K9IU VHF Repeater 147.18 now includes Yaesu System Fusion

K7JOE

As of  4-4-2018, the K9IU VHF repeater on 147.180 is now dual-mode capable with both Analog FM and Yaesu System Fusion active.  The repeater is not yet linked to Wires-X (future plans) but IS capable of digital modes.  Come on by and experience the extended coverage with Yaesu System Fusion.

The repeater is in auto-mode select.  The repeater will automatically select the repeat mode based on input signal.   FM signals will be repeated in traditional FM mode.   Digital signals will be repeated in Digital mode.

For those without a system fusion radio yet, it is advised to set both the transmit and receive CTCSS tone to 136.5 – this will allow your receiver to remain tone-squelched (silent) when digital users are on the repeater.    The sound of the digital signal is high pitched squealing… not at all something you’ll want to listen to !

73 and enjoy another Digital Repeater C/O K9IU

 

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K9IU – November Sweepstakes CW Result : 4th Place School Club / 1st Place Central Div

K7JOE

The results are in for November Sweepstakes CW contest.  Despite not having an antenna for 80M or 160M,  K9IU earned a 4th place nationwide finish in the CW contest!

Also a 1st place Central Division and  1st place Indiana State finish for the School Club category.   Check out the article in the upcoming QST…. and yes, with Tornado’s last November in Monroe County, it felt like Field Day, not November SS ! OK, so the author got my role a little mixed up …just the same…was an interesting November.

It wasn’t just the Caribbean affected by severe weather,
either. School Club station K9IU, operated by Joe,
K7JOE, and Jerry, NE7I, had to shut down for not one, but
two tornadoes blowing through Bloomington, Ind. “Was
this Sweepstakes or Field Day?” Joe wrote in his Soapbox
entry.  “We had to take several hours out of the contest and were
busy running our local and regional SKYWARN nets,”
said Joe, K7JOE, who also runs his county’s Office of
Emergency Services Public Safety  (Uh…no…not actually, am just the
ARRL official emergency station OES for Monroe
County… )  “Public safety was the priority so the
contest had to be paused while the weather fronts passed
through.”

 

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ContestResults/2017/2017%20CW%20Sweepstakes%20-%20Full%20Results%20-%20Version%201_1.pdf

Congrats !

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Next Club meeting – 7PM March 25, 2018

K7JOE

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone had a great break last week! According to the calendar, it is now spring.. (Mother nature says otherwise) but also according to the calendar, we have our march meeting THIS SUNDAY!  March 25.  Meet in the usual spot, the trusty ham shack. Meeting begins at 7pm. Hope to see everyone there!

73,

Ryan KD9DAB

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K9IU Monthly Meeting – Sunday February 25 2018. 7PM

K7JOE

The monthly club meeting for K9IU is Sunday evening at 7PM at the IMU ham shack, room 677.  Free parking in town on Sundays, recommended parking is on Kirkwood or surface lots near the IMU.     73 and see you there.     DE K9IU.

Reminder that the Brownsburg Hamfest is this coming SATURDAY.

HENDRICKS COUNTY HAMFEST

Formerly Brownsburg Hamfest

Saturday, February 24, 2018

 

Open to the public: 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM

AMERICAN LEGION POST 331, 636 E Main St, BROWNSBURG, IN 46112

$5.00 ADMISSION
PLENTY OF FREE PARKING

Questions and table reservation: hcars46122@gmail.com

Talk-in on 147.015MHz +600kHz repeater

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A $114 all-in-one D-Star, System Fusion, DMR, and P25 hot-spot digital modem dongle

K7JOE

All,  I just got a hold of a neat little gadget available on ebay for $114 shipped (from Hong Kong).  It is a fully integrated MMDVM (multi-mode digital voice modem) on a board that interfaces with a Raspberry Pi Nano single-board computer.   It comes in a tiny case with an OLED display screen, and a UHF ducky antenna.

This is commonly known as a Jumbo-spot and can be found in DIY format for around $45… (you add your own Pi Nano @ $15, an 8GB SD Card @ $9, and solder 2 headers and 1 antenna connector…and you can be on digital modes for $75 or so)

SO…what can you do with this dongle?   Well..many digital repeaters are networked together….and connected to various “chat rooms” and “reflectors”.   Thus, a virtual congregation of hams from all over the world meet up.   However, some places may lack a repeater (or like many students, you’re limited to a simple D-Star, Fusion, or DMR handheld without the ability to install outdoor antennas to reach the regular repeater).

No problem — all you need is this dongle, a  5V wallwart, and a WIFI connection… oh, and your regular dstar or fusion or dmr radio.   You configure the dongle to connect to the internet and connect you to those various reflectors/chat rooms of your choice using a user-interface known as Pi-Star.

The small hotspot dongle connects to your radio on your choice of VHF or UHF frequencies (simplex in most cases).  Thus, the ‘last mile’ connection is from your HT / Radio to the dongle and is done with RF.

What results is an HT that is truly global-capable as long as the internet connection is available.    Some guys are even using mobile WIFI/LTE hotspots to take their HT mobile while staying connected every step of the way through the D-Star, Fusion, or DMR network.

What’s more:  a College hamradio chat room has been created on the DMR network – node 9500 – to allow college club stations to communicate with each other, to network, and to have fun.

Here’s a few links for more info:  http://radioaficion.com/news/jumbo-spot-mmdvm-review/

 

 

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School Club Roundup – and one of our field day ops on the ARRL landing page !

K7JOE

Reminder the winter/spring School Club Roundup is on air and happening now !

Here is Trevor Cutshall,  younger brother of club president Ryan Cutshall KD9DAB and one of our HS student field day ops for K9IU/K9SOU joint field day.   Here, Trevor is operating out of K9SOU Bloomington South HS, likely piloting them to another SCR first place win!   School Club Roundup is happening NOW !    Feb 12-16.  Please get on the air and work the schools that are calling “CQ SCR”!    If you’re a school club,  be it university/college or high school/middle school/elementary school…by all means, GET ON THE AIR !!!!

DE K9IU … Making Ham Radio Cool (again) !

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