Club Information and History
History
In his book 200 Meters and Down, Clinton Desoto describes a radio club in Salt Lake City as the very first organization of its kind. That organization was formed in 1909. It is possible that UARC's roots go back to that organization. But the records extant show that the Utah Amateur Radio Club was formed under its current name in 1927. The club still has records containing the minutes of the first meeting. UARC became affiliated with the American Radio Relay League the following year. (You can join ARRL through the club.) In 1957 the club incorporated and began publishing its current newsletter, The Microvolt.
UARC holds the club callsign W7SP, which is a memorial call for Leonard (Zim) Zimmerman. Zim was active in amateur radio back in the days when one had to grind his own crystals from the raw quartz rock. Virtually every piece of amateur radio equipment Zim used was home-built (He used the label "ZimMade"). The equipment generally sounded better than the commercial rigs of the day. UARC is proud to honor Zim by using the W7SP call on its repeaters, its Field Day stations, and various special event stations.
In 2002, on the occasion of UARC's seventy-fifth anniversary, Alan Seyboldt, N7OI, went through the club archives and wrote a synopsis of the club's history, available here. It gives a more detailed history of UARC and shows how much the club and the amateur radio hobby have changed over the years.
| Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Article |
Club Activities and Benefits
Repeaters
UARC operates three repeaters. On the 9000-foot Farnsworth Peak site (location of the KSL Channel 5 television transmitter) is one of two 146.62 MHz repeaters. The other one operates synchronously from Scott's Hill, on the ridge between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Park City. The receiver receiving the best signal at any given time feeds the transmitters on both sites.
Lake Mountain, west of Utah Lake, at 7600 feet, is home to the 146.76 MHz repeater. The 146.76 repeater is a node in the Internet Repeater Linking Project (IRLP). UARC members can use it to connect to other IRLP repeaters throughout the world. (See instructions for IRLP usage.) Although the repeaters are open to all amateurs, IRLP use is reserved for UARC members and visitors from out of the area. No CTCSS (also known as "PL") tones are required.
UARC Information Net
UARC holds a net every Sunday evening to disseminate information related to amateur radio. The UARC Information Net is held every Sunday evening at 9:00 P.M. on the club's 146.62 MHz repeater. The net includes announcements of UARC activities, Newsline, ARRL Bulletins, a listing of other clubs and nets, and a roundtable where people with questions or problems can seek out those with answers.ARRL Books
In order to make ARRL publications about amateur radio available in the Salt Lake City area, UARC has become an ARRL book dealer. License manuals, handbooks, repeater directories, and many specialized topics are available. The books are available for sale at each club meeting. In addition, Brett Sutherland, the book seller (affectionately known as the “Book Lady”) is often available during weekday business hours at his office near 600 East and South Temple in Salt Lake City. He can be reached at (801) 994-9944 Ext. 152.Field Day
UARC enters the annual Field Day contest held on the fourth Saturday of June and the following Sunday each year. Field Day is the world's largest amateur radio contest and is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. The purpose is to give operators as much opportunity as possible to experience emergency-type operating conditions: a quickly-set-up station in the field, continuous operation through the night, and emergency power.UARC usually sets up one or more stations as part of the club entry. This is usually done from a site in the mountains, appropriate for a family get-together and camp out.
Steak-Fry
UARC's big event of the year is the annual steak-fry, usually held on a Saturday in July in one of the canyons near Salt Lake City. The event includes a swap-meet, a steak dinner, and awards.
Classes
UARC sponsors at least one class each year for prospective new
Technicians. Classes run 8-12 weeks and include all
the material to get a Technician license. Instructors
are volunteers from the club membership. A fee is charged to
cover room rental, handouts, and other materials.
Check the latest news to see if there is a beginners' class starting soon.
Newsletter
UARC publishes a monthly (except August) newsletter called The Microvolt. It includes news about upcoming club activities, construction projects, stories, and regular columns about such topics as QRP operation. The Microvolt home page contains past issues in printable form.
License Examinations
UARC sponsors a series of examinations for all classes of amateur license. Test sessions are normally held on the first Saturday of every other month (starting with February) at the Salt Lake County Complex, 2100 South and State Street. See UARC Exam Page for more information. You can also call Gordon Smith, K7HFV, at (801) 582-2438.
Ham Hotline
Volunteers from the club man a "Ham Hotline" and are ready to answer questions about local amateur radio activities. Answers are available to questions about local clubs, ham dealers, upcoming exams and classes, etc. The Ham Hotline number is 583-3002.
E-Mail List
UARC sponsors a mailing list or “reflector” that allows members to send e-mail messages to everyone in the group. Currently the mailing list has over 100 members. A single e-mail to the group address will send the message to all other group members. This can be helpful for finding an expert on a particular topic, listing an item for sale, or quickly getting out a message of general interest.
The list is part of Yahoo Groups. Messages are not only e-mailed to group members, but also kept available on a web site, allowing members to review past postings.
There are two ways to join. The simplest is just to send a message to UtahAmateurRadioClub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Make sure your return address is the address to which you would like the group messages to come.
You should get a confirming e-mail back. Note the instructions that it will include on how to post a message and how to unsubscribe. A common mistake people make when trying to unsubscribe is to send their request to the entire group. Note that the address to use to drop out of the group (unsubscribe) is different from the one used to post a message.
The second way to subscribe is through the Yahoo Groups web site. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UtahAmateurRadioClub/ and follow the instructions to subscribe. If you are not already signed up with Yahoo Groups, you will need to choose an ID and password. Signing up in this manner will also give you access to message history, member list, pictures that have been posted, and other features.
Antenna Analyzer
UARC owns an MFJ-259B antenna analyzer which is available for use by any member. This unit is particularly helpful to anyone trying to tune up an antenna. It covers all frequencies from 1.8 to 170 MHz and will measure not only SWR, but also complex impedance (either in resistance and reactance or as magnitude and phase angle), feedline loss, distance to fault, velocity factor, and reflection coefficient.
This is one of those items that everyone needs for a day or two now and then, but not, perhaps, often enough to justify purchasing one. So it has worked well to purchase one together as a club and make it available to any club members who need it.
It can help tell which way one needs to move adjustments to achieve a match, whether surplus coax is in good enough shape to use, where along a coax line a discontinuity lies, and how well an antenna survived the winter.
In order to protect the investment, anyone who would like to borrow the analyzer is asked to leave a $100 check made out to the club. The check is returned upon return of the unit. The check will not be cashed if the unit is returned when promised.
Currently, the custodian for the unit is Brett Sutherland, N7KG. Anyone who would like to arrange to borrow the analyzer should talk to Brett. He can be reached at 298-5399. In addition to leaving the $100 check, borrowers will be asked to sign a receipt showing they have received the club equipment.
The Microvolt will list each new custodian and how to reach him. The meter is present at all club meetings and other club functions such as Field Day, and get-togethers for repeater work or club station work.
A description of the analyzer's capabilities is available at
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-259B.
How to Join
You can become a member of UARC at any regular club meeting, or by mailing dues to the Secretary (see below). If joining by mail, please include your name, callsign, address, phone, whether you are an ARRL member, and any special talents or areas of the club in which you would like to get involved.
Another option is to join on-line using PayPal. Follow the link below:
Dues are currently $20 per year for a single membership, an additional $12 for an additional membership in the same household without an additional Microvolt.
For more information or to join UARC, contact the Secretary:
- Utah Amateur Radio Club
c/o James Bennett, KK7AVS
4690 S. 5400 S.
Kearns, Utah 84118
- Phone: 801-791-5930
- E_mail: kk7avs@gmail.com
You can also join ARRL through UARC. See below.
How to Join ARRL
You can join the national association of radio amateurs, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), through UARC. Joining or renewing through the club is a convenience that may save you a stamp, and it also benefits the club, which is able to retain a portion of your dues. Just see the Secretary at any meeting and he will give you the appropriate form to fill out.
If you don't want to wait for a meeting, you can also send your ARRL dues by mail. First, bring up the application form at:
- http://user.xmission.com/~uarc/ArrlApp.pdf.
You can fill it out on-screen, then print it, or print the blank form first and then fill it out by hand. If you are paying the full amount to UARC, ignore the credit card information. Then mail it with your ARRL dues to the UARC Secretary:
- Utah Amateur Radio Club
c/o James Bennett, KK7AVS
4690 S. 5400 S.
Kearns, Utah 84118
-
If you are a PayPal member, you may also send the full dues payment (as listed on the form) to uarc@xmission.com, then put the information requested on the form in an email to the secretary:
- kk7avs@gmail.com
UARC is an ARRL-affiliated club and recommends ARRL membership
highly.
Membership includes QST magazine, the premier amateur radio
publication in the US. In addition, ARRL is the only organization that
regularly represents the interests of the amateur radio hobby in
proceedings before the FCC and other bodies, such as Congress, that
allocate frequencies and make the hobby possible. ARRL also sponsors
many of the best-known operating awards such as Worked All States (WAS)
and DX Century Club (DXCC). It sponsors the most popular contests
including Field Day and Sweepstakes. It provides technical assistance
and, in some cases, legal assistance. We owe many features of our hobby
and even its very existence to ARRL.
How UARC's Funds are Used
Here are some of the items supported by UARC dues:- Maintenance and upgrading of repeaters
- Phone lines for the autopatches
- The Ham Hotline
- Printing and mailing of The Microvolt
- Rental of the meeting room
- The steak-fry
- Field Day expenses
Return to UARC Home Page
Last Update Date:Sunday, October 15, 2023 19:00:10