MARC ACTIVITIES PAGE

 

Amateur radio is a hobby with many facets to it.  That being said, every amateur radio operator has
a favorite part of that hobby that he or she likes to operate and promote.  On this page you will find the
"facets" of the hobby in which MARC members take part.

ARES  (Amateur Radio Emergency Service)

Some of our members are involved in this aspect of the hobby.   It can be a very rewarding as well
as a very time-consuming one.  To learn more of this "facet" go to the following link.

BUFFALO COUNTY ARES

 

U.S. ARMY MARS (Military Affiliated Radio System)

Some of our members are also involved in this "facet" of Ham Radio.  It is also a very rewarding part of our hobby.
To learn more of this exciting "facet" go to the following link.

U.S.   ARMY MARS

Contact Lynn Miller or Bob Haber for an application and information.

 

FOX HUNTING

Another "facet" is what hams call "Fox Hunting".  There are two types of "foxes" that are used by MARC
members.  One fox is a low-power transmitter that is hidden somewhere within a park or city.  Using hand-
held radios and directional antennas, the members try to find the fox.  The other type of fox is a high power fox.  This type of fox is
hidden with in a 5-, 10-, or more mile radius of Kearney.  Again the object is to find the fox using mobile and
handheld radios.  More information can be found with Doug Sutton who leads the Tri-City Fox Finders Group.
There is also some information on Fox Hunting on the following link.

MARC FOX HUNTERS

 HOMEBREWING

Yes, homebrewing, and that doesn’t mean brewing beer!  This aspect of the hobby is where you will use all that you
learned while studying for your hard-earned amateur radio license.  You can build everything from radio
transmitters and receivers to building and experimenting with antennas.  It is very satisfying to build an
antenna tuner or a 5-element 2-meter yagi antenna and having it work, meeting or exceeding your expectations.
QST magazine has a section each month where you can build something, and if you do a Google
search, you can find other projects to build as well.

 RAGCHEWING

This is another fine aspect of amateur radio.  You fire up your radio, get on your favorite band, and find a
quiet spot and listen to make sure that no one else is using the frequency.  You key up your microphone
and call CQ.  It's like fishing: you don't know who is going to come back to you.   It could be someone
local or someone halfway around the world.  You exchange your signal strengths, equipment, and types
of antennas.  Then you find that you both have something in common, and before you know it, you are "Rag
Chewing."  The time just flies by and you've made a new friend.  You exchange QSL cards and may even set
up a schedule to contact each other in the future.

 CONTESTING AND SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS

Just about every weekend you can find contests and/or special event stations on the bands.  QST magazine
has a list every month of the contests and special event stations that are on the bands.   The special event
stations also list the frequencies on which they will be operating.  Some of them have some pretty nice QSL
cards available to show proof that you worked them.  The contests usually are on 160, 80, 40, 20 and 10
meters.  They can be voice contests, CW contests, a combination of both, and digital contests.  They are open
to anyone with a ham license and who can work  the HF bands.  Contesting is a good way to develop proper
radio procedures and stamina, which is needed in time of emergency. 

 DXING

Now here is a neat way to travel around the world and not even leave your easy chair.  There are over 300
ARRL DXCC countries that you can work.  Some are very rare, while others can be worked very easily.
Whenever a rare DXCC country comes up on the air it is announced in QST magazine.   There are a lot of
hams who do nothing but try and work all of the countries that the ARRL has listed in their official DXCC
countries pamphlet.  Good luck to all those who try for the DXCC awards.

 OTHER ASPECTS OF AMATEUR RADIO ARE:

MICROWAVE
SLOW SCAN TV
FAST SCAN TV
UHF
VHF
SATELLITE
EME
GRID SQUARES

Members, if there is any aspect to the hobby that you are engaged in and want to see  profiled here,
please e-mail the webmaster with the information that you would like to see posted.