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6/23-24/18 Field Day

Thanks to everyone for making it a success.

 

Need to get your Ham Radio Licence or upgrade?

                          The Bloomfield Amateur Radio Club (BARC)

                                    is the Public Service sponsor of the

              ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator  (VEC) accredited

                    Volunteer Examiner (VE) Team of Bloomfield, CT

To find the location, dates, times, walk-ins OK, and person-to-contact for VE sessions, please visit this webpage:  http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

Updated Net Script

Please see below, or on the Net Script page, the updated Net Control script for our weekly BARENS net.

Available as a Word file: BARENS NET SCRIPT DEC 8 2015.

Bloomfield Amateur Radio Emergency Net & Service
(BARENS)

Net Control Operator/Station Guide
Revised December 2015

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Net Manager assigns Net Control Operators. Please start the net promptly. If the assigned Net Control Operator has not started the net, any member familiar with this guide should take the initiative and act as Net Control Operator and call the net.

When the assigned Net Control Operator knows he or she cannot start the net, the Net Manager should be notified ahead of time so that an alternate can be assigned. As Net Control Operator, you should ALWAYS maintain control while the net is in session. You decide whose turn it is to talk, and tell each checked in operator when to go ahead. If an operator talks out of turn, you should ask that operator to stand by and then give the go ahead to the operator actually due to transmit. Always use your authority with courtesy. Show firmness when necessary, conducting yourself in a “professional” manner.

Maintain CALM & INTELLIGENT control over the net. Be patient when a person is speaking. Use good judgment in curtailing discussions that drag on or get too far off track. Net discussions should proceed as long as is necessary. Casual conversation can continue after the net is closed and the repeater is turned over for regular use.

STANDARD START-UP
OF THE REGULAR NET SESSION

(1) “Calling the BARENS Net, calling the BARENS Net; calling the Bloomfield Amateur Radio Emergency Net & Service. This is Net Control Operator (your name, call sign).
This is a directed net, which meets at 7:00 p.m. local time every Tuesday, except for the 3rd Tuesday of each month. “

“On each 3rd Tuesday, we meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Town Hall. We are using our W1CWA repeater on 146.82 Mhz. The purpose of this meeting is public service emergency preparedness, primarily for the North Central Connecticut area.“

(2) “Check-ins are asked to key your microphone momentarily. Then listen to make sure you are not doubling with another station trying to check in. Check-ins for the net please call now, giving your call sign, name, town and whether or not you are using emergency power or commercial power. This is (your call sign), Net Control Operator.“

(3) Listen for check-ins. Write them down in the order they check in, using a standard net log sheet, listing your call at the top of the list.

(4) After the first group of check-ins has called in, acknowledge each station by repeating their call signs clearly. Next, ask for additional check-ins, writing them down and acknowledging them.

(5) After receiving the first check-ins, call for liaison stations, by saying, “Are there any liaison stations, or stations from outlying areas ? Please call now.” Add to your list any liaison stations as check-ins, and make a note in the COMMENTS column of what town they are calling from.

PROTOCOL FOR NET IN FULL SESSION

(1) With the net in full session, if there are any mobile stations checked in, ask them to come first with any business or comments. Then go down the remaining list of check-ins asking for any business or comments. Give each check-in a turn to state their business and comments.

(2) After each check-in has their turn(s), ask: “Is there any final business for the net before we close ? Are there any final check-ins for the net ?” Write them down, if there are any, and offer them a turn to state any business or comments for the net.

(3) Before closing the net, ask “Are there any additional comments before we close the net ?”

(4) As soon as net business is finished, close the net with “Thank for checking in and giving your comments. This has been a regular session of the Bloomfield Amateur Radio Emergency Net & Service. The net is now closed and the repeater returned to regular use. This is (your call sign, Net Control Operator. Goodnight.”

Field Day 2015 Summary

This year we claim a few fewer points, 388, with much of our team away, but we again enjoyed Talcott Mountain State Park, 900+ ft ASL overlooking the beautiful Farmington Valley in Central CT! We did 51 CW QSOs and 92 on phone.

We also used a new logging software, the excellent open-source Cloudlog (available for free on Github). For a server we ran a Beaglebone Black Rev. C, and we had several Raspberry Pi’s as clients.

Next year, we may develop our own Web API, and use SSB (single-site browsing) to log a little more efficiently, but again use the web over a local intranet set up on site for FD.

The pavilion we use is right near the historic Heublein Tower – it’s a site that gives us great coast-coast opportunities even with the pile-ups FD brings!

BARENS Net Log for Sept. 2, 2014

Josh (AC1N) was net control. The net began at 1900 (7:00 pm) local time, and concluded at 19:19pm.

The following stations checked in. An asterisk indicates the ham was new to the BARC net:

1. KB9IKI – Jeremy – Bloomfield on battery power
2. AB1LZ – Bill – Simsbury – mobile
3. W1FTE – Skip – Granby
4. K1NKS – Jack – W. Hartford – commercial power
5. KB1YNT – Bob – Canton – Battery power
6. KC1BXF* – Stuart – E. Hartford – battery power
7. W1TMS* – Ben – Talcott Mountain Science Center – emergency power – under supervision of control operator K1IN
8. K1PAI – Roger – Wethersfield – Commercial Power
9. K1IN – Don – Mobile at Talcott Mountain Science Center – Emergency Power
10. KC1AYY* – Ernie – Canton – Commercial Power
11. KC1CIZ* – Tom – New Britain – Commercial Power

Traffic passed:

• Bill – Hartford marathon is coming October 11 – please contact Bill at AB1LZ (at) ARRL.net if able to help.
• Bill – Calhoun ride on October 5 – please contact George at AB1GL (at) ARRL.net if able to assist
• Skip – Simsbury fly-in on Sept. 14th at 8am. Donation requested at the gate – please contact Skip for more info – he will have the ham tent and demos for fly-in attendees.
• Jack – will assist Skip with fly-in from 0645 on the 14th. Will assist Bill with the marathon and stated Pete will also be helping with marathon.
• Jack – will be sending club dues to Bob (club treasurer).
• Roger – Will let Skip know when coax install at QTH will be needed.
• Don – hopes to make fly-in Sept. 14
• Josh – Welcome to those new to the BARC / BARENS net – consider yourself invited to our next in-person meeting! (Every 3rd Tuesday at 7pm at Bloomfield Town Hall).

BARENS Net Log April 29, 2014

Josh (AC1N) Net Control:

wa1icn	ashley	simsb	batt	ann: upcoming event in granby hx has been mixed. Simplex / rptr. Use has been tried. Skip pls. report rptr in use. Good luck to everyone.
w1fte	skip	granby	comm	ann: this sat May 3 Granby foot race. Starts at granby hs rt 10/202 s. to mclean game. Comms needed in mclean game refuge. Need 2 more hams. Granby cert also involved. Start 8:30am, 8am position time. 2.5hr duration. 2/3 positions in the woods, require walking. Contact skip if can help. Rptr. TBD
k1nks	jack	whart	comm	no comments or ann
kb1wff	dan	weat	comm	busy wk at the museum. Poss sstv gear coming in!
kb1ynt	bob	canton	batt	comm: check from state for club from unclaimed funds rxd.
k1pai	roger	weth	comm	comm: flood watch for all ct wed nt through thrs. Pm. Dryer wknd.
n1en	michael	poqu	comm	no comments or ann
ab1lz	bill	weat	batt	ann: k1cct nts training at eg eoc tomorrow (wed nt)
w1sl	woody	bloom	batt	no comments or ann
n1abn	dick	granby	comm	no comments or ann
kb1zhb	mike	vernon	comm	no comments or ann
kb9iki	jeremy	bloom	batt	comm: thank you for helping me with 2nd net control
no liaisons- net closed 21:25

Monthly Meeting Minutes

BARC__Minutes_140128

BARENS January 14, 2014

Checkins:

AB1LZ Was Net Control for the on-air meeting, January 14, 2014:

1. AB1LZ Bill Weatogue Net Control
2. KB1WFF Dan Weatogue Commercial Power
3. N1AYS Bruce W. Suffield Commercial Power
4. WA1ICN Ashley Simsbury Battery
5. W1FTE Skip Granby Commercial Power – PVRA Meeting next week

Comments:

Please plan on attending next week’s face to face meeting at 7:00 PM at the Bloomfield town hall.

On-Air Net Jan 14, Next In-Person Meeting Jan. 21

Join us on Tuesday January 14 at 7pm for our on-air BARENS net. We use our own repeater situated up on Talcott Mountain, 146.82 (- offset, no PL).

On January 21, join us at 7pm at Bloomfield Town Hall!  If you’ve heard us on the air, our heard about us, it’s a great chance to start 2014 with a great group of hams!  If you’re not licensed yet – ask – we can help with studying for the test, to administering the exam through our VE team.