Gordon Shackelford, AE6QW

Ultra High Performance HF Receivers: $1K to $18K Really?

Today we are seeing an interesting variety of HF Receiver Architectures vie for the highest performance under difficult receiving conditions.  Over the years, Sherwood Engineering has tested and rated six pages of mostly receiver sections of HF transceivers. This talk discusses the best of these test results, the Page 1 Receivers.  Performance at this level is not really related to cost, with top rated receivers ranging in cost from $1K to $18K.

Bio:
Gordon Shackelford, AE6QW, is Lecturer Emeritus in the Dept. of Physics at SDSU, where he has taught electronics for portions of five decades.  While he has only been in amateur radio of 10 years, he has played with HF receivers since Jr. High School. He is treasurer of the Lakeside Amateur Radio Club and continues to teach as a volunteer at SDSU and Amateur Radio license courses.

Theater

Sat. 9 AM

Arnold I. Shatz, N6HC

Amsterdam Island FT5ZM DXexpedition

K7C (Kure Atoll) – 2005, 3B7C (St. Brandon Island) – 2007, TX5C (Clipperton Island) – 2008, K4M (Midway Atoll)-2009, T31A (Kanton
Atoll-Central Kiribati) – 2011, T32C (Kiritimati-Eastern Kiribati) – 2011, NH8S
(Swains Island)-2012, T33A (Banaba Island) – 2013, FT5ZM (Amsterdam Island) – 2014
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Southern California Contest and DX Clubs, Orange County Amateur Radio Club, Chiltern DX Association (UK), Medical Amateur Radio Council, Ltd. (MARCO), Northern California DX Foundation, Indexa Foundation

BIO:
Arnie was first licensed in 1957 as KN3ANU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Arnie has been an ARRL member for more than fifty years and is a member of the Legacy Circle and Maxim Society. He serves as a Field QSL card checker for both ARRL and CQ awards. In the spirit of volunteerism, he has assisted in communications with the Hollywood Christmas Parade, various long distance races and has staffed the amateur radio booth at the Orange County Fair. He was one of the amateur radio Captains for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Radio station (NG84O).  He is a member of the A-1 operators club, the Straight Key Century Club (#1309) and the Ten-Ten International club (#29959). He has earned many ARRL and CQ-Magazine operating awards including WAS (6 bands, SSB, CW, RTTY), DXCC Honor Roll, DXCC (8 bands, SSB, CW, RTTY), WAZ (CW & SSB), WAC, WPX and VUCC.  He is an active contester and has won numerous certificates for participation in both domestic and DX competitions. 

His home station has been used by many guest operators and he has hosted visiting amateurs to Southern California at the “Hotel California” guest suite.
He has been published in various amateur radio journals regarding his experience as a Dxpedition physician.  Arnie has been the guest speaker at various clubs, both locally and nationally, presenting “behind the scenes” activities of the Dxpeditions in which he has participated.

He is a Board Certified Urologist and volunteers his services at the free clinic in Orange, California when he is not working on a locum tenens assignment.

Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK

Amateur Satellites and AMSAT

This presentation will give a brief recap of the history of amateur radio in space, discuss satellites currently available for amateur use, and upcoming satellites due to be launched in the next year or so.  The presentation will also discuss the equipment needed to work the satellites, from the minimal station up to a fully-automated home station. 

Bio:
Patrick is an AMSAT Area Coordinator and Director of Field Operations.  He has represented AMSAT since 2006 at events across the southwestern USA and northern Mexico, with a table or booth at hamfests and conventions, on-air demonstrations of amateur satellite operating, and presentations for radio clubs and other events.  Patrick is also an active satellite operator who has the satellite version of ARRL's WAS and VUCC awards, and has worked the satellites from 19 states and Washington DC in the USA, two Canadian provinces, Mexico, and Australia - logging over 12000 satellite contacts from these locations.

Patrick originally obtained WD9EWK in 1977, and currently holds an Amateur Extra class license.  In 2002, he wrote the exams for a Canadian amateur license, receiving the call sign VA7EWK.  Patrick has also operated as LU/WD9EWK from Argentina in 2004, VK/WD9EWK from Australia in 2011, and XE2/WD9EWK from Mexico many times since 2000.  Patrick is a life member of AMSAT and ARRL.

Palm Room C

Sat. 9 AM

Palm Room D

Sat. 1 PM

Chris Storey KA6WNK

Hydration for the Emergency Responder  

This presentation will teach attendees how proper hydration can prevent hot weather related injuries, and how it can enhance your ability to perform physical and mental tasks during hot weather. Topics include hydration strategies for the emergency responder, a discussion of available fluid replacement options, and tips on ensuring you are well-prepared for field deployment or any other outdoor physical activity during hot weather. This material will help you in your role as an Emergency Communications volunteer, emergency responder, DX’peditioner, Field Day participant, T-Hunter, or even as a grid square rover.

Palm Room D  

Sat. 2 PM

Carl Demas (KJ6BWV), Walter Wallenborn (KC6WRJ), and Grady Yearwood (AK4XK)

Southwestern REACT – Who We Are and How We Can Assist.

Southwestern REACT of San Diego County, Inc. is a local Team of REACT International charged with the mission of educating the public about the many uses of radio in public service and as a communications tool in times of emergency or daily routine. Since its incorporation in 1966, Southwestern REACT has been dedicated to serving the community by providing coordination and communications support to numerous events which aides a variety of organizations with their Command and Control, Logistics, and Public Safety needs.

Southwestern REACT operates under a concept of ‘Inclusive Partnership’, deploying as a Team comprised of both Members and ‘Friends of REACT’. Our paramount goal is safety and success for all involved in the supported event. Our net benefit is an enjoyable day while becoming better Emergency Communicators thru a routine of structured policies, procedures, and mentoring on the job. In the accomplishment of its mission, Southwestern REACT has become very proficient at ‘Event Coordination’ – the first step to success. We gladly share our half century story of Teamwork with all.

Carl Demas, Walter Wallenborn, and Grady Yearwood represent a cross‐section of the Team and the broad spectrum of experience and backgrounds that make it successful. They are Team members, Board members, Committee Chairs, and Event Coordinators. As with most of our Team members they also serve in Emergency Communicator roles with many other organizations such as The American Red Cross, Animal Rescue Reserve, ARES, CalFire Red Flag Patrol, CERT, and RACES, while also filling many other leadership, service, and professional positions within the community

Palm Room D  

Sat. 12 PM

Gene Swiech WB9COY

Broadband Hamnet How To And Demo

Through the use of common off the shelf Wifi equipment (Linksys/Ubiquiti) amateurs now have the ability to construct a full featured high speed network.  I believe the benefits to Emergency Communications (EComm) are immense. Note:  NOT all WiFi equipment is supported at this time.  Please refer to http://www.broadband-hamnet.org for the list of supported equipment.  This seminar is intended to be more hands on rather than technical.  A more technical presentation will be given at 11:00am on Saturday.  I will take a new Ubiquiti Rocket M2 out of the box and go through the factory flash update process that will make it a ham radio mesh node.   I will then configure the node with a call sign and put it on the air.  Once configured I will use the node to make a Voice Over IP (VoIP) call and send email using Microsoft Outlook.    In conjunction with amateurs in the San Diego area and the Qualcomm Amateur Radio Club (QARC) there are now active nodes in the North County and Sorrento Valley area.  At the end of this seminar you will be armed with enough knowledge to commission a node of your own and be part of the growing mesh here in San Diego.

Palm Room C  

Fri. 5 PM

Gene Swiech WB9COY

Raspberry Pi Rx Only APRS IGate How To

The Raspberry Pi has become a great asset in the ham shack since its introduction just a few short years ago.  If you have bought a PI and have been wondering what to do with it, this talk will walk you through the steps on how to get the PI up and running as an Rx Only IGate.  We will take a brand new Raspberry PI out of the box and go through all the steps to bring it up as an APRS IGate.  The basic steps on how to flash the operating system on the PI’s SD card, boot the PI for the first time and commission the APRS software will be done live during this talk.  The TNC that will be used is an inexpensive kit made just for the PI call TNCX.  The radio that will be used is a $29 Baofeng UV-3R.  This talk should appeal to both beginners as well as advanced users of the APRS system.

Bio:
Gene was first licensed in 1969 as WN9COY as a novice.  Gene currently holds an extra class license and is active in a wide variety of ham projects.  Most recently Gene has been involved with the University of Texas as a mentor on the SnapSat project.  This project involves building a satellite (CuseSat) based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor.  He is active on 40cw, DStar(PAPA), EME and most recently HSMM-Mesh.   Gene holds a Masters Degree in Software Engineering and is employed by Qualcomm working on modem software.

Palm Room B 

Sun. 10 AM

Gene Swiech WB9COY

C4FM Digital Basics

Thanks to Yaesu’s Digital Offering of C4FM, hams can now buy off the shelf equipment to utilize this modern day technology.  This seminar will explain the basics of C4FM and will make a high level comparison to other digital modes.  A live demo of C4FM in action will be presented using one of the two C4FM repeaters available to hams in San Diego.  So if you have any curiosity about C4FM digital as related to ham radio this would be a great session to attend.

Palm Room B

Sun. 9 AM

 Alex Tardy

Warning Coordination Meteorologist

Alex Tardy has worked for NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) since 1993 and is currently the Warning Coordination Meteorologist in San Diego, California. In this position he is the manager in charge of a variety of outreach programs and training a network of weather spotters. His key role is promoting the NWS by developing relationships, educating and establishing interpretive weather support services with the local, state and federal Emergency Management community, media partners as well as the general public. The position also requires internal and external evaluation of the products and services provided by the local NWS office in efforts to improve impact-based decision making by all stakeholders that use the weather information.

Alex graduated from the State University of New York with a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science. He started his career in NWS as an intern in Volens, Virginia operating a conventional radar (pre WSR-88D), and then finished his internship in Burlington, Vermont where he was born. Alex became a journey forecaster in Sacramento during the modernization of the National Weather Service in 1998. He then went on to be a senior forecaster in Salt Lake City for several years. He and his wife Heather were married in Salt Lake City, and both kids, ages 7 and 9, were born there. Alex was promoted to the Science and Operations Officer position in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2008. At this position he was responsible for science and technology infusion and training. In 2010, he was promoted to the Warning Coordination Meteorologist in San Diego, California. Alex has a diverse background of weather forecasting and has been involved with various projects in the NWS including leadership activities along with many published scientific papers and presentations at conferences.

Alex is currently active in the American Meteorological Society’s, as Chair of the Board of Operational Government Meteorologists, member of the Weather and Analysis Committee, and Vice President of the Local San Diego Chapter.

Palm Room A  

Sat. 2 PM

Bob Todd, KJ6RET

SLEEP Mobile Solar Power Off Grid Presentation

The presentation includes a practical explanation of how to use Solar Energy for Off-Grid Mobile applications.  This presentation overviews a real life experiment to prove concept for the usage of Solar Energy for Emergency Communications and Everything Else in short term or long term disaster scenarios.  It includes a hands-on demonstration of a Solar Power system and an open house of a Mobile Solar Power Off-Grid trailer system.

Bio:
- Graduated with High Honors in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois.
- Designed and developed digital flight simulation technology for the University of Illinois and The Ohio State University advanced research laboratories.
- Worked for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base implementing advanced graphic systems and flight simulation technology to support human perception and control interface research.
- Designed and developed an advanced fully immersive virtual reality system for entertainment and science featured in a national tour with the Center Of Science and Industry (COSI).
- Worked for Northrop Grumman Information Technology and currently works for BAE Systems (Intelligence & Security) as a Systems Design Engineer for mission critical DoD systems.
- Owner of SoLar Energy & Emergency Preparedness (SLEEP) specializing in research, design, and development of mobile and portable solar energy systems for emergency and disaster preparedness.

Theater

Fri. 4 PM

Earl Towson, N1QI

The SUN - A User's Guide for Ham Radio

Earl Towson - N1QI - is a retired Aerospace Engineer with a lifelong interest in astronomy. Since retiring he now supports SDSU's Astronomy Department as a guest lecturer for Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences. In addition, he is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. He will discuss how the sun works and how Hams can use its interactions with the earth to forecast radio propagation.

Palm Room A 

Fri. 4 PM

Earl Towson, N1QI

DX of the Third Kind

Earl Towson - N1QI - is a retired Aerospace Engineer with a lifelong interest in astronomy. Since retiring he now supports SDSU's Astronomy Department as a guest lecturer for Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences. In addition, he is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. He will discuss future  and current professional and amateur radio efforts in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and their prospects.

Palm Room A 

Fri. 5 PM

Bob Turner, W6RHK Orange Section Emergency Coordinator

ARES, What it is, and why do you want to talk to them

What ARES is; the difference between ARES and RACES - Examples of where ARES fits within existing communications systems - The ARES Organization - A Brief look at Communications Plans - The need for ARES.

Bio:
Bob Turner is the Section Emergency Coordinator for the Orange Section of the ARRL. He is the Chairman of the Public Safety Commission of the City of Perris and the Safety Coordinator for the Perris School District. As part-time faculty with Moreno Valley College he has taught Introduction to Homeland Security; Planning and Preparedness for Emergencies, Disasters and Homeland Security Incidents; and Recovery for Homeland Security Incidents.

He holds a B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology with concentrations in Disaster and Emergency Management and Advanced Technical Communications; is a certified Emergency Management Specialist from the National Association of Safety Professionals; holds a level 4 certification in Homeland Security and is a Certified National Threat Analyst, both from the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security. He holds memberships in the Los Angeles section of Infragard involved in the Electromagnetic Pulse Special Interest Group, International Association of Emergency Managers, APCO, and the Southern California Earthquake Alliance.

Palm Room C  

Sat. 3 PM

Palm Room B  

Sat. 3 PM

Palm Room D

Sat. 9 AM

Theater

Sat. 2 PM