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The HOTLINE |
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Show Your Stuff! |
by Rodney Baden, K5YKC |
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It’s time to get out those projects that you’ve been tinkering with. Get them out of the shack and show them off at this month’s meeting. Each year, October at HOTARC means that it’s “Homebrew Night!” Of course we’re talking about home-brewed projects! As licensed amateur radio operators, we have the privilege to not only operate radios, but also repair, modify, and even create radios. (Of course, we agree to abide by the FCC regulations in doing so.) But Homebrew Night is not only about radios. We’re eager to see just about any project you’ve been working on. We’ve seen some pretty interesting things over the years. So, don’t be bashful. Even if it is not finished, bring it to the meeting. You might just get a surprise from your colleagues and get some extra ideas. Come on, “Show your Stuff!” |
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President’s Corner |
by Rodney Baden, K5YKC |
Appreciated and Not Forgotten
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Rodney, K5YKC |
As I write my column this month, I think of all that is going on in the Gulf Coast states with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and Gustaf. It is not a very pleasant feeling.
As I sat in my computer and radio room a couple of weeks ago, getting and answering emails and phone calls from those that were concerned about family members, my past flashed before my very eyes. It was as real as if it were yesterday. I remembered my grandfather, Pappy. (My own grandson now calls me the same.) My Pappy was one great man. Then, my thoughts turned to my grandson, Parker, who turned eight years old last month. This time I sang Happy Birthday to him in person at my house—not on the phone—and we saw each other on this happy occasion. All this happened because of Hurricane Ike.
When he left on Tuesday, he said “I love you” and my daughter gave me a big hug. Well, needless to say, I hope that I will always be as good a “Pappy” to him as my “Pappy” was to me.
May God bless you all.
Rodney
Baden, K5YKC
HOTARC President
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For the Record... |
HOTARC Meeting of Members
September 25, 2008
HOTARC’s September Meeting was called to order by Rodney Baden K5YKC Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 7:00 pm, at the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco campus. Wayne Branscum KD5SMC opened the meeting with a prayer.
Present were eighteen full members, 1 family member and 1 visitor. Our visitor was Larry Black KE5VMF of Waco.
A motion to approve the Minutes for the August meeting as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, with second by Jerry Tollison KD5JML. The motion was approved by the members.
A motion to approve the August Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from KD5SMC, with second by Joe Funk AF5D. The motion was approved by the members.
Committee Reports
· ARES: No news.
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The Treasurer Reports... |
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Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club Beginning Account Balance $ 4,805.23 Income Dues $ 30.00 Interest 0.98 TOTAL Income $ 30.98 Expenses TS-430S repair $ 54.80 Shipping for TS-430S repair 65.36 TOTAL Expenses $ 120.16 Ending Account Balance $ 4,716.05 Outstanding (as of 10-18-2008) Submitted by |
· Trailer: Mike Ross N5MVL reported that new brackets, cables and mounts have been installed on the HOTARC trailer. N5MVL also noted that the fuel pump on the current generator runs off of a battery that wasn’t being charged due to a switch not being in the right position. With a charged battery the pump should run fine.
· Repeater: No news.
· D-Star: K5YKC reported several possibilities for call signs for the D-Star radio to be installed in the HOTARC trailer. The cost of the new vanity call is $39.95. A motion to purchase the call sign K5ZDN was made by Mark Plough AC5DE, with second by James Judd KA5QKL. The motion was approved by the members.
· Web page: No news.
· ATV: No news.
· Education: No news.
· Public Relations: No news.
· Special Events: No news.
Announcements
· The Alta Vista Texas Night Out is scheduled for October 7th.
Motion to adjourn was recognized from KD5SMC at approximately 7:46 pm.
The program this evening was a presentation on APRS by KC5NT and AC5DE.
Submitted by:
Jeremy Neal KE5PRG
HOTARC Secretary
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by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI |
With all of our new members, it is time to invite some new participants to act as Net Controls in the weekly training nets.
I would like to get an
early start on the 2009 ARES net control schedule. I currently have nine
individuals that have volunteered for net control duty and would hope that they
would like to continue to serve. The ARES/Bakers Dozen Training Net is held
each Monday night at 8 PM on the 145.15 Repeater. Since the 2008 schedule was
done we have had a number of new and return ARES members. I would like to
provide this excellent training opportunity to all current members of McLennan
County ARES. If you would like the opportunity to practice as a weekly net
control please let me know via e-mail: KC5KNI@arrl.net. Let me know
your preferred Mondays, or those that would not be convenient (i.e., 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th).
For those who would like to volunteer, I will add you to the 2009 schedule, provide you with a copy of the preamble (the welcome “script” for the weekly Net), log sheet, and the ARES/Bakers Dozen Training Net Operating Instructions. If you want to participate, please let me know by 1 December 2008. Current net control stations should let me know if they would like to continue to serve. With the addition of new volunteers, each Net Control would be scheduled to call the net no more than 6 times a year. Please let me hear from you.
To join ARES, simply complete an application. This is what amateur radio is all about: preparation for emergency service.
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W5KWQ Gets Busy from Space |
From ARRL Letter |
Richard
Garriott, W5KWQ, is following in the footsteps of his father astronaut Owen
Garriott, W5LFL, as he plans to make Amateur Radio contacts from space.
Richard took off for the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, October 12, becoming the sixth private citizen to fly with the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA) for a short-term mission on the ISS. Less than two hours after he arrived on the ISS, Garriott was making ham radio contacts, just as his father, Owen Garriott, W5LFL—the first ham to make QSOs from space—did in 1983. Richard is scheduled to return to Earth on Thursday, October 23.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said that not only did Richard quickly start making voice QSOs, but he also started SSTV operations. “We have had a number of image uploads on the ARISS web site by hams from all around the world. A volunteer ARISS team is working 24/7 during Richard’s flight to review these images, to understand how the SSTV operations are progressing and to include some of these images on the Gallery pages on the ARISS Web site. All uploaded images have been archived and are being reviewed.” Bauer asked hams to continue to upload these images, as they help the ARISS team analyze and redirect the SSTV operations. He also said that a blog providing the latest ARISS information for Richard’s expedition is available.
“Richard
is really not supporting SSTV uplinks during his short duration
mission,” Bauer said. “The downlink is on the normal ARISS VHF downlink, 145.80
kHz.” For general voice contacts, Bauer recommends the regular general voice
frequencies: 145.80 for the downlink and 144.49 in Region 2 (Americas) for the
uplink. “Richard and Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, have been on the air on voice since
shortly after docking [on Tuesday],” Bauer said. [Editor’s note: See the HOTARC home page for tips on making ISS
contacts.]
“Richard is great!” said ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. “First he wanted to do a QSO with the mayor of his hometown, Austin, Texas. Then he asked us to sponsor an Austin school QSO. He got the mayor to bring kids into his office for the QSO! Last I heard, several busloads of kids were being brought to the mayor’s digs. And right after that QSO, he thrills hams with more QSOs! We’ve gotten several notes from hams who talked to Richard saying they had talked to his dad years ago, too. Pretty cool!”
Bauer explained that Richard Garriott’s flight on the ISS is “a part of history. Twenty-five years ago, Richard’s father, Owen Garriott, W5LFL, initiated the first ham radio contacts from space on the STS-9 SAREX mission. Richard’s call sign is actually his grandfather’s original call sign. So you can see that this mission touches three generations of ham radio and two generations of ham radio in space!”
The HOTLINE is the monthly newsletter of the Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club (HOTARC), Inc., a nonprofit corporation, chartered by the State of Texas and principally located in Waco. It is permissible to use any of the original material contained herein, provided proper credit is given to the source.
Edited and Published by John Chamberlain AC5CV, AC5CV@arrl.net
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2008 Board of Directors |
HOTARC 2008 Board of Directors
President: Rodney Baden K5YKC, 857-9760, K5YKC@arrl.net
Vice Pres: Terry Williams KD5KJU, 662-2438, pumpman_rpss@yahoo.com
Secretary: Jeremy Neal KE5PRG, 881-2123, JeremyLeeNeal@gmail.com
Treasurer: Norris Martin KB5SLI, 829-2138, KB5SLI@flash.net
Past-Pres.: Wayne Branscum KD5SMC, 857-3964, wbscum@grandecom.net
Director (2008): Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, 826-4053, KC5NT@arrl.net
Director (2009): Mike Ross N5MVL, 836-1083, N5MVL@juno.com
Director (2010): Ed Hynan KC5KNI, 666-4873, KC5KNI@arrl.net
145.15 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
146.98 MHz (input at –600 kHz, D-Star)
442.875 MHz (input at +5.0 MHz, tone 123 Hz)
ATV: 421.25MHz (Cable 57), input 439.25 MHz (Cable 60)
Next session is scheduled for Saturday October 25, 2008 10:00 AM. Location: Baylor’s Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Bldg (#70 on the map), Room 109. Bring: 1) testing fee of $14 (cash only); 2) a photo ID (two for first-time licensees); and for already licensed amateurs: 3) current license and photocopy of it; and 4) photocopy of any relevant CSCE. Contact: Linda Hynan, AC5QQ at 666-4873 or Linda.Hynan@UTSouthwestern.edu.
Meeting NoticeThe October Meeting of HOTARC will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday October 23, 2008 in the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco Campus. Visiting hams, family members, and prospective hams are welcomed! |
Home-Brew
Night!
Show N’ Tell Your Favorite Work!