QRZ

RMRL Holiday Dinner 12/6/2017 Update

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2017 Christmas Party report:

At the 2016 annual meeting, our new President, Dunnigan, made a commitment to the club to have a DMR repeater on the air by the end of the year. That commitment was fulfilled in November when the club’s new Motorola SLR5700 Digital Mobile Radio repeater made its debut from Guy Hill on the club’s existing 449.750 frequency pair. For more detailed information, check out our QRZ page “The RMRL Goes Digital!”. We invite all RMRL members with DMR radios to come check it out!

Mike Kionka, KI0GO, was named the Chief Technical Officer for the club, and recognized for his extraordinary efforts and skill in keeping the RMRL repeaters in good repair and on the air. Even when the trip needs to be completed by snowmobile in several feet of snow.

As a matter of fact, all the contributors to the RMRL were recognized. We especially appreciate and acknowledge our Membership Chairman, Mike Weaver, our Monday night net controller, Bruce Minerly, our backup net controller, Steve Cosentino, our crack technical staff and contributors Mike Kionka, Tim Banks, Ed Boyer, Glenn Cascino, and Ed Weston. We also want to say thank you to our Boy Scout Representative, Roy Crosthwaite.

Santa Joe makes sure the present table is ready for guests
Santa Joe makes sure the presents have been delivered!
2017 Christmas party guests
RMRL Christmas Party 2017
2017 Christmas party
Members enjoy the 2017 Christmas Party
the gift table is a RMRL tradition at the Christmas meeting
The gift table – a fun RMRL tradition!

Original Post:

The annual RMRL holiday dinner will be held Wednesday, December 6, 2017 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The location is the Golden Corral buffet restaurant, 3677 S. Santa Fe Drive in Sheridan (west side of Santa Fe immediately south of Hampden).

When you arrive at the restaurant, pay for your party individually and tell the cashier you are with the RMRL group. The cost is $12.49 + tax adults, $11.49 + tax seniors (60+) for all-you-can-eat buffet. Drinks are extra, $2.59 + tax.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Just for fun: Morse Code text message tone

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Morse Code ring tone
Download a new ringtone

From Becky, KD0AOE. I rely on text messages for important communications and wanted a unique tone that would be sure to grab my attention. I ended up making my own ringtone for text messages. It says simply “New Message” in Morse code.

You are welcome to download it for your phone, in either the iPhone .m4r ringtone format or a .wav file that can be used on your Android phone.  Right click on the link and select “Save link as …” to save it to your computer.

I’ll leave you to Google how to load the files to your smartphones.  I used this Morse Code Translator site to create the file.

Do you have anything to share?  A smartphone program that relates to ham radio perhaps?  E-mail me at .

5 in 1 weather sensor atop Squaw Mountain

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These photos show the mounting location of the final enhancement to our existing RMRL weather station located atop Squaw Mountain, home of two of our very popular club repeaters.

The new 5 in 1 sensor will now provide us with the ability to track wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and precipitation amounts at an elevation of 11,460′. In addition, we also have three temperature/humidity sensors located in our repeater rack room. All sensors can be viewed in “real time” throughout our website under the heading “Squaw Mountain Weather.”

5 in 1 weather sensor on Squaw Mountain
5 in 1 sensor atop the House of Radios on Squaw Mountain. Tracks wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and precipitation.

 

Squaw Mountain weather station.
The Rocky Mountain Radio League’s weather sensor on Squaw Mountain.

Thanks go to Kevin, KD0VHD, and Willem, AC0KQ, for their contributions to the Rocky Mountain Radio League. The sensor was installed August 10, 2017.

Change in frequency – Pet Net and YL Family Net

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Please note that effective immediately, the Pet Net and the YL Family Net are moving to the 145.340. The Pet Net is on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and the YL Family Net is on Friday at 7:30 p.m.  (All times are Mountain.)

Why the change? The 145.340 has IRLP and we will be connecting up with the Friends Ham Radio Network, IRLP 9618, Echolink 29618 and AllStar node 27408.

The Pet Net is everything pets.  Cats, dogs, snakes, or goats, we don’t care. If you have a pet, had a pet, are thinking of getting a pet, have a friend who has a pet, and just want to share all the goofy and wonderful things that pets bring to our lives, then join us.

The YL Family Net is like a pot luck for your friends and family.  Not just for YLs, it’s for everyone: men and children welcome.  Third party check-ins are welcomed and encouraged.  A relaxed atmosphere in which to discuss such topics as How do you spend your spare time? Categories: 15 minutes or less, a couple hours or less, or all afternoon and/or evening.  Also share things like a favorite life hack or how you like to save or spend money.  If you had unlimited time and money, where would you vacation?  A variety of topics discussed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Come and join in the fun!

New website photographs

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The Rocky Mountain Radio League is very fortunate to count Kevin Scofield, KD0VHD, as a member and generous contributor.  An award-winning photographer, Kevin had already granted permission to use his amazing panoramic photograph of Denver looking east. It is the first photo that you see when you enter the site.  He recently granted permission to use another one of his photos in our header, it’s the third rotating image, a sunburst at Squaw Mountain.  The constraints of the header dimensions required some distortion, so please enjoy this view of that image in it’s original dimensions.

We’ve added the copyright notice to protect Kevin’s work, but you should contact him directly to purchase a copy without the copyright notice.

Thank you, Kevin!

Sunburst at Squaw Mountain. Thank you to Kevin, KD0VHD, for allowing us to use this beautiful work on our website.

Win a prize in our Summer Membership Drive!

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lots of winners during our summer membership drive
Be a winner during our Summer Membership Drive!

Be prepared to be a winner!

For three months beginning June 11th and running through September 5th, the RMRL is holding a membership drive – with prizes awarded to the members who refer the most new members to the Rocky Mountain Radio League.

The rules are simple:

  1. Eligibility.  All winners must be members in good standing (dues current.)
    1. Members of the Board of Directors are not eligible for any prizes. (K1DUN, KD0AOE, WT0C, and WN0EHE.)
    2. All others currently holding positions with the RMRL, such as the technical staff, ARE eligible.
  2. Renewals do not count, the person must be a new member.  A renewal is defined as someone whose membership has not expired or whose membership will expire during the period of this Summer Membership Drive.  In order to count as a new member, the membership had to have expired on or before 5/31/2017.
  3. To be counted as a “new member,” the person (individual, family, or youth) has to both fill out the membership form AND pay their dues.
  4. The new member must name you as the referrer in their application.  The online form asks “Did someone refer you to the RMRL? Let us know who we can thank!” with a place for the Callsign and name of the referrer.  The PDF form has a box that reads “Referred by:” also with a place for the Callsign and name of the referrer.
  5. Prize tiebreaker: The member who has checked into the Monday night RMRL net the most during the period of the membership drive will be awarded the prize in the case of a tie.

All members who refer 5 or more people will be awarded one (1) free one-year membership.  They can use it for themselves or designate a person of their choosing.  Since they, or the person they designate, already has a current membership, the free membership will be applied to the following year.  For every 5 members, a free one-year membership will be awarded.  Bring in 10 members, receive two (2) free one-year memberships and so on.

MD-380 awarded to the person with the most new memberships
Wow! A brand new MD-380 could be yours! Bring in 6 or more members to be eligible.

The members who refer a minimum of 6 or more members will be eligible to win a free radio!  A brand new, in-the-box, TYT MD-380.  That is a DMR digital radio, 400-480UHF; an extremely popular choice for those wanting to explore the world of digital ham radio.  The member who has the most referrals after meeting the minimum wins, the tiebreaker is how many times the referrer checked into the RMRL Monday night net during the period of the Summer Membership Drive.

Everyone is a winner!  Not everyone will win a prize, but we’re all winners when our club gains new members.  It makes the RMRL stronger and that’s good for all of us! Be a part of a club that is constantly evaluating new technologies, keeping their existing repeaters in good repair and working order, and welcomes every licensed ham.  Be a part of one of the friendliest clubs on the Front Range!

Join us!

Note: The radio has been generously donated. No club funds have been allocated for this radio.

The Pet Net officially changes its name

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The Pet Net for ham radio pet lovers
Join in the fun on the Pet Net every Thursday evening at 1930 hours (7:30 p.m. Denver time) .

It’s official – the Denver Area Pet Net is now … The Pet Net! Whether you have a dog, cat, snake, pig, or goat, have fun connecting with other pet parents. Facebook page. On the 145.340-.  Thanks to the connectivity provided by N0STY and the FriendsHamRadio.net, the net is now available far beyond the Greater Denver Metro Area.

 

How to sound like a pro when operating on a repeater

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repeater guidelines
How to sound like a pro when operating on a repeater

This guide was written in an effort to help Elmer newly-licensed hams (and those who may or may not have a CB background) on common conventions used when operating on repeaters. None of us are perfect and even long-time hams slip up now and then, but we hope that this guide will help you sound like a pro when operating on repeaters.

The guide provides positive guidelines, and lays out common nomenclature used by convention on repeaters. There are no hard and fast rules. Your ham license won’t be revoked, no one is going to laugh and point, but you are more likely to get a positive response when you sound like you know the lingo and use it appropriately.

See the companion document: Participating in a Net.

The YL Family Net comes to the RMRL! Update!

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Denver Area YL Net
YL Family Net
Fridays 7:30 p.m.
145.340

Note: The YL Family Net is moving from Saturday mornings to Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., effective immediately.  End your work-week with a nice, relaxing family activity. Gather the family around and join in – third party check-ins are welcomed and encouraged.

It’s been a while since a YL Net was heard on Denver area repeaters, so we were pleased when member Trish, K9FOG, approached us about reconstituting the Net. With a twist.

Trish feels that a net encouraging the “Young Ladies” (YLs) of the hobby to actively participate in the repeater community is important. “A lot of women are licensed, but you don’t hear many of them on the repeaters. I would like a net that will encourage women of all ages to participate in the hobby.”

As a busy mom who works outside the home full-time, Trish felt strongly enough about getting other women on the air that she was willing to head up the effort.

YL with a twist

Trish’s vision of a net went beyond the YL segment of the community to encompass the entire family: children, teens, and yes, men as well. She wants to make it a place of meaningful discussion with and for the entire family.

“More than just a YL Net, I’d like to see this as a family-oriented net.  A place where our ladies can join in and share with each other as well as the whole amateur radio family. And yes, men are welcome!”

Trish is busy planning topics for discussion, with a few light subjects thrown in. Expect to hear about everything from how not to get taken advantage of when you take your vehicle in for servicing or repairs to activities that you can do with your kids/grand kids for some meaningful together time.  She revealed several other topics to us but you will have to tune in to find out what they are.

A YL role model

Trish is a great example to her teen daughter, Cheyenne, KD0EXI, and son Austin, KD0GPE, on two counts.  First, if you really want something, work to make it happen and; second, she is helping to create a welcoming and relaxed net that her daughter and son can participate in along with their peers and families.  We expect that the YL Family Net will be a very popular place to gather.

Come and meet the YL who is making it all happen and join us every Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. on the 145.340, beginning on May 6th.