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Site updated: Mar 21, 2023

Volunteerism Reporting Form

Alachua Vol. Comm Plan

ARES/RACES Application/ Badging

Badged Volunteers

Minutes & Documents

Alachua Cty Vol. IPP

2022-Update-IPP

2022 Field Day

2021 FIELD DAY


NFARC HISTORY

PAST EXERCISES



Alachua Cty. Vol. EOP

Alachua Cty Vol. IPP


Florida Baptist Disaster Relief Information

North Florida Amateur Radio Club

created to support Alachua County ARES(R)

ARES(R)/NFARC meeting ZOOM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89530741792




GENERAL REMINDER -- Get Credit for What You Do!
Alachua County Emergency Volunteer Taskbook (Levels 1, 2, 3)

Florida Wide ARES(R) Taskbook



TENTATIVE DRAFT FOR ARES/NFARC 2023 FIELD DAY


FIELD DAY VOLUNTEER SIGN UP FORM


NFL SECTION APRIL 22 S.E.T. Exercise

Section Overall Exercise Plan

Local Plan Coming from JEFF W4UFL



NVIS-VHF GTMO Functional Exercise
Sponsored by the Gainesville Area NVIS Net.
Fascinating proposed exercise that will give everyone a chance to practice directly serving the public by moving health and welfare messages.

Hooray Reid Tillery & others!!
OPTIONAL EXERCISE REGISTRATION

Online Tally Form Reporting




LUNCH'N'LAB MARCH 25th
Low or Moderate Power 9:1 Balun Systems for Deployment Antenna
non resonant antenna schematic



The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Dysfunctions_of_a_Team
  1. Absence of trust:  unwilling to be vulnerable within grouop
  2. Fear of conflict -- seeking artificial harmony over constructive passionate debate
  3. Lack of commitment -- feigning buy-in for group decisions creates ambiguity throughout the organization
  4. Avoidance of accountability -- ducking the responsibility to call peers, superiors on counterproductive behavior which sets low standards
  5. Inattention to team results -- focusing on personal success, status and ego before team success



Beautiful new Travel Trailer Roof Coating
This is the 3rd coat going on.   You can see how gorgeous the first two coats appear, and the third coat finished the job for us.   About 80 lbs of new polymer roof protection.   We pre-caulked everything that had any cracks. 
The elevated platform that we constructed from pressure treated lumber made this very easy and no need to climb on the roof!

Third Coat Going on Travel Trailer



February 2023 Minutes
Thanks, Leland!

GREAT Open House with Ham Radio Mentors Contributing lots of ways -- photos to follow!

School Ham Demo

Lorilyn Roberts KO4LBS with two of her successful Morse Code Middle Schoolers!   Cornerstone Academy Open House.  The two students just each won their own code-key set!

GREAT Signal Report from INTERLACHEN for our
NF4RC-7 Digipeater (VARA)
31 miles East, PAST HAWTHORNE and in Putnam County



David Huckstep and Eric Pleace did VERY SIGNIFICANT antenna improvements  at the EOC.  Report and Photos to follow.


January Training Assignment Results


A lot of learning is going on.   I'm coaching people who are struggling but eventually succeeding.   They're still getting this down.   A little repetition at a later day MAY be useful to help them cement their understanding of this....but they are SUCCEEDING!! Need to discuss at next meeting, our training goals and desires. 

Download this sample signed file (better to use this than your own):


TRAINING ICS-214 SIGNED FORM

Send it by VHF FM RADIO (either AX.25 (slow) or VARA-FM (fast) to [email protected]

(In order to use digipeaters / fast VARA FM you'll need to register your copy.)

DO NOT SEND IT IN BY TELNET.   That defeats the purpose of the training.

BADGED VOL
SUCCESS?

Jeff Capehart
no-go
Gordon Gibby
SUCCESS!   Jan 17
Leland Gallup
SUCCESS!  Jan 29
David Huckstep
SUCCESS -- but
something odd is happening (on my end) ....
So he did it AGAIN! (Jan 29) -- SUCCESS!! and AGAIN, and AGAIN and AGAIN (for more practice!) Wow!!
Wendell Wright
SUCCESS!! Jan 28
Earl McDow
SUCCESS!  Jan 25
(to KX4Z) 
Success Again on a later trial
Susan Halbert
SUCCESS!  Jan 16
Larry Rovak
no-go
Earl Sloan
no-go
Judith Jones
no-go
Randy Carter
no-go
Vann Chesney
SUCCESS!  Jan 20
Andy Hunn
no-go
Ralph Boal
no-go
Alan West
no-go
John Troupe
no-go
Jim Bledsoe
SUCCESS! Jan 26
Robert Swain
no-go
Kevin Rulapaugh
no-go
Brett Wallace
SUCCESS!! Jan 23
(to KX4Z)
SUCCESS!! Jan 25  (to NF4RC)
Dean Covey
no-go
Amy Woods
SUCCESS!! Jan 29
Lorilyn Roberts
Problems with Signalink Cable are stopping her, so far
IT WAS A DEAD NEW SIGNALINK-- She swapped out EVERYTHING into a different Signalink AND GOT IT WORKING and sent the file!  Wow!  SUCCESS!  Jan 29.
Reid Tillery
SUCCESS!!! Despite the KX4Z-12 "read only" issue!!  Jan 31
Brad N5CBP
SUCCESS!  (without signature)
Jan 24
Steve Panaghi
KC2ASY 
SUCCESS!!  (came as "RO"???)
Jan 28 -- 2nd try -- File Format problem - unreadable
Tyler Ray
KN4JQB
SUCCESS!!!   Jan 29
Eric Pleace
KO4ZSD
SUCCESS!!!  Jan 30 -- Eric apparently sent to wrong address first go around but this time customized the form, acquired a rread receipt and a first class submission!



ICS201 for General Class Course
2023 General Class Course

Alachua County EOC

SIX HARDY SOULS MADE IT THROUGH

TO THE END!!


Antenna MugShots

Course Finishers Holding their new 20-Meter Dipole Antennas!!



High Point

Out testing antenna rope....went over TWO TREES....requred 150 feet of paracord.

Pulled up each antenna as a sloping dipole.

Leland is handling the far rope as Jim works the antenna end


    Sub-Element Volunteer Instructor

01. Rules Gallup
02. Op Practice Wright
03. Propagation Halbert 0
04. Radio Practices Emily Wallace
05. Electricity Pleace
06. Components Pleace
07. Circuits Gibby

08. Signals Gordon
09  Antennas Brett Wallace
00  Safety Bledsoe
Antenna Build:   Gordon




Very Productive Antenna Work Day

Alachua County EOC

Many thanks to Leland AA3YB and Eric KO4ZSD -- job well done!!

See the photos of our glorious 270-foot OCFD antenna at our sister site

for the Alachua County EOC callsign:

NF4AC Website



TRAINING ICS-214 SIGNED FORM

Download this form and use for our training drills so you don't have to use your own signature.





NEW BLANK ICS-214 FORM FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD AND ADD JPG SIGNATURE


550-foot DIGIPEATER Article



New VARA Narrow High Speed Digipeater

144.990  Approx 550 foot antenna

Courtesy of TV-20 and Jim Carr



VARA Digipeater


DigipeaterConstruction





Hurricane AARIP

Draft 2022 Hurricanes AAR/IP (Alachua County Vols)

VAR-AC  now offers fascinating broadcast modes on HF and VHF - and file and email transfer.   Obviously competing effectively with AX.25 systems! 
Great opportunities for communications volunteers.

Installing VAR-AC


Saturday LabNLunch -- big progress made by many in fixing problems, learning techniques, building new radio assets.   No way I could get them all in photos -- too much happening simultaneously all over the 1st floor!








The group worked for aboutt four hours on a slew of different projects!

Minutes from our Hurricane Nicole Meeting!

Alachua County Approved Volunteer Communications Plan
Approved Nov 9 2022, as amended.

NFL Section Hurricane Nicole IAP



Bibliography Document 2022

(Note:  Hold down LEFT SHIFT KEY while "reloading" document to force acquisition of most recent copy of the rapidly updating document.)  
Requested document by the EOC to list what we trained, taught, built, served just so far this year!  We've been BUSY!!


TECH NITE TALK on AX.25/VARA (Part One)
If you weren't able to join us for this talk, you might wish to review this.

BEATY TOWER GARC2 (W4DFU-8) UP AND RUNNING!!

Hooray Earl, Susan & Jon!!!
Digipeater Coverage for East Alachua County Returns!

--------

We are a DYNAMIC and VIBRANT amateur radio club involved in almost every aspect of this incredibly fun hobby, teaching and training as many people as we can, both to benefit them and to increase support for serving our Community through backup radio communications in times of need.

Connection Planning Document

Connections Planning Document


DRAFT LOCAL COMMS PLAN

(updated 11/4/2022)

(Ongoing updates: refresh your browser to get latest version)


List of options to gain data techniques:
Sound Card Options - 2022



Page to go to to find the way to turn in the 214's:

Alachua County EOT Page

You will have to go there and drop down to the link, "Submit your 214"
because my attempt at creating a direct link didn't work...


    THANKS SO MUCH TO OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS!!!

ARES(R) Planning for Hurricane IAN




All-Florida ARES(R) Taskbook for All
Taskbook Specific for Alachua County Badged Volunteers




Lorilyn's MORSE CODE Practice for Middle School Students is going WELL!   It is fascinating to see their interest in this unique skill.







CALENDAR



NEW FORM TO REPORT YOUR VOLUNTEERISM

VOLUNTEERISM REPORTING FORM

(This link is also now in the LEFT COLUMN
<----- over THERE
and you can find it there long after this little blurb here in the center column
DISAPPEARS



GROUPS.IO:   https://groups.io/g/NF4RC
If you would like to join, please send me an email ([email protected]) and I'll send you out an "invitation." 
Email to subscribe yourself:   [email protected]


If YOU would like to be qualified to serve our local County in communications in times of need, look at the requirements https://qsl.net/nf4rc/WelcomeToAlachuaCountyARES.pdf   There are plenty of other ways to serve, but this gets you built into the County Response.


NFARC Zoom Link





ARES(R)/NFARC meeting ZOOM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89530741792





Alachua County Shelter Radio Systems Testing
:  https://qsl.net/nf4rc/2021/MassCareShelterAntennaTesting.pdf




Leadership in our group is SERVANTHOOD

FCC Licensed Club Callsign:

NF4RC

Contact Information
Trustee
Gordon Gibby MD  docvacuumtubes  at  gmail.com
More information on qrzcq.com
 

"How-To" on building a Go-Box

(I have plenty of wood forms if you need one already cut and screwed together.)





Forest Grove NF4RC-7 FireTower station


Beatty Tower dual-frequency station

Beatty Towers Antennas W4DFU-8

Our two digital antennas at base of Beatty Towers antenna installation.  W4DFU-7/8/9

Art on Beatty Towers

Art on top of Beatty Towers (164' up!)