N6VI Presentations for Hams

 

The ARRL: Your Voice for Amateur Radio - Current Issues

As one of your elected representatives to the ARRL Board, I am happy to join our Director and Section Managers in keeping members abreast of current developments in Amateur Radio and the ongoing efforts of the League on your behalf, as well as to answer questions about the ARRL.

 

Being DX - Tales of a Contest Expeditioner

This collection of anecdotes from over a dozen contest operations outside the "lower 48" describes both the unique aspects and common threads of our expeditions.  Non-hams also find this entertaining.

 

Prepare for the Worst - Overcoming Operating Challenges in The Gambia

Our 2003 CW Worldwide DX Contest operation at C5Z presented numerous and formidable obstacles that required a team effort to surmount.  This is a case study in "making it work - no matter what" with lessons that apply as well to emergency communications as they do to contesting.

 

Sharpening Your Emcomm Operating Skills

This interactive session includes both formal presentation and participant activities in the areas of tactical callsigns, message copying, net operations and callsign recognition.  It helps to have some room to spread out for this one, and having tables available is a plus.  One or several exercises can be included, depending on the time available.

 

NVIS - The Ultimate Backup in Reliable Regional Communication

Hams involved in public-service communications have a tool that doesn't depend on repeaters or other infrastructure: HF using near-vertical-incident skywave, or NVIS.  This presentation describes the propagation characteristics, antenna choices and band selection involved in utilizing HF for regional communication.

 

Choosing the Right Coaxial Cable

I gear this primarily toward newer and less technically oriented hams and discuss cable characteristics, losses versus operating frequency, connector choices and more.  There's a little math, but the talk is more strategic than it is technical.

 

Emergency Power - Loads, Sources and Management

This session helps participants learn how to determine their power requirements for electrical and electronic equipment that will be run independent of commercial mains, how to quantify available power sources, and how to develop a power budget to more closely match needs and sources.  We also address safety measures for portable power sources and briefly discuss alternative-energy sources.  I also give a "Solar Only" version of this presentation.

 

Message Traffic Handling

Our value as emergency communicators depends largely on our ablilty to process messages accurately.  This session covers message formatting, the "desk" function and step-by-step procedures for sending and receiving voice messages.  It allows participants to practice what they learn in some exercises.

 

Net Control Class

Would you like to try running your organization's on-air net?  Are you involved in emergency communications and concerned that you might find yourself having to run a resource or tactical net?  Then you can benefit from this short training session.  Learn how to sound like a pro and how to avoid the "don'ts" that can throw a net into chaos.  Knowing how to prepare and what to do can build your confidence and help make you one of your group's "go-to" operators.

 

Field Day – Strategies, Tactics and Techniques

In this presentation I discuss the factors that drive a variety of planning decisions for those participating in ARRL’s always-popular Field Day event.  I then discuss tactical opportunities to get more out of your Field Day efforts and ways to tackle such problems as cross-band interference

 

N6VI Presentations for Non-Hams

 

Using FRS / GMRS Radios for Disaster Preparedness

This is of interest to neighborhood CERT teams whose members want some form if intra-team communications but are unfamiliar with using radios.  This talk can also be adapted for hospitals and other agencies whose employees may have to use commercial-band radios during a disaster but have no idea how to do so.

 

Communication Resources in Disaster Operations

In this talk, I explain in layman's terms why sophisticated communication systems fail in disasters and give an overview of alternatives, including integration of Amateur Radio into neighborhood preparedness plans.  I also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of some common radio services.