New !!! Caravan Club Membership List Now Updated to FY 2021 - The Amateur Radio Caravan Club has updated its membership list as of February 3, 2021. We're now sitting at 103 total members, split as follows: Full 76, Family 8, Associate 2, New Ham 14, and Honorary 3 and we removed 55 members whose membership expired with FY 20. Thank you members for supporting your club and amateur radio !!!
Of our 103 members, 70 claim ARRL membership, for a percentage of 68.
New Mexico TechFest - Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, New Mexico is pleased to announce the 2021 New Mexico TechFest, an ARRL-sanctioned operating specialty event, on Saturday February 27, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty around New Mexico’s public health orders, this year’s event will be conducted virtually.
Join fellow amateur radio operators from around the Land of Enchantment (and beyond) for a day of quality presentations, demonstrations, and instruction provided by some of New Mexico and Colorado’s most experienced technical hams on a variety of emerging and relevant technical topics within amateur radio today. The New Mexico TechFest is designed to provide a unique opportunity for all hams interested in the technical aspects of our hobby to advance and expand their technical knowledge and to facilitate technical discussion, collaboration, and discuss ideas with one another.
Registration is now open (click here) and this year’s presentation lineup is now posted. Admission is $10; Pre-registration is required to attend. To download a flyer for your refrigerator click here.
New !!! QSO Today Virtual Expo 2021 – After a very successful two-day Virtual Ham Expo last August when 16,000 hams attended, QSO Today is well into planning an even better one scheduled for March 13-14, 2021. They will be offering 60+ speakers, panel discussions, kit building workshops, walk thru virtual exhibitors, a chat room and much more.
If you are a ham that doesn’t want to travel because of COVID or just lives too far from a hamvention, this is the event for you. You will save thousands of dollars since you don’t have to worry about travel, food and lodging. This year, starting on January 4th, they are offering Early Bird Tickets ($10) to help cover the cost of this event or $12.50 at the “door”. The ticket includes entry for the live 2-day period as well as the 30 day on-demand period afterwards. This is a not-to-be-missed event for every house-bound ham who is seeking an opportunity to chat with fellow hams. For more details Click Here.
Update !!! Virtual Ham Expo Announces AMSAT Track – For its March 13-14 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo the Expo team has proudly announced “an entire speaker track dedicated to the amazing world of AMSAT – the worldwide group of amateur radio operators who share an active interest in building, launching and then communicating with each others through non-commercial amateur radio satellites”. They state “To date over 70 amateur radio satellites have been launched. At the Expo there will be 9 sessions by AMSAT experts who will discuss everything you need to know about taking advantage of this satellite network”. Anyone can attend the Expo. “Early Bird tickets are $10 (to help cover the cost of this event, $12.50 at the “door” and includes entry for the Live 2 day period as well as the 30-day on-demand period. Registration can be found at www.qsotodayhamexpo.com.”
New !!! COVID Tests and Vaccinations – [Note: This is not amateur radio-related but may help save the life of a ham radio operator]. The New Mexico Dept. of Health has released a couple of websites that may be useful to you. Two list places where you can get tested locally and the other helps you register to receive the COVID vaccine at a location near you:
Order free self-administered home test kits: learn.vaulthealth.com/nm
Info on Getting Tested for COVID-19: https://www.togethernm.org/
Registering to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine: https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/
A Small But Enthusiastic Crowd Attends Presentation By Petroff – This month's club meeting had fewer members than usual in attendance, but this did not dampen the spirits of attendees or our presenter, Chris Petroff W5CBP, discussing the Bernalillo County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (BCARES). Chris was first licensed in 1982 in Mexico, and his passion for amateur radio emergency services comes from his past role as a radio traffic manager handling messages between Australia and Mexico. As current district emergency coordinator for BCARES, Chris brings a wealth of experience to the organization. To our benefit, he shared his passion and enthusiasm for this vital amateur radio service at the meeting. Chris emphasized that ARES personnel are not emergency managers nor responsible for emergency operations. Furthermore, ARES personnel are
never in proximity to danger. Instead, ARES personnel are involved in the logistics of the management of an emergency situation or simulation. Equipped, experienced radio operators are subordinate to the overall Incident Command System.
The Bernalillo County Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) consist of a robust set of linked repeaters throughout the county, as well as a variety of trunked 800 Mhz radios as part of the Enhanced Digital Access System (EDACS). A number of HF radios are placed within the strategically placed EOCs, and "go kits" are available for mobilizaiton. The ARES communication system includes a simplex link to Santa Fe and the state EOC office, and a stand-alone intranet, providing networking and data communication between the facilities, is separate from the regular internet and provides additional system reliability.
Chris encourages citizens, not only amateur radio operators, to sign up from relevant emergency notifications via text message, via the website at https://www.nixle.com. Furthermore, Chris encourages local hams to get involved directly with ARES. The ARES volunteer management program, called ARES connect, can be found at https://arrl.volunteerhub.com/lp/nm. Information on joining the Bernalillo County ARES organization, including a membership application and training material, can be found at
https://nmbcares.org. The Caravan Club would like to thank Chris for this interesting and informative presentation. Members are also welcome to contact Chris at w5cbp@arrl.net for further information.
2020 Winterfest Was Well Attended…and Delicious – The Amateur Radio Caravan Club held its annual Winterfest Banquet at The Cooperage restaurant on January 11th. This is in lieu of trying to find any date in December that doesn’t conflict with other Christmas-time celebrations. About 38 members and guests attended, all enjoying a delicious meal and wonderful fellowship. Our sincere thanks to Mathias, K0WBG, our hardworking special events coordinator for another successful event.
Past Meeting Presentations Now Available – For years, we have been able to provide a link the actual PowerPoint or pdf programs used by our speakers onto the Caravan Club website…only to erase them a month later for lack of storage space provided
by our internet provider. Thanks to the ingenuity of our very own Bob Longoria N5JH, we now have a way to store those programs on a much larger server and simply link them to our website. This will make these programs available to all for a long, long time. At the top of our home page, look for and click on the new tab “Presentations” to find the growing list of past meeting presentations. Thus, if you missed a meeting or just want to go back to a certain program for further information, you will now be able to do so.
And, this is just the beginning! We are in the process of posting what we now have but there are many more out there. Bob will be emailing past presenters looking for programs that they might still have on their hard drives and be willing to share. If so, please email these programs plus your (the presenter’s) name and the date (if possible) of that presentation to Bob at N5JH@arrl.net.
Ham Radio Represented at the 2019 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – For the third year, amateur radio staffed a booth inside the AIBF’s 7-Eleven Balloon Discovery Center at the north end of the balloon launch field. Before and after each balloon launch thousands of visitors head to the Discovery Center to explore what it has to offer. The High Desert ARC did an excellent job in coordinating the booth again this year. In order to staff the booth with six volunteers for 9 morning and 5 evening shifts is a MAJOR accomplishment. That’s 86 slots! No one club could fill that many slots by itself. Thanks to hams from all over the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area for stepping up. A special thanks to Dave N0LVA for ramrodding this event. It required a lot of hours coordinating this event with both the AIBF and the ham volunteers. Well Done !!!
This year, we again focused on VHF/UHF and 40 meters in the booth. Using FT-8 on 40 meters, we were successful in making digital contacts nation and worldwide. On Wednesday morning Jim NM5JH conducted the ScatNet in the booth followed by Bruce NK5W with Rusty’s Raiders. On Friday AM, Bob N5JH ran the ScatNet onsite followed by Bruce again on Rusty’s Raiders. Due to the background noise in the tent, it was a miracle that any of these net controllers could distinguish one call sign from another. Thank goodness for headphones! On Friday, the temperature plunged to near freezing but the crowds (and volunteers) still came. Bob brought his D-Star rig to demonstrate its capabilities. Also, on Friday, Pete KE5WTM experimented with showing kids how to spell and send their names in Morse Code. They first would translate their name into code on paper and then “send” it using a code oscillator. This turned out to be very popular; we may want to expand this next year. All in all, our volunteers seemed to have a great time playing radio and discussing our wonderful hobby with our visitors from all over our nation and the world.
2019 DCHF Was a Huge Success – The Duke City Hamfest, thanks to its hard-working planning committee, created the best DCHF yet. The event was again held at the Isleta Resort on the Pueblo of Isleta south of Albuquerque. All attendees agreed that this was a first-class facility and are looking forward to returning next year. There was lots of space for all activities (registration, forums, banquets, commercial vendors, indoor tailgaters, club tables, craft classes…). The outdoor flea market (tailgate) attracted 16 vendors and an impressive crowd. And the food? The resort staff served the tastiest meals in DCHF memory.
Friday morning began with three all-day forums (AMSAT Academy, EmComm College and HF University 2.0). Registration opened at 8 AM followed by 18 forums throughout the day. At 5 PM, the mixer began with a cash bar followed by a plentiful finger food. The resort staff kept the food coming! NM Section Manager Bill Mader, K8TE, was the evening speaker. An impressive beginning of the weekend.
Saturday found the outdoor tailgate crew open for business as 6 AM thru noon. This was followed by Rob Sherwood, NC0B, speaking during the breakfast banquet at 7:30 AM. The rest of the day including 32 forums on a WIDE variety of topics. This was also the big day for all of our commercial vendors who offered the crowd an impressive variety of wares. At 5 PM, the Saturday banquet began with a cash bar followed by a delicious buffet and lots of great fellowship. The banquet’s speaker was Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, former special counsel to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. For those with some energy left after a full day, the Wouff-Hong Ceremony was held from 10 to 11 PM.
Sunday began with the farewell breakfast banquet at 7:30 AM. Registration and the commercial vendors/indoor flea market opened for their final day. There were also 12 forums held in the morning. At noon, the Hamfest closed with the ever-popular final raffle was held with lots of prizes won.
In conclusion, our sincere thanks to chairman Pete Spotts and his hard-working board and many volunteers for arranging an outstanding Hamfest/convention. We also want to especially recognize the Isleta Resort’s staff for doing a first-class job for helping us every step of the way. (Note: Below are probably way too many photos of the event but we wanted to give those that could not attend a feel of what they missed).
Getting Started in Ham Radio - A new page has been added to the Activities section titled Getting Started in Ham Radio. Thanks to Pete Stine for this write up to help those interested in becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator. (click here)
Click on the play button below to listen to an early SCATNet. Net Control was performed every weekday by Vern (W5CSY).
A Net Honoring "Dee" Diedrich, KC5JBO (SK) - We now have a net honoring our longtime friend Landis "Dee" Diedrich aka "The Voice of Amateur Radio in Albuquerque". The JBO.40Net is held each Tuesday from 6:30 to about 7:30 PM on 146.40 MHz Simplex (yes, simplex so there is no offset, no tone). Come join the fun. You may need an external antenna in some areas to check in. For more info go to the website of our very own Mark Goodrum at www.w5mhg.com .
Caravan Club Shirts, Hats & Coats- Our goal is for club members to show club unity by proudly wearing their shirts during public events such as meetings, Field Day, Summer Radio Fun in the Park, Corn Feed, etc.
Local Vendor – The Caravan Club has found a local source for club shirts, hats and coats. It is Turbo Threads, 1503 Golf Course Rd SE in Rio Rancho or (505) 999-1234. You can order items directly from Turbo Threads.
Club Shirts - A very nice polo-style tan colored shirt. Each individual shirt will have the club name and logo on its left side and your first name and call sign on the right. These shirts sell for $21 or $24 depending on the number of X's in your shirt size. The shirts come in sizes S, M, Lg, XL, XXL plus Regular and Long shirt lengths. Ladies sizes are also available.
Club Ball Caps - Ball caps are tan colored with the club name and logo embroidered in front ($9) or $12 if you wish your name and call sign embroidered in the back above the adjuster strap.
Club Coats – A club coat is also available from Turbo Threads:
Port Authority “Legacy”, Catalog # J764 (regular), TLJ764 (tall) and L764 (women’s), khaki/nutmeg color. This model has a thin lining and comes with a hood. Cost is around $58-$60.
Let Us Tell You About The Amateur Radio Caravan Club
The Amateur Radio Caravan Club is one of the oldest amateur radio clubs in New Mexico. It was established in the 1950s by ham radio operators who shared a passion for the challenges of installing huge, tube type, separate receivers and transmitters in vehicles and then enjoying mobile QSOs as they caravaned to various locations as a club. While installing a modern mobile rig is not quite the challenge, today's Caravan Club members still enjoy QSOs from the road using the Club's repeater on Sandia Crest.
The Amateur Radio Caravan Club meets monthly year around at the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8600 Academy Road NE (corner of Academy & Moon NE) from 7 to 9 PM. Actually we start gathering around 6:30 PM to watch the coffee brew and to do a little ragchewing. We encourage you to park at the rear of the church and enter through the single door in the back, walk down the hallway to our meeting room. Our meetings offer an interesting program on some facet of amateur radio each month followed by an intermission and then a short business meeting. We are always finished by 9 PM.
During the summer, we focus on outdoor activities. From May thru August, the club hosts its Summer Fun in the Park program for one evening per month where hams meet at Sister Cities Park in northeast Albuquerque, set up their rigs and get on the air. Others are welcome to stop by to observe, ask questions or to just visit. In June, we co-host our ARRL-sponsored Field Day activity where hams worldwide, limited only to emergency power, try to contact one another. In July we meet for our "Summerfest" dinner at a local restaurant to share delicious food with old and new friends. September brings the Duke City Hamfest, New Mexico's largest hamfest, in which the Caravan Club is fully involved. In September we host our annual Corn Feed, a potluck luncheon in a local park where the club provides freshly-cooked sweet corn. Yum!
In October we conduct our election of club officers. In January we also host our annual "Winterfest" dinner at the Cooperage restaurant in lieu of competing with all the Christmas parties held during December. April is a busy month with the New Mexico QSO Party contest where hams worldwide are trying to contact us hams in New Mexico. This is followed by the Caravan Club hosting its annual Spring Tailgate at the end of April where hams meet to buy or sell radio equipment and maybe swap a few lies.
Ongoing Caravan Club Services
The ARRL Audio News is broadcast on Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Amateur Radio News Line on Sundays at 8:10 PM on the club's 145.33 and 444.000 repeaters. Please tune in and listen to what's going on in Amateur Radio. Our sincere thanks to club member Mark W5MHG for recording and retransmitting these interesting broadcasts for many year now as a public service. Thanks, Mark !
Don't forget the Caravan Club Net on Sunday nights starting at 9 PM on the club's two repeaters. Our officers conduct any club business followed by hams checking-in from throughout the western U.S. This net is hosted by Roy KD5GBY, our long-time net controller. Thanks, Roy!
Amateur radio clubs are a good support for Hams and we would welcome the opportunity to help you in any way that we can. We invite you to come to a meeting, talk to us on our Sunday night Net, and join the Amateur Radio Caravan Club!
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Please sign our log, explore our site, and consider joining our growing club. 73
Website Committee: Pete KE5WTM; Bob N5JH, Mark W5MHG
Site Last Updated: 4 February 2021
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