K0USA
Eclipse QSO Party
In case you haven't heard... On August 21, 2917, a total solar eclipse will cause the shadow of the moon to traverse the United States from Oregon to South Carolina!
(Omaha is not in the path of totality, but will see a partial eclipse of 98%. )
Although the ionospheric effects of solar eclipses have been studied for over 50 years, many unanswered questions remain. HamSCI, a Ham Radio Citizen Science Investication, is inviting amateur radio operators to participate in a large-scale experiment which will characterize the ionospheric response to the total solar eclipse and target open science questions. HamSci is sponsoring the Solar Eclipse QSO Party which will take place on August 21, before, during and after the event. The data from the QSO Party will be used to Study the effect of the eclipse on radio wave propagation.
Would you like to participate? The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club has been invited to Homestead National Monument of America to participate in their activities, and will be active on HF on August 21, 2017. Homestead National Monument is one of NASA's official viewing sites, and is also playing host to several organizations and PBS Science programs.
The AARC will be an active participant in the Solar Eclipse QSO Party. Our footprint will be small, much like a National Parks on the Air activation. Our exact location is still pending, but Homestead staff is trying their best to keep us front and center. So hopefully we can get some interest and educate a few folks about amateur radio.
There are lots of activities at the park for kids of all ages, so if you are looking for a great place to watch the eclipse, Homestead should be on that list. The K0USA team would welcome some relief operators, loggers and people to talk to curious people walking by, so please consider coming down. However, this is no parking allowed on the property that day. But there are free shuttles from Beatrice (only 4 miles away) which start running at 6:00 am and running until 6:00 pm. There is lots of free parking available in Beatrice. (There will be programs by NASA and lot of other things going on in Beatrice as well)
Even arriving earlier than 6:00 am will not get you parking on the site any vehicles parked at the site need to be removed prior to 6:00 am on 08/21. At this point even the K0USA team does not have parking priveleges on the park grounds. Members of this team do have a lot of experience traveling light after a year of National Parks on the Air, so a quick drop off of equipment should be all that is needed, and the truck will need to be parked off site and the driver shuttled back to Homestead. If you think you are coming.. send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let them know. If you plan go to Homestead then please review their rules and parking and shuttle information. There will be food vendors on site, but it is recommended you at least take snacks and a refillable water bottle.
But, if you can't, or don't want to travel to see the eclipse, you can still help out by getting on the air with the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, a contest-like operating event designed to generate data for studying the eclipse! There are also a LOT of other Special Events going on on the air that day. Several are listed at: http://www.arrl.org/news/many-special-events-will-be-on-the-air-to-mark-the-total-solar-eclipse-in-august . If you have APRS.. check out this link http://www.hamsci.org/article/aprs-and-total-solar-eclipse - Event Nuts and Volts magazine has an article about various projects: http://www.nutsvolts.com/magazine/article/the-solar-eclipse-and-ham-radio - Look for How Can You Participate near the bottom of the article. As well as http://www.hamsci.org/projects/2017-total-solar-eclipse/get-involved.
Licensing Class August 29
Have you been thinking about getting your ham radio license? Do you know someone who has thought about it? Well wait no longer. There will be an entry level (Technician Class) amateur radio class starting on August 29. The classes will be held at the Red Cross at 2912 S 80th Ave, Omaha, NE.
The classes will be held on four conscecutive Tuesdays with August 29th being the first class. The start time for the class will be 6:00 pm and run until 9:30 pm. Cost for the class is $40 and includes a copy of the The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 3rd Edition (The cost of the book alone is $29.95)
The next license testing session will be held on Tuesday September 26th also at the Red Cross. More details about the test will be available at the class.
Class size is liimited so please complete the registration form at this link: 2017 Technician Class Registration if you'd like to attend.
2017 Flea-Esta
September 16, 2017
8:00 am to 12:00 noon
Food - Door Prizes - Bargains
Admission is $5
Tables (prepaid) $8 (includes 1 admission)
>>>>Table Registration form can be found here<<<<
Get your table before they are all gone!
Grand prize is an:
Icom IC-2730A 144/440MHz Dual Band Mobile Radio
Supports V/V - V/U - U/U Simultaneous Receive
Supports CrossBand Repeat
50 Watt Output on Both Bands
1000 Memories
Wide Band Receive Coverage
Market-to-Market Relay 2017
This year the Market-To-Market Relay will be held on Saturday September 30. The organizers know what a great job we do of looking after the runners and are looking forward to working with the area hams again. The M2M Relay Starts in Omaha at Blue Cross Blue Shield in AkSarBen and finishes in Lincoln at the Haymarket District 78 miles later. Teams of 7 members run 3 stages per person. Each stage is 3 to 5 miles long. The course follows trails, paved streets and gravel back roads of Nebraska.
Our job is to keep track of when the runners arrive at each stage and when the last runner has departed and relay that information to Net Control. If minor medical assistance is needed we can summon the medical personnel who be available at every other exchange point. Omaha area hams cover the first half and the Lincoln area hams pick up when the race crosses the river at exchange point 9. Both Net Controls will be in contact with the event organizers to relay how well the race is going and of any issues that have been relayed via the hams. Mobiles and handhelds are usuable, depending on your location.
The exchange points get a bit busy with waves of runners coming and going, so it is best if there are at least two hams at each exchange point especially the later exchanges when the runners have spread out. WE also need to arrive before the runners and all the vans and usually we are there before the site setup crew and the exchange volunteers. Also, two hams allow for a backup if there is equipment failure or if a last minute personal issue means you can't attend. That means 18 (or more) volunteers. So we need you.
Below is the schedule of the times that hams will be needed. There is no need to arrive before your schedule arrival time. This time is actually about 15 minutes prior to the arrival of the exchange setup crew and volunteers. There is no need to be 15 minutes early, as your arrival time is 15 minutes early. The setup crew and exchange volunteers are scheduled to be there about 15 minutes prior to the runners arriving. Your departure time is also about 15 to 30 minutes after the last runner should depart your area. This will let you “beat the traffic” of the tem vans, and be on site if the runners are running a bit ahead of schedule. Exact times are subject to change.
|
Exchange |
Location |
Time Arrive |
Time Depart |
|
EXCHG 1 (Start) |
4:15 |
10:30 |
|
|
EXCHG 2 |
4:30 |
10:45 |
|
|
EXCHG 3 |
5:00 |
11:30 |
|
|
EXCHG 4 |
5:30 |
11:45 |
|
|
EXCHG 5 |
6:00 |
12:15 |
|
|
EXCHG 6 |
6:30 |
13:00 |
|
|
EXCHG 7 |
7:00 |
13:30 |
|
|
EXCHG 8 |
8:00 |
14:10 |
|
|
EXCHG 9 |
8:30 |
14:30 |
Please complete the following form if you would like to volunteer!
If you have questions email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NE150Hams - A Sesquicentennial Celebration
To help celebrate Nebraska's Sequicentennial there will be a year long QSO Party! The premier event will be the Sesquicentennial QSO Party, from 13:00 UTC Saturday February 25 to 11:00 pm Sunday March 5th. Nebraska's Statehood day is March 1st.
Hams throughout Nebraska are encouraged to participate as NE150Hams using their own callsign with "/NE150" as a suffix. The exchange for Nebraska is : call sign, signal report and county. Additionally participating Nebraska stations are encouraged to operate from historical sites in Nebraska (this is optional) then the station will add the name of that site, "Homestead National Monument" or "Chimney Rock". The response from the station outside Nebraska is call, name, signa report and state or province. If the station is outside of the US, then just their country.
Lots of details are still in the works, so check at http://ne150hams.org/ to get the latest information.
Welcome to the World of Amateur Radio
The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club welcomes newly licensed amateur radio operators to the great hobby amateur radio.
We know it can be a bit intimidating figuring out what to do now that you have that new call sign. Joining a club and being active in events is a great way to find those people who are willing and able to help.
To make is easy for a newly licensed ham, the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club offers:
- A free year's membership in the club so you can put your dues money towards your radio purchases.
- Loaner radios - we have two Icom 144MHz handitalkies - so you can get on the air while you decide which new radio to buy. Any member may borrow one of these radios for a month at a time
The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club has an active group who like to take ham radio out of the "shack" and into the field. They have plans to operate from:
- Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice,NE for the 2017 Total Eclipse in August.
- USS Hazard National Historic Landmark at Freedom Park in Omaha for ham radio event called Museum Ships Weekend in June
- There are tenative plans for operating from other locations so watch the website and Facebook for details
The club also is active in community service, providing communication support to numerous events such as
- Nebraska State High School Track Meet
- Market-to-Market Relay
- The Corporate Cup
- Crop Walk
You can find an application form at this link. Fill it out and bring it with you to a club meeting! We meet the 2nd Friday of the Month at the Red Cross near 84th and Spring. We are looking forward to meeting you!
