Reminder Reminder

It’s March already and March is our Club Family Birthday Party.

Saturday 13th at the Milford Masonic Temple is the place.
32 Water St, Milford, OH 45150

Arrive around 6:30 P.M. with plans to eat no later than 7:00 P.M. Park in the Bank lot (if they are closed), West Lot next door, Across the street in old Auctioneer lot, or on the street.

Menu will look something like: At least 2 meat dinner, country green beans, mashed or red skinned potatoes w/gravy, super salad, rolls&butter whatever else, desserts, drinks.

Dinner will be catered and the cost will be, as in the past, @ $9.00 per adult and $5.00 per child.

Prizes and Surprises

We need your reservations by this Sat March 6th so:

START SENDING YOUR RESERVATIONS TO OUR VP JEFF KD8LZK

We do not have a club meeting in March due to the annual MARC Birthday Party.

There will NOT be VE session for March, either.

Hard to believe spotter training is upon us already for 2010 (thus this late notice). With snow still on the ground, we now turn our attention to severe weather season. Sorry we missed announcing a class in Boone County tonight. There are two more opportunities in our area this week.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 2/24/2010) at 7:00PM there is a class in Hamilton County in Springfield Township at the Grove Banquet Hall, Springfield Twp. (Located behind Fire Dept. and Twp. Civic Center), 9158 Winton Rd., Cincinnati. For more information call 513-521-7578.

Thursday night (2/25/2010) at 7:00PM there is a class in Butler County at the Butler County Govt Services Center, 315 High St., Hamilton (large conference room on 1st floor). For more information, call 513-785-5810.

The classes will be frequent now as we approach severe weather season. We recommend all amateur radio operators attend spotter training annually if possible. For more class opportunities, see http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/training.php. Classes are still being added. Mark your calendar for the class you can attend. They will be over before you know it.

Mike Nie – W8VMX
Public Information Officer
Weather Amateur Radio Network (WARN)

Here is a flyer for the annual Weather Spotter Training that Clermont County provides the community. This is always an interesting and important event.

Unless you plan to take the Technician class license examination before
July 1, 2010, don’t use study guides based on the question pool that
became effective July 1, 2006. The 2006 pool will be replaced by a
2010 question pool effective July 2010. The 2006 pool and study
materials used for it are useable for Technician exams to be given as
late as Jun 30, 2010.

Beginning July 1, 2010 Tech exams will be based upon the 2010 question
pool. This pool will be available to the public in early January.
People wishing to obtain a printed copy of the pool or a study manual
based on it should watch for announcements in ham publications or on
the web. Of course, www.arrl.org and ARRL bulletins will be a good
source of information on these.

Source: Jim Weaver, K8JE (ARRL Great Lakes Division Director)

I have just implemented a “Forum” for everyone to use. You access from the Page category in the Navigation bar above. Or Here There are many different Topics that I set up that you can read or reply to.

Topics I have created so far include: Contesting, DX, Digital Modes, Mobile, Propagation, QSL, SSB and CW Modes, Ham Shack Items, Antennas, HF and VHF/UHF radios, Accessories, For Sale/Trade/Wanted, Emergency Communications, APRS, Introductions, Help, Suggestions, and Club Related.

—
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site. It originated as the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system. From a technological standpoint, forums or boards are web applications managing user-generated content.

People participating in an Internet forum may cultivate social bonds and interest groups for a topic may form from the discussions.

Source: Wiki

We had our annual election at our November meeting and we elected a new president and vice president. Congratulations to Rick Colburn, NV8C who is our new President and Jeff Clemmons, KD8LZK our new Vice President (effective January 1, 2010). Jim Linn, WB8RRR and Barb Steward, KA8AXY have been re-elected to their positions.

President: Rick Colburn, NV8C
Vice President: Jeff Clemmons, KD8LZK
Treasurer: Jim Linn, WB8RRR
Secretary: Barb Steward, KA8AXY

The Christmas Party will be held on Thursday, December 10th at the Masonic Temple in old Milford.

Additional details will be provided soon.

View Larger Map

The Georgetown Hamfest will be on November 7th. Greg Grant, N8FSP, has tickets available. GARC has once again been generous to HARA and has given us a supply of tickets to sell, and is letting HARA keep $1 of each ticket for our clubs treasury.

This is a great display of fellowship from a neighboring club, and we encourage our members to support the GARC by purchasing plenty of tickets as well as attending the hamfest. Buy several tickets and improve your odds on winning the grand prize, a Kenwood TS-2000. There are over $2,000 of prizes to be awarded. A copy of the flyer is attached on the next page. There will be VE testing sessions beginning at 10 a.m. Talk in on 146.73 pl 162.2hz

GARC Website

Hamilton County is in need of an Emergency Coordinator (EC) for ARES. The Emergency Coordinator is the primary point-of-contact between the amateur radio community at-large and key “served agencies” such as county emergency management, and other agencies served by amateur radio (now and in the future!)

Of particular interest is that Cincinnati and Hamilton County is currently planning a radio room for the city/county EMA facility which should have up to 4 amateur radio “operating positions” and numerous antennas to support those… HF< -->UHF. The project manager is an active amateur radio operator and a Cincinnati firefighter.

What the EC role IS NOT:
- the “presiding officer” for ARPSC. ARPSC has recently reorganized into a more traditional “club format” with President, VP, Secretary, and Treasurer. The EC should expect to work with ARPSC (and other Hamilton County clubs) and keep information flowing both directions, but the EC does not manage ARPSC or its activities, finances, meetings, or nets.
- a job for “only a retired guy”. Ham radio is a hobby, and takes a backseat to your paying job, family, etc. Being the EC doesn’t change that.
- a commitment to attend every club meeting around, every month. It would be nice if you got to some of them yearly, but that’s all. Clubs have other business to attend to.
- a “puppet” for the DEC. I will be happy to send you my “manifesto” on taking the DEC role — and the main theme is…the DEC is an administrative job, not the manager of ARES programs. The EC manages ARES programs!
- an expectation that you will have to take on more responsibilities beyond the county in the future.

What the EC role IS:
- a job for someone who can speak and appear as professionally as his/her potential audience, which could be a room of veteran public safety professionals.
- an opportunity to steer amateur radio emergency communication practices in the direction that you feel they need to go.
- a chance to work with Red Cross, SkyWARN, and RACES groups since, hopefully, we’re all pulling in the same direction.
- a gateway to taking on more responsibilities beyond the county, if you choose.

Previous experience is not required. (Here’s your proof — I have none as an EC.) Membership in any group or club does not positively or negatively impact your standing.

You must be a Hamilton County resident and hold any license class above Novice. That’s it.

For the credibility of amateur radio as a unified provider of “emcomm”, we need to appoint someone to this role.

Please contact me any time to discuss the “job” and/or to recommend someone (including yourself) for this appointment.

-73- de N8TFD/Steve