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From the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
along the southern shore of Lake Superior ~ Station K 8 L O D
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 The Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association (HARA) monthly meeting
is the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM, and is held at the Marquette County Health Department
building, lower level. It's located just east of the Michigan State Police Post on Highway
US-41 between Marquette and Negaunee.
Anyone who has an interest in electronics, radio theory, communications, and serving the public is
welcome. Let Amateur Radio open up an whole new world to you. Explore many operating
modes including voice, television, several computer generated digital modes, and yes, even Morse
code. Communicate around the corner or around the world!
Amateur Radio is a licensed radio service. To earn a license requires passing examinations
regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, and we can guide you through the learning
process. The members and officers of the HARA are interested in sharing our enjoyable and
interesting hobby with anyone who is curious about Amateur Radio and communications. Please
join us!
 Click on Welcome to the World of Ham Radio for detailed Amateur Radio
information from The American Radio Relay League.
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HARA Notes...
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Field Day 2009 is over.
(34 Sections, 26 States, 4 Provinces, 65 Contacts) I operated exclusively on 20 SSB from Pike
Lake for a few hours with limited success using my old camp radio, and I came away amazed that
stations I heard at 10 over S9 could not hear me. That wasn't the case all the time, but it
happened more than I expected it should.
Band conditions weren't all that bad, just a little strange. Short skip was prevalent all
weekend on 20. I worked stations downstate many times, and Minnesota was an easy catch.
At times, it seemed that NY, NJ and all of the New England states were the only participants in the
contest.
I didn't have any reports of distorted audio, but I did try a couple different microphones and I
fiddled with compressor settings without much difference in my success rate, so what was the
problem? Could it have been that all the stations I was hearing were using KW amps and
yagi's? I doubt it. I suspect my antenna was the problem.
I used my 80 meter north-south inverted-vee doublet at 35 feet and feel that the antenna had too many
multiple nulls to go along with the multiple lobes on 20. (I thought inverted-vee
configurations were supposed to limit nulls.) I use a 44 foot double at my home location with
good success, so I'm going to change the antenna at camp. Since I don't normally operate on
80/75, I really don't have a need for a 135 foot antenna, anyway. I do operate 40, but the
efficiency of the shorter antenna shouldn't be a major problem.
Sometimes longer isn't better? What's your story? Send your Field Day comments and
photographs to (AJ8MH).
The July issue of The
Standing Wave newsletter is out. If you missed a copy, they are available for download back
to October, 2008. Click here for the
PDF newsletter archive. Greg is always looking for material to publish in the newsletter, so
contact him today! (AJ8MH)
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
For additional information contact:
Raoul Revord
(906) 387-1655
Brian McEachern
(906) 439-5019
"Radio Hams" from Alger and
Marquette County join in national deployment:
Public Demo of Emergency Communications June 27 and 28
Superior Central Ball Fields - Eben Junction
Your Town's "hams" will join
with thousands of Amateur Radio operators who will be showing off their emergency capabilities this
weekend. Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing
critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America including the
California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide. During Hurricane
Katrina, Amateur Radio and often called "Ham Radio" - was often the ONLY way people could
communicate, and hundreds of volunteer "hams" traveled south to save lives and property. When
trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio's people are often the first to provide rescuers with critical
information and communications.
On the weekend of June 27 - 28, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with Alger County ham
radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the
newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams
from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications
abilities. This annual event, called "Field Day" is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio
Week" sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency
power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and
backyards around the country.
Their slogan, "When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works" is more than just words to the hams as they
prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other
infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.
More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.
We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore,"
said Allen Pitts, W1AGP, of the ARRL. "The communications that ham radio people can quickly
create have saved many lives when other systems failed or were overloaded. And besides it's
fun!"
In the Chatham area, the Alger Radio Club will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at The Superior Central
Schools Ball Fields on June 27th and 28th. They invite the public to come and see ham radio's
new capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster
strikes.
There are over 650,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the
world. Through the ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Services program, ham volunteers provide
emergency communications for thousands of state and local emergency response agencies, all for
free.
To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org. The public is most
cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can
do. They can even help you get on the air!
Amateur Radio Awareness Week in Michigan
Executive Office of Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor
On behalf of the citizens of
Michigan, I, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2009 Amateur Radio
Awareness Week.
Whereas, Amateur radio provides a bridge between people, societies and countries through the sharing
of ideas; and,
Whereas, Throughout its history, amateur radio operators have provided countless hours of community
service without compensation; and,
Whereas, There are over 20,000 amateur radio operators in the state of Michigan and approximately 85
amateur radio clubs that have demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing, at their
own expense, emergency radio communications; and,
Whereas, Amateur radio operators provide services to many of the state's emergency response
organizations, such as FEMA, the Michigan Department of Human Services, and the Office of Emergency
Management, and also serve as weather spotters for the Skywarn program, which is a part of the
National Weather Service; and,
Whereas, This year's Amateur Radio Field Day will be a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and
demonstration of the skills of amateur radio and readiness to provide communications;
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do
hereby proclaim the week of June 22, 2009, amateur Radio Awareness Week in Michigan. I encourage the
resident of this site to listen up and to turn on their radios in observance of this week and its
activities.
signed,
Jennifer M. Granholm,
Governor
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The Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association was formed to facilitate
the exchange of information and general cooperation among members, promote radio knowledge,
fraternalism and individual operating efficiency, further the exchange of information and cooperation
between law enforcement and emergency preparedness personnel, lessening the burdens of government in
providing much needed communications in times of emergency and or disaster, as well as 
to be of service
to the community at large, and to conduct club programs and activities so as to advance the general
interest and welfare of amateur radio.
Back in 1932, a group of 15 amateurs decided to form an
Amateur Radio Club. It was the first of its kind in Marquette County, known as the Marquette
Radio Assn. In 1933, they became chartered with the American Radio Relay League (
Welcome to the Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association WEB
site. WEB site material is always needed. If you have amateur related photos, feel free to
e-mail them. The same goes for articles. Write about your favorite aspect of this great hobby
(DX, QRP, Homebrew Projects, Traffic Handling and Nets, etc.) or a milestone you've finally managed to
reach. Just make sure it's Ham Radio related, and it will get published. Remember, pictures and
articles go to AJ8MH. 73 and thanks in advance! Joe ( AJ8MH ~ ex: WJ5MH ) -
AJ8MH-Radio WEB
Site