A new frequency for W5ETX repeater

The guys from Tyler have the W5ETX repeater back up and running, although the frequency has changed. The antenna is located on the roof of the UT Health Henderson hospital (formerly ETMC).

Previously, the repeater was on 146.92 MHz and linked into the W5ETX network of repeaters across East Texas. However, the group (ETECS) recently installed a new repeater in Rusk (Cherokee County) and due to frequency coordination issues, moved that repeater to the 146.92 frequency, requiring the Henderson repeater to change.

John Newman (N9JN) says that process has been completed and the repeater in Henderson is back up and ready to go. Please note the NEW frequency: 147.04 MHz with n offset of +0.60 MHz. The PL tone remains the same as before, 136.5. It is still connected to the entire W5ETX system through a link to Tyler.

Take time in the next few days to reprogram your radios since the machine will again serve as our backup repeater for events and nets.

Club honor's KZ5S's son with donation

The Rusk County ARC's members honored Richard Johnson, the son of member Ken Johnson (KZ5S) after he passed away unexpectedly August 5th 2018. Ken has been an active member of the RCARC since it was formed nearly six years ago.

Although he was not yet a ham, Kan said his son had an interest in amateur radio and was studying to take his license exam. The club unanimously decided to donate a selection of amateur radio books to the Rusk County library in Richard's honor.

The books will be available to anyone with a library card. Richard's obituary is available on Sunset Memorial Park's website.

Kilgore tailgate sale planned for Nov

The East Texas Amateur Radio Tailgate Sale in Kilgore is being planned for November. The event is co-sponsored by the Regional Amateur Radio Clubs and the Texas Broadcast Museum and will be held in the museum's parking lot.

The tailgate sale will be Saturday, November 10, 2018, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 noon. Best of all, it's absolutely free to all. Just bring your ham radio sale items and any tables, chairs or other displays that you want to use. No electricity will be available.

Tailgate sale parking space on first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to bring water, sodas, and snacks as there may not be concessions available.

Find an HF signal from anywhere

With the advent of Software Defined Radios (SDRs) you can now listen to an HF receiver via the Internet. Fortunately, many people have made their SDRs available for public use and listed them on websites. To listen, all you need is an internet connection and a modern web browser. Most cover 1 Mhz to 30 Mhz.

Even better, there are now a host of "extensions" that allow you to use the received signals in a number of ways. One in particular uses "Time Delay of Arrival" (TDoA) to compare the same signal received at two or more SDRs in different locations. Using the clock from an attached GPS receiver at each location, the approximate location of the signal's transmitter can be determined.

It's a relatively complex process that has been made super simple. Read more about the process and find specific steps on how to located a signal here.

Hospital repeater to change frequency

The W5ETX repeater located on the UT Health Henderson (formerly ETMC) hospital is changing frequency. According to an email from John Newman (N9JN), an officer with the East Texas Emergency Communications Service (ETECS) in Tyler, the group is shifting the frequency in order to bring a new repeater into the linked system.

John explained, "ETECS purchased the 147.04 MHz repeater in Rusk. Our intent is to include that repeater into the ETECS (W5ETX) system. We wanted to use the 136.5 Hz tone on all of the ETECS repeaters."

"We found that there is another repeater in Livingston at 440 feet also on 147.04 MHz and using a 136.5 Hz tone. When Mike Miles in Lufkin keys up our Rusk repeater, he also bring up Livingston and vise versa."

"So, we have coordinated moving the 147.04 MHz frequency to Henderson and moving the 146.92 MHz frequency to Rusk. Both to have the 136.5 tone. There shouldn’t be an issue with 147.04 MHz and 136.5 tone from Henderson since the antenna is just above the hospital."

"Thomas Moss is programming the Rusk repeater and another set of cans to 146.92 MHz and we will try to get installed in the next week or so. After it is in place, the Henderson repeater will be programmed to 147.04 MHz."

"Additionally, we have discussed ad hoc, on frequency, link to 147.14 MHz in Palestine from Rusk. Moving Rusk to 146.92 allows for additional margin for that link."

Tyler ARC hosts monthly "Shop Night"

The Tyler Amateur Radio Club hosts a "Shop Night" each month, allowing guests to test some really nice rigs.

Through the gracious effort of Michael Fowler, W5FOW, club members (and guests) have a monthly hands-on opportunity with quality radios and test equipment. According to the club's website, TylerARC.org, 15 hams gathered to learn more about operating HF radios during the last shop night.

Shop Night happens the first Thursday of each month at about 6 PM, at the DCTexas shop at the southeast corner of Broadway and Front street. Read more on their website.

Shreveport Hamfest set for Aug 10-11

This year, the Shreveport-Bossier Hamfest will encompass two days this year! The event will run August 10-11, 2018  at the Louisiana State Fair Grounds in Shreveport. This year organizers promise it to be, "bigger, better and more of everything."

The hamfest runs Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and includes a fish fry Friday evening. Adults are just $5 for admission and children 12 and under are free. For more details, visit their website: ShreveportHamfest.k5sar.com

Hamfest Schedule:

Friday, August 10.
Set-up, 8am-5pm.
Hamfest Open, 5pm-7pm.
Fish Fry, 7pm.

Saturday, August 11.
Set-up, 6:30am-7:30am.
Hamfest Open, 8am-3pm.

N5RCA set for Field Day 2018

The club has, once again, received permission to hold Field Day 2018 at the Rusk County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) which serves as the county's Emergency Operations Center or "EOC". There is a special provision in the ARRL Field Day rules that allow for EOC operations and would classify our station as an "F" station.

Field Day runs from 1pm on Saturday, June 23, to 1pm Sunday, June 24th. We'll begin setting up Saturday and have dinner around 6pm Saturday evening.

GUESTS WELCOME! If you've ever had any interest in ham radio, Field Day is the BEST time to see it first hand. Join us anytime during Field Day. You'll get a chance to see how much fun it can be to "work the world!"

Going over the rules, here are some thoughts:

Number of Transmitters: Field Day rules classify all participating groups by the number of radios they have transmitting simultaneously at any time during the event AND the type of operation (low

Large turnout for NWS Storm Training

It was a pack house at the Rusk County Sheriff's Department's training room Thursday evening for the National Weather Service's annual Skywarn training class.

Chris Nuttall, a forecaster at the Shreveport office, explained weather theory, storm recognition and how to read radar images. Everyone who attended the class is eligible to receive an official Skywarn Trained Spotter certificate.

Want to become a Ham?

We are planning a new Technician License class for anyone interested in getting their first ham Radio license. We are considering several different days and times, trying to accommodate as many people as possible.

All instructors are volunteers and instruction is provided free of charge. There are some recommended study materials which we will discuss during the first session. We will also recommend a first Radio to use once you earn your license. 

You can register your interest in the upcoming class by using this form.