New Mexico Section News for April 2015

April 8, 2015

Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 Introduced in Congress
(From arrl.org)

03/05/2015
“The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015” — H.R.1301 — has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. The measure would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service communications to private land use restrictions. US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced the bill March 4 with 12 original co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle — seven Republicans and five Democrats. Kinzinger also sponsored “The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014, which died at the end of the 113th Congress. H.R. 1301 is an essentially identical piece of legislation.
“The introduction of H.R. 1301 with so many original co-sponsors, so early in this session of Congress, is very encouraging,” said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. “Several additional members of Congress already have agreed to be co-sponsors. This bill has momentum, but introduction is only the first step. Many of the next steps will be taken as ARRL members contact their US Representatives urging co-sponsorship and thanking them as they sign on to the bill.”
If Congress approves the legislation, and it is signed by the president, H.R. 1301 would require the FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to include homeowners’ association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as “covenants, conditions, and restrictions” (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal protections to include such private land-use agreements without direction from Congress.
H.R. 1301 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. The League had worked with Walden on the 2014 bill during the 113th Congress.
Among H.R. 1301 initial co-sponsors is Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT), who attended the ARRL National Centennial Convention last summer to speak with League officials and those attending the event about the earlier bill.
Craigie encouraged ARRL members to urge their US House members to sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor. The ARRL has an H.R. 1301 resources page on its website. If the House member is already a co-sponsor, call the member’s local office or send an e-mail via the member’s official website to express their thanks. She called on League members to encourage other hams to do the same, and to be sure to refer to the bill by its number, H.R. 1301.
“Remember what those pile-ups on the W1AW portable stations sounded like last year?” Craigie said. “Let’s be that avid in calling for even greater support in Congress for this essential legislation.”

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NM QSO Party April 11th

A final reminder about the New Mexico QSO Party, which takes place THIS SATURDAY, April 11 from 8:00am MDT until 8:00pm MDT. Every ham, ham club, and county ARES group across New Mexico is invited to participate. Amateur radio operators from across the United States — and the world — will be seeking New Mexicans on HF and 6 meters during the event period, looking particularly to work hams from as many New Mexico counties as possible. The Land of Enchantment will essentially be the “DX” on this day, making for a great time for all who participate. Last year’s event enjoyed the participation of well over 110 hams, members of 19 New Mexico amateur radio clubs, as well as amateur radio operators from 49 states, 7 Canadian provinces, and 15 DXCC entities. All 33 of New Mexico’s counties were activated, too.

We are looking for as many hams as possible within each of New Mexico’s 33 counties to participate this Saturday, whether for just a few convenient hours or for the entire 12 hour period.

**** NOTE: At this time the following counties are still in need of hams to operate from, whether from a home QTH, a mobile station, or a portable station: Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, Sierra ****

This is a super event for new and experienced hams alike. You do NOT need to be a contester to enjoy the QSO Party. Operate from the comfort of your home, or combine forces with hams in your club as a club activity. Invite a group of friends to your shack for a fun multi-op day. Hit the road as a mobile station and activate multiple counties which create much needed — and appreciated — point multipliers for everyone who participates in the QSO Party. Use this event as an opportunity to introduce a neighbor or friend to ham radio. Or rally friends and club members to set up Field Day-style as part of this year’s New Mexico Expedition category.

ATTENTION HAM CLUBS AND ARES GROUPS: The New Mexico QSO Party is an superb club-building activity, and there are two special awards intended just for clubs. The first is a plaque that will be awarded to the New Mexico club with the highest aggregate score submitted by its members. Another plaque will be awarded to the New Mexico Club whose members activate the highest aggregate number of New Mexico counties around the state. It doesn’t matter what operating category your members participate in, or for how long; each entrant just needs to clearly mark their club name in their individual logs and your club will be automatically entered. Complete details in the New Mexico QSO Party rules. Talk this up within your club!

This year’s event is hosted by Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, New Mexico. Great-looking plaques will be awarded and participation certificates will be available for those desiring one. Complete details, rules, prize information, and more can be found on the New Mexico QSO Party website at www.NewMexicoQSOParty.org

If you are interested in participating, please let us know what county (or counties, if planning to be mobile or expeditioning) you may activate so we can note your plans, even if tentative, on the New Mexico QSO Party website at www.NewMexicoQSOParty.org

Have a great time on the air this Saturday, and please remember to submit your logs after the fun has concluded (see rules on website), regardless of how many or few QSOs you make!

73,
Brian N5ZGT
New Mexico QSO Party website: www.NewMexicoQSOParty.org

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Rookie Roundup – April 19th

Rookie Roundup is scheduled 3 times per year. The 2015 schedule is April 19th – SSB; August 16th – RTTY; December 20th – CW. Time for all three events is 1800 to 2359 UTC.

Rookie Roundup is a contest aimed at Amateurs licensed for three years or less. Rookies can contact anybody, while “Old Timers” make contact with only Rookies. Mentoring is a big part of this event!

For more info go to http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup

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[wl2kemcomm] Lithium battery dangers — and the ONLY way to extinguish a Lithium battery fire
Larry Randall — WA5BEN
As the battery SME (Subject Matter Expert) on the Corporate Regulatory Compliance team at Texas Instruments Incorporated, I was “intellectually aware” of the significant dangers of Lithium based batteries. I just received a “personal reminder” that should be passed along.
My wife had stopped using her music player, and put it in a little-used drawer. I opened that drawer a couple of days ago, and found that the LiOn battery pack was swelled to at least 8 times its original thickness (was ~ 1/8″, now closer to 1″). While the player may have been left on (unlikely), the likely cause is battery failure from an internal short that caused the battery to heat up. This is the sequence:
1. Initiating event: over-discharge or internal short
2. Both pressure and temperature increase
3. Thermal runaway
4. Gas emission and/or fire and explosion (which releases flammable liquid in LiOn and molten Lithium in primary cells)
We were quite lucky that it did not explode and catch fire.
….which brings me to a critical piece of information that is not known to 90%+ of the population:
*How does one extinguish a Lithium battery fire?*
First and foremost, NEVER, EVER put water on any Lithium fire !!!
…………..Water may ADD FUEL, and make the fire LARGER.*
There are two ways to extinguish Lithium:
1. DRY sand (most recommended method)
2. Dry chemical extinguisher — MUST be rated “ABC”
Events that may cause battery failure and destructive runaway include:
1. Dropping the containing equipment, or the cell or battery pack (collection of cells)
2. Puncturing a cell
3. Overheating
4. Improper storage
For the person who has small capacity batteries, small precautions are recommended. For persons, businesses, agencies, and NGO that maintain multiple relatively high capacity LiOn and large capacity Lithium primary batteries, specific precautions are recommended — including a consultation with the local fire department to make them aware of the presence of quantities of these batteries.
* LiOn and Lithium batteries and containing equipment should be stored with NO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.
* Multiple units (e.g., spare radio batteries) should be stored in a METAL case or locker that would contain any fire.
* Because a fire in one cell/pack will cause fire in any cell/pack in close proximity, good practice would provide two separated locations.

Regards,
*/Larry Randall — WA5BEN/*
Contractor and Consultant
Instructional Designer, Business & Technical Writer, Process Improver,
Documentation Expert
“A Writer who can also Engineer — or an Engineer who can Write”
(Thanks to W5BI for passing this along)
*I found the following at http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion : “If the fire occurs in an airplane, the FAA instructs flight attendants not to use fire extinguishers but the use of water or pop soda. Water cools the adjacent material and prevents the fire from spreading. Many research laboratories and factories also use water to put out battery fires. Allow good ventilation while the battery burns itself out. Li-ion contains no lithium metal and does not react with water (lithium metal batteries requires different extinguishing methods).” You’ll need to identify the batteries you’re using to determine the correct extinguishing agent. Bill, W5YEJ

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QCWA meetings are held on the second Saturday in March, June, September and December at Twisters on Eubank at Commanche at 12:30 PM. Next meeting on March 14. http://www.qcwa.org/
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The YL Breakfast is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We meet at The Village Inn on Wyoming, just south of Menaul, on the east side of Wyoming. The ladies have a table on one side of the room and the guys have another table on the other side. We do this so the guys don’t hear our secrets! Pat Wood, KE5FVS
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Hero’s Club by Don Wood, W5FHA, past Section Manager

The “Hero’s club” is a listing of those generous hams who have contributed equipment for our efforts to get radio clubs into the schools and encourage the students to become active hams. The donated equipment will be available to any school amateur radio club in the state. A licensed amateur will be needed as the custodian of the equipment. There are only three requirements to obtain this equipment. 1) The custodian of the equipment must be 18 years of age or older and a General Class licensee or better, 2) The club must be sanctioned by the school, 3) A member of the school staff must be the sponsor of the club. The school sponsor does not have to be a ham. Available equipment is currently being inventoried and tested. Contact Don Wood, W5FHA (w5fha@arrl.net) for a list of the available equipment or to make your donation.
Hero’s club contributors include:
Robert Fox, KA5VRV; Christopher Aas, NB5T; William L. Nohrn, N5UNB; Raymond J. Caraveo, N5IZV; Evan R. Newlon, WB5HAM; Stuart Simon (Stu), K2QBU with a second donation; Jess Wright, W5QDW – SK; Don Wood, W5FHA; Ray Hill, KB5SF; Robbie Hill, KC5FT; Dan Oppenheimer, WB6CRG SK; John Ryan, NO5LF; Julianne P. King, KD5EFT; Larry Moore, WB5IZW; Judy Moore, KA5CRK; Ray Arvidson, W5RAU-SK; Robbie Arvidson, N4CHK; Roy Venaglia, KD5GBY; Art Priebe, N5ART; Ken Mazze, N5JUQ; Kermit Goettsche, KB5HA; Jim Koch, NH6YH, Kathleen McCaughey, KG5PX.
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NEWS FROM OUR ARRL AFFILIATED CLUBS IN NM
The information below is taken from club web sites or direct emails received from club members. Members may feel free to email me any time with their current club activities……..W5YEJ
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Alamogordo Amateur Radio Club: Regular monthly meetings on the third Sunday of each month at 3PM at the New La Luz Volunteer Fire Dept., 51 JJ Henry, La Luz. The club participates in emergency planning and training with the local officials (city and county) and works with local civic groups to assist whenever communications are required for special events.
The 31st annual hamfest is on the way! Look for information on this page in the near future: http://www.qsl.net/k5lrw/hamfest.htm
http://www.qsl.net/k5lrw/
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Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club: The Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club meets the first Saturday of the month at Vick’s Vittles for breakfast. Next meeting May 2nd. Where is Vick’s you say? Vick’s is on the south side of Central — just east of Wyoming. See a map and a photo here. The meeting starts at 8AM but folks show up around 7AM to order breakfast and visit. The Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club sponsors N5VA – A Veterans Affairs Amateur Radio Station. The station is located in a courtyard on the New Mexico VA Health Care System campus.
The Amateur Radio Caravan Club and the Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club will be co-sponsoring its annual Spring Tailgate, dawn to noon, at the TransCore parking lot, 8600 Jefferson NE on April 25th.
http://www.qsl.net/albuquerquearc/index.html
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Albuquerque DX Association meets on the last Wednesday of each month (except December and the first Saturday in January) at the Copper Canyon Café, 5455 Gibson Blvd SE, Albuquerque. Dinner at 5:30 and meeting at 6:30 PM. The Albuquerque DX Association is an ARRL sanctioned club that supports amateur radio activity in New Mexico. As the name of the club suggests, we are generally interested in DX contacts, but we also have members who participate in contesting, DXpeditions, emergency communications, and other areas of amateur radio activity.

73, Bill, W7QQ
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/adxa/info
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Amateur Radio Caravan Club (Albuquerque)
ANNOUNCEMENT – Monthly meeting this coming Friday night: The Amateur Radio Caravan Club will hold its monthly meeting this coming Friday the 10th of April, 7:00 PM, at the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8600 Academy Rd NE (SE corner of Academy and Moon). We typically gather at the Presbyterian Church around 6:30 PM to rag chew a bit and watch the coffee perk. Come early and catch up with your fellow Caravaners. Guests are always welcome!

PROGRAM – More Competitive Field Days: Jame Duffey KK6MC will be the featured speaker at the Amateur Radio Caravan Club’s meeting this Friday. He will be presenting tips on how to become more competitive during field days. As ARRL’s Field Day is coming at the end of June, this program will be very timely. All are welcome to attend and learn.

Caravan Club-Net – On Sunday evenings at 9 PM, the Caravan Club Net is on 145.33 MHz and 444.00 MHz for the purpose of holding club business, passing traffic, making announcements of interest to Hams and just getting to know each other. Please join us on the net. We welcome all licensed hams.

Upcoming Events:
SPRING TAILGATE COMING SOON – On April 25th, the Amateur Radio Caravan Club and the Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club will be co-sponsoring its annual Spring Tailgate, dawn to noon, at the TransCore parking lot, 8600 Jefferson NE. Location is one block south of Alameda NE or about 3 blocks north of Paseo Del Norte NE. When you reach the corner of Jefferson and Wilshire NE, go east to TransCore’s back parking lot. Can’t miss it! This is a great opportunity to buy or sell amateur radio equipment and/or conduct “eye-ball” QSOs with fellow hams that you talk to on the air but seldom get to see. There will be a burrito wagon available for those delicious breakfast burritos and hot coffee. All are invited!

WEEKLY CARAVAN CLUB NET – Every Sunday evening at 9 pm: Club members and guests are invited to join in on the Caravan Club Net, this and every Sunday at 9 pm. Mingle with club members and guests and hear about the latest club news and events. Or just check in and say hello. Hosted by Roy KD5GBY. Linked Caravan repeaters are at 145.330 (- offset) and 444.000 MHz (+ offset), both with a 100 Hz PL tone.

Visit our web site at www.caravanradio.org for more info.

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Carlsbad Amateur Radio Club (Carlsbad NM): The Carlsbad ARC local net is on every Tuesday at 6:30 pm on the local 146.88 .repeater. Tune in for news and views and the latest QSTs! Also Net-wise, Local 10Meter net Wednesday 8PM on 28.420 MHz.

Don’t forget the Wednesday night West Texas ARES net on 147.12 repeater at 9:00 pm CDT!

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Duke City Hamfest: Watch the web site for the latest DCHF August 7 -9, 2015 info. Go to the web site and register for email notifications. http://www.dukecityhamfest.org/.

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Estancia Valley Amateur Radio Association:

The Estancia Valley Amateur Radio Association (EVARA) holds a club net every Thursday night (7:00PM) on the 146.72 repeater (-600 KHz shift,100Hz CTCSS) located in the Tijeras/Manzano Mountains. Club members are checked in first with club business/discussion. Following that portion of the net, any Ham operator is invited to check-in and join the discussion. The Torrance County ARES net immediately follows the EVARA net. Hope to hear you!

The Estancia Valley Amateur Radio Association (EVARA) holds its monthly club meeting on the 2nd Saturday of the Month. Meetings begin at 9:00 AM at the home of Daniel (KD7UFS) located at #5 Steer Trail (aka McCall Ct), Moriarty, NM. Steer Trail begins at the first left off of Green Road (aka A106) as one travels north after turning off of the I-40 Frontage Rd. The Green Rd – I-40 Frontage Rd interchange lies north of the western I-40 Business & I-40 interchange. http://qsl.net/nm5ev/
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Gila Amateur Radio Society, Silver City. The Gila Amateur Radio Society is a small club, located in Silver City, New Mexico. GARS operates a 2 meter repeater on 146.98 MHz with a CTCSS tone of 103.5. The repeater is located atop Black Peak north of Silver City at an elevation of approximately 9,000 feet MSL in the Gila National Forest. The repeater is solar powered and consists of a Kenwood TKR-750 commercial repeater. All licensed amateurs are welcomed to use the repeater and enjoy a friendly QSO with any of the locals that may be nearby.

Members of the Gila Amateur Radio Society occasionally hold a net on Sunday evenings at 20:00 local (08:00 pm). This net is available to pass formal and informal traffic into and out of Silver City, Grant County, and surrounding areas. All licensed amateurs are welcomed.
For more information please contact the Gila Amateur Radio Society.
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Greyhound Amateur Radio Club (Portales) The Greyhound ARES Net meets every Tuesday evening on the Midway Repeater (147.000 MHz frequency, 67 PL) to chat and to prepare for emergency communications. The club welcomes all amateurs, near and far, to check in and say hello. Don Criss, KE5UIA, is the net control station. Join in at 7:00 p.m. on the Midway repeater!

W5OMU advises the club will begin Technician classes soon. Contact one of the club members for more information.

The club meets the first and third Saturdays each month. Meetings are held in Conference Room 203 in the KENW Broadcast Center on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. Don’t forget the Thursday evening workshops at the Ham Shack! For more info see: http://org.enmu.edu/enmuarc/index.php
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High Desert Amateur Radio Club by Jerry Aceto, K6LIE:

The next regular meeting of HDARC will be on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM. We meet in the Community Room of the APD Northwest Area Command station on Ellison 1 block west of Coors Bypass. Here is the latest award-winning newsletter, the April 2015 issue, in pdf format. Don’t miss the beginners guide to propagation forecasting by Ed, KC2LM.

VE Testing is available the third Saturday of every month in the Community Room of APD Northwest Area Command Station at noon. Next session is April 18th.
For the month of March we had 6 people test with the following results:
4 people passed Technician
3 people passed General
Congratulations to all who passed and thanks to our dedicated VE’s.
Rick Rood, KF5JAJ
FTL-IFH
HDARC VE Liaison

Coffee every Wednesday at 1 pm at Flying Star in Corrales.
Breakfast every Thursday morning at Flying Star in Corrales at 7:30 AM.

Go to www.nm5hd.com for details on our club and our activities.
73… Jerry Aceto, K6LIE
President – High Desert ARC of New Mexico

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Los Alamos Amateur Radio Club usually meets the second Friday of every month at CD-1, 4017 Arkansas St., Los Alamos, NM 87544. Members begin arriving at 7:00 PM. The meeting begins at 8:00 PM. LAARC sponsors two weekly nets; a Two Meter FM Net that meets on Sunday at 2000 local time on the W5PDO repeater on 146.88 MHz and a Ten Meter SSB Net that meets later on Sunday at 2100 local time on 28.440 MHz USB. More info and to check out the capabilities of our emergency communications trailer, go to http://www.laarc.org/
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Mesilla Valley Radio Club (Las Cruces) Meets on Saturday mornings at 06:00 AM for an informal at Village Inn on Telshore. Informal at Wal-Mart at 10:00 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MVRC net on 146.64 repeater at 6:45 PM on Wednesdays. Next regular club business meeting on May 2nd at the club house, breakfast at 9 AM, meeting at 10 AM.

Annual Bean Feed on April 26th, 2015 at the club house. It will start around 7 AM on April 26. The club has collected more equipment for sale than usual so come early. The MVRC Clubhouse is located at the intersection of Wilt and Jefferson. To find the clubhouse, set your destination on your GPS receiver as 32 degrees 22.961 minutes and -106 degrees 41.44 minutes. If you don’t own a GPS, take the Porter exit near the firehouse on US 70. It is about 5 miles east from the I-25 interchange. Go south on Porter until you come to Jefferson. There turn left toward the mountains and go to Wilt. You will see the beam on the corner. The treasurer would be de-lighted to receive your contribution for landscaping and furnishing. More information at http://n5bl.org

http://n5bl.org/lo.html for more info and calendar.

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Mid Rio Grande Amateur Radio Club (Albuquerque):

The club VE group, Malapais VE group still gives Amateur exams on demand. We give exams to anyone any day and time 356 days a year. The exam team also gives all commercial exams on demand as well.
Club meetings are on the 4th Saturday of the month at 1PM at the APD NW command building across from Cibola HS on Ellison Blvd. Coffee klatch meetings are at the Village Inn in Rio Rancho across from INTEL off 528 every Wednesday at 1 PM (please note time change from noon to 1 PM).

AE5CZ and the Mid Rio Grande Amateur Radio Club present:
“Larry’s Three-fer! Triple your pleasure, triple your fun.
Three presentations all rolled into one.”

This presentation will cover three separate and unrelated topics with about 20 minutes devoted to each one. Hopefully, there’ll be a little something in it for everybody.

Part 1 will be a follow up to a previous presentation from last year about Antenna Analyzers. Specifically, the Fox Delta AAZ-0914A, a $54 Kit with free software will be discussed, dissected and demonstrated. There will also be several other kits from Fox Delta that go together with the 914A to make a complete and comprehensive antenna and tuned circuit analysis system.

Part 2 will cover a relatively new digital mode called WSPR, or the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter. WSPR (pronounced: “whisper”) is one program out of a family of software for “Weak Signal Communication”. This software is being developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT and a group of software developers and engineers in the Physics Department at Princeton University. For this mode to be useful, you don’t have to yell with a kilowatt — all you need to do is “whisper” with a milliwatt.

Part 3 will discuss an inexpensive entry level receiver for experimenting with Software Defined Radio (SDR) and the free software that’s available to make it work. The “DVB-T USB Digital TV Dongle”, available from eBay and Amazon in various forms for $10 to $30 will be shown and demonstrated. Two different units will be available for inspection and demonstration. With a few modifications and the right software these units can receive from 100 KHz. all the way up to 1.7 GHz. and all with waterfall displays, panoramic readouts and digital filtering.
A fun time is promised to all!

Frank AB5WJ
http://nm5mr.com/.

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Mimbres Valley Radio Club: The Mimbres Valley Radio Club was established to provide an association for persons sharing a common interest in amateur radio. It is the continuing purpose of the MVRC to further the exchange of information and cooperation between members, to promote radio knowledge, fraternalism and individual operating efficiency, and to so conduct club programs and activities as to advance the general interest and welfare of amateur radio in the community.
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New Mexico Big River Contester specializes in…….contesting! More info contact aa5b@arrl.net
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New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Amateur Radio Club, Albuquerque
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New Mexico SAR Support Team, Albuquerque. Breakfast meetings at Copper Canyon Café at 5455 Gibson Blvd the second Saturday of each month at 0700, meeting at 0800. If you have an ATV/snow mobile or four wheel drive or want to provide communications and other support for SAR from our team trailer or work as a SAR dispatcher please come join us at the Copper Canyon Café, 5455 Gibson Blvd. Meetings the second Saturday of each month. Next meeting April 11th. Breakfast at 0700, meeting at 0800. http://nmsarsupport.org/
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Pecos Valley Amateur Radio Club (Roswell): The Pecos Valley Amateur Radio Club (PVARC) is located in Roswell, NM and serves Roswell and the surrounding communities. The club operates under the call sign W5ZU and is open to all who are interested in the hobby of amateur radio. We work to promote and support the hobby of amateur radio in the Chaves County area through fellowship, education, outreach and community support. We invite you to learn more about us here at our web site, on our nightly VHF net, at our Saturday Coffee Klatch or at one of our regular meetings.

We meet monthly on the first Thursday. Meetings start at 7:00 PM at the PVARC Clubhouse at 403 N. Richardson in Roswell, NM. All are welcome to attend the meetings. Come on down and say hi.
http://www.qsl.net/w5zu/
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Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, New Mexico: http://www.rmham.org/wordpress/

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, New Mexico (RMHR-NM) recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Upper Rio FM Society to provide software administration, maintenance, updates, and advisement to URFMSI’s Capilla Peak and Albuquerque D-STAR repeater systems.

The 2015 New Mexico TechFest, an ARRL-sanctioned operating specialty event hosted by RMHR-NM was held on February 28, and was a huge success. Despite 6-12 inches of unexpected snowfall and ice around Albuquerque and much of the Land of Enchantment the night before, 60 hams from across New Mexico gathered for this inaugural (and annual, henceforth) technically-focused conference designed to facilitate education, demonstrations, and collaboration about relevant and emerging technical topics, techniques, and applications within amateur radio. A recap of the event and copies of presentations provided can be found at http://www.rmham.org/wordpress/new-mexico-techfest Planning for the 2016 New Mexico TechFest is underway.

RMHR-NM members are also in the process of extending RMHR’s IP-based amateur radio 5-GHz microwave backbone and network down from Colorado into central New Mexico. The network was designed to serve as an infrastructure to facilitate and enable partnering amateur radio clubs and groups to create or expand their own capabilities for the benefit of the amateur radio community. It presently extends from the southern border of Wyoming to the northern border of New Mexico. The longer term objective is to extend it down to El Paso, Texas. A high-level overview about RMHR’s microwave network, expansion plans, and opportunities for the ham community to help support this neat ham project is available at http://www.rmham.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/RMHR_NetworkBrief.pdf

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Sacramento Mountains Radio Club meets the second Sunday of each month at 2 PM at the James Canyon VFD on Hwy 82 east of Cloudcroft. Next meeting April 12th. The Club meets every Friday morning at 8am for a breakfast get-together. On the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month, the breakfast is held at the Western Cafe in the Village of Cloudcroft. The 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, the breakfast is held at the Mayhill Cafe in Mayhill. If there is a 5th Friday of the month, that breakfast is held at the Western Cafe. Net Saturday at 7 PM on the SMRC linked repeater system.

The Cactus To Cloud Race will be held May 2nd, 2015. Cactus To Cloud is a 32 mile footrace which starts at Oliver Lee State Park at 6AM, winds its way up Dog Canyon to Sunspot, and intercepts the Rim Trail for the remainder of the course. For more info and to volunteer for this event go to:
http://sacramentomountainsradioclub.org/index.php/news/7-2015-cactus-to-cloud-race-support

For information on club activities check our web site at http://sacramentomountainsradioclub.org/

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Sandoval County ARES Meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue Administration building, 1526 Stephanie Road in Rio Rancho. Net on Monday, except the 3rd Monday meeting night, on 147.10, 443.0, 443.1 and 147.08 repeaters (plus the Bern-Co ARES repeaters 145.13, 442.050 and 145.15) at 7:30 PM. All repeaters require a 100 Hz PL.

More info at http://www.nmscares.org/
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Santa Fe Amateur Radio Club: The Santa Fe Amateur Radio Club has been around for more than 50 years. Our membership is wide and diverse and everyone is welcome. We meet face-to-face every Saturday morning for breakfast at the Pantry Restaurant, 1820 Cerillos Road in Santa Fe. We’re always happy to meet hams or interested persons. Visit our Meetings/Activities and Newsletter pages for times and places and other up-to-date info. http://w5sf.com/

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Santa Fe Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SFARES) by Donald Hinsman, N4VIP.
Santa Fe County ARES (SFARES) sponsors a monthly Net at 1900 on the Tuesday prior to the second Saturday (the nominal date for SFARES Meetings) of each month on the Santa Fe Amateur Radio Club’s linked repeater system using repeaters on Tesuque Peak (146.82, -600), St. Vincent’s Hospital (147.20, +600), Elk Mountain (147.30, +600) and San Antonio Mountain (146.76, -600). Tesuque Peak, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Elk Mountain all use an access tone (or PL) of 162.2 Hz while San Antonio Mountain uses an access tone (or PL) of 67.0 Hz. In addition, there is a 440 link atop Tesuque Peak at 442.825 MHz (+5.0 MHz, 131.8 Hz tone.) The purpose of the SFARES Monthly Net is to provide regular tests of member stations and to refresh net communication skills. While primarily for the benefit of SFARES members, any station within range of the Net is always welcome to check in. We especially welcome inquiries from stations about the Santa Fe ARES organization.

SFARES Meetings are on the second Saturday of the month and are held at the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Posse Building at 3213 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM and start at 0900. Meetings normally include an informational lecture, training, administrative matters and finish between 1030 and 1100. SFARES has a club radio station (W5SAF).

SFARES serves as Net Control for the twice-monthly NM D-RATS Nets. NM D-RATS Nets occur twice monthly on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Access will be on internet RATflector W5MPZ [Type: Network, Host address: w5mpz.org, Port: 9000], (NM Statewide ARES RATflector). D-RATS is a program that integrates all software functions needed for ARES groups. The software utilizes internet or radio or both. “Or” means it doesn’t require a radio but can use one. Thus D-RATS is doubly useful. The NM D-RATS Net uses a parallel voice net to assist with training. The voice net uses D-STAR Reflector 055A that can be linked through any D-STAR repeater. Net Control will assist those without D-STAR voice access through the D-RATS chat function. All NM ARES members are strongly encouraged to participate in NM D-RATS Nets. The D-RATS software is free (http://www.d-rats.com) in Windows, Linux or MacOS with detailed instructions in the files section D-RATS Operating Guide 0.3.3.pdf and a Quick Set Up.pdf for the basic settings you need to get started using D-RATS.

SFARES also participates in the weekly D-STAR Net that meets on each Thursday starting at 2000 local on Reflector 055A. Normally, all D-STAR repeaters in New Mexico are linked allowing all D-STAR users to participate in the weekly Nets. The D-STAR Net is an Affiliated Net of the ARRL National Traffic System. The D-STAR Net discusses matters relevant to D-STAR, D-RATS as well as Emergency Communications. http://www.qsl.net/sfares/ for more info.

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Sierra Blanca ARC: The Sierra Blanca Amateur Radio Club is an organization of Amateur Radio operators based in Ruidoso, New Mexico, located in the Sacramento Mountains in the south-central part of the state. Join us for our weekly breakfast gathering on Saturdays at El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant in the Sierra Mall, Ruidoso. We start showing up when the restaurant opens at 8AM and testing about 1 hour later. Meet friends or make new ones, have a good breakfast, take the test, and leave with your new license on its way.

2015 Annual Meeting Information: Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 6:00 PM MDT. Location to be Determined.

In addition to a weekly breakfast gathering, we provide radio communications support during local emergencies, such as search and rescue missions and wildfires, as well as for various public service events in Lincoln County, NM. The club also sponsors two linked open VHF repeaters on 146.920 (-, 100Hz0 and 145.450 (-, 100Hz). Lincoln County ARES/RACES nets on 146.61 (100 Hz, – input) every Wednesday at 7 PM.
If you are planning an outdoor event that ranges over highways, streets or trails in Lincoln County, we offer our FREE services to provide:
Participant location tracking,
Communications for logistics, and
Rapid response in the event of mishap.

SBARC will administer exams on any Saturday with 48 hours advance notice. Details at: http://www.sbarcnm.org/
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Socorro Amateur Radio Association: SARA Meeting: 19:30 hours local on Wednesday, April 8 , 2015 in the Socorro County EOC, 198 Neel Ave. Program: Ed James. KA8JMW: Rocky Mountain Ham Radio (RMHR) 5-GHz Microwave IP Amateur Radio Network

QRV Fridays: Friday, April 10th at the Twisted Chile. It is always a good idea to check the SARA web page (www.socorroara.org) for developments as QRV Friday approaches.
Weekly Socorro ARES net at 20:00 hours local on Wednesdays (except on the second Wednesday of each month) on the SARA Repeater [146.68(-)]

Socorro County ARES Meeting for the NM Section ARES & RACES HF net: April 19, 2015, at 19:30 hrs local in the Socorro County EOC, 198 Neel Ave. Plan to assemble 15 to 30 minutes before the net is called.

SARA VE Session – Sunday, April 26 beginning at 1:00 PM at the Cottonwood Charter School (201 Neel St., Socorro, NM). Contact AC5BX for information.

2015 Socorro Hamfest Tentatively Scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2015
http://www.socorroara.org/
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The Eastern NM Amateur Radio Club Clovis: Our monthly meeting is held on the Third Saturday of each month at the new meeting hall. Meetings will be held at the Disabled American Veterans Hall located at 220 West Fourth St. Meetings will still start at 09:00 am (09:00 hours). Weekly ENMARC net on Thursday at 7 PM on 147.24+. We are here to serve the Amateur Radio community in the Eastern New Mexico area. If you need help getting started in amateur radio, or just some help with a radio or project, please call on us. Also anyone wishing to test for a license or upgrade, PLEASE give us a call. We will schedule a test for only one person if necessary. We are here to serve and advance the Amateur Radio community in the local area. For local frequencies and other info about the club visit http://www.ka5b.org/
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Taos Amateur Radio Club
Our club holds a monthly net on the fourth Wednesday of each month at seven p.m. We usually begin on Picuris (club channel 1, 147.120 +/67.0) and use the MICKEY repeater (club channel 14, 444.875+/123.0) as a back-up.
Next monthly meeting is the second Wednesday of the month, 6 to 9 PM, at the Emergency Operations Center.
All operators are welcome; see you there, 73, TaosARC. (For a complete listing of Taos area repeaters and other club info go to http://www.taosarc.com/index.html)

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Totah Amateur Radio Club: Totah ARC meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7:30 PM at Farmington Fire Station 6, 3101 West Main at 7:30 PM. Join us for breakfast most Saturdays at 7:30 AM at Los Hermanitos east in Farmington.

http://totaharc.org/
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Upper Rio FM Society, Inc. (Albuquerque). The Upper Rio FM Society, Inc., (URFMSI) will hold its next quarterly meeting on Tuesday, April 14th at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church located at 114 Carlisle Blvd., SE, in Albuquerque. Interesting programs and presentations usually follow the business portion of the meeting. Topics are announced in the membership mailing that occurs before each meeting. Please enter the church from the northern most entrance.
An updated and fully scalable repeater map has been uploaded. The printable list of all repeaters that can link to the Upper Rio has also been uploaded See the Analog Repeater page.
http://www.urfmsi.org/wp/
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Valencia County Amateur Radio Association (Belen): VCARA net is conducted on Wednesday nights at 8 PM on the 146.70 repeater. VE testing April 11th, 9 – noon at the club house. Next club meeting April 28th at the Club House at 7 PM.

VCARA ARES supported the annual Tome Hill walk on April 3rd with no major incidents.

Tri-county ARES Net: Meets each Thursday at 7:30 PM on URFMSI repeaters for coordination of Socorro, Torrance and Valencia County ARES members and other interested amateurs. All stations are welcome to check in.

73,
Charlie, NM5CL
President, VCARA
http://kc5our.com/wordpress/
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Net Traffic Reports for March (reported by ARRL ASM Don Grab, K5BIS):

NM Roadrunner Traffic Net: 1233/47.
NM Breakfast Club: 974/83.
Boat Anchor Net: 47/7.
Caravan Club Net: 78/9.
SCAT Net: 926/304.
Yucca Net: 560/134.
Four Corners Net: 557/29.
Rustys Raiders Net: 507/40.
Valencia County ARA Net: 46/16.
Tri-County ARES Net: 63/8.
ARES Simplex Net: 8/1.
144 Mhz. SSB Net: 47 Checkins.
432 Mhz. SSB Net: 32 Checkins.
KC5JBO Memorial Simplex Net: 129 Checkins.

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Coming Attractions – mark your calendars!

April 11, 2015: The New Mexico QSO Party. 8 AM to 8 PM MDT, Saturday, April 11th. http://www.newmexicoqsoparty.org/

April 11, 2015: April Hamfest at DeVry, Phoenix, AZ. http://www.arca-az.org/

April 17-19, 2015: E.S.C.A.P.E. 2015, Las Cruces Convention Center, NM. Nmsarc.org

April 18, 2015: Swapfest 2015, Sheridan, WY. http://cloudpeakradio.org

April 25, 2015: Spring Tailgate, dawn to noon, TransCore parking lot, 8600 Jefferson NE co-sponsored by the Amateur Radio Caravan Club and Albuquerque Amateur Radio Club. http://caravanradio.org/

April 26th, 2015: Annual Bean Feed in Las Cruces, http://n5bl.org/lo.html

May 2, 2015: Cochise ARA Hamfest, Sierra Vista, AZ. http://K7RDG.org

May 16, 2015: 15th Annual Swapfest/Picnic, Amarillo, TX. http://www.w5wx.org

June 6, 2015: Montrose Amateur Radio Club Tailgate Party, http://montrosehamradio.org/

June 6, 2015: 2015 White Mountain Hamfest, Show Low, AZ. http://www.kachina-arc.org/

June 12, 2015: West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, TX. http://www.hamcom.org/

June 27-28: ARRL Field Day 2015. http://www.arrl.org/field-day

July 24, 2015: ARCA/Williams Annual Summerfest, Williams, AZ. http://www.arca-az.org

July 31, Aug 1 & 2, 2015: Utah Hamfest, Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon UT. http://utahhamfest.com/

August 7-9, 2015: Duke City Hamfest, http://dukecityhamfest.org/

October 3, 2015: Socorro Hamfest at the Socorro Fire Academy. Banquet October 2 at Bodega.

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Silent Key Report (Reported by ARRL ASM Don Grab, K5BIS):
We regretfully note the passing of the following Amateur Radio Operators –

Edward “Ed” Ames, KJ5RD, Louisville, CO/Albuquerque, NM. Passed 2/26/15, Age 91. Obituary, Albuquerque Journal, 3/15/15.

Joseph “Joe” Clack, KC5NTP, Albuquerque, NM. Passed 3/2/15, Age 79. Obituary, Albuquerque Journal.

Douglas “Doug” Harmon, K5WY, Farmington, NM. Passed 3/11/15, Age 72. Obituary in Farmington Times, 3/18/15.

William “Bill” Weatherford, KM5FT, Albuquerque, NM. Passed 4/5/15, Age 79.

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General Information
The Section Web site, designed and implemented by Mike Pendley, K5ATM, can be found at www.arrl-nm.org. If your club or group is not yet set up on the web site please contact Mike at k5atm (at) arrl.net and he will set up your login information. Our thanks to Mike for the great job he’s doing and many thanks to our web host sponsor, Southwest Cyberport (swcp).
Visit our national organization, ARRL, at arrl.org and our Section web site at arrl-nm.org
I would like to hear what your group is doing. Please email me at w5yej@arrl.net. Please submit items by the 5th of the month to be included in the Section News.
73, Bill W5YEJ

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