Updated primary photo collage at top shows some recent activity. HF and echolink continue to be very popular. Photos below shows several of our YL members working on HF qso's. The K8DAR radio lab will be 7 years old on Jan. 30, 2013. We began operation in 2006 with one HF and one VHF. Members of the M&M ARC organized and set up the antennas and gear. Now 7 years later, we have licensed 15 youth and have upgraded to two HF rigs with connected computers, one echolink computer, and one dual band. We also have numerous HT's and one mobile for loan to any newly licensed youngster. More upgrades are planned for 2013, and hopefully several new hams. Many thanks to the local radio club, the Boys & Girls club staff, and many who have contributed time and funding to get us to this point. Thanks to Lloyd Gomez W9LEG and Gayle Gomez W9GCG who have, since 2009, have contributed their time, efforts and material during the DAR summer sessions. We are committed to giving our youth exposure to the many benefits and enjoyment of ham radio. The future of ham radio communications lies with our youth.
The kids love their contacts as it enriches their understanding of the U.S. and the world at large, as well as amateur radio.
Ed KG8CX checking our EQF logging program while a DAR member
reads a QSL card she just received. They really enjoy receiving
cards from their contacts.
Above: Ed KG8CX, the control op/club trustee working with one of the DAR members who often stop by the K8DAR radio room. Here he is trying for an HF contact on our Kenwood TS-570S
Listen to the YACHT YOUTH NET every Sat. at 7pm CST Michigan echolink conference node #96170 or IRLP #9617. Support our young hams. Our website is http://yachthams.webstarts.com/index.html
The magic of ham radio continues as we enter 2013 for our 7th year as the only Boys and Girls club in the country with ham radio serving as a regular activity for our youth. All HF and echolink activity is supervised by KG8CX, and during the summer months, W9LEG joins in as a control op. Join us in providing our youth with your contact as we promote the next generation in ham radio.
Our latest DX entity contact was Malpelo Island in January. Latest DX count is 124.
ECHOLINK & HF YOUTH ACTIVITY, direct from the K8DAR radio room, on HF (mainly 20, 17 and 10 meters), and echolink, W8PIF-R rpt and K8DAR. Join us each day, Mon to Thurs. from 1:00 to 4:15pm during the summer, and from 3:00 to 5:45pm during the fall and winter season, and promote ham radio to our youth. Let our kids experience the well known friendly and cooperative nature of ham radio operators, and encourage them to travel the "ham highway" toward their own license.
Our echolink node #344358 K8DAR. More photos on the YACHTHAMS webpage (scroll down for link)
Photo below shows entrance to the K8DAR radio room. A number of modifications and additions have been made during the summer. The second photo shows our current room configuration. We have 2 complete HF stations with dedicated logging computers, a dual band rig, and an Echolink station on the right.
Photo below shows one of our many happy club members enjoying a big time opening on 10 meters.
DAR members watching Derek KD8LQB logging a contact.
= K8DAR = the only Boys & Girls club in the nation with an operating ham radio station, and proud of it.
We observed our 5th year of operation in January of 2011. Much has happened during the past five years to strengthen the station and expose many hundreds of DAR members to ham radio, including 15 that decided to get their own licenses. We love to get QSL cards. Please write the name(s) of the youngsters you talked to on the card. We place many of our cards on the bulletin board, and change them periodically. We want to remember all the nice people and interesting places we've made contact with.
Two photos showing youngsters enjoying the world of ham radio.
The Menominee D.A.R. Radio club and Y.A.C.H.T. young ham team set up a display booth at the AES Superfest in Milwaukee on April 2, 2011. Individuals from both groups were on hand to project the image of active young hams and to show to the attendees the succ
essful nature of our local programs designed to promote ham radio for youth. These young hams were very visible throughout the ham
fest, and solicited many favorable comments. The top left frame shows the ARRL president Kay Cragie N3KN with our group
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(below) Menominee D.A.R. Radio club
Here are some pictures of K8DAR / 9 operating in the Wisconsin QSO Party on March 14, 2010 from Peshtigo in Marinette Co. It was a very successful and learning experience for the young ops. We ran two phone rigs and one CW. Five young hams ran the phone portion and the logging program. NS8V did the CW. Thanks to all who made contact with us. It was a fun time. Special thanks to Chris KC9PLW who made his garage and yard available for radios and antennas.
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We hope you enjoy reading about our accomplishments and viewing our photos. We are the Menominee D.A.R.
Radio club, the only Boys and Girls club in the nation with a fully operational ham radio station.
Through the "magic" of ham radio, the K8DAR has given our local youth a very exciting experience in communications, technology, and place geography throughout the world. Here is a new young ham proudly pointing to his contact on Guam, a new DX country for us, using the K8DAR call. He is one of our most active operators, having accumulated over 300 contacts. He plans on upgrading to General during 2011.
We have contacted 125 DX countries so far in our 5 years of operation. In Jan. of '12 we will have been on the air for 6 years, exposing hundreds of local youth to the magic of ham radio.
*Note: SASE much appreciated, and will speed our card to you. Postage budget is very limited.
We recently received a plaque from the Wisconsin Council of Boys & Girls clubs for the Best Overall Program. A similar plaque was received earlier from the Michigan Council of Boys & Girls club. An honor that we really are proud of.
The photo here shows our new banner, along with control op, Ed KG8CX.
K8DARis the vanity call for the Menominee DAR Boys and Girls Club ham station.We were organized on Jan. 31, 2006, and now have a fully equipped station with two hf operating positions, one vhf/uhf, and a new two meter dedicated to monitoring our local repeater. HF Station #1 is a Kenwood TS-570S running in to one of two antennas (both loops, and station #2 is a Kenwood TS450 feeding its signal into the same set of antennas via an MFJ antenna switch. The Kenwood 570 has a digital voice keyer which many youngsters enjoy using, to perfect their voice technique. Both rigs have a dedicated computer with logging software. We also have a code key that some youngster enjoy using to learn and practice the code. And, now, we have Echolink available, which makes the ham experience more enjoyable.
One of our several awards is shown above.the best overall program of any Boys & Girls club in the state of Michigan. We are very proud of that recognition.
Picture below shows twins enjoying an HF qso.
We now have two computers connected to the internet. One is dedicated to our E-QF logging program and practice exams. The other is paired with our Kenwood TS450 and is our digital mode computer, currently being used for Echolink. The two HF rigs have logging software so the DAR members can log their calls. Thanks to Lloyd W9LEG for helping us to get the additional computers. We are now a full fledged contest station with our two rigs and computers.
The youngsters operate the station during hours when the facility is open and a control operator is present. We have licensed FIFTEEN youngsters so far, and our "Ham Radio Honor Roll" plaque is now full. Several of our young hams are also members of the nationwide group YACHT .Y-oung A-mateurs C-ontest H-am T-eam, which already has 72 youth members in 19 states, as well as South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. Check out our new website http://yachthams.webstarts.com/index.html
Send QSL cards to the address listed with SASE. The kids very much enjoy receiving their own cards. We usually ask for several cards.one for each of the youngsters making t
he contact, and the second for our large bulletin board and scrapbook. These youngsters are the future of ham radio. Look for us on the bands. We love making contacts around the U.S. and the world through the magic of radio.Check out our webpage http:/www.thedar.org and click onour qsl card.
Two of our latest licensed ham are brothers Brett who received his call KD8NAZ in early February of '10 and Blake KD8ODP who received his in May of '10. (Updates: Brett upgraded to General in June of 2010
Thanks to all who have visited our site and talked to us on HF, Echolink and 2 meters. Your support is much appreciated, and contribute to the advancement of youth in ham radio.
73, Ed KG8CX, Menominee D.A.R. Radio Club control op and trustee - ASM for Youth, ARRL Wisconsin Sectio
