2020 Hamvention® Club of the Year
About SCARS
The South Canadian Amateur Radio Society is an American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Special Services Club in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Our Facebook presence and weekly newsletter help develop the amateur radio community in the region, state, and beyond.
We are a group of people interested in communicating without accessing public infrastructure. SCARS members are interested in talking to our friends or family during severe weather conditions or when power or communications systems are down. Hams are typical ‘makers’ interested in building our radio communications equipment. Amateur radio provides many different project opportunities to design, create, and use our gear. We live at the intersection of computers, the Internet, and radio. New, inexpensive devices allow us to communicate with neighbors using low-power VHF or UHF systems. We can talk globally using the linked Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), D-STAR technologies, or through space, with satellite links in minutes.
If you want to get licensed, visit our “Be a Ham” web page, join our Facebook page, or visit us on Tuesday Elmer Nights.
Elmer Nights
Each Tuesday evening from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, about 25 hams and potential hams meet at the Norman Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and on the SCARS Zoom channel, https://w5nor.org/zoom/. After all the holiday nonsense, we’re back on a regular “Every Tuesday Night” schedule. In the amateur radio verbiage, an Elmer is a person who mentors or teaches another. This is the place to visit if you have any amateur radio questions. Feel free to bring the equipment you need help with. All are welcome; a license or membership is not required. More detailed information is on the SCARS Elmer Nights page. See you Tuesday!
June 6: Amateur Radio License Testing
SCARS offers no-cost amateur radio license test sessions on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, 73069. The locations and time details are available on our license web page. Sign up here today, and you will be ready for the test.
June 8 SCARS Meeting: Dr. Kim Elmore – The National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) App – mPING
Are raindrops falling on your head? Are you getting hassled by hail? Is snow glistening in your treetops? The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting public weather reports through a free app for smartphones or mobile devices called mPING, which stands for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground. mPING reports are immediately archived in a database at The University of Oklahoma and displayed on a map accessible to anyone. You can watch the reports from around the world from this link.
SCARS member Dr. Kim Elmore N5OP is the lead scientist on this “little project that could.” Load this software on your phone and be ready to report weather conditions as they change. He will explain how this app works, how you can make a difference, and how the data is used by the weather community.
Download an mPING fact sheet (.pdf, 458 kB) Add this app to report your conditions directly and monitor the display to watch the reports that others provide.
GET THE mPING APP!
SCARS meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month (the 3rd during April for the Green Country Hamfest) at Norman Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and online via Zoom / YouTube / Telephone. The monthly presentation starts at 9:30 a.m. The club meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. Guests are always welcome! Join us on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for coffee and donuts. To join Zoom, download the Zoom software and click this link at https://w5nor.org/zoom. You can enter using 893 9952 6291 password w5nor. Or, to watch the fun, click the YouTube link at https://w5nor.org/stream …
May 11 Meeting: Duane Angles AA5KD – Building Antennas
Duane Angles AA5KD was our featured speaker on May 11, 2024. He has cornered the market on end-fed half-wave (EFHW) and similar antennas. He has almost every combination available for the HF amateur radio market. Learn about the options available for portable (and fixed) HF antenna installations.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
We put out a weekly newsletter for people interested in amateur radio. Feel free to sign up today online at https://w5nor.org/email/, membership is not required. You can view the back issues of our newsletter at https://w5nor.org/newsletter/. Each email message includes a method for stopping your participation in the list.
SCARS Dues are Due
As a reminder, SCARS membership dues start on January 1st. You can join or renew today online or through the mail at https://w5nor.org/membership/.
Tape Measure Antennas – VHF/UHF
Our first batch of 30 tape measure antennas sold out in minutes. Another batch is now available. These kits are only $20 and are available from Mark Kleine N5HZR. More information is available on the tape measure antenna page.
VHF Audio is on the web
Are you ever out of town and want to tap into the local net back home, but your 2-meter radio can’t reach that far? Using the World Wide Web by listening to the SCARS 2-meter repeater. Do what? Yes! It’s real, and it sounds great! Give it a try by clicking here or the play button below.
National Weather Museum
The National Weather Museum & Science Center is at 1200B West Rock Creek Road, Norman, OK 73019. This facility houses the historical weather equipment developed or used to promote weather management for the nation. Here you’ll find the world’s first Doppler radar console, a T-28 Trojan Weather Research airplane, a car that survived one of the Moore tornadoes, replicas of the largest hailstones, phased radar systems, and much more.
More information is available at http://NationalWeatherMuseum.com. Make plans to come, and see you there!
Future Meeting Topics
We’re working out the 2024 presentation schedule. We’d love to have more great topics; hopefully, you can supply those ideas. Contact Rodney Barrett KF5UZA, or post it on our Facebook group if you have an idea for a future meeting.
Did You Miss a Meeting?
Our monthly meeting presentations are archived on the Internet. Visit our YouTube channel to see previous events.