ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter April 2015

ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter
April 2015
AMSAT and University of Iowa Collaborate to Provide Fox-1D Science Payload
By Don Kirchner, KDØL,
Research Engineer at the University of Iowa
AMSAT and the University of Iowa have agreed to include the University’s HERCI (High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument) radiation mapping experiment on Fox-1D. According to
Don Kirchner, KDØL, Research Engineer at the University of Iowa Department of Physics and
Astronomy, “HERCI is intended to provide a mapping of radiation in a low earth orbit. This is
of scientific interest for planning CubeSat test flights for low energy X-Ray detectors.”
“The instrument consists of a digital processing unit (DPU) derived from processors currently
in orbit around Saturn on Cassini and on the way to Jupiter on the Juno spacecraft,” says
Kirchner. “The DPU was shrunk to a CubeSat form factor with funding from the Iowa Space
Grant Consortium.” The sophisticated data system will allow storage of a full day’s worth of
data which can then be downlinked during a single pass over the CubeSat tracking station on
top of Van Allen Hall in Iowa City.
The University of Iowa’s history in spaceflight research dates back to the earliest satellites. As
Kirchner puts it, “HERCI can be considered a direct descendent of the first University of Iowa
spaceflight instrument flown on Explorer I in 1958.” The instrument is being constructed as a
Senior Design Project by four Electrical Engineering students from the UI College of Engineering, under supervision of KDØL and William Robison, KCØJFQ. The students all passed their
Technician exams and became licensed while working on the project. Significant firmware
support came from Brian Mokrzycki and Monte Dalrymple, KR6DC.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 2
AMSAT and University of Iowa Collaborate to Provide Fox-1D Science Payload
(Continued)
Jerry Buxton, NØJY, AMSAT Vice President of Engineering said the partnership has been a
good relationship and is a win-win arrangement. “This partnership with the University of Iowa illustrates our strategy of leveraging the Fox-1 CubeSat design to work with universities
that need a way to fly scientific payloads and to provide educational opportunities, while
keeping Amateur Radio in space,” he said. - Thanks to the AMSAT News Service.
Wearing their static dissipative smocks in a Space Physics laboratory in Van Allen Hall, University of
Iowa senior Electrical Engineering students Tyler Dunkel, KEØCHR; Bryan Senchuk, KD9CPE; Kevin
Klosterman, KD9CPF; and Patrick Maloney, KD9CPD display the HERCI Engineering Model detector
board.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 3
HR-1301: The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015
If enacted, this bill would direct the FCC to extend reasonable accommodation for Amateur
Radio antenna systems, as ordered in PRB-1, to those amateur radio operators encumbered by private land use restrictions - sometimes referred to as CC&Rs.
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and the full leadership of the ARRL urge all hams to
contact their Congressman and ask for their co-sponsorship of this house bill.
You can easily determine who your congressman is by going to this ARRL web page:
http://www.arrl.org/contacting-your-congressional-representatives
There are several ways to contact your Congressman. One is to telephone their local office
and simply ask for the Congressman to co-sponsor H.R. 1301. Mentioning the bill number is
essential.
You can simply send an email to the Congressman by going to their web page.
You do not need to write a long message. Just say something like "Please co-sponsor H.R.
1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015. As your constituent and an Amateur Radio
operator, I know how our service in providing volunteer emergency communications during
times of disaster serves the public. Our ability to do so would be strengthened by the passage of this bill." Put this in your own words and be sure mention the bill number (HR-1301)
correctly.
Finally, Congress is now on Easter Recess from March 27 to April 12. Congressmen typically give constituents opportunities to visit them or their staff during such recesses.
Detailed Information about the bill is on the ARRL web site at http://www.arrl.org/hr-1301 .
Also posted there is information about how to send postal mail to Congressmen most efficiently.
As your ARRL Director, I ask that you take a few minutes to contact your congressman and
solicit co-sponsorship of this bill. If you are not currently affected by private land use regulation, please do this for other hams that are.
Thank-you and 73's
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
ARRL Director Midwest Division
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 4
Iowa State ARES Meeting in Photos
Above:
Part of the Audience at the
Recent Iowa ARES Meeting
Left to Right:
Rich, WW0Q, Iowa SEC
Bob, K0CY, Iowa SM
And Tim, AE0UK
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 5
Dale, WA9ENA, Iowa Technical Coordinator & EC
Scott, N0GUD, EC Presenting to the Group
Mike, K0IVY, Asst. SEC Discussing Issues with the Group
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 6
Amateur Radio Demonstration at STEM Festival
By Mike Miller, AC0BD, Iowa Section Youth Coordinator
The South Tama County STEM Festival was sponsored by the Northeast Iowa Regional Governor's Advisory Council and the South Central Iowa Regional Governor's Advisory Council. I
would estimate about 50 groups were there with presentations including IPTV, a school robotics club, a health sciences group, and many more. Our ARRL table featured a "Learn the Secret Code" activity in which kids used a code key and oscillator to send their first name. In
addition, the table had an exhibit on radio wave propagation, real-time space satellite orbits,
and APRS. The kids loved using a "secret" code and got a kick out of using the key. I would
estimate approximately 75 kids stopped by the ARRL table and about 30 parents picked up
information.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter— Apr. 2015 p. 7
Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair
By Mike Miller, KC0NXN
The Cedar Valley ARC and the Collins Amateur Radio Club sponsored a special award for the
use of radio-electronics in a student exhibit at the Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair
(EISEF). CVARC and CARC together have sponsored this award every year since 2004. This
year's fair was held at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids on 21 March 2015.
I am pleased to report that the volunteer judges from CARC and CVARC chose two students
for this award from nearly 200 exhibits:
Parmveer from Ames High School, Ames, Iowa “A Biomedical Diagnostic System for Rapid
Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmia.” This young man reverse engineered an EKG unit in order to
receive and process heart rhythm signals not handled by the original unit. He received the
ARRL Handbook.
Dalyn from Fort Madison MS, Fort Madison, Iowa. This young woman set up a system to
charge a device from the current between dissimilar metals pushed into fruit or vegetables.
What set her apart from several similar projects was her grasp of basic concepts, including the
difference between AC and DC, and wiring in series vs parallel. She received the ARRL Ham
Radio License Manual (Tech exam
manual).
In addition to the books, the winners in each division received a $25
gift certificate to Amazon and the
current CVARC brochure “You can
be a Ham.”
This year the special award judges
were Larry Black, WA0FBH, Alan
Erickson, WB0OAV, and Mike Miller, KC0NXN.
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Apr. 2015 p. 8
Around the Midwest Division
Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
ARRL Nebraska State Convention— I recently attended the Nebraska State Convention
held in Lincoln on March 21st. This is always a very well organized and well attended gathering of area hams. It was held in the spacious Lancaster Event Center on the east side of the
city. The days activities in addition to the flea market were a full schedule of talks and forums, VE testing, demonstrations of several digital modes and an operator pile-up contest. At
the ARRL table we had a large number of hams either join or renew their memberships. I
had the pleasure of meeting Paul Hill who accomplished going from “no license” to passing all
the exams through and including the Extra Class at the VE test session.
The Lincoln ARC is believed to be the largest in the Midwest division (346 members) and is
very active in a number of areas besides the annual convention. You can read the details on
their web site: www.k0kkv.org
Kevin Sanders, KØKDS— Competed in the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb
in Des Moines on March 22. Sanders, who is a DMRAA Board Member as well as the Iowa
Section PIO, finished 12th in his division and 103rdoverall from a field of over 1,100.
Kevin KØKDS, not only raised the funds required to participate in the event, he climbed all of
the stairs in all four buildings. Kevin also served ARES that day as a shadow for one of the
American Lung Association’s key staff.
Midwest Division News and
Photos Wanted!
This months Newsletter is heavy on Iowa news
because that’s who sent in material.
If you have news and photos about events or
activities from the Midwest Division, email
them to me at rod.blocksome@gmail.com.
We will try to include as many as possible in
upcoming editions of the Midwest Division
News.
Thanks and 73,
Rod, K0DAS, Director Midwest Division
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Apr. 2015 p. 9
Midwest Division Special Events
04/01/2015 | Lunar Eclipse
Apr 1-Apr 4, 0001Z-1200Z, K0L, Emporia, KS. Emporia State University Amateur Radio Club.
14.270 21.310 7.230. QSL. Dwight Moore, Campus Box 4050, 1 Kellog Circle, Emporia, KS 66801.
04/01/2015 | OzarkCon
Apr 1-Apr 15, 0115Z-0115Z, K0N, Pittsburg, KS. 4StateQRPGroup. 7.122 7.040 3.564. Certificate &
QSL. William Lawson, 711 E 31st St, Pittsburg, KS 66762. www.4sqrp.com
05/02/2015 | Hawkeye Get On The Air
May 2, 1500Z-2200Z, W0IO, Iowa City, IA. University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club and Iowa City
Amateur Radio Club. 146.850; General portion of the 10 - 80 meter bands, and 6 and 2 meters . QSL.
University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242. w0io.uiarc@gmail.com
05/09/2015 | Sinking of the Lusitania
May 9-May 10, 1500Z-2200Z, WW1USA, Kansas City, MO. Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club.
21.320 14.250 10.115 7.250. Certificate & QSL. National World War I Museum, 100 W 26th St, Kansas
City, MO 64108. https://theworldwar.org/amateurradio
For updated and additional Special Event listings, see: www.arrl.org/specialevent-stations
ARRL State Conventions in the Midwest Division
August 16, 2015—Kansas State ARRL Convention
Location: Salina, KS
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Central Kansas Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.centralksarc.com
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Apr. 2015 p 10
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests
04/11/2015 | Hamboree 2015
Location: Boone, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: 3900 Club
Website: http://www.3900club.com
04/11/2015 | OARS Springtime Hamfest
Location: Aurora, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ozark Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://www.w0oar.com
04/18/2015 | Ararat Shrine Hambash
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ararat Shrine Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://hambash.com
04/18/2015 | DMRAA Hamfest
Location: Des Moines, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Des Moines Radio Amateurs' Association
Website: http://www.dmraa.com/hamfest
04/18/2015 | Note: Bellevue ARC Hamfest has moved to 8/29/2015
06/14/2015 | Egyptianfest 2015
Location: Granite City, IL
Type: non-ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Egyptian Radio Club
Website: http://w9aiu.org
07/11/2015 | Pioneer ARC's 18th Annual Flea Market
Location: North Bend, NE
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Pioneer Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://k0jfn.com
07/18/2015 | Warrensburg Area Hamfest
Location: Warrensburg, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Warrensburg Area Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.waarci.org/hamfest/hamfestflyer_2015.pdf
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Apr. 2015 p 11
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests
08/02/2015 | Cedar Valley ARC Hamfest
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Cedar Valley Amateur Radio club
Website: http://cvarc.rf.org
08/09/2015 | SCARC Hamfest
Location: O'Fallon, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: St. Charles Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://WB0HSI.org
08/29/2015 | Bellevue Amateur Radio Club Hamfest
Location: Papillion, NE
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Bellevue Amateur Radio Club
09/12/2015 | Ak-Sar-Ben ARC Flea-Esta
Location: Springfield, NE
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.aksarbenarc.org
10/03/2015 | Wichita Area Hamfest
Location: Wichita, KS
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Valley Center Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.vcarc.org
10/31/2015 | 24th Halloween Hamfest
Location: Kirkwood, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Saint Louis ARC
Website: http://www.halloweenhamfest.org
10/17/2015 | SouthSide ARC Hamfest
Location: Belton, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: SouthSide ARC
Website: http://southsidehamfest.com
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter– Apr. 2015 p 12
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests
10/31/2015 | 24th Halloween Hamfest
Location: Kirkwood, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Saint Louis ARC
Website: http://www.halloweenhamfest.org
11/14/2015 | NARCfest 2015
Location: Nixa, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Nixa Amateur Radio Cub
Website: http://smlrs.info/hamfest-flyer/
For updated Hamfests and Conventions Calendar, go to: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-andconventions-calendar
ARRL Midwest Division Leadership
Director: Rod Blocksome K0DAS
Vice Director: Art Zygielbaum K0AIZ
k0das@arrl.org 319-393-8022
k0aiz@arrl.org 402-421-0839
Iowa Section Manager: Bob McCaffrey K 0CY
Kansas Section Manager: Ron Cowan KB 0DTI
Missouri Section Manager: Dale Bagley K 0KY
Nebraska Section Manager: Matt Anderson KA 0BOJ
DX Advisory Committee: Bill Morgan K 0DEQ (MO)
Emergency Communications Advisory Committee: Reynolds Davis K 0GND (NE)
Contest Advisory Committee: Jim Cochran K 0RH (KS)
Division Legislative Action Chair: Mike Edwards WB9M (MO)
Legislative Action Coordinators: Nick Critelli K 0PCG (IA); Bruce Frahm K0BJ (KS & NE); Mike
Edwards WB9M (MO).
Assistant Directors (Missouri): Paul Haefner K 0JPL, Fred Miller KB0WIL, Dave Propper K2DP,
Barbara Rich KG0UT, John Rogers W 0WC, Kent Trimble K9ZTV, Roger Volk K0GOB, and Eric Zust
W0TT.
Assistant Directors (Kansas): Mike Albers K 0FJ, Jim Andera K0NK, Andy Anderson W 0AFQ, Bill
Henderson K0VBU, Charlie Hett K0THN, Jon Jones N0JK, Brian Short KC0BS, and Rick Tucker
W0RT.
Assistant Directors (Iowa): Don Boyvey AK 0BG, Dennis O’Brien KA0DOS, C.W. Pantel K0IIR,
Jim Spencer W 0SR, and Jim Lasley N0JL.
Assistant Directors (Nebraska): Frank Cahoy K 0BLT, Stan Coleman N0YXV, Reynolds Davis
K0GND, Bill Duffy KA0VXK, Joe Eisenberg K0NEB, Allen Harpham KB0ASQ, Todd LeMense
KK0DX, and Mike Nickolaus NF0N.
Midwest Division Webmaster: Steve Schmitz W0SJS email: w0sjs@arrl.net
Midwest Division’s website at http://www.arrlmidwest.org/