Wow! What a blast of cold and snow! January brought us two full weeks where the temperature did not ake it to freezing! (Did you put up an antenna during this cold snap? Some old-time hams swear antennas work best when put up in extreme weather! I have yet to test that theory. . . .) As I write this we are returning to colder temps and a bit of snow, but it does not look like we will have the bitter cold this time.
Our January meeting was quite a success thanks to Brian K4BRI and his presentation on SDR dongles and how to use them as a very inexpensive Spectrum Analyzer! It’s amazing the capabilities these little SDR dongles have, paired with free software and an inexpensive computer or tablet! Brian brought several units for folks to explore after his presentation, and many people hung around to see them in operation.
Another VERY exciting thing happened in January: 10-yr old Nikilesh Kashyap passed his Technician’s license test with a PERFECT score!! Whoo-Hoo! Way to go Nikilesh!! Proud Papa and OHKYIN member Raajesh (KE8BEJ) was thrilled of course, and Nikilesh has been assigned the call KE8IPE. Make sure you say hello if you hear his call on the air! You can read more about Nikilesh’s excellent performance here. Nikilesh is a young man to keep your eye on as he is definitely going places, both in amateur radio and in the world of Lego Robotics, as part of First Lego League activities through his school (with Dad as coach!).
In our February meeting we will have a presentation on weak-signal software, particularly focused on FT8. In addition to describing how to get started and how the software works, we are going to attempt to make some contacts if we can get some signals to come into the meeting room!
March continues with what promises to be a great presentation by Ohio Section Manager Scot Yonally N8SY on DMR Radios, with some bonus tips and tricks! Many in our club have purchased DMR radios, and more want to, but need a little help understanding this commercial technology which has been brought into the amateur world. Scot will try to demystify some of the terms and operational schemes of this mode. I know I need the help!
So there you have it folks, as always there are good things happening in the club! Come on out, brave the cold, and join us for the February meeting and hopefully March will be bringing us much warmer temperatures!
Cheers, Robert AK3Q