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This archive of 2014 lists the past items of interest to the general amateur radio community in Hawaii.


Hawaii Calendar of Events for 2014

November 26, 2013, updated August 5, 2014

Amateur radio clubs and organizations around Hawaii sponsor or participate in a variety of operating events and meetings. This is a list of key events around the state.

Date Event
Tues December 31, 2013 2:00 pm HST - Sat January 1, 2014 1:59 pm HST ARRL Straight Key Night
Sat January 5, 2014 8:00 am to 2:00 pm HST and Sat January 14, 2014 8:00 am to 2:00 pm HST ARRL Kids Day
Sat January 18, 2014+ ARRL January VHF Contest
Fri February 14, 2014+ ARRL DX Contest - CW
Fri March 1, 2014+ ARRL DX Contest - Phone
Fri March 28, 2014+ CQ WPX Contest - Phone
Sun April 20?, 2013 Geek Meet VI
Fri May 23, 2014+ CQ WPX Contest - CW
Sat May 31, 2014 Makani Pahili - Annual Hurricane Exercise
Fri June 6, 2014+ Museum Ships Weekend (See USS Missouri)
Sat June 14, 2014+ ARRL June VHF Contest
Sat June 28, 2014+ ARRL Field Day and Hawaii Field Day
Fri August 22, 2014+ Hawaii QSO Party
Tue Sept 2, 2014 USS Missouri, KH6BB, Anniversary of the End of WWII
Sat Sept 20, 2014 EARC Mini-Field Day, 4 pm
Sun Sept 21, 2014 Kona Amateur Radio Society, Big Island Grid Madness, 1:00-5:00 pm HST
Sat October 4, 2014 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
Fri October 23, 2014+ CQ World Wide Contest - Phone
Fri October 31, 2014+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest - CW
Fri November 14, 2014+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest - Phone
Saturday November 15, 2014 EARC Swapmeet, 10 am - 2 pm
Sat November 15, 2014 Big Island International Hamfest, BIARC and KHRC, Waimea, Big Island, 8 am, Waimea Community Center
Fri November 28, 2014+ CQ World Wide Contest - CW
Fri December 5, 2014+ SKYWARN Recognition Day
Fri December 12, 2014+ ARRL 10 Meter Contest
Sun December 14, 2014 Communications for Honolulu Marathon. Email Greg NH6ZS for more details.
Updated Monthly ARRL Pacific Section News

Honolulu Marathon 2014, December 14, 2014

November 30, 2014, updated November 30, 2014

The Honolulu Marathon is set for Sunday, December 14, 2014. See the Honolulu Marathon 2014 webpage.

Prepare for Hurricane Ana, October 19+

October 14, 2014, updated October 14, 2014

SKYWARN, Big Island County and State RACES are scheduled to activate TBD. See the Hurricane Ana webpage.

ARRL Simulated Emergency Test, October 4 9:00 am - 12 noon

September 16, 2014, updated September 16 2014

The annual ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is scheduled for Saturday, October 4 from 9:00 am to 12 noon. See the Hawaii SET 14 webpage.

Big Island of Hawaii International Swap meet / Ham fest - October 18th, 2014 - Waimea

September 9, 2014, updated September 2014

The Big Island of Hawaii International Swap meet will be Saturday October 18th, 2014 at the Waimea Community Center, next to the ball field off Kawaihae Road in Kameula, Hawaii. There will be a $10 donation per table per seller and a $5 donation per attendee at time of registration.. See the BIARC Swapmeet webpage and the KARS webpage.

Schedule

  • 8:00am Breakfast at Hawaiian Style Cafe
  • 9:00am Vendor setup
  • 10:00am Doors open to public ( be sure to get your tickets for the raffle )
  • 11:00am Drawing for Major Door Prize
  • 12:00pm Swap meet portion closes, setup for VE testing.
  • 12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch and cleanup.
  • 1:00pm VE testing ( a good time to upgrade your license )
  • 2:00pm Event comes to a close.

There will be qsl card checking, raffles, and surprise giveaways thru out the day.

Please note: This is a non commercial event that promotes the trading of equipment and information between hams and the general public and to promote the open exchange of exploring Ham Radio as a hobby. Talk in 146.940 Maui Repeater, 147.32 Waimea repeater and 443.650 ( 100hz tone ) Kona. Contact Steve Milner WH6N 808-938-8437 - PO Box 6573 [email protected]

Thanks for supporting Ham Radio in the Hawaiian Islands

Prepare for Hurricane Karina, Aug 23+

August 12, 2014, updated August 12 2014

SKYWARN is scheduled to activate TBD. See the Hurricane Karina webpage.

Prepare for Hurricane Julio, Aug 9+

August 7, 2014, updated August 7 2014

SKYWARN is scheduled to activate TBD. See the Hurricane Julio webpage.

Prepare for Tropical Storm Iselle, Aug 7-8

August 4, 2014, updated August 8 2014

SKYWARN activated from Thursday, August 7 at 12:00 pm noon through Friday, August 8 at 5:40 pm. See the Tropical Storm Iselle webpage.

USS Missouri KH6BB operations, September 2, 2014

August 6, 2014

From Bill. KH6BB, the radio room of the USS Missouri will be open on Sept 2 to celebrate the Anniversary of the End of WWII. This is our day to show off the radio room and participate in events on board. Tours will be directed thru radio and we can tell our stories. kh6bb.org

Travel tip from Zeph N7WAP

July 31, 2014

Zeph N7WAP has a travel tip. If you're taking a radio on your travels, tape a photocopy of your amateur radio license onto the radio before you pack it in luggage. When TSA opens the luggage, they'll readily understand the nature of the radio.

Big Island Simplex Contest, Sunday September 21, 2014

July 21, 2014

The Kona Amateur Radio Society is sponsoring Big Island Grid Madness, a contest for all hams on the Big Island of Hawaii. This four hour event is designed for FUN, and to test your equipment, coverage and operating skills using simplex on 2 meters, 70 cm and 33 cm (900 MHz). The idea is to contact as many stations as you can in as many Grid Squares as you can during the contest, using SIMPLEX ONLY.

Mark your calendar! Sunday, September 21st from 1300 to 1700 HST. For all details, view/download the info packet here: Big Island Grid Madness

Please send questions to AH6KO at arrl.net

New Mobile Electronics Ordinance effective July 1, 2014

July 12, 2014

Act 175 updates the mobile electronics (cellular telephone) ordinance effective July 1, 2014. Past history of the legislation is found on this web page It's suggested to print a copy and place it in the glove compartment of your vehicle.

SCD changing to HEMA starting July 1, 2014

July 12, 2014

Act 111 restructures Hawaii State Civil Defense into the new Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, starting July 1, 2014 through July 1, 2016. The Act is the result of HB849 HD2 SD2 CD1.

H.R. 4969 would extend PRB-1 to CC&Rs

July 12, 2014, updated July 16, 2014

H.R. 4969 Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014 would extend the application of FCC's PRB-1 for reasonable accommodation antennas amateur radio communications to CC&Rs and private land use restrictions.

Amateur radio operators in Hawaii are encouraged to contact your representatives Colleen Hanabusa, District 1 and Tulsi Gabbard, District 2 and ask for their support of H.R. 4969.

More details at arrl.org.

Field Day 2014

June 26, 2014, updated July 4, 2014

Amateur radio operators in Hawaii will conduct an annual radio exercise Saturday June 28 through June 29, 2014. Details are available at ARRL Field Day 2014 web page.

Mayors in the four counties have issued proclamations acknowledging Field Day and Amateur Radio Week.

Reid Wiseman KF5LKT was active aboard the International Space Station Saturday morning June 28 from 9:39 to 9:40 am on a 46 degree ascending pass east of Honolulu. Among the stations contacted was Amanda WH6DUB at the Maui ARC Field Day station KH6RS. They exchanged additional information and photos on Twitter.

Makani Pahili 2014 Annual State Hurricane Exercise, May 31-June 5, 2014

May 11, 2014

Amateur radio operators in Hawaii will conduct an annual hurricane exercise Saturday May 31 through June 5, 2014. Details are available at Makani Pahili 2014 web page.

On Saturday May 31, amateur radio operators state-wide will be handling and exchanging simulated messages from 9:00 am to 12 noon. On Oahu, amateur radio operators will also be involved in a shelter exercise with the American Red Cross and Department of Emergency Management.

On Tuesday June 3 from 8:30 am to 12 noon, the State CD EOC and the four County EOCs will conduct a communications exercise.

On Thursday June 5, Maui County will be conducting an exercise.

HRS 847-2.7 affecting emergency management volunteers effective July 1, 2014

May 11, 2014

Hawaii Revised Statues (State law) 847-2.7(36) and (37) effective July 1, 2014 requires volunteers working with emergency management agencies at the State and County level submit to a criminal background check. HRS 847-2.7

Those working with emergency management agencies have already been notified of the upcoming requirement and deadline through the respective agencies.

WX4NHC National Hurricane Center Radio Net, May 31

May 6, 2014

From: Julio Ripoll Architect WD4R

Announcement from WX4NHC
Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Miami Florida

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Station Test on
Saturday, May 31st, 2014 from 9AM-6PM EDT (1300z - 2200z, 3:00 am - 12:00 pm HST)
VoIP Net 4PM-6PM EDT (2000z - 2200z, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm HST)
This will be our 34th year of public service at NHC.

The purpose of this event is to test Amateur Radio Station equipment, antennas and computers prior to this year's Hurricane Season, which starts June 1st and runs through November 30th.

This event is will be good practice for Ham Radio Operators world-wide as well as NWS Staff to become familiar with Amateur Radio communications available during times of severe weather. WX4NHC will also be performing operator training.

We will be making brief contacts on many frequencies and modes, exchanging signal reports and basic weather data exchange ("Sunny", or "Rain", etc.) with any station in any location.

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF , 2 & 30 meter APRS and WinLink [email protected] subject must contain "//WL2K". We will try to stay on the recognized Hurricane Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz most of the time and announce when we QSY.

Due to space and equipment limitations, we will have 2 to 3 operators per shift, we can not be everywhere and every mode at the same time. You may be able to find us on HF by using one of the DX Spotting Networks, such as the DX Summit Web Site

We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 4pm-6pm EST (2000-2200z) (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). http://www.voipwx.net/

Local South Florida area VHF & UHF Repeaters will be contacted.

QSL Cards are available via WD4R. Please send your card with a S.A.S.E Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. Please do NOT send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address, as it will get delayed.

For more information about WX4NHC, please visit our website www.wx4nhc.org

Lee Wical KH6BZF, SK

May 4, 2014, updated July 12, 2014

Lee Wical KH6BZF passed away on May 2. ARRL story. Star-Advertiser.

SKYWARN Training. April 17 and 19

March 31, 2014

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Honolulu is offering two SKYWARN training sessions for amateur radio weather spotters. The sessions are: (a) Thursday, April 17, 2014, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and (b) Saturday, April 19, 2014, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon The class will be held at the NOAA/NWS Honolulu Forecast Office at the University of Hawaii Manoa Campus. Following the two hours of SKYWARN training, there will be a tour of the forecast office and the ham radio station, KH6SW. Email Clem Jung KH7HO [email protected] as which date you want to attend or if you have questions.

Chilean Tsunami, April 1-2, 2014

April 7, 2014

Amateur radio operators were on standby for the April 2, 2014 Chilean tsunami. The tsunami advisory did not result in formal amateur radio activations.

How to phrase communications during an emergency radio net

March 30, 2014

This month's featured web article is the phrasing and on-the-air communications during an emergency radio net. Developing the HABIT of using certain key words BEFORE an emergency will greatly help you in the critical minutes, hours or days that you may be passing vital messages via the radio.

The EARC Diamond Head 146.28/146.88 MHz Repeater

March 12, 2014

This month's featured web article is the past and modern history of the Emergency Amateur Radio Club (EARC) Diamond Head 146.28/146.88 MHz repeater — the first two meter repeater in Hawaii. I'd like to thank Bob Schneider AH6J and Robin Liu AH6CP for information that went into the web article. It's a means for living amateur radio operators to acknowledge the past contributions and benefits of other hams that have gone before us, and to give perspective and insight for the up-and-coming generation of technicians and operators.

ARRL January VHF Contest

November 26, 2013, updated January 19, 2014

Jeff AH6IX and Ron AH6RH encourage amateur radio operators in Hawaii to participate in the annual ARRL January VHF Contest.

ARRL's VHF contest for January 2014 is scheduled for the weekend of Sat January 18 9:00 am to Sunday January 19 6:00 pm. It was a good way to get into the spirit of Field Day and contesting in general. Click here for more details.

Suggested frequencies for the state of Hawaii:

  • 50.120 SSB
  • 52.525 FM
  • 144.200 SSB
  • 146.55 or 146.58 FM
  • 223.500 FM
  • 446.00 FM
  • 1294.500 FM

Grid squares scheduled to be active for the event are BL11 (East Oahu) and BL01 (West Oahu). Other grid squares throughout Hawaii are being sought. You can get a map of the grid squares in Hawaii by clicking on this link.

Most participating stations would probably be (a) FM-only, if operating from home or (b) Limited Rover, if operating mobile/portable. If you operate above the 420-450 MHz band, you'd be a (a) Low Power or (b) Rover station.

As a follow-on to the presentation at the EARC General Membership meeting May 17, 2011 and as a teaching aid, you can view a copy of the paper log to get an idea of how to log, then score for the event as a Rover station. If you intend to submit a paper log, remember that the log has to be hand-written according to the rules.

If you are submitting a paper log, make sure to check the ARRL web page. complete both the log sheet and the summary sheets for submission.

If you wish to make an electronic submission of the log via a web form, check the ARRL web page.

The AH6RH archives

January 4, 2013

If you're looking for past items, click here.

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