March, 2009    

Our regular meeting will be on Tuesday, March 3, 7:00PM at the EOC Training Room. Please attend and show your support to our new President, Mike, KC9AOM.

At this meeting we’d like to review new scanners and the “rebanding” of the commercial bands. If you have a new scanner bring it along and/or offer to explain what you like about it. We’d all like to benefit from your experience.

Remember that Tuesday, March 10, is the Stormnet training class. Note the start at 6:30PM at the Anderson Library this year. We want to give Dave Tucek plenty of time to make his presentation. Come early as we expect a capacity crowd again this year. Bring along any family and friends that have an interest in severe weather.

Another EMA training opportunity is “PHI Training” on Saturday, April 11 at 10:00AM. The location hasn’t been announced yet but all EMA members are welcome to attend. This is always interesting and fun. Learn how to set up a landing zone and how to load a patient into the helicopter.

We have an up-to-date listing of paid-up members on the web site. If you have not submitted your 2009 contribution yet please do so. Membership cards will be available at the meeting for those who have not received them. Although our disbursements are much less than in years past we still need and appreciate your continued support of the Club by sending in your $20 per year.

Paul continues to do a great job of maintaining our Web Site. He’s making improvements regularly and we’re trying to find articles of interest to viewers. Please look at the site frequently and offer anything that you’d like to have posted. At this time we are putting quite a bit of EMA Communications on our site. Take advantage of this ours and the many other interesting amateur radio related sites on the web.

I’m sorry to report that on February 2, Lois McClintick, WA9ZIC, became a silent key. As you remember we had recently honored her with a Lifetime Membership in the Club. Lois had been a great supporter of the Club for most of our existence. We will miss her cheerful notes each year.

I’m pleased to report that Jason Filburn, KC9IYI, our newest member (to be approved at this meeting) and his wife are the proud parents of a new son, Coleman Wesley on February 17. Congratulations to Jason and his family.

On February 24 Phil, WB9URL, reported that the .82 repeater received sensitivity had decreased seriously. We had not noticed it during the Tone Alert Test the previous Sunday. Lectro was called and Dan went up to check out the installation on Friday. All should be OK now.

On January 10, the yearly update to the ARRL Club information database was submitted. Each year the information is refreshed to make certain that the League has current information and so that any inquiry related to the Club or from our service area has a correct person to contact. It also continues our participation as an “Affiliated Club” of the ARRL. If you are not a member of the ARRL I’d suggest that you consider becoming a member. The monthly QST Magazine is well worth the yearly dues, and the League is the only national organization looking after our interests.

In mid-January we submitted an application to obtain a “Club Station License” again. We have over the years had a number of Club licenses, but the last one we had expired. We have been issued KC9OYR. We needed this call so that we could exchange it for the Vanity Call that we have been wanting to get, W9OBH, in memory of Burr Stephens. That application was made on January 10. As of January 27 we are still “pending” in the FCC process. That is disappointing as we got the Club Station call within 6 days of application being made. Guess that is the difference between a VEC (the ARRL) handling the process and the government processing it. Phil already has the changes ready to be downloaded into the .82 repeater controller as soon as the license arrives.

Dick, WA9STB, reports that the Madison Co. ARC General License Class is progressing well and that the students are attending regularly. Make sure that you thank Dick for his hard work in lining up this class and performing most of the instruction himself. License classes have traditionally been one of the major functions of the County Club and Dick is continuing that tradition.

Bill, N9XXT, reports that he made contact with Ty Hill, KG9AH, recently on Echo-Link. Ty was a member of the Club from ’89 until ’96, when he had to leave the area due to a job relocation. Ty said to tell everyone “HI”.

Hope to see you at the meeting on Tuesday.

73, Steve (your humble Secretary)