Ham webinars

Earlier today I ran across a reference to webinars on ham radio subjects presented by the Potomac Valley Radio Club (www.pvrc.org). At the top of the page there is a link labelled PVRC Webinars. Click on that and it will take you to another site with several (currently 7) webinars. I partly watched and mostly listened to three of the presentations. I was impressed by the expertise and knowledge of the presenters, and learned some things I did not know. The three I watched were:

• Cycle 24... and more by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA
• Welcome to contest antennas: DX or domestic. What's your pleasure by Dean Straw, N6BV
• When giants first walked the bands; the early days of multi-multi by Doug Zweibel, KR2Q

The first presentation gave me just enough information to encourage me to learn more. There is a related presentation that will be available soon. Dean Straw demystified some aspects of antenna arrays, but I doubt I will ever have the real estate to create some of the large antennas he discussed. The third presentation was a history lesson on large contest stations from the 60's to mid-80's. Interesting photos and the speaker knew many of the folks shown personally.

The webinar idea intrigues me, and I plan to explore ways that our club might consider doing something like this. Technically it should be feasible, but whether there are folks who could pull it off is another topic.

Keep learning.

Ham Basics Workshop

Last weekend our radio club held a workshop entitled "Ham Basics" with the concept to teach beginning principles on a variety of ham radio subjects. I did most of the planning and prep work behind the scenes, but asked for help with publicity and logistics for the building. In all, we had nine instructors who taught 13 classes: one general session (45-minutes) and 12 50-minute classes. We all met together for the general session, then separated into four classrooms where the other classes were held. I am grateful for the willingness of the instructors to prepare material and teach to the attendees.

We started at 9 AM in a large hall with about 80 attendees who watched several of us solve a projector problem early in my session. Most attendees were licensed hams, but there were some who came to "kick the tires" and learn a bit about the hobby. Many of the presentation outlines are available at http://www.w7aia.org/class.htm in case you are interested in the subjects. [Note: the workshop web page is not well-organized yet, but hopefully I can negotiate with the webmaster to improve it.] The slide that shows how few hams reside in some counties surprised many folks; the large ham population in the Puget Sound area and in the Portland metro area should not surprise anyone.

After the general session, attendees were able to choose from four classes. During the first class session, we offered "How to get the most from your handheld", "Simple VHF/UHF antennas", "Communications during an Emergency", and "Getting started with HF".

During the second class period, we offered "Operating mobile and portable", "Connectors and grounding", "Digital communications", and "Simple HF antennas".

During the third period, we offered "Station types from handheld to HF", "Contesting", "Using your radio for public service", and "Care and feeding of batteries".

In all, we had between 85 and 100 folks attend for all or part of the workshop. Attendees ranged from unlicensed to extra, although I think most attendees held either technician or general licenses. We received numerous thanks for the session, enough to seriously consider doing it again next year. I learned from preparing the classes, and sitting in on one class.

Ham Basics workshop planning

A few months back a friend and I were discussing some ways to help new hams get on the air with more confidence. Many of our past students needed just a "little bit more" help to get their radios set up properly for their first contact. After some thought, we came up with the idea of a four-hour workshop on a Saturday that would provide several short classes for folks.

Initially I thought we should have four class sessions, but several friends kept mentioning some things they thought everyone should hear. So, I changed my thinking with a general session (sometimes called a plenary session) at the beginning followed by three class periods of 50 minutes each. Since hams by nature are a rather gregarious group, the plan included 10 minutes between classes with a longer time between the second and third class session for a short break.

Then I started brainstorming to come up with at least a dozen class titles that sounded interesting. When I started showing the list around, I got more suggestions (very helpful) and some volunteers to teach one or more sessions. The classes tend to focus on areas that cause beginners to stumble. Hopefully the classes will trim the hurdle heights somewhat. The classes on the program so far include in no particular order:

• How to get the most from your handheld radio.
• Connectors and grounding.
• Simple VHF/UHF antennas.
• Simple HF antennas.
• Getting started with HF radio.
• Station types from handheld to HF.
• Operating mobile and portable.
• Operating in a contest.
• Care and feeding of batteries.
• Using your radio for public service.
• Digital communications.
• Communications during an emergency.

To date I have instructors for all but three classes. I hope to hear a positive answer from a potential instructor on one of those classes soon, so I have two more instructors to find.

A session like this would not be possible without a decent-sized venue. I gained permission to use a large church meetinghouse with rooms that can accommodate the general session and the classes. I think we could have up to 75 or so in some classes, depending on how many folks are interested in the program. The facility allows us to charge nothing for the event. Frugal (and sometimes cheap) hams should like that cost!

I am grateful for ten instructors so far agreeing to present one or more classes to help hams learn more about the hobby. The event will occur next month, and I plan to write about the results. My goal is to provide learning opportunities for new and experienced hams so we get better together.

During the general session, I plan to cover general principles for good electronic communication. I also plan to show where hams fit in the Incident Command System (ICS), mention good repeater protocol, a reminder about only using frequencies authorized to each licensee, family emergency communications plans (you have one, right?), and some related topics.

Once the publicity goes out later this week to the all and sundry, we will see how many folks are interested. Publicity for events like this are crucial for success. Fortunately a friend from our radio club will handle that part, and she manages to reach many people. For an event last year, our antenna seminar publicity reached the deep south from way up here in the northwest.

May you always be prepared for the unexpected, and enjoy the journey.