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ALERT: Fri, April 18, 2008; 11:57 PM ET Alert: Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net meets Monday- Friday following the Arkansas Razorback Net on 3987.5KHz at 7:00PM+- local. Upcoming Arkansas Hamfests: BCRO Superfest- April 26, 2008 Jones Center for Families, Springdale, AR. Dealers, Flea Market, Forums, VE testing. Write Congressman Mike Ross a Thank You Letter! Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross, WD5DVR has introduced H. Res. 230, which uses the "Sense of Congress" to urge the FCC to re-evaluate RF interference issues before deployment of BPL systems. Mike stuck his neck out for us on this and we should support him by sending e-mails and more importantly letters. The arrl.org website has a form letter "go-by". Just type in H. Res. 230 in the search box and the site should take you to it. If you have already written the Congressman, I thank you; if you have not, I urge you to do so soon. The Arkansas Section Website: http://www.arkansashams.org/ has complete information on the events listed below as well as other events. Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net: Monday - Friday at 7:00PM Monday, Tuesday - Friday 7:30 p.m. local. ARES/RACES Net Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. local, 3987.5 Khz. Every Saturday - Worked All Arkansas Net 3987.5 Khz 7 p.m. OR earlier as band CONX permit! Every Saturday - Arkansas DX Association Net 3815 Khz 10:00 AM Please let me know of other hamfests, tailgate parties, and other events of general interest so I can get them on the www.arkansashams.org web page. |
News last updated: Fri, April 18, 2008 at 7:46 PM ET
ARKAN News- W5T - Troop Train Special Event -March 2, 2008 test run! This afternoon we conducted our first tests on installing antennas on the 1950s vintage caboose that will be used on the Memorial Day Troop Train, Saturday May 26, 2008. Our biggest concern was that operating on both 40 and 20 meters simultaneously would cause interference with one or both of the transmitting stations. Our tests indicate that there will be no problem with interference even thought the antennas are not that far apart. The next test will be operating the stations on board the train during a run from Springdale to Van Buren during a regular run of the Arkansas & Missouri Excursion Train. The date has not been set for the test, but we'll make an effort to post it here so you can try to work us while we are train mobile. We can hardly wait! The article about last year's troop train is on page 21 of the March issue of QST Magazine.
ARVARF News- The Ham Fest of 2008 was wonderful! I personally had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones. During the Fest I heard that several people upgraded their licenses. Congratulations to you for doing a great job. I hope that everyone had fun and I can't wait to get ready for next year. Alright, is everyone ready for the EXTREME foxhunt? Several ideas have been sent to me and I still ask for more. Feel free to email me your ideas at soniapi@centurytel.net. Also on the upcoming agenda is where our Field Day contest will be held this year? And who is going to be the Field Day chairman? Thank you; Sonia Picado, KE5EIW, President.
UPGRADES FROM OUR HAMFEST:
New extras: Larry Pettit Sr. KJ5ZT, Gregory Miller KE5PAT
New Generals: Philip Thorjusen KE5SHX, Robert Helton KI6DFZ, William Sowell KE5SUE, Michael Martin KC5YWN, Tommy Lightfoot KE5SCC, Dennis Robinson
KD5OHT. New Technician Larry Pettit Jr. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!
ARVARF Newsletter- We found out that we started doing our newsletter around the first of the year in 1975. This makes 2008 our 34th year. Based on these numbers, and assuming we've been putting out a newsletter pretty much continuously, we estimated the number of issues we've published. And surprise! It's approaching a milestone
number. This is issue #399. I feel that these numbers are important because they pay tribute to our founders and to the long-standing tradition as a community ham club. It's a good way to connect to those hams who began our organization. It's also a nice way of showing how long your club has been a part of this community. Thanks to John Evans and the Schaefers for helping me figure the numbers.
Batesville ARC News- The April club meeting will be held on the 24th at the First Community Bank's community room. We are starting to feel quite at home there and hope you will come join us for the latest in club news and plans for the future. We will hear updates from each of our committees on the planned activities of this summer.
More Storms, More Flooding - Seems like the topic of storms and flooding was used in last month's newsletter and here it is again! Our storm spotters are getting plenty of practice and have been doing a great job. The reports heard on the repeater during these recent events have been timely, concise, and professional sounding. Maybe next month we will be able to devote our time to other activities while giving our rain gear a rest.
Summer Fun -
With the coming of warmer weather our minds turn towards those summer events such as Field Day and the Water Carnival. Plans are already being made for our club's participation in these exciting events. Please come to our Thursday night meeting and hear the latest information from the respective committee chairs. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and adjourns at about 8:00 but the fellowship usually continues on for a while.
BCRO News- Date: 03-11-2008. Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM at the Centerton Fire Department. The treasurer's report was read by Glenn WB5L and approved by club vote. Minutes from the previous meeting was read by Randy KE5JVH and approved by club vote. Glenn announced the results of the tech class. Thanks Glenn for putting the class on. Field Day is June 28th and 29th this year. The club voted to use the Mobile Command Vehicle and park it in the Bentonville City Square. Jay KCØCNB mentioned having an Elmer group for all the new people. Buster AD5AM mentioned his upcoming events: Blackjack Enduro March 30th and the Ozark Challenge April 5th - 6th For the program we toured the Mobile Command Vehicle. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM. BCRO Superfest will be held April 26th at the Jones Center in Springdale.
Cross County ARC News- A meeting was held Thursday February 8th at the Wynne Fire Department in order to organize and plan Amateur Radio License classes.
TECHNICIAN LICENSE CLASS
Feb. 22 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Feb. 24 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Feb. 27 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 1 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 3 Saturday 9:00 AM till?? FINAL TEST
We will be using the same written material as used in the class last summer. I will send the file to everyone attached to a separate email. We will print up booklets (from the same file) for any students who have not already printed their own. We also plan to have a DVD for a teaching aid. All classes will be held at the Wynne Fire Department.
GENERAL LICENSE CLASS This is the schedule, subject to change if needed:
March 13 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 15 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 17 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
March 20 Tuesday NO CLASS
March 22 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 24 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
March 27 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM FINAL TEST
All classes will be held at the Wynne Fire Department. Written material will be provided.
Final schedule may be adjusted to fit class progress.
CCARC Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Everyone is invited to attend. You do not have to be a member to attend club meeting visitors are welcome.
Faulkner Co. ARC News- The March 11 meeting was called to order by Frankie Parks
at: 18:31. Craig, N5CTM explained that Regions bank had made some changes to the policies for the bank accounts. In the process of these changes, the bank accidentally moved the club's account into an analyzed business account. Craig spoke with the bank and had it changed to a free small business account since the bank apparently didn't have an account for non-profit groups. Roger Williamson made a motion that the club change accounts. The club was in favor of doing this. After some discussion about whether or not the matter was a club matter or a job of the officers to decide what to do about the account, a motion was made to resend the 1st motion and have the officers take care of the account. The motion carried and the officers will decide what to do.
Old Business: The club will be doing a special event station for Toad Suck Daze this year. It will be on May 3 from 8am-noon. The frequencies are 14.260 kHz and 7.260 kHz. Those that volunteer to operate will be doing so from their home stations. Volunteers will be taken at the April meeting. Wayne Johnston checked on the prices for the booths. The cost was $125 dollars no matter if it was a business or organization who rented a space. All the members decided not to rent a booth.
New Business: Field day is coming up June 28th & 29th, 2008. The club had some discussion on where to hold field day this year. The suggestions were Toad Suck Ferry Park, MEMS Ambulance services, and Cadron Settlement. But no decisions were made. Brian Kessler informed the club about a qrp simplex net on 147.570 MHz. The net takes place on Saturday nights. Brian said the net control usually starts off the net at 8pm by playing the ARRL audio news and then they start taking checkins at 9pm. The net has an Echolink node set up that is KE5ELU-L (260617). The net is done by a group from the Cabot area which may be out of range for some in Conway.
Thursday Night Net meets each Thursday at 7:30 P.M. on 145.210- MHz with a PL Tone of 114.8Hz. Please make note of this and come join in! Reminder: Don't forget about lunches at Smitty's BBQ in Conway on Fridays at around 11:00 am till we leave. For more information about the Faulkner County Amateur Radio Club, including news and upcoming events, go to http://www.w5auu.org/
January February Ark ARRL News Summary
January VE Testing Super Session- TheVE Supersession was a major success beyond our wildest dreams! A tremendous effort by our instructor extraordinaire John, AD5FU, J.M. N5XFW, Ark. DOH, all the participating hospitals and all the VE teams netted us 186 new techs and several new general class hams January 19. By publicizing this to the general public, we gained many more new amateurs around the state particularly in the areas and districts that were having a real shortage of amateur operators. We have a tremendous opportunity with these new hams in our ranks; now we must be elmers! Help them, encourage them and make them HAMS! Again, Congratulations to John, AD5FU for a great effort!
February Tornado Outbreak- February saw an unprecedented tornado outbreak in the diamond state. The outbreak affected areas from West to extreme North Arkansas and one storm now looks like it may well hold the record for distance traveled on the ground - 126 Miles from Yell County to Fulton County. Hams from across the state activated Skywarn nets giving valuable warning to many communities and saving scores of lives. I want to thank all amateurs in the CAUHF network and Arkansas Skywarn for you invaluable service to the citizens of the state. From Atkins, to Scotland, Clinton, Mt. View, Melbourne, Zion, Ash Flat, Highland and Gassville the damage was horrific and I was amazed that there weren't hundreds of casualties. This disaster showed our strengths and also showed our weaknesses. We must "lightning proof" our HF stations. We must better follow our ARES/RACES SOP and Plan after the WX outbreak in the effected areas. We must revitalize the Arkansas Packet Network and get all hubs back on line and functioning. We need more HF and VHF/UHF PMBO's on Winlink throughout the state. We will need local volunteers and resources to complete this task and get Arkansas back in to leading the US in Emcomm. Are you up to helping us?
New STM- Tom Harris K5WTH has been appointed Section Traffic Manager for the Arkansas Section of the ARRL by Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ.
From the Arkansas Section Traffic Manager:
New Net- ASTEN - "Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net" is off to a good start. In the twelve sessions we had during February, even with bad band conditions, we had 236 check- ins and ran for a total of 348 minutes. Our Net Control Stations are some of the best and they are eager to do their duties and their part towards bringing the Arkansas Section into the New Age of Emergency Communications. Plans are in the working stages towards the ASTEN becoming the States first HF Skywarn Net during times of severe weather. If you have any thoughts that may help along the lines of an HF Skywarn net please e-mail them to Tom Harris at k5wth@arrl.net or David Norris k5uz@arrl.org .
It's that time of year again; time to start gearing up for Field Day, ARRL's flagship operating event. Field Day, held the fourth full weekend in June, brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says there are several rules changes this year, mainly concerning "Get on the Air" (GOTA) stations and the elimination of the Demonstration Mode Bonus Category. The complete Field Day Packet can be downloaded from the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/fieldday>. And please pass a lot of NTS traffic during this year.
Congratulations to all of our Net Managers for another great job well done during February 2008. All of our States Section Nets continue to grow despite the bad band conditions we have had the past couple of months.
The "Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net" is looking for a few good men and women who would like to be a Net Control Station, Alternate Net Control Station or enter into Net Control Station Training. If you would like to volunteer to fill one of these slots please contact or e-mail k5wth@arrl.net or k5uz@arrl.org .
ARKAN News- W5T! On March 2 we conducted our first tests on installing antennas on the 1950s vintage caboose that will be used on the Memorial Day Troop Train, Saturday May 26, 2008. Our biggest concern was that operating on both 40 and 20 meters simultaneously would cause interference with one or both of the transmitting stations. Our tests indicate that there will be no problem with interference even thought the antennas are not that far apart. The next test will be operating the stations on board the train during a run from Springdale to Van Buren during a regular run of the Arkansas & Missouri Excursion Train. The date has not been set for the test, but we'll make an effort to post it here so you can try to work us while we are train mobile. We can hardly wait! The article about last year's troop train is on page 21 of the March issue of QST Magazine.
FS Area ARC News- The Fort Smith Area Amateur Radio Club met at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 17 at the Harry E. Kelly Riverfront Park and amphitheater for its annual Christmas
dinner. President Dennis Burton called the meeting to order and presented the club officers for 2008.
âˆ-- Newsletter Editor - David Overton
âˆ-- Repeater Chairman - Wayne Johnson
âˆ-- Activity Chairman - Mike Cole
âˆ-- Secretary - Kathy Bromley
âˆ-- Treasurer - Mike Bell
âˆ-- Vice President - Chuck Johnson
âˆ-- President - Jimmy Lowrey
Our appreciation goes out to the staff of the Golden Coral for the delicious meal they catered. President Burton gave out the following awards in recognition for their excellent service during 2007:
âˆ-- Hamfest Coordinators - John & Jan Eddleman
âˆ-- Secretary - Larry Carmack
âˆ-- Activity Chairman - Mike Cole
âˆ-- Newsletter - David Overton
âˆ-- Website Master - Jim Scott
âˆ-- New Ham of the Year - Deborah Kee
âˆ-- President - Dennis Burton (Award presented by John Samuels)
âˆ-- Awards Makers - Rick & Mary Deaton
Numerous prizes were awarded. President Burton closed the meeting with an appreciation for everyone's help during 2007 and looking forward to an exciting new year.
LCARC News - The Lawrence County Amateur Radio Club held its annual winter-fest at the Hoxie Community Center Saturday February 16ÂAmateur radio operators from several surrounding counties and Missouri attended. The Amateur Radio Club would like to thank the following local merchants for donating door prizes and helped to make our winter fest a success. - 2008 Grand Prize winners: Kenny Weathers ( KE5RHX) of Caraway, AR won the Yaesu VH-150. Roy Pits (AD5SL) of Marked Tree, AR won the Yaesu FT-7800 with separation Kit.
August September 2007 News Summary
ARRL National Convention Wrap-up- The 2007 ARRL National Convention, held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest, lived up to its promise to be "chock-full of activities and exhibits." The centerpiece of the Convention was ARRL EXPO -- an entire exhibit area showcasing many ARRL programs and services. According to Charlie Emerson, N4OKL, vice president of the Huntsville Hamfest Association, more than 5000 people enjoyed the National Convention and hamfest, held August 18-19, 2007. ARRL staff and volunteers ran booths and tables at the Convention, showcasing the services and programs offered by the League. Representatives from various ARRL departments were in attendance, including the ARRL Lab, Public Relations, Publications, DXCC and Awards, and the ARRL VEC, to name a few. The big ARRL Bookstore offered hundreds of books, other ARRL publications and merchandise, and all the major amateur radio manufacturers were demonstrating their gear as well. It was great to see Arkansas ARRL well represented by ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, ARRL Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, Arkansas ARRL Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ, Past Arkansas Section Manager and Asst. Delta Division Director Dennis Schaefer, W5RZ, Arkansas ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator J.M. Rowe, N5XFW, along with numerous ASM's, DEC's EC's and Arkansas ARRL members. ARRL Headquarters staff and Field Organization leaders gave more than a dozen short mini-forums on the ARRL Stage during the Convention in ARRL's big exhibit area. Presentations on the ARRL Stage included an update on Broadband over Power Line (BPL) given by Ed Hare, W1RFI; suggestions for energizing young -- and potential -- hams, presented by ARRL Youth Contributing Editor and Georgia Assistant Section Manager/Youth Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM; a "how-to" session on writing for QST, presented by ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA; an introduction to ARRL Operating Awards and the ARRL QSL bureau with ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L; tips for contesting with QST Contributing Editor and ARRL author Ward Silver, N0AX, and an overview of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) presented by Rob Suggs, KB5EZ, NASA Space Environments Team Lead from the Marshall Space Flight Center. One of the busiest places at the ARRL EXPO was the Youth Lounge. Young people, ranging from ages of about 7 to 17 were all over the Convention and hamfest, exploring all that Amateur Radio has to offer. There were many foxhunts throughout the two days, as well as scavenger hunts, a ham radio quiz show, crafts, prizes and more all geared for young hams. The DX Banquet featured Dr. Bob Allphin, K4UEE and his perspective on the VU7RG operation form Lakshadweep Is (India). Just prior to the hamfest, the 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC-07), sponsored by the IARU, was Thursday and Friday, August 16-17. GAREC-07 registrants participated in emergency communications-themed presentations, discussions and demonstrations. We were fortunate to have our SEC, N5XFW and several other ARES/RACES members from Arkansas in attendance. Overall the energy and enthusiasm exhibited by everyone in attendance was encouraging and gives your SM a spark of optimism for the future of amateur radio.
ARRL Arkansas State Convention Wrap-up- The 2007 ARRL Arkansas State was held at the Queen Wilhelmina Hamfest in Mena and was a huge success. The two-day event sported many of the traditions Mena is famous for and featured some great speakers and forums. Ed Hare, W1RFI was present from ARRL HQ and his RFI/BPL forum was well attended. Ed added a good look at what can happen with BPL problems, RFI issues and how to go about to resolve these problems. Also, the Arkansas Repeater Council held their meeting after the ARRL Forum. Attendance at all three forums was great. Icom America was present with a full display and various on air demonstrations for HF and D-Star lineups curtsey of Dale Piedfort, KB7UB. The featured guest speaker for the Saturday evening banquet was Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross, WD5DVR, one of only two hams currently in the US Congress. Congressman Ross delivered an outstanding speech about the virtues of amateur radio, its need to teach to today's youth and how he is working on legislation to preserve and protect our spectrum. Attendance for the hamfest was up and the ticket sales exceeded last years. Congratulations to the hamfest chairman Randy, KG5NE and the QWH committee for another outstanding event "up on the mountain". If you have not attended QWH, you need to mark it down on you calendar for September 5-6, 2008.
ARVARF News-ARES / RACES At the ARES/RACES meeting in September, we talked about setting up a demo at the Pope County Fair. However, due to space considerations and other problems making arrangements, we were not able to do this. We had a demonstration of Anderson PowerPoles. This is a standard connector for 12V DC systems. It is recommended by ARRL for all ham emergency communicators. If everyone had PowerPole connectors on their power supplies and rigs, then anything would connect to anything else. This is very handy in a disaster, where you might bring your rig to connect to an existing power supply. We will start by converting the RACES-owned equipment to PowerPoles and then those who use PowerPoles on their own equipment will find they are more "interoperable". We decided to have our county Simulated Emergency Test on October 6th. That is the date of the national and state SET exercises. We will have a local net and pass some traffic and conduct liaison with the state net. Everyone is welcome to participate and we will announce more details when the state plans are announced. Be sure and plan to take FEMA course ICS-100 this month. This course will be given by Justin Drittler, Deputy OEM Coordinator and will be on September 25th and September 27th at 7:00 at the 911 building. You must attend both evenings to get credit for the course. This is a rare opportunity to take the course in a classroom setting. All RACES members are expected by the state organization to take courses ICS-100 and 700, and if you cannot attend these evening sessions, you should log onto www.fema.gov and take the courses online. Please let me know if you have any questions. 73, Dennis, W5RZ. On Aug 30, Steve and Kay, WB5KUT and WB5NBU, were blessed with another grandson, courtesy of Christi and Clay KB5PWJ and KC5PPQ.
Batesville ARC News- The days are getting shorter and the leaves will soon be turning beautiful colors. The BARC's Annual Fall Picnic is just about a week away. You can hear all about our picnic plans Thursday evening at the monthly meeting. Roy KE5NOB has volunteered the use of his place in Bethesda for the picnic. Talk-in will be on the 27 repeater for those in need of directions. Bring your radio directional finding equipment so you can join the fun of the foxhunt! New Ham - Congratulations to Daniel KE5QAU for passing the test and getting his ham radio ticket! We look forward to hearing him on-the-air. New Net- BARC is sponsoring theh Community Net on 10m SSB. Net time is Monday at 9:00PM on 28.305 MHZ so come come join the fun. New, sort of, Net -It was, then it was linked, then it died, now it is revived -- the weekly net. Tune to 147.270+ on Monday nights for the local net where you can check-in (provided you are licensed above a Novice level) and then listen to all the local ham related news and events. New Activities -John KE5NZY, our new club president, and the other BARC officers met and discussed the meetings and activities scheduled for the remainder of the year. We hope you will attend the special activities the club has planned for you. -- Don't forget the Tailgate Party on the thirteenth of October! The BARC Tailgate Party We have reserved the pavilion by the boat launch ramp in Kennedy Park and will use the parking lot for tailgating. We will have food, fellowship, forums and a test session. Bring your ham related items you wish to sell or trade and join the fun! The tailgate party has been officially accepted as an ARRL approved hamfest. There will be an ARRL forum and our Section Manager is scheduled to attend.
CAREN News- Preparations continue for the Arkansas Traveler 100 in October. This is a large event for a 100 mile cross country race requiring net controls and several checkpoint operators. Upcoming Events: Raid the Rock Pre-Meeting- The meeting will be held in and around the boathouse under the I-30 bridge at 6pm on the North Little Rock side of the River. Access is via Riverfront Drive near Locust street. Locust street runs parallel to I-30. Please note that Locust street is one-way heading north when north of Riverfront Drive. Raid the Rock- Saturday October 27, 2008 Contact N5WVI to Volunteer, or request more information. November 1, 2008 Face to Face Meeting Red Cross Building, 401 S. Monroe, next to Ray Winder Baseball Field, across from the Zoo in Little Rock. Program: Andy Henry, MD, K5XT, Cardiologist - - An interesting report about your circulatory system and how it can suffer from SWR problems.
Other: Board election for 2008
Faulkner Co. ARC News - Glenn gave us a report on the Mena Hamfest. Several of the club's members attended the hamfest as well. He said everyone had a great time and that it was one of the best Mena Hamfests that he has attended in years. Glenn mentioned that he had talked to Jim Cullom, N5YU, from Clinton. Jim has a number of repeaters that he maintains that are linked together. He said Jim is moving and doesn't want to maintain them. The repeaters are up for sale and the link will eventually go down. One of the repeaters is the 147.030 repeater here in Conway. Jim has asked $1,000 for the repeater. Glenn suggested that the club buy this repeater. After some discussion, Bill Fill made a motion that the club purchases it. Jim Grinder seconded the motion and all were in favor. Glenn also mentioned that Jim had a 6 meter duplexer for sale and that the club needed one for a 6 meter repeater that is in the plans for our club's use. Jim asked for $500 for it. This was also included in the previous motion and passed. Next Glenn talked about our current repeaters status. The 145.210- (114.8) repeater and the 443.800+ (114.8) now has a new antenna. There is also battery back now at the repeater site. He also said that the existing repeaters need new tone boards put in them. They will cost around $60 each. Also, the 145.210- repeater needs a new crystal and tuning done to it. When Glenn takes this repeater down, he will put the 146.970- (114.8) repeater, which has been repaired, up at the site while the 145.210- is down. Frankie thanked Lynn McCaig for climbing the tower and putting the antennas up. Craig Mangrum will be sending Lynn a thank you card on behalf of the club.
The Faulkner County Fair Parade will be September 18th, 2007 at 5 P.M. The club will be helping again this year with communications. The club will also be assisting in making sure the public is safe and help with any potential problems. Glenn King passed out maps of the line up and route for this year's parade. He said all members that are helping need to try to meet at the Central Fire Station at 2pm for a meeting and to receive their assignments. Craig Mangrum will be net control again. Craig and Perry Carleton will be set up this year at the corner of Front and Oak streets where the MEMS and other emergency personnel will be stationed. The Big Dam Bridge 100 bike race will be on Saturday, September 29, 2007. This is a CAREN Club event that they have asked our club to help with.
Frankie had maps to hand out for those willing to help. He also passed around a sign up sheet. Club members are asked to help out at aid stations. The CAREN Club has also asked that some of the volunteers help by driving parts of the route.
Due to the lack of time at last month's meeting, the solar power portion of the Portable Power presentation had to be postponed. It was a great presentation on both men's part. Before the presentation, Wayne talked about how September is National Preparedness Month. The theme for this year is "Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed, and Get Involved." He had handouts for on the go kits and emergency preparedness. All of the handouts from both Bill and Wayne will be on the website shortly. www.w5auu.org/tips.cgi Be sure to download these handouts. Wayne started using solar power for Field Day in 1981. He demonstrated a 30 watt Solarex panel, which has three LED lights and a AA battery Charger. Many of the members may have seen this setup at the recent Field Day. He mentioned that this kit can be found at places like Lowes. "Letting the Light Shine on Solar Power" was presented by Bill McEntire's, KC5ECB. Bill used handouts for the meeting so everyone could take the information home with them, but this is a Power Point Presentation that he uses on solar power. Bill is a real expert on using solar power and alternative energy. He has wired several houses for being "off the grid" with solar power. He has helped construct and deliver a mobile solar power trailer package that powered the New Orleans police communications for several months after Hurricane Katrina. Bill also powers his son's toy car with a solar power system that was featured in a national solar power magazine. He also uses a wind turbine for feed power into his home on Round Mountain. And he has also used solar power for his ham station during wilderness camping trips. Bill had several solar panels and solar power units that he showed the group. They ranged in all sizes from about 2 feet long to about 4 feet long. Some were flexible units that he has used while floating on rivers. It was a truly amazing presentation. Bill also shared several publication suggestions to the club. Home Power Magazine is put out by mostly ham operators. The magazine also has a website at www.homepower.com. A book that he suggested was the "Solar Living Sourcebook: The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living" by John Schaeffer, Doug Pratt, Real Goods Trading Corporation. (If you want to lookup this book, the correct ISBN is 0-916571-04-1. While looking for this book on the internet, the ISBN may or may not have the hyphens. Craig). Another website Bill suggested to the club was www.stellarsun.com.
Several of the panels are available on E-bay. Bill also said that Tractor Supply also has some panels available.
Fort Smith ARC News - President Dennis Burton opened the August club meeting and issued a declaration of congratulations to Debra Kee on receiving her general license and becoming a new member of our club. Debra's new call sign is KE5PWI. President Burton entertained a motion to accept the club minutes as
published on the club website and the club newsletter. Jan Eddleman made the motion to accept the minutes as published. It was seconded and approved. Mike Bell presented the treasurer's report. Jan Eddleman made the motion to accept the treasurer's report as given. The motion was seconded and passed. John Samuels passed the new SATERN plaque around the room for everyone to see. John stated that the club sincerely appreciated the support that the SATERN team provided during our recent field day activities. President Burton stated according to the club bylaws, September is the month we review our fee structure and determine whether or not we will need to raise the dues. The club activities in October include the club picnic and Oktoberfest. Event dates need to be determined for both of these activities. John Samuels briefed the members on the recent antenna raising party at Art Sellers residence. The team successfully completed the installation of his large antenna. Art will enjoy many hours of DXing. Mike Cole stated we have the opportunity to have our October picnic at Creekmore Park, which has an indoor picnic area. The weather at that time is normally cold and many of our members do not attend. Mike said the attendance would be higher
with an indoor picnic area. President Burton stated the location will be taken under consideration and will be discussed at the September meeting. Mike Cole made a report on the December Banquet. The cost will be around 13 to 15 dollars per person. One option is for Golden Coral to cater the meal at Harry Kelly Park. The rental fee for their large room is $50 per four hours. Another option is the Western Sizzling in Van Buren. Their facility is fairly small and the cost will be around
$14.00 per person. Jan Eddleman made a motion that Mike Cole and the activities committee go ahead and make the arrangements for the Christmas banquet. The motion was seconded and passed. President Burton reminded everyone of the upcoming Joplin Hamfest on August 24th and 25th, and the Mena hamfest on September 7th and 8th. Jay Bromley made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was seconded and passed.
President's Message, N5DRB - Greetings to all, The summer is quickly slipping away and that wonderful fall feeling is beginning to be noticed in the air. I had to turn off my air in the truck this morning on the drive in to work. Soon we will be enjoying the autumn foliage and all the crisp days that will come with their colorful display. This is a great time to venture out on a Saturday with a newly home brewed antenna and that favorite QRP rig you have just finished constructing. Take the wife, the dog and a picnic lunch and make a great day of it, don't forget the camera. The coming of fall calls to our attention several approaching club events which we will be discussing at the next club meeting. Monday night , Sept 17th at the Health South Rehab Hospital meeting room. The annual October Fest at Columbus Acres is coming up on Oct. 12, and 13th. The club has always helped with the car parking, and directing of traffic at this event so be planning to volunteer some of your time on the 12th and 13th for this event . In exchange we are allowed to use the covered pavilion for our fall picnic/club meeting. At this meeting the club board of directors will offer a recommended slate of officers and, the general membership may make nominations from the floor. Voting to select the new officers will take place at the November meeting, and the new officers assume their duties on Jan 1. Mike Cole has taken the lead in planning the December 17th Christmas club banquet and meeting. He has made arrangements for it to be held at the River Front Park Pavilion in the west meeting room , the one closest to the river. Golden Corral will be catering a traditional holiday meal. Costs, great door prizes, and set up will be discussed at the meeting Monday night. It is also time to start planning for the Spring Ham-Fest.
NEA ARC- Events: October 1 - Club Meeting; October 13 - Fergus Snoddy Race (we need volunteers to help provide communications for this event); October 27 - Swapfest at East Side Baptist Church. The NEARC meets the first Monday night of each month at about 6 p.m. at the Our Savior Lutheran Church on Wood St. next to Fire Station No. 5. We encourage members to attend every meeting. Guests and other interested parties are always welcome. Yearly membership dues are $25.00 and this helps support club activities and projects. As always, we appreciate your continued support.
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