Hamfest returns to St. Charles on Sunday
The Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs Mid-Winter Electronics Expo will be held Sunday, Jan. 18, in Robinson Hall at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road in St. Charles. Doors open at 8 a.m. Buy new and used electronics, parts and radios. Attend technical forums on High Altitude Ballooning, Hamnet Meshed Network and Radio Tower Safety. Admission is $10; kids under 12 are free with a paying adult. Girl and Boy Scouts, under age 18 and in their Scout uniforms, will be admitted free. There is free parking. For details, visit wheatonhamfest.org or call (630) 604-0157.
The first forum from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. will be "Ham Radio and High Altitude Ballooning." Darryl Hedges of KD9AUK will discuss the use of ham radio and APRS in particular in the hobby of High Altitude Ballooning (HAB). Ham radio clubs and schools (elementary through college) are using HAB as a way of educating students about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) - four pillars of this modern manufacturing and high-tech society. There will be equipment displays and video clips showing groups (including recent KD9AUK HAB missions) launching and chasing their HAB mission payloads as they ascend to the upper atmosphere (80,000 to 115,000 feet) and then parachute back to ground with on-board video cameras, flight computers, and radio tracking systems.
From 10:30 to 11 a.m., learn about "Broadband Over Ham RF Links - Hamnet Meshed Network." Is it possible for ham radio operators to have a broadband wireless network for the transmission of voice, video, and data as a backup, to the Internet and the commercial infrastructures, that we depend upon? Jim Kinter, K5KTF, is doing that. He is the chief evangelist for the Broadband Hamnet (BBHN) group in Austin, Texas. (Broadband is defined as greater than 1 megabit per second data rate.) It is a project where hams use commercial off-the-shelf routers, install custom software developed by Hams for Hams, for broadband-speed digital uses. It opens up a whole new world for Ham radio, allowing applications impossible with older technology. Covered topics include: necessary gear, getting started, deployment of a meshed net in your area, benefits, permanent installations with links 9 miles and longer, public service uses, and more. Jim K5KTF will be leading the forum remotely via Skype from Texas. Visit www.broadband-hamnet.org.
Join the forum from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for "Practical Safety Considerations For Amateur Radio Towers" by Mark Allen, W6PC. He highlights problems and risks associated with continuing operation, erection, maintenance and dismantling of amateur radio towers and structures that support antennas. Many structures are 30 or more years old. Common problems, modes of failure, preventive maintenance and related topics will be covered. The presenter is a well-known industry expert on commercial and amateur towers and is employed in an executive capacity with ROHN, an industry icon, designing and building towers for nearly 70 years. The presentation is approximately 45 minutes in length and will be followed by an interactive question and answer session, time permitting.