Moderator Bios 2018 – Ham Radio University

Moderator bios for HRU 2018 as of January 4, 2018.

Time	Forum	Moderator	Biography
8:30am – 8:50am	Newcomer’s meeting – NEW – an overview of HRU	Diane Ortiz K2DO	Diane Ortiz K2DO is past president of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, a member of QCWA, YLRL and President of the Order of Boiled Owls of New York. Diane has operated from many countries including the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, the United Nations HQ and recently from the Azores as part of the Azores Nine Island Hunt. Diane wrote the YL news column for the ARRL’s QST Magazine for 10 years and the YL Contesting column in CQ Contest Magazine. Join her as she provides an overview of Ham Radio University. She will talk about what HRU is, what to do and where to go. Diane’s insider “scoop” is certain to make you more comfortable and confident, both on and off the air.
9:00am – 9:50am	Working Satellites with your HT	Peter Portanova W2JV	Peter received his first Amateur call sign (WN2OQQ) in 1964, the call sign N for Novice license which expired in a year, when he was a Freshman at Delahanty Institute in Jamaica, NY. The school scheduled a day of education at the 1964 Worlds Fair, Peter visited the Coca-Cola pavilion, home of K2US and his journey into Amateur Radio began. His first challenge was to find a General to administer his Novice exam. Peter got on his Bicycle and started to ride east, and look up for beams, he found a willing Ham. His next hurdle was to convince his parents, who in 1960 moved into this new house, and to erect a 10’ top section of a Rohn tower and install a two meter and six meter yagi’s and a 40 meter dipole. What parent would let a 16 year old kid allow a bunch of hams to drill large holes into a new roof, no way? Yes they said, why, it’s better than giving him permission to drive a car and we will always know where he is. Peter was a happy Ham, with an IQ of a Salesman not an Engineer a Technician license was fine with him, at that time. In 1995 Peter moved to Massapequa and renewed his interest in the Amateur Service. He joined the GSBARC, met Phil Lewis, N2MUN, and he became his friend, mentor and instructor. He was teaching both the Advanced and Extra classes, and with his easy style of education and his genius for presenting complicated Amateur theory in a simple manner Peter did what was unthinkable in 1964, becoming an Extra Class Operator. He became a Director in the club and later joined YCCC; Peter recently received his DX Century Club Award, thanks’ to LOTW and the RTTY and CW operators around the world. Peter met another Mentor at Field Day, 2008, Neil Heft, KC2KY, who was operating the Satellite station for Radio Central and the Boiled Owls. He was making a contact on AO-51, an easy-sat, while Ritchie, KB2ZPB was rotating the antenna on both horizontal and vertical plains, and they were having a great time. He was, mesmerized, again recalling 1966 and the Oscar Satellites and he thought you had to be a Rocket Scientist to talk thru our Satellites. Neil, again a brilliant Engineer and communicator used simple everyday language to explain what he was doing. Peter went home, put in the uplink and downlinks of AO-51 into his Yaesu FT-50R , went to the AMSAT site for the passes and made my first Satellite contact with Tim, N3TL, it’s that complicated and that easy, a year later he received his VUCC Award and the Oscar Satellite Communications Award.; Peter is the NY Area Coordinator for AMSAT. He will talk about how you can become a Satellite operator using your HT.
9:00am – 9:50am	Antenna Modeling	Edward Newman W2EMN	Ed Newman, W2EMN, was an avid radio experimenter in high school, but didn’t become a licensed ham until 1977. After a year as a novice, he quickly upgraded to extra, and later switched to his current vanity call. His primary interests have been HF operation and DXing, as well as building and restoring equipment. Ed worked as an antenna engineer and engineering manager for Hazeltine (now BAE Systems). He headed Hazeltine’s Advanced Development Center for 15 years, and was awarded 6 patents. However, these activities interfered somewhat with his amateur interests so in 2003 he retired to devote full time to his hobbies. In amateur radio, he started collecting and restoring “boatanchor” radios, as well as renewing a pursuit of DX contacts. He also became an active member of the Radio Central Radio Club. He will provide an overview of the antenna design software called EZNEC and show that you don’t need to be a pro to design antennas on the computer.
9:00am – 9:50am	Intro to Scanning	Phil Lichtenberger W2LIE	Phil Lichtenberger W2LIE was granted his Technician license as a teenager in 1994 as N2XUT, and is a harmonic of WB2PIV and N2UZI. After being licensed, Phil was active with the LIMARC Junior Operator’s group, and attended a few ARES and SKYWARN activites. His main interest was Packet Radio and 2m voice. As with any teenager, Ham Radio took a back seat to college life, followed by years of radios in storage. After being issued a new call (KC2LPE) when updating his ticket, Phil decided to go for the vanity call of W2LIE. Nothing says Long Island like the L.I.E.! Since receiving the new call, he is active again in SKYWARN and ARES, is the Trustee for W2ATT, and upgraded to General in February 2009. In addition to Ham Radio, Phil enjoys collecting and working with reptiles, and runs his own website – w2lie.net.
9:00am – 9:50am	Contesting for Newcomers and Non-Contesters	Mel_Granick KS2G	First licensed in 1977 as a Novice, Mel Granick upgraded to Technician, General and Advanced class licenses within six months and has been an Amateur Extra since 1981. He’s been active in numerous aspects of Amateur Radio ranging from traffic handling to the early use of packet radio. With a modest station consisting of a 100 watt transceiver, 3-element tribander and 40/80 dipole up just 35 feet, he’s been successful as a DX’er (DXCC-250+), awards chaser (5BWAS) and one of the leading contesters in the 2nd Call Area, repeatedly placing in the top ten among U.S. low-power single operators in the CQ World Wide DX, CQ World Wide WPX and ARRL 10-Meter contests.
9:00am – 9:50am	Transmitter Hunting	Larry Berger WA2SUH	Larry Berger WA2SUH was first licensed in 1961 and has been involved with transmitter hunting for many years, first on 10 meters and later on 2 meters. He is a member of the Plaza Repeater Group and for many years participated in Nassau County RACES activities. He serves as the Vice-President of the 10-10 International Net and is their Scholarship Manager. His sons are Matt K2MSB and Michael KC2YPO. Larry recently retired from the Nassau County Planning Commission where he worked for 42 years. The presentation will focus on what transmitter hunting is, why hams hunt, different types of hunts, hunting strategies, different types of hunting equipment and how to get involved. A demonstration of some of the equipment used on local hunts will be part of the presentation.
9:00am – 9:50am	Transmitter Hunting	Andy Kirschenbaum WA2CDL	Andy Kirschenbaum, WA2CDL, will co-moderate the Hidden Transmitter Hunting forum with Larry Berger, WA2SUH. Andy has been licensed since 1970 and holds an Extra class license. His involvement in amateur radio has included everything from public service thru RACES, to building and experimenting. Many people know Andy from his radio repair activities. He has conducted “tune up clinics” at various hamfests in the NYC area since 1985. Andy is a member of LIMARC and the Plaza Repeater Group. Andy works in the field of radio communications systems.
9:00am – 9:50am	Introductory guide to VHF/UHF operating – NEW	Bill Fastenau WB2QGZ	Bill Fastenau, WB2QGZ, was first licensed in the late 1970s with patient guidance and encouragement from Chuck Laufman, K2JLD and Dr. Bruce P. Hellmann, K5FY (SK). A member of the ARRL and Great South Bay ARC, Bill also serves the NLI section as an ARRL Technical Specialist for RFI and is an ARRL and W5YI VE, participating in VE sessions with GSBARC and the Grumman ARC. With more than 35 years in RF Bill has worked around the world in two-way radio, paging, TV broadcast, terrestrial microwave, satellite, and cellular. Bill is currently employed by a cellular carrier where he maintains the Radio Access Network and Outdoor DAS, and mitigates interference and PIM throughout the NY/metro market. Bill will talk about VHF/UHF operating.
9:00am – 9:50am	Military Auxiliary Radio System (M.A.R.S.)	Bob Jordan KD2BQM	Bob Jordan KD2BQM has been around radio for as long as he can remember. His dad was a Short Wave radio enthusiast so it seemed natural for him to join his High School Amateur Radio club when the opportunity presented itself. In 1968, he joined the U.S. Navy as a Communications Technician and served in Morocco and Japan where radio once again played a major role. Bob holds an Extra Class license and is a VE examiner, Field Instructor and Examiner as well as a certified ARRL instructor trained in ARRL Emergency Communication Courses. He is presently the New York City District ARES Emergency Coordinator and continues to support our military as the Civil Affairs Officer For the Army Military Auxiliary Radio System, (MARS) here in the New York State and New Jersey area.
10:00am – 10:50am	ARRL Forum	Jim_Mezey W2KFV	Jim Mezey W2KFV, is the Section Manager for NLI. With over 45 years of experience in Emergency Communications, Jim most recently served as ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator for Nassau County. He holds an Extra Class license and is a member or officer of LIMARC, Nassau Amateur Radio Club, Nassau County Police Amateur Radio Club, QCWA, and IPARC. A VE examiner, Field Instructor and Examiner, Jim is well versed in public service communications. He is a member of the ARRL Emergency Communications Advisory Committee and is also a certified ARRL instructor who is trained in ARRL Emergency Communication Courses as well as ICS and NIMS. He has been honored in receiving LIMARC’s N2MEI Award for Outstanding Public Service and the 2009 Hudson Division Amateur of The Year Award.
10:00am – 10:50am	ARRL Forum	Mike Lisenco N2YBB	Mike Lisenco N2YBB is the current ARRL Hudson Division Director. He has previously served as ARRL Section Manager, Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section Manager for New York City-Long Island. Prior to that, Mike was the ARES District Emergency Coordinator for New York City, supervising and rebuilding an organization made up of the 5 borough (county) organizations that comprise the metropolis, for which he was awarded the 2004 Hudson Division “Amateur of the Year” award. Mike was first licensed in January 1994, having passed the Novice, CW and Technician exams one cold evening in December 1993. He quickly upgraded to General and then Advanced, but waited 12 years to upgrade to Extra. Besides emergency communications, Mike’s passion is DXing. He holds DXCC Honor Roll, 8 Band DXCC, DXCC in all modes, DXCC Challenge, 8 Band WAS, a number of foreign awards, and enough paper to denude a forest. You can find him trolling the bands on SSB, CW, and RTTY searching for that elusive DXCC entity (he always needs another endorsement sticker). A semi-retired professional actor, Mike has appeared in countless films, tv shows and commercials over the past 30+ years. He is married, has two grown children, and lives in Brooklyn where he grows antennas in his backyard farm.
10:00am – 10:50am	Building your first ham station	Phil Lewis N2MUN	Phil Lewis N2MUN is the founder of HRU and its first chairman. Phil is a member and current Vice President of the Order of Boiled Owls of New York contest and DX club. Phil is an avid operator and will walk you through the process of selecting, installing and operating your first ham station.
10:00am – 10:50am	Advanced Scanner Forum	Phil Lichtenberger W2LIE	Phil Lichtenberger W2LIE was granted his Technician license as a teenager in 1994 as N2XUT, and is a harmonic of WB2PIV and N2UZI. After being licensed, Phil was active with the LIMARC Junior Operator’s group, and attended a few ARES and SKYWARN activites. His main interest was Packet Radio and 2m voice. As with any teenager, Ham Radio took a back seat to college life, followed by years of radios in storage. After being issued a new call (KC2LPE) when updating his ticket, Phil decided to go for the vanity call of W2LIE. Nothing says Long Island like the L.I.E.! Since receiving the new call, he is active again in SKYWARN and ARES, is the Trustee for W2ATT, and upgraded to General in February 2009. In addition to Ham Radio, Phil enjoys collecting and working with reptiles, and runs his own website – w2lie.net.
10:00am – 11:50am	DXing	Long Island DX Association	Join members of the LIDXA discuss the why and how of DXing. This forum is for you whether you are new to DXing or a seasoned pro. Discussed will be DXing techniques, QSLing, HF propagation and upcoming DXpeditions.
10:00am – 11:50am	DXing (propagation, history, techniques)	John Reiser W2GW	John Reiser, W2GW, was first licensed in 1958 and upgraded to Amateur Extra twenty years later. His primary ham radio activity is HF Dxing, and his preferred modes are CW and RTTY. He also enjoys building electronic gear, restoring vintage equipment, and operating QRP portable outdoors. John serves as the official ARRL DXCC field checker of QSL cards for the New York – Long Island Section. He makes himself available in that capacity at several hamfests in the area. You can also contact John for an appointment to have your QSL cards checked at his home in West Hempstead or another agreeable venue [w2gw@arrl.net]. John is currently President of the Long Island DX Association which meets at the Town of Oyster Bay-Ice Skating Center in Bethpage, Community Room 1, on the third Tuesday of the month at 8:00 PM (all are welcome). John is also active in LIMARC and QCWA Chapter 81, where he serves as Secretary.
10:00am – 11:50am	DXing	Bill Hudzik W2UDT	Bill Hudzik W2UDT has been continuously licensed since 1961. He has operated from KP2, KR6, and V2 over the years. Bill has served as NNJ SM for 4 terms, NNJ Assistant Director for 3 years and is on his second elected term as Vice Director for the Hudson Division. He has been active with the North Jersey DX Association (NJDXA) for over 25 years serving as Secretary, Vice President and President of the organization and continues to serve as a volunteer letter manager. Bill is also an ARRL Life Member as well as a Diamond Club Member. He is an active contester and DXer.
10:00am – 10:50am	YL Forum – NEW – Young Ladie’s forum for women amateur radio operators	Diane Ortiz K2DO	Diane Ortiz K2DO is past president of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, a member of QCWA, YLRL and President of the Order of Boiled Owls of New York. Diane has operated from many countries including the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, the United Nations HQ and recently from the Azores as part of the Azores Nine Island Hunt. Diane wrote the YL news column for the ARRL’s QST Magazine for 10 years and the YL Contesting column in CQ Contest Magazine. Join her as she provides an overview of Ham Radio University. She will talk about kids in Amateur Radio. Diane’s insider “scoop” is certain to make you more comfortable and confident, both on and off the air. Join Diane & Caryn for an interactive journey into the world of women in Amateur Radio!
10:00am – 10:50am	YL Forum – NEW – Young Ladie’s forum for women amateur radio operators	Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT	Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, was welcomed onto the Amateur Radio Newsline team in the summer of 2015 with the blessing of Bill Pasternak shortly before his passing. She is a print journalist who never gave up on radio. It took her more than half a lifetime to finally get that entry-level ticket (she’d studied for, but never took, the Novice exam at age 12). A few weeks after becoming a Technician in the summer of 2014 she upgraded to General. Join Diane & Caryn for an interactive journey into the world of women in Amateur Radio!
10:00am – 10:50am	DMR and D-Star	Preston Waterman W2PW	Pres Waterman W2PW has been licensed since 1977. Interested in many phases of Ham Radio and has been building and operating repeaters since the ’80′s in Patchogue, Manorville and Hauppauge. Early on his first repeaters had HF remote bases on them. With the popularity of cell phones, normal local repeater traffic has been dwindling but the advent of Internet linking has seen a resurgence of activity lately. Any one repeater may be very quiet, but 30 quiet repeaters makes a very nice mix. An open IRLP node 4700 on WR2UHF 444.700 (Hauppauge) begat a portable node 7373 in a briefcase, which spawned a home node … well, the addiction spreads. 4 or 5 nodes is not enough! Currently, the portable node in a briefcase features BOTH analog IRLP and also Digital D-Star, and will be demonstrated at the various talks being presented. Pres is “in charge” of over 10 IRLP nodes and is considered a local expert on nodes and VOIP linking.
10:00am – 11:50am	WORKSHOP – Connectors	Richie Cetron K2KNB	Richie Cetron K2KNB was president of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club from 2008-2013. He will be serving as President again in 2017. Richie is an Official Observer, a Volunteer Examiner, The Affiliated Club Coordinator for New York-Long Island, and an Assistant Director for the Hudson Division. He was the Hudson Division Amateur of the Year for 2012. The workshop will consist of some basic information about the selection of cable and connectors for the best possible results in transmitting RF signals. This hands-on workshop will last up to 2 hours and will include learning to solder and to crimp various connectors. In addition to RF connections, there will also be the opportunity to work with Cat 5 cable and connectors. Material will be supplied to the participants at no charge having been donated from the LIMARC Norm Wesler, K2YEW Memorial Education Fund. Preregistration is required at the gate during the event but prior to the workshop.
10:00am – 11:50am	WORKSHOP – Connectors	Craig Ross KD2CXK	Craig Ross, KD2CXK, has spent more than 30 years in data communications, information technology and security systems. Craig got his start as a computer engineer in 1986 and has been involved in IT ever since. He has designed large corporate data and voice networks, has designed and built data centers upwards of 50,000 square ft. He holds certifications in over 40 companies. Craig is a New York State licensed security systems installer and currently consults on corporate security systems for many of New York City’s largest property management firms. He has a strong interest in astronomy, and is the moderator of a twice monthly astronomy net on the LIMARC repeater.
10:00am – 11:50am	WORKSHOP – Connectors	Robert Batchelor W2OSR	Robert Batchelor W2OSR attended RCA institutes 1959 – 1961 graduated from the V-7 course. Nassau Community College AS in Business Management. Empire State College 1986 BPS in Business Economics. Worked for Republic Aviation as a Radar Mechanic, General Microwave as Bench Technicial, US ARMY 1963 -1965, Grumman Aerospace worked on the LEM and F14 as a Cognizant Support Engineer also trained as an Air Traffic Controller, General Electric Healthcare as a Senior Field Service Engineer specializing in Protein Separations. Earned a Radio Telephone Operators License in 1960 and the Amateur Radio Extra Class License in 2004. Is involved with ARES, Sky Warn, LIMARC, NARC and Boy Scouts. Gordon West Certified Instructor. Numerous business, Boy Scout, and amateur radio awards.
11:00am – 11:50am	EMCOMM in NLI	Jim_Mezey W2KFV	Jim Mezey W2KFV, is the Section Manager for NLI. With over 45 years of experience in Emergency Communications, Jim most recently served as ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator for Nassau County. He holds an Extra Class license and is a member or officer of LIMARC, Nassau Amateur Radio Club, Nassau County Police Amateur Radio Club, QCWA, and IPARC. A VE examiner, Field Instructor and Examiner, Jim is well versed in public service communications. He is a member of the ARRL Emergency Communications Advisory Committee and is also a certified ARRL instructor who is trained in ARRL Emergency Communication Courses as well as ICS and NIMS. He has been honored in receiving LIMARC’s N2MEI Award for Outstanding Public Service and the 2009 Hudson Division Amateur of The Year Award.
11:00am – 11:50am	Basics of HF operating – NEW	Phil Lewis N2MUN	Phil Lewis N2MUN is the founder of HRU and its first chairman. Phil is a member and current Vice President of the Order of Boiled Owls of New York contest and DX club. Phil, along with Mel KS2G, are two seasoned DX and contest operators and will guide you through the HF bands, modes, propagation, on-air procedures, and using rig controls to get the most out of your HF transceiver.
11:00am – 11:50am	Basics of HF operating – NEW	Mel_Granick KS2G	First licensed in 1977 as a Novice, Mel Granick upgraded to Technician, General and Advanced class licenses within six months and has been an Amateur Extra since 1981. He’s been active in numerous aspects of Amateur Radio ranging from traffic handling to the early use of packet radio. With a modest station consisting of a 100 watt transceiver, 3-element tribander and 40/80 dipole up just 35 feet, he’s been successful as a DX’er (DXCC-250+), awards chaser (5BWAS) and one of the leading contesters in the 2nd Call Area, repeatedly placing in the top ten among U.S. low-power single operators in the CQ World Wide DX, CQ World Wide WPX and ARRL 10-Meter contests. Mel, along with Phil N2MUN, are two seasoned DX and contest operators and will guide you through the HF bands, modes, propagation, on-air procedures, and using rig controls to get the most out of your HF transceiver.
11:00am – 11:50am	Remote Station Operation	Rick Bressler K2RB	Rick Bressler K2RB has been licensed since 1957 and is very active in various clubs. He is past president and a current life member of LIMARC and a member of the order of Boiled Owls of New York Contest Club. With his current QTH in Glen Cove, New York, Rick is very active on the low bands. His current operating conditions are an Elecraft K-3 and the Flex Radio 6500 with SPE 1.3 amplifier. He uses antennas ranging from Steppir 3 element up 35 feet to various dipoles covering the other bands. When he had his business a few years ago, Rick always wanted to see what was going on the ham bands. He started with the OMNI VII which had a very early way to connect over the internet to the radio at home. Then when a company called remote rig developed a pair of interfaces that allowed many radios to be used remotely, a whole new part of ham radio was developed to operate a station from a remote location. In his forum, Rick will explore the history of remote operating and how very recent developments have changed so much in this area of our hobby. This will include operating superstations from our deed restricted QTH’s and how to have a 100 foot tower and high end antennas to compete for DX or contesting. He will review the use of an ipad, iphone or laptop to operate when not in front of your station. Rick intends to review how one can control various station activities such as antenna switching, turning of a beam and turning the station on and off for safety reasons. All of this can now be done with advances of technology which has taken place.
11:00am – 11:50am	QRP low power fun	John Meade W2XS	John Meade W2XS started ham radio in the mid sixties as WB2SLI. The QRP bug hit him when Heathkit came out with the HW-8. Since that time, he has used many of the QRP rigs out there including Ten Tec, Small Wonders Labs, MFJ, OHR, NorCal, and Elecraft. There have been many successful outings with the Long Island QRP club with QSOs far and wide with simple (but effective) equipment and antennas. His career has been in the Electronics Management industry as well as teaching Electrical Technology at Nassau Community College.
12 noon – 1:00pm	Keynote Speaker	Mike Lisenco N2YBB	Mike Lisenco N2YBB is the current ARRL Hudson Division Director. He has previously served as ARRL Section Manager, Section Emergency Coordinator and Assistant Section Manager for New York City-Long Island. Prior to that, Mike was the ARES District Emergency Coordinator for New York City, supervising and rebuilding an organization made up of the 5 borough (county) organizations that comprise the metropolis, for which he was awarded the 2004 Hudson Division “Amateur of the Year” award. Mike was first licensed in January 1994, having passed the Novice, CW and Technician exams one cold evening in December 1993. He quickly upgraded to General and then Advanced, but waited 12 years to upgrade to Extra. Besides emergency communications, Mike’s passion is DXing. He holds DXCC Honor Roll, 8 Band DXCC, DXCC in all modes, DXCC Challenge, 8 Band WAS, a number of foreign awards, and enough paper to denude a forest. You can find him trolling the bands on SSB, CW, and RTTY searching for that elusive DXCC entity (he always needs another endorsement sticker). A semi-retired professional actor, Mike has appeared in countless films, tv shows and commercials over the past 30+ years. He is married, has two grown children, and lives in Brooklyn where he grows antennas in his backyard farm.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	New Digital Modes – NEW	Neil Goldstein W2NDG	Neil Goldstein W2NDG has been tinkering with radios since the early seventies when he used to hang out in his uncle’s ham shack in CT (W1PVC sk). These days he can be found hanging out in Long Island parks with a QRP radio, or sitting at his workbench amidst a cloud of solder smoke. After first getting licensed in 2011 as KD2APZ, he started looking for all of the ways to merge his two hobbies: computers and radio. Now, a holder of an Extra Class license, he experiments with SDR, rig control, digital modes, and has a well-used soldering iron. Neil is active in the LIMARC and Larkfield clubs, has written for AmateurRadio.com as well as The Spectrum Monitor, and frequently presents at LIMARC and LARC meetings on computer-related subjects. Neil maintains radiokitguide.com, the complete list of radio kit sources on the Internet.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Safety in the ham shack	Donald Kane WB2BEZ	Donald W. Kane, WB2BEZ, has been a licensed HAM for over 45 years (ARRL Life Member) and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York with over 40 years of engineering experience including: Product Safety Evaluation; Electric Utility Substation and Plant engineering; Design and Manufacture of Diesel powered generators, including controls and switchgear; rail transit rolling stock and infrastructure engineering and electrical construction and HVAC. This seminar will present an overview of grounding and bonding, as applied to the typical amateur radio installation, with regard to power, lightning protection and RF (antenna) grounding.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Using Ham Apps and Social Media – NEW	Diane Ortiz K2DO	Diane Ortiz K2DO is past president of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, a member of QCWA, YLRL and President of the Order of Boiled Owls of New York. Diane has operated from many countries including the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, the United Nations HQ and recently from the Azores as part of the Azores Nine Island Hunt. Diane wrote the YL news column for the ARRL’s QST Magazine for 10 years and the YL Contesting column in CQ Contest Magazine. Join her as she provides an overview of Ham Radio University. She will talk about what HRU is, what to do and where to go. Diane’s insider “scoop” is certain to make you more comfortable and confident, both on and off the air.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Using Ham Apps and Social Media – NEW	Mel_Granick KS2G	First licensed in 1977 as a Novice, Mel Granick upgraded to Technician, General and Advanced class licenses within six months and has been an Amateur Extra since 1981. He’s been active in numerous aspects of Amateur Radio ranging from traffic handling to the early use of packet radio. With a modest station consisting of a 100 watt transceiver, 3-element tribander and 40/80 dipole up just 35 feet, he’s been successful as a DX’er (DXCC-250+), awards chaser (5BWAS) and one of the leading contesters in the 2nd Call Area, repeatedly placing in the top ten among U.S. low-power single operators in the CQ World Wide DX, CQ World Wide WPX and ARRL 10-Meter contests.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Software Defined Radios for HF	Ria Jairam N2RJ	Ria Jairam, N2RJ has been licensed since 1997 in her native Trinidad and Tobago, and in the US since 2001. She first gained an interest in radio at age 5 from her dad who was an avid SWL, and started in Amateur Radio in secondary school under the mentorship of Tony, 9Y4AL (SK). Ria is especially interested in radiosport (contesting) and DXing, as well as homebrewing, kit building and digital modes. She has to her name several DXCC awards including DXCC on all 3 modes and 9 bands including 160 meters, along with DXCC challenge at the 1500+ entity-band level. She has also won several contest plaques including regional, national and North American titles in various DX contests, and has placed in the top 10 in ARRL DX and CQWW contests. A keen SDR enthusiast, she is frequently a “Top Elmer” on the FlexRadio community forum and won a “Top Elmer” award in 2016 for her work with VPN remote access for Flex radios. Ria is a member of and QSL card sorter with the North Jersey DX Association (NJDXA) and is the Northern NJ section manager for the Frankford Radio Club (FRC). She is also a member of the Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) and British Young Ladies Amateur Radio Association (BYLARA). Ria is an alumni of the NYU school of Engineering, where she studied Electrical Engineering. Look for her in the DX pileups, often remotely, or operating FT8 and JT65 digital modes. She blogs about these activities at her website: n2rj.com
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Magnetic Loop Antenna Design	Mike Kozma WY2U	Mike Kozma WY2U has been an amateur radio operator for over 28 years. He has a Masters Degree in Electronic Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York, and has worked as a Design Engineer, and Engineering Manager in the electronics industry for over 45 years. During his engineering career, he was responsible for the design of Communications and Radar Systems, including Transmitters, Receivers, Antennas, and Signal Processing components, as well as Signal and Communication Components to support the Commuter Railroad Industry. Presently, he is semi-retired, and works as an Adjunct Professor at Queensborough Community College, teaching courses in the Electronic Engineering Technology curriculum. His primary ham radio interests are HF CW operation, and mentoring other ham radio enthusiasts, by teaching seminars and workshops at the local ham radio clubs. He is also a Volunteer Examiner for both the ARRL and W5YI VEC organizations. In addition, he holds an FCC General Radio Telephone Operator License with Radar Endorsement, and has had an Extra Class Ham license since 1990. Other interests include Optical and Radio Astronomy, and experimentation of electronic circuits and antenna systems, using both computer aided design techniques, and construction and testing. He currently lives on Long Island, is married, and has three children and three grandchildren.
1:30pm – 2:20pm	VE Session	Bob Myers K2TV	Bob Myers K2TV has been licensed since January 1960. His interest in Amateur Radio led to a 42 year career in radio and Television Broadcasting, of which almost 40 years had been with the CBS Television Network. Operating modes include PSK, Pactor, RTTY, CW and SSB all bands 160 through 6 meters and 10, 6, 2, 1.25 and 70 CM FM voice and packet. Over the years Bob has been involved in all facets of Ham Radio including DX’ing, contesting, ragchewing, homebrewing, satellite, packet, digital, public service, television and traffic handling. He never stopped finding new and interesting things to do which kept my interest in Ham Radio through the years. His wife, Marge is licensed as KA2NIE and while not very active on the air, she enjoys watching him operate and is his logger when operating from his HF mobile station. He a life member of the ARRL and belongs to the following Ham Radio Organizations: Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club (Vice President), Broadcast Center Amateur Radio Society, Metropolitan Coordination Association, Inc (Director), The Villages Amateur Radio Club (Florida); Fists CW Club and AMSAT. He is an assistant ARRL Section Manager (digital) for the New York City – Long Island ARRL section. He is also active on the various FM Satellites. You might find him on SO50 or one of the other FM satellites. You can also find him on Dstar reflector 20A most times. DXCC Honor Roll- 8 Band DXCC – 5 Band Worked all States – WAZ
1:30pm – 2:20pm	Understanding and using computer-based test equipment	Neil Heft KC2KY	Neil Heft KC2KY received his first ham callsign (WN2UDP) in 1971 when he was a 12 year old lad living in Stony Brook, NY. By 1973, Neil was just about able to copy 13 words per minute and upgrade to Advanced, about a month after his Novice license expired. (In those days, the Novice license was only good for 2 years and was non-renewable.) In the late seventies, Neil began to study Electrical Engineering at Drexel University and Ham radio started taking a back seat. When Neil completed his undergraduate work at Drexel in 1980, his interest in ham radio started to take off again. By then his Advanced call, WA2UDP, had been expired for a year and a half. When Neil renewed his license in 1981, he was issued his present call sign, KC2KY. In 1987 Neil upgraded to Extra Class. Presently, Neil works as an Electrical Engineer at Narda Microwave. Neil is also an active member of Radio Central Amateur Radio Club on Long Island. Over the years, he has held various offices at RCARC, starting as Recording Secretary, then Vice President, and was club President in 1993 and 1994. Today Neil is President of Radio Central and is editor of Radio Central’s club newsletter, Random Oscillations.
2:30pm – 3:20pm	Grounding for the Amateur Radio Station	Donald Kane WB2BEZ	Donald W. Kane, WB2BEZ, has been a licensed HAM for over 45 years (ARRL Life Member) and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York with over 40 years of engineering experience including: Product Safety Evaluation; Electric Utility Substation and Plant engineering; Design and Manufacture of Diesel powered generators, including controls and switchgear; rail transit rolling stock and infrastructure engineering and electrical construction and HVAC. This seminar will present an overview of grounding and bonding, as applied to the typical amateur radio installation, with regard to power, lightning protection and RF (antenna) grounding.
2:30pm – 3:20pm	Amateur Radio RFI Mitigation Strategies	Ronald Milione W2TAP	Ronald Milione W2TAP is a technical leader with over 20 years of RF/RADAR/IFF/Defense/EW Communications engineering and operational experience. Excels in solution development, planning, designing, training and operation of RF and optical network systems Provides exceptional goal oriented leadership that establishes innovative solutions and results while nurturing an environment of collaboration. Proven ability to develop and manage dynamic relationships between internal and external groups. SME with RF Instrumentation, RF telemetry systems, RF Data Acquisitions Analysis, Wireless RF Design, Short/Long Range RF Field Backhaul Data Telemetry, LMR Design, RF Communications, Electronic Warfare, Imaging, RF/Wireless Mesh Networking, iBWave, RF Wireless Enterprise Architecture Design. Certified Technical Instructor, Certified Wireless Instructor and active published author. Holder of active U.S. DoD Secret Security Clearance, as well as numerous Commercial RF FCC licenses and all Major Computer Industry Certifications.
2:30pm – 3:20pm	Tips, Tricks and Techniques of the best operators	George Tranos N2GA	George Tranos N2GA is past president of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, a member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and the Order of Boiled Owls of New York. George was past section manager of the ARRL NYC/LI section from 1998 to 2006. He was HRU Chairman from 2003 to 2006. N2GA was winner of the ARRL Herb S. Brier instructor of the year award in 2000. George has operated from many countries including St. Lucia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, the United Nations HQ and recently from the Azores as part of the Azores Nine Island Hunt. George won first place world single operator low power operating as VP5GA in the 1999 CQ WPX CW contest. George was second place world single operator low power operating as VP5GA in the 2001 and 2002 ARRL DX CW contest. He has participated as a referee in three World Radiosport Team Championships in 2000 from Slovenia, 2006 from Brazil and 2010 from Russia. George wrote the contesting column for CQ Amateur Radio Magazine from March 2011 through July 2015. He is currently the ARRL Hudson Division Contest Advisory Representative. Join him for an informative—and sometimes humorous—journey through the best of his many “Tips, Tricks and Techniques” monthly columns. George’s insider “scoop” is certain to make you more comfortable and confident, both on and off the air.
2:30pm – 3:20pm	Operating 6 meters during Cycle 24	Ken Neubeck WB2AMU	Ken Neubeck, WB2AMU, has an extra class license and has been a ham since 1971. He writes regularly on VHF propagation for CQ VHF and Worldradio. He has written the book, SIX METERS, A GUIDE TO THE MAGIC BAND put out by Worldradio books and it is now in its fourth edition. He is co-author with Gordon West of the book, VHF PROPAGATION, A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR RADIO AMATEURS, put out by CQ Magazine.
2:30am – 3:20pm	The National Traffic System in NYC/LI	Gerard Pilate N2WGF	Gerard Pilate N2WGF will speak on Introduction to the National Traffic System. Gerard (Jerry) A. Pilate N2WGF is the Section Traffic Manager for NLI. Jerry has been active in the NTS since he became licensed in 1993. He holds an Extra class license and is a member of WECA, LIMARC and HOSARC. Jerry also serves as a Digital Relay Station and Official Relay station for NLI as well as net manager for the Nassau County VHF Traffic net and acting net manager for the Big Apple NTS Traffic Net.