Bear Bait Radio Club at Syracuse Maker Faire
The full slide deck is still available: Bear Bait Radio Club — Maker Faire slides
The event
Maker Faire Syracuse — Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10 am – 4 pm at the Horticulture Building, NYS Fairgrounds. Rain or shine (most exhibits are indoors), all ages, food trucks on site, free parking in the lots in front of and beside the Horticulture Building.
Bear Bait Radio Club brought ham radio to the makers — and makers are exactly the crowd that takes to amateur radio: they already like building things.
What we demoed
- Winlink — email over radio, live
- Mesh network — the club’s AREDN mesh in action
Digital-mode RF nets: APRS and Winlink
A big part of the presentation was showing the club’s active digital nets — proof that ham radio is a living, weekly activity, not just emergency gear in a closet.
Winlink Wednesday
- RF net using FM or HF (telnet works but isn’t the point — radio is)
- Uses ICS 213 standard messages (part of Winlink Express) on some Wednesdays
- Weekly P2P HF sessions — see the club website for details
- Client software: Winlink Express (Windows), Pat (Linux), WoAD & RadioMail (mobile)
- Check-in examples and details at winlinkwednesday.net
#APRSThursday
Held every Thursday, 0000Z–2359Z. To join, send an APRS message to ANSRVR:
| Command | Meaning |
|---|---|
CQ HOTG <message> |
Join “Hams On The Gram” and broadcast to everyone in the group (you’ll receive replies for 12 hours) |
U HOTG |
Unsubscribe (free up your local RF network) |
K HOTG |
Keep subscribed silently (renews for 12 hours, no message to the group) |
Full details: aprsph.net/aprsthursday
Example setups: a radio on 144.390 MHz with a TNC connected to a PC or phone, or APRSDroid on mobile. Real check-ins from the January net:
K2EXE— “CQ HOTG Hello from the Adirondack Mountains of New York…”
N8JLK-10— “1 degree in EN91. Stay warm #APRSthursday!”
K7XYG-9— “#APRSGANG K7XYG/mobile RF Yaesu FTM-200 73 de ARIZONA”
YO3AX— “73 from Romania de YO3AX”
KB5LNC-15— “HOTG #APRSTHURSDAY is up and running. Hello to everyone!”
VK3TX-9— “happy #APRSTHURSDAY 73 VK3TX”
Volunteering
Booth staffing is the whole ballgame — contact Mark to work the BBRC booth:
- 2–3 hour shifts over the 6-hour day
- Free entry to Maker Faire for volunteers
Want to help out at the next one? Reach out through the contact form or catch us at a club meeting.