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Was able to mess around a little with the KPC-3+ at lunch. I need to take a look at my COM 1 settings.

9600 bits/s
8 data bits
no parity
1 stop bit
hardware flow control

There should also be a parameter to adjust the port on the KPC-3+ that connects to the PCs COM 1.

… yes there is… ABAUD. Default is 0, which does a self check. I need to set ABAUD to 9600.

I got the KPC-3+ operational with the FT-1500M. I did a soft reset on the KPC-3+ (as it was setup previously for APRS). Now I need to remember how I had the KPC-3+ settings configured when I was using it as a standard packet station. Here’s the settings recommended from NLARC, a nearby digipeater:

8BITCONV ON
AX25L2V2 ON
ABAUD 1200
AUTOLF ON
AXDELAY 0
AXHANG 0
BEACON EVERY 15 min
BKONDEL ON
BTEXT WB5POJ/KPC-3 (-1 PBBS) – Jim Byrd – jbyrd@members.vectec.org
BUDLIST OFF
BUDCALLS NONE
CANLINE $18 (CTRL-X)
CANPAC $19 (CTRL-Y)
CD INTERNAL
CHECK 0 (disabled)
CMDTIME 1 (1 sec)
CMSG ON
COMMAND $03 (CTRL-C)
CONLIST OFF
CONMODE CONVERS
CONOK ON
CPACTIME OFF
CR ON
CRSUP OFF
CSTAMP ON
CTEXT Hello – WB5POJ/KPC-3 – Jim Byrd – jbyrd@members.vectec.org
CWID EVERY 0 (disabled)
CWIDTEXT DE *
DAYTIME 11/21/01 08:26:37
DAYTWEAK 8
DAYSTR mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss
DBLDISC OFF
DELETE $08 (CTRL-H)
DIGIPEAT ON
DWAIT 0
ECHO OFF
ESCAPE OFF
FLOW ON
FILTER ON
FRACK 4 (4 sec)
FULLDUP OFF
HBAUD 1200
HEADERLN ON
HID ON
HTEXT
INTFACE TERMINAL
KNTIMER 15 min
LEDS ON
LCOK ON
LCSTREAM ON
LFADD OFF
LFSUP OFF
LLIST OFF
MONITOR ON
MALL ON
MAXFRAME 4
MAXUSERS 10
MBEACON ON
MCON OFF
MCOM ON
MRESP ON
MRPT ON
MSTAMP ON
MXMIT ON
MYCALL WB5POJ
MYALIAS
MYNODE WB5POJ-7
MYPBBS WB5POJ-1
MYREMOTE (you do not get to see this! hee hee)
NDWILD OFF
NEWMODE ON
NOMODE OFF
NTEXT
NUCR 0
NULF 0
NUMNODES 0
PACLEN 128
PACTIME AFTER 10 (1000 msec)
PARITY NONE
PASS $16 (CTRL-V)
PASSALL OFF
PBBS 5
PBFORWRD NONE EVERY 0 (disabled)
PBHEADER ON
PBHOLD ON
PBKILLFW OFF
PBLO NEW VARIABLE
PBPERSON OFF
PBREVERS ON
PERSIST 63 (25%)
PID OFF
PTEXT Hello from Jim Byrd’s KPC-3 – leave a message.
REDISPLA $12 (CTRL-R)
RELINK OFF
RESPTIME 5 (500 msec)
RETRY 5
RING ON
RNRTIME 0 (disabled)
RTEXT (you do not get to see this! hee hee)
SCREENL 0
SENDPAC $0D (CTRL-M)
SLOTTIME 10 (100 msec)
START $11 (CTRL-Q)
STATSHRT ON
STOP $13 (CTRL-S)
STREAMSW $7C (|)
STREAMCA OFF
STREAMEV OFF
SUPLIST OFF
SUPCALLS NONE
SWP 17,17,108
TRACE OFF
TRFLOW OFF
TRIES 0
TXDELAY 30 (300 msec)
TXFLOW OFF
UNPROTO WB5POJ VIA LARCND
USERS 1
XFLOW ON
XMITOK ON
XOFF $13 (CTRL-S)
XON $11 (CTRL-Q)

I’m trying to setup a packet station…. again. My initial attempt at packet was with my IC-706MKIIG and my Kantronics KPC-3+. It worked well, but now the IC-706MKIIG is dedicated to HF operations and I would like a stand alone packet station.

I’ve heard many good things about the FT-1500M being used for packet and APRS, as it has a built in DB-9 data connection. So I was able to get an FT1500M off eBay and have it up and operational. I also fabricated a power cable for the KPC-3+ using the PowerPoles.

My last use of the KPC-3+ (before I took it down) was an APRS Digipeater.

I need to relearn my TNC commands and figure out how to do make the KPC-3+ sing again.

Aug 8-Aug 14, 1300Z-1700Z, Sycamore, IL. Amateur Operators of the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club, W9S. 50th Anniversary of Northern Illinois Steam Power Show. 28.390 14.268 7.268 3.990. Certificate. Bob Yurs, W9ICU, 1107 Commercial St, Sycamore, IL 60178. www.w9icu.com.

Aug 11-Aug 13, 2200Z-1900Z, Oscoda, MI. Wurtsmith Division Yankee Air Force, W8Y. Annual Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast. 28.365 14.265 7.265. Certificate. Wurtsmith Division Yankee Air Force, PO Box 664, Oscoda, MI 48750. www.wurtsmith-yaf-museum.org.

Aug 12, 1300Z-2000Z, Baltimore, MD. Social Security Employees Amateur Radio Club, W3SSA. 71st Anniversary of the Social Security Act. 14.280 7.280. Certificate. Greg Stec, K3ANG, 1624 Pickett Rd, Lutherville, MD 21093. Electronic certificate available, e-mail ac3p@arrl.net.

Aug 12, 1330Z-2130Z, Hawley, PA. Science Camp Watonka, KB3BUM. 8th Annual Event. 28.440 21.340 14.240 7.240. Certificate. Camp Watonka ARC, PO Box 127, Hawley, PA 18428. www.watonka.com.

Aug 12, 1400Z-2000Z, Newark, OH. Central Ohio Operators Klub Extra-Novice, W8TNX. Commemorating Johnny “Shiloh” Clem, youngest Army NCO. 18.160 7.250. Certificate. COOKEN, 1010 Blacks Rd SE, Hebron, OH 43025. www.cooken.org.

Aug 12, 1500Z-2100Z, Van Buren, IN. Grant County Amateur Radio Club, W9EBN. 34th Annual Popcorn Festival. 146.79 14.260 7.260. Certificate. Bart Bartholomew, WA9SPT, 6981 N E00 W, Marion, IN 46952. www.grantarc.com.

Aug 12-Aug 13, 0000Z-2359Z, San Angelo, TX. AB5BG. Honoring the Native American Codetalkers of WWII. 40 20 15 meters. Certificate. Don Goff, 1210 Ardmore, San Angelo, TX 76905.

Aug 12-Aug 19, 0000Z-2359Z, Royal Oak, MI. K8W. 12th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise. 14.250 21.400 7.250 3.950. QSL. K8W, 27120 Barrington St, Madison Hts, MI 48071.

Aug 12-Aug 21, 1600Z-2000Z, Indianapolis, IN. Indiana State Fair ARC, W9ISF. 150th Indiana State Fair. 21.340 14.240 7.240 3.860. QSL. W9ISF, PO Box 18495, Indianapolis, IN 46218-0495.

Aug 13, 1400Z-2100Z, Punta Gorda, FL. Peace River Radio Association, W4DUX. Commemorating the second anniversary of Hurricane Charley coming onshore at Gilchrist Park. 20 m. QSL. Gino Gerranti, KE4TJO, 391 Kenova St, Port Charlotte, FL 33954. .

Aug 13-Aug 14, 1400Z-2359Z daily, Window Rock, AZ. Navajo Amateur Radio Club, N7C. The Navajo Code Talkers Days. 14.265 7.265. QSL. Herbert Goodluck, N7HG, PO Box 3611, Window Rock, AZ 86515.

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
http://www.gtherald.com/

This summer, W8BSC was on the air.

Thanks to volunteers from the Cherryland Amateur Radio Club, Boy Scouts and Webelos camping at Camp Greilick this summer can earn merit badges in amateur radio, computers and electronics.

A new 384-square-foot building — dubbed the Radio Shack — houses a host of amateur radio, computer and electronics equipment. Over the past four weeks of Boy Scout camp, this equipment has kept interested Boy Scouts nearby, earning some the designation of Shack Lizard after they receive all three badges.

Using the radio equipment on one side of the building, Scouts have contacted HAMs both locally and around the country or practiced their Morse code skills. Workbenches along the other side of the building are filled with circuit boards, chips, soldering irons and other electronics paraphernalia.

“I’ve learned how to do QSOs and make the signal efficient,” said Alex Dewitt, a member of Troop 119 from Bay City. “I’m just getting into amateur radio. I’m still waiting to see if I can get anybody from Canada yet.”

Jill Raymer, a scout mom, volunteer staff member with the Scenic Trails Council and a volunteer with the Cherryland Amateur Radio Club, supervises the Radio Shack. Seemingly everywhere at once and with a great passion for both scouting and amateur radio, the Radio Shack is a slice of nirvana.

“What I like about the station is that we’re real busy: we went through 100 badges in a week,” said Raymer, a Manton resident who is also a member of the Wexaukee Amateur Radio Club. “Everybody is at least learning about radio even if they’re not earning a badge.”

Before the Radio Shack was completed in July, scouts interested in amateur radio previously used a Cherryland Amateur Radio Club emergency communications trailer. Raymer and club volunteers brought this trailer to the camp for a number of years. Then two summers ago, they moved equipment into a 100-square-foot building, whose frequent use demonstrated that there was interest in a permanent facility.

Members of the club worked out an agreement with the Scenic Trails Council to build an amateur radio, electronics and computer facility. They began gathering contributions for the shack in December of 2004 and finished building the structure last month.

“What happened was that some of the guys were out there for an open house or some darn thing and they said, ‘Wait a minute, let’s make this a little bit larger,'” said Chuck Mellberg, project coordinator of the Cherryland Amateur Radio Club, about the small building used two summers ago. “The scouting program has been very supportive of this.”

Club volunteers built the shack over the past year, aided by in-kind donations from area businesses. Members funded most of the cost, though they also received small grants from the Biederman Foundation, the Oleson Foundation, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and the Rotary Club Good Works Committee.

“I was surprised by the amount of funding we did receive,” Mellberg noted.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to get people interested in amateur radio and we took on this project as a way to get scouts interested through the merit badge program,” he added of the club’s commitment to the Radio Shack.

During the first half of the four-week Boy Scout camp that just ended, counselor-in-training Gus MacNeal, 14, taught an average of 30 scouts a day, about evenly divided between radio and electronics.

“A lot of the boys like taking these merit badges,” said MacNeal.

Raymer did note that boys are still boys: even with the new Radio Shack online, swimming is more enticing in the afternoons for all but the most devoted future amateur radio operators.

“We are very quiet in the afternoons during swim time so the kids interested can do the radio,” she said.

I think I’m going to limit the Blue Ridge Parkway trip to just one RV destination. The main limitations being time, fuel costs, and RV camp costs… it just makes sense to limit this first trip to a location that is not too far away and attempt to keep the costs down.

The destination will be the town of Crozet, Virginia near the northern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Looks like there is a lot to do in the area.

Here’s a listing of Charlottesville area local repeaters:
– 146.76 (151.4 Hz), Located on Carter’s Mountain south of Charlottesville.
– 146.925 (151.4 Hz), Located on Martha Jefferson Hospital in Eastern Charlottesville.
– 444.250 (151.4 Hz)
– 442.075 (151.4 Hz)
– 224.76 (no tone)
– 145.03 Digipeater
– 144.39 Two APRS Digipeaters

Nearby Waynesboro:
– 147.075 (http://www.qsl.net/wrav/index1.htm)

Maybe in Crozet?:
– 146.895

Here’s a link to repeaters that support the Appalachian Trail, part of which runs through the Blue Ridge Parkway: http://www.aldha.org/hams.htm

Just got my official merit badge counselor card – I’m now an approved Boy Scouts of America merit badge counselor for the Radio Merit Badge!

Here’s an article from ARRL on teaching the Radio Merit Badge:

Larry Wolfgang, WR1B
ARRL

Congratulations on being asked to teach the Radio Merit Badge for your local Troop. It can be a tall order, but also a lot of fun! First, be sure you have the latest requirements version. Either the latest Radio Merit Badge Pamphlet or a copy of the 1998 Requirements book will do. The MB Pamphlet has a lot of supporting information. (I assume you are a Scouter, and familiar with the BSA Merit Badge program.

I’ve been to two National Jamborees, where I served on the Radio Merit Badge staff, and at those two Jamborees, we’ve had over 500 total Scouts complete Radio Merit Badge. Can it be done? YES! Still, there are some tough spots. We use a hard-working team at the Jamborees, with each person covering a specific area of expertise. (And, of course, we work in shifts, so everyone has time to catch their breath and find a day to see what else is going on at the Jamboree!)

We typically divide the requirements into a couple of sections. “Theory” covers topics like how a radio works, propagation, the radio spectrum and so on. “Practical” covers components, test equipment, station grounding, etc. While the requirement to build something has been dropped, we still used a construction station as a final reward for completing all the requirements at the 97 Jamboree. The Scouts like to handle components, stuff a circuit board and learn to solder. That year we used a simple “blinky light” project, with a 555 timer and a coupled of LEDs, just for fun.

For the Broadcast Radio option, we try to coordinate with the “KBSA” broadcast station at the Jamboree. Some Scouts get to plan programs and go on the air. There is high demand for those on-the-air spots, though, so we try to steer them away from that. It is an option, however, and if a Scout really wants to learn about broadcast radio, they should be allowed to pursue that area. You may not want to cover that area, though, and may have to help them make contact with someone who can. (I would not feel qualified to teach that aspect of the Merit Badge.) At the Jamboree, we set up a Short-Wave listening area in our Merit Badge Midway tent. We supervise that area and provide evening listening hours. It is a popular option. For the ham radio option, we have directed them to the big K2BSA set up. In 97 the K2BSA demonstration staff was a great help in setting up “class times” for the merit badge, and taking the Scouts through those requirements. (As a side note, all the Radio Merit Badge Staff are part of the K2BSA staff, but we are dedicated to the Merit Badge Midway area. The rest of the K2BSA staff divides into shifts to keep the station going virtually around the clock. In 97, off duty operators put in the extra time to teach that part of the merit badge. Why do we have 40-some staff positions for Amateur Radio? We are busy, believe me!

Now some specifics. We prepare “flip charts” before the Jamboree. Each page of the flip chart outlines a topic to be covered, with drawings and short text explanations for the instructor to expand upon. This keeps people on track and focused on the material. There isn’t a lot of time to waste. You may actually have more time with the Scouts, but I still recommend something similar to help you stay focused. With the chart already done, you don’t have to take time writing and drawing on a board. (As a former teacher, I love to work on a blackboard or something similar, but the chart really works well.) While each staff member will vary the presentation a bit to suit their style, this also ensures that each of us covers the core material.

We usually have some components or materials to pass around to let the Scouts get their hands on something, and to examine it closely. This helps hold their attention.

After the “class presentation” we have the Scouts complete the written work and make drawings, then talk individually with a staff member to “explain,” “describe” or whatever else the requirement says. In other words, “sitting through my class doesn’t complete the requirements.” “The requirements tell you what you actually have to DO.”

I have also taught Radio Merit Badge at our local council’s “Merit-Badge-O-Ree.” This is a weekend campout with all day Saturday dedicated to various Merit Badges. It is sponsored by our local electric utility, and they allow us to use their training classroom facilities. Last fall another ham and I taught a morning and an afternoon course. It was really rushed, but about 20 or so Scouts completed the badge and some others earned partials. At that session, I taught the theory and practical parts, and the other ham (not a Scouter) taught the ham radio option. We did not cover either of the other two options. In that case, I prepared notes on overlays for an overhead projector. As I said earlier, being a teacher, I used the chalkboard for some explanations, but the overhead really made it go faster. Also for that, I developed a test with a variety of question types, such as fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, matching and short answer to test them on the material. By grading the tests, I could put a pass/fail criteria on their efforts to determine who earned the badge. I hope to develop that idea better for future use, and perhaps to streamline the process for the next National Jamboree.

I would recommend keeping the Merit Badge separate from a license class, unless you find out beforehand that all the Scouts who want Radio Merit Badge also want to earn a license. Use the Merit Badge to spark their interest and get them into a class. If it’s your local Troop, you may be able to set up a course over a longer time frame, and that would probably be more successful. Yes, we’ve also taught license classes and done testing at the Jamboree. At the last Jamboree we had classes during the day and in the evening, according to a schedule published at the start of the Jamboree. Students (yes there are quite a few adults take these classes) can attend any one of about three sessions that covered a specific section of material. That way if they couldn’t attend a particular class, it was easy to make it up. Again, we used a team. They had materials prepared ahead of time–for an overhead projector in this case–and used a variety of props.

My inclination is to use the ARRL Technician Video course for such a concentrated effort. The video is roughly 6 hours long, but you will need at least the same amount of additional time for discussion and to answer questions. Still, the “weekend cram course” is a reality with the video.

WOW! Is that enough? You had no idea what you were asking, did you? I hope I didn’t overload you with all this info. Really, it is intended to give you some ideas of what I have done when I’ve been involved with something similar, although on a rather larger scale, no doubt. I hope it is of some help. Good luck with the Scouts. And don’t forget to have FUN! I hope you will also be able to include a station, and do some demonstrations of various modes and on-the-air activities. Let me know how it works out.

73,
Larry Wolfgang, WR1B
Senior Assistant Technical Editor

KB6NU continues to provide one of the best ham radio blogs around (http://kb6nu.com). Original content, interesting news items, nice focus on CW, just a great read.

One of his recent posts was on the USS Cod and its invovment in special events. http://ka8vit.com/cod/default.htm

I saw a listing for two nearby DX packet clusters:

145.090 AC4HB Gloucester
145.770 K4JV Chesapeake, K4JV-1 Virginia Beach [Node (VADXC2)]