Memorial Day, Bike Rides, and Stock Car Racing. Oh my!!

Kenwood TS-820 w/ Matching Speaker, & GE Microphone

 Hello there!  It's been a couple weeks since I wrote, sorry about that.  A lot has happened in the last couple weeks!  first off I'll start with how my Memorial Day went, I very special trip home, a mid week visit, the bike ride that didn't happen (just for me, my choice) and a night at the races!  Surprisingly they all have a tie in to Ham Radio!!

First I had a pretty darn good Memorial Day!!  Usually for the last few years My mom, and I have just stayed at home, and watched the PBS Memorial Day Celebration.  But this year we went to my Grandparent's house just outside of Strafford, MO.  If your not familiar with the area, Strafford is about 13 miles northeast of Springfield, down Interstate 44.  I had a couple pork shoulders that my mom had froze last year, so my Grandma cooked it with BBQ sauce, and made pulled pork out of it.  So my Mom, Dad, and I piled in my Mom's car to head out there.  I took my Yaesu FT-60R HT with us, and got a chance to work a contact from their house.

I got a hold of a friend from the Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio Club that lives in Ozark, MO.  I can't remember which repeater I contacted him on, but he had me go to Highlandville, Mo repeater (WA6JGM) on 145.2300 MHz, minus offset, PL Tone 162.20 Hz.  I'm not sure of exact distance to the repeater, but Highlandville is about 31 miles Southwest of my transmitting location.  I was very happy that i was able to make it into the repeater, and on the stock "rubber duck" antenna too!  We talked for maybe 5-10 minutes before he had to go, and we broke contact.  What an amazing thrill it was to make a contact on the Highlandville repeater!!

 Well on the way out the door, I talked to my Grandpa for a second.  Back when I had told him I was going to get my Ham License, he told me I could have his Kenwood TS-820 HF radio.  I asked him since I can use 10 meters on voice from 28.3-28.5 MHz, could I go ahead & take it home with me.  He said sure, and so I loaded it up carefully in the trunk.  I got home, and set everything on the table in the dinning room, I don't yet have a place set up in the spare bedroom to set everything up on.  I did this week find a desk that a moving neighbor was giving away for free, and I think it would work for now.  So I had mom help me get it down to the house, and it's currently setting in the garage.  I had hoped to get it set up by this last weekend (June 2nd & 3rd), but wasn't able to.  So I did miss the Navy Museum Ship Special Event, but I'm sure I'll be able to catch it next year, and on more than just a silver of 10 meters!

So a couple days latter my Grandma called, they were heading to the house, and my Grandpa had some stuff for me.  He had dug out a MFJ Antenna Analyzer, and MFJ Antenna Tuner for me!  i was very excited, and was not expecting him to do that at all.  I'm very thankful to my Grandpa, with out him it would have been a very long time before I could have been able to buy a HF radio.  I'm looking forward to getting the Antenna up in hopefully the next week, or two.  I want to play around with North American Contacts, maybe seeing if I can reach Canada, Mexico, or maybe even Europe on 10 meters.  I'm hoping to get my General License before the end of Summer, and would love to get on 20, 40, and 75 meters too!

This Saturday morning was also the annual Nixa Bike Ride.  This was the 5th year that the ride has been done in conjunction with Mercy Hospital Systems (Formerly St. John's).  Every year local Hams provide communications at the rest stops, check in stations, the main control point, and swipe vehicles.  Many public events throughout the year across the world get communications support from Ham Radio Operators.  I had originally intended to participate in this event, but then I found out that my Dad was getting a lot worse.  He has a progressing Liver issue, and the only recourse is a Liver Transplant.  Very sadly he is not a candidate for a transplant, so there's nothing that can be done for him.  I decided not to take part in the ride, I want to send as much time as possible with my dad in the time he has left, the doctors say that will be about a year.  I did listen to the ride on my HT, which picked up the Nixa repeater (KC0LUN) fine!  That repeater is on 145.2700 MHz, minus offset, PL Tone of 162.20 Hz.

But that evening was special for me as a Ham, and as a son.  My dad wanted to go to the Stock Car Races at the I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, Mo.  Lebanon is about 54 miles northeast up I-44.  I knew that we would be going through the range of a few repeaters I'd programed into my Yaesu HT.  So I took it with us, and talked on listened on the way up.  I talked to a guy from the other side of Niangua, MO.  Then I was able to talk again on the Highlandville repeater to a friend in the SW MO Amateur Radio Club.  He's from Marshfield, MO, but was heading back home from Springfield.  As we got close to Lebanon, I started to pick up a repeater that I wasn't aware of.  It as on the same frequency as a repeater I'd programed in from northern Arkansas.  I knew I wasn't picking it up, but what was this repeater?  I tried to ask one of the people on it, but wasn't able to key the repeater.  I assume they were using a PL Tone, so I never did contact anyone in it.  Well after I got home and was talking to another Ham friend, he thought it might have been the Conway repeater.

Well that's about it for me so far.  I'm just setting here at home waiting for Ham Nation to come on the TWiT Network here in a while.  I may see if there's anyone on the local repeaters before hand.  I really wish I had the HF hooked up to listen to the after show nets.  I will have soon!!  :-)

73 everyone!!

Franklin, KD0RSJ