New!!! Mocho Explains WoAD – The Amateur Radio Caravan Club was pleased to have its own Caravan Master John Mocho KC5QOC speak at its February 7th meeting.  His presentation was about Winlink on Android Devices (or WoAD).  Right off the bat, he said that WoAD is not simple to learn and that you need a Winlink account but does offer five ways to serve EmComm. He then described WoAD and how it works. Our thanks to John for enlightening us on this new software.  (To see all of John’s slides please go to our Presentations tab).

During the business part of the meeting, we were delighted to learn that the Caravan Club board of directors voted to make Don Wood W5FHA an honorary member.  Well-deserved for his years of service to the amateur radio and the club.  Congratulations, Don!

Hams Helping Hams – On October 21, 2024, Roswell, NM, experienced a major flood causing massive damage. One of the victims was the Pecos Valley ARC which lost most or all its ham radio equipment.  The Caravan Club stepped up by donating $1,000 to their club.  In addition, Jo Hunter, widow of Jim Hunter NM5JH, donated all of Jim’s radio equipment to help the Roswell club get back on the air.  Our thanks to Larry and Margaret Goga for transporting it down there.

Finally, John also mentioned that Radio Fun in the Park for 2025 will begin in May on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays (9AM ~ 1 PM) again at Sister Cities Park.  We look forward to “playing radio” in a beautiful park setting so mark your calendars.

New Mexico TechFest - Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, New Mexico is pleased to announce the 2025 New Mexico TechFest, an ARRL-sanctioned operating specialty event, on Saturday February 22, 2025, at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center in Albuquerque, NM (1634 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102). New Mexico TechFest is a hybrid event: Both in-person and, for those unable to travel or attend in-person, online via Zoom’s professional webinar platform. For more details Click Here.

Registration is now open.  Admission is $15 and walk-ins will not be accepted. To register Click Here.

New !!! It Was Cloudy and COLD!!! – As advertised, the 146.580 Simplex Group held its 29th Annual Winter Tailgate Swapfest on Saturday, January 25, 2025, in the north parking lot of the Stoneface Tavern. Attendance was down this year due to the temperature in the mid-20s. However, there were still 6 -8 diehard vendors out there…and they were making sales. We saw customers carrying large items back to their cars. The rest of the crowd gathered together (for warmth?) to ragchew and then likely head home. Our thanks to the Simplex Group for hosting the first tailgates of each new year. As we all know, it takes planning, and you can only hope for decent weather.  You win some and lose some.  See you again next year?

New!!! Winterfest 2025 An Outstanding Success !!! – The Amateur Radio Caravan Club sponsored its annual Winterfest on January 11, 2025 at the Olive Garden on San Mateo Blvd NE.  Our sincere THANK YOU to the Club’s Special Events Director John Gleason K5JVG for coordinating this fun activity.  He announced that 40 hams and spouses gathered to share delicious meals and awesome fellowship.

Getting Started in Ham Radio - A page has been added to the Become a Ham tab 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.

 ###########################################################################################

Please sign our log, explore our site, and consider joining our growing club. 73

Website Committee:  Pete KE5WTM; Larry K5LRY, Mark W5MHG Site Last Updated:   February 19, 2025 Copyright © 2025, Caravan Radio Club.  All rights reserved.