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Upcoming WECA Events
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Field
Day 2013 is a few days away!
As in past years, WECA will hold its
Field Day operation at Harbor Island in Mamaroneck, NY. The event runs
on Saturday June 22nd and Sunday June 23rd. Help is needed for setup
which begins Saturday morning at 10am and teardown at 2pm on Sunday.
We will be setting up an Emergency
Field Communications vehicle, an Emergency SOW (site
on wheels vehicle), antennas of all types, radios, logging
computers, and lots of wires! This is an opportunity to ask those
questions and get some real "hands on" experience about Ham Radio. We
also need operators of all operating levels and experience!
WECA's Harbor Island location will be a
"4A" site with four transmitters on HF, a
GOTA station on 80 through 10 meters and a VHF station operating on
6 meters and up.
If you have any questions, please send
email to FD2013 at Weca Dot Org.
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NYS Bill S5674 has been withdrawn!
I am pleased to announce that NY State Senator Martins has withdrawn the
bill he introduced last week that would have actually made it more
difficult to operate mobile. As the saying goes, "the road to hell is
paved with good intention." This was clearly the case here. In my
discussion this afternoon (6/14/2013) with his chief assistant, his
intent was clearly to help, not hurt, amateur radio. By withdrawing the
bill, we now have an opportunity to do what we really need, that is, a
simple clarification of NYS VTL 1225(c) and (d) that would simply state
that a two-way radio is not a cell phone.
Vy 73, Mike
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ARRL Hudson Division
Director: Mike Lisenco, N2YBB
n2ybb@arrl.org
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Entry Level Ham
Radio Class This Fall!
Classes start Tuesday evening, September 17th
Have you ever thought
about or considered becoming an Amateur Radio “Ham” operator? Here is a
great opportunity to learn about Ham radio and to study for your license
with seasoned Ham radio operators as your teachers and mentors!
The Westchester
Emergency Communications Association (WECA: www.weca.org) is proud to
sponsor a free Technician Class License course. Come take your first
steps and join the exciting world of Amateur Radio. Enjoy talking to
other Amateur Radio Operators, near and far? Want to experiment with new
technologies that utilize computers interfaced with radios? Would you
like to join forces with county government and local volunteer
organizations as Amateur Radio Operators for Emergency Communications
assistance and Public Service events? Take your first steps by joining
us for this interactive course taught by a team of knowledgeable Amateur
Radio Operators with a passion for their subjects.
To download the flyer,
please click here.
For further information, please contact Larrie / W2UL by sending email
to W2UL at Weca dot Org.
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WECA's 2013 Public Service Events:
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
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March Of Dimes
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Saxon Woods Park, White Plains, NY @ 7:30 am
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Sunday,
May 5, 2013
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Mental Health Association of Westchester
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FDR
Park, Yorktown, NY
@ 7:30 am
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June 22 - 23, 2013
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ARRL
Field Day
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Harbor Island, Mamaroneck, NY
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A total of nine events are listed for 2013. Please visit the
WECA Public Service Events page by clicking here.
Are you a local Ham near Westchester County, NY and are interested in
helping out with Public Service Events? If so, please contact Kathleen
O'Keefe / KC2VCT by sending email to PublicService
at WECA dot org.
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News from the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
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AMERICAN
RADIO RELAY LEAGUE, INC. Granted the waiver request, with
conditions. Dismissed as moot a previously-filed request from ARRL
for clarification of the rules as they apply to TDMA digital
emissions. (Dkt No. 12-283 ), released March 22, 2013.
Click here to read.
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Part 97-113 (3)(i) - use of Amateur
Radio for emergency preparedness.
Click here to read
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FCC Rules for Part 97 - Amateur Radio,
click here to read.
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WB2NHC is on
YouTube!
Tom
Raffaelli / WB2NHC and the involvement of Ham Radio Operators helping the
Red Cross was featured in a YouTube video.
To view
this video, please click
here.
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Want to learn
about RFI, Ferrites, Baluns and Audio interfacing but don't have time
for a class?
Dwight Smith / N2FMC has found an interesting
and downloadable publication that is continuously updated by the author
Jim Brown/K9YC.
Click here
to view or download this treasure trove of information about RFI,
Ferrites, Baluns and Audio interfacing.
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Please welcome
these new WECA members!
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N2LH |
Larry |
Yorktown Hts. |
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KD2DFY
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Jim
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Mamaroneck
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KD2DWD |
Walt |
Dobbs Ferry |
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KC2ZMZ |
Bill |
Elmsford |
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KC2ZZY
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Tony
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White Plains
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KD2DOF |
Dan |
Scarsdale |
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KD2DOE
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Simon
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White Plains
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Want to join WECA? Please send email
to membership at weca dot org
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Want to learn
about "Return Loss"?
OK, so
what is return loss? Click
here for Wikipedia's answer. So how good is that feed line and much
power is really getting out of the cable to the antenna? Any faults
with the cable or connectors? Is there really an antenna connected?
Finally, what is being reflected back down the line as loss?
Dwight
/ N2FMC has found a few URLs
that discusses and calculates Return Loss.
Here is a link that discusses the math, please click here.
This
link compares SWR to Return loss in a chart, please click here.
Another
SWR chart link, please click
here.
And
finally an online Return Loss calculator, please click here.
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Have a
special Ham Radio announcement for the website? Please send email to
n2tfc at weca dot org.
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Traveling abroad
and want to use your US Ham license during your trip?
 Please read this document created by the FCC DA-11-211
to help explain the process of using your Ham callsign in
"CEPT" countries in Europe. Please click here to read this
publication.
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See the latest
ARRL Letter - lots of headlines!
Please Click here
to see the current issue.
Issues going back to 2000 can be viewed by clicking here.
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Interested in Solar Cycle 24?
Would you like to find out how Ham Radio
operators make contacts using the Aurora?
If there are enough charged particles (electrons) spiraling down the
earth's magnetic field lines, the ionization may be sufficient to
reflect VHF and lower UHF radio waves (generally in the 25 to 500 MHz
frequency range). This usually occurs in conjunction with visual
aurora, but the mechanism is a bit different and it is possible to have
one (visual or radio) without the other.
Click here to learn more.
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 WECA has D-Star on 443/448.1875
As of June 1, 2010 WECA
has D-Star on 448.1875 (-) under callsign W2ECA (set your parameters
for this frequency to the repeater callsign of W2ECA, 443.1875 (RX),
448.1875 (TX) and "CQCQCQ" for your callsign. The new
D-Star repeater is located in Valhalla, NY and presently has a range of
about 15 miles (mobile). Please send signal reports to D-Star at
weca.org. Update July 2012, W2ECA's gateway
is now connected to the Internet. Dial up 448.1875 and hear distant
D-Star conversations in progress.
See a "U-Tube" video about D-star by
clicking here.
Need a D-Star code plug for W2ECA's D-Star
repeater? Please click here
To register for W2ECA, please click here.
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Field Day 2012 has passed
Field Day 2012 was on June 23th and June 24th. WECA was stationed at Harbor Island in Mamaroneck, NY. Setup
began on Saturday morning at 10 am and teardown started at 2 pm on
Sunday. Not a Ham, but want to learn about Ham Radio? This was a great
opportunity to learn about the hobby in a "hands on" approach
as radios, antennas and logging software will all be setup for this two
day event - so please stop by and help out.
WECA scored about 5,300 points this year. Congratulations to
all who were involved in this world wide contest! We scored 21st in
category 4A.
This year's Field Day will be on Saturday, June
22nd and Sunday June 23rd.
Don't know what Field Day is, click
here for details.
Once again the many operators at WECA created a great score and
had fun at the event!
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Having troubles using the WECA Repeater
system?
Sometimes due to band conditions,
distance repeaters can be heard on our 2 meter repeater frequency of
147.060 MHz. Once someone in greater Westchester County keys up on the
input using a PL of 114.8 Hz, the distant repeater interference subsides.
This is normal (especially in the summer) and many times you may hear a
Connecticut repeater located in the northeast corner of the state or
sometimes a Philadelphia repeater can be heard as well.
But, if you have been having troubles using the repeater system or are
hearing interference, please send email to "repeater at weca dot org" detailing the trouble or
interference that you are experiencing. Our Repeater and Technical
Directors will look into the problem.
Please welcome our 2013 - 2014 Officers
& Directors:
At the June 10, 2013 meeting, the following
Officers & Directors were elected into office.
President
- Bill Bohnenberger / KA2OFM
Executive Vice President - Tom Fegan - KB2ZAM
Vice President / General Counsel - Michael Weitzner / N2EJI
Treasurer - Andy Farber / N4OOX
Secretary - Brian Stas - W2BZT
Director at Large - Stan Rothman / WA2NRV
Engineering Director - Bob Wilson / N2DVQ
Newsletter Editor - Al Kroger / KD2DMV
Repeater Operations Director - Dwight Smith / N2FMC
Social Activities Director - Richard Kautz / KC2HZW
Education Director - Larrie Sutliff / W2UL
Digital Modes - Rich Benda / WB2QJA
Emergency Services - Tom Raffaelli / WB2NHC
Membership - Peter Johnson / N2TFC
Publicity - Will Austen / N2UXJ
Public Service - Kathleen O'Keefe / KC2VCT
Directors and honorariums appointed by the board
Trustee - Russ Stevenson / N2AMP
County Liaison - Michael Volk / W2MKV
President Emeritus - Russ Stevenson / N2AMP
Webmaster / CIO - Peter Johnson / N2TFC
If you have any questions for the Officers & Directors, please
email them with your questions by sending email to their callsign@weca dot
org email address.
The WECAgram Newsletter is always online
WECA's monthly newsletter about Ham Radio events,
projects and its local members in the greater Westchester County, NY area
located about 20 miles north of New York City. .
Do you have something for the WECAgram
? Please send your article to The WECAgram Editor by sending email to "wecagram
at weca dot org"
Past issues of The
WECAgram
Looking for special Ham Radio related
websites?
WECA member Dwight Smith / N2FMC has found a bunch
of web sites containing ham radio related information. Please click here for a list of
"Dwight's Sites". If you have any technical or Ham Radio related
sites and would like to share these sites with others, please send email to
sites at "weca dot org".
2013 meetings , lists, dates and
calendars are online
Please click here for the 2013 WECA
meeting list
Please click here
for the 2013 Ham Radio testing dates
Please click here
for the 2013 Public Service event calendar
Want to know what Amateur Radio is all
about?
Click here to
listen a 30 second message about "Ham Radio". Listen to a public
announcement about the way "Hams" helped the survivors of
hurricane Katrina by clicking here. Want to see and
hear what Ham Radio is all about, click here for a 30
second video!
Click here
for a brochure about the Ham Radio hobby.
Please visit www.hello-radio.com
Found - old WECAGRAMS!
Nick /
K2ZVI (SK) found some old WECAGRAMS
while cleaning one day to share with the newer members. Please click on any
date below to view these found treasures!
February 1980
August 1981
September 1987
January 1988
If you
have some old WECAgrams that could be "PDF" scanned, please send
email to Peter / N2TFC - webmaster at weca dot org
WB2NHC - Tom Raffaelli was awarded Ham
of the year!
 Tom
was first licensed in 1964. His interests then, as now, were in
experimenting and building radio devices. Tom married Jeanne Fyfe in 1966.
They moved into a three room apartment in the Bronx. Due to space
limitations Tom operated exclusively on the VHF and UHF bands. In 1970,
with two children in tow, Tom and Jeanne moved to a home in Thornwood New
York. Beam antennas, verticals and wire dipoles soon sprang up on the roof
and in the yard. In 1979 Tom joined the New Rochelle Communications Club
and soon after that the Westchester Emergency Communications Association
(WECA). He was elected Vice President of WECA in 1985 and President in
1987, and served for seven years. WECA doubled its membership under Tom's
leadership, strengthened its affiliation with Westchester County's Office
of Disaster and Emergency Services and initiated an affiliation with
the Westchester chapter of the American Red Cross. He expanded the
club's Field Day event and grew WECAFEST, the club's hamfest event
into a major "must attend" event. Tom is now Director of
Emergency Services.
Tom
served as President of TSARC
for several years and resolved several long standing coordination disputes
and established a coordination waiting list for all bands. Tom taught many
Amateur Radio license classes over the years bringing more than 50 people
into the hobby. Tom began volunteering at the New York City Marathon
in the mid eighties and is currently the ham radio supervisor at the Family
Reunion area.
Tom was
instrumental in establishing extremely strong relationships between WECA
and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and the American
Red Cross. Both of these organizations are providing funding and
support for maintenance of WECA's communications vehicles and equipment as
well as providing meeting space and training facilities. Tom recently
retired from the County of Westchester as its Director of Radio Systems.
Tom continues to build on the strong ties between RACES, WECA and the county government while
helping to bring state of art communications facilities to the
county's public safety departments.
Amateur
of the Year Award Sponsored jointly by:
The Peconic
Amateur Radio Club
and
Westchester Emergency
Communications Association - WECA
As
printed in the Hudson Division Awards Diner pamphlet from November 12, 2005
Here is what the Journal News said about
the WECA Field Day event (2005):
Amateurs ham it up
By
MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original
publication: June 27, 2005)
At 11 a.m. yesterday, the sun was positioned just right for
contact with Florida. With headphones on, 12-year-old Taylor Wilson,
maneuvered the radio dial for the correct frequency to ham it up.
"Alpha Echo 2 Fox Trot," he repeated into his headset with vigor.
A few crackled voices from north Florida responded. "The frequency
depends on the time of day. Right now it's favoring the south," said
his father, Bob Wilson (N2DVQ), of Yorktown. "The atmosphere is like a
mirror. "Later, Taylor grew frustrated as he tried to extend his reach
and get the attention of an operator from the Virgin Islands. With some
patience, a connection was made with a clear sound from the Caribbean.
"This is so much fun," said Taylor. "Now that school's out,
it's a great way to meet people. "The boisterous pre-teen was among 60
members of the Westchester Emergency Communication Association who
participated in Field Day yesterday, an annual event during which amateur
radio operators test their ability to establish and sustain long distance
radio communications in the event of an emergency. At Harbor Island Park in
Mamaroneck, five 50-foot-high antennas were positioned around the field and
five stations were set up for the 24-hour experiment that started at 2 p.m.
Saturday. "Our objective is to set up quickly and log contacts,"
said Lyle Anderson (K2LCA) of Chappaqua, the association's president.
"And to see if our procedures work. "More than 3,000 stations
nationwide participate in Field Day, which is hosted by the American Radio
Relay League. By midday yesterday, the Westchester club had contacted about
1,300 and expected to reach 1,800 by day's end, Anderson said. In the event
of a terrorist attack or natural disaster, when telephone and/or computer
services are lost, emergency officials and relief agencies utilize local
amateur radio operators, or hams, for communication. During the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks and 2003's blackout, the Westchester Emergency Communications
Association helped officials stay in contact throughout the region,
Anderson said. "People do this for a hobby," Anderson said.
"But we do it as a public service. "There are 260 amateur radio
operators in the volunteer group. Field Day also offered some friendly
competition, in which each radio operator received a point for each contact
made. Last year, the association came in sixth in their class. They
expected to do better than that this time, Anderson said. Results are
expected in two weeks. "The contest is just for fun," said
Anderson. "What we are really trying to do here is train people. When
you are stressed, tired and you have five people trying to contact you, you
have to be cool and know what to do."
Don't know what Ham Radio is ?
The Ham Radio hobby has made it ! Well, now there
is a "Ham Radio for Dummies" book on the market. Check this
out by clicking
here ! Available in many book stores like Borders,
Barnes
& Noble and the ARRL
for $21.99 or less.
So, where were you in '72 ? When WECA
was born !
On the first Friday night in early
April 1972, five men met in Tarrytown, NY at William T. Knott's (W2QGH-sk)
home to form what is now the Westchester Emergency Communications
Association (WECA). Thirty one years ago these middle aged
"family" men were Ham
Radio hobbyists who decided start this club "for the continuation
of the Civil Defense Radio network in Westchester County, NY". Meeting
minutes from those early gatherings can be read by clicking here.
WECA thanks John von Sneidern, Jr. / W2QGH
for copies of those notes "from the beginning" of WECA and Efrem
Acosta / W2CZ for organizing this
historic project.
Comments (good/bad)? Please let us know by sending email to webmaster at
weca dot org.
Public Service Operators Needed !
Please
contact Kathleen O'Keefe / KC2VCT if you would like to participate in the
upcoming Public Service events that WECA helps by supplying Ham Radio
communicators. Operators are needed for other upcoming events. This is the
best possible emergency preparedness training for Ham Radio communicators
available, so please send email now to PublicService
at weca dot org and volunteer!
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