Last Update March 24, 2023
The Big Bend Amateur Radio Club is based in Alpine, Texas and covers the entire Big Bend area of West Texas. The club is open to anyone interested in amateur radio activities. Join us at our monthly meeting or on the air via one of our weekly nets. Contact us by email.
*** New Repeater Alert ***
Tomorrow (March 25th) is the big day for the new repeater, the 147.22. The BBARC crew will set it up and turn it on. Weather looks good. Find those radio manuals to add a new memory channel.
New Members and Visitors
New or interested members can find information on our New Member page. The page includes BBARC New Member form and information about dues.
Donations to club can be made through our PayPal page. Visitors to the Big Bend should try the 2m repeaters and participate in our 2m net. The repeaters also have EchoLink access. Sign up for the club’s monthly newsletter.
WinLink
Our site has a new page for WinLink. Access to the page is also under the Nets pulldown menu on the main menu bar. Getting Started has instructions for installing WinLink on your computer, setting up an account, and sending your first message to Charlie N5CET so he knows you have WinLink. This will prepare you for Charlie’s class.
New EmComm Page
We have a new web page under Member on the main menu. Like Member, this page is password protected with the same password as the Member page. The Phone Tree and EmComm exercises are found on the new page.
Ultra Run a Success
No major injuries and only two Did Not Finish out of a field of 320 runners. Weather was near perfect – cool and cloudy most of the day and light winds. There were communication challenges. The clouds prevented charging the 23 repeater batteries. The 82 repeater did not cover much of the race routes. Simplex (146.52) worked amazingly well. The last 3 hours had difficulty with simplex communications, too.
Here is a link to youtube videos of the race. They include interviews with Bob and Charlie, and flyovers of the drone for Scott and Lonny’s checkpoints. The drone videos are spectacular.
Charlie N5CET submitted an article to the ARRL, and it is now published on the Club News page.
Scott KI5ANQ was at Delta, Lonny K5LON was at Bravo, Charlie N5CET and Bob WA5ROE were in the RV as net control.
Hatfield Cason of Alpine won the 30k.
Here is something interesting from the race. This is from Hondo Burney, the last runner to complete. “I was the missing #4. Also, I set a world record at your race. The first person to lift 500 pounds and run a 50 miler in the same day. It took me 3 years to train up with the best hybrid athletic trainers to do this.“ Congratulations to Hondo and so glad he completed the race in the dark by himself.
April Meeting on the 11th
Our next monthly meeting is at the Mason’s Building, 2300 North Highway 118 at 7:00pm. Exams will be given by Bill K5WSA at 6:00pm. Here is a map and picture of the building. Please note this is not the Mason’s Building downtown that google only mentions. Use the address to search maps, not the name.
March Meeting Minutes
The March Meeting Minutes will be up for review at the April meeting.
SKYWARN Training April 18th
The NWS SKYWARN training will be inperson this year on April 18 at 7pm. Location is the SRSU Turner Range Animal Science Building, Room 130. The site is 1 mile east of the main campus on Highway 90. A map and directions will be available soon and posted here. There is no need to register, just show up.
Joint WTX & BBARC 2m Net April 19th
Our 2m repeaters will connect to the WTX repeaters and include the Midland radio club members in the 2m net at 2000 (8pm). This exercise will be twice a year.
FCC ULS New Log In
With the FCC going to email only communications, each member should log into the FCC ULS web site and review their record, particularly email address and license expiration.
Here is a document about moving to the new FCC system.
Please note that these procedures have not been tested yet.
The CORES system is now invalid but is still up and active. Use the new system.
Log in using https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp
BBARC Field Day in the Alpine Avalanche
The June 30th Alpine Avalanche has this picture about Field Day taken by newspaper editor Gail Yovanovich. We see Lonny K5LON, Charlie N5CET, Art K7VEN, and John KI5SNZ installing the GOTA station antenna. Gail Yovanovich visited the Field Day site Friday and Saturday. The Avalanche also carried an article on Field Day June 23rd, earning 100 Field Day points. Thank you Gail for supporting the BBARC. Gail had a license long ago and looking to renew this fall.
License Exams
The new technician manual is available from the ARRL bookstore as the question pool changed July 1st.
The BBARC has exam sessions an hour before the monthly meeting 6:00pm at the Masons Building, 2300 Highway 118 N Alpine TX starting November 8th and the next ones December 13th.
BBARC PayPal Payment
Pay for club dues or make donations.