Next Meeting
Jan 3, 2025
07:00 PM Pacific Time (In the Room, and by Zoom)
Program:
Instant Tuning for a Manual Tuner
Connie Stillinger W6EFI
A random wire with a small manual tuner can be an effective antenna setup for portable operations. Add a portable network analyzer or small VNA to your kit and tuning can be made more precise, but is still a matter of trial and error, albeit guided. In this presentation we describe a method for going straight to the optimum tuner settings, giving a previously-gathered one-time characterization of the tuner and a one-time sweep of the antenna. This method is an adaptation of Melville and Hamilton, "Silent Tuning: Matching a transmitter to an antenna without emitting a signal" (MILCOM 2021).
Dr. Stillinger was originally licensed in the 1970's as WN2EFI -- passed the 5 wpm code test -- but it lapsed before even making it into the callbook. About two years ago she rediscovered ham radio as a great way to make friends, hike around parks, and have fun tinkering together. She enjoys operating all modes on HF ranging from CW through Hellschreiber to SSTV.
Note: Please make sure you're running the latest version of ZOOM in order to connect.
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Meeting ID: 899 6802 2499
Past Meetings Click on The Year/Month Below For A Past Meeting
The Palo Alto Amateur Radio Association meets on the 1st Friday of the month at 7:00 pm (19:00 J) (except when the first Friday lands on a holiday and typically moved to the 2nd Friday of the month).
PLEASE NOTE: The meeting location has changed. We will now be meeting in Meeting Room H6, in the Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto. Further information is below.
Location: Cubberley Community Center; 4000 Middflefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303.
Telephone: (650) 329-2418.
After the meeting, many members gather for beer, pizza, and eyeball QSO at Mountain Mike's Pizza, located at 3918 Middlefield Rd, in Palo Alto. It's literally next door to Cubberly.
Board Meetings
The PAARA Board meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm at the home of Marty Wayne, W6NEV. Address is: 1039 Bryant Way, Sunnyvale, CA. We conduct most of our club business there in order to allow more time for guest speakers and socializing at regular club meetings. Any PAARA member is welcome to attend.
A few meetings throughout the year have pre-defined agenda items. These include:
September Board Meeting The Nominating Committee is appointed by the President to decide on a slate of candidates to be recommended to the membership.
October General Meeting The Nominating Committee presents its nominations to the membership at the regular club meeting. Nominations from club members opens at the beginning of the meeting, and closes at the end of the meeting.
