Category: Informational

2017 NW APRS Summer Gathering, Sept. 8-10

The 20th Annual Northwest Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) gathering is coming in September. APRS is digital communications information channel for Ham radio

DATES
The 2017 NW APRS Summer Gathering is:
Friday September 8
Saturday September 9; the main day, presentations begin at 9:00
Sunday September 10 (informal, debrief, departure)
Many folks arrive on Friday, or even Thursday, for socializing and camping. Saturday is the main day and presentations start approximately 09:00, with breakfast at 08:00. In addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided (see below). Sunday is primarily for the folks that stay overnight, and a breakfast is provided. Sunday morning is a debrief and/or general discussion. There is no lunch provided on Sunday.

BACKGROUND
The NW APRS Summer Gathering is a very social and educational event right here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s great fun and a great opportunity to learn and practice just about anything you can do with a computer and your ham radio. Summer Gathering started with a focus on Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) but the event has evolved to encompass many facets of digital / data communications in Amateur Radio and related subjects. Some of the most fun of Summer Gathering is the informal discussions between like-minded hams from different areas, and the “show and tell” benches with a chance to see and operate different digital Amateur Radio systems.

The 2017 NW APRS Summer Gathering is an officially recognized ARRL event! Thus we’ll have some ARRL Prize Certificates to give away to three lucky attendees and perhaps a few other goodies. Our thanks to the ARRL and ARRL Northwestern Division Director Jim Pace K7CEX for approving Summer Gathering on short notice. Thanks to Lynn Burlingame N7CFO for the suggestion!.

VALLEY CAMP
If you have not previously attended a Summer Gathering, it’s held at Valley Camp (https://valleycamp.org), an incredibly beautiful campground near North Bend, WA with lots of nature trails and birding opportunities for the family along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. Elk and deer abound and can often be observed in the main clearing of Valley Camp.

Valley Camp is located near North Bend, WA and is 10 minutes off of I-90 at Exit 34. At the bottom of the Exit 34 ramp, turn Left (North) and continue 1/2 mile past the convenience stores and truck stops and watch for the right turn onto SE Middle Fork Road (County Road sign says Valley Camp 2.2 miles). Continue to the “Y” and take the Left on SE Middle Fork Road (the lower road). Follow until you come to the STOP sign. The entrance to the camp is straight ahead across the small intersection. Please note: there is road work (still) underway on the main road to Valley Camp. It may well be complete by the time of Summer Gathering, but we cannot be certain of that. In previous years, the road work occurs AFTER Valley Camp. Please note: The speed limit is 5 MPH once you enter Valley Camp’s grounds because of dust, kids playing, wildlife, and adults shooting antenna wires in the air.

Coordinates for Valley Camp’s entrance are Lat 47.4680 and Lon -121.6808 (Don’t forget the minus on the longitude or you’ll end up in Mongolia!) Valley Camp’s Amateur Radio club call is WA7VC and the club IS on APRS. Check it out on https://aprs.fi/wa7vc. There is also a UHF D-STAR repeater at Valley Camp – WA7DV, “B”, 440.0125+.

As is the norm for the Pacific Northwest in September, you should come prepared for the weather to be hot… or cool… or wet… or dry.

OVERNIGHT STAYS ARE FULL
Per Teena at Valley Camp, all available RV sites and bunks in the Lodge are FULL. If you have not contacted Teena directly, you do NOT have a reserved spot to stay overnight. If you have any questions about staying overnight (especially if you have to cancel, opening up an available RV site or bunk), please contact Teena at Valley Camp – email teena@valleycamp.org. (Please don’t contact Steve N8GNJ about this – you must contact Teena DIRECTLY).

FIRE DANGER – NO FIRES / OPEN FLAMES
The fire danger from 70+ days of no significant is EXTREME. There will not be any open flames, including charcoal fires for cooking. If you’re a smoker, please be EXTREMELY careful with your discards.

CELLULAR IS SPOTTY, LIMITED WI-FI INTERNET AVAILABLE
Due to the terrain and the location, cellular service is spotty at Valley Camp. There are places on the grounds of Valley Camp that cellular service will work, but generally not at the picnic shelter where the presentations are held. There is Wi-Fi Internet access, but the bandwidth is limited – please don’t plan on downloading videos, app updates, or other high-bandwidth activities.

DONATIONS
Summer Gathering operates on donations. A campground like Valley Camp incurs significant expense in hosting an event like Summer Gathering (even though it’s informal). To date we’ve been able to keep Summer Gathering going for 20 years based on donations instead of charging a hard fee like most similar events do. We suggest a donation $25 and you can donate cash in the donations mailbox at the Valley Camp picnic shelter where Summer Gathering is held, or you can donate with a credit card by talking to Teena at the event. If you’d like to contribute to Valley Camp in a more substantive, recurring manner, there are a variety of electronic methods to donate to Valley Camp (including bitcoins!) at the bottom of the page at https://valleycamp.org.

MEALS / BEVERAGES
Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday breakfast will be provided for as many people who have registered. Apologies in advance, but we can’t take requests such as special meals such as vegan, gluten-free, low-fat, etc. If you have dietary restrictions, please plan on bringing and storing your own food (the refrigerator in the shelter will not be available). The meals are provided as a donation by Tina and Steve Stroh (though donations for the expense of the food are appreciated). Coffee, iced tea, lemonade will be provided. Due to the large crowd this year, please consider bringing your own bottled water or “canteen” (the tap water is safe), canned soda, or “adult beverages” including your own cooler and ice, and perhaps enough to share with your fellow attendees. Due to the large crowd this year, please consider bringing some beverages to share (and mark your cooler that the contents are for sharing). If you’d like to know the menu, please contact Tina Stroh KD7WSF – tina.stroh@gmail.com.

CALLSIGN BADGES
Even though Summer Gathering is an informal event, please bring a callsign / name badge and wear it. There are a lot of us this year, and apparently a lot of new faces, and wearing a callsign badge will help all of us put names to faces. There will be adhesive paper badges of course, but they usually fall off. It’s also helpful to bring some business cards as you often strike up a conversation with someone interesting and don’t remember their name or callsign or how to reach them to follow up.

BRING A CAMP CHAIR AND POWER STRIPS
There are a lot more attendees than there will be available seats on the picnic benches in the shelter, so please bring a camp chair. Please be sure to MARK your camp chair so you get the right one back (it takes a long time to wear them in correctly). If you need AC power, please bring your own power strip(s) and MARK it, and be willing to share / cascade AC power.

 INFORMAL PRESENTATIONS, SHOW AND TELL
Unfortunately, the 2017 SG will be more informal than previous years as I have not been able to confirm that there will be either a video projector for presentations, a “presentation” computer for PowerPoint slides, or even that there will be a public address amplifier. So, presenters will simply be talking through their presentations, with just their “speaking loud” voice to aid them.

Because of the lack of presentation aids, there won’t be a formal agenda / schedule and we’ll do presentations in the order that the presenters wish to do them, for approximately 45 minutes. We’ll break for approximately 2 hours mid-day for lunch, chats, demos, prize giveaway, and the annual photo.

The presentations that are confirmed are:

  • A Raspberry Pi Based ~1W Transceiver and UDRX Status Update – Bryan Hoyer K7UDR
  • ARRL Update – Jim Pace K7CEX
  • Discussion of the fate of the NW APRS website (http://nwaprs.info) – general discussion
  • High Altitude Ballooning – L. Paul Verhage KD4STH
  • NetTNC an EMCOMM Appliance – Jeremy McDermond NH6Z
  • State of the NW APRS Network – Bill Vodall WA7NWP
  • ThumbDV New SW and Applications – John Hays K7VE
  • UDR-Tracker an APRS Mobile Appliance – Basil Gunn N7NIX
ACTIVITIES
  • ARRL Prize Certificate Giveaway
  • ARRL Table
  • L. Paul Verhage KD4STH will have a video-equipped drone.
  • K9JEB will have dual band 144/446 MHz J-Pole and 220 J-Pole antennas, and some Power Distribution Kits for sale. See his website at http://k9jeb.com for details.
  • Portable RMS Station (N7CFO-10) – Lyn Burlingame N7CFO
  • Sale / Swap Activity – We encourage folks to bring gear they want to swap or sell from their trunks, RV’s, hatchbacks, side doors, or under their own 10×10 awning. If you’re selling items at Summer Gathering, please DO NOT USE the indoor space, which is reserved for showing off projects.
  • Tabletop show and tell demonstrations – various attendees
  • To answer a question from a long-time attendee, it has NOT yet been confirmed that the substantial HF station(s) running digital modes, that have been available at previous Summer Gatherings, will be available at the 2017 Summer Gathering.
POST-EVENT
If you’re interested in ensuring that there is a 2018 NW APRS Summer Gathering, please try to attend the debrief / wrapup session on Sunday morning where we discuss the event and do some planning. This email distribution list came out of one of those sessions. I’ll be taking notes, and after the 2017 NW APRS Summer Gathering is concluded, I’ll send out one last bulletin for 2017 with wrap up information, and a post-event survey to aid the 2018 SG “staff” to plan an even better 21st annual NW APRS Summer Gathering.

 

Utah Concealed Firearm Permit Class, Aug. 11, 2017 – Sportsman’s Warehouse

Ben Beckes of the Ascend Security Group from Utah will be teaching a Utah Concealed Firearms Permit class at the Kennewick Sportsman’s Warehouse on Friday, Aug.  11, 2017 from 12:30pm – 7:00pm — includes fingerprinting, photos, class, paperwork and Q&A.

The class will teach Utah laws, basic firearms safety, personal defense and security measure training and discussion.

Fee: $80 for the class ($10 discount for active duty/retired military)

Plus $47 Utah state fees.  Fees are submitted with your application.

This class may also qualify for Oregon and Arizona concealed licenses. If you are a WA resident, you must have a WA concealed license for your Utah CFP processing to be completed.

For questions, please call/email Ascend Training and Services at ascendtraining@gmail.com or 801-319-9314

Register for the class at Sportsman’s Warehouse at the customer service counter.

MVT West: Upcoming Classes

Max Velocity Tactical West training, out of the Spokane area, has some firearms classes coming up soon.

Combat Rifle Skills – Aug. 12-13, 2017, Sep. 16-17, 2017

Combat Rifle Skills (CRS) is a two day flat range class for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced shooter. It will teach you to safely and competently operate your rifle. This class takes the student from running their rifle on the bench, to practical combat applications that will put both rifle and shooter through their paces. Max Velocity Tactical specializes in the teaching of proven, adapted, legitimate combat tactics, techniques and procedures; as such, this class is designed as part of the progression to Combat Team Tactics.

This class is primarily focused on increasing individual weapon handling / shooting skills and competence.

Night Firing a 5pm – 10pm class – Aug. 12. 2017 , Sep. 16, Oct. 21, Nov 18

This is an optional class that takes place after the training day. Available September thru April only. Class start time is confirmed at close of play of Friday’s training / depending on time of year. Note: this class is designed for you to bring your own equipment. ROUND COUNT: 400 rounds COST: $200 NIGHT OPTICAL DEVICE FIRING NODF is designed to introduce students to their night vision, weapon and aiming devices. Students will learn how to integrate different systems to allow them to effectively use their weapon at night. Students will also be shown combat proven TTPs for night time operations. Students will get the most out of this class if they come with quality night vision, a reliable weapon and some form of infrared aiming laser.

 

Fr. John Peck: The Early Christian Martyrs Who Refused to Make Pottery for a Pagan Festival

From Fr. John Peck’s blog The Early Christian Martyrs Who Refused to Make Pottery for a Pagan Festival:

Ss. Justa and Rufina were sisters born to a poor Christian family in Seville, Spain in the 3rd century. They helped support their family and many of the city’s poor by making pottery.

Remember that this was before Constantine, so Christians were still a persecuted minority and paganism reigned. Which is why it wasn’t particularly strange that they were asked to make pottery for a local pagan festival.

What should they do? The festival was important for their town. But as Christians, they believed the pagan festivals were gravely immoral and they wanted nothing to do with them.

Continue reading at frjohnpeck.com by clicking here

Ben Yu: Cryptocurrency 101

Over at Medium.com, Ben Yu has written a cryptocurrency primer called Cryptocurrency 101. It is a long read, but it has much good history and other background information to enhance your understanding of the reason for and value of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin was designed, essentially, as a better ‘digital gold’. It incorporates all of the best elements of gold — its inherent scarcity and decentralized nature — and then solves all the shortcomings of gold, in allowing it to be globally transactable in precise denominations extremely quickly.

How does it do this? In short, by emulating gold’s production digitally. Gold is physically mined out of the ground. Bitcoin is also ‘mined’, but digitally. The production of bitcoin is controlled by code that dictates you must find a specific answer to a given problem in order to unlock new bitcoins.

In technical terms, bitcoin utilizes the same proof-of-work system that Hashcash devised in 1997. This system dictates that one must find an input that when hashed, creates an output with a specific number of preceding zeros, among a few other specific requirements.

This is where the ‘crypto’, incidentally, in cryptocurrency comes from. Cryptographic hash functions are fundamentally necessary for the functioning of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as they are one-way functions. One-way functions work such that it is easy to calculate an output given an input, but near impossible to calculate the original input given the output. Hence, cryptographic one-way hash functions enable bitcoin’s proof of work system, as it ensures that it is nigh-impossible for someone to just see the output required to unlock new bitcoins, and calculate in reverse the input that created that output.

Read the entire article by clicking here

A Night Out – Community Charity Event – Sept. 9th, 2017

Save the date and get ready to come out and support your community at this charity fundraising event.

A Night Out

Saturday, September 9th, 2017
Yellow Rose Nursery, Prosser

Award Winning pouring wineries, breweries & distilleries

Gourmet Dinner, Music & Dancing

Live and Silent auction benefiting the NW Community Foundation

This is one of Washington Wine Country’s premier charity events, hosting over 450 guests from across the Northwest. Last year’s event was a huge success because of people like you who gave generously of their finances, products, services and time.

Join us at our Wine Country Gala reception and Silent Auction along with award winning wineries, NW Micro Breweries, & Hors d’oeuvres in the stunning display gardens of the Yellow Rose Nursery.

Reservations will be accepted in the order of return receipt. All seating will be assigned so please let us know with whom you wish to be seated.

Friendship tables for 8 are $1,200, Couples for $200.00 and Individual seats are $100.00, Visa, Mastercard and American Express accepted.

Online ticket reservation coming soon. Reserve tickets by calling our message line at (509) 786-8499.

Show your support for our local communities by donating a Live or Silent Auction item.

Heat Danger

With temperatures expected to rise to between 101 to 109 degrees this week, it is a good time to remind readers of how to recognize heat related illnesses and how to react to them.  From the CDC:

Heat-related illness

What to look for

What to do

Heat stroke
  • High body temperature (103°F or higher)
  • Hot, red, dry, or damp skin
  • Fast, strong pulse
  • Headache
  • Feeling dizzy
  • Nausea
  • Feeling confused
  • Losing consciousness (passing out)

 
  • Call 911 right away- heat stroke is a medical emergency
  • Move the person to a cooler place
  • Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath
  • Do not give the person anything to drink

 

Heat exhaustion
  • Heavy sweating
  • Cold, pale, and clammy skin
  • Fast, weak pulse
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Muscle cramps
  • Feeling tired or weak
  • Feeling dizzy
  • Headache
  • Fainting (passing out)

 
  • Move to a cool place
  • Loosen your clothes
  • Put cool, wet cloths on your body or take a cool bath
  • Sip water

 

Get medical help right away if:

  • You are throwing up
  • Your symptoms get worse
  • Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour

Heat cramps
  • Heavy sweating during intense exercise
  • Muscle pain or spasms
  • Stop physical activity and move to a cool place
  • Drink water or a sports drink
  • Wait for cramps to go away before you do any more physical activity

 

Get medical help right away if:

  • Cramps last longer than 1 hour
  • You’re on a low-sodium diet
  • You have heart problems

Sunburn
  • Painful, red, and warm skin
  • Blisters on the skin

 
  • Stay out of the sun until your sunburn heals
  • Put cool cloths on sunburned areas or take a cool bath
  • Put moisturizing lotion on sunburned areas
  • Do not break blisters

Heat rash

 Red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually on the neck, chest, groin, or in elbow creases)
  • Stay in a cool, dry place
  • Keep the rash dry
  • Use powder (like baby powder) to soothe the rash

Stay cool. Stay hydrated.

Related: Two Die From Heat in Franklin County After Becoming Dehydrated

Fire Near Mabton Could Be Contained This Evening, July 31st, 2017

From the Yakima Herald

Update 1:45 p.m. Containment could come as soon as this evening, a spokesman for the state Type 3 management team handling the fire said.

Firefighters from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, state Department of Natural Resources, Yakima, Kittitas, Clark, Okanagan counties and contractors spent Monday strengthening the lines around the fire and mopping up hot spots, said spokesman Guy Gifford.

The state incident management team assumed command of the fire at 6 a.m. Monday.

The fire is burning 2 miles southwest of Mabton.

Update 10:40 a.m. The fire southwest of Mabton is now estimated at 10,000 acres.

High temperatures throughout the day are expected to pose a hazard to fire crews, according to a news release from the Incident Response Team.

Parts of Glade Road within the fire perimeter are closed.

Update 10:25 a.m.: The Glade 3 fire is at 20 percent containment, and crews are expected to bring it into full containment Tuesday, said Guy Gifford, spokesman for the state Type 3 Incident Command Team in charge of the fire.

“We have a lot more fire fuel because of the wet spring,” Gifford said. The fire is burning through grass and sagebrush on slight slopes.

A total of 191 firefighters are working the fire, with 29 engines, three hand crews and three water tenders.

An outbuilding was destroyed by the fire, but no one has been injured, Gifford said.

Busting the Bugout Myth: Basics of Personnel Recovery for Preppers and Survivalists

Brushbeater on having to bailout to a friend/family and some considerations of the same.

ncscout's avatarbrushbeater

In the same vein as the last post on ‘bugging out’ and a lot of the un-reality that surrounds it, the very real crossover skill of conducting a personnel recovery, or at a minimum, how to link up with friendlies, needs to be taught in lieu of the “look at muh bugout stuff!!!” that frequently goes on among rank amateurs. Building a bag and sitting it in the corner, or better still, pontificating on which “one gun and knife combo am I gonna use???” really does absolutely nothing for us if a) I have nowhere realistic to go; b) I have few if any relevant daily practiced skills; and c) I have no people who also have those skills to help me. Gear is nice and makes us feel good when we buy that new piece of kit (I’m an admitted knife nut, one day I’ll find…

View original post 2,353 more words

Marble: End of US Empire and Building Community

JJS over at Radio Free Redoubt shares Rep. Matt Shea’s speech at the Marble God & Country Celebration.  Mr. Shea discusses the end of the US empire, building community and Christian leadership. Matt Shea’s speech begins at the 17:50 mark. Click the play arrow below to begin playback.

 

Related:

US Military Establishment Study: The American Empire Is ‘Collapsing’

Fate of Empires by Sir John Glubb (pdf)

Excerpt from John Mosby’s “Forging the Hero”

Lies of Omission, Freedom Documentary, Now Available on DVD

http://www.liesofomission.com/

The one thing this documentary is not, is a hysterical, finger-pointing accusation, it is more of a reasoned, compelling argument for freedom, individual rights and an explanation of how they are disappearing and why they need to be defended. This is a message that the next generation of this battle is not being taught in school and even if it were, it would not be taught by people who truly understand the nuances like this community does. We are seeking a diversity of points of view to help drive the message home so that no matter where the viewer lands on the spectrum of beliefs, they will have a voice and a reason to consider the arguments.

Interviewees in the documentary include Kit Perez, David Codrea, Mike Vanderboegh, Claire Wolfe, Larry Pratt, and Matt Bracken

Click here for a table of contents

WA Gun Bills Go into Effect

From the NRA-ILA

Source – NRA-ILA – click for article

Related – Home Alone in Washington State

Prosser Airport DBE Teleconference, July 26th, 2017 10:30am

Wednesday, July 26th, 2017 10:30-11:30am

The Port of Benton is proposing a 2018-2020 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) 3-year goal for the Prosser Airport of 0.00% (Race Neutral) for the Taxiway A Relocation Design project at the airport. In keeping with 49 CFR 26.45(g), an open teleconference will be held on July 26, 2017 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am PDT.  During this time, interested parties may call in to discuss the proposed 2018-2020 DBE 3-year goal.  The telephone number for this teleconference is 1-877-366-0711. The participant code is 82074064#. The intent of the call will be to obtain input from various groups on the methodology of this goal setting, and consider any suggestions or changes that may need to be made prior to submission of this goal to the FAA Civil Rights Department.

A copy of the proposed DBE goal and the calculations used to determine this goal may be obtained by contacting Kimberly Silvester at ksilvester@jub.com

Link to pdf of the Port of Benton Disadvantaged Business Enterprises plan

Prosser Blood Drive, July 21st, 2017

If you are able, please consider donating blood.  The Red Cross will be at Friendship Baptist Church for a blood drive on Friday, July 21, 2017.

Date: Friday, July 21, 2017
Time: 12:00 – 5 p.m.

Friendship Baptist Church
1801 Patterson Rd
Prosser, WA 99350

There is a critical need for blood donors now. In fact, someone is counting on you at this very moment to give the gift of life.  All blood types are needed, but type O negative donors can make the difference between an adequate blood supply and a shortage.

You can schedule an appointment to give blood through this link.  Click that link then click Friendship Baptist Church and choose a donation type and time.