Club Meetings

UMARC Club Meetings

UMARC currently meets every third Thursday of September, October, November, January, February, and March.
Meeting times and dates posted on front page.

Meeting Format

The meetings usually follow the following format:
5-20 mins: Club news
1 hour: Presentation by guest speaker, and questions answered
5 mins: Wrap up

If you have an interesting story you’d like to share, contact the current club president to schedule a presentation!

Past Presentations

2022 – 2023 Academic Year

ICOM Corp. Japan – Developer of radio products

Kristen McIntyre (K9WX) – Pacific Division director for ARRL and Senior Software Engineer

Bob Heil – Founder of Heil Sound

2021 – 2022 Academic Year

John Ackermann – Past Pres. of W8UM and Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR)

Jeff Kopmanis – University Lowbrow Astronomers

Dr. Tony England (W0ORE) – Astronaut, NASA Mission Specialist, Dean of UM-Dearborn

Bob Bruninga (WB4APR) – Developer of APRS and Senior Research Engineer at USNA

2020 – 2021 Academic Year

Prof. Aaron Ridley – CLASP

Kirk Lawrence – Satellite Antenna history and operation

Joseph Burkhead (KE8MKR) – Amateur Radio Direction Finding

2018 – 2019 Academic Year

March 21, 2019 – “Simplified Approach to Understanding Thermionic Vacuum Tube Operation in Theory & Practice” – Ul Balis N4IYL

February 21, 2019 – “Grounding & Bonding” – Tim Duffy K3LR, DX Engineering via Skype

January 17, 2019 – “FT-8: The Digital Explosion in Ham Radio” (with live remote demo) – Don Winsor AC8TO

November 15, 2018 – “Making Waves: How Michigan Scientists and Engineers used RF, VHF, UHF and Related Technology to Change the World” – Fred Becchetti W8ZLK, Professor of Physics (Emeritus)

October 18, 2018 – “Emergency Communications” – Ben Pinette KC8NIY, Emergency Planning Coordinator, Washtenaw County EOC

September 20, 2018 – “Pencil Inductors” – Kit Ng N9KIT

2017 – 2018 Academic Year

March 15, 2018 – “Hallicrafters SX 28-A Project” (Repaired!) – Ul Balis N4IYL, Ovide Pomerleau K8EV, Steve Sostrom, KB5AW

February 15, 2018 – “Counterfeit Collins: My Bogus, One-Piece-at-a-Time 75A-4″ – Joel Thurtell K8PSV

January 18, 2018 – “Zenith’s One-of-A-Kind 100-R: Trophy Collectible or Revolutionary Ham Receiver?” – Joel Thurtell K8PSV

November 16, 2017 – “The Magic of Radio” Fred Becchetti W8ZLK

October 19, 2017 – “Quad Antenna Parasitic Arrays in the VHF & UHF Bands: Everything you need to know” – Ul Balis N4IYL

September 21, 2017 – “Official Observer Advisory,  MI Section News, Hurricane Communications” – Larry Camp WB8R ARRL MI Section Manager

2016 – 2017 Academic Year

March 16, 2017 – “Defining Software Defined Radio” – Kit Ng N9KIT

February 16, 2017 – “Highly Efficient Coupling Factor Independent Resonant Based wireless Power Transmission System” – Amir Mortazawi AC8YB

January 19, 2017 – “American Cancer Society; Pan Ohio Hope Ride (Bike Mobile Amateur Radio)” – Jeff Gazdacko KE8BLW

November 17, 2016 – Amateur Radio Weather Station – Don Winsor, AC8TO – EECS Department

October 20, 2016 – “How to do Easy Moon bounce; A beginners View” – Roger Shultz, NJ2R

September 15, 2016 – none

2015- 2016 Academic Year

April 21, 2016 – none

March 24, 2016 – Intro to Linux – Justin Paupore AC8PK

February 25, 2016 – Radio waves to gravity waves” – Fred Becchetti W8ZLK, Department of Physics

January 21, 2016 – “Who Invented the Wireless Telegraphy? Marconi or Tesla” – Fred Becchetti W8ZLK, Department of Physics

Before 2015

Note: meeting records before 2015 were not well kept. Information missing for some months.

2014- 2015 Academic Year

January 23, 2014 – “The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Collins Radio” – Fred Becchetti W8ZLK, Department of Physics

November 20, 2014 – Video Presentation “Everything you always wanted to know about antennas but were afraid to ask” – Frank Rutter K3AW

2013- 2014 Academic Year

No Info

2012- 2013 Academic Year

January 24, 2013 – “Antenna Presentation” – Presenter Unknown

December 13, 2012 – “Presentation on the new TS-590” – Bill (William Becher)  AA8RW

November 8, 2012 – “Presentation on Filters” – Bruce KT8TD

2011- 2012 Academic Year

January 20, 2012 – “History of Telegraphy” Jerry Begel W9NPI

November 17, 2011 – “One Way to Ensure Ham PC boards Meet Specifications” – William Becher AA8RW

2010- 2011 Academic Year

November 11, 2010 – “Amateur Radio Woven Through My Career as a Geophysicist” – Tony England (W0ORE)

October 14, 2010 – “Presentation on Amateur Satellite Communications” – John Palmisano KB8OIS

September 30, 2010 – “Ham Radio is interesting, Helpful, Useful, Educational & Fun” – Bill, AA8RW

2009- 2010 Academic Year

March 12, 2010 – None

February 11, 2010 – “VHF/UHF Bands: H-T’s, Repeaters & QSO’s” – Unknown Presenter

January 12, 2010 – “Transmission Line” – Amir Mortazawi

December 3, 2009 – “Talk on Digital Communications (Analog, Digital, modulations, …, etc)” – Unknown presenter

Novmeber 9, 2009 – An overview of how radios work, an analysis of building blocks and SWR (not official title) – Bill AA8RW

October 8, 2009 – None

2008- 2009 Academic Year

No Info

2007- 2008 Academic Year

No Info

2006- 2007 Academic Year

May 7, 2007 – None

April 2, 2007 – “Negative Refractive Index Metamaterials” – Prof. Anthony Grbic

March 12, 2007 – No Title – Tom Holmes N8ZM Agilent Technologies

February 12, 2007 – No Title – Amir Mortazawi EECS Department

January 15, 2007 – “DX in Paradise” – Dennis Ward KT8X

December 4, 2006 – None – Work Meeting

November 6, 2006 – None – Antenna Work Meeting

October 2, 2016 – “An Introduction to Antenna Design and Modeling” – Chris Galbraith KA8WFC

Meetings held July 10, 2006; August 7, 2006 – None

2005- 2006 Academic Year

June 5, 2006 – No Titles, Microwave guys from Grass Lake, Tom from Agilent

April 3, 2006 – “An Introduction to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Spotlight Radar” – Jack Walker AB8RK

March 13, 2006 – “Antennas: A little threory & some facts” – Bill Becher AA8RW

February 6, 2006 – “High Voltage and Amplifiers” – Dennis Ward KT8X

January 9, 2006 – None

November – None – Discussed SB220 Rebuild and Suit Sat, Elections

October 3, 2005 – None, Just member updates this meeting.

September 6, 2005 – “New W8UM shack tour!” (Not quite a presentation, but still counts)

2004- 2005 Academic Year

May 2, 2005 – “ARRL Field Day” – Tom Prosser KT8K and Dan Romanchik KB6NU

April 4, 2005 – “Exotic and exciting DXpeditions” – Dennis KT8X

March 7, 2005 – None

February 7, 2005 – None

January 10, 2005 – None – Lots of club news.

December 1, 2004 – None – Stuff done with club constitution and satellite project

November 3, 2004 – Meeting occurred in a house. “Tech Day” talk.

1985 – 1986 Academic Year

April 10, 1986 – Met in room 101 and 102 of Michigan Union. Officer Elections.

February 14, 1986 – Met in 4021 Michigan Union – General Business.

1983 – 1984 Academic Year

September 23, 1983 – Met in Michigan Union Wecker Room. General business.

January 15, 1986 – Met in rooms 101 and 102 of Michigan Union

1985 – 1986 Academic Year

April 10, 1986 – Met in room 101 and 102 of Michigan Union. Officer Elections.

1983 – 1984 Academic Year

Newsletters

September 15, 1983 – Field Day News – SB220 Broken

1982 – 1983 Academic Year

November 18, 1982 – “A program on OSCAR (Orbital Satellite Caryring Amateur Radio)” – Larry K8MU and Dana K8YUM (KENWOOD TR-9000 purchased in summer)

END OF MEETING RECORDS

This page was compiled by N9KIT – first draft Dec, 2017.