Stones River Amateur Radio Club

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Amateur Radio Challenge Course

May 20, 2024 /

The first Amateur Radio Challenge Course will be held on Saturday June 1, 2024 at 9AM. Come join in the fun and test your skills with your HT!

WHO:
	ALL licensed Amateur Radio operators are welcome and encouraged to participate. Unlicensed individuals are welcome to spectate and learn about our club.

WHEN:
	June 1st
	9AM until ???

WHERE:
	Stones River National Battlefield
	- Park in the Overflow Parking (Gravel lot north of the Visitor's Center)
                 - Map
	
WHY:
	This event is designed to practice and maintain Emergency Communications skills at a foundational level.
	Experienced club members will be on-site and available to mentor less experienced operators in a game-like environment.

WHAT TO BRING:
	Required:
	- VHF capable handheld radio
	- Paper/pen

	Recommended:
	- Radio manual
	- External antenna/support/adapter(s)
	- Spare battery/charger
	- Water
	- Sun protection
		
GOAL:
	Complete the Challenge Course in the shortest time, while relying on external assistance as little as possible.
		
RULES:
	1) Have FUN!!! (Our club callsign is K4FUN, after all)
	2) No internet use allowed while running the Challenge Course.
	3) Participants may not use memory channels if they were programmed before starting the Challenge Course
	4) Once a participant has started the Challenge Course, they may only use the equipment they brought with them
	5) Participants may run the Challenge Course as many times as desired.

WaveTalkers Winlink Workshop

February 15, 2023 /

Winlink for EmComm: Beginners Workshop

Welcome to the WaveTalkers Winlink for Emergency Communications: Beginners Workshop! Over the next 4 weeks the WaveTalkers crew will guide you step by step into the world of Winlink. Below you will find the syllabus for the workshop and what you should do to prepare for Week 1.

Preparing for Week 1

To participate in the class you will need the following:

  • Windows 10/11 PC or Virtual Machine
  • Latest copy of Zoom which you can download and install from: zoom.us
  • Updated Web Browser, we suggest using Chrome as your Default Browser.
  • Valid Amateur Radio Call Sign (you will need this to set up your Winlink Account)
  • Download the latest copy of Winlink Express.
    • Go to https://winlink.org/WinlinkExpress
    • Click on the Download: Winlink Express (current production version) link
    • We will step through the installation and initial setup process together in class.

 

Syllabus

Week 1: Getting Started

The Goal for Week 1 of the workshop is to get you started with Winlink and able to successfully send and receive winlink email messages.

Topics covered:

  • What is Winlink from an Emergency Communications perspective.
  • Winlink Installation on a Windows 10/11 PC
  • Setting up your Winlink account and application settings.
  • Guided tour of the Winlink User Interface including tricks for working more efficiently within the application.
  • Sending and receiving your first Winlink messages via Telnet

Homework: Send a Winlink email message to your out-of-area emergency contact.  Explain to them what Winlink is, why you are sending this message, and ask them to reply to your Winlink message.

At the end of the first week you will have a working copy of Winlink installed on your Windows PC and be able to send and receive basic winlink messages to a Call Sign address, a tactical address, and a real world email address.

Week 2: Position Information & Winlink Forms

The Goal for Week 2 of the workshop is to familiarize you with the basics of sending and receiving Winlink Forms.

To participate in Week 2 you will need to have a working copy of Winlink already installed as per Week 1, and an up-to-date web browser, we suggest Chrome for maximum compatibility. A USB connected GPS is highly recommended although not required. Link to a suggested models will be provided on the WaveTalkers Website and noted during Week 1.

Topics covered:

  • Overview of Winlink Templates and Forms
  • Submitting a Mappable Winlink Check-In Form
  • Configuring Winlink Location Information and Submitting a Position Report
  • Submitting a Field Situation Report
  • Submitting a USGS DYFI Report
  • Overview of Winlink Mapping Capabilities
  • Submitting a Mappable Winlink Check-Out form.

Homework: Exchange Winlink Check-in and Field Situation Reports with your team members.  Map the responses for the Field Situation Report, save a JPG image of the map and attach the image to a winlink message and send that message to all 3 of your instructors (W6AH;W0DHG;NR6V).

At the end of Week 2 you will be able to successfully report your latitude and longitude position information via Winlink and submit multiple key Winlink Forms.

Week 3: ICS Forms and Working with Form Data

The Goal for Week 3 is to familiarize you with commonly used Incident Command System (ICS) forms and empower you to import and export data for forms.

Week 3 is building on the previous 2 weeks so in addition to everything noted above it will be helpful to have access to a basic spreadsheet program for working with tab delimited data.  Suggested spreadsheet programs include: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or Libre Office Calc. A basic knowledge of spreadsheet applications will be helpful, although not required.

Topics covered:

  • Working with common ICS forms
  • Exporting and Importing form data using CSV formats
  • Importing and Exporting CSV form data into a Spreadsheet for basic data manipulation and data entry
  • Web EOC Quick Request
  • American Red Cross Forms
  • Generating an ICS-309 Communications Log

Homework: Use the winlink tools to create an ICS-205 with at least 1 voice and 1 digital frequency.  Exchange ICS-213 messages with at least 1 of your team mates with each of you sending and receiving at least 2 messages to each other. Generate an ICS-309 that covers the entire length of this course including Week 3 homework exchanges and submit a CSV version of that report to your instructors.

At the end of Week 3 you will be able to send and receive common ICS forms and work with the data contained within those forms.

Week 4: Sending Traffic via RF and Simulated Exercise

The Goal for Week 4 is to provide you with an overview of sending and receiving winlink traffic via a radio connected to a PC and for you to participate in an Simulated Event where you will be asked to successfully send and receive Winlink traffic.

Topics covered:

  • Overview of Windows PC to Radio Connections
  • Submitting weather reports
  • Live demonstrations of Winlink with Packet, VARA FM, VARA HF
  • Participate in Simulated Event Exercise

At the end of Week 4, you will be a confident Winlink operator, capable of successfully passing appropriate EmComm information in a timely manner via Winlink.   You will also be ready for advanced workshops focused on specific RF operating modes using HF, VHF, and UHF bands

Workshop Zoom Link

February 16, 2022
7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern
Zoom Doors will open approximately 10 min before the workshop begins.

Join Zoom Meeting

http://cq.wavetalkers.com/winlink2023 
Please do not share this link publicly.

Thank you for joining us our this journey into ham radio and emergency communications.

73!
Chris Mattia de W6AH
Website: https://wavetalkers.com
Social Media: @wavetalkers #wavetalkers
Email: w6ah@wavetalkers.com

Boy Scouts use amateur radios for worldwide conversations

November 7, 2022 /

About 30 members of Murfreesboro Boy Scout Troop 416 participated in the Boy Scouts International Jamboree-On-The-Air (JOTA) on October 15,2022.

Members of the Stones River Amateur Radio Club of Murfreesboro – David Jones is the Troop 416 Scoutmaster — assisted the Scouts with the event. The Stones River Amateur Radio Club brought its Amateur Radio Emergency Service trailer, which is always on standby to help during disasters such as a tornado.

Mikel Turner helped this Boy Scout make a contact.

Doug Lowe sharing his considerable expertise with some Cub Scouts.

BBQ & Fox Hunt Sept. 25th

September 24, 2021 /

The SRARC is having its annual BBQ and Fox Hunt.
Join us Saturday. Sept 25th at:
New Vision  Baptist Church
1750 N Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
The Schedule will be as follows.
12:00 PM – Test Run at the church.
12:30 PM Lunch.
1:00 PM Then the main Fox Hunt covering the large area of Murfreesboro.

Please contact us if you do plan on attending at: srarctn@gmail.com

SRARC Welcomes Don Wilbanks to our March 4th 7PM Zoom Meeting

February 12, 2021 /
Don Wilbanks will be joining in at the March Zoom meeting to discuss the history of the ARRL Newsline and talk a bit about Ham Nation.    The details for the meetings are as follows to join us on zoom and of course you can also go our website and find the zoom information on our calendar for our meeting as well for every month till December I have it planned out.
You can find more information about him here
Stones River ARC is inviting you to a scheduled zoom meeting
Zoom meeting Details
Topic: SRARC monthly meeting
Time: Mar 4, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
        Every month on the First Thu, until Jan 6, 2022, 11 occurrence(s)
        Mar 4, 2021 07:00 PM
        Apr 1, 2021 07:00 PM
        May 6, 2021 07:00 PM
        Jun 3, 2021 07:00 PM
        Jul 1, 2021 07:00 PM
        Aug 5, 2021 07:00 PM
        Sep 2, 2021 07:00 PM
        Oct 7, 2021 07:00 PM
        Nov 4, 2021 07:00 PM
        Dec 2, 2021 07:00 PM
        Jan 6, 2022 07:00 PM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 839 2239 4447
Passcode: 401244
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,83922394447#,,,,*401244# US (New York)
+13017158592,,83922394447#,,,,*401244# US (Washington DC)
Dial by your location
        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 839 2239 4447
Passcode: 401244
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kKMQC6V30

SRARC Amateur Radio Technician Course

February 12, 2021 /
STONES RIVER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
 
Amateur Radio Technician Course
DATES:  March 6th, 13th, 20th,  27th,   
TIMES:     9am – 1pm   
 
LOCATION:   Rutherford Co EMA 1220 College St.   ( Subject to change) 
CLASS LIMITED TO 15 Participants. 
CLASS RESOURCES
Book Information:     ARRL Technician manual
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Meetings: 1st Thursday Monthly at 7:00 PM
Location: Rutherford County EMA.
1220 W. College St., Murfreesboro Tennessee. 37129

Stones River Amature Radio Club
PO Box. 897
Smyrna TN. 37167

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