From: J G Shaw
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2017 7:37 PM
To: Horace Hamby
Subject: Notes from the NW APRS 'Summer Gathering' Sept 8-10, 2017, Valley Camp, WA (near North Bend)

The following are my notes from the APRS NW Summer Gathering last month.  In addition, this is to request your help in getting the Ballooning info to Chris Shriver, KE7EBL (his email address is not listed on the club web site and it is not listed in QRZ.com).

Begin report on Summer Gathering 2017

The annual Northwest APRS ‘Summer Gathering’ is held every September at Valley Camp, North Bend, WA (https://aprs.fi/wa7vc).  The event offers the opportunity to learn and practice just about anything you can do with a computer and your ham radio. Summer Gathering started years ago with a focus on Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) but the event has subsequently evolved to encompass many facets of digital / data communications in Amateur Radio and related subjects. There isn’t a formal agenda / schedule so on the morning of the event presenters agree to a schedule / sequence for the day and usually limit their presentation to about 45 minutes each. The presentations were:

• A Raspberry Pi Based ~1W Transceiver and UDRX Status Update - Bryan Hoyer K7UDR, NWDigitalRadio.com
• ARRL Update - Jim Pace K7CEX, vice Director
• Discussion of the fate of the NW APRS website (http://nwaprs.info) - general discussion
• High Altitude Ballooning - L. Paul Verhage KD4STH (available to present to clubs, no charge).
• NetTNC an EMCOMM Appliance - Jeremy McDermond NH6Z
• State of the NW APRS Network - Bill Vodall WA7NWP
• ThumbDV New SW and Applications - John Hays K7VE NWDigitalRadio.com
• UDR-Tracker an APRS Mobile Appliance - Basil Gunn N7NIX

NOTES from the presentations I attended:
1) BALLOONING: KD4STH (Paul Verhage, QTH = Wilder, ID) gave an excellent presentation on the work he is doing that involves ballooning, APRS, telemetry, etc.  He maintains a web site (http://nearsys.com/) that provides many more details about his work.  Additional details about his many balloon-related projects can be found on his blog and his Youtube channel.  Upon concluding his presentation, he stated he is happy to travel to present similar material to individual ham clubs in the Northwest.

2) APRS EXTENSIONS were discussed including the new UDRX-440 digital radio from NW Digital Radio which offers much faster speeds by operating on 440 mHz instead of 2 meters.

3) ThumbDV: John Hays, K7VE of NW Digital Radio, reviewed the fact that, for the past couple of years, WinDV (https://youtu.be/AMN_TQQYzDo) is free DSTAR software available for use on Windows PCs configured with a ThumbDV USB stick.  Then K7VE announced a new, multimode digital VOIP Windows software called BlueDV.  The BlueDV software enables a Windows PC configured with a ThumbDV to operate in any one of three digital voice modes: DSTAR,  DMR, and FUSION.  The new BlueDV software is authored by PA7LIM and requires the Windows PC to have a ThumbDV USB stick configured as part of its hardware (http://nwdigitalradio.com/thumbdv-and-dv3000-resource-page/). K7VE also acknowledged that PA7LIM is experimenting with a prototype version of BlueDV for Android (https://youtu.be/HUP_RUma1Bg) which will also will require a ThumbDV be inserted in the Android phone/tablet.  However, the Android version is not ready for general beta use and there is no target date for making it available. 

For more information on Blue DV for Windows, navigate to each of the following URLs:
https://youtu.be/hR2nDC_Qh9g
https://youtu.be/D1wUKjQRnsY
https://youtu.be/69mE5m0Fk14
http://nwdigitalradio.com/thumbdv-and-dv3000-resource-page/
http://www.pa7lim.nl/bluedv-windows/

Exhibits:  Displays / tables were setup for viewing when convenient:

• ARRL Table and Prize Certificate Giveaway
• L. Paul Verhage KD4STH (high altitude ballooning) had a video-equipped drone.
• K9JEB had a dual band 144/446 MHz J-Pole and 220 J-Pole antennas, and some Power Distribution Kits for sale. (See his website at http://k9jeb.com for details.) 
• Portable RMS Station (N7CFO-10) - Lyn Burlingame N7CFO
• The blog for the NW APRS is at http://blog.nwaprs.info/

CONFIRMED ATTENDEES: 77 plus ‘walk ins’
Abeles, Don W7UUL
Alexander, Paulette W7HMG
Altus, Bonnie AB7ZQ (ARRL Northwestern Division Vice-Director)
Barwick, Paul KD7PCB
Birdlebough, John K7BIT
Boal, John K9JEB
Brown, Bill W5UMQ
Burlingame, Lynn N7CFO
Carroll, Dennis KB7WFV
Chang, Jeff WB7AHT
Christle, John KB7TUL
Churchward, Budd WB7FHC
Currie, Scott NS7C
Dahl, Peter WA7FUS
DeVries, Jim W7UG
Eide, Jeff WA7LFP
Escalante, Jerry N7YGE
Flores, Lara WA7LNF
Gerhardt, Herb KB7UVC
Gadallah, Larry VE6VQ
Goetz, Dave KT7H
Gump, Garland KG7GCF
Gunn, Basil N7NIX (Presenter)
Hagood, Vivian N7VH
Harris, Bill W7KXB
Hart, Jim KD7SRH
Hays, John K7VE (Presenter)
Hoyer, Bryan K7UDR (Presenter)
H, T (preferred not to be listed by name)
Jackson, Clay N7QNM
Javins, Ralph N7KGA
Kelley, Bob WX7W
Kern, Pat K7IBC
Knepper, Bill KI7DFF
Kozma, Colin K7CJK
Kozma, Matt AE7MK
Landrigan, John KA4RXP
Marth, Steve WB7AAV
M, SR (preferred not to be listed by name)
Mills, Curt WE7U
McDermond, Jeremy NH6Z (Presenter)
N, D (preferred not to be listed by name)
Needham, Tom WA7TBP
Nicholson, Paul AF7HL
Olmsted, Lyle KB7PI
Pace, Jim K7CEX (ARRL Northwestern Division Director)
P, P (preferred not to be listed by name)
Palmer, Earl N7EP
Palmore, Barry K7PAL
Piening, Don KI7JJN
Proehl, Teena K9HAV (Valley Camp Host)
Proehl, Thom K7FZO (Valley Camp Host)
Reeves, Ann WA7ROS
Reeves, Jim WA7RVV
Richards, Kenny KU7M
Robins, Erik K7QOG
Saunders, Tom N7OEP
S,A (preferred not to be listed by name)
Searls, Corky AF4PM
Sears, Robert KF7VOP
Sharp, Jack K6JDS
Shaw, Jim WA6PX
Sherrill, John N7TES
Souvenir, Robin N7RKS
Spohnheimer, Nelson W7KVI
Sterba, Michael KG7HQ
Sterba, Shelly KC7NQC
Stroh, Steve N8GNJ (2017 Coordinator)
Stroh, Tina KD7WSF (2017 Cook)
Thomas, Randall KF7OAG
Thomassen, Bill N6NBN
Thutt, Paul KC7PMU
Verhage, L. Paul KD4STH (Presenter)
Vodall, Bill WA7NWP (Presenter)
Wilcox, Rick WA7RW
W, F (preferred not to be listed by name)
Willey, Bob KD7OWN