Fox (hidden transmitter) hunt July 12

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The Fort Wayne Radio Club will hold its July fox (hidden transmitter) hunt Sunday, July 12, at 1:30 p.m. EDT. All hunters will start in the parking lot of 24/30 Surplus (former K-Mart), 820 N. Coliseum Blvd. This is just north of the “cloverleaf” intersection of Coliseum Blvd. and East Washington Blvd. and near the geographic center of Allen County.

The fox will transmit on 146.430 MHz FM. Hunters will use the 146.76 MHz repeater as an intercom.

Individuals at home may join in by taking bearings and sharing them on the 146.76 MHz repeater to help hunters locate the wily fox.

If you have never done a fox hunt, they are a blast and a good way to keep your RF skills sharp! Hunters would love you to join them. They’ll show you all the tricks of the trade!

FWRC to offer estate gear at Auburn Hamfest July 11

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The Auburn Hamfest is Saturday, July 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, 1600 S Wayne Street, Auburn. Admission to the hamfest and museum are free.

During the hamfest, the Fort Wayne Radio Club will offer for sale some items from the estate of Adoplh Wozniak, WA9WTJ. One item is a super clean I-COM IC-718 HF transceiver with MFJ switching power supply, microphone, and power cable.

Yaesu FT-736R

Another is a Yaesu FT-736R VHF/UHF all-mode transceiver for the 144, 432 and 1296 MHz bands. It is fully duplex, so you can transmit on one band while receiving on another, making it perfect for satellite operation, balloon launches, etc. Included with the rig are a microphone and AC and DC power cords. The rig has an internal AC power supply. It also has a tone generator for repeater operation. This rig’s appearance is fantastic. It has a just-out-of-the-factory look. There is no box or manual, however.

Swan 250C

FWRC will also offer a Swan 250C six-meter SSB transceiver that is super clean. Includes a matching power supply and speaker. The unit has an issue with blowing fuses, but leaky rectifiers are the probable cause, which can be easily fixed.

The estate included many more items that the FWRC will offer for sale in the future, including scopes, RF generators, and microwave instrumentation and antennas.

Balloon to lift cross-band repeater July 11

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Jeff Dailey, KC9QCD, will launch a balloon carrying at cross-band repeater from Upland, Indiana on July 11. He encourages all amateurs to access the repeater, which will have an uplink on 144.36 MHz FM and downlink on 446.025 MHz FM. The balloon will also carry a GPS beacon on 52.525 Mhz.

Jeff plans to launch the balloon at 10 a.m. ET. The flight is part of the annual Great Plains Super Launch.

Jeff plans to send QSL cards to people who contact him via the balloon’s repeater.

June fox hangs with alumns

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foxhunt cartoon

By Meghan Warrix, KD9ODP and Adam Warrix, KD9NRT

Although the weather has improved, the current situation with COVID-19 has led to a postponement of foxhunting. This all changed on a beautiful June 7th. The sun was out and a single cloud wasn’t seen in the sky. You couldn’t ask for better weather. Four teams, observing social distancing, assembled in the parking lot waiting for the 1:30 PM start time.

Adam, KD9NRT, and his wife Meghan, KD9ODP, served as the fox. The microfox was hidden under the skirting of a light post at the Purdue – Fort Wayne Alumni Center. At exactly 1:30 PM, Meghan started transmitting. The theme for the day was 100 lesser known facts. One group would win but everyone would win through knowledge. The groups set off in search of the microfox.

Continue reading →

Hams exempt from new Indiana handheld device law

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Licensed amateur radio operators may continue to operate handheld radios in the Amateur Radio Service, despite an Indiana law that took effect July 1, 2020.

The new law, IC 9-21-8-59, prohibits a person from holding or using a “telecommunications device” while operating a moving motor vehicle.

Fortunately, however, a separate part of the Indiana code, IC 9-13-2-177.3, states that the definition of a “telecommunications device,” as it applies to the above referenced IC 9-21-8-59, does not include “amateur radio equipment that is being operated by a person licensed as an amateur radio operator by the Federal Communications Commission under 47 CFR Part 97.”

The provisions of IC 9-13-2-177.3, therefore, exempt the use of amateur radio equipment from the new handheld device ban (IC 9-21-8-59), as long as the equipment is operated by a licensed amateur radio operator.

It also, by the way, exempts citizens band equipment and other communications systems, if those systems are “installed in a commercial motor vehicle weighing more than ten thousand (10,000) pounds.”

Interestingly, IC 9-13-2-177.3 provides no explicit exemption for two-radios in police cars or other emergency vehicles that are not commercial motor vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds.

Fox (hidden transmitter) hunts resume

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Attention all Fox Hunters! Please plan on joining the Fort Wayne Radio Club Sunday, June 7 at 1:30 p.m. EDT for our return to the thrill of the hunt!

As usual, we will start out in the parking lot of 24/30 Surplus (formerly K-Mart), 820 N Coliseum Blvd, This a half mile north of the “cloverleaf” intersection of Coliseum Blvd and E. Washington Blvd, near the geographic center of Allen County.

The foxes for this event will be Adam and Meghan Warrix, KD9NRT & KD9ODP, who won the last hunt on their first time out. The high power fox will begin transmitting at 1:30 p.m. It will transmit for one minute every five minutes. The fox, as usual, will transmit on 146.430 MHz FM. We will use the 146.76 MHz repeater for an intercom, in case anyone needs assistance. Home stations are invited to join in and send their bearings!

Hunters are requested to bring a ‘picnic’ lunch or drink for a gathering at the end of the hunt, with proper social distancing, to spin tall tales about the hunt and anything else of interest.

“Fox” masks are optional! (you need not wear a mask while in your car)!

We hope to see you there!