Kendall Amateur Radio Society

KB5TX

Welcome to the Kendall Amateur Radio Society (KARS). We are in the South Texas Section and located in Boerne, Kendall County, Texas around 30 miles NNW from Downtown San Antonio.  Our Club was formed in October 1980.  We have a current membership of around 70, and offer a variety of ham radio activities to amateur radio operators in the surrounding Texas Hill Country, and greater San Antonio areas.  We are an American Radio Relay League (ARRL) affiliated club and strongly support our National organization.  Our skills run from technology, to CW, SSB and Digital, working HF contests, chasing DX, 50 MHz, VHF and above.

We have 11 VE's and can test from Tech to Extra. Follow this link for more information about testing. One does not need to be a member to test with us. We want to meet you, help you get started in our wonderful hobby, and encourage you to join our club.  New Hams and experienced Hams find a home with us. Your participation will be welcomed.  Please come visit.

KARS provides the following repeaters using the Club call KB5TX.  The VHF and UHF repeaters are Yaesu DR-2 analog/digital machines.

VHF: 146.64(-)  pl tone of 88.5.  DR-2 at about 1970 feet above MSL on Tower Road.
 
VHF: 145.19(-)  pl tone of 88.5.  DR-2 at about 50 feet AGL at Fair Oaks Ranch.

UHF: 444.9 (+) pl tone of  88.5. DR-2 using the upper UHF antenna on Tower Road.

KARS Net meets every Tuesday night at 7pm on the 146.64 repeater.  All are welcome.

 
Hot News

Congratulations

We had five individuals successfully pass tests from Tech to Extra before our 4 February meeting:

  1. Mark Seamans, N5YZV -- Extra

  2. Richard Tilborg, KI5CVI -- General

  3. Gerald Cornell -- Technician

  4. Tuiyet-Van Demarest -- Technician, and

  5. Ben Vaughn -- Technician.

Call signs for our new Technicians will be announced as soon as they have them.

Congratulations to Layla Rutherford who has received her Technician License.  Her call is KI5MRL.

The presentation for 4 February was Station Grounding by Corky Sarvis, WB5CIT.  The presentation is posted in the Presentation Folder.

ARRL announced Field Day rules for 2021 will be the same as 2020 with maximum power limitation of 150W for Class D and E stations.  See below.

KARS meeting for March will occur on Thursday, March 4 at our normal meeting place at the EMS station on North Main St., Boerne.  See “Meetings, Training and Testing” for a picture of the building and address.  An announcement will be made before hand if there will be a hybrid component.

For those wishing to test.   The room will open at 6pm.  Only VE’s supervising tests will be allowed to enter at this time.  Testing starts at 6:30pm.  Those wishing to test must arrive early and get your paperwork filled out.  Because we have a meeting at 7pm, we will not be offering the next test if you pass.

For those wishing to attend the regular meeting in person.  The meeting will commence at 7pm.  Members will be allowed to enter when testing is concluded.

Covid precautions to be followed will be published beforehand.

The FCC is now requiring those wishing to test to register with the FCC first to to obtain their FRN (Federal Registration Number) prior to their testing session as we will now need this and can no longer accept your SSN.  Please log into the ARRL web page at http://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session which describes all requirements.  You do not need to be an ARRL member.

FCC to Require Email Address with Applications and on File. Log into the ULS License Manager System with your FRN and password to update your FCC license record.  See FCC to Require Email Address on Applications Starting on June 29, 2021 (arrl.org)

Dues for 2021 are due.  The amount is $20 for the Member or $25 for Member and Spouse.  Please remit to KARS, PO Box 1732, Boerne, TX 78006.

For the latest discussions, see our GROUPS.IO page here.

For Current Sunspot and Radio Flux progression, see https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression.

This site is current a/o 19 February, 2021.  Latest content: A paper by Don Udel, KI5AIU, "What is Winlink (and why should I care), a presentation on Station Grounding, plus Field Day rules for 2021.
Introduction  The seed for Amateur Radio was planted in the 1890's, with Marconi experiments in wireless telegraphy. Soon he was joined by hundreds; now thousands worldwide.  This section tells you what we are about 131 years later.
Radio Choices Many new to Amateur Radio wonder what radio to choose after their hand-held.  Here is information about Yaesu, Icom and Flex, along with links to others.  There is more about Flex in Presentations.
Station Design for HF to 50MHz Our members operate stations from simple to elaborate.  We can give you ideas for yours.
Station Design for VHF The Hill Country has many locations that are good for VHF and UHF.  With proper antennas and low loss coax, one can work much further than could be imagined.
QRP Want to get started in QRP?  KARS past President, Bob Rosier - K4OCE, recently inducted into the QRP Hall of Fame, tells you how.
Weak Signal World & Digital New modes like FT4 and FT8 seem to be the fastest growing segment of our hobby.  See this page for FT4 and FT8 updates from Dave Moore, N7RF.
Space See the Presentations Folder below-left for information about ARISS --  Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.  The ISS call sign is presently NA1SS.  Downlink frequency:145.8 MHz.  Astronaut: Shannon Walker KD5DXB.  See https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html  for latest information.
Contesting and DX This page encourages one to get on HF and to work contests. You will find an ARRL link to nine pages of information how to begin contesting along with all the dos and don'ts.  This page also provides some "how to" ideas about contesting and working DX, plus how to find who is on the air and find current propagation reports.  
Software LoTW & Club Log This subject discusses Ham software, how to get the rare one in the log and then how to get the confirmation.
Repeaters The 444.9 and 146.64 are both DR-2 machine are located ten miles north of Boerne on Tower Road.  145.19 is a DR-2 machine located at Fair Oaks Ranch.  Click on "Repeaters" our current status.  Also see the presentations folder for "how-to" information for our Wires-X link.
Field Day

The COVID-19 pandemic-modified ARRL Field Day rules from 2020 will continue this June with the addition of a power limit of 150 Watts imposed on Class D (Home Stations) and Class E (Home Stations-Emergency Power) participants.  See ARRL to Extend Field Day Rule Waivers from 2020, Add Class D and E Power Limit 

Presentations & Discussions We have frequent programs on a variety of amateur radio subjects.  The last program was a presentation by Corky Sarvis, WB5CIT about Station Grounding.  The latest addition to the presentation folder is a paper by Don Udel, KI5AIU, "What is Winlink (and why should I care"
Meetings, Training and Testing We normally meet the first Thursday of each month.  Find directions at the link. We also provide direction, mentoring and when you are ready, testing before the general meeting.  See this page for tips how to prepare.  We have 11 Volunteer Examiners and can test from Tech to Extra.   See Training, Meetings and Testing for requirements, and then call Brad Peace - N5PBP.   Follow the "testing" link for phone number and/or email address to make an appointment.  You do not need to be a member of our club to test.  We are open to all.
Links Here are links to various websites of interest.  If you want to hear how ship to shore CW was done just 25 years ago, check out the Maritime Radio Historical Society.
Community Activities We have a strong association with Kendall Co. EMS, the Kendall County Sheriff's Department and other organizations.  See our communication plan for interoperability with local agencies.  
Swap Meet Two antennas have been sold from the Swap Meet page.  There are still two radios listed for sale:  Icom ID-5100 Deluxe.  Alinco DR-635T VHF/UHF FM.  Send text and picture to the webmaster, K5NOF@ARRL.net.
Forms KB5TX agenda template, Membership Application and other club related forms.
Officers In addition to information in the footer, you will find the mailing address, email address, and a listing of KARS officers for 2021 here.
Constitution and By-Laws Our Constitution and By-Laws are current as of Summer, 2016.  These are updated for approval by the membership as circumstances dictate.
History of the Club KARS commenced informally around 1975 and was formally incorporated in 1980.  See this link for all the details.
Ideas for Improvement Please direct your flaming arrows at the webmaster.  A web site lives or dies depending on its content.  Judging from the hit-counter, we must be doing pretty well.  Your ideas are welcome. K5NOF@arrl.net

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KARS -- P.O. Box 1732 -- Boerne, TX 78006

For more information, email K5NOF@ARRL.net