Update on Amateur Radio Sig and space, please

Interest Groups Amateur Radio
#1

I have been away from the Space for quite a while now. All the usual reasons - new job, covid closure, terminal cancer diagnosis, etc. etc.

Who are the current Amateur Radio SIG leaders? Are there any activities or initiatives I can support? What is the status of the radio equipment, antenna and work area? The last I heard - or saw - it was against the main dividing wall near the main electrical panels. Was it ever made operational?

I’ll visit the space, perhaps today or sometime this week and look around. I’ve kept up my DMS membership all this time so I’m hoping my door fob still works!

73,

Kevin Grantham

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#2

I can’t speak to current time lines, but the door locks and vents still have not happened. And without the storage racking being located and assembled to create the space under, a stack of electronics storage bins are currently occupying the space.

#3

Yeah, the AR sig is still a thing… Albeit it’s been quiet.

I’m technically one of the leaders, but things kind of got put on hold back when the air conditionings broke, and then the auction has made the space we were supposed to have completely unusable at the moment.

I will actually be in with another ham today testing some of our HF equipment/blowing off the dust on them. I’ll probably be there from noon-ish or so on, and we will likely be working on AR stuff starting at…2:30 or so.

There’s plenty of work that can still get done in the meantime. Off the top of my head:

  • we need to finish terminating coax cables to the roof
  • we need to figure out a good non-penetrating antenna mounts for the roof
  • we have a lot of random antennas and antenna parts, we need to go through them/test them/filter them out
  • I’d like to set some actual goals on what the AR sig as a whole would like to do.

I’m in most days in the afternoon/evening, except for this Monday.

k2mow

#4

The SIG still exists. Hamshack build out is on indefinite hold. It’s the pwr room next to Blacksmithing. Area is currently being used as storage for upcoming auction. Coax / cntrl / ac pwr lines to the roof have been installed. Roof side breakout box has been completed(?). Box in shack has some work left to do. Network cables need to be run along w/ cameras installed and door locks. Doors need windows and vents. Blacksmithing may want to do their doors also.

There are some infrastructure things that can be planned / done while waiting on the auction to happen. Also there has been some interest in classes on prepping for license testing.

#5

Where is the ham gear these days?

Oz (N1OZ, in DFW)

#6

Locked away until we get the new room under access control. If you come to me and show me your license I’ll give you a peek :stuck_out_tongue:

We have some nice equipment though, and there have been concerns of it walking away, hence why we don’t keep it obvious until we have that electrical room set up.

#7

What “Auction”?

I’ve been waiting for way too many months for this as someone who was planning on being a bidder.

#8

This got a brief mention in last weeks’ infrastructure meeting.

The auction project is on hold for lack of available volunteer capacity.

Lots need to be re-cataloged and organized. Contact @jphelps if you want to help get it going.

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#9

The former CTO was working on the auction however it has not been completed as yet. I’ve recently picked it up and will be pursuing it as quickly as possible.

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#10

I want to bid… If I help with the auction that might be thought of as a conflict of interest.

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#11

The auction items and lots will be approved by the board and then handled by a 3rd party company and as such I’m not seeing the potential for a lot of conflicts.

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