Fort Tuthill 2010
Flagstaff, AZ
The Arizona ScQRPions club is returning to Ft. Tuthill
We would be pleased to have you join us for the 2st Annual Fort Tuthill QRP Conference July - July 31, 2010
*** It just gets better! ***
*** This page was changed on 6/6/2010 ***
It's that time of year again for the Arizona ScQRPions QRP campout and forums! Fort Tuthill 2010! We will once again be in the mountains surrounding Flagstaff, Arizona at the Fort Tuthill campgrounds. The group camping area will be available for campers beginning on Thursday afternoon, July 29.
Activities begin on Friday, July 30 at the campground and continue on Saturday, July 31st with the forums at the American Legion Hall in downtown Flagstaff. Sunday morning will be a leisurely pack up to return home.
Bring all your tailgate trading material for a swapmeet on Friday. We will not have the facilities for building anything on site this year. Some will set up stations and antennas to operate. There could be other semi-spontaneous activities, but only time will tell. And at the end of the day Friday, enjoy a group dinner at a local restaurant just outside the park entrance South toward Sedona.
Saturday will find us a short 5-10 minutes away at the conference room of the American Legion where we will have our forums featuring internationally known speakers. More details on the presentations as we get them/
Ade Weiss (W0RSO) Propagation
James Duffey (KK6MC/5) Unknown
Ward Harriman (AAA6TY) SDR Radios
Ned Stearns (AA7A) Antennas
Ned, AA7A, will provide a light technical discussion on three methods of matching antennas for maximum efficiency. The approaches range from using classical models of antennas as reactive loads to using modern hand-held Vector Network Analyzers (VNA) to develop precise matching of antennas based upon highly accurate measurements of an antenna's complex impedance. Several of these methods have been instrumental in achieving the success of the VooDoo Contest Group in using highly effective and rapidly deployed antennas in their DXpeditions to West Africa. Ned will also provide a live demonstration of the use of a Vector Network Analyzer to measure complex impedances which is useful for many purposes in amateur radio.
Ade Weiss (W0RSP) Propagation
Ade will be talking about radio propagation from his upcoming new book on the subject! I do hope he keeps the front cover we saw last weekend.
We will provide security for the times that the campground site is unoccupied.
Subjects? Good ones!! We'll be updating the titles soon.
Internet access to the forums (?) or "Pooh! I can't get way out West this year." We do plan to stream the forums live to the internet this year. The URL for the forums is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cactuscon. It also features a chat section you can use to interact with the guys at the forums. Ask questions and harass the speakers.
2008 forum videos may be viewed at the following links. Each presentation is up to one hour in length.
QRP Contesting! by Dale, KG5U
Computer Aided Circuit Design by Tom, AC7A
Genesis of the PFR-3 QRP transceiver by Doug, KI6DS
PFR-3 in the Field by Dr. Bob Armstrong, N7XJ
2009 forum videos/slide presentations are here
Titan Missile Museum by Chuck Penson WA7ZZE
Insulators, Tom Katonak
VHF/UHF Contest Roving by James Duffey KK6MC/5 - Talk
VHF/UHF Contest Roving by James Duffey KK6MC/5 - Video
VLA National Radio Astronomy Observatory by Paul Harden NA5N - Talk
VLA National Radio Astronomy Observatory by Paul Harden NA5N - Video
History of Morse by Paul Harden NA5N - Talk
History of Morse by Paul Harden NA5N - Video
Filters and Ft. Tuthill 80 by Dan Tayloe N7VE - Talk
Filters and Ft. Tuthill 80 by Dan Tayloe N7VE - Video
Saturday night finds us back at the campground for a cookout. We provide everything with the exception of your "entree". Portable tables and chairs would be wise choices of things to bring with you. Water is available, but there is NO electricity other than your batteries or generator. There are some permanent picnic tables and plenty of places to contain your cooking fire. There will be a few 10'x10' canopies, but if you have one, please consider bringing it and ANCHORS (wind). Afternoon thundershowers are pretty routine in the mountains (7500'+) and you'll be looking for a place to stay sorta dry if one literally blows through. The desert is blazing hot (110F today), but the temperatures at the campground will range from the upper 70's to the mid-80's during the day.
Prizes will be awarded throughout the weekend for the winners of our events, between forum sessions, and at the cookout. There is no admission charge and no prize tickets to buy. As in the past, we have several terrific sponsors that are very generous and there are even more this year. They help provide our prizes and other assistance to put these programs on. Thanks to the Four States QRP group, Hendricks Kits, Pacific Antenna, Uncle Cy the LED Guy, and NorCal. They are top notch! If you are looking to make an amateur radio purchase, please consider these guys FIRST.
Everyone is welcome whether or not you operate QRP. The forums are usually of general interest, but oriented many times toward outdoor operating, construction projects, new techniques, small portable stations, antennas, and accessories. Don't tell, but we even have some closet QRO operators in the group!
There are many accommodations near the American Legion and the campgrounds if you are motel camping. Here are two links to Google Maps showing about 11 major brand hotels and motels in each area. Take me to the Lucky Lane Motel Map or take me to the South Milton Road Motel Map (extension of I-17 North). The Econo Lodge at Lucky Lane was an especially good value for a nice room in 2009. Here is a map showing the relative locations of all the areas mentioned here.
All these hotels are way less than 10 minutes from the campgrounds at Fort Tuthill. Exit 195, East or West, from I-40 to I-17 South will take you to the campgrounds. Exit 337, North or South, off I-17 will take you to the campgrounds on the West side of I-17. This is also the exit to the Flagstaff airport. Turn West at the Stop Sign (North or South) after exiting the I-17 freeway. This road leads you directly into Ft. Tuthill just as you cross highway 89A that would take you on the scenic route to Sedona. (A wonderfully beautiful 25 mile drive if you haven't done it! Watch out for the elk) Shut up already and just show me the campground! Click here to download an official copy of the Coconino County fairgrounds map (Ft. Tuthill). Our area on this map is on the far left side of the map just below the center where it says "Group camping area." Or something like that. The group campground is adjacent to the small military museum in the back of the fairgrounds.
Let's try the Mt. Elden 2m repeater frequency 146.98 (-) 162.2 PL if you need assistance finding us. Maybe we'll answer. Probably not, but someone just might help you out since this is a well known location. Sometimes we're having so much fun we forget to listen or just don't hear you over the racket. You will not be intentionally ignored.
I hope we will see YOU there! Email questions to: