Club Info
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The NARS monthly meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 P.M. at the Harris County Emergency Services Building located at HCESD 16 Admin Building, 18606 Stuebner Airline 77379.
Please park only in front of the building. Ample parking is available. Enter the building ONLY through the main front entrance. As always, please do not take reserved parking spaces or block driveways.
For members who wish to join us for dinner before the meeting, we meet at a local restaurant for dinner at 4:30, enjoy dinner and maybe a drink, then make the short 10 minute drive to the meeting on Stuebner Airline. The restaurant is usually Gringo's Mexican Kitchen, 6925 Cypresswood Dr Ste G, Spring, TX 77379, but check the W5NC groups.io messages for updates.
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Several NARS members are working to reinstate weekly HF ragchew nets in addition to the DMR net on Tuesday and UHF net on Wednesday.
10 M Net
The first net meets on 10 meters (28.444). The net meets on Monday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. CST. This is a moderated net, but is very informal. Propagation may be spotty, but that is part of the challenge :-). Vertical antennae are recommended, and moderate power is helpful as well.
80 M Net
Following the 10 meter net, there is a follow-on informal ragchew on 80 meters. The frequency is usually around 3850 kHz, but varies according to band conditions and existing QSOs. The frequency is usually posted on the NARS reflector. You will need to be logged in to groups.io to access this list. Whether you are on the W5NC reflector or not, all check-ins are welcome. Listen around 3850 kHz for a clear spot starting just before 9:00 pm.
This net is an opportunity to experiment with Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) propagation.This is an interesting mode of propagation that is unique to the lower portion of the HF spectrum. Radio communication in a large area (125 milre radius) without any intermediate man-made infrastructure. Relatively low power may produce surprisingly good contacts. Lower power levels are also adequate - successful contacts may be made with as little as 10 to 50 watts.
You do not need a tower or a high antenna, as NVIS antennae are typically dipoles resonant on or near the operating frequency located within 1/4 wavelength of ground. The idea is to direct most of the signal up to the ionosphere at a slight angle so that it is reflected back to the earth over a wide area. This is especially beneficial at deed-restricted stations - an effective antenna can be strung along a wooden fence on the property line or in an attic. An dipole doesn't have to be strung in a straight line...
For more information on NVIS propagation, see the following links:
This list is by no means exhaustive - there are many sites with NVIS information available on the internet - DuckDuckGo
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Several members have expressed interest in purchasing apparel with the club logo on it. We now have two vendors who are prepared to provide one-off quality items at reasonable cost. Of course, quantity discounts as well as saving on shipping are possible.
Saris Creations
Saris Creations is our local vendor and offers to do one-off items at a reasonable cost. The shop is in Kingwood, so local pickup is not too difficult. You may also be able to arrange shipping through them.
The following prices are representative. Contact the shop for exact pricing:
- Port Authority® Silk Touch™ K500 Polo shirt - $25.00~$30.00.
Port Authority® Challenger™ J754 Challenger fleece lined jacket - $60.00.
Delivery time is approximately one week. Larger sizes incur a one to two dollar cost increase per item. The shop is open Monday thru Thursday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Friday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and on Saturday by appointment. All times are CST.
Use the following PDFs to determine measurements.
200 Bardash Street
Cleveland, TX 77327
Phone: (832) 492-7475
HamThreads by Mainely Applique
HamThreads is the vendor seen at most hamfests. They offer a wide selection of logo merchandise and offer a 10% discount because they have our logo on file. They are offering individual orders of one-off orders. Orders may be combined for often significant savings on shipping. Their phone number is 682-301-2298 and they can also be contacted using their email address,
