131 results for author: Scott Toth

Support GARA when you Shop at Amazon!

Amazon is one of the largest online retailers in the world and many people use it on a regular basis.  Those of us who do are now able to support GARA without any cost to us.  Amazon's "Smile" program donates 0.5% of qualified purchases to any eligible charity, and GARA has recently registered to receive these donations.  All you need to do to contribute is shop at smile.amazon.com (instead of amazon.com) and select GARA as your charity of choice.  We've made it even easier- all you need to do is click on the banner in the center of the w4gso.org homepage to take you to smile.amazon.com and automatically choose GARA.  Each purchase won't amount ...

January Meeting: Learn About the “Odyssey of the Mind” Event!

Hams are always looking for opportunities to serve their community.  It seems that the need for amateur communications has waned with the advent of personal electronic devices, but hams in Greensboro have an opportunity to put their skills to good use on April 1.  An event called "Odyssey of the Mind" is coming to Greensboro that day and a number of volunteers will be needed to help fulfill communications needs.  This event has been held in Raleigh and served by hams there for a number of years, but this year, it's our turn! Brian Young, KA9QJT, who has organized hams for the event in Raleigh in the past, will be speaking to the club via Skype ...

Santa’s On the Air!

Many hams might not realize it, but Santa is an avid amateur radio operator and loves to talk to children around Christmastime!  There are multiple ways to get in touch with Santa, so we thought it might be helpful to list them here.  Here is the list as we know it: November 27 through December 24: The 3916 Net hosts Santa Nets starting at 8:30PM EST on, you guessed, it 3.916 MHz.  You can find more information here. December 19 through December 31: Keep an eye on the spots for Old Father 9 Christmas (OF9X) from Santa Claus World throughout this time.  There is no set frequency, but you can QSL and get a great card for the little ones to ...

November is Election Month

Dear GARA Member, The election for the 2017 Greensboro Amateur Radio Association Officers is almost upon us, and we need your help. The Nominating Committee is actively seeking people interested in running for office in your club. The officers to be elected are: President Vice-President Engineering Chair Financial Chair Operations Chair Treasurer Secretary Member-at-Large (2 positions) Each officer is elected each year at the November Annual Membership Meeting, currently scheduled for November 28th, 2016. The annual meeting convenes at 7:15 PM at our new meeting location of Cooper’s Ale House, 415 S. Swing Road, Greensboro, NC. We meet ...

GARA Meetings Are Changing Location

While Captain Bills has been a gracious host for many years, the GARA board thought that it might be time for a change of scenery.  After a lot of searching and discussion, a new meeting location has been found: Cooper's Ale House, part of the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Greensboro, located at 415 S. Swing Road.  The meetings will take place in the "Salon D" room where you'll be able to enjoy a delicious dinner before the meeting.  The room even has built-in projection and audio capabilities, so viewing the presentation will be easier than ever. We're very excited about this change and hope that you are too.  Come check out the new venue at ...

September Meeting: Learn to use Chirp

With the onslaught of cheap HTs and bargain-priced mobile radios, everyone's getting a new rig.  The big problem comes when it's time to program in a memory or adjust the PL tone; most radios require multiple levels of menus to adjust the appropriate settings and can be frustrating.  Many of the big manufacturers have software available that makes programming the radios easy if you use your computer, but one open-source application has become the go-to standard that works with radios from most any manufacturer: Chirp.  Despite Chirp's ubiquity, many people have found it difficult to understand and use, and this month we aim to help with that. In ...

August Meeting: Show Us Your Stuff!

This month we're going to try something a little different.  Considering that the weather is still nice, this seemed like it would be fun.  If there's one thing that hams like to do, it's ogle other hams' gear.  We also like to learn about new things that might spark an interest or lead to a new project idea.  With that in mind, our meeting this month will be a "Ham Show & Tell" where you'll be able to show off or talk about your latest HT, how you were able to talk on the Brandmeister network via a D-star hotspot that's linked with a C4FM reflector, your fancy new Elecraft,  or the cool way you mounted your screwdriver HF antenna onto your ...

Volunteers Needed – 36 Hours of Uwharrie

Here's a great opportunity for area hams to support the local community.  Guilford ARES has been requested to provide emergency communications for the 36 Hours of Uwharrie event. Operators are needed on Friday, August 12 and Saturday,  August 13, 2016.  Please contact Greg Spencer, KG4UQV at  chevyontherocks@netscape.com or 336-392-8031 if you can help.  More information about the event can be found at 36uwharrie.com.  Thanks for your support!

Watch the GARA July Meeting with Dr. Bob Heil

Many thanks go to Bob Heil for providing an excellent presentation via Skype for GARA's July meeting at Captain Bill's on Monday evening, July 25, 2016.  He gave an interesting, insightful and entertaining talk on all things from his history and company start to phasing, EQ, audio basics, and more.  Watch the full meeting- you won't regret it!

July Meeting- Bob Heil to be GARA’s Guest Speaker

Well, after a short wait, we've finally been able to book Dr. Heil to be our guest at the next meeting on July 25!  This is one you won't want to miss.  Bob has been hugely influential in professional audio and ham radio and is a staple on the internet webcast "Ham Nation."  Come prepared to ask questions and have a great time! We'll be live streaming the meeting so you'll be able to participate even if you can't attend in person. Keep an eye on www.w4gso.org and on GARA's social media pages for more information.  Make plans to join us at Captain Bill's on Monday, July 25. We'll see you there!