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The HOTLINE |
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A Visit From Our Section Manager |
by Terry Williams, KD5KJU |
ARRL North Texas Section Manager Roy Rabey AD5KZ will be speaking at the January HOTARC meeting on a number of issues that are important to the amateur radio community. He will bring us up to date on issues, like BPL in Texas, the on-going efforts for the Amateur Radio spectrum protection acts, activities related to Citizens Corps and other issues of which we need to be aware.
Roy has been a very active and supportive Section Manager. Let’s make him feel welcome by having a great turnout for the January meeting! Roy will be having dinner at about 5:00PM Thursday at Heitmiller Steakhouse if any of you would like join him, he would certainly welcome your company!
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President’s Corner |
by Rodney Baden, K5YKC |
An Event To Remember
I hope everyone and their families had a Happy New Year and the future for 2005 will be good. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the trust that you put in me to serve as your President. It is certainly a great honor. I would, in advance, like to thanks the Officers, Directors and committee Chairpersons for all the time they are going to spend in making this a good year for HOTARC. To me, there is no better reward than to serve your fellow man. I hope this year can be spent in honing our emergency communications skills as further evidence has proved that they will be needed more than ever.
December 3rd and 4th, 2004 was the National Weather
Service Amateur Recognition Day. Over 80 amateur radio stations at NWS
locations throughout the USA took part in a “Field Day” type event. I was able
to go to the Fort Worth NWS office to help kick off the event and then returned
at 5:00 AM the next morning to begin operation. Of course, 20 meters is not
open at that time of day. The Denver, Colorado Weather Service was contacted
but difficult to copy. At 7:00 AM I took up a position at the two meter rig.
When I made the first call for contact, an old friend came back to my call. I
didn’t recognize the call letters or first name. But when he reminded me of
things we had done in emergency management back 30 years ago, the “lights
turned on.” It was very gratifying to reestablish on the air relationships with
others that I have not seen or talked to for so long. It was a very emotional
time.
Roy Rabey, AD5KZ, and others were sitting in the conference room talking after our operating time was up. We were called to the main area for a prayer before dinner and they ask if anyone had anything to say. Well, naturally I raised my hand. I thanked all of the young hams that were present for their interest in the day. Skip Ely, the retired MIC for Fort Worth NWS, was sitting at the two meter station. Well, now it was “fall apart time.” It was nice to see Skip and remind everyone of our close working relationship over the years. WOW, what a day! The many friends that I have had over the last 45 years made this a very special day in my life and one I won’t soon forget.
Well, on with 2005. I want to hear from each one of you as to what you would like to accomplish in HOTARC this year. Please do not hesitate to call, email or see me with your thoughts. I need your input. See you at the January meeting!
To all the Officers and Directors: We need to have a short meeting, after the regular meeting. John, AC5CV, needs to get a picture for the HOTLINE, and we need to talk a little about the coming year. So, please come to the meeting and, if you can stay a few minutes, that would be great.
Rodney A. Baden, K5YKC
HOTARC President
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For the Record... |
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HOTARC Meeting of Members
December 2, 2004
The Annual Meeting of the Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club was called to order by Ed Middlebrook KC5NT at 7:03 pm at the Kultgen Automotive Building on the TSTC Waco campus. Present were fourteen full members, one associate member, and three visitors: Allen London of Waco, Stephen Taylor of Waco, and Paul Millar KE5CQY of Waco.
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The Treasurer Reports... |
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Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club Beginning Account Balance $ 3,678.65 Income Interest (Nov) $ 0.75 Interest (Dec) 0.81 Dues 255.00 TOTAL Income $ 256.56 Expenses TOTAL Expenses $ 0.00 Ending Account Balance $ 3,935.21 Outstanding (as of 1-16-05) |
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2004
Summary Submitted by |
The Minutes for the October meeting were approved as published in the HOTLINE, following a motion by Rodney Baden K5YKC, second by Wayne Branscum KD5SMC, and unanimous vote by the members present. The October Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE was also accepted, following a motion by Horace Bushnell W5TAH, second by Bill Feltenberger KD5UEW, and unanimous vote by the members present.
Announcements
· HOTARC Christmas Luncheon: As approved by the members at the October meeting, we will have our Annual Christmas Luncheon at the Summer Palace restaurant (all you can eat buffet) at noon Saturday, December 11. See the HOTLINE for details.
· Skywarn National Recognition Day: K5YKC reported that this weekend, from Friday 6 pm to Saturday 6 pm the Fort Worth NWS office was recognizing Skywarn with 24-hour radio operations on HF and VHF.
Committee Reports
· ARES: Ed Hynan KC5KNI reported that NIMS (National Incident Management System) has been mandated by the President, such that anyone responding to an emergency will be required by the end of 2005 to have taken an online course: NIMS-IS700. Another course, CERT-IS317 is also a good course. Both are free, and take about 2-3 hours. (Hint: Print the texts before starting!) Also, another fully-graded federal emergency exercise is scheduled for October 2005. We’ll talk more about it at the January meeting. And finally, we still need more Net Controllers for the Monday night net. Please contact me if interested!
· Trailer: Roger Miles WB5MBO had nothing to report.
· Repeater: Norris Martin KB5SLI reported that Ryan Holt of Waco PD is still trying to install a ground for the Waco PD antenna tower (offered as a site for a HOTARC repeater). KD5UEW reported that it would probably take two months to complete.
· Web Page: John Chamberlain AC5CV reported that the HOTARC web site is working well, even despite being hacked (and repaired) this month. An improved HTML version of the HOTLINE should behave better in most browsers.
· ATV: David Bush KC5UOZ reported the ATV repeater is still working well, although the receive antenna needs some attention. He also noted that Ron Bowden AA5RT, our valuable contact at Hillcrest Medical Tower, is no longer working there.
· Education: AC5CV reported that he and KD5UEW conducted two sessions of training for the Boy Scouts Radio Merit Badge for two groups of scouts (total number: about 20) at the Baylor Merit Badge College in November.
New Business
· ARRL Big Project: KD5UEW reported that he (on behalf of the school where he teaches) has applied to the ARRL for the “Big Project.” Pending final approval by the ARRL Board, they will provide a bunch of radio equipment by approximately February.
· Election of Officers: AC5CV recited the list of candidates identified by the Nominating Committee (and posted in the HOTLINE). KC5NT opened the floor for further nominations for each position. Hearing none, nominations were closed following a motion and second from the floor, and a unanimous vote by the members present. Seeing only one nominee for each open position, the Secretary was directed to cast a vote for the single nominee, following which the candidate was declared the winner. The details of the positions, the motions, and the winners are given below.
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Position |
Moved to close nominations |
Seconded the motion |
Winner declared by KC5NT |
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President |
WB5MBO |
W5AYX |
Rodney Baden K5YKC |
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Vice President |
N5MVL |
KD5UEW |
Terry Williams KD5KJU |
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Treasurer |
K5YKC |
W5TAH |
Norris Martin KB5SLI |
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Secretary |
KD5UEW |
N5MVL |
John Chamberlain AC5CV |
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Director (2007) |
KD5SMC |
KC5QIK |
Bill Feltenberger KD5UEW |
· Directors Meeting: K5YKC requested that the Directors have a meeting on January 20, the third Thursday at 6:00 pm, here at TSTC.
· Application for Membership: The Directors received an application for Full Membership from Paul Millar KE5CQY. A motion to accept the new member was made by WB5MBO, seconded by W5AYX, and unanimously approved by the members present.
KC5NT heard a motion by WB5MBO to adjourn the meeting at approximately 8:08 pm.
Submitted by:
John Chamberlain AC5CV
HOTARC Secretary
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A.R.E.S. Update – Training Opportunities |
by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI, |
Current buzz words heard on many nets and in conversations between amateur radio operators include “NIMS,” “CERT” and “ECC.” These are the acronyms for courses offered by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the ARRL.
FEMA courses are FREE! The course descriptions for the two online courses are taken from the FEMA web site. (See the Education and Training “tab.”)
IS 700, National
Incident Management System (NIMS), 
An Introduction
On February 28, 2003, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents. Find more information about NIMS at http://www.fema.gov/nims/
IS 700 introduces NIMS and takes approximately three hours to complete. It explains the purpose, principles, key components and benefits of NIMS. The course also contains “Planning Activity” screens giving you an opportunity to complete some planning tasks during this course. The planning activity screens are printable so that you can use them after you complete the course.
IS 317, Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams
IS 317 is available as an on-line interactive web based course at the FEMA virtual campus and as a downloadable PDF file. Both formats contain a link to the final exam and answer sheet.
IS 317 is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT for those wanting to complete training or as a refresher for current team members. It has six modules with topics that include an Introduction to CERT, Fire Safety, Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents, Disaster Medical Operations, and Search and Rescue. It takes between six and eight hours to complete the course. Those successfully finishing it will receive a certification of completion and 0.8 CEU’s from the Independent Study Office.
The IS 317 can be taken by anyone interested in CERT. However, to become a CERT volunteer, one must complete the classroom training offered by a local government agency such as the emergency management agency, fire, or police department. Contact your local emergency manager to learn about the education and training opportunities available, and tell them you are interested in taking CERT training.
The NIMS training is becoming a requirement for all emergency response personnel, as emergency communicators we will be working within the NIMS system. The CERT training program has no formal communications portion. Hams working a disaster could easily be assigned to provide communications for CERT teams. It is better know what to expect before it actually happens. As stated above: BOTH COURSES ARE FREE!
Another training opportunity is the ARRL Emergency Communications Courses: Levels 1, 2, and 3. These courses are also available on-line. The cost for these courses is $45.00 per course for ARRL members, or $75.00 per course for non-members. More information is available at the ARRL web site. Click on the “quick link” for ARRL Courses.
The best time to train for a disaster is before the disaster happens. For any ARES member that has taken one of these courses: please e-mail me at KC5KNI@arrl.net with the specifics, and I will annotate your record.
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New Year’s Resolutions |
by Ed Middlebrook, KC5NT |
I subscribe to a nice little monthly magazine called “World Radio” and in the January 2005 issue there was an interesting article written by John B. Johnston, W3BE. John pens a column entitled “Rules & Regs” in which he offers his insight as he peruses Part 97.
This particular January column reminds us of some things to think about as we embark upon a new year and in case you don’t have this issue, I hope that W3BE won’t mind me passing along these tips.
While the FCC regulations don’t require us to maintain a station record, we should create a folder labeled “Station Records” to keep some important documents within easy reach just in case we are paid a visit by the District Director. Why do this? John gives us four reasons:
1. Section 97.103(b) says that the FCC will presume that the station licensee is also the control operator, unless documentation to the contrary is in the station records.
2. Section 97.103(c) says that the station licensee must make the station and the station records available for inspection upon request by an FCC representative.
3. Section 97.103(c) also says that the station licensee must maintain a record of station operations containing such items of information as deemed necessary the FCC District Director.
4. Section 97.13(c1) talks about RF safety and a signed and dated statement of RF review is required.
OK – not a bad list of why, now what do we place within the folder?
1. While I maintain a station log for HF communications, this requirement was eliminated years ago (I guess that I’m a bit stubborn). My log will suffice to meet item 1 listed above. However, if you do not maintain a log, keep a log sheet of those times in which you allow a guest to be the control operator of your station (including signature). This will be a valuable addition to your folder.
2. Review RF safety factors for your station. This should be easy for 99% of us, but take some time to review the requirements and write up a brief statement describing your station configuration, antenna layout and maximum power levels. Be sure to sign and date the document, then place it in your folder.
3. Go over to the FCC Universal Licensing System web-site and print out a copy of your license grant. Section 97.3(a1) says that only the listing of your grant in the ULS database establishes you as an amateur radio operator. Go to www.fcc.gov for this information.
4. Make a copy of FCC Form 660 and place it in the folder. (This is your paper station license that you received from the FCC.)
5. If you are in charge of a club, RACES or repeater license grant, print a copy of the ULS information for those grants as well.
That’s it! Not too much, but possibly more required documents than what you currently have. Again, I want to thank John B. Johnston, W3BE, for his well written column in World Radio.
Let’s go out and make it a great year!
73,
Ed Middlebrook, KC5NT
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It’s time to renew
your HOTARC membership! Send in your HOTARC Dues and Membership
Renewal Form now and |
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
HOTARC 2005 Board of Directors
President: Rodney Baden K5YKC, 857-9760, K5YKC@arrl.net
Vice Pres: Terry Williams KD5KJU, 662-2438, pumpman_rpss@yahoo.com
Secretary: John Chamberlain AC5CV, 855-7731, AC5CV@arrl.net
Treasurer: Norris Martin KB5SLI, 829-2138, KB5SLI@flash.net
Past-Pres.: Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, 826-4053, KC5NT@arrl.net
Director (2005): Ed Hynan KC5KNI, 666-4873, KC5KNI@arrl.net
Director (2006): Scott Shafer KD5MLY, 848-5888, ScottShafer@clearchannel.com
Director (2007): Bill Feltenberger, KD5UEW, 756-1397, bfeltenberger@bellmeadcalvary.org
145.15 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
146.88 MHz (input at –600 kHz)
146.98 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
ATV: 421.25MHz (Cable 57), input 439.25 MHz (Cable 60)
February testing: Saturday: February 26 at Baylor’s Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Bldg, Room 109. Bring: 1) testing fee of $14 (cash only); 2) current license and photocopy of it; 3) a photo ID (two for first-time licensees), and 4) photocopy of any relevant CSCE. Contact: Linda Hynan, AC5QQ at 666-4873 or Linda.Hynan@UTSouthwestern.edu.
Meeting NoticeThe January meeting of HOTARC will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday January 27, 2005 in the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco Campus. Meetings generally last about 90 minutes consisting of fellowship, general Club business, and an interesting program. Visiting hams, family members, and prospective hams are welcomed! |
We’re making plans for 2005…Come join the fun!