Category: News

LAST MINUTE REMINDED, A CHANGE, AND UPDATED INFORMATION FOR TECHCON

TECHCON is almost here.  TECHCON, the annual technical conference for the ARRL West Central Florida Section, will begin this Friday February 22 and run through Saturday February 23.  If you are planning on attending, please remember to go to TECHCON registration form at http://arrlwcf.org/section-forms/wcftechconfregistration/.

The Talkin repeater for TECHCON has been changed.  The new talkin repeater for TECHCON both on Friday and Saturday will be the NI4M Repeater on 146.940 MHz with a PL tone of 146.2 Hz.  The 147.105 N4TP Repeater has a lot of activity and it was determined that it would be better to use the NI4M Repeater instead.

For those attending the “Introduction to Python” workshop there are instructions posted on how to prepare for the Seminar on the TECHCON page at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/ in the Friday Seminar section.

The PowerPoint presentations and or any papers prepared by the presenters at TECHCON will become available on the TECHCON page on Saturday morning.  This years TECHCON page will be archived for future reference following the conclusion of TECHCON so the presentations and or papers will be available for information purposes.

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NEW COUNTY PARKS ON THE AIR FACEBOOK PAGE TO LIST ACTIVATIONS

A new Facebook page has been established to support the upcoming ARRL West Central Florida Section County Parks On The Air (CPOTA) operating event.   The direct link for the new CPOTA page is https://www.facebook.com/arrlwcfcpota.  The new CPOTA Facebook page is for activators to register proposed or planned upcoming CPOTA activations and the bands, modes, and or proposed frequencies in which the activations will operate.  Activators and chasers are encouraged to post pictures and discussion of information, equipment setups, etc. that will be used in CPOTA activities.  Also activators and or chasers may publish general statistics about CPOTA operations as well.  Facebook was determined to be one of the easiest methods of disseminating information primarily about activations in a very timely manner, some of which can change very quickly.

Everyone is being asked to keep your comments and posts civil, and on topic. Any comments or posts that are not civil, obscene, indecent, profane, or of activity of an illegal nature will be removed by a page administrator. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

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TECHCON IS AROUND THE CORNER.  UPDATED SCHEDULE AND LIST OF PRESENTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE.

The 5th Annual TECHCON, the annual ARRL West Central Florida Section Technical Conference, is due to get started in a little over a week from now.  TECHCON will be on Friday February 22 and Saturday February 23.  On Friday February 22 there will be a Introduction to Python workshop/seminar by Dave Birnbaum K2LYV, one of our ARRL Technical Specialists, from 1300 until 1700.  From 1800 until 2100 will be the Friday Evening Social at the Golden Corral restaurant located at 815 Providence Road in Brandon.  On Saturday February 23, the General Presentation Tracks will start on Saturday February 23 at 0900 and run until 1630 with a break for lunch from 1200 until 1330.  The doors will open for general admission and registration and opening remarks will be given at 0845.  Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available.  Door prizes will be given away at the end of each presentation tracks and at the end of the day.

An updated list of presentations and speaking schedule is available on the TECHCON page at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.  If you are planning on attending and have not already done so please register on the ARRL West Central Florida Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/section-forms/wcftechconfregistration/.  This will allow the staff planning TECHCON to know how many to plan for with coffee, tea, and snacks.

We look forward to seeing many of you at our 5th Annual TECHCON.

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5TH ANNUAL TECHCON LIST OF PRESENTATIONS AND SCHEDULE PUBLISHED

The 5th Annual TECHCON List of Presentations, which include a brief description of the presentation, and the conference speaking schedule are now available on the TECHCON web page which is located at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.  Some of our speakers are returning from previous years and there is quite a number of new speakers as well, with a wide variety of topics.

Also on Friday from 1300 through 1700 will be a TECHCON first:  A Friday afternoon seminar.  Dave Birnbaum K2LYV, one of our ARRL Technical Specialist will be giving an Introduction to Python seminar, that will be very much a hands on seminar.  All participants are asked to bring their laptop.  Instruction will be forthcoming as to how to prepare for the seminar.  The doors will open at 1200 for those needing assistance setting up their laptop computers before the seminar begins at 1300.  Information on how to prepare for the seminar will be added to the TECHCON web page for download to help those who wish to prepare in advance.

SECTION NET CANCELLATION DUE TO ORLANDO HAMCATION

The West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net on 3940 KHz at 0730 scheduled for Saturday February 9th, 2019 has been cancelled so it will not conflict with the Orlando Hamcation.  The West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net will resume on Saturday February 16th, 2019 at its customary frequency and time.  The West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net on the NI4CE Repeater System will run through the period as scheduled.  All other Section Nets will also run as scheduled.

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THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #34 FEBRUARY 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED WITH A NEW LOOK AND HAS A NEW EDITOR.

The WCF PRESSER Issue #34 Eebruary 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. This is the first WCF PRESSER with a new look and a new editor.  Jim Weslager K3WR is now the editor of the WCF PRESSER.  See WCF SECTION PRESS RELEASE #19-04 about the new look of THE WCF PRESSER and a brief bio on Jim K3WR.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

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MUNICIPAL PARKS ON THE AIR RE-BRANDED AS COUNTY PARKS ON THE AIR.  WCF PRESSER MAKEOVER TO PREMIER WITH FEBRUARY ISSUE.

COUNTY PARKS ON THE AIR UPDATE:  The West Central Florida Section operating event Municipal Parks On The Air is to be re-branded County Parks On The Air.  This is due to the large number of County Parks that have been identified and that city and or town parks would take many more months to identify them all, which would require a personal visit and or an email or phone call.  The event after a considerable delay will finally commence on March 1, 2019 and run through the end of 2019.  The parks list, their designators, and event rules will be posted on the Count Parks On The Air web page at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/county-parks-on-the-air/ on the Section website.

WCF PRESSER GOING THROUGH A MAKEOVER:  The WCF PRESSER will not be published for the month of January to make way for the makeover of the WCF PRESSER.  Jim Weslager K3WR is the new editor for the WCF PRESSER and is now in the process of putting together the February issue of the WCF PRESSER.  It will be available as usual on the Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/ on February 1, 2019.  If you have any announcements or news items you would like to be included in the WCF PRESSER, please send them to Jim Weslager K3WR at weslager@gmail.com.

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THE WCF PRESSER AND WCF EXPERIMENTER HAS A NEW EDITOR.

Starting with the February 2019 the WCF PRESSER will have a new look and a new editor.  Also starting in the Spring of 2019, the WCF EXPERIMENTER will be coming out of hiatus.  Jim Weslager K3WR, who lives in Sebring in Highlands County, will be the new editor for the  WCF PRESSER and the WCF EXPERIMENTER.

Weslager, first licensed as a novice in early 1976, currently enjoys various HF digital modes, including RTTY, SSB voice, satellites, and APRS.  Besides amateur radio, Weslager’s current interests include motorcycling, photography, videography, and competitive firearms shooting.

Weslager was professionally employed in the public safety sector prior to transitioning to and retiring as the corporate security director for one of the top-10 largest banks in the U.S. doing business in 20 states, the District of Columbia, and abroad.  Weslager’s career activities included employing various cutting-edge technologies, many still unknown to the general public, which were used to apprehend bank robbers, burglars, and fraudsters, and included working with with various federal law enforcement agencies (FBI, USSS, BATF), Interpol, and many other law enforcement agencies with respect to criminal investigations, arrests, and convictions.

Weslager will be taking over as editor of the WCF PRESSER with the February issue and will restart the WCF EXPERIMENTER with the Spring issue.  Darrell Davis KT4WX, Section Manager, said the following, “Jim came to me at the first of the new year and volunteered to help publish the WCF PRESSER with new and improved graphics and layout.  After seeing some samples of his work, I took him up on his offer.  I also want to publicly thank Jim for being willing to do the editing and layout of the WCF PRESSER and the WCF EXPERIMENTER”.  It is requested that anyone submitting content for the WCF PRESSER or WCF EXPERIMENTER please do so one week prior to the publication date.   The scheduled publication date for the WCF PRESSER is the first day of the month of the date of publication or the first Monday of the month, if the first day of the month falls on a weekend.  The scheduled publication date for the WCF EXPERIMENTER is the 15th of the month, preceding the first month of the new quarter.  Anyone wishing to send news related content for publication in the WCF PRESSER or technical articles for publication in the WCF EXPERIMENTER please send that content to Weslager via email at weslager@gmail.com.

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KAI SIWIAK KE4PT TO BE THE ARRL GUEST FOR THE 5TH ANNUAL TECHCON

Kai Siwiak (pronounced “She-viak”) KE4PT, is the guest from the ARRL for the 5th Annual TECHCON being held on Friday February 22 and Saturday February 23.  Siwiak will be our featured guest speaker for TECHCON on Saturday afternoon and is interested in meeting possible future contributors to QEX or QST.  Siwiak is the editor of QEX magazine, the ARRL technical journal which is published bi-monthly and a contributing editor to QST magazine.

Siwiak was first licensed in Brooklyn in 1964, at age 15 as WN2PGH.  Kai holds a BSEE, MSEE, and a PhD and has worked for Raytheon and later for Motorola in Plantation, FL as an engineer.  Siwiak currently in addition to being editor of QEX runs his own a wireless consulting and Ultra-Wideband radio technology buisness called TimeDerivative.

Siwiak currently resides in Broward County, Florida and is interested in CW and digital modes on HF and QRP.  Siwiak was interviewed in Episode 204 of QSO Today and you may listen to that interview at http://traffic.libsyn.com/qsotoday/Episode_204_Kai_Siwiak_KE4PT_Final.mp3

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CHANGES TO ARES IN CHARLOTTE AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES

On Saturday December 1, 2018, per the request of the Charlotte County Emergency Management, Charlotte County ARES is being reorganized and is now a part of the Charlotte County CERT Program. Also per the request of Charlotte County Emergency Management, Jon Pellant W1JP was appointed the new Emergency Coordinator of Charlotte County ARES. Pellant has been part of Charlotte County CERT and Charlotte County ARES since 2016 and has had previous experience in ARES in the cities of Boston and New Your City.

On Saturday December 8, 2018, Roy Drury K4DCT, was appointed the interim EC for Hillsborough County ARES. Drury has been involved in Hillsborough County ARES for the last several years, was the Senior Assistant Emergency Coordinator, and was recently appointed to be an Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator for planning.

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