Fort Wayne Radio Club

See more photos from the fox hunt in this website’s photo gallery.

The September foxhunt occurred on 13 September, a gorgeous early fall day. Turns out that three hunter teams were available for this contest. The first team consisted of Steve and Linda Nardin, W9’s SAN and LAN plus their grandson Alex. The second team included Charles Ward, KC9MUT, Fred Gengnagel, KC9EZP and Robert Dean, KC9UHU. The third team consisted of Kim and Jim Machamer, KB9’s DOS and DOT. This motley crew awaited the 146.160 MHz emissions from the fox at their starting point of Cobin Memorial Park.

Carole and Al Burke, WB9’s RUS and SSE served as the fox for this contest. The Pliett’s, Jim and Annie, couldn’t attend this one as they were up at Soaring Eagle attempting to break the bank. So it was up to the Burke’s to find a hide-out for the furry little quarry.

Now it turns out that Carole has been hanging out a bit with Kim lately and it seems that some of the Machamer’s crafty (fox hiding) ways have rubbed off on Carole because she picked out a fairly devious spot to ensconce the thing. Although Al objected, muttering that “even Charles, Fred and Robert wouldn’t be this cruel”, Carole had her way and made Al set up the high power fox on the western shore of the St. Joe river on the River Greenway adjacent to the Griswold play lot, with a clear view of the eastern shore of the river. The high power fox consisted of a jumper-battery powered mobile rig pumping about 50 watts into a 4-element yagi aimed south-southeast. (Carole made Al lug all of this stuff from the car, hidden in the Oak River Apartments parking lot, to their lair on the River Greenway…..and batteries, for one, are heavy). Then she made him stash the microfox itself across the river in the ballast rock that lines the eastern shore of the river near Northside Drive and St. Joe Blvd. Then she made him fabricate a decoy microfox in the form of a large Bob Evans coffee cup complete with a fake antenna, and with the sign “Nope” printed on the side of it, and had him stash it on the western shore of the river quite near their (high power fox) lair, in order to draw the foxhunters in. (Yes, sometimes it’s like living with Erwin Rommel).

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The September 2015 Issue of the Allen County HamNews newsletter is now available for download using the link below. This and previous issues are also available for download by clicking the “Files” link in the main menu and then clicking “Newsletters.”

The August foxhunt occurred on 2 August on a beautiful, sunny, non-monsoony (for a change) day. Two hunter teams were available for this contest. The first team consisted of Jim & Annie Pliett, K9OMA & KA9YYI, plus Carole & Al Burke, WB9’s RUS & SSE. The second team consisted of Charles Ward, KC9MUT, Fred Gengnagel, KC9EZP and Robert Dean, KC9UHU. Both teams awaited the 146.430 MHz emissions from the fox at their starting point of Cobin Memorial Park.

Jim & Kim Machamer, KB9’s DOS & DOT served as the fox. Their high power fox consisted of a mobile rig driving a yagi, and they were located where the southern segment of Young Rd. abuts I-469. They placed the micro-fox up against the chain link fence that runs parallel to the west-bound lane of I469 where the northern segment of Young Rd. abuts I-469. I-469 bisects Young Rd, and there is no overpass or underpass that allows one to get from the north to the south segment of (the bisected) Young Rd. directly. In other words Jim & Kim were sitting in their van on Young Rd. just to the south of I-469 and could look across I-469 to the southern segment of Young Rd., and to where the microfox was located. Sorta sneaky.

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The August 2015 Issue of the Allen County HamNews newsletter is now available for download using the link below.  This and previous issues are also available for download by clicking the “Files” link in the main menu and then clicking “Newsletters.”

Minutes from the July, 2015 general meeting of the Fort Wayne Radio Club are available for download from this website, using the link below.

FWRC President Steve Nardin presented a proposal for installing high-profile repeaters at a new tower site during the July general meeting.

Broadcast radio station WLDE has offered the club space at 280 feet above ground level on its new tower in New Haven, near the geographical center of Allen County. Power (including automatic emergency power) and Internet access would be free. The club would have to provide a building for its equipment.

Steve also expressed concerns about existing sties for FWRC repeaters:

• The 146.76 MHz and 444.875 MHz systems on north Clinton Street at a site historically referred to as Robison Park might see a degradation of the noise level environment because of an AEP substation upgrade.
• The D-STAR system might lose its home at the Masonic Temple in downtown Fort Wayne.
• The Echolink 146.910 MHz machine is located at IPFW, where Steve expects the club to lose its internal contact and champion in the near future.

Steve proposed that the club:

1. Install new two-meter and 440 MHz antennas and feed lines at on the WLDE tower.
2. Construct a small building at the tower to house repeaters.
3. Move the club’s 146.76 MHz, 146.94 MHz or 146.91 MHz repeater to the WLDE site to become Fort Wayne’s high-profile two-meter repeater.
4. Move the D-STAR or 444.875 MHz machine to the same site.
5. Mothball decommissioned site(s).

The total estimated cost would be slightly more than $6,800, including new antennas, feed lines, building and the services of a professional tower climber. Steve suggested a number of ways that the club might raise the money for the project.

Steve displayed a PowerPoint file while presenting the proposal during the club meeting. Download a PDF version of the slide deck by using the link below.

Steve plans to write more about the proposal in the August issue of Allen County HamNews. He said the plan would require a vote by the FWRC membership “at some point in the future.”