By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “What is a good paddle for a beginner?” My usual answer to this question is to look for a used Bencher BY-1 at a hamfest or on one of the online venues. You used to be able to get them for $60 or less. Now, however, there are few hamfests and the price has gone up. Now, used Benchers are close to $80.
Ron Eckton W7RE is selling the following ham radio items to recover funeral costs for a friend.
To make an offer, or for more info, please contact
Ron at w7re (at) arrl (dot) net or 360-599-1131.
| ITEM MAKE | MODEL | CONDITION | ASKING PRICE |
| Kenwood | TS-140S w/MC80 Desk Mic & Speaker | Good | $300.00 |
| Kenwood | TM-631A Dualband 2m/1-1/4m | Good | $200.00 |
| Yaesu | YSK-8900 Separation Cable | New in Box | $40.00 |
| Rigblaster | Duo w/manual/cables | Like New | $150.00 |
| B&K Precision | 501A Semiconductor Curve Tracer | Electrical Good | $50.00 |
| MFJ | 941D VersaTuner II | Good | $75.00 |
The Whatcom County VEs are hosting an Amateur Radio Licensing Exam session on November 7th. If you, or anybody you know, is looking for an amateur radio licensing exam session, either for a Technician license, or for a license upgrade, here is a great local opportunity, right here in Ferndale.
If you are interested, please contact Lead VE Richard Dykstra at rdykstra82 (at) gmail (dot) com. Or by phone at: (360) 224-7785.
Attendance is by reservation only; no walk-ins allowed.
73.
Chris Doutre KC9AD
ARRL VEC
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
I’ve been teaching ham classes for more than a dozen years now. My specialty has been the one-day Tech class. In this type of class, you review all of the questions in the question pool with the students over the course of six to eight hours, and then immediately give them the test before they can forget anything.
I would hold these classes three or four times a year and regularly have 20 – 30 students in each class. The pandemic, of course, has put the kibosh on these classes. The last one I taught was in January.
Sponsored by: The City of Blaine, the Blaine Police Department, and the Blaine Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS).
Blaine ACS is hosting this entry-level licensing class for people who wish to obtain an Amateur Radio License. The class takes place over two sequential Saturdays in September, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
On Saturday the 22nd , you will receive seven hours of classroom training, with plenty of time for interacting with your instructors and other amateur radio operators (hams) from Blaine ACS. You will also receive study materials and a reading assignment to be completed by the 29th.
Saturday, January 24th, 2015, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Official Welcome at 10:15 am.
Blaine Public Library Public Meeting Room
610 3rd Street, Blaine Washington 98230
Sponsored by the Blaine Auxiliary Communications Service
Licensed Amateur Radio Operators
Volunteering for the Blaine Police Department
Well, not exactly “hiring”. More like “recruiting dedicated volunteer radio operators”. Due to some recent retirements, Blaine ACS now has openings for new members. If you are a licensed amateur radio operator, or might be interested in becoming licensed, please consider joining ACS. ACS is a group of civilian volunteers who donate our time and energy to provide emergency communications in support of the Blaine Police Department. We offer extensive opportunities for fellowship, personal growth, formal training, and leadership; and we offer year-round opportunities to engage in community events and emergency exercises, not to mention radio station building and operation. If you have any questions, or for more information, please get in touch with me, Chris Doutre, ACS Manager, at kg6sko@arrl.net.
BLAINE, October 23, 2014: Chief Mike Haslip organized this training session at the ACS Training Facility yesterday. He invited Justin Piper from BNSF to present his two-and-a-half hour session on “Hazardous Materials Awareness for First Responders”. Justin is an excellent instructor and the materials presented were first class. We learned about how important it is to contact BNSF’s emergency response center immediately (1-800-832-5452) if we spot a railroad-related emergency. The operators there can provide (by email or fax) all the information needed to immediately determine if a particular train is carrying hazardous materials, what they are, and exactly what cars they’re in.
Another great Field Day weekend has come and gone, fun was had by all. Set up began on Friday afternoon about 5:00 pm and we were all wrapped up about 1:30 pm on Sunday.
Blaine Police Dept. ACS operated in the 2 (two transmitter) class, we were 2A WWA. Station one was in the ACS communications van using the new ICOM IC 7000 and station two was in the hanger using a Drake TR-7, both stations used wire OCF windom or vertical antennas. This was really great training for our operators that normally don’t use the HF bands. Radio condition were better than the last few years and we made more contacts the ever before, along with the great weather was nice too.
There will be a two-hour WebEOC class on January 5th, at 9:00 am, at the OCC in Bellingham. Contact KP2X for more information or to register. As Jim said at the ACS meeting last night, WebEOC will be a critical part of our emcomm future so we need to get this training sooner rather than later. If you can’t make this class, be aware that there will be more classes in the future. Stay tuned.
