Idaho Society of Radio Amateurs
Magic Valley Hams
 

  Magic Valley Radio Club
Twin Falls
Snake River Chapter ISRA
Burley / Rupert
Wood River Valley ARC
Ketchum - Sun Valley - Hailey - Bellevue

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Idaho Ham News
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Mt. Harrison repeater site on Wednesday, 11/21/07      The pic on the left is the  ATV camera in a fish-eye mirror.  The pic on the right is the tower and antennas.        Thanks to Lee, K6ZVA  

 

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CLUB NEWS AND EVENTS
Have some news or an event coming up for your club or station?  EMAIL us the info!


The Magic Valley RACES/ARES net, sponsored by the Magic Valley Radio Club,  meets every Tuesday evening
at 19:00 on 146.16 / 76 repeater.
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The Mt. Harrison net meets every Monday evening at 20:00 on 146.40 /147. 00 repeater PL-100.
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The Magic Valley Radio Club (Twin Falls) holds its regular meeting the second Saturday of each month at
10 a.m.   The next meeting will be  Saturday, April 12th , at Hart's 50's and 60's Restaurant at 835 Blue Lakes Blvd. North
in Twin Falls.   Come early (8:30) for breakfast.

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The Snake River Chapter of the Idaho Society of  ARC (Burley/Rupert) meets the 3rd Friday of each month in Rupert at East Minico Middle School 1805 H Street.
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The Magic Valley ATV net meets every Sunday evening at 1600 local time
Input  434.00  /   Output  1265.25 Mhz.  (AM)
Contact Lee Kelly  K6ZVA  EMAIL
 

MVARC May Tailgate Swapmeet May 24th   (Posted 4/3/08)
Please CLICK HERE for more information.

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Caldwell 2008 Hamfest/Swapmeet April 26th  (Posted 4/3/08)
Please CLICK HERE for more information.
 

Baldy Repeater Down  (Posted 4/2/08)
Hey Guys, just wanted all of you to know that the Baldy Repeater is going off the air for two weeks starting tomorrow. We will be taking the repeater to Boise to have the new controller installed. This is necessary so the Baldy repeater will link to the new Galena Repeater. The reason we are doing this now is because the ski lift will shut down next month and it makes it very easy to do equipment change out when the ski lift is running. We will let you know via email when it is back up and running. The phone patch should be in operation then and we want all of you to test it fully. While the repeater is down use 146.52 simplex as an emergency channel. Please monitor this frequency if you are out and about. We have mid June 08 as target date for Galena repeater to be on line. We want it to be available for the Sawtooth relay. The link to Baldy will happen at a latter date this summer. Thanks again for all your support. Those of you who made a commitment to help support the repeater please send what you can contribute ASAP as our bill with Sun Valley Company is now due;Wood River Amateur Radio Club,P.O. Box 2830,Hailey,Idaho 83333.  Think about a summer barbecue where we can get together. Send me your comments!!! Thanks Joe Yelda KF7AE   P.S. We would love to have echo link available on our repeater especially for the 09 Special Olympics here in Sun Valley. Keep that in mind when you make your contributions!!

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Update....   Posted 3/31/08
 

Don't forget to get your vest order to me.  Details and how to order below.
 
We are trying to schedule a tailgate swap meet for May 10th.  Having a little problem finding a spot.  I was trying for CSI south parking lot but they want $106 for a one day event, plus liability insurance.  Not sure how much the insurance would be but I thought I'd see if any of you had a good idea on where we could hold this.  I've also thought about holding it at a park but I'm thinking a good asphalt area to park would be a plus.  The idea is to have it start around 10 a.m. and go for a few hours.  We'd also need a porta-potty.  That will be $90.  I'm throwing it out to you folks to see if you have any ideas.  Of course it needs to be easily accessible, easy to find, lots of parking area, and preferably FREE. 
 
Also, we had to change the location of our April 12 meeting.  Perkins rented the room out for that day so we are going to try Hart's Restaurant on Blue Lakes Blvd. North, just north of Fred Meyer on the north side of the road.  It's the old JB's building.  They don't have a meeting room but they do have a roomy isolated area so I thought we could give it a try.  We are kinda outgrowing Perkins anyway so this will give us a good chance to explore some other options. 
 
We have a LOT of stuff to discuss at the April 12 meeting to please mark your calendar.  We will be taking nominations for officers.  We will need a VP and Sec./Tres.  The VP automatically moves up to preident.

Hope to see you at the meeting.

73   Kelly  K7SU

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Order your Club Vests Now  (Posted 3/27/08)
The Magic Valley Radio Club is getting ready to order club vests with the K7MVA.ORG logo.  If you want to order one, we need your money by April 12th  You can bring your money to the next club meeting at Perkins Restaurant or Mail to:
Rick Lang  AD7JS
855 College Dr
Twin Falls ID 83301-3837

Cost is $20 for S, M, L, XL
XXL is $22.50, XXXL is $25.

The sizes are the same as a shirt size.  So if you wear and XL shirt, then you should wear an XL vest.

Logo will be on the back.  On the front will be your Name, your Call and your City.  We will need to know how you want your name spelled, your call and your city.  Include that with your money to Rick or have it available at the meeting.

If you need more info, email Kelly, K7SU.   kelly@k7su.com

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Twin Falls Tailgate Swap Meet Planned  (Posted 3/27/08)
The Magic Valley Radio Club is planning a tailgate swap meet on Saturday, May 10th.  The location has not yet been confirmed.  Please keep checking back here for more information!

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Baldy Repeater Update from Joe Yelda, KF7AE  (Posted 3/27/08)
Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know the status of Baldy and new Galena repeater. The target date for Galena is June 08 and the id of the repeater will be Brad Bosley AE6DX. The frequency (coordinated) will be 147.14/147.74. We are working on finishing the phone patch on Baldy(just have to work out a filter for the phone line) We will let you know when it is fully operational and will ask all of you to try it out. Our yearly bill to Sun Valley is now due and I am asking all of you who have made a commitment to send your donations to Wood River Amateur Radio Club,PO Box 2830,Hailey,Idaho 83333 ASAP.  Sun Valley Company has really helped up to get this repeater on the air.  I think all of you have realized now how important the repeaters are to emergency communications. When the Galena repeater is on the air and linked to Baldy we will have communications from Stanley to Twin Falls!!! Thanks again to all of you for you support!! It would not have been possible without all of you. Joe Yelda KF7AE

*   *   *

More Ham Radio Stuff for sale....... (Posted 3/13/08)
Click HERE for goodies from KC7QR

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Caldwell Hamfest/swapmeet, April 26th  (Posted 3/11/08)
Click HERE for more information on the Caldwell swapmeet.

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Ham License Testing Session (Posted 3/10/08)
The Snake River Chapter, ISRA in Rupert, will have a license test session for new hams or upgrades on Saturday, March 22nd, at 9 a.m.  The session will be held at the East Minico Middle School at 1805 "H" St. in Rupert.  For more information contact Kenny Johnson at hamitup@safelink.net  Anyone interested in upgrading to a higher class license or getting their first license is invited to attend.  Be sure to have all needed documentation and there is a fee. 

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Snake River Chapter ISRA Monthly Meeting  (Posted 3/10/08)
The regular monthly meeting of the Snake River Chapter ISRA will be held Friday, March 21st, at 7 p.m. at the East Minico Middle School at 1805 "H" St. in Rupert.

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Wood River Valley Launches Web Site  (Posted 3/10/08)

The Wood River Amateur Radio Club also has a new web site.   WWW.WRARC.org  is now up and running but not complete.  We are also hosted by QTH.com  We have now activated the auto-patch on the Baldy 18 machine (N7ACB/R),   #up *down.   It still needs some work on the audio levels and some filtering to keep out the FM station in the rack next to us.  I am also working on the ECHOLINK system which I should have working soon as a link.  We plan to put a computer at the site in time so we can be a true R.     For now look for AF7I-R  or L on Echolink.  When that shows up I will link it with W6SUV in Tahoe for a little testing.   Maybe this will get some activity on our repeater which now goes for days without a QSO.    We also looked at D-link  and that would  looks great but expensive.. So it looks like Echolink  is as good as we can do for now.     Hopefully we will have a new repeater up and running on Galena summit sometime this summer. Joe Yelda (KF7AE) and KX7ID from Boise are working on coordination of a frequency.   Our goal is to have everything up, running and linked by the time the Special Olympics opens next February. 

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MVRC Meeting Summary  (Posted 3/9/08)

I want to say a resounding THANK YOU to all of you who showed up at the regular MVRC meeting on Saturday at Perkins Restaurant.  We had 21 show up during the course of the meeting. 
 
We had some exciting stuff happen at the meeting and it looks as though enthusiasm is beginning to grow for the club.  Here is a recap of the morning events at the meeting.
 
1.  Approved the logo for the club.  You can see it online by clicking this link.  The page is configured to be viewed in 1024 by 768 resolution for best results.
 
 
The background picture of Shoshone Falls is NOT part of the logo...the logo is the black oval with the Magic Valley Amateur Radio Club and www.K7MVA.org in it.  You probably know by now that the club now has its own special events call,  K7MVA 
 
2.  The club was unanimous on wanting a VEST rather than a JACKET for club activities.  But the majority was not enthused about the black polyester material for the vests.  I'm going to look into some alternatives, either in the material used or a lighter (cooler) color.
 
3.  Approved www.K7MVA.org domain to be the home of the web site.   This will cost the club about $41 per year which INCLUDES the yearly domain registration and hosting.  Soon I will be moving the site from my own site to the new one.  I'll let you know when I get this done.  Meanwhile, continue to get to it the same way you normally do...
 
  
4.  Discussed a possible tailgate swap meet sometime this spring.
 
5  Discussed Field Day which will be held June 28 and 29.  The club will be setting up a station again at Harmon Park, just like last year.  Please mark your calendars for that event.  We might also consider having a pot luck during the event for the whole family to participate.

We had two new members sign up to join the club!

 
 Art Wertz, WS7E, and his wife Norma, KC7RAY, stopped by before the meeting started.  They couldn't stay but Art said he would be interested in contacting the Boy Scouts to see if they were interested in initiating an interest group in radio communications.  I told Art to please pursue that and that the club would be very interested in such a project.  This kind of stuff is the key to keeping the hobby alive, with new young members!
 
Please send me an email if you have any comments or thoughts.
 
Thanks, 73, and see you on the air!
 
Kelly
www.K7SU.com     kelly@k7su.com

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Estate Sale of Roy Brown, W7OWB  (Posted 3/9/08)
Heathkit VOM     $5.00
Lafayette Power Supply    $10.00
Eico  VOM     $20.00
Icom 230 2-meter rig (no mic)   make offer
Transistor Checker   $5.00
Eico Transceiver w/mic   $51.00
Weller Soldering Gun    $20.00
Eico Capacitor and Resistor checker   $5.00
Eico Signal Generator $20.00
Large Speaker   $10.00
Pasco Capacitor and Resistor Checker  $20.00
2 Micronta VOM's  $15.00 each
Commander VHF Tuner
AC Volt Meter   $10.00
Knight Signal Generator $25.00
Eico Capacitor and resistor checker $25.00
Professional  Signal Tracer  $20.00
National Receiver  (Does not work) $75.00
Scope   $40.00
Hustler 2-meter GT-144 antenna  $75.00
Webster short mobile antenna   $100
2  Kenwood TW-4000's  dual-banders,  $50 each (no tone boards)
2 Cushcraft 440 beam antennas    $50 each
 

Some of these items do not have prices listed.  For more information or to purchase, contact Cliff Burgess K7IAR, 208-837-4351

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K7MVA is Official!  (Posted 3/4/08)
The Magic Valley Amateur Radio Club, the special events group of the Idaho Society of Radio Amateurs, Magic Valley Chapter, has been issued the vanity call sign of  K7MVA (Magic Valley Amateurs).  We can now use this call for any special events or activities that are sponsored by the club.  Thanks to Bob, KC7QR, for handling the paperwork on this for us!   73  Kelly, K7SU

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Magic Valley Radio Club Meeting Saturday  (Posted 3/3/08)
 

The next meeting for the Magic Valley Radio Club is coming up next Saturday, March 8th. 
 
I want to encourage each and every one who can come to the meeting to do so...and if you know someone interested in ham radio, or a good prospect, bring them also.  Or, if you know someone who IS a ham but hasn't been to a club meeting, encourage them to come along with you.
 
We have some very exciting things to talk about (and vote on) at this next meeting.  We will be voting on:
 
1.  A club LOGO
2.  A club Jacket.  I hope to have a sample vest at the meeting so you all can see what they look like.  We decided to make the vest as a choice for a club jacket, for a number of reasons.
    a.  They are cheaper.  Looks like around $24 or so, INCLUDING the logo.
    b.  They are more versatile (you can wear them over a summer shirt or a winter coat)
    c.  These will have a very distinctive look.
 
3.  I'd like the club to consider getting it's own domain.  My suggestion would be   www.K7MVA.org and I'll show you why at the meeting.  Currently, the club page is being hosted on my personal site and I'm beginning to reach my limit....actually I'm already going way past my "bandwidth" limit each month, but they haven't said anything yet.  But with the club having it's own domain, we could do a lot with that.  Scott Neader with QTH.COM, my current host, said since I have my own personal site with him, he would give the club half price on the monthly hosting...which puts it at a little less than $2.50 per month...plus the $10.45 yearly charge to keep the domain registered, makes the total yearly cost at about $41.  Very cheap!  Then, if something happens to me, the someone can take over the site without it being intermingled with my stuff....and it's best for it to have it's own domain name. 
 
4.  Maybe the club should consider a mock emergency drill for practice.  Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, will be able to give us some input on this, I'm sure.
5.  The club will be holding Field Day activities again this year, probably at Harmon Park like last year.  Please mark your calendar for the weekend of June 28 and 29.
6.  Let's discuss having an old fashioned tailgate swap meet soon...maybe in the CSI parking lot.  Just throw some junk in your car or pickup you'd like to sell, trade or giveaway, and bring it.  We can invite other clubs.  This would be like a 2 hour event...just a place to have some fun, shoot the breeze, and make a deal.
 
 
Back to the CLUB LOGO.  Bob Castaneda KC7QR, and myself, have been working on some ideas for a logo and we will have some samples for you to look at.   Bob is retired from the publishing business and still has the software/tools and knowledge for making some really NICE looking stuff.  We will have samples of his work with a proposed logo at the next meeting.
 
Also, Dick Shotwell, W7GDA, has sent me his idea for a logo and that is one we will be considering along with any others that are submitted.
 
If any of you want to present your idea for a club logo at the next meeting, please do so.  Do a mockup of it either on the computer or on a piece of paper...something for the club members to look at.  This is NOT a competition...this is merely a chance to get some ideas to look at and vote on for the logo to represent the club.  PLEASE bring your ideas.  My plan is to have all of them presented to the club and vote on them at  the next meeting on March 8th. so we can get the ball rolling on the jackets/vests.  I'd like to have the vests or jackets for use by Field Day.
 
 
Update on the club call.
 
Unles there are some unforeseen circumstances arise, it looks like the FCC will issue our new club vanity club call of K7MVA on Tuesday, March 4th.  I'll let you know for sure if/when that happens....but it's in the works right now.   The date on the FCC site for issuance is March 4th.
 
If at all possible, please try to make this next meeting a be a part of these decisions for the club.  The meeting will be held at Perkins Restaurant, on Blue Lakes Blvd. North.  Many of us arrive at the meeting room around 8:30 and have breakfast and/or shoot the breeze, and the meeting starts at 10 a.m.  Come early if you can....it's fun just to visit. 
 
I also have some other ideas to kick around with you but I won't bore you with the details here....I'll bring them up at the meeting. 
 
73 and we'll see you on the air!
 
Kelly
www.K7SU.com

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Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (Posted 3/4/08)
The Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI) is a week long,  in-residence learning opportunity designed for motivated teachers and other school staff who want to learn more about wireless technology and bring that knowledge to their students. A variety of topics are covered during the 4 days of the TI including basic wireless technology literacy, electronics, and the science of radio; bringing space into the classroom; ham radio operation; introduction to micro controllers;
and basic robotics.
The Teachers Institute is only the beginning of a participant's exploration with wireless technology. The goal of the TI program is to equip each teacher with necessary foundational knowledge, and through hands-on learning, generate the inspiration for teachers to continue to explore wireless technology and adapt relevant content into their classroom instruction. Just a few examples of some of the activities teachers who have participated in the Teachers Institute have initiated upon return to their classrooms include:
    * Using weather imagery gathered by the students for environmental studies.
    * Using TV remotes to control simulated "smart homes."
    * Radio Direction Finding (RDF) activities to study how naturalist track wildlife.
    * School competitions during the School Club Round-up, a nation wide ham radio contest for schools.
    * Geography lessons using QSL card (postcards collected from ham contacts around the world).
    * A school wide space exploration curriculum including radio stations to receive signals from space and participation in the NASA Explorer School Program.
    * Radio contacts between participating schools.
    * Using radio in ESL classrooms to listen to live broadcasts from countries that use the languages as their native tongue.

The full story can be found at:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/ti.html

ARRL Idaho Section
Section Manager: Douglas V. Rich, W7DVR
w7dvr@arrl.org

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CQoogle....A SEARCH ENGINE FOR JUST HAMS  (Postedn 3/1/08)
Want to do a search for just HAM RADIO related stuff without having to sift through false-positive results?  Try CQoogle

A YOUTUBE for just Ham Radio!  (Posted 3/1/08)
No doubt many of you have visited Youtube.com and did a search for Ham Radio stuff.  Well, here's a place that is just like Youtube except it's only ham radio stuff.  This site is very cool and guaranteed to keep you busy for hours at a time.  Check it out!   CQtube.com

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Congratulations are in order!   (Posted 2/28/08
Lee Schwendt, former KE7IAC, is now AD7SH.  Congratulations again to Lee for his recent upgrade to Extra Class, and that new call is a good one!

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Mt. Harrison Repeater Annual Meeting  (Posted 2/24/08)
The annual meeting of the Mt. Harrison Chapter Repeater Assoc. met Saturday at Perkins Restaurant in Twin Falls.  One of the main issues discussed at the meeting was the need for maintenance at the repeater site on Mt. Harrison south of Burley.  Over the past few years the activity on the repeater has dropped.  The repeater is OPEN and no one is forced to pay anything to use it.  There are several repeaters at the site including 2-meter, ATV and APRS.  Board members will be going to the site as soon as possible this summer to survey the situation as far as site maintenance.  There has been some concern that the severe weather conditions are deteriorating the building to t he point that it will be necessary to spend some money to get it back into shape.  The board will know more as to how much will be necessary as soon as it can get to the site.  The board authorized the purchase of a Diamond X-50 antenna to replace one of the aging antennas at the site that has been in service for about 25 years and has been repaired several times.  The board also authorized the purchase of a new battery charger to replace one that became defective last year.  Right now the battery charger being used is an old Heathkit that has been in use at the site for several decades.  The building will need new siding and there are other issues that will need to be addressed.  The point is that if this repeater site is to be maintained properly, some money will need to be spent.  There is currently about $1600 in the coffers.  There is needed maintenance that will cost an estimated several hundred dollars.  If you regularly use the repeater, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Mt. Harrison Chapter for this and future projects.  The normal yearly donation for users is $10.  If you are not current on your  yearly donation, please consider getting current now.  If you would like to make an additional contribution, any and all donations would be gladly accepted.  If you are in a position to contribute or donate needed materials for maintenance, please contact one of the board members that are listed below.   The site will be in need of some type of durable wooden siding, paint, and roofing materials.  There may be other needed items after the board is able to survey the site this summer.  But the best short-term solution to this issue is to get current on your usage donation for the year.  The building and equipment are getting older and require more timely maintenance.  Please consider how you can help.  Please contact one of the following to make a donation/contribution. 

Lee Kelly  K6ZVA      leebobk@cableone.net

Kevin Vogt  KD7IYA     kjv@cableone.net

Kenny Johnson     KK7QC    hamitup@safelink.net

Dean Etherington   KI7CC   KI7CC@Q.com

Kelly Klaas     K7SU           Kelly@K7SU.com


Lorand Layton    KD7JKB       Lorandjl@msn.com

Scott Emery   KE7EMB   dozerdude@pmt.org

 

Monetary donations, including the yearly donation of $10, can be mailed to:

Kenny D Johnson    KK7QC
1726 Occidental Ave
Burley ID 83318-2223

Thanks for your attention to this matter.

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Silent Key (Posted 2/22/08)
Elmer Reichert, N7XRV, of Filer passed away this week.  His son is Brad Reichert, AA7BR.  Funeral will be conducted by White Mortuary.  Our condolences to the family. 

*   *   *

Pocatello Testing Session (Posted 2/20/08)
If you want to test for your ham license or test to upgrade your current license, the Pocatello Amateur Radio Club is holding a testing session
on March 1st.  CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

*  *  *

Idaho QSO Party  (Posted 2/20/08)
Well it is almost that time again. The 2008 Idaho QSO Party is almost here. This will be the 3rd year now since I have been trying to get Idaho on the map. And so far it keeps getting bigger with more participants. But it will not continue to grow unless we here in Idaho get involved. So I am hoping everyone will put in at least a few hours of operating time so that this event will get even better.   With input from several of you I have changed the rules to make it one 24 hour event. It runs from noon Saturday to noon Sunday Mountain time. I am hoping that will make it more appealing for those who would like to do so.   Again it is supposed to be a fun event. You can do any mode, digital, cw, phone, HF, VHF, High/low/qrp power. What ever you chose. Just make it fun for you and help put Idaho on the map.   I ask that you spread the word to as many as you can throughout your clubs and friends. And if you have any questions fell free to email me.   I have a new call as I have made Idaho my home and now it is NX7TT.. But the web page is still WWW.NT4TT.COM to find the rules. Do not let them bother you. They look bad but are not. Again the main thing is that you get on and have fun.

*   *   *

More Ham Gear for sale! (Posted 2/15/08)

This is whats left.  The other gear has sold.

(1) Diamond GZV 4000 Switching 40A Power supply (New $180.00)  (Reduced to $150)

I have an older CPU only (no KB,  MOUSE or MONITOR) for $20.  This CPU contains a fully registered version of UI-View for APRS.

Also for sale....non-ham related:
2005 Harley Davidson FLHPI (Road King Police) fully equipped, LOTS of extras. Also includes a motorcycle lift, trailer, cover, leathers and LOTS more.  Total package for $15,000.

 Contact:
Ben Bunch     Call 731-1672  or e-mail
: CLICK HERE TO EMAIL BEN

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2/15/08 Hansen Repeater 16/76 Back on the Air
The 146.76 repeater is back on the air as of 11:00 AM  Friday February 15, 2008.   The repeater will not sound as clean,  because it is transmitting a 100 HZ squelch tone (CTCSS).   If your rig offers the CTCSS feature,  you can enable it to prevent computers and local noise from squelching your receiver while tuned to this repeater.   The 100HZ sub-audible tone makes the output sound like it has hum from the power supply.    As you will hear on the voice ID,  I am calling it  "KC7SNX  Twin Falls Repeater".   I named it the Twin Falls Repeater, because the repeater guides call it by that name.  Visitors will more easily recognize this name.

*   *   *
 

2/15/08  The HORRORS of Ham radio!

This short video clip on the Horrors of the unknowns of HAM RADIO in the 60's is hilarious.
 
So appropriate to my early days of ham radio when neighbors accused me of making their washing machine quit and even supposedly making their sewing machine run when no one was using it......I actually had to put a sign on my home back in the 60's stating I would only operate between 6 am and 9 am and that I would not interfere with any washing machines, sewing machines or other such home appliances, further I had every necessary filter on my Radio Transmitter and  my personal TV had NO ham radio interference.
 
Check out this Twilight Zone Video Clip.
  
73,  GARY  W7FSI

As long as we're looking at funny Ham Radio video's, here's another one.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHm1ecBCgw&feature=related
Kelly, K7SU

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2/14/08  Looking for an HF rig?
I know of a ham rig for sale if anybody is interested.  It is a Kenwood TS-850-SAT with at MC60 mic.  It has 2 filters, a CW and SSB Narrow.  It comes with a Heil
headset mic.  The guy wants $850 for it.  If anybody is interested, they can contact me, Van Haddox KC7KQP at vah@haddox.myrf.net

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2/13/08  Mt. Harrison Repeater Annual Meeting Coming Up
The annual meeting for the Mt. Harrison repeater assoc. is coming up Saturday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Perkins Restaurant in Twin Falls.  That's on Blue Lakes Blvd. North.  Anyone and everyone with an interest in the Mt. Harrison repeater is invited and encouraged to attend.  Annual usage donations will be accepted during the meeting. 

*   *   *

2/13/08  W6OUU gets 6-meter WAS
Jim Kennedy, W6OUU, recently applied for his ARRL Worked All States award on 6 meters!  He said it took him about a year to complete.  It was accomplished mostly on SSB and CW.  Congratulations to Jim for a job well done!     

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2/10/08 Hansen repeater, 146.76, will be down a few days.
At the club meeting Saturday, Feb. 9th, we decided to put a VOICE ID'er on the Hansen repeater, replacing the CW ID'er.  Dean Etherington, KI7CC, is going to be doing that for the club.  Therefore, the Hansen repeater will be non-operational for a few days while that work is completed.  You may want to use  76-simplex during that time, or you can also use Mt. Harrison, 146.40/00.  Thanks for your patience. 

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2/9/08 Mt. Harrison Repeater Yearly Meeting
The Mount Harrison Repeater yearly meeting will be held Saturday, Feb. 23, from 1100 to 1300 at  Perkins Restaurant on Blue Lakes Blvd. North in Twin Falls.  Everyone who uses the repeater or is a member, please plan to attend.  Yearly donations will also be taken at the meeting.  For more information contact Kenny Johnson, KI7CC.  EMAIL KENNY HERE

*   *   *

2/9/08 Congratulations are in order!
Saturday Feb. 9th the Snake River Chapter ISRA held a new/upgrade license test session and here are the results:
Brian Croner , KE7LOY, upgraded from Tech to General.
Bob Jacoby, KE7PDT, upgraded from Tech to General
Jim Edwards, KG6GYV, upgraded from Tech to General
Lee Schwendt, KE7IAC, upgraded from General to Extra.

Congratulations to all !   And thanks to the crew of the Snake River Chapter ISRA for conducting these upgrade test sessions.

*   *   *

2/9/08 Magic Valley Radio Club Meeting
The MVRC meeting for February was held at the Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center.  At the meeting, the club decided to purchase a new APRS antenna for the Hansen repeater site.  Also, Dean Etherington KI7CC, and Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, are going to work on changing the Hansen repeater KC7SNX, from a CW to a  VOICE identifier.  The club is also going to pursue another call sign for special operating events.   Thanks Kelly K7SU

*   *   *

2/3/08  Working on Repeater for Galena Summit

     Hey Everyone, I just wanted to bring you up to date on everything. As many of you now know we have funding for a Galena repeater. This would be a ARES repeater linked to the Baldy repeater.  This means with a handheld and if you can see either Baldy or Galena you will have coverage from Stanley to Twin Falls. Thanks to Brad and Larry Bosley of Sun Valley for making this possible. We are working to have this repeater operational sometime this summer. This repeater is now coordinated and frequency will be 147.14 receive;147.74 transmit.
     On Saturday Feb 23rd we will be going up to Baldy to make needed adjustments to repeater and hook up phone patch. Any of you are welcome to join us. Sun Valley will provide us with a lift pass (10 minute ride via the ski lift).
     I will be working communications for Special Olympics this month in Sun Valley and also 09. I would encourage any and all of you to volunteer. Please contact me for details.
     I wanted all of you to mark July 09 on your calenders for a new race. Randy Gehrke N7YDQ now has approval from the forest service for a new 100 mile ultra marathon race from Soldier Mountain thru the Smokeys back to Fairfield. This would be a premier ultra marathon running race with runners from all over the US and beyond. This would be a media event for Idaho. Amateur radio will be the only communications for this race!! Great experience for all of you!!!
    After the Galena repeater is in operation I see a number wanting to obtain a license. Any of you that hold a general class license and above I would encourage you to become a volunteer examiner for testing. I will be teaching classes and will need test examiners after the class.
     The Baldy repeater in a couple of weeks will be on the air for a year. It would not have been possible without all you help!! Thanks again Joe KF7AE

*   *   *
 

2/3/08 Tower for sale
Radio tower for sale.  80 feet of  Navy surplus galvanized surplus tower.  This is made of angle steel legs and cross braces with a built in ladder.  It is about 12 inches across the face and must be guyed every 20 feet.  The guy wire is not included. $275 for the entire tower.  It can be made into two 40 foot towers.  Call Doug (N7JHS) at 208-324-0011 or email n7jhs@arrl.net

*   *   *

1/13/08  Ham Equipment for Sale
Bob Neff, N7ORY, is moving to the Boise area and has some equipment for sale.  Here it is.  Contact him at  208-410-7335

220 repeater located on Mt. Hararison.  The repeater consists of a Link Systems RLC-Club Deluxe II controller which has 8 radio ports, voice ID, auto patch and a few other bells and whistles. The radio is an Advanced Communication Systems KRP-5000B 220 repeater with 20 watts out.
There are 4 brand new 220 cavity filters, 2 in, 2 out. A 220 antenna Isolator with I believe a 50 watt load.
The antenna is a commercial dual dipole array.
The power supply is an Astron 75 watt rack mount.
Yes, I have the manuals.
The repeater has a tone unit installed.

Original price:
Controller: $1100.00, Repeater: $1700.00, Filters: $800, Isolator: $ 40, 75W Rack Mount PS: $175, Antenna Array: $300
--------------------------------
Total: $4115.00

Asking for offers. If I can’t find a decent offer for the equipment I will go up with the club this summer and take it all down and sell everything separately.
I still have a ton of antennas and stuff for sale.  

I still have:
Cushcraft ARX6 6m vertical, Cushcraft AR-10 10m vertical, Hygain 10 ele 2m beam, 10 ele 440 beam, Hygain 4 ele 6m beam' Comet 1.2GHz vertical' Comet GP-9 2m/440 vertical, Various mounts and mobile antennas.  Also have an Astron RS-70M, Alinco DR-235 220 Mobile rig, Rig Runner 4000 along with Battery charger unit.  This was what I was using to monitor the repeater.

Rob (N7ORY) (208) 410-7335 Cell

*   *   *

1/13/08  Club Logo
We discussed the club logo at the recent meeting and not everyone knows what it looks like.  Click HERE to see a picture of the club logo.

*   *   *

1/13/08  MVRC Monthly Meeting
We had about 24 show up for our monthly meeting at Perkins Restaurant Saturday morning, 1/12/08.  That was an excellent turnout.  Thanks to all who came.  Here is a brief rundown of what was discussed and decided.

     Equipment that has been donated to the club will be priced and sold.

     It's fairly unanimous that club members would like some sort of club jacket/logo/call sign so Kelly, K7SU, is going to investigate the best
     way to go along with pricing and report to the club.

     Be thinking of some fun summer activities.  We will be holding Field Day again this year.  Be thinking of a good place to have it if you want
     it someplace other than Harmon park.

     Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, will be contacting SIRCOM.  Our next club meeting may be held there.  Keep checking here for more details.

*   *   *

1/6/08
On Thursday Jan 10 from 10 to 12 a.m. I will be in an Blaine County emergency local planning meeting. I would love to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Baldy repeater using a handheld on 147.18 If you are available during this time please join in.   73 Joe Yelta, KF7AE

*   *   *

1/6/08  Vintage Pics of Mt. Harrison Repeater
Gib Sluder of Bellevue, KB7ZA, sent me a collage of pictures of the Mt. Harrison repeater site.  These pictures, according to Gib, are from 1967 or 68.  WOW...I didn't realize that repeater has been on that long.  Anyway the pics are interesting.  In the pics are Ted Goers, (at the time W7ORB  (SK)) and Rex McClain, K7DMZ  (SK). The pics were taken by Gib.  He said he was about 14 years old at the time and it was DANG COLD!  Also, below the Mt. Harrison pics is a pic of some Richfield area hams back in the 50's.  Thanks to Gib, KB7ZA, for a walk down memory lane!  CLICK HERE

*   *   *

12/29/07 2-Meter SSB Ragchewers Group
For those of you who will be around the evening of January 1, let's go ahead and meet around 7 p.m. on 144.200 USB.  73, Kelly K7SU

*   *   *

12/29/07  RACES/ARES Net Cancelled for Jan. 1
Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, says there will be no ARES/RACES net for this Tuesday evening, Jan. 1.  Everyone enjoy the New Years holiday and see you back on the net at 7 p.m. Jan 8.

*   *   *
 

12/26/07  Straight Key Night
If you want to have a lot of fun on your radio, plan to participate in Straight Key Night (SKN) all day January 1, New Years day.  This is a time when many hams drag out that old straight key they used as a novice or beginner, dust it off and make all kinds of contacts.  I participated in this last year and it is the most fun you can have on ham radio and still be legal.  This is not a contest but rather an operating event.  Most everyone is sending at a slow pace and everyone is encouraged to have an enjoyable ragchew.  No score is kept and no one is in any kind of a hurry.  Although, you are encouraged to contact the ARRL and let them know you participated if you wish.  They like to keep a count on how many participants there were.  This event has been growing every year.  Many participants also fire up their old vintage gear for this event.  It's just a time of good nostalgic fun!  Tune in to any of the bands in the CW portion and you will hear them calling   CQ-SKN.  If you have an appreciation for CW, this will be one event you will keep coming back to.  Hope to see you on!     For more infor on Straight Key Night, CLICK HERE       73,  Kelly   K7Su

*   *   *

12/26/07  Christmas Party Fun
It looks like everyone had a great time at the MVRC Christmas party at Loong Hing Restaurant.  I want to thank everyone for coming.  Judging by the comments there were more at this party than in any party in recent memory.  I counted 43 dirty plates...  :>)

The club would like  to thank Lee and Bobbie Kelly,  (K6ZVA, KD7JKC) or handling the door prizes and gifts.  I'm already looking forward to our party next year!  :>)  73,  Kelly, K7SU

*   *   *

12/15/07 Items for Sale

Kenwood TS820 with matching VFO
Dentron MLA 2500 Amp
Kenwood 2M transceiver
48 ft free standing tower
Mosley 5 Band Beam, rotor and indicator
There are also some odds and ends that are not listed.
Call Larry Robertson in Gooding, KB7YA    934-4601

*  *  *

12/15/07  Items Needed
Bob Jacoby, KE7PDT, is looking for either a good VHF/UHF coax switch or a VHF/UHF Duplexer.  If you have either or both, give him a
call at 420-2470.

*   *   *

12/15/07  Idaho Special Olympics Needs Amateur Radio Volunteers
Please CLICK HERE for more on this story.

*   *   *
 

12/12/07  Club Jackets
Doug Mcfall, N7JHS, checked on some possible club jackets at Threads in Twin Falls.  Here is his email. 

I was assigned to check with Threads in Twin Falls on the jackets, and here is what I found out.  I talked to Gary, the manager at Threads. 734-2881

He said we can expect the cost to be between $45 and $100.  For the $50-60 range he would suggest the JP-54 jacket.  They are $34, then silk screen or embr. above that.  Log into "threadsusa.com", then click on "company casuals", and search for the JP54.  We need to bring in an example, or a diagram of what we want, and how many colors, then he can give us a firm cost on the number of jackets we want to order.  Name and call sign can go on front, and club name and diagram, such as a tower and antenna or what ever we decide can go on the back.

Here is a link to the JP-54 jacket referred to in Doug's email   CLICK HERE

 It looks pretty slick to me.  What does everyone else think?   Take a look at the link and we will discuss it at our next meeting on January 14th.  
I still have to check out Argo and Jim Kennedy, W6OUU was going to check out another place.    Kelly, K7SU

*   *   *

12/12/07 2-Meter SSB Ragchew
Several of us from the Magic Valley got together Tuesday night and had a ragchew on 2 meter SSB.  We had a good time.  There were a total of eight of us who checked in during the course of 45 minutes or so.  Here is a list of those who joined the group:
K6ZVA-Lee from the RACES COMM Trailer in Twin Falls, K7SU-Kelly in Twin Falls, KC7QR-Bob in Twin Falls, W6OUU-Jim in Twin Falls, WB7AKX-Dallas in Twin Falls, KD7IYB-Bill in Twin Falls (mobile), W1MDI-Winn north of Fairfield, K7MAI-Walter in Rupert.  We will try it again next Tuesday for sure...right after the ARES/RACES net which is generally concluded by about 7:10.  We meet on 144.200 USB.  Hope you can join us!    73  Kelly, K7SU

*   *   *

12/8/07  Magic Valley Radio Club meeting
We had another good meeting at Lizzy's Restaurant in Jerome Saturday.  They have GREAT food and their hot chocolate is second to none!  Mother nature felt compelled to bless us with a nice blanket of snow and that may have contributed to a few members not being able to make the trip to Jerome but we still had 10 regular members, one new member and a visitor show up.   John Cline (W5USN) from the Boise area attended the meeting which was a nice surprise.   He is the state Public Information Coordinator for the ARRL and he has his hands in a lot of other things ham radio around the state also.  Sherm Stanley, KH8SS, joined the club.  He's been in American Samoa...hence his call.  He is formerly WA6IRN.  At the meeting President Jay Smith gave a workshop on how to fill out a Ham-O-Gram.  This will be useful in times of an emergency.  Those in attendance discussed the following:

     1.  What to do about the donated equipment the club has.  The consensus was to hold off on any decision right now but we may consider selling the stuff giving club members first choice.  Then....??????  You can see most of the stuff HERE.

     2.  We are going to look into getting club jackets with logo's.  We will have a progress report with some proposed plans at the next meeting.

     3.  We are going to start an informal 2-meter SSB get-together on Tuesday evenings right after the ARES/RACES net.  If you have 2-meter SSB capabilities, please join us on or around 144.200,  UPPER sideband.  This is purely for fun....no roll call....just a roundtable rag chew. 

John Cline, W5USN, donated a nice item to the club for someone who is into the digital modes.  It's a very nice RIGBLASTER PRO sound card interface.  This is the top line interface.  You can read about it HERE.  These sell new for $279.95.  If you are a Twin Falls, Burley/Rupert or Wood River Valley club member, buy this one for $100.  Contact me if interested.   Kelly,  K7SU

Don't forget the Christmas Party coming up Dec. 22nd.  Details down the list.

Next club meeting will be held January 12th, at 10 a.m. at the regular meeting place, Perkins Restaurant in Twin Falls.

*   *   *

12/8/07  Emergency Training Class available
Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS) This 8-hour course is available free of charge to Idaho first responders through Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security grant funding. Plan on attending! Click HERE for more information.  This class would be great for every ham operator in the area. 
 

12/7/07  Pocatello Testing Day
The Pocatello ARRL test session  Saturday, Jan, 12th for those wishing to get a new license or upgrade. Click  this link for all the information
.http://www.pocatelloarc.org/main_page_links/arrl_testing.htm    Tnx,   John, K0IP

*   *   *

12/5/07  MVRC Christmas Party
We will be having our annual Christmas Party at the Loon Hing Restaurant on Saturday, December 22nd, at 6:30 p.m.  Come one..come all..bring a friend, a relative, a spouse, a partner....another ham.  You don't have to be a club member to attend...just be a ham or have an interest in ham radio.  This is a no-host party.  There will be a Chinese buffet, a Mongolian BBQ and you can also order from the menu if you like.  The Loon Hing Restaurant is at 1719 Kimberly Road (formerly the George K's Restaurant.)  If you plan to attend can you send me an email so we can get an idea of how many to expect?  Let me know how many will be attending in your party.  EMAIL KELLY - K7SU

*   *   *

12/5/07  MVRC Monthly Meeting
The next meeting will be held December 8th at Lizzy's Restaurant, located at 1030  south Lincoln in Jerome.  Coming from Twin Falls take the first exit to Jerome, drive north a couple miles.  Lizzy's is in the same shopping mall as Ridley's Grocery Store and D&B Supply. Time is 10 a.m.   Club President Jay Smith, W7BMS, will give us instructions on how to fill out a radiogram.  You will need to have a hard copy of the ARRL radiogram.  You can CLICK HERE to download a copy.   I will be bringing the items that the club is selling for the Joe Herring estate,  WI5E.  You can see a list of the items HERE.  We may also discuss some other issues such as:

*  Club Jackets
*  Selling items donated to the club
*  2 or 6 meter SSB net.
*  Any items you want to discuss.

*   *   *

12/2/07
If anyone has the study material for EXTRA class ticket, please contact Lee, KE7IAC.

*   *   *

12/1/07  ANTENNA PARTY
Friday afternoon, 11/30/07, we had an antenna raising party for Ben Bunch KJ7HW.  It was a little chilly but it only took us a little over 2 hours to put together and raise the GAP vertical antenna.  Those who participated in the "last minute" adventure were  Ben - KJ7HW,  Bob - KC7QR, Lee - WB7CYO and Kelly - K7SU. 

*   *   *

12/1/07  INTERESTING EMAIL I RECEIVED  12/1/07

Hello, My name is Alan,  I live in Maidstone Kent. UK  I belong to Maidstone YMCA ARS as well as RNARS ,forgive me but I would like if possible to be added to your E- mail list. I should like to make contacts with operators around the Boise area  unfortunately  the club has lost our previous premises and as yet are not up and running on HF at our new location..  limited aerials at home restrict much HF so have recently been finding my way around Echolink, I have discovered a very old friend from my  days at sea  lives in the Boise Area and I hope to be able to visit him in the near future,and would like to know more about the area.......Best Wishes, Alan .GØNCW

*   *   *

11/29/07  SILENT KEY 
Kenneth J. Hastings (W7NPO), 85, Nampa, formerly of Burley, died Monday, Nov.26, 2007, in Coeur d'Alene. Graveside Services will be at 2PM Friday at the Pleasant View Cemetery, with military rites provided by the Mini-Cassia Veterans and Auxiliary. Friends may call from Noon - 1:30PM Friday prior to the service at Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., Burley.

Published in the Idaho Press Tribune on 11/28/2007.

Michael Worth
K9NSP@voiceofidaho.org
Public Affairs Officer
Voice of Idaho ARC

 

 *   *   *

11/23/07  ITEMS FOR SALE
The XYL of Joe Herring (WI5E) has some items of her late husband she would like to sell.  There are several pictures of the items so if you have a slow connection it may take awhile to load.  Please CLICK HERE to go to the page and see the items.

*   *   *

11/23/07  SNAKE RIVER CHAPTER ISRA CHRISTMAS PARTY
This year's Christmas Dinner of the Snake River Chapter ISRA will again be held at the Perkins Restaurant, located just off of I-84 exit 208, in Burley, Idaho. It will take place on Saturday, Dec 15th, starting at 6:30pm.  Any Hams and their families who wish to are encouraged to join us, you do not need to be a club member.  For more information please contact Howard Sutton, W7WKL, at 208-436-0677 or myself, Don Frasher, AD7LL, at 208-878-5208.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays !

 

*   *   *

11/22/07  RECRUITING NEW HAMS
We've discussed in our club meetings the need to recruit new YOUNG hams to keep the hobby going.  On an eHam.net thread there is an interesting discussion about that very topic and that maybe we are wasting our time trying to recruit the kids who seem to be more interested in XBOX, computers, cell phones and the myriad of other things they have available to them today.  On the other hand, I was in the local Radio Shack store recently and heard an older retired gentleman ask the young sales clerk if RS still handled any kind of 2-meter ham equipment.  Of course, the kid had no idea what he was talking about.  So I took the opportunity to butt in and take over the conversation....tell the gentleman about the ham club and that the club actually had a couple of donated 2-meter rigs we might be able to fix him up with.  He said he wasn't a ham yet but was working towards it now that he was retired and had the time.  At any rate...I'm not saying we need to abandon the effort of trying to recruit the kids but read at least the first article in the thread and I think you will see what I'm talking about.  Go HERE to see the thread.     73,   Kelly K7SU

*   *   *

11/20/07  MVRC Christmas Party
We will be having our annual Christmas Party at the Loon Hing Restaurant on Saturday, December 22nd, at 7 p.m.  Come one..come all..bring a friend, a relative, a spouse, a partner....another ham.  This is a no-host party.  There will be a Chinese buffet, a Mongolian BBQ and you can also order from the menu if you like.  The Loon Hing Restaurant is at 1719 Kimberly Road (formerly the George K's Restaurant.)

*   *   *

11/18/07  HAM RADIO NEWS from "Amateur Radio Newsline"   CLICK HERE

*   *   *

11/11/07   OPERATING OFF THE GRID
It is neither difficult nor expensive to operate a ham radio off the grid...or without the benefit of commercial power.  Here is how one local ham did it.  CLICK HERE

*   *   *

11/10/07  MVRC Meeting
We had a very nice meeting at the Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center on Saturday, Nov. 10th. There were thirteen club members present at the meeting.  Here is a summary of the meeting.

*  The club members voted to increase the yearly club dues to $10 starting January 1, 2008.  Those who had prepaid membership beyond that will be grandfathered.

*  The members voted to continue to continue to strengthen the relationship between the club and SIRCOM and all related emergency coordinators.  The members voted to hold at least 4 meetings per year at SIRCOM and to hold regular emergency drills to keep the skills of the participants at the ready in case of an emergency.  The club maintains a list of local ham radio operators who could assist in emergency communications.  To get on that list, download the ARES/RACES application form HERE.  It is a JPG file and is about 750k in size.  If you can't download it contact Lee Kelly, K6ZVA at leebobk AT cableone dot net for an application form.   

*  To download a copy of the ARES/RACES manual in PDF format, see the DOWNLOAD RACES MANUAL button above under LINKS.  You must have the latest version of Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the manual.  Keep in mind the manual is a 6MB file so a fast internet connection will help.  If you don't have a fact connection, contact me and I will get you a copy on CD.  Kelly K7SU
You will also notice that some of the manual is outdated such as the list of local radio amateurs.  That is being updated.  The operational information is still accurate.  If you want to participate in the event of an emergency the information in the manual would be necessary to know.  To download the latest version of  Acrobat Reader DOWNLOAD ACROBAT READER.

*  The club will build and maintain a list of volunteers to help other hams in the area for special projects such as antennas and repairs.  To get on that list email Kelly Klaas..    kelly@K7SU.com

*  The next meeting will be held December 8th at Lizzy's Restaurant, located at 1030  south Lincoln in Jerome.  Coming from Twin Falls take the first exit to Jerome, drive north a couple miles.  Lizzy's is in the same shopping mall as Ridley's Grocery Store and D&B Supply. Time is 10 a.m.   Club President Jay Smith, W7BMS, will give us instructions on how to fill out a radiogram.  You will need to have a hard copy of the ARRL radiogram.  You can CLICK HERE to download a copy. 

*  The annual club Christmas party will be held on Saturday, December 22, at Loon Hing restaurant on Kimberly Road in Twin Falls.  Time is 7 p.m.

73, Kelly   K7SU

*   *   *

11/7/07 
10 MHz Amateur Radio balloon to cross the Atlantic
Click HERE for details....

*   *   *

11/5/07
The next regular meeting of the Magic Valley Radio Club will be this Saturday, Nov. 10th.  The meeting will be held at the SIRCOM dispatch center in Jerome.  Some of us will also be meeting at Perkins Restaurant around 8:30 a.m. for breakfast then carpool or caravan over.

11/5/07
The Pocatello Amateur Radio Club is holding a licensing session this Saturday, Nov. 10th for those wishing to get a new license or upgrade.  It will be held at 5018 Rainbow Ln. in Chubbuck.  There will be a $14 fee and applicants must have a copy of their license or certificate and two forms of ID...one of which must be a photo.  For more information contact WQ7I at 208-237-2763.

10/21/07
Are you prepared to operate off-grid in an emergency if commercial power is disrupted for an extended period of time?  CLICK HERE to see my simple and inexpensive setup.  It's not perfect but it will do in an "emergency."   Kelly  K7SU

10/16/07
Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, and his XYL Bobbie, KD7JKC, recently visited the SIRCOM center in Jerome.  Lee said that we could have our next meeting at SIRCOM and that the SIRCOM people would be very happy to have us.  Lee says they have a meeting room there and they may also have room for us to set up a club station.  This is all GREAT news and thanks to Lee and Bobbie for making this initial visit.  So, the next meeting of the Magic Valley Radio Club will be held at SIRCOM on Nov. 10th at 10 a.m.  If you still want to meet for breakfast since that seems to be a very popular event, we could still meet at Perkins around 8:30 a.m. then carpool to SIRCOM for the meeting.  We will check to see if the room is available at that time. 

The pictures below are the meeting room and the SIRCOM tower.  If you don't know how to get there I will have directions posted on here soon.

Thanks again to Lee and Bobbie!     73,  Kelly K7SU

 

 

10/14/07
At the recent ham club meeting we talked about the required certification needed if hams are to participate in some emergencies that are being handled under the auspices of FEMA.  Doug McFall with the Idaho State Police (N7JHS) said the online certification is easy to do.  So Saturday night I gave it a try.  He's right.  It took me about two hours to go through the online lessons and take the test.  In an effort to have a pool of certified amateur radio operators in times of an emergency, I think it would be great for  as many as are reading this to follow the link below and get the certification. I know....back in the old days we didn't have to do this stuff.  But times are changing and we need to change with them or get left behind. 

After you go through the lessons you will take the final exam of 23 questions.  After you take the exam it will ask you for your name, social security number and other contact information.  AFTER you fill in all the blanks, it is then that you will find out if you passed the exam....not before.  If you pass, you are notified that you will receive your certificate via email.  My certificate was waiting for me in my email the next (Sunday) morning. 

It isn't difficult at all but you do need to read the lessons...you will have no hope of passing the exam without reading the material.  And, the lessons give you a good nutshell view of what the organization structure is like during an emergency operation that you may find yourself participating in.  It's just good stuff to know.

Here's the link to the online certification procedure.  CLICK HERE

Just because you may have the certification in no way obligates you to participate in an emergency but it will allow you to if you want.  The certification is becoming a requirement in many cases for anyone to help...not just radio amateurs.

73 and Good Luck        Kelly   www.K7SU.com

*   *   *

 

10/13/07
We had an excellent turnout Saturday for the Magic Valley Radio Club.  We had 20 show up and that is GREAT. 

We also had an excellent discussion on several items.  The discussion on emergency communications was very good and has given us some direction on getting us prepared for any possible emergency  situation where our services may be called upon.  We are looking forward to having a tour of the SIRCOM dispatch center in Jerome and getting us up to speed on where things are and what we do should we be needed.  Please check back here often for updates.  I have a link for Emergency Preparedness training online.  This is training we all need to take if we want to be able to participate in any possible emergency situation.  Click HERE for the homepage for the training.

Joe Yelda, KF7AE, dropped by the meeting.  Joe is with the Wood River ARC.  He gave us an update on the inroads being made in Blaine County with the club working with law enforcement and emergency coordinators.  He said they are planning on conducting some emergency training and ham licensing training in the Hailey area.  Keep checking back here for more on that.

We are in need of someone to take over the Tube Bank from Dunk Layton, KD7JKB.  Dunk has done a great job with it but would like to step down from the very rewarding and high-paying.....well, very reward position of Tube Bank Coordinator.  All you need to do is check the inventory of tubes for any requests and if it's in the bank, ship it to the person.  If interested, email Dunk HERE.

The club Christmas party will be held December 22nd at 7 p.m. at Loon Hing Restaurant on Kimberly Road in Twin Falls.  Please come and be prepared to stay late and have a good time.  Invite a friend!

10/8/07
The next regular meeting of the Magic Valley Radio Club (Twin Falls) will be this Saturday, Oct. 13th, at Perkins Restaurant at 10 a.m.  Bring your appetites and ideas.   73  Kelly, K7SU

10.8.07
Some Drake equipment in the SWAP area.  Check it out.

*   *   *
 

10/6/07
I wish to thank the club for their support of what I believe to be the first "Fox Hunt" in the Magic Valley in at least 30 years.
As the recipient of the Icom handheld radio, for finding the "fox" at the event, I wish to thank the club.  My newest handheld dated back to 1992, so this updates me quite a bit in the handheld radio category.  Thanks especially to Kelly Klaas, K7SU, for his efforts at getting the "fox hunt" training and the actual "fox hunt" event going this year.
73,
Lee Bunch
WB7CYO

9/29/07  FOX HUNT RESULTS
The Magic Valley Radio Club held it's long-awaited Fox Hunt today.  Although the weather was not the best we will had two winners.  Lee Bunch, WB7CYO was the first one to find the "rabbit" and won the Icom IC-V8 Sport 2-meter hand held.  Bob Castaneda, KC7QR won the second place prize of the Simple And Fun Antenna's For Hams ARRL book.  Congratulations with all.  It was a fun day.

9/24/07  FOX HUNT
The Magic Valley Radio Club will be holding a FOX HUNT, Saturday, SEPT. 29th at 10 a.m. The frequency for your to receive the FOX will be 146.94.  First prize is a new Icom handheld...second prize is an ARRL antenna book, and third prize is a custom wooden call sign.  The first person to approach the "rabbit", (K7SU) will be deemed the first prize winner and the same applies for second and third prizes.  Any questions can be directed to Kelly, kelly@K7SU.com

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9/24/07  LICENSE/UPGRADE TESTING
The Snake River Chapter, ISRA is holding a testing session Saturday, Sept. 29th, for those wishing to test for a ham license or upgrade.  It will be held at the Minico Middle School, 1805 "H" Street in Rupert.  Testing will begin at 9 a.m. Contact Kevan, KD7IYA for more info.
 

DIRECTIONS.....

Coming from East or West on I-84 Take Exit 211.....Go to Rupert as the sign says at the stop sign.  You are on Idaho State highway 24.......it goes directly into Rupert.  Go to the 3rd stop light...be in the left turn lane.....You are at F street , turn left and go across the railroad tracks, go 2 blocks...turn left at 4th street......go straight 2 blocks to H street.....turn right....go straight for 14 short blocks........You will pass the Sheriff department and Courthouse.....go over the canal........keep going 8 blocks to go.....Look to the Left....East Minico is your left....turn into the parking lot!  You are Here!!!

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9/14/07  BURLEY RUPERT SWAP MEET
The Snake River Chapter ISRA is having a Swap Meet on Saturday, September 15, 2007, beginning at 9AM at East Minico Middle School in Rupert, Idaho.  Address is 1805 H Street.  There is an admission cost and a table fee.   For more info Contact: Howard W7WKL 436-0677; Ken KK7QC 678-4360.......

DIRECTIONS.....

Coming from East or West on I-84 Take Exit 211.....Go to Rupert as the sign says at the stop sign.  You are on Idaho State highway 24.......it goes directly into Rupert.  Go to the 3rd stop light...be in the left turn lane.....You are at F street , turn left and go across the railroad tracks, go 2 blocks...turn left at 4th street......go straight 2 blocks to H street.....turn right....go straight for 14 short blocks........You will pass the Sheriff department and Courthouse.....go over the canal........keep going 8 blocks to go.....Look to the Left....East Minico is your left....turn into the parking lot!  You are Here!!!

9/2/07
The next meeting of the Magic Valley Radio Club will be Saturday, Sept. 8th, at 10 a.m. at Perkins Restaurant in Twin Falls.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. 

8/20/07 
Pocatello Holding Testing Session Sept. 15th.  Click HERE for more information.
 

8/20/07  BURLEY/RUPERT SWAPMEET
The Snake River Chapter ISRA is having a Swap Meet on Saturday, September 15, 2007, beginning at 9AM at East Minico Middle School in Rupert, Idaho.  Address is 1805 H Street.  There is an admission cost and a table fee.   For more info Contact: Howard W7WKL 436-0677; Ken KK7QC 678-4360.......Kevan, KD7IYA

8/16/07
I am in need of a 8874/3CX400A7 for my 2 meter amplifier. I have one that the filament has opened and needs replacing. Maybe someone out there has one or even a pair that they want to sell. Medical pulls would be fine if someone has some.  I sure wanted to try the new m2 18xxx (36 ft boom) on EME but the tube went out this last weekend while I was working a station in Texas during the meteor shower. If someone has them, they can contact me on my cell phone 731-6599.  Thanks Jim W6OUU

 

 

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