White Rock Lake Fox Hunt Sunday April 7

NOTE: The foxes are only released on Sunday from now on.

Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natashia, Mr. Peabody, and Sherman will be out playing around White Rock Lake. Rocky’s call is at 146.565, Bullwinkle is at 146.545, Boris is at 146.580, and Natashia, a UHF fox is at 446.100. Mr. Peabody and Sherman are our 80m foxes, at 3.580 and 3.570 respectively. NOTE THE NEW FREQUENCY FOR SHERMAN. Natasha is somewhat close to Rocky and Boris so you should be able to hear her when you find either one of them. They will all be coming out after 6PM Sunday.

As a note, when you find Rocky and Boris, you need to look at the back of their cards to get the coordinates for “near” where Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody, and Sherman can be heard. Rocky has the latitude coordinates and Boris has the longitude coordinates. Put the two together, find the spot on the map, and when you go there you should hear Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody, and Sherman. From that point you will need to navigate through radio direction finding to their exact locations. Of note, Mr. Peabody and Sherman are SOUTH of the coordinates.

Mr. Peabody, at 3.580, is much stronger than Sherman at 3.570 (NOTE NEW FREQUENCY). Mr. Peabody puts out the code “MO”, which is dah dah space dah dah dah. Sherman puts out the code “MI” which is dah dah space dit dit. If you stand too close to Mr. Peabody, he drowns out Sherman, so step away a bit (towards the SOUTH) and you should pick out Sherman at a slightly LOWER frequency than Mr. Peabody. It will be a challenge, but then that’s what fox hunting is all about. Good Luck!

Many thanks to Dave, K5YR, and David, KG5VSR, for hosting these fun events on behalf of the club for area hams to enjoy and to practice radio direction finding skills.

For more info, check out the North Texas Amateur Radio Direction Finding web site, https://ntxardf.org

Winter Field Day January 27 and 28

The participated in Winter Field Day on January 27 and 28 at Cedar Hill State Park.

Dave K5YR and David KG5VSR had adjoining campsites and invited all club members and interested parties to stop by and put the WA5WRL callsign out on the air all weekend. The weather was great and the band conditions cooperated!

WRLARC Supports the Tour des Fleurs

Amateur Radio supported the Tour des Fleurs Quarter and Half Marathon benefitting the Dallas Arboretum on September 16, 2023 at White Rock Lake.

Seventeen hams provided communications from all six aid stations, the marathon medical team, and the start/finish line.

Hams also provided continuously updated locations via digital ham radio APRS for the last runner on the quarter and half marathon courses, and they were both unique! The quarter marathon “Tail End Charlie” was provided by Logan, KI5NON on his motorized skateboard, while Dave, K5YR, used his adult sized tricycle! See an APRS tracking map below.

Per club president, Dave, K5YR: “Our support had a huge impact on the Arboretum staff and their contractor (Events Southwest) keeping up to the minute on what was going on out there and making sure little issues didn’t become big problems. They asked me to pass on their sincere appreciation to the club for volunteering time, energy, and resources to make this a successful community event.”

Wires in the Park Saturday September 9

Dave K5YR has created an innovative concept called “Wires in the Park” and is hosting our fourth WRLARC event at Dreyfuss Point at White Rock Lake on Saturday September 9, 2023 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Prior WITP events were a lot of fun and this one could be even better. Activities include:

1. Demo of practical POTA antennas
2. Various homebrew 2m and 6m antennas
3. Demos of working 2m and 6m on SSB & CW
4. Use of an MFJ Antenna Analyzer to tune and trim antennas
5. Practicing skills for getting ropes/antennas up into trees

For a full list of activities, visit the Wires in the Park website, witp.info

Dallas Arboretum Tour des Fleurs

The WRLARC has been asked to provide radio communications for the Dallas Arboretum Tour des Fleurs race held around White Rock Lake on September 16, 2023. Volunteers are still needed!

RADIO POSITIONS:

Event Operations Center (EOC) Net Controller
Water Stops (up to 6)
Medical Team
Tail-End Charlie

HOURS OF SUPPORT:

EOC/NCS: 06:00 showtime, depart after all stations have been secured and NCS dismantled, approx. 10:30 AM
Water Stops: 06:30 showtime, depart after the last runner has passed that Water Stop
Medical Team: 06:30 showtime, depart after the last runner has finished, approx. 10:00 AM
Tail-End Charlie: 06:30 showtime, depart after the last runner has finished, approx. 10:00 AM

NET OPERATIONS: All radio net operations will be on White Rock Simplex, 147.52 MHZ. Since all support will be in close proximity of the lake, 5 watt HTs with longer antennas should be adequate for portable operations. An Event Operations Center (EOC) will be established at the lakefront side of the Arboretum and will use a 50 watt radio.

To volunteer for this event, please submit your volunteer information at the following web page: https://k5yr.com/tdf

ARRL Field Day June 24, 2023

Native Plants and Prairies Day, Bath House Cultural Center, May 6, 2023

General Membership Meeting: April 12, 2023 at 6:30 PM

Volunteers Needed: USA Radio Orienteering Championships

The 22nd USA Radio Orienteering Championships will be held April 19-23, 2023 at Cooper Lake State Park South Sulphur Springs Unit, near Sulphur Springs TX. Results of the competitions will help determine the members of Team USA who will compete in the Radio Orienteering World Championships scheduled for the fall of 2023 in Liberec, Czech Republic.

April 19th is set aside for radio direction-finding training and practice. The competitions will be held April 20-23.

The WRLARC has volunteered to coordinate area ham radio support for this national competitive event. Any amateur radio operator may volunteer to fill any needed position for the five days of the event.

Radio support is needed from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM daily. Different operators can support the activities on different days (i.e., volunteers do not need to support more than one day unless they desire to do so).

All radio net operations will be held on UHF simplex, 446.025 MHz. Since all support will be within two miles of the Event Operations Center (EOC) position, 5 watt HTs are more than adequate for portable operations. The EOC will be established in the Group Shelter at the park and will use a 35 watt radio and gain antennas.

Volunteers can pick multiple positions if they desire (however, only one
will be assigned at a time). Please consider volunteering to support this great activity!

For more information, including the Communications Plan, and to volunteer, visit ntxardf.org/radio-o

“Wires in the Park” Spring Event March 25

NOTE: date changed from March 18 to March 25 due to COLD weather!

Dave K5YR has created an innovative concept called “Wires in the Park” and is hosting our third WRLARC event at Dreyfuss Point at White Rock Lake on Saturday March 25, 2023.

Prior WITP held at White Rock Lake and the Spring Creek Forest Preserve were a lot of fun and this one could be even better. Activities will include a demonstration of simple antenna techniques, QSOs with other clubs in the North Texas area, a demonstration of Radio Fox Hunting and more.