Programs  

After the short business portion of our monthly meetings we offer a program each month.  Some programs (when available) are listed here for your reference.

For more information or to suggest a topic please contact our Program Chair via email at:
program [at] frrl.org.

Upcoming Programs:

TBD

Past Programs: 


Introduction to Allstar

By KC9SEB – Paul Mitchell


Digital Hotspots

By KC9SEB – Paul Mitchell


HamClock

By KC9SEB - Paul Mitchell

Digital Mobile (DMR) Fundamentals
&
Chicagoland Control Center

Patrick J. Brod - KB9ANL

ECHOLINK
&
ALLSTARLINK

By Curt Sauer

Introduction to APRS
by Terry Todd W9AUV
YouTube Video


August 13, 2019 - OK, I Just Got My License
                               by Harry Jones K9DXA

                               


March 12, 2019 - Setting up a DMR Hotspot -
                             by Dan Taddi, W9STS
Learn how to:
Configure the Zumspot to work with DMR Radio
Set up the hot spot channel in a DMR Radio
Includes time for a DMR demo and a Q/A period
Slides from the program are posted here. (Thanks Dan)

Program slides from Dan Taddi, W9STS
March 13, 2018:  DIY - Portable Loop Antenna program was presented by John Greusel - KC9OJV.  John told us of his experiences building and using his portable loop antenna.

John Greusel, KC9OJV presenting his loop antenna. -- Photos by Chris, KC9BKS
October 2017: Kurt Eversole KE9N, a member of the Rockford Radio Association, has been building and testing PIC (uP) controlled/tuned HF Magnetic Loop antennas - and has been very successful. Ken told us about his experiments using these interesting antennas.
Program slides from Kurt Eversole, KE9N
Video 1
Video 3
Video 5
Video 2
Video 4
Video 6
August 2017: The newest digital mode FT 8 by Kermit Carlson, W9XA

April 2017: "So I got my license....Now what do I do?" Presented by Harry-K9DXA

Harry's presentation is available on the right.


March 2017: Build a $50 Antenna Analyzer by Dan Taddei, W9STS

While not as fancy as one costing over $300 this analyzer will scan your antenna and provide a graph of SWR and show the resonate Frequency (Lowest SWR).  It can be used standalone or connected to a computer.  Dan presented the buildout process and provided some examples of its output.  He also demonstrated the working analyzer he built.

Check out his presentation slides on the right.

Dan, W9STS giving his presentation
Photo by Chris, KC9BKS
Dan's slides above
February 2017:  MotoTURBO and DMR digital formats:

Gregg Sperling-KB9E gave a presentation on MotoTRBO and DMR, digital formats.
Photo by Jason, NX9Y
Photo by Chris, KC9BKS
November 2016: Guest speaker Gary R Johnson gave a presentation on Applications for Crystals (yes, the crystals we use in Amateur Radio!)



September 2016: Dan, W9YKK, gave a presentation on station grounding and lightning protection.


 

July 2016:  Dave, N9XU, provided a program on the device he designed and built to connect the ARRL Audio News to his radio for broadcast on the repeater after the net.
Program slides:
Program_N9XU_2016-07-13.pdf Program_N9XU_2016-07-13.pdf
Size : 589.285 Kb
Type : pdf
Photos by Eric, K9LGE

May 2016:  Jack Hudson-W9MU gave his presentation on DXing.

Jack shared his experiences and vast knowledge on the subject of DXing, HF Propagation, Contesting, getting those rare contacts and more.

Above photos by Chris, KC9BKS 

Above photos by Jason, NX9Y 

April 2016:  Presentation/power point on EMP/IEMI "Threats and Concerns" by Michael Caruso.

Hello FRRL!  This excerpt is from an email sent to W9HI from April's program presenter, Mike Caruso.  I think a lot of you will find this addition to the program very interesting! "I'm very pleased to let you know that I have asked John Jackson and Terry Donat  (W9EYZ FCC Amateur Radio License) to join the EMP Presentation on April 12th. Both John and Terry are colleagues in the InfraGard EMP Special Interest Group (SIG)

https://www.sfbay-infragard.org/Documents/EMP_guidance.pdf

InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and the private sector. It is an association of persons who represent businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the U.S.

https://chicagoinfragard.org/

I've asked them to make a short presentation to explain the importance of the private radio operators to the InfraGard EMP SIG and the opportunities to join the organization."

Thanks for reading and see you all at the meeting!

Jason-NX9Y

March 2016 - Operating the IL QSO Party - by Harry, K9DXA 

Harry gave a presentation on his experience operating from a three county point in the latest Illinois QSO Party.

His presentation slides are here.

ILQRP.pdf ILQRP.pdf
Size : 1934.794 Kb
Type : pdf

Photos by Chris, KC9BKS
Presentation slides by Harry, K9DXA

February 2016 - Arduino Made Friendly - by Mike, K9FE
2/9/2016

This month Mike, K9FE, presented a program about using the Arduino.  He showed us some samples of using the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and various versions of the Arduino board and accessories.

Arduino Made Friendly.pdf Arduino Made Friendly.pdf
Size : 661.367 Kb
Type : pdf

Photos by Chris, KC9BKS, 
Presentation slides by Mike, K9FE. 

January 2016 - from Jason, NX9Y

Hello all,

Wanted to inform the membership that there has been a change in the program for the January program.  Harry's program on the IL QSO party has been moved to March.  Instead we will be presented to by the Kane County Coroner.  His presentation will be on the correct status of their communication capabilities, their communication needs (communications between different branches of public services) and how hams could play a part in that communication in case of a large scale incident.

This program was arranged by Don, WA9FZE. 

November 2014 Program - Presented by Dick, AH6EZ (remote) and Denny, W9HI (local)

This month Dick presented a program via Skype from his home shack in WA.  This month's program is Sending ICS Message Forms using MT63 Sound Card Mode. Please see the presentation slides. 

ICS form MT63 Presentation v1 090814 a.pdf ICS form MT63 Presentation v1 090814 a.pdf
Size : 702.647 Kb
Type : pdf

October 2014 Program - Presented by Denny, W9HI

 This month Denny showed us what it takes to be the Field Day Chairperson.  It was a great behind the scenes view of setting up, running, closing down, and the data gathering for the club's Field Day operations.  As the club is looking for next year's Field Day chairperson, Denny offered his support and assistance to the next volunteer to take his place.

September 2014 Program - By Mike, K9FE

Mike gave us a program on Digital modes and easy ways to set it up. He discussed computer to radio interface options, software available, antenna suggestions and more. 

Digital Made Easy.pdf Digital Made Easy.pdf
Size : 484.715 Kb
Type : pdf
May 2014 Program - by Bill, AB9TA

This month Bill stepped in as the new Program Chairman.  Thank you Dick for many years of awesome programs.

Bill's program this month was a program on programs.
He described his approach to the program char position.  He is looking for members to step up and share what they do or like as a program.  Bill said he will coordinate and help with your presentation but he needs all of our help. 

Please contact Bill with any ideas you might have for a program.  I'm sure he's getting getting volunteers.  Will you be one of the first?


April 2014 Program - By Dick, AH6EZ

A few FRRL members have been experimenting with remote control of their ham stations.  I had earlier demonstrated Chrome Remote Desktop because it integrated audio with remote control.  I have been recently using TeamViewer on an iPad.  I have been doing a lot of additional research and I will certainly educate everyone at the April meeting.  Because we now have good WiFi Internet in the meeting room, I will be able to do live demonstrations as well.

73, Dick AH6EZ


March 2014 Program - By Dick, AH6EZ

The March program will be about what I call the Amateur Radio Intranet.  Others call it HSMM or the Hinternet.

I will be describing activity around the country and how it is being used.  I will relate to how it might be used in Kane County for creating an emergency network.  Prepare to have me mesh with your mind...


Photo by Chris, KC9BKS
_Amateur Radio Intranet - FRRL March 2014 v2.pdf _Amateur Radio Intranet - FRRL March 2014 v2.pdf
Size : 2364.013 Kb
Type : pdf
February 2014 Program - By Dick, AH6EZ

I have been researching the AutoEZ program that automates EZ-NEC antenna modeling and decided that it was a little bit too complex to present at a meeting.

I have decided instead to show one of two videos, depending on the time available, as well as audience interest.  The first one is the new ARRL at 100 video which is 25 minutes long.  The other is about DXpedition Operating and is 43 minutes long.

73, Dick AH6EZ


January 2014 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

The January program by Dick was on applications using Raspberry Pi including IRLP and Echolink.

Raspberry Pi IRLP Echolink Jan 2014.pdf Raspberry Pi IRLP Echolink Jan 2014.pdf
Size : 6167.45 Kb
Type : pdf

November 2013 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

This month's program by Dick was about his personal experience prepairing for and working the IL QSO Party from a remote location at the corner of three countes.

IL QSO Party 2013 compressed.pdf IL QSO Party 2013 compressed.pdf
Size : 3147.772 Kb
Type : pdf

September 2013 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

I know that several FRRL members have recently purchased Chinese made dual band handheld radios. They are REALLY cheap (I meant to say inexpensive) but they work. I have to admit that when trying to come up with a birthday present for myself, when I already have everything, was tough this year. I decided to get a red radio for me and a blue radio for Becky. I may have limited time or ability to put together a really technical program but I figured I might be able to lean on the shared experiences of other members who may have other radios than the Baofeng radios I bought or have had a Baofeng longer than I have. For price of a dinner for two, you can have a pretty functional radio, desktop charger, and a  earphone/microphone with a remote PTT. 

Sept 2013 - Baofeng HT.pdf Sept 2013 - Baofeng HT.pdf
Size : 4590.167 Kb
Type : pdf

August 2013 - by Dick, AH6EZ

Dick gave a presentation on Off-Center Fed Dipole antennas.

OCF Dipole August 2013.pdf OCF Dipole August 2013.pdf
Size : 1358.55 Kb
Type : pdf

July 2013 Program - by Harry, K9DXA

Harry, K9DXA, gave a preview presentation that he will give at the Hamfest.  The subject is QRP radio.  Harry talked about the advantages and fun of working QRP.  He discussed using different modes and equipment available.  It was an excellent presentation.  

If you missed it be sure to see his presentation at the Hamfest on 7/14/2013.


June 2013 Program

Dick, AH6EZ gave a review of the club trip to Dayton. 

Denny, W9HI also talked further about Field Day 2013 at the June Meeting.



May 2013 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

Considering that the FCC is considering some changes to make all radio services consistent for compliance with RF Exposure limits and procedures, I thought it would be a good time to relearn about RF safety and how to evaluate your station for RF safety per the existing FCC rules. That will be the topic for the May FRRL meeting. Just in time for Dayton where we are surrounded by RF from a thousand transmitters.

73, Dick

April 2013 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

After helping several of you start to enjoy remote controlling your ham station, I have begun researching and learning about digital voice. The QST article on FreeDV got me started thinking about the topic. There is certainly a lot of mathematics involved in creating good sounding digital voice.

We have all heard it on our cellular telephones. The real art comes in making the conversion from analog to digital very spectrum efficient and being tolerant of weak signals, noise, and interference that we have on our ham bands. Having the software open source public domain allows many expert experimenters improve the state of the art while avoiding patent issues.

I hope to be able to provide a simple to understand overview of the subject and a demonstration and audio samples of the FreeDV program.

73, Dick
FRRL April 2013 program - FreeDV.pdf FRRL April 2013 program - FreeDV.pdf
Size : 1266.609 Kb
Type : pdf

March 2013 Program - by Dick, AH6EZ:

As I mentioned during the February program, if we get on the air, there are several ways to make our hobby more fun or rewarding. Although not required by FCC rules, it is fun to keep a log of our contacts.  If we submit our logs to the ARRL Logbook Of The World (LOTW) we can confirm contacts without the cost and delays of postage. If we are trying to Work All States or DX countries, monitoring a DX cluster can help. Maybe we operate digital modes. Maybe we operate contests or want to track satellites.

Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) is commercial (not free) software that has become feature rich over the years that helps with all of these activities. It is so feature rich, I could not even demonstrate all of them during the February program.

By a unanamous show of hands, there was a great desire for me to demonstrate the DM780 module of HRD for the March meeting. DM780 integrates with the logbook module of HRD to automate identification and logging of digital mode contacts. DM780 can decode and encode many digital modes including CW, RTTY, PSK, Hell, MFSK, MT63, Olivia, and Throb. You can focus on a single QSO or you can monitor multiple simultaneous QSOs and pick out the one you may want to join.

Personally, I do not like DM780 as much as Digipan for PSK or MMTTY for RTTY so I plan to include demonstrations of those free softwares so that you can compare for your own uses. Our FRRL program time slot is from about 8:30 to 9:30 pm and I can't predict what the band conditions will be. Just in case, I hope to be able to locally generate signals on these modes so that you can hear them and we can simulate QSOs.


AH6EZ Remote Station March 2013.pdf AH6EZ Remote Station March 2013.pdf
Size : 39.733 Kb
Type : pdf
February 2013 Program:

Dick, AH6EZ, gave us a walk through of many of the features of Ham Radio Deluxe.  He showed us many features including log book, DX cluster spots, rig remote control, rotator control, solar reports, and keeping track of your awards.  He gave us a demo of a connection to his Software Defined Radio (SDR).  He also showed how it can track satellites including horizontal and vertical rotator control and automatically adjusting your radio's frequency for the doppler shift.


Feb 2012 FRRL Program HRD.pdf Feb 2012 FRRL Program HRD.pdf
Size : 21.571 Kb
Type : pdf

January 2013 Program:

In the January program "Overcoming Fears of SMD Kit Building" Dick, AH6EZ, gave us tips and lessons learned from his project building the JUMA TX500 kit (500 kHz Transmitter) which uses a large percentage of the tiny Surface Mount Devices (SMD).

January 2013 Program SMD and TX500.pdf January 2013 Program SMD and TX500.pdf
Size : 2134.676 Kb
Type : pdf

These photos at the January meeting were provided by Mike Urso, K9FE

November 2012 Program:

The November program was be about the historical development of HF receivers, and in particular receiver selectivity. There was a live demonstrations of different receiver types from regenerative to envelope detectors, to BFO and product detectors. Demonstrations included a TenTec 1054 and a Hammarlund HQ110 with a Q multiplier.



 October 2012 Program

Harry delivered the battery safety presentation he did at our July Hamfest.


September 2012 Program

The September program was a 30 minute video describing the IOTA (Islands on the Air) program and an IOTA Expedition to the tiny Rockall island 200 miles west of Ireland. Now that the club's Hammarlund HQ110 receiver is repaired, the present plan is to have the October meeting be about receiver selectivity from vintage to modern. Hopefully when you see that next radio at a hamfest, you will know ahead of time what it will sound like on the air. The November meeting may be an introduction and demonstration by N9VV of the TAPR HPSDR radios which now include full transceivers with 100 watts.

July 2012 Program

The program at the July meeting will be the first of a two-part presentation on the very recent Nunavut DXpedition from AH6EZ. One will be about Rankin Inlet and the overall experience, and the second part will discuss the technical and operational learning points.