News Archive

10/28 Meeting Moved to OHS Library

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 28th, 2011

I've just heard from the assistant principal at Oakton High School, and there is a performance at the school tomorrow, and the students would like to continue their rehearsal in the Lecture Hall this evening. We've been asked to move our meeting to the school library. See you there. Thanks and 73, Pete Norloff, KG4OJT

Next VWS Meeting - Friday October 28th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 26th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, October 28, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Ralph Smith AB4RS will be on hand to offer a presentation on frequency measurement, playfully entitled, “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?”

Next Meeting - Friday October 14th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 13th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, October 14, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Ron Payne WA6YOU is back with another interesting and pratical “how-to” presentation, this one entitled “Coax Connectors"

Next Meeting - Friday September 23

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 22nd, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, September 23 at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. The presentation will be radio direction finding by VWS Member and Director Pam Toman KB9SCM,

TONIGHTS MEETING CANCELLED

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 9th, 2011

Due to the weather, all Fairfax Count schools are closed today, September 9th. As a result the meeting scheduled for this evening is also cancelled.

Next Meeting - Friday September 9, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 7th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, September 9, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Pam Toman KB9SCM takes the stage to discuss direction-finding (DF).

Next Meeting - August 26th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on August 24th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, August 26, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. The program this will be some videos courtesy of Kevin N4KL.

Next Meeting - Friday August 12th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on August 10th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, August 12, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. For our program, Chris Patton W3CUM will be on hand to talk about SKYWARN.

Next Meeting- Friday July 22nd, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 20th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, July 22, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. It’s showtime for those who dared to accept our CW transmitter challenge (also known as the “solder something and bring it in” show and tell). If you haven’t already started splattering solder around the shack, hiding from this gawd-awful heat offers the perfect opportunity to slap something together that will amaze and awe your fellow members.

Next Meeting - Friday July 8th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 6th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, July 8, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Mike Steussy AE4R, will provide a sure-to-be-interesting presentation on restoring a BC-348 communications receiver.

Field Day Prep at Burke Lake - Friday June 24th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on June 22nd, 2011

As usual there is no official VWS meeting this Friday. All members are encouraged to gather at our Field Day site at Burke Lake Park (south of Fairfax City on Route 123)anytime in the afternoon that the mood strikes you. (remember no set up can be done before 1400 Local.) Remember that this is NOT a formal meeting. No callsign roll call, no 50/50, no gobbler noise. It’s all about putting things in place for the start of Field Day Mania at 2 pm Saturday.

Next Meeting - Friday June 13th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on June 9th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, June 10, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. It’ll be a full Field Day-themed meeting, with Trail Boss Pete K6BFA detailing progress for the ARRL Field Day on June 25-26 at Burke Lake Park, just south of Fairfax and greater Burke on Route 123. PLEASE NOTE that this is our only formal meeting for June. The afternoon/evening of June 24 will be taken up with preparations at the park, though participants will still be treated to some yummy grub thanks to Tom K4TCM.

Next Meeting - May 27th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on May 25th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, May 27, at 7:30 pm in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Mike Toia K3MT will discuss antennas and feedlines. This is a topic that if Mike doesn’t know about something, it doesn’t exist. (Or, itjust plain doesn’t work—and he’ll tell you why.)

Next Meeting - May 13, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on May 11th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, May 13, at 7:30 pm, in the LIBRARY of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Brennan Price N4QX, the ARRL’s Technical Relations Manager, will be on hand as our speaker.

ALERT: MEETING LOCATION CHANGE

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on April 21st, 2011

As Oakton High School is closed Friday, we'll be meeting at the Vienna Community Center, located at the corner of Cherry and Park Streets. Same time, 7:30 pm, and same chatter on the repeaters if you need help finding your way.

Next Meeting - Friday April 22, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on April 19th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, April 22, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Our speaker will be Matt Bordleon KC5BTL, who works on the Cargo Resupply Services program for the International Space Station (ISS). Matt has been with NASA 20+ years and is based at Johnson Space Center in Houston. He has trained many of the astronauts who have flown on the Shuttle and operated Ham Radio (ARISS), getting them through their Ham Radio exam and ensuring they were licensed before their first flight.

Next Meeting-Friday April 8th, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on April 6th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,April 8, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Pam Toman, KB9SCM will give a presentation on EchoLink and Internet Radio Linking Project(IRLP)

Next VWS Meeting - Friday March 25th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on March 23rd, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,March 25, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Kevin N4KL will discuss some kit ideas as we near the CW transmitter challenge.

Next VWS Meeting-Friday March 11th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on March 7th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, March 11, at 7:30 pm in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. This meeting presentation will be on the upcoming Virginia QSO Party by Mark,KI4OBT of the Sterling Park ARC.

Winterfest 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on February 26th, 2011

Winterfest 2011 is here. On Sunday, February 27, 2011, the 35th annual Winterfest will bring hams and equipment vendors together for a full day of fun! Several amateur radio clubs will be on hand to provide information about the ham radio hobby, getting started, where to find instructional help for earning the amateur radio license and much, much more! Dealers in new and used communications equipment, antennas, cabling, parts and supplies will also be on hand to help you find the hard-to-find. Winterfest is at the Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Virginia. Its address is 8333 Little River Turnpike. From the Capitol Beltway in Virginia, exit at Rte 236/Little River Turnpike (Exit 52A). Go west on Little River Tpk about 1 mile. The College is on the left. Turn left at Wakefield Chapel Road (on the west side of the campus) and follow signs to the parking area. The weather will be great this year! Hope to everyone there!

Next VWS Meeting February 25, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on February 24th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, February 25, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Meeting topic will be Winterfest 2011.

Next VWS Meeting - February 11th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on February 10th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, February 11, at 7:30 pm in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. This meeting we'll be wrapping up the auction of gear donated by our friend Quentin Taylor, KG4VQU, SK.

Next VWS Meeting - January 14, 2011

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on January 12th, 2011

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, January 14, at 7:30 pm in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Dick Maylott W2YE will be on hand to tell us what’s up with the ARRL QSL Buro.

Next Meeting - December 10, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on December 5th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, December 10, at 7:30 pm, in the Cafeteria of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. That’s right—we’re in the Cafeteria (Entrance #s 1 or 14). That’s cuz it’s our annual pot-luck/general show-and-tell holiday meeting, the one we wait for all year. Why? Because it involves two favorite VWS pastimes: eating and showing off radio stuff.

Next VWS Meeting, Friday November 12th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on November 11th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,November 12, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. It’s Election Night at VWS, and we’ll be voting two members to the club’s Board of Directors. The current announced candidates are: -Pete Norloff KG4OJT (incumbent) -Pam Toman KB9SCM And or those still trying to figure out CW, the CW Forum with Spirit Guide Pete K6BFA will meet somewhere in the High School 30 minutes before the regular meeting.

Volunteers' Picnic, Sunday, October 10

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 7th, 2010

VWS Members-- The Volunteers' Picnic has been shifted to this coming Sunday, October 10th. The picnic will be held at Glyndon Park (the same place) with food being available at 12:00 noon. We can start gathering and setting up radios, etc. about 11:00 am.To keep in the spirit of "ham radio," I would ask anyone who has a small radio, phone or cw, to bring it. We will have a generator in case you need 110 volts.

VWS Meeting - Friday October 8, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 7th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,October 8, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Ron WA6YOU is back to present a fact-filled presentation on proper soldering techniques. He’ll provide hand-outs and demonstrations of how to do this all-important ham task right.

Next Club Meeting - September 24th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 21st, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, September 24, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road.

Next Meeting - September 10, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 8th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, September 10, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. The program will isAUCTION FRIDAY at VWS. If you have some *quality* leftovers that you think would look great in someone else’s shack, please consider donating them to the cause. All proceeds go to the club.

Next Meeting Friday August 27th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on August 26th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,August 27, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Software-defined radios are the buzz of the hobby. This Friday, you can see one in action asKevin N4KL demonstrates the Flex-1500.

Next Meeting Friday August 13th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on August 11th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday,August 13, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Bob AJ4RS is ready to take us on a voyage to the bottom of the sea for a look at all those cables that help keep continents connected.

Next Meeting - July 23rd, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 17th, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will be held this coming Friday night, July 23rd. The meeting will be held in the Lecture Hall of the Oakton HS. The evenings program will be projects that club members had to use solder. It can be anything,as long as you smell solder, it's good to bring in!

Next Club Meeting, July 9th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 7th, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will be held this coming Friday night, July 9th. The meeting will be held in the Lecture Hall of the Oakton HS. The meeting topic will be a video on the Navajo Code Talkers.

Field Day is Here

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on June 26th, 2010

Join the VWS for the ARRL Field Day Saturday and Sunday. We are at Burke Lake park in Fairfax. The event starts at 2 PM today and runs for 24 hours. Come on out and get on the air!

Next Meeting - Friday June 25, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on June 23rd, 2010

There will not be a formal meeting at our normal location, instead all members are encouraged to gather at our Field Day site at Burke Lake Park (south of Fairfax City on Route 123) anytime after 4 pm or so. Lend a hand in the start of the set up phase. Usually this means trying to get a few ropes shot into the trees before dark. And yes, food will be served.

Next VWS Meeting Friday June 11th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on June 6th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, June 11, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. The presenter will our Field Day Chair,Ray KJ4CNN. This is the last formal meeting before Field Day (the next meeting is at Burke Lake). Come ready to get the latest news and be prepared to step in if needed.

Next Club Meeting - May 14th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on May 12th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be this Friday, May 14, at 7:30 pm, in the Lecture Hall of Oakton High School at 2900 Sutton Road. Ron Payne WA6YOU is back with a demonstration of crimping various types of coax connectors.

VWS Balloon Missions Summary Page

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 3rd, 2010

Thanks to Mel Clarke, KI4WKZ, for putting together a complete summary page of all of our high altitude balloon flights to date up through this past weekend's VWS-8. Please see VWS Balloon Program Flight History

Selected VWS-8 High Altitude Balloon Flight Photos

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 3rd, 2010

A selected group of high altitude photos from the VWS-8 Balloon Flight are available here.

VWS-8 Balloon Flight

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on May 2nd, 2010

Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the safe launch and recovery of the latest balloon flight. The balloon reached a height of 117,683 feet and safely landed in Southern Maryland. The camera took some great photos, maybe some of the best yet. VWS-8 Photos

Next Meeting - Friday April 23, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on April 21st, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will held this coming Friday evening at 7:30 PM. The meeting will held in the lecture hall at Oakton High School.

Next Club Meeting - April 9th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on April 5th, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will held this coming Friday evening at 7:30 PM. The meeting will held in the lecture hall at Oakton High School. The evenings presentation will be by Pete, WB3FYR who is going to talk about amateur satellites. Anyone who was at last years Field Day and watched Pete in action, will enjoy this presentation.

Club Meeting - March 26th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on March 22nd, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will be held this coming Friday evening at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be held in our usual meeting location, the lecture hall at Oakton HS. The evenings presentation will be given by Dave Trachtenberg, N4WWL who will talk about the MARS program.

Club Meeting - March 12th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on March 7th, 2010

The next meeting of the VWS will be this coming Friday night at 7:30. Meeting location will be the Oakton HS Lecture Hall. The evenings presentation will be on the upcoming Virginie QSO party given by Mark, KI4OBT of the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club, sponsors of the Va QSO Party.

Winterfest Is Here! Sunday, Feb 28, 2010, Annandale, VA

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 26th, 2010

On Sunday, February 28, 2010, the 34th annual Winterfest will bring hams and equipment vendors together for a full day of fun! Several amateur radio clubs will be on hand to provide information about the ham radio hobby, getting started, where to find instructional help for earning the amateur radio license and much, much more! And if you're ready to take the test, a credentialed VE Examination Team will be on hand Saturday, February 27, 2010, so that you can earn that new license or upgrade! Dealers in communications equipment, new and used, antennas, cabling, parts and supplies will also be on hand to help you find the hard-to-find.

Next Meeting - Friday February 26th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on February 22nd, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be held this coming Friday night at 7:30 PM. Location will at the Oakton HS in the Lecture Hall. This is our final meeting before Winterfest and although things are coming together, I'm sure that Ray could always use a few more hands. Our presentation will be our own EME expert Glenn, KA0ESA.

February 12 Meeting Canceled

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on February 10th, 2010

The next VWS meeting, scheduled for February 12 is canceled. Fairfax County Public Schools has canceled all activities for the rest of this week. The next meeting will be held on February 26th.

Club Meeting - January 22, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on January 19th, 2010

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will be held this coming Friday evening. We will be meeting in the lecture hall starting at 7:30. The program for the meeting will be given by Ralph, AB4RS, and will be about ADS-B, the next generation of aviation surveillance.

NAQP Web Page Updated for January 16 Event

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 1st, 2010

I'm happy to report that we now have a web page up for this month's NAQP SSB event at Camp Highroad in Middleburg, VA. Please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/NAQP-2010-01-16/ Contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT, if you'd like to join in this event, or post a note on our NAQP mailing list.

NAQP CW - January 9th - 10th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on December 21st, 2009

Just a reminder, the next VWS operating event is the NAQP-CW, which is the weekend of January 9th. This event is hosted by Pete, K6BFA. This is a fun and low key event. If you know CW or not, everyone is welcome. Pete always has an operator who is more than than willing to assist those who are not as proficient. And since this is a VWS event, you can count on good food and good conversation. If interested, please contact Pete.

Next Meeting: January 8th, 2010

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on December 18th, 2009

The next meeting of the VWS will be held January, 8th, 2010. We will see everyone in 2010. Happy Holidays from VWS.

Next Meeting: December 11, 2009

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on November 26th, 2009

The next meeting of the VWS will be held December 11, 2009 in the Oakton HS Library.

Board of Directors Election - November 13, 2009

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on November 15th, 2009

At the annual meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society, three directors were up for election. Kevin Lewis (N4KL); Tom Martindale (K4TCM); and Bernie Wimmers (N4JDF) were elected to a two year term of office. A big thank you to Jim Richey, AG4MA, for your work as a director.

Next Meeting: November 13th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on November 5th, 2009

The next meeting of VWS will be Friday November 13th at 7:30 PM. We will be meeting in the school Library for this months meeting. To get to the Library, you can use the normal door 2, turn right at the first hallway. The Library entrance will be on your right. You can also use Door 1. Make the first left at the hallway and the Library entrance is on your left. This is the meeting where the club votes for members of the Board of Directors. Three directors slots are up this time around. After the voting, we will have show and tell. Everyone is welcome bring something in!

2009 Field Day Results

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on November 4th, 2009

The results for the this years Field Day were posted by the ARRL. VWS came in as number 5 out of 130 entries in the 4A category. Our total points was 10,958 with 3,361 QSO's. A big thank you everyone who came and helped with set-up, tear down, and of course to all of who operated.

Next Meeting October 23, 2009

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 18th, 2009

The next meeting of the VWS will be held this coming Friday evening, October 23. Location will be in the lecture hall at Oakton High School. The meetings presentation will be Instrumentation by Terry Hines, N4ZH.

Meeting Presentation 10/9/20090: HAARP

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on October 7th, 2009

The next meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society will held this coming Friday night, starting at 7:30 The nights presentation will on HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program).

Club Meeting Tonight

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on September 25th, 2009

The Vienna Wireless Society will hold it's meeting this evening starting at 7:30 PM. Location is the Oakton HS lecture hall. For directions check out the meeting page or listen on 146.685 repeater this evening.

No Meeting August 28th

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on August 22nd, 2009

Just a reminder that there will not be a meeting this coming Friday. Next meeting will be Friday September 11th.

Meeting Presentation July 24, 2009

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 23rd, 2009

Ron Payne WA6YOU is back with another demonstration program he calls, "6dB in 30 Minutes." He'll construct from scratch, test, and demo a 4-element Yagi for 446 MHz using only poster board, and copper tape. Audience members will receive a color handout on the calculations to try for his/herself.

CQ World Wide VHF Contest

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 11th, 2009

This coming weekend is the CQ VHF Worldwide contest. The club is planning on operating out near Linden, VA. Please contact Pete K6BFA to sign up.

Meeting Presentation 07/10/09: CW Challenge!

Posted By Bernie Wimmers on July 10th, 2009

Our program this Friday evening will be the CW Challenge. This will be the end of a year long activity to see how many different and interesting CW rigs the members have built. Only really one rule, and that the transmitter must have some power output. Thanks to Mike AE4R for running this for the past year.

Meeting Presentation 05/22/09: Dayton!

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 21st, 2009

Tonight's program will be a Dayton retrospective by Tom Azlin with general support from other Dayton attendees. Tom will be showing photo's taken at Dayton Hamvention last weekend and talking about the event.

Meeting Presentation 5/08/2009: Field Day!

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 2nd, 2009

Rick Low, N6CY, presents a short talk about Field Day 2008 this evening. His talk will surely help get the ideas flowing for Field Day 2009 coming up in just a few short weeks (June 27).

Meeting Presentation April 24, 2009

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 20th, 2009

Our progam this Friday is a presentation about Youth in Amateur Radio by Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM. Andrea was licensed in 2000 at the age of 11. She was awarded the ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award in 2003 and the Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award in 2004.

Meeting Presentation 3/13/09: The 3rd Battle of Manassas - BPL

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 10th, 2009

Friday's meeting presentation will be based on the BPL battle fought in nearby Manassas. This will include historical information of how the BPL consortium tried to smoke screen their true agenda and goals while pretending to be "Ham friendly". Spectrum plots as well as recordings of the BPL interference will be presented. The presentation will show that a cohesive drive is the only way to fight a threat to Ham radio such as BPL.

Virginia QSO Party Coming Up

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 4th, 2009

Please plan on participating in the Virginia QSO Party on March 21 and March 22 this year. VWS will be operating a club station during the event and all members are encouraged to come share the fun. For information, please see our VA QSO Party Web page or contact Bernie Wimmers, N4JDF, for more information.

Meeting Presentation 2/27/09: Simple and Quick VHF/UHF Antennas

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 26th, 2009

Ron Payne WA6YOU will discuss simple, quick VHF/UHF antennas and coax soldering. Ron will show us how to make a J pole for 432 MHz, a simple Moxon for 2 meters, a Yagi for 432 (using foamboard available at Staples for the supports), and the proper way to solder a PL 259.

Winterfest 2009 is Here!

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 16th, 2009

Winterfest is here! Please be sure to join us at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale for this year's Winterfest. Doors open Sunday morning, February 22 at 8:00 AM. The event continues through about 1:00 PM. We hope to see you there!

Please Note New Meeting Location

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 28th, 2009

Effective January 2009, our new permanent meeting space is in the lecture hall at Oakton High school near the Vienna Metro Stop. For details and directions, please see http://www.viennawireless.org/meetings.php We've been holding our twice-monthly meetings at the Vienna Elementary School and the Vienna Community Center for many years. References to those meeting places exist in various newspaper articles and other places. In late 2008, the Vienna Elementary School began a long construction process to expand the school, and the construction crews required total access to the buildings when the children were not there so we lost that meeting space. Please disregard any references to the old meeting places.

NAQP Web Page Updated for January 17 Event

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 27th, 2008

I'm happy to report that we now have a web page up for next month's NAQP SSB event at Camp Highroad in Middleburg, VA. Please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/NAQP-2009-01-17/

VWS-7 Balloon Flight Planned on Dec. 6, 2008

Posted By Tom Azlin on November 16th, 2008

Due to flight restrictions the seventh VWS high altitude balloon flight has been shifted to the alternate date of Saturday, December 6th, 2008. Likely launch time would be 9AM near Strasburg, VA. If winds or weather scrub the launch the alternative day is Sunday, December 7th. Flight predictions will be started two weeks from launch. If you are interested, follow the flight planning via the VWS balloon reflector or check the balloon section of our web page. 73, Tom n4zpt

Vienna Halloween Parade, Wed, October 29, 2008

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 7th, 2008

It's time again for the Vienna Halloween Parade. This year again we're charged with both providing communications along the route and shepherding the Costumed Kids along the parade route. The Vienna Halloween Parade is a fun and low key event that allows us to help our town and have a little fun in the process. We need about 12 of us to help out. We'll have operators stationed at the judging stand at Mill St on the Town Green, at the Patrick Henry Library at Center St where the parade ends, shadowing the Parade Committee Chairman, plus six of us in with the Costumed Kids at the front, middle, and back of the pack. This is an HT event because we have good coverage from our 146.685 repeater all along the parade route. Things do tend to be very noisy however, so a speaker mic or headset will be very useful. For everyone who's come out and worked this event before, you know there isn't a large amount of communications traffic, but we do our part to help out and our efforts are always appreciated by a grateful organizing committee. Please contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT, if you'd like to come out and join in the fun at the Vienna Halloween Parade.

President's Picnic is Sunday, October 5

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 1st, 2008

The VWS President's Picnic event is our chance to express our thanks to our president for all his excellent work toward making the Vienna Wireless Society an active and fun club. The Picnic will be in Glyndon Park, at the upper picnic pavillion beginning at 11:00 AM.

Meeting location changes due to construction

Posted By Sheila Clarke on September 30th, 2008

Because of construction, VWS must replace our regular meeting location at the Vienna Elementary School for the next two years. Starting October 1 through December 31, 2008 we will be meeting at the Vienna Community Center. If anyone has a suggestion please contact a board member.

New VWSwiki for Balloon Flights

Posted By Pete Norloff on September 3rd, 2008

Thanks to Phil Wherry, AI4JF, we now have a wiki system in place for our balloon flights and balloon-related information. Please check out the site and contribute to it: http://wiki.viennawireless.org

REMINDER: No Meeting - August 22

Posted By Sheila Clarke on August 22nd, 2008

Because we had our annual banquet last night, there is no meeting tonight. Our next meeting will be back at the Vienna Elementary School (Cafeteria) on September 12 at 7:30 pm. Come join us!

Join Us At Lake Fairfax on August 16!

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 9th, 2008

Come out and join VWS in another NAQP at Lake Fairfax. This year we are in a new location (directions here). Our new site is overlooking Lake Fairfax. May even get a breeze there! Please be sure to mark your calendar with the dates and plan to come out and get in some operating time. It would be particularly good if we had a number of us planning on working the late hours from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM. And of course since we are always going for the calorie per QSO, there will be food for lunch and dinner. Please contact Pete if you would like to help with the food. For those of us who haven't attended one of our NAQP operations before, we'll be setting up two radio stations with wire antennas in the trees. The contest begins at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 16th, and runs until 2:00 AM on Sunday, August 17th. We'll be making as many radio contacts as we comfortably can with more of an emphasis on getting people on the radio and having a good time than in squeezing out the last contact. Stay tuned to the NAQP mailing list for planning and updates, or contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT

BANQUET: August 21, 2008 -- Thursday!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on July 26th, 2008

The annual VWS Banquet is going to be a little different this year. First of all, it will be held on a Thursday evening – August 21, 2008.(This means that we will not be having a Friday meeting the next night.) The Banquet will begin at 7:00 pm and held at the Marco Polo Restaurant located at 245 Maple Ave. West (Rte. 123) in Vienna, VA. Phone: 703-281-3922. The Marco Polo Restaurant has been serving the Vienna area since 1973 with fine quality food. We will be having an All-You-Can-Eat buffet consisting of prime rib, chicken, fish, 4 pasta dishes, 4 salads, potatoes, veggies, a soup of the day, fruits, cheeses, crackers and dips, breads, and desserts. The cost is $26.00 per person ($52 a couple), which includes the cost of the buffet, restaurant tax and tip. Basic beverages are provided. Special requests will be extra. We will be given a separate dining area for our banquet that is composed of tables that seat 8. We will also be having some fun activity this year, with door prizes. All of the door prizes will be very nice items, except one. We will have one boobie prize! Prizes will be won via a drawing of call signs (members only); and, then everyone can participate in Ham Radio Bingo! Therefore, please bring a pen to write with for your Bingo game. Every member can bring as many guests as they wish: $26 per adult guest, half price for children under 18 and children under 5 eat free! Give your money to Pete KG4OJT, our Treasurer. Our Secretary, Sheila KI4WKY needs to let the Marco Polo know approximately 10 days in advance of a head count. So, please sign up ASAP!

FIELD DAY - June 28-29 2008

Posted By Sheila Clarke on July 13th, 2008

Although it was one of the hottest weekends of the season, many members braved the heat and dedicated themselves to making contacts on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 2 meter bands using either SSB or CW. This gave us a total of 1,747 contacts for CW and 1,011 contacts for SSB. The total points we turned into the ARRL were 10,370. Our Field Day could not have been the success it was without the many members who volunteered their equipment, time, sweat, skills, and lack of sleep to this year’s event. And, to the great leadership of our Field Day Boss, Rick Low, N6CY for making it all come together. A breakdown of our points and some thanks by Rick N6CY to various members is written in our July 11, 2008 Meeting Minutes. Click on “Meetings” at the left to read additional Field Day information.

NO MEETING - Friday, June 27th

Posted By Sheila Clarke on June 23rd, 2008

There will be no meeting on Friday, June 27th to allow members time to put up antennas and set up other needed items for our annual Field Day operations this weekend at Burke Lake. VWS members and visitors of all ages, are invited to come experience Ham radio operations in several different modes; and, eat! (See “Field Day” link on the left for more information). Our next meeting will be Friday, July 11 at our summertime meeting spot, The Vienna Community Center, beginning at 7:30 pm.

May 10, 2008 Fox Hunt -- Fun, Frustrating & Moist!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on May 13th, 2008

The Vienna Wireless Society held its first Fox Hunt for this year on Saturday, May 10. This was a fun, frustrating and moist event. Several members came to Nottoway Park eagerly touting their HTs with either purchased or handmade DF antennas. We had antennas of all shapes and sizes! Jim AG4MA and Tom K4TCM arrived earlier to hide four 30 mw CW transmitters, made by a few VWS members, that send ID’s for 30 seconds around the park. And, hide them they did! Although they claimed to be “in plain sight” some of us couldn’t find them at all! Some of us found a couple. And, some found them all. But whether we found them or not, all of us got a bit wet tramping through the mud and soggy wet grass due to the rain we had the previous day. This was known as the real agony of da feet. Afterwards we all sat down to a lunch provided by Jim AG4MA that consisted of very delicious BBQ baby back ribs, hot dogs, baked beans, chips, cake, etc. Wisdom gained from this event will be used to help us in any future Fox Hunts the club might have.

March 28 Meeting at Vienna Community Center

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 24th, 2008

Our Friday, March 28 meeting will be at the Vienna Community Center. The Vienna Elementary School PTA is holding their Fun Fair at the school on our regular meeting night, so there isn't room for all of us. We'll be in the Multi-Purpose room in the back of the Community Center -- the room we usually use there. See you Friday!

Winterfest 2008 Super Success!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on February 26th, 2008

VWS Winterfest 08 had close to 600 paying visitors! Not only did we do better than last year (With a blizzard that was easy!) but we also did better than 2006. All the tables were sold by the time February 24th came around. We had some vendors inside that were all sold out by 1:00 pm. Our tailgating area was twice as busy as we had anticipated it would be also. Thank you Mother Nature for the great weather! Vie de France arrived around 10:00 am with bakery, sandwiches, drinks and/or coffee for attendees as well. We are also proud to say that on Saturday, February 23rd, some of our VEs helped to bring a few more new hams into the wonderful world of radio: 9 Technican Class 7 General Class 7 Extra Class. Plus we had two hams that upgraded their licenses. Congratulations to all of you! Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who attended whether you were a vendor or just a ham shopping for a good deal. And, great big thanks to all our club members who volunteered and gave so much of themselves to make it the success that it was.

Winterfest 2008 Is Here!

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 23rd, 2008

Winterfest is here! Please be sure to join us at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale for this year's Winterfest. Doors open Sunday morning, February 24 at 8:00 AM. The event continues through about 1:00 PM. We hope to see you there!

February 22 Meeting Canceled

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 22nd, 2008

Because Fairfax County Schools are closed today, all after school activities are also canceled. With the bad weather and without a meeting place we must also cancel tonight's meeting. We have a full weekend of activity at the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale in support of our Winterfest operation, so we'll see everyone there.

VWS-6 Balloon Launch Successful Fun!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on February 18th, 2008

The VWS-6 Balloon Launch took place near Strasburg, VA on February 16th. Besides members from the Vienna Wireless Society, we also had children from the Algonkian Elementary School who are also members of the Near Space Explorer’s Club. Teacher Matt Nowinski helped his students previously prepare the payload which contained seeds for a science experiment. The balloon also carried a payload of tracking equipment so that the balloon flight could be followed on home computers, as well as by our club’s Balloon Recovery Team. We also flew our traditional "Peep-O-Nauts" inside several colored balloons. Each "Peep-O-Naut" had a parachute containing a special message, plus his portrait and name, so that if anyone finds one, they’ll contact us. We launched at 10:09:35 EST. The balloon flew up, up and away and decided it wanted to land in the Wicomico River near Indiantown, MD a few hours later. We were fortunate enough to find a Marylander who allowed us on his property and also lent us his kayak for our recovery. As a memento, everyone who participated in our VWS-6 Balloon Launch was given a custom-made participation patch designed especially for this event. For further information on any of our previous launches, or any upcoming ones, just click our link at the left called Balloon Flights.

Planned VWS-6 Balloon Launch Postponed to February 16

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 8th, 2008

The planned launch of the VWS-6 balloon flight has been delayed one week until February 16, 2008. Current winds of up to 160 mph produce a flight path which could put our payload into the northern Chesapeake Bay with a Strasburg, VA launch. With our Winterfest hamfest coming up on February 24, continued high winds will move the launch into March. Please stay tuned to our balloon email list (see mailing lists on this web site) for additional information.

Build Your Own Spud Gun

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 4th, 2008

Byron Black, W4SSY, is leading a group project to build pneumatic spud guns for launching antenna lines over trees. At our January 25 club meeting, Byron asked for names of those who were interested in building their own. Eight people have expressed interest so far. The launchers will be similar to the one that Byron has been using recently which has a sprinkler system valve fired electrically. The cost is estimated to be approximately $60, which would include everything except an air source. An ordinary hand operated tire pump can fill the pneumatic chamber in 45 seconds. The construction project is scheduled to meet at Byron’s house in Vienna on Saturday morning, March 1. The project should only take a couple of hours. Byron has a detached garage and workshop and a chop saw that can be used to cut the pipe outside or in the garage. If you are interested please contact Byron, W4SSY directly at (his callsign)@arrl.net. We need to start collecting the parts soon, and will be buying a fixed number of parts based on expressed interest.

Winter NAQP CW 2008 Success!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on January 14th, 2008

The VWS 2008 Winter Version of NAQP CW was held January 12 at Annandale Swim & Tennis Building in Annandale VA. We had 9 operators responsible for 544 contacts over the twelve-hour period. Operators became more familiar with the software program used at the NAQP events, as well as Field Day. New CW users where exposed to the use of PC for automating CW receiving and transmitting helping to bridge the SSB CW divide. A big "Thank you" to all the Visitors, Operators and Volunteers making the event successful.

VWS-6 2008 Balloon Launch Date Set!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on January 8th, 2008

Our 2008 VWS-6 Balloon Launch is scheduled for February 9 (Saturday), with February 10 (Sunday) as a back-up date. Or, if the weather isn’t cooperating, then the following weekend, February 16 (Saturday). This time our balloon launch will be assisted by school children from the Algonquian Elementary School, who will be creating a payload to do an experiment testing seeds at high altitudes. We will also have our usual payload of various electronic equipment for recording height, temperature and tracking. Volunteers are needed to help build the flight computer (with telemetry input channels), with data loggers, building flight containers and radio/computer tracking. Plus, to pray for good weather! (Ha!) For further details, please contact Tom Azlin N4ZPT, who is the club’s Balloon Project Boss.

January 11 Meeting at Vienna Community Center

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 7th, 2008

The Vienna Elementary School PTA will be using the school for their annual Bingo Night, so our first meeting of 2008 will be at the Vienna Community Center. To get to the Community Center, drive down Center Street past the school, and turn left just before the fire station on Cherry St. You will arrive in the Community Center parking lot. We'll be meeting in the multi-purpose room downstairs in the back of the Community Center.

VWS Balloon Launch Success!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on January 1st, 2008

On December 22, 2007 our VWS-5 Balloon Launch took place near Strasburg, VA with a payload that held both electrical tracking equipment, as well as “peeps.” Once in the air, many members either followed its flight from the ground in vehicles or at home on their computers. Ironically, the balloon was like a homing pigeon and chose to land back in Vienna, only a few blocks from our club repeater; as well as walking distance from a few of our members’ homes. Unfortunately, it also chose to land in a 70-foot tall tree on private property. Fortunately, the owners took it in stride and were very co-operative in letting us recover our balloon and its payload. They also provided us with hot coffee. A neighbor across the street was also very helpful. Many of our other members who did not go out to Strasburg for the launch did come to the Vienna residence to watch the recovery, which took a few hours. To see photos and further information, go to our VWS-5 balloon page.

Balloon Launch VWS #5 - UPDATE

Posted By Sheila Clarke on December 8th, 2007

Due to the weather, we'll be flying our fifth amateur radio-equipped high altitude balloon (VWS-5) on Saturday, December 15, 2007. If this doesn't work out, then December 22 is an alternate date. Contact Tom Azlin N4ZPT for current status or see this page for more details.

NAQP - January 19-20, 2008

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 5th, 2007

We're very happy to report that we have reserved the Oak Lodge at Camp Highroad near Middleburg, VA for the North American QSO Party on January 19 & 20, 2008. This is the same facility we used last year, less than an hour from Vienna in a rural area at the top of a hill. Please be sure to mark your calendar with the dates and plan to come out and get in some operating time. It would be particularly good if we had a number of us planning on working the late hours from 10:00 PM until 1:00 AM. We're also happy that we'll have the same catering that we had there the last two times we've used the facility. If you haven't enjoyed Catering by Starlite's food you're in for a treat. We'll start collecting a list of names and payment for lunch and dinner soon. Lunch will be about $9 and dinner about $11. We need to try to have 25 of us or so for each meal. For those of us who haven't attended one of our NAQP operations before, we'll be setting up two radio stations with wire antennas in the trees. The contest begins at 1:00 PM on Saturday, January 19, and runs until 1:00 AM on Sunday, January 20. Camp Highroad has plenty of rooms in the lodge for everyone who'd like to stay over. If there are enough of us spending the night, we could have the caterer prepare breakfast for us as well. We'll be making as many radio contacts as we comfortably can with more of an emphasis on getting people on the radio and having a good time than in squeezing out the last contact. Stay tuned to the NAQP mailing list for planning and updates, or contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT

Balloon Flight VWS-5: December 8, 2007

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 5th, 2007

We'll be flying our fifth amateur radio-equipped high altitude balloon (VWS-5) on Saturday, December 8, 2008. See this page for more details.

November 9 meeting is Election Night - Mtg is at Community Center

Posted By Sheila Clarke on November 10th, 2007

On November 9, 2007 we held our annual election for members of the VWS Board of Directors. In even-numbered years we elect two members, and in odd-numbered years we elect three. Tom Azlin N4ZPT, Jim Richey AG4MA and Bernie Wimmers N4JDF were elected to serve on our board. Congratulations!

NEXT MEETING - December 14, 2007

Posted By Sheila Clarke on November 10th, 2007

The Vienna Wireless Society will hold it's Christmas meeting on December 14 at the Vienna Elementary School on Center Street in the cafeteria. This is a relaxed and fun event where members are each asked to bring some treat to share with others. In the past we've had too many cupcakes. So, hor'dourves, appetizers and other creative goodies are encouraged. This is also a time for "Show n' Tell" and you are asked to bring something (or someone) to share with all of us. Do come and join us! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Vienna Halloween Parade: Wednesday October 24!

Posted By Sheila Clarke on November 10th, 2007

Wednesday, October 24, was the Town of Vienna's annual Halloween Parade. The Vienna Wireless Society did its usual role again this year, providing communications along the parade route. Additionally, they shepherded approximately 600 to 1000 Costumed Kids who come out to walk in the parade. Members that volunteered said they had tons of fun and look foward to helping next year!

New Board Members Elected, Officers Return

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 10th, 2007

Welcome to longtime member Bernie Wimmers, N4JDF, to the Vienna Wireless Society Board of Directors. Welcome back to Tom Azlin, N4ZPT, and to Jim Richey, AG4MA. A heartfelt thanks go to outgoing board members Frank Haynes, W4NUA, and Len Hook, KG6ZR. We all appreciate your service to our club. The first order of business for the new Board was to appoint officers for 2008. All four officers will be returning for another year: President Jim Parsons, W4JTP; Vice President Dennis Voegler, WA4QMS; Treasurer Pete Norloff, KG4OJT; and Secretary Sheila Clarke, KI4WKY. Thanks to all of the club leadership for making ours an active, enthusiastic, and fun group.

Welcome Club Secretary Sheila Clarke, KI4WKY

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 15th, 2007

Please join me in welcoming club member Sheila Clarke, KI4WKY, as our new club Secretary. And a special thanks go to former Secretary Len Hook, KG6ZR, for his excellent support of our club.

North American QSO Party, Lake Fairfax Park, August 18/19

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 10th, 2007

Please come out and join us at Lake Fairfax Park on Saturday and Sunday, August 18 & 19, 2007. We'll be operating in the North American QSO Party, a 12 hour contest. We'll be setting up at the park starting around 9:30 on Saturday with the contest beginning at 2:00 PM and running until 2:00 AM. We'll be operating two HF stations and will likely have a 2-meter station for talk-in/talk-around. Chef Martindale, K4TCM has promised all sorts of yummy things to eat for lunch and dinner as well. Please get in touch with Pete Norloff, KG4OJT to sign up to operate in the contest. More details are here and on our NAQP mailing list.

Field Day 2007!

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 22nd, 2007

Field Day 2007 will be held at Burke Lake Park this weekend, June 23-24. Antenna and setup will occur beginning around 4pm Friday the 22nd. Come out and help operate! Bring your friends and family. There will be lots of good eats and good fun to be had. More details here. This is the big operating event for the club each year. Field Day remains one of the most fun exercises we do as a group. Setup begins in the park around 5:00 PM on Friday with antenna setup. It restarts around 8:00 AM Saturday and proceeds through the start of On-Air Field Day operations at mid day, through the night, and ends when everything is packed up and put away late Sunday Afternoon.

Virginia Run Elementary School ARISS contact

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 3rd, 2007

On March 2, 2007, the Vienna Wireless Society supported the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) contact with the Virginia Run Elementary School. Information about the contact including video, audio, photos, and a transcript are all available here: ARISS contact information

Winterfest 2007!

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 17th, 2007

Winterfest 2007 is coming Sunday February 25th, 2007. Click here for more info. Vendors! Click here to reserve tables for Winterfest.

NAQP CW, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, January 13, 2007

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 11th, 2007

The NAQP CW contest is this coming Saturday, January 13. We'll be gathering at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department at 9:00 AM for antenna set-up—-our top priority as we're trying several different things to see what works best at the fire house. Mike Toia K3MT is heading up that part of the operation. The contest begins at 1:00 pm, and we're currently planning on operating the entire contest using K4TCM’s Kenwood TS480SAT for one of the stations, and logging with the N1MM software. Please see Gary Nelson KI4EKM and Rick Low N6CY, or post a note on our NAQP mailing list if you're interested in joining the fun. We currently have no plans for food other than bringing in fast food. If you have any better ideas, please speak up. Special thanks to club member Gene Jacob KM4FJ for obtaining the facilities at the Fire Department for this operation.

NAQP SSB, Camp Highroad, VA -- January 20, 2007

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 11th, 2007

January 20—-it’s the NAQP SSB operation at Camp Highroad in Middleburg, Va. Camp Highroad has a large heated lodge with about 20 bedrooms, tables, chairs, and sofas as well as a large fireplace. Outside are many tall trees for antenna supports. Camp Highroad's caterer will attempt to repeat the great feed we enjoyed when we operated the NAQP CW contest there last year. We need commitments for lunch and dinner so the caterer can plan accordingly. If you haven't already expressed your interest in eating, please do so ASAP on the NAQP mailing list or contact Pete Norloff KG4OJT. We'll meet at Camp Highroad at 9:00 AM Saturday morning to set up antennas. We're planning on flying the 80m and 160m windoms although any other antenna ideas are welcome. We expect to be operating AC4LT’s IC756 and Tom's Orion in the contest starting at 1:00 PM and running until 1:00 am on Sunday. Everyone who'd like to is welcome to spend the night in the lodge. We will be packing things up in the wee hours after the contest ends, but may leave the antennas until daylight.

December Meeting: Holiday Party + Show & Tell

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 27th, 2006

Our one meeting in December 2006, on Friday, December 8, will be our annual holiday party and Show and Tell event. Members are asked to bring a food item to share during the break and to bring an item for Show and Tell.

No Second Meeting in November or December

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 17th, 2006

We have just one meeting in November and one meeting in December because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The school is usually closed so we don't have a meeting room. Our next meeting will be on December 8 at 7:30 PM in the cafeteria of the Vienna Elementary School. The meeting after that is January 12, 2007 (the day before our next operating event: NAQP CW at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.)

Vienna Halloween Parade, October 25, 2006

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 22nd, 2006

Once again, the Vienna Wireless Society will be assisting the Vienna Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Vienna with the annual Vienna Halloween Parade. VWS provides communications along the parade route and helps the parade organizers where needed. If you'd like to come out and join the fun, please contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT. We meet at 5:30 PM before the parade and operate until around 9:00 when the parade ends.

Annual Club Banquet: Wu's Garden, Friday August 25 7:00 PM

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 21st, 2006

Our annual club banquet will be held this coming Friday, August 25, at 7:00 PM at Wu's Garden in Vienna. The address is 418 Maple Ave., and is across the street from the Suntrust Bank. Dinner is $20 (cash or check payable to the club) and includes family style dining and soft drink.

NAQP At Lake Fairfax, August 19/20

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 18th, 2006

Tomorrow's the big day for some fun out at Lake Fairfax with the North American QSO Party, lots of great people, and great food. The weather is looking pretty typical for NAQP/August. Although we've started setting up earlier in the past, the park has changed their opening time this year to 10:00 AM, so that's when we should arrive (or perhaps 9:45) and start getting the stations and antennas in place. We'll operate both stations from 2:00 PM until the contest ends at 2:00 AM. Some of us will sleep in the park and some will go home for some rest. We'll meet again at 8:30 AM at the Virginia Kitchen, 450 Elden Street, Herndon, Phone 703-471-0808. For more information, please subscribe to our NAQP mailing list or contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT.

VWS-4 Balloon Payload Located

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 25th, 2006

Our balloon launch on July 22 didn't go off quite as planned. At liftoff, we had a downdraft which kept the balloon from rising. It drifted in the winds across the parking lot at the launch site, and the payload slammed into a recycling dumpster before it finally ascended. After the impact, the transmitter went silent. Without the transmitter we had no way to track the balloon, so we watched the balloon rise and drift out of sight to the north. On Monday evening, July 24, we received a phone call from a man in Springfield, WV, who had found our balloon payload in his oat field. A recovery trip is planned for Tuesday, July 25. We do not know if there will be any photos in the cameras or not. It's quite possible that all power was lost at launch, meaning the cameras will be empty. It's also possible that we'll have a few hundred photos waiting for us when we recover the payload. More Later.

Balloon Launch July 22!

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 6th, 2006

The Vienna Wireless Society will be launching balloon flight VWS-4 on Saturday, July 22, 2006. The launch site is TBD (depending on winds aloft), expected to be west of Northern, VA. This will be an altitude record attempt, with a desired burst altitude around 125,000 feet. This and other balloon launch dates are announced on the ARHAB Launch Announcements Page: http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ARHABlaunchannouncements.htm Ben Gelb, KF4KJQ, is producing the payload again, and Pete Norloff, KG4OJT, is coordinating the flight. We plan to fly an APRS beacon, a digital camera, and possibly an Amateur TV transmitter. More details will be available as we get closer to launch. To participate, please join our Balloon Mailing list.

Vienna Connection Article about Field Day

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 29th, 2006

The Vienna Connection ran a very nice article about our Field Day operation in today's paper. The article can be found online at: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=67784&paper=73&cat=104 Another copy is available Here

Field Day 2006!

Posted By Ben Gelb on June 20th, 2006

Field Day 2006 will be held at Burke Lake Park this weekend, June 24-25. Antenna and setup will occur beginning around 4pm Friday the 23rd. Come out and help operate! Bring your friends and family. There will be lots of good eats and good fun to be had. More details here.

Fox Hunt, Saturday, May 13, 2:30 PM - picnic to follow

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 12th, 2006

The plan for our fox hunt this Saturday, May 13, is to turn on the transmitter around 2:30 PM. The transmitter will be within or very close to the Town of Vienna. At 4:30, we'll announce the location of the hidden transmitter on the VWS 146.685 repeater as well as the location of the post-hunt dinner picnic. We'll start the picnic around 5:00. Attendees are requested to bring a small dessert item. There's no planned meeting place before the hunt begins, however in the past, some of us have gathered at the Vienna Elementary School parking lot to compare notes before heading out. We have no rules regarding assisting other teams or receiving assistance from other teams. The only rule is to come out and enjoy the hunt in any way you like. If you're planning to come out to the picnic, please contact Pete Norloff so we'll know how much food to buy.

Mass for Bernie, K4XY

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 17th, 2006

With great sadness, we report the passing of our good friend Bernie Stuecker, K4XY. A mass will be held on Friday, April 21, 2006 at 11:00 AM. Mass will be held at: St. Mark Catholic Church 9970 Vale Rd., Vienna, VA 22181 The Services will start at 11:00 A.M. followed by Burial in The Church Memorial Gardens. One way to get to the church would be to take Route 123 south out of Vienna to Flint Hill Road. Turn right on Flint Hill Road, then at the end of Flint Hill Road, turn left on Vale Road. St. Marks is a short distance down Vale road on the right: 9970 Vale Road.

Winterfest 2006!

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 23rd, 2006

Winterfest 2006 is coming Sunday February 26th, 2006. Click here for more info. Vendors! Click here to reserve tables for Winterfest.

Balloon Flight Recovered

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 22nd, 2006

The VWS-3 balloon payload was successfully recovered. Click here for details.

North American QSO Party, January 21, 2006

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 17th, 2006

This coming weekend, the Vienna Wireless Society will be returning to the historic Highacre House at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for the North American QSO Party in January, 2006. For more information about this great event, please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/naqp-2006-01-21/ Please come join us if you can.

Balloon Launch January 7th! - UPDATED

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 3rd, 2006

The Vienna Wireless Society will be undertaking its third balloon launch on Saturday, January 7th, around 9am EST. The launch will take place at a site to be determined, either in the vicinity of Staunton, VA, or Romney, WV, depending on weather conditions. The flight duration should be on the order of 3.5 hours. This flight will attempt to break the altitude record of 120,522 feet as posted on the W0RPK Amateur Radio Ballooning Records Page, available here: http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ARHABrecords.htm. APRS telemetry and position data will be transmitted from the balloon on 144.39 MHz with callsign K4HTA-11. Even if you can't attend the launch, your help in receiving telemetry would be greatly appreciated! Please send any received telemetry to telem@viennawireless.org. If you're interested in helping with the launch and recovery effort, please join the balloon mailing list as described here, and send an email introducing yourself.

December 9th Meeting at Vienna Community Center

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 9th, 2005

Our December 9 meeting, which is our annual meeting of the corporation, board of directors election, holiday party and show and tell will be held at the Vienna Community Center, *NOT* in the Vienna Elementary School because the schools are closed today. Please join us for this important and fun meeting at the Vienna Community Center.

Vienna Wireless and the 2005 ARRL Toy Drive

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 22nd, 2005

Generous donations from Vienna Wireless Society members and assistance from club Secretary Ray Albers, K2HYD, yielded over 40 new toys to include in this year's ARRL Toy Drive for children affected by this year's hurricanes. The ARRL asked for new, unwrapped toys suitable for boys and girls aged 1 to 14. Toys were collected at the club's November 18 meeting and shipped to the ARRL warehouse in Memphis Tennessee. Please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/ToyDrive2005.php

Highacre House in January for NAQP!

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 17th, 2005

With thanks to John Birch, KA4YMA, the Vienna Wireless Society will be returning to the historic Highacre House at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for the North American QSO Party in January, 2006. For more information about this great event, please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/naqp-2006-01-21/

November Meeting Date Changed to 11/18

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 1st, 2005

Our one meeting in November will be on Friday, November 18. This is a departure from our normal second and fourth Friday rule. The PTA will be using the cafeteria and gym for an event on our normal meeting day so to avoid using the library (and competing for parking) we've moved the date. There is no second meeting in November due to Thanksgiving.

The Vienna Halloween Parade

Posted By Pete Norloff on October 10th, 2005

The Vienna Wireless Society will be supporting the Vienna Halloween parade again this year. Details are being discussed on the halloween mailing list. The parade is Wednesday evening, October 26, 2005. Our support will start at 5:30 PM and continue until around 9:30. If you're interested in coming out and joining in the fun -- supporting the Town, and enjoying a pleasant evening, please see the mailing list section of this web site and join the halloween mailing list. For further information, please contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT.

VWS operates in North American QSO party - CW

Posted By Ben Gelb on September 23rd, 2005

The Vienna Wireless Society converged on the outdoor pavilion of American Legion Post 180 in Vienna on the morning of Saturday, August 6th to set up for the North American QSO Party, CW (radiotelegraph) version, a.k.a. NAQP-CW. A couple of well-placed shots of projectiles from the increasingly famous K2HYD pneumatic launcher put ropes over some nice tall trees, and in short order KG4OJT’s 80m Carolina Windom got unpacked for yet another club operating event and was up at a nice altitude. Chief op Bernie, K4XY, started unpacking and setting up power supplies, keyer and paddle, computer, antenna tuner and something else…. Oh yeah, a transceiver. Meanwhile, President Tom and acting chef Pete, KG4OJT, and harmonics made a supermarket run to get what they naively thought was too much food - heck, anyone who’s been at a VWS operating event should know by now that “too much food” and “VWS” just don’t fit in the same paragraph. As it turned out, the amount of food was “just right,” which is defined as, it all disappeared and no one complained of being hungry. As the magic contest start hour approached, Dave, K2VX, did the honors of putting K4HTA on the air for the first couple of contacts on 40 meters, while many of the rest of the relaxed and laid back VWS-ers sat in awe and wonderment at the strange sounds of Morse code emanating from the IC-706’s speaker. More operating went on during the afternoon - as did more eating and kibitzing - with Bernie, Ray, Dan and Ben all taking turns operating, all with help and coaching from chief op Bernie, who provided answers to such esoteric technical questions as, “Huh? What was that call?” In keeping with the long-standing VWS tradition of emphasizing fun over teeth-gritting aggressive point-garnering contesting, the group reached a consensus around 8PM local that folding up and going home was better than turning on the lights and being mosquito bait until 2 AM. In all, we bagged 114 contacts: 37 on 40m, 40 on 20m, 34 on 15m, and one on 10m. Everyone agreed it was a satisfying and fun-filled day, and we look forward to the SSB version of NAQP on August 20th.

North American QSO Party, Lake Fairfax

Posted By Ben Gelb on September 23rd, 2005

Please come out and join us at Lake Fairfax Park on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 & 21, 2005. We'll be operating in the North American QSO Party, a 12 hour contest. We'll be setting up at the park starting around 9:00 on Saturday with the contest beginning at 2:00 PM and running until 2:00 AM. We'll be operating two HF stations and will likely have a 2-meter station for talk-in/talk-around. Chef Martindale, K4TCM has promised all sorts of yummy things to eat for lunch and dinner as well. Please get in touch with Tom Azlin, N4ZPT, or Pete Norloff, KG4OJT to sign up to operate in the contest. More details are here and on our NAQP mailing list.

Balloon Flight Success!

Posted By Ben Gelb on July 26th, 2005

The VWS's second balloon flight was a big success! More information, including some incredible photos, is available here.

Saturday, 7/23 Balloon Launch

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 20th, 2005

Here are the details regarding our launch this Saturday, July 23: We'll be launching very near Interstate 66 and Route 340, just north of Front Royal and south of Interstate 66. To get there, take Interstate 66 west to exit 6 (route 340) south toward Front Royal. After exiting, you'll see a McDonalds on the right then very soon you'll see a commuter parking lot on the left. We're launching from this commuter parking lot. If you find yourself in Front Royal, you've gone too far. The parking lot is very close to Interstate 66. The exit is 54 miles west of Route 123 and Interstate 66, so expect an hour or so of travel time to get there from home. We expect to arrive at the launch site by 8:00 and launch at 9:00 AM or as soon as we're ready after that. To avoid desensing our 2-meter APRS telemetry from our talk-around, we'll be using 448.375 which is the output frequency of our 440 repeater at Fair Oaks. You'll need to know how to switch off the automatic repeater offset in your radio. That repeater may be useful for some portion of the drive out to Front Royal, but it does not cover that area. After launch, we'll try to minimize talk-around on 448.375 if it desenses our ATV television reception. We're hoping that by staying toward the top of the amateur 440 band, we'll avoid interfering with the 434 MHz TV signal. We have two APRS trackers on the balloon. One is on 144.390 (the North American APRS frequency) and will be beaconing once a minute with status texts every five minutes. This station will use K4HTA-11. The second APRS tracker will be on 144.340, and will be beaconing raw $GPRMC and $GPGGA sentences and a telemetry packet every 30 seconds. Status packet (same as above) every 5 minutes. The 144.34 downlink may also switch into a special mode after 5-10 minutes after landing that would transmit a tone for one complete minute every 5 as a foxhunting beacon. This station will be using KI4HAC-11. Our ATV television signal will transmit continuously on 434.0 MHz which is just slightly higher than cable channel 59 (channel 59 is 433.25 MHz). To receive this signal, use any cable-ready television and set it to cable channel spacing. Tune the TV to channel 59 and attach a 440 MHz beam antenna pointed in the direction of the balloon. The VWS club callsign and GPS information will be overlaid on the video signal. After launch, we'll likely stay put in the commuter lot for a while until we have a good idea of the balloon trajectory. We'll be watching and recording the ATV signal while monitoring and mapping the APRS information. After we have an idea where the balloon is heading, we'll start driving to stay within 30-45 minutes of the expected landing site. We'd like to know who is coming out to the launch, and who will be monitoring from elsewhere. Please post a note to the Balloon mailing list with your plans so we all know who's going to be involved. Any questions can be posted to the Balloon mailing list or to KG4OJT or KF4KJQ directly (call sign at arrl.net). Posting to the group is preferred. 73, Pete Norloff, KG4OJT

Second Annual Balloon Launch

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 9th, 2005

Thanks to the technical direction of our own Ben Gelb, VWS will be launching a high altitude balloon on the weekend of July 23/24. We're planning on the 23rd, with the 24th as a possible "rain date." Please be sure to mark your calendars, it's coming up soon. The balloon will carry a telemetry beacon, packet/APRS beacon, still camera, and possibly a live video feed. We have a mailing list dedicated to the balloon launch. Further discussion regarding the launch will be on the balloon mailing list. Click Here for information on subscribing to that list. Last year we had a lot of fun driving around the countryside and tracking our balloon, then looking at the photos it took afterwards. Some of us tracked the telemetry packets from the comforts of home. If you're interested in helping out or just coming out for the hunt, please join us. Information about our 2004 launch is available here.

VWS and Field Day in the News

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 30th, 2005

The Burke Connection has published a nice article about our Field Day operation at Burke Lake Park: June 30, 2005 Burke Connection Article

Friday, June 24, 2005 Meeting at Burke Lake Park

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 18th, 2005

This Friday's meeting is the day before Field Day starts and will be held at Burke Lake Park. We have access to the park starting on Friday and will be beginning our Field Day setup after 2:00 on Friday.

Local Hams Take it to the Streets June 25-26

Posted By Ben Gelb on June 10th, 2005

For Immediate Release (Vienna, VA, June 7, 2005) -- Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. On the weekend of June 25-26 local residents will have a chance to meet and talk with ham radio operators and see for themselves what this "radio service" really is about. The Vienna Wireless Society will be holding a demonstration of emergency communications abilities at Burke Lake Park from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Saturday, June 25 and again from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM on Sunday, June 26. Click Here to Read More...

VWS Field Day Coming Up!

Posted By Ben Gelb on June 10th, 2005

The Vienna Wireless Society will again participate in the annual ARRL Field Day event. Information on the Vienna Wireless Society's Field Day operation is located on our Field Day page, located here. Also see our Field Day Press Release.

New VWS Photo Sharing group on Flickr

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 9th, 2005

This just in from Linda, AC4LT: We've set up a photo sharing group on the flickr service (www.flickr.com). The purpose is to encourage the sharing of photos from VWS events. To see the photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/vws/. The group consists of two parts, a photo pool and a discussion board. Since we already have a perfectly good set of mailing lists, don't use the discussion board unless it's for something directly flickr related. To post photos into the group, you'll first need to be invited into the group. If you have a flickr id, then let me know what it is and I'll send the invitation. If you don't have a flickr id, then send me the email address you want to register with and I'll send out a flickr invitation that should make you a member upon the creation of your account. It doesn't cost anything to join flickr though the free accounts do have limitations on the number of photos you can have in your stream. And they're policy is supposed to refrain from spamming you and so far this seems to be true. So, if you'd like to share photos with other VWS members, let me know! 73 de Linda, AC4LT

QRP To The Field - Sat, April 30 2005

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 27th, 2005

This event is a combination QRP operating event and picnic. This year we are operating from the American Legion Post on Center St. where our 2-meter repeater is located. Members are encouraged to bring QRP equipment and to operate. The official contest time is 1500Z through 2400Z. We expect to start around 10:00 AM and operate until around 3:00 PM. Picnic food is provided by the club and organized by Jim Richey. American Legion Post 180, Center St., Vienna.

Tilghman Island, MD Expedition

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 7th, 2005

The Vienna Wireless Club is off on an expedition to Tilghman Island, MD. If you can't join us, please look for us on the air. For details, including frequencies, please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/tilghman

Licensing Testing Saturday March 12, Annandale, VA

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 30th, 2005

On the day *before* our Winterfest hamfest, we will be providing amateur radio licensing testing at the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA. Enter through the doors at the Earnst Cultural Center from the big parking lots. Go upstairs and to the right to the "President's Dining Room". The fee at this and all other ARRL VEC-coordinated Amateur Radio examination sessions is $14.

Club Calendar for 2005

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 26th, 2005

Our club calendar for 2005 is now available online and will be available in printed form at our 1/28 meeting. To see the calendar, either select the "Event Calendar" link on the left side of almost every page on our web site or select this link: http://www.viennawireless.org/calendar.php

Winterfest 2005!

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 4th, 2005

Winterfest 2005 is coming March 13th, 2005. Click here for more info. Vendors! Click here to reserve tables for Winterfest.

NAQP January Coming Soon: January 15/16 2005

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 12th, 2004

This year we'll be operating the North American QSO Party from the Inn at Town Hill in Western Maryland. The event is the weekend of January 15/16 2005. For all the details, please see http://www.viennawireless.org/naqp-2005-01-15/ and contact Pete Norloff if you're interested in joining the fun.

President's Picnic: September 26, 2004, 1:00 PM

Posted By Pete Norloff on September 25th, 2004

Our annual President's Picnic will be held on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 1:00 PM in Glyndon Park. This year we're turning the tables on our president and instead of the picnic being put on by our president, it will be a party for our president to thank him for all the great things he's done for our club all year.

The Vienna Halloween Parade

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 9th, 2004

As a direct result of hosting Vienna Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Edythe Kelleher (WB2FHD) during VWS's Field Day operations, we have an opportunity to provide public service in support of Vienna's Halloween Parade. Please mark your calendar for 5:30 to 9:30 PM on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 and plan on coming out with your HT and batteries to join us in what's likely to be a really fun event. If you can join in the fun on Wednesday, October 27, 2004, please sign up for our Halloween mailing list and indicate there that you will be joining in. For more info, please see the Mailing Lists page on this web site or contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT.

Fox Hunt!

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 5th, 2004

We had a very successful hidden transmitter hunt (fox hunt) on Saturday, July 31. Jim Richey, AG4MA, and Bernie Stuecker, K4XY, set up the fox in Nottoway Park and started transmitting at 10:00 AM. The hunters gathered in Glyndon Park at 9:30 and set out when the signal was picked up. Everyone made it to the park, enjoyed a great picnic, and swapped stories about the hunt and other fun. Arrow antennas were considered very succesful as were small australian radio receivers. If you're interested in future fox hunting endeavors, please join our fox hunting mailing list. For more info see the "Mailing Lists" link to the left on this page.

VWS Mailing lists

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 5th, 2004

The Vienna Wireless Society maintains a number of email mailing lists for specific discussion topics. In addition to our new VWS mailing list for general discussions and queries, we also have mailing lists for our balloon activites, North American QSO Party, RDF (fox hunting), FieldDay, Winterfest, and our new Halloween list. You can subscribe to any or all of the lists. For more information, please see our web site for details: http://www.viennawireless.org/lists.php

Wu's Garden Dinner, 8/27

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 5th, 2004

Our regular club meeting on Friday, August 27 will be replaced with a club dinner at Wu's Garden in Vienna. We've held our last meeting of the summer at Wu's for the last two years, and Wu's has provided a very enjoyable meal. Wu's Garden, 418 Maple Ave E, Vienna, VA 22180. 703-281-4410. Members, spouses, etc. are all welcome. Cost is $17 per person and includes the family style meal and soda. We need to know how many of us are going to attend this dinner so we can give Wu's a count. Please sign up at our August 13 meeting and pay at that time if you can. Payment to the club at the restaurant is alright, but we need to know if you're coming ahead of time. We hope you'll join us on 8/27 at Wu's.

North American QSO Party, 8/21 - 8/22

Posted By Pete Norloff on August 5th, 2004

North American QSO Party - Lake Fairfax, Saturday & Sunday August 21 & 22, 2004 Please come out and join us at Lake Fairfax Park on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 & 22, 2004. We'll be operating in the North American QSO Party, a 12 hour contest. We'll be setting up at the park starting around 9:00 on Saturday with the contest beginning at 2:00 PM and running until 2:00 AM. We'll be operating two HF stations and will likely have a 2-meter station for talk-in/talk-around. Chef Martindale, K4TCM has promised all sorts of yummy things to eat for lunch and dinner as well. Linda Thomas, AC4LT, is working up a list of operators and loggers so please get in touch with her if you'd like to operate in the contest. More details are on our web site and on our NAQP mailing list.

Balloon Launch!

Posted By Ben Gelb on July 28th, 2004

The Vienna Wireless Society will launch a high altitude balloon on Saturday, July 24th. The balloon will carry a small digital camera, GPS receiver, and MCW and APRS beacons. The launch site is near the intersection of Route 66 and 340 in Front Royal, VA. The APRS downlink frequency is 145.79 and the MCW beacon will be on 146.55. If you copy telemetry from the balloon, please e-mail it to ben@gelbnet.com. More information about the launch is available here.

Fox Hunt! Saturday, July 31

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 28th, 2004

Please join us on the first Fox Hunting (Direction Finding) exercise of the year: Date: Sat. 31 July 2004 Time: 0930 Kickoff assembly at Glyndon Park North Parking lot - Beulah Rd. Vienna, VA. Jim, AG4MA, will meet the participants in the parking lot and pass on any final instructions. Bernie, K4XY, will be set up at the Fox's Den and have his beacon in operation on 146.565. The group will began the search at 1000. I will proceed to KFC and pick up the fried chicken. Approximately one half hour into the exercise, we will begin a series of transmissions superimposed on the beacon frequency. We will be passing on information that may help you in your search. At 1100 or depending the progress of the exercise, we will announce the location of the Fox's Den over the beacon frequency so you will not miss any of the meatball subs and fried chicken!! We will also make the announcement over 146.685. Thanks and see you at the Fox's Den. Jim and Bernie

VWS Scavenger Hunt: July 10, 2004, 10:00 AM

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 14th, 2004

On Saturday, July 10, 2004 at 10:00 AM we're having our VWS Scavenger Hunt in and around Vienna. We'll be meeting in the Vienna Elementary School parking lot. More details will be forthcoming. If you're interested in participating in this fun event, please contact Jim Richey, AG4MA, or Pete Norloff, KG4OJT. The hunt is expected to last about two hours. We'll gather in a restaurant or park afterwords for lunch.

June 11 Meeting: Field Day and Club Auction

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 9th, 2004

Along with discussing Field Day preparations, President Tom Azlin N4ZPT will host a mini-auction of donated items for benefit to the VWS. Tom needs to clear these items out of his house and hopes all members will bring a few bucks along to help him out. Additional auction item contributions to benefit the club are welcome. We always have fun at these mini-auctions, so be ready to get good bargains and enjoy the always-entertaining bidding process. Note that this is our final meeting of the year at the Elementary School. (Really; no kidding.) Our meetings on June 25, July 9 and 23, and August 13 will be at the Vienna Community Center around the block. (The August 27 meeting will be at Wu’s Garden.) And yes, the School will be open even though Friday is a federal holiday.

QRP Field Day - Glyndon Park, Vienna - April 24

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 19th, 2004

Saturday, April 24, 2004: QRP Field Day - Glyndon Park, Vienna This event is a combination QRP operating event and picnic. We hold it in Glyndon Park on Glyndon Street in Vienna. Setup starts at 8:00 AM with lunch before mid day and wrap-up no later than 3:00 PM. If you can, please bring QRP rig, battery, and antenna or use the rigs others bring. The official contest time is 1500Z through 2400Z. Picnic food is provided by the club and organized by Jim Richey. Please plan on coming out and operating or picnicing or both! and here's a link to more information about the event: http://www.zianet.com/na5n/qttfruls.html

March 26: Wide Area Augmentation System

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 22nd, 2004

Our program this week will be given by VWS member Jim Nagle, KF4OD. His subject will be the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), which is a GPS-based navigation and landing system that provides precision guidance to aircraft at airports and airstrips where there is no precision landing capability. WAAS is designed to improve the accuracy and ensure the integrity of information coming from GPS satellites. Jim plans to bring some equipment for a short demonstration. It should be a most interesting presentation on the technical side of our hobby.

No Meeting on February 27

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 17th, 2004

Because of the close proximity to Winterfest, we will NOT be holding a regular club meeting on Friday February 27. Please come out to the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale on Saturday instead and help with the Winterfest preparations.

Winterfest 2004!

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 15th, 2004

Winterfest 2004 is coming February 29th, 2004. Click here for more info. Vendors! Click here to reserve tables for Winterfest.

January 23: History of Voice of America

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 15th, 2004

On January 23, Allen Heil, author of a book on the same topic, will speak on the history of the Voice of America. He will have copies of his book for purchase. The Crystal Set interest group will show off their constructions at the same meeting.

February 13: Ultra Wideband Carrier-less Communication

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 15th, 2004

On February 13, Bruno Patton will describe a technique called "Ultra Wideband Carrier-less Communication."

North American QSO Party, January 17/18 2004

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 15th, 2004

If you're on the bands this weekend, watch for K4HTA/8 operating in the North American QSO Party from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. You may also find us operating PSK31 in the PSKFest on Saturday as well. If you're interested in joining in the fun, please contact Linda Thomas or Pete Norloff. If you're around Harpers Ferry over the weekend, talk-in is on 146.415 simplex.

AMRAD to Make BPL Presentation at Winterfest

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 10th, 2004

AMRAD, the Amateur Radio Research and Development Corporation, has done extensive research and testing of broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, which currently threatens amateur radio. AMRAD members will give a presentation on their findings at Winterfest.

Leading Edge Available Online

Posted By Pete Norloff on January 6th, 2004

With great thanks to Kerry Kingham, WA4BQM, we have our Leading Edge publication available for electronic retrieval on our web site. Just click on the words Leading Edge to retrieve the PDF file. This online version is the same as the printed version with the exception of Bruno Pattan's two papers and the front cover. Single copies of the Leading Edge are available to VWS members. To obtain your copy please contact Kerry Kingham or any board member.

Annual Holiday Party and Show and Tell Event

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 8th, 2003

This coming meeting, on December 12, 2003, we will have our annual Holiday Party and Show and Tell event. Please come and bring an item of interest to show and describe to the other attendees. Visitors are always welcome. You need not be a member of VWS to attend this or any other meeting.

Winterfest Planning Session

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 8th, 2003

The Winterfest Planning Committee will be meeting at 6:30 on Friday, Dec. 12, one hour before the start of the general meeting. Please come out early and join in the discussion.

North American QSO Party, January 17/18 2004

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 8th, 2003

On January 17 and 18, 2004, the Vienna Wireless Society will be operating in the North American QSO Party, at the Highacre house at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. This site is located on a hill overlooking the scenic confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The panoramic view from the house's front porch, dining room and living room is very nice. We will be operating Multi Operator Two Transmitter (this contest limits entrants to two transmitters.) For details on the event including photos of the house and surrounding area, please see the "North Am QSO Party" link on our web site or click here The contest starts at 1:00 PM local time on Saturday, January 17 and ends at 1:00 AM local time on Sunday, January 18. We will start gathering in Harpers Ferry starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday to set up the operating positions, antennas, etc. Food details are yet to be worked out, but we're planning on arranging pot luck and having everyone who participates bring a dish to share around. At 1:00 AM when the contest stops, some or all of us will sleep in the house, pack up the equipment in the morning and head out to breakfast -- possibly in the Hilltop Hotel in Harpers Ferry. Please see Linda Thomas, AC4LT, or Pete Norloff, KG4OJT for more info.

2004 Officers and Board Members

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 8th, 2003

At the December board meeting and some follow up electronic votes the following officers are selected for 2004: President, Tom Azlin N4ZPT Vice President, Linda Thomas AC4LT Secretary, Bill Kamm KC4VXH Treasurer, Pete Norloff KG4OJT Board members for this year are Alan Bosch (2004), Pete Norloff (2004), Ben Gelb(2005), Quentin Taylor (2005), and Tom Azlin (2005). In addition to the officers Mike Steussy, AE4R, will be returning as our inventive and resourceful Program Coordinator.

President's Picnic

Posted By Ben Gelb on October 7th, 2003

The VWS President's Picnic will be held Sunday, October 12th, from 2pm to 5pm at Glyndon park in Vienna. Setup will begin at noon.

September 12 Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on September 10th, 2003

Our September 12 meeting is our first meeting back in the Vienna Elementary School this school year. Our program this evening will be a presentation on traffic handling by member David Weisen, K2VX.

North American QSO Party, August 16-17 2003, Lake Fairfax Park

Posted By Pete Norloff on July 22nd, 2003

On August 16 and 17 2003, the Vienna Wireless Society will be operating in the North American QSO Party at Lake Fairfax Park, in group camping area "C". We will be operating Multi Operator Two Transmitter. The contest starts at 2:00 PM local time on Saturday, August 16 and ends at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday, August 17. We will start gathering in the camp area at Lake Fairfax park starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday to set up the operating positions in tents, etc. At 2:00 AM when the contest stops, some or all of us will sleep in the park, pack up the equipment in the morning and head to a restaurant for breakfast -- possibly Amphora in Vienna or another restaurant. For all the details, please see: http://www.viennawireless.org/naqp.php.

Fox Hunt!

Posted By Pete Norloff on June 15th, 2003

We'll be having a Fox Hunt on Sunday, June 22, 2003. Meet in the parking lot of the Vienna Elementary School at 2:00. Further details will be available on the RDF mailing list. To join the RDF mailing list, please contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT.

May 9 Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on May 9th, 2003

The program this evening will be a presentation by Bruno Pattan on VHF comm & homing system antenna for helicopters.

April 25 Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 19th, 2003

The program this evening will be a presentation by Mike Reagan about Forestry communications in Russia & Mongolia.

April 11 Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 10th, 2003

The program this evening will be a presentation by Simadan Brahm about Music audio analysis & filtering. Before the general meeting, members involved with building fox hunting antennas and attenuators will be building tape measure beams. If the attenuator kits arrive, we'll be working on those too. RDF activities start at 6:00. The general meeting starts at 7:30.

April 4 Fox Hunting Build Session

Posted By Pete Norloff on April 1st, 2003

The next build session for the fox hunting equipment will be Friday, April 4 in the Vienna Elementary School Library. We're hoping to be able to assemble many of our attenuator kits. If you're involved in the club fox hunting activities, we're meeting at 6:30 at the school. A list of supplies to bring will be sent out on the RDF email reflector.

March 28 Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 26th, 2003

Club member Rich Biby KD4DSX will discuss VHF and UHF Contesting, a great way for Technicians (and anybody else, for that matter) to exercise their privileges in the world above 50 MHz. There will also be updates on our Foxhunting initiative.

Fox Hunt Organization Meeting

Posted By Pete Norloff on March 5th, 2003

Friday, March 7 at 7:30, a number of club members will be meeting at Vienna Elementary School for a special pre-planning session for a fox hunt and to talk about another between-meeting gathering to build direction finding antennas and attenuators. The meeting will largely be an organizing meeting in preparation for a building session. All members interested in radio direction finding are welcome to attend the organizing meeting. Further details about an upcoming fox hunt will be available at the regular club meeting on Friday March 14. We have also started an email reflector for the radio direction finding effort: rdf @ viennawireless.org. Members interested in participating in the mailing list can contact Pete Norloff, KG4OJT, to be added to the list. Email: kg4ojt @ viennawireless.org

No Meeting February 28th

Posted By Ben Gelb on February 28th, 2003

Due to the snow, there will be no VWS meeting on Friday, February 28th, because the meeting location, the Vienna Elementary School, is closed. We will, however, be holding a "virtual meeting" on the club's 2 meter repeater, 146.685 at the same time. Hope to see you all there!

HRO Woodbridge is hiring

Posted By Pete Norloff on February 5th, 2003

HRO Woodbridge has an opening for a partime sales position with the potential to convert to full time. Call (703) 643-1063 or 1-800 444-4799 Ask for Steve Rock

January Meeting Presentations, Winterfest Speakers

Posted By Pete Norloff on December 31st, 2002

In 2003, the VWS will kick off its procession of great guest speakers and member-given programs on Friday, January 10th, with a talk by Colonel Bob Carlisle, Chief of Police for the town of Vienna. At our next meeting, on Friday, January 24th, new member Tom Quinn will give us a presentation on communications of the US Forest Service. Other programs in early 2003 will cover a variety of interesting subjects, such as VHF/UHF contesting and the antenna engineer's desktop. Our program coordinator, Mike Steussy, AE4R, is always looking for candidate guest speakers and in particular, needs an expert to talk to our club on six meter operation. Two great speakers are lined up for Winterfest 2003. Dr. Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, ARRL Director for the Roanoke Division, will present League news and views, and then answer questions. Dennis has great insight, not only with the League, but also with the FCC and amateur radio in general. Mike Martin, K3RFI, has also agreed to return and talk about that plague on amateur operations, radio frequency interference. Mike is one of the world's experts on this subject. His presentation on the various causes and cures for RFI is certainly one of the all-time most interesting and useful technical presentations. We also hope to have another guest speaker lined up soon.

Holiday Party and Show and Tell event

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 26th, 2002

This coming meeting, on December 13, 2002, we will have our annual Holiday Party and Show and Tell event. Please come and bring an item of interest to show and describe to the other attendees. Visitors are always welcome. You need not be a member of VWS to attend this or any other meeting.

The Northern VA FM Association - Meeting Presentation

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 14th, 2002

At the November 22 meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society, Howard Cunningham, WD5DBC, will be making a presentation about the Northern VA FM Association (NVFMA). NVFMA is dedicated to providing superior FM repeater service in the DC Metro area, operating multiple wide-area coverage repeater systems available to all amateur radio operators.

Annual Meeting / Board of Directors Election

Posted By Pete Norloff on November 4th, 2002

The upcoming meeting of the Vienna Wireless Society on November 8 is our annual meeting and election. Two seats on the board of directors are expiring and are up for election. All current VWS members please come participate in this important meeting.

Winterfest 2003

Posted By Ben Gelb on November 4th, 2002

Mark your calendars! Winterfest 2003 is fast approaching, and will be held on February 23rd, 2003. The event will be taking place at the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus. For more information, click here.

Elmer Program

Posted By Ben Gelb on November 4th, 2002

The VWS has established a formal elmering program to help new hams, and experienced hams alike. The idea was proposed by John Transue, AF4PD. Alan Bosch, KO4ALA has accepted the position as coordinator of the program. More information can be found here.

President's Picnic: Sunday, October 6

Posted By Pete Norloff on September 16th, 2002

The President’s Picnic will be held on Sunday, October 6 in Meadow Lane Park in Vienna. Each family is requested to bring dessert, the club will furnish the rest, including hot pastami sandwiches and hot dogs. Prospective members are welcome.

Auction!

Posted By Ben Gelb on September 10th, 2002

At the next meeting (Friday the 13th) get ready for the 2nd annual VWS auction. Equipment donations from various doners will be up for bid. There will definitely be some worthwhile so be sure not to miss it!

Back to School

Posted By Ben Gelb on September 1st, 2002

With the new school year beginning, the meetings of the Vienna Wireless Society will once again be held in the Vienna Elementary School. The next meeting will be Friday, September 13th.

Monday Night Net

Posted By Ben Gelb on September 1st, 2002

The VWS now holds a weekly net on its 2 meter repeater (146.685-). The net is on Monday evenings at 8:00pm. All are encouraged to check in. Non-members are welcome. Hope to see you on the check in list!

Repeater Survey

Posted By Ben Gelb on August 9th, 2002

Some of the members of the VWS conducted a survey of the coverage of the 146.685 repeater. Results plotted on a map as well as coverage prediction models are available here.

Ham Radio at Thomas Jefferson High School

Posted By Ben Gelb on August 9th, 2002

Plans are in the works for developing a formal relationship with the Thomas Jefferson High School Amateur Radio Club, which Alan Bosch, KO4ALA, VWS President, has been mentoring over the past year. He has written a concept paper, available in Microsoft Word format here.

Field Day Success

Posted By Ben Gelb on June 29th, 2002

The VWS Field Day effort was a grand success. Around 25 people showed up and the VWS operated as class 3A. In previous years, operations have been as class 2A. Bonus points were obtained by a satellite QSO with NA4K, via RS12. Pete Norloff, KG4OJT, and his son Matthew, demonstrated amateur televison. 40 CW had a new record with 753 QSOs. There was plenty of food, and everyone had a good time.

Summer Meeting Schedule

Posted By Ben Gelb on June 9th, 2002

Our first June meeting will be our final meeting at the Vienna Elementary School, until summer is over and school re-starts in September. Our first September meeting will be back at the Vienna Elementary School. Starting with the second June meeting, our next four meetings will be at the Vienna Community Center. Unfortunately, the Vienna Community Center will be closed for the last half of August. Since the Vienna Elementary School won't be open until our first September meeting there, we still don't have anywhere scheduled for our second August meeting.

Middleburg Research Ride 2002

Posted By Ben Gelb on May 26th, 2002

The 2nd Annual Middlebug Research Ride went very well. Volunteers from the VWS provided communications for the event. The main task was to keep track of horses. Amateurs at checkpoints around the course relayed times for each horse to net control, where it was recorded.

QRP to the Field!

Posted By Ben Gelb on May 26th, 2002

Several VWS members attended the club's annual QRP Field Day operating activities at Glyndon Park. Two stations were operated, one an Icom 706 and the other a Heathkit HW-7. It was a sucessful and fun day.

New Leaders

Posted By Ben Gelb on May 26th, 2002

Pete Norloff, KG4OJT has become the 5th member of the VWS Board of Directors. Mike Steussy, AE4R, is the new Vice President.

Field Day is Coming

Posted By Ben Gelb on April 5th, 2002

Field Day will take place on June 22nd and 23rd this year. We look forward to seeing you at the annual VWS Field Day operation at Burke Lake park. There will be great food, fun, and of course, ham radio! Click here for more.

Thanks!

Posted By Ben Gelb on March 24th, 2002

Thanks to all who attended Winterfest and helped to make it a big success! We hope to see you all next year.

No Meeting March 8, 2002

Posted By Ben Gelb on March 3rd, 2002

The space in the Vienna Elementary School is unavailable Friday March 8th, which is a regular meeting night. Because of this, we will not have a meeting until Friday March 22nd.

Members Only Section

Posted By Ben Gelb on January 27th, 2002

I have been receiving a lot of questions about passwords for the Members Only section. I am very happy to see that so many are interested in this feature and are using the site. Unfortunatley, this part of the site is not yet available. It should be ready in the very near future. The members only section will contain a membership directory, and possibly a message board where members can share ideas, sell equipment, etc. -The Webmaster

Middleburg Research Ride

Posted By Ben Gelb on December 18th, 2001

VWS volunteers provided communication services for the 1st Annual Middleburg Research Ride in 2001. The story...

Printer-Friendly Version

---

Web hosting provided by Pete Norloff, KG4OJT of Norloff Computer Corp. Copyright © 2001-2012 Vienna Wireless Society. All rights reserved. Winterfest ® is a registered trademark of the Vienna Wireless Society.