HAM & Self-Reliance Discovery Day September 23rd at the Monadnock Rod & Gun Club

Monadnock

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Hello All,

Literally hundreds of Members of this forum have visited our Club over-the-years for our annual Car Shoots and Pumpkin Shoots and-the-like at Monadnock Rod and Gun Club. This September on the 23rd from 8:00am to 6:00pm, we're holding our inaugural Self-Reliance Discovery Day. What does this have to do with amateur radio you may ask. Well a lot really, other than shelter, water and food, communication during crisis or emergency is a crucial part of survival when the power is out and landlines are down or cell towers have ceased functioning ...or there's simply no cell signal available.

We have made arrangements with Members of the CCDX Amateur Radio Club here in New Hampshire, and Cheshire County ARES (American Radio Emergency Service) both of whose Members are Members of the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) to have information and some basic instruction available with a complete HF (30' mast/multi-band dipole/tennis ball launched antenna/TS-590SG, etc.) and VHF/UHF (probably a tripod with a buddy pole) station set up, along with different bases, HTs and mobile rigs so attendees can view options of equipment available. Which would include live on-air demos and allow novices to get-on-the-air. Basically showing the attendees exactly what HAM is all about.

Details are still forming, but that's the gist.

BASIC FLIER version 1

Of course there will be other events and instruction ongoing.

Perhaps I'll see some of you at the Boxboro Convention in a couple of weeks:

The ARRL New England Division Convention
September 8-10, 2017
Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center, Boxborough, Massachusetts

I will edit this post to information and links as I secure it.
 
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Awesome! I like the mix of 2A and HAM stuff. I'll see if some of my friends want to come up and visit.
 
Mark,

I'll see you again in Boxboro.

Too bad I'm teaching a Mass Gun Law Seminar on Sept. 23rd, but it is also a very long drive. If I lived closer I would certainly endeavor to attend. Hope it is a great event.

Someday (soon, I hope) I hope to live a lot closer!
 
Congrats and good luck.

Any shooting stuff on 9/23? Maybe can take a ride out with non-ham buds.

See you in Boxboro!
 
Congrats and good luck.

Any shooting stuff on 9/23? Maybe can take a ride out with non-ham buds.

See you in Boxboro!

No gun sales, but we may have a firearms vendor or three and may have a reloading demo. I will probably at some point do a brief presentation on making homemade ...from scratch, gunpowder.

Click the Flier below for a full-sized PDF version that you can download



Basic Vendor/Instructor Info for the Self-Reliance Discovery Day
Saturday September 23, 2017 at the
Monadnock Rod and Gun Club
MRGCI.com
595 Jaffrey Road/Route 202W
Peterborough/Jaffrey, NH Town Line

This is a FREE event, there is no Gate Fee charged to attendees so the barrier for attendance and entry is minimal

Food ready-to-eat (prepared on-site on-sale for immediate vending) vendors are not allowed, though vendors may pass out free samples of their edible wares, and sell those wares that are dried or canned or otherwise meant to be consumed off-site

There is a Vendor Registration Fee (must send in Registration by August 31st) of $25

This Registration Fee is 100% refundable. Meaning, if you show up and set up for the event, your fee will be completely reimbursed that day. However if you do not show up, your fee will not be refunded.

Vendor setup is first-come first-served. If you have special needs, please communicate such via either of the contact numbers indicated on the flier.

Each vendor will be allowed a 15’ x 15’ area to set up their canopies and tables/displays, they will have drive-in access in order to setup and drop off, but must return their vehicles to a dedicated parking area well-within a short walk to the vendor area.

No alcohol, no open fires, all participants 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult

Gates open to vendors at 4PM on Friday the 22nd, at which time the Club closes to the Membership

Primitive camping is available, 24 hour bathroom and lighting around the pavilion area

RV/Pop-Up parking available, no hookups

Non-selling (meaning not selling any type of physical products, wares or off-site training) Instructors/Trainers/Teachers must fill-out the Registration Form but do not have to include the $25 Fee

Email Contact: [email protected]
 
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Self-Reliance Discovery Day Sep_23_2017_v1.2.090617_non-vendor_2048px.png
 
That looks very interesting. Maybe post a link in the survival section? Not sure how many non-hammers look in this thread.
 
Damn, Mark. The one day I have a wedding to go to.

I hope you guys do this again next year!!

Hey A, if things go decently, there will be a next year. Inaugurals are in essence dry runs in my eyes... even though they're pretty damp. Stripped-down versions of what I hope for it to eventually develop into.

- - - Updated - - -

That looks very interesting. Maybe post a link in the survival section? Not sure how many non-hammers look in this thread.

Good suggestion, I will do that.
 
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I would love to be at that but I have to work unless I can get someone to cover for me. :(
 
Saturday I'm stuck working at home...right beside my radio. I can't hit any repeaters near Monadnock, but if someone is operating on an HF band tomorrow and you post the frequency here I'll try to make contact. Voice or Morse, no digital.

I'm 60 miles away. This would be a good test of local NVIS operations. In a SHTF situation VHF and repeaters are great for your town and community, but we'll want to talk a few hundred miles too. 20meters and low take-off angle antennas intended for Dx skip suck at these intermediate distances.
 
I hope this happens again next year. We went but by the time we got there around 2:30pm it seems like half of the vendors had already left. I still learned a few things and got some ideas.
 
I tried to make contact with them on 40meters. Monadnock sent me the frequency they were on. I might have heard them, but the voice was too deep in the noise. I was hearing TX, CA, and lots of other places 1 or 2 skips away, but nothing local. The antenna I was using slopes at about 45deg, so it's pretty poor for NVIS. I need to rig an NVIS antenna.

Hey Monadnock, what were they using for an antenna? Vertical? Horizontal dipole?
 
I hope this happens again next year. We went but by the time we got there around 2:30pm it seems like half of the vendors had already left. I still learned a few things and got some ideas.

I hope it does too. I'm thinking this year was kind of a practice run and that if it happens next year it will be bigger and better.


Thanks Monadnock for all the work that you and the other club members put into this event.
 
Verical, they launched an antenna about 90 feet up into our bull pines.
That explains why we couldn't hear each other but both of us could talk to people 1,000 miles away. My full-wave sloper doesn't doesn't put much straight up and their mostly vertical(I assume) antenna puts almost nothing straight up. We were both shooting over the other's heads. I'll call this "a successful failure"(I learned). I need to rig a low horizontal wire for NVIS.
 
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I think we were there from about 2:30-ish to about 3:15-ish.

Entered some of the raffles = of course I won nothing. One guy won 4 oz. of silver from the Kolga.com silver set-up.

The wife (Cowgirlup) found someone's smartphone in the woman's bathroom (hopefully its owner got it back).
 
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I think I arrived around 3:30. I saw the vendors packing up their stuff and hung out under the pavilion chatting with some reprobates.

If you have a pair of pooches named Bella and Billy, then we met.

Nope. we just missed you. I was going to say I didn't see any giant sized guys out there. ;)
 
I think we were there from about 2:30-ish to about 3:15-ish.

Entered some of the raffles = of course I won nothing. One guy won 4 oz. of silver from the Kolga.com silver set-up.

The wife (Cowgirlup) found someone's smartphone in the woman's bathroom (hopefully its owner got it back).

Yes, and thank you ...it was Joan L.'s phone, she was running the canning booth.
 
I need to rig an NVIS antenna.

I'll call this "a successful failure"(I learned). I need to rig a low horizontal wire for NVIS.

Can you write up a thread in the HAM section on your adventures with NVIS antennas? I would be super interested in reading what you are finding and what ultimately works, I am hoping to get into HF this fall.
 
Can you write up a thread in the HAM section on your adventures with NVIS antennas? I would be super interested in reading what you are finding and what ultimately works, I am hoping to get into HF this fall.
Will do, but no promises on when I get to it. Work and family life have me so busy I don't know if I should scratch my watch or wind my butt.
 
Will do, but no promises on when I get to it. Work and family life have me so busy I don't know if I should scratch my watch or wind my butt.

Of course, I am right there with you on life being life. I have learned a lot your posts in this sub forum, and NVIS is something I have read up on but would like to see how it works out for you. Maybe get to the point where we could make contact running similar setups.
 
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