 19.54 daily average
Weekly totals for May 2025
Week Check-ins Daily average
May 1–2 34 17
Week 1, May 5–9 115 19.17
Week 2, May 12–16 110 18.33
Week 3, May 19–23 108 18
Week 4, May 26–30 141 23.5

As of the second week in June, we have recorded our 13th consecutive week of HRC logs totaling more than 100 checked-in stations a week. Every net control station is on track to pass the 400 check-in mark by the end of June, and half of our net control stations have already reached it. Check out next month’s Radio Active Times for a detailed report on our daily nets for the first half of the year.

Be sure to drop in at 11:00 AM Central time, Monday through Friday:

  • EchoLink: HANDIHAM conference server, node 494492
  • DMR: talkgroup TGIF, TG 3141
  • AllStar: node 473670

Resource Spotlight: Windows Screen Reader Primer

Windows Screen Reader Primer: All the Basics and More, fourth edition, published by the Carroll Center for the Blind.

This access technology reference book is now available free in Word and ePub formats. Written by David Kingsbury, an assistive technology instructor at the Carroll Center, the book is meant to help JAWS, NVDA and Windows Narrator users work more effectively with the most important PC applications. These include the Windows operating system, the four primary Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint), and the three most commonly used web browsers (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox). Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive for Desktop, the three most popular cloud file-sharing programs, are also covered, as is Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF files. This edition adds a new chapter on joining, scheduling and hosting Zoom meetings, and an appendix on using academic style guides to format Word documents. A glossary of over 100 computer terms and a set of practice exercises are also included.

The book is intended for both beginners and intermediate users. While all the basics are covered, people who already have a fair amount of experience with Windows screen readers will find useful tools and techniques to further sharpen their skills.

You can download the book, and make a voluntary donation to the Carroll Center, at carroll.org/the-windows-screen-reader-primer. On that page, fill in some basic information about yourself. After you activate the Submit button, you will go to a page with the Download link. There is also a link for making a donation, which is entirely optional. If you have any problems with the download, contact the Carroll Center for help.

Contributed by Kitty Hevener, W8TDA.

New Licenses

The following members have earned their licenses:

  • Vicki Ireland, KF0UFN, Technician
  • Lelia Struve, KM7AXN, Technician

Kat Hanks, who recently earned her Technician license, has received her vanity call, KG0ROL.

Congratulations to our newest Techs!

Calendar of Upcoming Events

June 2025

  • June 14, 1830–2030 UTC: Appleton Flag Day Parade. W9ZL, Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club, Appleton, Wisconsin. Frequency: 14.246 MHz.
  • June 14–29, 0000–2359 UTC: Celebrating the 100th birthday of Audie Murphy, most decorated WWII soldier. W5M, Sabine Valley ARA, Greenville, Texas. Frequencies: 7.270, 14.270, 21.300, 28.350 MHz.
  • June 21–22, 1504–1504 UTC: 152nd Birthday of Indian Prairie School. KF0MSJ, Zerobeaters Amateur Radio Club, Washington, Missouri. Frequency: 14.330 MHz.
  • June 21–22, 2300–2000 UTC: Remembering Private Chester Bird. K0CBP, American Legion Amateur Radio Club Post 523, Golden Valley, Minnesota. Frequencies: 7.260, 14.260, 21.360, 28.360 MHz.
  • June 22 – July 7, 2200–0700 UTC: Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. VE2JAZZ, Saint-Jérôme home station, Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Canada. Frequency: 14.030 MHz.
  • June 28–29: ARRL Field Day.
  • June 29 – July 3, 1300–0500 UTC: Boy Scouts of America, Michigan Crossroads Council, Trail to Eagle. K2BSA/8, Garden City Amateur Radio Club, Metamora, Michigan. Frequencies: 14.330, 7.270, 3.840 MHz. Scouts earning the Radio merit badge will operate during the week as time allows.

July 2025

  • July 1–8, 1300–0400 UTC: 13 Colonies Special Event. WM3PEN, Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frequencies: 7.276, 14.276 MHz.
  • July 4–7, 0000–0000 UTC: Independence Day 2025 Celebration. W0H, The White House Communications Agency Amateur Radio Club, Jackson, Ohio. Frequencies: 3.875, 7.275, 14.250, 28.550 MHz.
  • July 5, 1400–1800 UTC: 80th birthday of the Radio Association of Erie. W3G, Radio Association of Erie, Erie, Pennsylvania. Frequencies: 28.345, 14.321 MHz.
  • July 5, 1400–2000 UTC: Colonial Williamsburg special event celebrating the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. K4RC, Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club, Williamsburg, Virginia. Frequencies: 7.265, 14.265 MHz.
  • July 6, 3:00 PM Central time: Handiham Radio Club Zoom meeting.
  • July 12, 1600–2300 UTC: US Independence Day. NI6IW, USS Midway Museum Ship, San Diego, California. Frequencies: 14.320, 7.250, 14.070 MHz.
  • July 14–19, 0000–2359 UTC: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival, 150th anniversary. NJ2KC, New Jersey Knights of Columbus Amateur Radio Club, Bridgeton, New Jersey. Frequencies: 7.250, 14.350, 21.350, 28.450 MHz.
  • July 14–20, 2200–0200 UTC: Warrick County 4-H Fair. W4H, Warrick AuxComm, Boonville, Indiana. Frequency: 14.320 MHz.
  • July 15: Deadline to submit applications and pay deposits for Handiham Radio Camp.
  • July 18–21, 1300–2200 UTC: Commemoration of the Apollo 11 live TV broadcast from the Moon. W2W, Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum, Hunt Valley, Maryland. Frequencies: 14.269, 14.069, 7.269, 7.069 MHz.
  • July 19, 1330–2100 UTC: NS Savannah launch anniversary. K3S, Nuclear Ship Savannah Amateur Radio Club, Port of Baltimore, Maryland. Bands: 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10 meters.
  • July 19–20, 1500–1500 UTC: 36th anniversary of SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network. KD9NJR, Salvation Army SATERN, Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Frequencies: 3.820, 7.265 MHz.
  • July 19–20, 1300–0100 UTC: Bicentennial of Hinckley Township. W8H, North Coast Amateur Radio Club, Hinckley, Ohio. Frequencies: 7.185, 14.240, 18.150, 28.390 MHz.
  • July 21–27, 0000–0300 UTC: Orleans County 4-H Fair. W4H, Orleans County Amateur Radio Club, Albion, New York. Frequency: 7.210 MHz.

Article 1: Hamming It Up in Some Random Field

By Mélanie Carriveau, KN4ZSY

This year, on the morning of June 28, thousands of ham radio operators across the United States and Canada will fill coolers with ice, sodas, hot dogs, burgers, macaroni salad and coleslaw. These coolers will then be packed into vehicles next to tons of ham radios, portable antennas, generators, batteries and other equipment. The hams will then climb into these packed vehicles and head out into parks, fields and other outdoor spaces. Now, just why would they do this crazy thing?

June 28–29, 2025, the fourth full weekend in June, will be the 88th ARRL Field Day. The first Field Day took place in 1933 on the second Saturday in June. The event ran for 27 hours, starting at 4 PM local time. It was created to determine, practice and improve amateur radio operators’ ability to deploy radio communications equipment effectively and rapidly in emergencies. In these early events, radio operators literally set up in a field, giving the event its name.

While Field Day is officially an operating event, it has a contest-style scoring component. In the first Field Day, contacts with fixed stations were worth 1 point, contacts with other portable stations were worth 2 points, and DX contacts were worth 3 points. The operator then multiplied the QSO points by the number of ARRL sections worked, and added the number of countries worked. The winner of the first Field Day was W4PAW, with 62 QSOs and 28 sections, for a total of 1,876 points.

The first three Field Days proved so popular that two Field Day events were scheduled in 1936. In 1941 the ARRL inadvertently forced a nationwide start time by notifying the FCC of the Field Day period; FCC communication 73-D then referenced a single start time for all ham stations for Field Day, from 4 PM to 6 PM Eastern. During World War II, from 1942 until 1945, all ham radio communications in the United States were forbidden. Since Field Day returned in 1946, the ARRL has added, changed, eliminated and reestablished many rules and point bonuses to keep Field Day up to date with advances in ham radio technology.

At modern Field Day events, ham radio operators can be found everywhere from tents in remote areas to Emergency Operations Centers. Since electricity is often the first thing to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather, operating on emergency and alternative power is highly encouraged. It is not uncommon to find equipment powered by generators, batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, bicycles and even water turbines. Field Day operations last a continuous 24 hours, so scheduled relief operators keep stations on the air. Because of this, many clubs and groups make it a social event, with cookouts and camping. Many also set up in public places to show the general public what amateur radio is all about.

Although Field Day started in the United States, many other countries have adopted it as an annual operating event. Radio Amateurs of Canada hold their Field Day together with ARRL Field Day, and this combined event is organized primarily by the ARRL. The Scout Movement in Brazil holds a Scout Field Day during the second week of June. Young people head out into the countryside, parks and public places to practice assembling their radio equipment, operate briefly on VHF, UHF and HF in emergency mode, and learn skills needed to help save lives.

IARU Region 1 sponsors an Amateur Radio Field Day for Europe, in which Germany, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom participate. Unlike the United States, Region 1 has separate Field Days for each mode:

  • CW: first full weekend of June, Saturday 1500 UTC to Sunday 1500 UTC.
  • SSB: first full weekend of September, Saturday 1300 UTC to Sunday 1300 UTC.

Although there is currently no organized Field Day for Region 3, several countries in the region hold some form of Field Day. The Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League holds a biannual Field Day in Taiwan. The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters holds an HF Field Day each February and a VHF/UHF Field Day each December. The Korean Amateur Radio League holds a Field Day lasting two to five days at a regional branch every summer. The Wireless Institute of Australia holds the John Moyle Field Day every March.

Each year, in countries around the world, amateur radio operators pack up their equipment and head out to set up portable stations running on alternative energy, to see just what they can do in an emergency. Although these modern portable stations look nothing like the stations set up in a field in 1933, today’s amateur radio operators are still hamming it up in random fields.

Member Spotlight: Diane Vorwald, WD9DNQ, Saint Paul, Minnesota

In 1976, while attending a school for the blind, Diane joined the school’s ham radio club. She was drawn to the hobby by a fascination with Morse code. Excited about what she could do in the hobby, she studied very hard, and when she took her license and code exams, she earned her Extra with flying colors.

Throughout her time in ham radio, Diane has served as net control for several nets. She has also served the ham community through traffic handling. Diane has earned several radio awards, including the coveted DXCC Century Club award, given to hams who have confirmed contacts with 100 radio countries.

In addition to ham radio, Diane was an avid snow skier. Now that her life moves at a slower pace, she enjoys visiting with old friends and meeting new ones, whether in person, over the phone or on the air. Each Wednesday she tries to get on EchoLink to check in to several nets. She also enjoys attending Radio Camp, where she can do things she is not able to do at home. Diane hopes to pass on her skills and her love of the hobby, especially net control and Morse code, to other hams.

Article 2: Having Fun with Special Events

By Tom Behler, KB8TYJ

Since April 2021, I have had the pleasure of organizing and participating in our Handiham anniversary QSO parties. Whenever we discuss the QSO parties, I find myself in a somewhat awkward position: I want to let everyone know how many contacts I made, but I don’t want to make anyone feel inferior because they made fewer. This past April, for example, I made a total of 386 contacts: 334 on 20 and 40 meter SSB, and 52 on the Michigan linked repeater system, for which I’m the net director. In this article, I’d like to share some tips, tricks and techniques that let me have the fun of making so many contacts while also promoting the Handiham Program and Radio Club.

The first thing I want to stress is that I don’t have a high-profile contest station. My HF station is a Kenwood TS-590SG with simple wire antennas. One is an Alpha Delta DX-CC multi-band dipole covering 40 through 10 meters, and the other is a homebrew inverted L covering 80 and 160 meters. In all the Handiham anniversary QSO parties, I used only the Alpha Delta, keeping the SWR low with an MFJ-998 auto-tuner. I did use an Ameritron AL-600 amplifier for up to 500 watts so I could have the best possible signal, but I have taken part in many contests and special events without the amp at all.

My next major point is very simple: the way to have as much fun as I do with special events is to get on the air and learn by doing. In other words, let experience be your teacher! No one can speak better to this than our friend Mélanie Carriveau, KN4ZSY, our very own Handiham Radio Club Secretary. A number of us vividly remember Mélanie working up the courage to make her first HF contact at a recent Handiham Radio Camp. She clearly recognized that summoning the courage was something only she could resolve. We gave her the time she needed, and she eventually made a very successful HF contact, of which she was justifiably proud. At the last HRC meeting, Mélanie announced that she had made 61 contacts in this year’s QSO party, which anyone will agree is an incredible accomplishment.

Then there’s our fellow Handiham Radio Club board member, Darrell Horst, KM6KFW. I remember several years ago when Darrell contacted me. He was struggling to make contacts, and was probably as happy as I was when we had a successful QSO. I was pleased to learn that in this year’s event he made something like 131 contacts. These major accomplishments did not come from some magical formula; they came from the experience of getting over mic fright, getting on the air, and letting folks out there know you want to talk to them.

Once you are reasonably comfortable working special events, you can hone your skills to make the experience even less stressful and more enjoyable. I am by no means an expert, but here are some more specific tips to consider. Many of these were shared in our first HRC Zoominar this past March, and we plan to demonstrate them more thoroughly in a practice Zoom meeting before the Handiham 59th Anniversary QSO Party in April 2026.

Things to think about when answering CQs

  • Listen, listen, listen, to get a feel for how contacts are supposed to work.
  • Prepare your basic thoughts before making contact.
  • Give your complete call sign using standard phonetics.
  • Be persistent and patient, but only to a point. Repeatedly answering someone who clearly isn’t hearing you, or yelling into the microphone, wastes time and effort.
  • Always be polite and considerate of others. For example, don’t knowingly transmit your call sign before the station calling CQ has finished their last contact.

Things to think about when calling CQ

  • Give your call sign using standard phonetics.
  • Be patient with those answering your CQ, since they may be new to these events or may have trouble copying you.
  • Give your call sign frequently. Constantly saying “QRZ” with no call sign to identify you is very annoying to those trying to call.

Working pileups, a skill that develops over time

Getting through the pileup when answering CQs:

  • Persist, but only for so long. If you can’t get through, take a break and give others a chance.
  • Keep your cool. In 99.9% of cases, the station calling CQ is not ignoring you; they simply can’t hear you in the chaos.

Managing the pileup when you are calling CQ:

  • Try to pick out the loudest station, even if you only get part of the call sign.
  • Consider waiting for the pileup to settle down a bit so you can catch a call during a quieter moment.
  • Be courteous and patient. Let others know if you are having trouble pulling out calls, and that you will continue to the best of your ability.
  • If things get really chaotic, consider taking calls by US call region number, or by state.

Logging contacts

In my experience, you aren’t required to log contacts if you are simply responding to a CQ from a special event station. The exception is if you’d like a QSL card commemorating the contact, in which case you’d need to give contact details for confirmation. If you are calling CQ for the special event, check with the event sponsor on logging requirements. For general reference, the N3FJP logging software has contest loggers that can often be adapted to special events, and the N3FJP Amateur Contact Log (ACLog) is very screen-reader accessible. You might also want a logging program that can create Cabrillo and ADIF files, in case your contacts need to be uploaded to ARRL Logbook of The World or other common databases.

In conclusion, remember that above all else, special events are fun and need not be stressful. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Let’s all work together to make the Handiham 59th Anniversary QSO Party the best ever! If we can do this, who knows what will happen when we reach our 60th anniversary event in 2027!

Handiham Radio Club Board, June 2025

  • President: Jerry Maccoux, W0UH
  • Vice President: Tom Behler, KB8TYJ
  • Secretary: Mélanie Carriveau, KN4ZSY
  • Treasurer and Handiham Program representative: Lucinda Moody, AB8WF
  • Immediate Past President: Linda Reeder, N7HVF
  • Technology Committee Chair: John Glass, NU6P
  • Outreach Committee Chair: Peter Atkinson, KD9VTU
  • First Member at Large: Darrell Horst, KM6KFW
  • Second Member at Large: Christoph Bungard, DF9WM

To reach the club or any board member, please contact the Handiham Radio Club through the Handiham Program.