Published October 8, 2007
Paris sprouts antennas Saturday morning, Oct. 13 when amateur radio operators of every size,
age, description and occupation converge at the Lamar County Fairgrounds.
Enthusiasts head for the Paris Texas Radio Group hamfest, scheduled to open at 8 a.m. at 570
East Center Street in Paris.
“It going to be a lot of fun,” said Richard Lenoir, vice president of the newly formed amateur
radio group.
Lenoir suggests people get there early. “Hamfests, especially small town ones — you’ve missed it
if you show up at noon.”
For amateur operators, the call-in frequency is 147.00 megahertz, positive shift, with a pl tone of
100.0 hertz. Admission is $2.
This is the third amateur radio get-together, or hamfest, the group has put on. “It’s going to be
bigger and better,” Lenoir said. He expects twice the crowd as last year. Judging by the responses
the group has already received, there will be around 400 people attending.
Members of the group have been taking around flyers, contacting clubs and really getting the
word out, Lenoir said.
“And talking it up on the air,” he said. They have also posted the event on bulletin boards and
Web sites all over.
“Most hamfests are now in decline, what with the Internet that allows you to buy what you want,”
Lenoir said. “Succeeding ones have other stuff going on. They make it a more social event. We're
drawing hams from 300-400 miles away. It’s nice when you can put a face with a voice.”
New this year is an event billed as the Global Mobile contest. “This will be for fun,” Lenoir said.
“Anyone with any kind of mobile station is welcome to come out and set up — two-wheel, four-wheel or trailer,” Lenoir said.
He said he isn't sure what the judging will be based on, but has no doubt there will be some
unique set-ups on display. Prizes are to awarded first and second places. One of the judges is
purported to be a commercial radio man, so Lenoir suspects a good installation job will be one of
the factors to taking home a prize.
Some of the highlights of the day include vendors who are new to the Paris event: Austin
Amateur Radio Supply, a full-line dealer who sells brand names such as Kenwood, Icom and
Yeasu; GLA Systems, which carries the Bug Catcher antenna; Clear Channel Products, who sells
wire and coax; and a local vendor, The Computer Dock, seller of computers and parts, are to
have booths.
Then there’s the indoor flea market and one of the “largest outside tailgate sections around,”
according the the group’s flyer. More than 40 hams or vendors sell used items, usually objects
which may or may not be remotely related to electronics.
A live remote from KOYN 93.9 FM is to be on site between 8 and 10 a.m.
To add to the fun, the group has gathered around $2,500 in door prizes.
“We'll probably have to give away a prize every half hour to get rid of them all,” Lenoir said.
The special event amateur radio station will be housed in the old KPLT studio trailer. The group
gave it a new paint job and rigged it out with ham rigs. People unfamiliar with amateur radio will
be able to get a first-hand look at what amateur radio is all about.
The group is to set up operations on the 80, 40 and 20 meter bands and plans to talk to hams all
over the world.
Also available, volunteer examination testing for those wanting to get a new license or upgrade
their current ticket. Literature and information also is to be available.
“Our group likes to have fun with radio; encourage the growth of it and try to get new hams in all
the time,” Lenoir said. The group currently working toward starting a ham radio club at North
Lamar High School.
“There’s a lot of interest there right now,” Lenoir said.
About 15 North Lamar High School speech students will be on hand at Saturday’s event to assist
the group with setting up and directing people to get where they need to be.
The Paris Texas Radio Group began local hamfests about two years ago. In order to have a
special event station and work field days, they were required to form an official group and file
with the Federal Communication Commission. They were officially sanctioned on Aug. 8, 2007.
The group maintains two repeaters, 147.040 mhz on two meters and 444.475 mhz on UHF. Every
Wednesday at 8 p.m. the group meets on the air on the two-meter repeater.
“Something that’s really cool about what we do, we hook up an echo link to the repeater and get
check ins on our net from as far away as Japan,” Lenoir said. The group gets weekly check ins
from hams in Indiana, Minnesota and Little Rock, too.
“Ham radio does provide a public service,” Lenoir said. “Up in Northeast Texas we don't have
hurricanes or earthquakes or sever devastation — just the occasional tornado. In between
emergencies we're just having fun.”
For additional information, the Paris Texas Radio Group's Web site is just a few clicks away at
paristexasradio.com.
|