Recent Announcements:

• The Thursday LEARA Club net meets every Thursday at 8 PM on the 146.760. All are welcome to participate.
• ARES nets meet every Tuesdays at 8 PM on 145.410 repeater. A simplex net follows. Note there is no net on the third Tuesday as it is meeting night.
  ARES meetings are held 7PM the third Tuesday of each month. The next ARES meeting is Tuesday March 19, 2004 at 7 PM at the Helwig Whistle Stop 599 W Bagley Rd, Berea, OH 44017, as well as a Zoom meeting. For more info, contact ARES at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please monitor the ARES website at www.n8esg.org/ares for information on nets and events. They are open to all, but if you are not an ARES member, please send a request at https://n8esg.org/contact/
  
• The SkyWarn Wednesday night practice nets are on hiatis until April 2024. Should the NWS issue a severe storm warning, a net will be held on the 146.760 repeater. Normal Practice nets are held on Wednesday nights from April through September at 8:30 PM on the 146.760 repeater (-)PL110.9. .
• An On-Line Spotter training video from the NWS is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6R25g5YYhg

Skywarn Spotter Training will be offered by NWS this spring.
There is only an online webinare available locally. Information can be found at www.weather.gov/cle At the news headlines at the top, click on Spring 2024 Information Schedule link . Other dates and county locations may be found at that link.
Note: You must register for attendance, click on the registration link.
• The next LEARA monthly membership meeting is on April 30. It will be at at Firehouse Grille & Pub , 2768 Stark Drive, Willoughby Hills, Ohio 44094, phone: 440-943-4983.
  
• Next LEARA Trustee meeting Saturday May 11 at 9:00AM -
  It is open to all Paid LEARA Members. An Email will be sent out to members with instructions on how to attend.
• Have pictures of your shack or mobile installation? Pass them along to the newsletter editor Carsten KD8WBB at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• The 88 system has been upgraded to Allstar and Echo link. See the LEARA Newsletter and Web Page for more information
• The UHF Repeater on 444.700 is on the air. It is a digital mode only. It will handle DMR, Fusion, P25 and D-Star (note there may be issues with Fusion and D-Star. Try them out and if you encounter problems, let David AD8G know). Check out the Repeaters tab for more information. NOTE: IF YOU OPEN A LINK FOR YSF OR DSTAR. PLEASE CLOSE IN WHEN YOU ARE DONE. leaving it open locks out others from using other modes when you are not there.
• Public Service events: Please check out the link at: http://neoesg.org/events
  and scroll to the bottom or click "HERE"
• N8UPZ reminds everyone that the National Weather Service can always use help with precipitation monitoring. For further info please check out the CoCoRaHS web site at http://www.cocorahs.org


• We can always use net controlers, which means that you can try your hand at running a LEARA net! Give it a try, it's not that hard. Learn the voices and call signs of your fellow radio members. We presently have 7 active net controlers to bring you the net each week. Why not join up and give us a hand.
  You can even do a part time shift - say 4 times a year! Give it a try!
  Contact Carl KB8VXE at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


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NOTICE:

Sunshine Report

• Send information to Trustee Robert Wright KE8CEO
  
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Past Trivia / Discussion Questions

• 2/15/24 Question: When was the last total solar eclipse that was visible from Cleveland?
  A. 1796, B. 1806, C. 1817, D. 1822
  Answer: B. 1806
  Source: https://www.eclipseovercleveland.com/whycleveland
  
• 2/22/24 Question: Who was Dr. Owen Garriott W5LFL?
  A. worked alongside Samuel Morse
  B. First astronaut to take a ham radio into space.
  C. Worked on the original ARRL Handbook.
  Answer is B
  
• 2/29/24 Queston: Which power change below represents the FEWEST dB of difference?
  A: 1 watt to 125 watts (21 dB)
  B: 1 milliwatt to 3 watts (33 dB)
  C: 125 watts to 2 kilowatts (12 dB)
  D: 1 milliwatt to 1 watt (30 dB)
  Answer: 125 watts to 2 kilowatts
  
  How it works
  Power gain (dB) = 10×log (RF output power / RF input power). Used in RF.
  Power gain is defined as the ratio of the output power to the input power in dB.
  Assume that the input power is 10 mW (+10 dBm) and the output power is 1 W (1000 mW, +30 dBm).
  The ratio will be 1000/10 = 100, and the power gain will be 10×log 100 = 20 dB.
  Reference power P0 = 1 Watt.
  More info available at: https://sengpielaudio.com/calculatorVoltagePower.htm#:~:text=Power%20gain%20(dB)%20%3D%2010,power%20%2F%20RF%20input%20power
  
  Simple way to use doubling to determine change in dB. Every double of power is 3dB
  

  Change 125W - 2000W
  power 125W 250W 500W 1000W 2000W	dB 0dB 3dB 6dB 9dB 12dB

  
  
• 3/07/24 Question: Before WW II, how many US States were in W0 (zero) land?
  a) 6, b) 8, c) 4, d) 0 - none
  Answer: d)None
  The tenth call district was implemented in 1947, during the post WW II boom in amateur radio. The creation of this new district was basically to equalize ham populations among the districts.
  
• 3/14/24: Question: What clues are being looked at to find the remains of MH-370 ?
  A) barnacles
  B) Corrosion on parts found on shore
  C) Ocean currents
  D) New satellite data
  E) None of the above.
  Answer: A) barnacles
  Additional data can be found at the following web sites.
  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mh370-search-debris-barnacles.html
  https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/barnacles-could-hold-key-to-finding-wreckage-of-malaysia-airlines-mh370/
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2023/08/27/sea-creatures-may-help-find-final-resting-place-of-malaysia-airlines-mh370/?sh=18b950bb53f4
  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230823122608.htm
  https://time.com/3987026/mh370-reunion-debris-malaysia-airlines-search-indian-ocean/
  
• 3/21/24: When were the first call signs beginning with “K” issued in the Continental United States?
  A. 1939, B. 1942, C. 1945, D. 1947
  Answer: D. 1947
  Reference: https://fasma.org/wp-content/uploads/1994-05-QST-Radio-History-08-Amateur-Radio-Callsigns-History-By-Phil-Sager-WB4FDT-Rick-Palm-K1CE.pdf
  
• 3/28/24: Trivia: What was the “Simon”?
  A) World’s first smart phone?
  B) First handheld 2 meter prototype?
  C) First lithium rechargeable battery?
  D) First 2 meter mobile antenna?
  Answer: A
  The IBM Simon is widely regarded as one of the first devices that could be termed a “smartphone” – however it is important to note that when it was launched, it was characterized as a PDA (personal digital assistant) with communication capabilities via a cellular connection. It was the result of IBM's desire to design a "computer that could fit in your shirt pocket".
  
• 4/04/24 Question: Of the following US states, which has the largest number of licensed hams?
  Choices: A) Arkansas, B) Connecticut, C) Kansas, D) Louisiana
  Answer: A. Arkansas Arkansas: 8080, Connecticut: 7110, Kansas: 7163, Louisiana: 6042
  
• 4/11/24 Question: When the gain of an antenna is quoted in dBi. The i in this expression stands for:
  A: ideal
  B: isotropic
  C: ionosphere
  D: interpolated
  Correct Answer: B) isotropic
  (This is a common tactic that manufacturers use when advertising the gain of an antenna (using dBi instead of dBd). dBi gives a number 2.14 dB higher than dBd. The notation dBd means "gain over a dipole antenna".)
  Discusion: The Eclipse! Did you see it, what was your impression?
  
• 4/18/24 Question: In long standing amateur radio tradition, what is considered "the final courtesy" of having had a QSO?
  a) Saying 73 at the end of the QSO
  b) Providing a QSL, either paper or electronic, as a confirmation of the QSO
  c) Logging the contact, saving all critical data
  d) Greeting fellow hams during a hamfest or club meeting
  Answer: B
  
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Related info on WWV

• During the 8/23/18 net, we were made aware of the proposal to eliminate the WWV-WWVH radio transmissions. read more about it at the following links.
  http://www.arrl.org/news/nist-fy-2019-budget-would-eliminate-wwv-and-wwvh
  http://www.arrl.org/news/concern-rising-within-amateur-radio-community-over-wwv-wwvh-shut-down-proposal

Trivia Question Etiquette

• The Trivia Question is supposed to be a fun and learning experience for everyone checking in. Most of the time the answer is a multiple guess, and for many literally a guess. It makes the people sit and ponder the possible answers. If you don't know the answer, you may say so and acknowlege that you are taking a guess, and then give your answer. If you KNOW the correct answer, please just give give the letter or text of your choice only. Don't spoil the question for others by giving a complete dissertation on the principals, theories and biographies of the author or scientist. Giving that information early in the net spoils the fun for the people who have yet to play. Factoids and anecdotal information regarding history or even personal experience relating to the question is a most welcome additive to the discussion AFTER the answer has been given. Let the Net Control KNOW you have additional info for the end of the net.
  Thanks for checking in and enjoy learning new facts, or basking in the knowlege that you have.

  Please note there is a slight change in the schedule.