Special Interest Groups

At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday evenings the PCARS Special Interest Groups (SIG) will be meeting at the club site(705 Oakwood Street in Ravenna ). The SIG’s are intended to provide an informal setting for PCARS members who share an interest in particular amateur radio activities to get to know each other better, learn more about the topic, share ideas and experiences and maybe even plan club programs.

The meetings are open to everyone so feel free to drop in for any of them.

If you have any questions about a particular group, contact the moderator, using the e-mail link below. Or, if you have a suggestion for any other group that you would like to get started (satellites, D-STAR, EME, you name it) send a note to President@portcars.org.

Here is the current schedule for SIG meetings, along with the moderator contact info for each:

    • First Tuesday of the month odd month: Digital Modes (Rick, K8CAV email)The Digital Special Interest Group meets at the Club Site, on the 1st Tuesday of each odd month. Topics can vary, but are always interesting. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM.
      Are you having problems getting on the air with a digital mode? Bring your equipment to the group, and let us help you!  We will also be accessible through Zoom. 
      Passcode: 594134
    • First Tuesday of the month even month: HF WAS & DX Nets  (Gene, W8NET email) The HF WAS & DX Nets meeting will be held at 7:00 PM at PCARS club site in Ravenna. For the first 45 minutes we will discuss a net, how to confirm contacts, what “tools” you can use, what kind of awards the net has, and many other topics. After discussion, on most meetings we will check in to a net.  HF nets are a great way to meet fantastic people all over the world on the air, work to achieve your “Worked All States” certificate, and contact many DX entities. Some examples the nets are: 3905 Century Club, OMISS, YLISSB, NATA Traffic Net, HHH Net, and others. Most have websites that explain their schedules, procedures, etc. I will send more information before each meeting. Hope you will join us for BIG FUN! We will also be accessible through Zoom.
    • Second Tuesday of the month: Portable Operations (Gene, W8NET email)
      The Portable operations Special Interest Group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Club Site. No matter your skill level in Amateur Radio, all are welcome. All that is required is an interest in Portable operating. This can mean Field Day style operations, or Activating parks, or just hauling a rig along on your next camping trip.
      We’ll be talking about equipment choices, how to submit logs to the individual Parks On The air programs, and any other subject that interests you.
      Come on out, and have some fun. 73 DE KD8MQ. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. We will also be accessible through Zoom. 
    • Third Tuesday of the month: Antennas (Jim, AC8NT email)The Antenna Special Interest Group meets at the Club Site, on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. The meetings begin at 7:00 pm, and are open to all PCARS members.
      If you are considering building a new antenna/antenna system at your QTH please feel free to stop in and discuss your plans with the group! As always, the floor will be open for discussion of any antenna topic by members attending the meeting.73, Bob N8QE. We will also be accessible through Zoom.
    • Fourth Tuesday of the month: DX/Contesting (Chuck, W8PT email)One might ask what the two have to do with each other. When there is a contest running, one can hardly find a clear frequency to do any normal DX hunting. But there are some commonalities that do exist. For one thing, an Amateur that participates in a contest must know the capabilities of his station. He has to know what he can expect from his rig and antenna system. The Amateur must also know what he is capable of. If you don’t know how to drive an Italian sports car, what’s the point of having one? Why own an IC 7800 if you can’t master at least a majority of its features? It’s the same with an Amateur that hunts DX. Often, some rare DX stations are so far into the noise level, that only those operators who know their rigs can pull them out. Or it may be that the station you want is being QRM’d by a close by station. Knowing how to use the features of your rig will be the difference in getting the DX station and having to pass it by because you can’t “tune” the strong station out. Of course, the biggest common trait is – LISTENING. Both DX hunters and Contesters need to listen and get the calls correct in order to have a valid QSO.What we attempt to do when the DX/Contest SIG meets is to discuss those topics that will enhance an operators abilities to have better success in either Contesting or DX hunting, which ever one is the chosen form of operation. As we always say, there is room for a lot of different sub categories of our hobby. DX hunting, Contesting, QRP operation, CW, Digital to name a few. Why not stop in at the club site on the fourth Tuesday of each month and see what we are up to? Who knows, you might learn something that will help you have more fun with the greatest hobby in the world!! The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. We will also be accessible through Zoom. 
    • Fifth Tuesday of the month: Could Be Anything SIG (Rick, KD8WCK email) We will also be accessible through Zoom.