A look back at the original UNCLUB!
10/08/21 08:46
August 2006 N5XO formed the Amateur Radio UNCLUB known as the Unusual Suspects, our sole purpose was to promote Amateur Radio, and have fun.
WHAT IS AN UNCLUB? I spend my days doing meetings, contracts, and formal activities, when I am in my hobby I want to relax and have fun. I did not want to deal with formal meetings, minutes, dues, club officers and the politics that go with all of that, so I formed what we have referred to as an UNCLUB.
In 2012 with a large amount of our activity and interest focused on promoting VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating, we changed our name to HAMster Weak Signal Group.
Since our creation in 2006 I think we as a GROUP have done an amazing job of promoting Amateur Radio. When you think of all the huge events and projects we have pulled off as a UNCLUB it is even more amazing. I thought I would share some of our events and Activities. It is these projects and the friendships of an incredible group of people that make me proud to be part of this fine group. – Greg N5XO
Website: We built a new website - www.144200.net, where we featured photos and news from various ham radio events that our members participated in, plus a list of our proud members.
Tower Raising: I think we have had more tower raising projects than about any group around. Since every thing we do is about Taco’s… it would explain why as a group we seem to be getting larger {grin}. We have helped each other raise towers, design systems and improve our stations. I am impressed with our accomplishments. When we first started operating simplex like many ham’s and clubs we relied on repeaters and our stations showed it … now we have stations that anyone can be proud of … and have outstanding simplex coverage.
In fact within the members of our group…
PROMOTING SIMPLEX AND WEAK SIGNAL is our thing {grin}
Remote Field Day: We put on what we called our Remote Field day, we camped in everything from tents, RV’s, back of pickup trucks, etc……We put on this annual event from 2007 through 2013. We operated off portable antennas, generators, batteries, etc. This is a fun 3 day event with getting away from the hussle and bussle of city life … plus it promoted for training remote field operations, emergency communications and allowed us to test antenna designs in remote conditions that we had worked on the year prior.
We have encouraged non-hams to join us for the weekend events… to enjoy the out doors and get interested in ham radio….I’m happy to say we have created 6 or 7 new hams out of this activity over the years.
School Day: We got with a local school and promoted a Radio Fair day … our group donated a 100% full brand new working 2 meter ham station….20 amp power supply, 2 meter mobile radio, 40ft push up pole, J-Pole antenna and 60ft of LMR 400 … We introduced a 8th grade Junior High school Science class to Amateur Radio … and offered the 2 meter station to the first student who got his or her license. This program created 9 new hams for the hobby… and afforded one lucky young lady a 2 meter station…
This is a program we should do again… it was a lot of fun…
Repeaters: Even though we are not a repeater club and we prefer as a rule SSB or FM Simplex operating on VHF/UHF, We do recognize the value and need for repeaters and have built and put up 3 very wide area coverage repeaters.
Pipe Creek: 147.120 PL 82.5 plus System Fusion
Jourdanton: 147.240 PL 82.5 plus Sy stem Fusion
San Antonio. 443.025 PL 82.5
First and Foremost we wanted to see if we as a group could pull of a repeater project. I am happy to say we did a very good job. Not one of us had any past repeater experience, but not only have they now operated for 10 plus years trouble free, but offer some of the regions largest coverage foot prints with just a few exceptions.
Biggest bug issue was tuning the duplexers and I am happy to say that was a great learning experience. The repeater went on the air 3 years ago now….and the only maintenance or attention it has required was when we purchased a DB-420 high gain antenna to replace the temp hustler 440 base antenna that went up as a temp antenna until we could get what we wanted. Not a second of maintenance or any issues have developed or been required in over 3 years.
Working to put San Antonio on the VHF/UHF Weak Signal Map. A huge push and project was to get San Antonio HAMs active on VHF/UHF Weak Signal SSB, we started presentations for local clubs, we preached and promoted the advantages of SSB operation to everyone we got in front of, plus we formed a Weak Signal net on 144.180 that is held every Sunday Evening at 7:pm.
Plus to help test propagation and encourage people to aim the antennas this way, we built and put up VHF/UHF Beacons.
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 144.289 @ 15 watts on single K5VH Omni at 120 ft
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 432.360 @ 10 watts on single K5VH Omni at 115 ft
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 1296.424 @ 15 watts on stacked WA5FRF Omni at 120 f
Encouragement of New Hams: We have reached out directly or indirectly to brand new hams and helped guide them to a club that fits their needs or help promote them into simplex operations. We have mentored more than a few hams over the years and while we do not individually have all the answers, with a diverse group such as ours … we usually have someone who can help them out….and or get them in the right direction.
One of the most interesting aspects of our group to me that shows we are promoting and pushing things in the right direction is the number of wives who married to hams for years, decades, etc. and never had a moments hint of interest in Amateur Radio started attending our breakfast, activities, etc… and enjoyed themselves so much that they are now hams….
THAT TO MY WAY OF THINKING SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE HAMster AMATEUR RADIO CLUB….
Look at everything we have accomplished since that simple day when Greg invited 4 local friends to take part in an antenna design and construction project and what we have formed and built.
IT’S AWESOME IN MY OPINION!
WHAT IS AN UNCLUB? I spend my days doing meetings, contracts, and formal activities, when I am in my hobby I want to relax and have fun. I did not want to deal with formal meetings, minutes, dues, club officers and the politics that go with all of that, so I formed what we have referred to as an UNCLUB.
In 2012 with a large amount of our activity and interest focused on promoting VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating, we changed our name to HAMster Weak Signal Group.
Since our creation in 2006 I think we as a GROUP have done an amazing job of promoting Amateur Radio. When you think of all the huge events and projects we have pulled off as a UNCLUB it is even more amazing. I thought I would share some of our events and Activities. It is these projects and the friendships of an incredible group of people that make me proud to be part of this fine group. – Greg N5XO
Website: We built a new website - www.144200.net, where we featured photos and news from various ham radio events that our members participated in, plus a list of our proud members.
Tower Raising: I think we have had more tower raising projects than about any group around. Since every thing we do is about Taco’s… it would explain why as a group we seem to be getting larger {grin}. We have helped each other raise towers, design systems and improve our stations. I am impressed with our accomplishments. When we first started operating simplex like many ham’s and clubs we relied on repeaters and our stations showed it … now we have stations that anyone can be proud of … and have outstanding simplex coverage.
In fact within the members of our group…
- we have 3 more tower projects coming along in the next month to month in a half…
- 2 of them 72ft towers with large antenna arrays….
PROMOTING SIMPLEX AND WEAK SIGNAL is our thing {grin}
Remote Field Day: We put on what we called our Remote Field day, we camped in everything from tents, RV’s, back of pickup trucks, etc……We put on this annual event from 2007 through 2013. We operated off portable antennas, generators, batteries, etc. This is a fun 3 day event with getting away from the hussle and bussle of city life … plus it promoted for training remote field operations, emergency communications and allowed us to test antenna designs in remote conditions that we had worked on the year prior.
We have encouraged non-hams to join us for the weekend events… to enjoy the out doors and get interested in ham radio….I’m happy to say we have created 6 or 7 new hams out of this activity over the years.
School Day: We got with a local school and promoted a Radio Fair day … our group donated a 100% full brand new working 2 meter ham station….20 amp power supply, 2 meter mobile radio, 40ft push up pole, J-Pole antenna and 60ft of LMR 400 … We introduced a 8th grade Junior High school Science class to Amateur Radio … and offered the 2 meter station to the first student who got his or her license. This program created 9 new hams for the hobby… and afforded one lucky young lady a 2 meter station…
This is a program we should do again… it was a lot of fun…
Repeaters: Even though we are not a repeater club and we prefer as a rule SSB or FM Simplex operating on VHF/UHF, We do recognize the value and need for repeaters and have built and put up 3 very wide area coverage repeaters.
Pipe Creek: 147.120 PL 82.5 plus System Fusion
Jourdanton: 147.240 PL 82.5 plus Sy stem Fusion
San Antonio. 443.025 PL 82.5
First and Foremost we wanted to see if we as a group could pull of a repeater project. I am happy to say we did a very good job. Not one of us had any past repeater experience, but not only have they now operated for 10 plus years trouble free, but offer some of the regions largest coverage foot prints with just a few exceptions.
Biggest bug issue was tuning the duplexers and I am happy to say that was a great learning experience. The repeater went on the air 3 years ago now….and the only maintenance or attention it has required was when we purchased a DB-420 high gain antenna to replace the temp hustler 440 base antenna that went up as a temp antenna until we could get what we wanted. Not a second of maintenance or any issues have developed or been required in over 3 years.
Working to put San Antonio on the VHF/UHF Weak Signal Map. A huge push and project was to get San Antonio HAMs active on VHF/UHF Weak Signal SSB, we started presentations for local clubs, we preached and promoted the advantages of SSB operation to everyone we got in front of, plus we formed a Weak Signal net on 144.180 that is held every Sunday Evening at 7:pm.
Plus to help test propagation and encourage people to aim the antennas this way, we built and put up VHF/UHF Beacons.
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 144.289 @ 15 watts on single K5VH Omni at 120 ft
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 432.360 @ 10 watts on single K5VH Omni at 115 ft
N5XO Beacon - EL09 - 1296.424 @ 15 watts on stacked WA5FRF Omni at 120 f
Encouragement of New Hams: We have reached out directly or indirectly to brand new hams and helped guide them to a club that fits their needs or help promote them into simplex operations. We have mentored more than a few hams over the years and while we do not individually have all the answers, with a diverse group such as ours … we usually have someone who can help them out….and or get them in the right direction.
One of the most interesting aspects of our group to me that shows we are promoting and pushing things in the right direction is the number of wives who married to hams for years, decades, etc. and never had a moments hint of interest in Amateur Radio started attending our breakfast, activities, etc… and enjoyed themselves so much that they are now hams….
THAT TO MY WAY OF THINKING SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE HAMster AMATEUR RADIO CLUB….
Look at everything we have accomplished since that simple day when Greg invited 4 local friends to take part in an antenna design and construction project and what we have formed and built.
IT’S AWESOME IN MY OPINION!
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