2024
Content / Activities / Resources
Below is a sneak preview of upcoming meetings and events for 2024
General Membership Meetings are held on the
First Wednesday of every month @ 1900 Hours
Pfeiffer Community Center
301 Blue Bell Road (Main Street and Blue Bell Road)
Williamstown, NJ 08094
GPS Heading : 39.682622°, -74.993315°
Simulcast Live Via ZOOM
Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674, Passcode : 843147
This ZOOM Meeting ID and Passcode is good from
May 1, 2024 to May 7, 2025
May 1, 2024 to May 7, 2025
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 @ 1930 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
Ron Block, NR2B : Antenna Placement & Vulnerability
Ron Block, NR2B, will be exploring your lightning strike vulnerability based on the location of your antenna. With the help of a computer program called the Basic Lightning Event Simulator, he will explore the probability of a lightning strike based on the height of the antenna and show the probable amount of energy that will be delivered to your radio equipment.
This simulator allows you to experiment with the physical placement of the antenna or tower with respect to the shack, observe the effect of adding, deleting, or changing the size and/or quantity of the coax cables, adjust the tower-coax take-off point height, and adjust the radio equipment ground conductor type, size, and length, as well as the severity of the lightning surge as delivered by Mother Nature. Each of these independently adjustable parameters will affect the amount of surge energy (voltage and current) delivered to your radio equipment and its protectors. This software gives you the opportunity to experiment with various tradeoffs and establish a level of self-confidence before committing to a project. Some of the answers are counterintuitive. |
January 6, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Happy 9th Anniversary!
Forum Topic :
Chris Prioli, AD2CS : Repairing The Yaesu Satellite Rotator
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 @ 1930 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
Edward Efchak, WX2R : 2024 Solar Eclipse QSO Party
February 7, 2024 HamSCI WX2R Presentation.PDF
Our speaker this month is Ed Efchak, WX2R, the Public Information Officer for HamSCI. HamSCI stands for Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation which has been actively engaged in the October 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse and the upcoming April 8, 2024, total eclipse. Their major activities around this year’s solar events are The Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP) and the Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge (GSSC) part of the HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science program. They will collect propagation data that should inform researchers how the ionosphere reacted to the eclipse. The data will be compared to existing computer models of the ionosphere, potentially improving the accuracy of those models. Researchers will also be looking at how the ionosphere’s refractive properties varied during the phases of the eclipse. |
The presentation will provide an overview of Amateur Radio’s role and its importance to better understanding ionospheric propagation and hopefully encourage you to take part in the April 8th event as either a club activity or as an individual. You may participate using : 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meter bands using CW, SSB, and any digital mode.
This should be an interesting program as well as an opportunity to actually contribute to radio science.
This should be an interesting program as well as an opportunity to actually contribute to radio science.
February 10, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Len Rust, W2LJR : Introduction To VOIP
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 @ 1930 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
ARRL Affiliated Club Primer
Everything You Need to Know about ARRL Club Affiliation
Our speaker this month is Ron Fish, KX1W, the ARRL Southern New Jersey Affiliated Club Coordinator. His presentation will elaborate on his duties as club coordinator and what he can do for our club to help us become a better and more effective organization.
He will briefly touch on the ARRL - its founding, purpose, and goals; focusing specifically on public service as it relates to the core purpose to : “promote and advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.” That will be followed by a review of what the ARRL does for its members and how we can utilize some of these services. Following that, Ron will review how being affiliated with the ARRL helps the club grow and develop.
In addition, Ron will highlight the GCARC as the only club in the Southern New Jersey Section that has achieved Special Service Club status and what that means for each of us.
Please join us at this month’s General Membership meeting for this enlightening presentation. As usual, you will have the opportunity to get to know Ron and ask questions. Don’t miss out on this informative session! See you there!
Everything You Need to Know about ARRL Club Affiliation
Our speaker this month is Ron Fish, KX1W, the ARRL Southern New Jersey Affiliated Club Coordinator. His presentation will elaborate on his duties as club coordinator and what he can do for our club to help us become a better and more effective organization.
He will briefly touch on the ARRL - its founding, purpose, and goals; focusing specifically on public service as it relates to the core purpose to : “promote and advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.” That will be followed by a review of what the ARRL does for its members and how we can utilize some of these services. Following that, Ron will review how being affiliated with the ARRL helps the club grow and develop.
In addition, Ron will highlight the GCARC as the only club in the Southern New Jersey Section that has achieved Special Service Club status and what that means for each of us.
Please join us at this month’s General Membership meeting for this enlightening presentation. As usual, you will have the opportunity to get to know Ron and ask questions. Don’t miss out on this informative session! See you there!
March 9, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Direction Finding Workshop
In Preparation for the March 16, 2024
30th Anniversary Fox Hunt
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Deadline To Renew Your Club Membership
Dues Is Sunday, March 31, 2024
Dues Is Sunday, March 31, 2024
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Activating Parks On The Air (POTA) - With Emphasis On Antennas
Parks on the Air (POTA) is a worldwide radio sport award program that encourages licensed amateur radio operators to visit, enjoy, and operate portable equipment in a variety of parks and on public lands while showing respect for the park users and regulations. Amateur radio operators who set up a temporary station at a park are known as activators, while others who 'spot' and complete contacts with them are called hunters. Activations can take place on the initiative of an individual operator or as part of an organized group event. Equipment used is typically small and battery operated. The radio may be hand-held, carried in a backpack or a 'go box', or it could be mounted in a vehicle, as permitted by the park regulations. Antennas may be small enough to form part of a hand-held for VHF/UHF or be ground or tripod-mounted for HF operations.
This month we are fortunate to have John Zaruba Jr, K2ZA, an active POTA activator, who will review this popular activity and give us guidance on how and where to get started. He will help answer questions about park selection, operating modes, equipment, antennas, and awards. John’s program will continue on the Tech Saturday Forum, April 6, 2024 beginning at 0900 Hours and hopefully will include a hands-on demonstration.
Please join us for this most interesting in-person presentation. See you there!
Parks on the Air (POTA) is a worldwide radio sport award program that encourages licensed amateur radio operators to visit, enjoy, and operate portable equipment in a variety of parks and on public lands while showing respect for the park users and regulations. Amateur radio operators who set up a temporary station at a park are known as activators, while others who 'spot' and complete contacts with them are called hunters. Activations can take place on the initiative of an individual operator or as part of an organized group event. Equipment used is typically small and battery operated. The radio may be hand-held, carried in a backpack or a 'go box', or it could be mounted in a vehicle, as permitted by the park regulations. Antennas may be small enough to form part of a hand-held for VHF/UHF or be ground or tripod-mounted for HF operations.
This month we are fortunate to have John Zaruba Jr, K2ZA, an active POTA activator, who will review this popular activity and give us guidance on how and where to get started. He will help answer questions about park selection, operating modes, equipment, antennas, and awards. John’s program will continue on the Tech Saturday Forum, April 6, 2024 beginning at 0900 Hours and hopefully will include a hands-on demonstration.
Please join us for this most interesting in-person presentation. See you there!
April 6, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic : John Zaruba Jr, K2ZA : POTA Hands-On
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Our speaker this month is Spencer Webb, W2SW, President of AntennaSys (https://www.antennasys.com), and a man with a very irreverent view of antennas and how they work. The whole topic of antennas is often intimidating for those that use them, but don't design them. It's seen as super-technical and borderline black-magic. Perhaps it's because RF and antennas seem to the uninitiated what Einstein called "spukhafte Fernwirkung" or "spooky action at a distance". You can't see it, but it works! So, in order to understand how antennas work, you have to make the RF visible.
We will begin with some physical demonstrations which explain how the dipole antenna works; and that it is the simplest resonant antenna you can construct. Then we will spend some quality time watching water slosh back and forth in carefully constructed clear tubes resembling our dipole. This will help us begin to understand resonance, radiation, and even impedance.
From that we should be able to intuitively predict what will happen if we shorten or lengthen the antenna or change its feed point. And of course, we back up our predictions and observations with quantitative computer simulations which will further confirm their observations.
Suddenly, magic happens; the antenna is no longer a mystery. Wonderful, yes. Mystery, no. And the spukhafte Fernwirkung ain't quite as spooky as it was, especially if you join us at the W2MMD Clubhouse on the May 4th Tech Saturday Forum to build and test a UHF Ground Plane antenna.
Please join us for this most unconventional and irreverent presentation. See you there!
We will begin with some physical demonstrations which explain how the dipole antenna works; and that it is the simplest resonant antenna you can construct. Then we will spend some quality time watching water slosh back and forth in carefully constructed clear tubes resembling our dipole. This will help us begin to understand resonance, radiation, and even impedance.
From that we should be able to intuitively predict what will happen if we shorten or lengthen the antenna or change its feed point. And of course, we back up our predictions and observations with quantitative computer simulations which will further confirm their observations.
Suddenly, magic happens; the antenna is no longer a mystery. Wonderful, yes. Mystery, no. And the spukhafte Fernwirkung ain't quite as spooky as it was, especially if you join us at the W2MMD Clubhouse on the May 4th Tech Saturday Forum to build and test a UHF Ground Plane antenna.
Please join us for this most unconventional and irreverent presentation. See you there!
May 4, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
|
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program : Best Home-Built Antennas
June 8, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Building & Tuning a 2M/70cm Ladder-Line Collinear Antenna
Registration for this event is required so we have adequate supplies & equipment on hand. Please contact Chris Prioli, AD2CS at [email protected].
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
2024 Field Day Review
July 6, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
Robert Nelson Jr, K2QPN : New Jersey QSO Party
2024 Hamfest Preview
2024 Hamfest Volunteer Sign-Ups
August 10, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
2024 Hamfest Preview
2024 Hamfest Volunteer Sign-Ups
September 7, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Sunday, September 8, 2024
6th Annual ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention
46th Annual GCARC Hamfest
Presented By The Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
2024 Hamfest Review
Submission of nominees for the 2025 Club Officer Elections
October 5, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
Final submission of nominees for the 2025
Club Officer Elections
November 9, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 @ 1900 Hours
General Membership Meeting
ZOOM Meeting ID : 943 0211 9674; Passcode : 843147
Meeting Program :
Election of 2025 Club Officers
December 7, 2024 @ 0900 Hours
Tech Saturday Forum
W2MMD Clubhouse
Forum Topic :
Q & A Session About All Things Ham Radio and Socializing
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation
The HF Station Will Be Available For Local Operation