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Are
You Ready to Go?
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by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI
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Many of us take an HT along on our daily activities.
Obvious accessories are an extra battery pack, external power cord, some sort
of gain antenna and comfort and safety items in case of some unexpected
disaster. It only takes one time of having your battery to “go south” when you
need to report a traffic accident, or to get lost or break down in an
unfamiliar place to appreciate the value of being “prepared.”
For you, the best “go kit,” as we like to call them, may not fit a
“canned” list, but should be based upon your operating mode, experience, and
local conditions. It is better to have a small bag with the bare essentials
always handy than to have a large, bulky pack someplace where you can’t get to
it. A larger kit/bag might be more practical if you are almost always in or
near your home or car.
At our March Club meeting we will discuss what Go-Kits
are all about and how you can put the bare essentials together. One size does
not fit all. What’s your size?
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President’s Corner
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by John Chamberlain, AC5CV
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John AC5CV
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Special
Events and Activities
Whew! This is a busy time of
year for HOTARC! We’re busy doing what hams do best—serving the public with our
skills, knowledge, equipment, and privileges. We were prepared to deliver for
the Baylor Bearathon this past weekend, but Mother Nature didn’t
cooperate with the event planners. Heavy rains, gusty winds, and—the last
straw—lightning strikes, were enough to force the event organizers to call it
off despite the best intentions. So, many of the Bearathon HOTARC
volunteers drifted over to lend moral support at the Salvation Army building
where we just happen to be having the first session of our Technician License
training class—another fine example of public service delivered by amateur
radio operators. We have five students attending the class who are eager to test
for their Technician license after next weekend’s class session.
Another event coming up in
April: we will support the Race for the Cure on April 24. Please contact
Jim KA5QKL to volunteer your support for this equally important special event.
And, just for the fun of it,
don’t forget to mark your calendars for April 17: Belton
HamExpo!
Hope to see you at the Thursday
meeting, where we’ll learn about getting ready for “hitting the road” with our
radios and other gear, should we ever need to put these skills into real use.
John AC5CV
HOTARC President
Reminder: Have you renewed your HOTARC Membership? March 30 is
your last chance! You can even pay online now!
HOTARC Meeting of Members
February 25, 2010
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The
Treasurer Reports...
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Heart O’ Texas
Amateur Radio Club
Treasurer’s Report, February 2010
Beginning Account Balance $ 6,470.22
Income
Interest 0.10
TOTAL Income $ 0.10
Expenses
Flowers for W5AYX funeral $95.25
meters for door prizes 6.45
batteries for 440 HTs $57.00
TOTAL Expenses $ 158.70
Ending Account
Balance $ 6,311.62
Uncleared
activity (as of 3/16/2010)
Debits: PayPal fees, $7.08
Credits: Dues $420.00, Flower
fund, $50.00,
Tech class $30.00
Amount in account: $6,804.54
(includes Flower Fund: $202.74)
Submitted by
Norris Martin, KB5SLI
HOTARC Treasurer
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HOTARC’s
February Meeting was called to order by John Chamberlain AC5CV Thursday,
February 25, 2010 at 7:04 pm at the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco
campus. Wayne Branscum KD5SMC opened the meeting with a prayer.
Present
were 12 full members, 1 associate member, 3 family members and 5 guests. Guests
were Bill and Nancy McFarland, Mark Mitzel of Waco, Jo Ann Barrington and James
Harris KD5FKY.
A
motion to approve the Minutes for the January meeting as published in the
HOTLINE was recognized from Jerry Tollison KD5JML, with second by Bill
Feltenberger KD5UEW. The motion was approved by the members.
A
motion to approve the January Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE
was recognized from Terry Williams KD5KJU, with second by KD5SMC. The motion
was approved by the members.
Committee Reports:
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ARES: No News
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Trailer: Mike Ross
N5MVL reported that once some nicer weather is here we will plan a trailer work
day
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Repeater: No News
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D-Star: No News
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Web page: AC5CV reports that PayPal is up and running on the
webpage. Members can pay their dues, donate to the flower fund and deposit
money to a miscellaneous fund for future needs.
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ATV: David Bush KC5UOZ reported the ATV repeater needs to
be reset and the SkyCam will need some downtime now that the remodeling is done
at the Hilton.
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Education: AC5CV reported that the Technician License Class will
be happening on March 20th and 27th.
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Public Relations:
No News
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Special Events: Jim Judd KA5QKL reported that he needs some more
volunteers for the Bearathon race on March 20th. The Komen Race for
the Cure is coming up on April 24th. June 26th and 27th
will be the 2010 ARRL Field Day.
Old Business:
·
None.
New Business:
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Sergeant Mark Mitzel
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A new member
application was received from Byron Bottoms KG5FM. A motion was made by KD5UEW,
with second by N5MVL. The motion was approved by the members.
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Refreshments will be
needed for the upcoming Technician Class. A motion was made by KD5SMC to spend
$50, with second by Mark Plough. The motion was approved by the members.
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If we want to get
matching HOTARC shirts for field day we need to decide pretty quickly to get
them in time.
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Clint Anderson AE5CA
brought up that we could get name badges for around $8.53 a piece. Another idea
was to create our own. Further discussion will take place to decide what we
want to do.
Motion
to adjourn was recognized from KD5UEW at approximately 7:37pm.
Tonight’s
presentation was from Sergeant Mark
Mitzel. He discussed the Community Outreach of the Waco PD and programs and
presentations that they offer.
Submitted
by:
Jeremy Neal KE5PRG
HOTARC Secretary
Bakers Dozen Weather Net
activation procedures remain the same. National Weather service will request
spotter activation when observed or potential severe weather threatens the
area. The net is automatically activated any time a severe thunderstorm or a
tornado warning is issued for McLennan County. As the storm season nears,
please be aware of conditions that could lead to net activation. Monitor local
television, radio, and the National Weather Service Weather Radio for potential
severe events. The net will be activated from the Waco-McLennan County EOC or
by one of the ARES Net Control Stations until the EOC can be opened.
Things can happen fast when
spotting. As activation is a result of a warning, reports should relate
directly to the type of warning issued. For severe thunderstorms, winds of
more than 50 mph and any size hail (using coins for size) should be reported
with exact location and time of occurrence. For tornados, wall clouds, wall
clouds with rotation, funnel clouds, and tornados on the ground should be reported,
again with exact location and time of occurrence. In the case of an actual
tornado on the ground, direction and speed of movement are needed. Report any
visible damage and/or injuries associated with either type of storm. All other
weather related reports should be held until requested by net control.
Good training and continued
excellent spotter participation should see us through the severe weather
season.
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Race for the Cure: Volunteers Needed!
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by Jim Judd, KA5QKL
Special Event Chairmant
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It’s time for the Susan B.
Komen Race for the Cure again. I’m still waiting for specific
information about the event, although we see from the event web site that there
are some changes coming this year: for example, a 10k race has been added to
the 1-mile and 5k events of the past.
However, from our standpoint, I
definitely need you to volunteer to help with this big special event. So,
please contact me as soon as you can to indicate your availability to
participate for a few hours on the morning of Saturday April 24, and we’ll hope
for better weather than last weekend!
Thanks and 73! Jim KA5QKL
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.
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2010 Board of Directors
Back: KD5SMC, KC5KNI, KC5NT, AE5CA
Front: AC5CV, K5YKC, KE5PRG, KB5SLI
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HOTARC 2010 Board of Directors
President: John Chamberlain,
855-7731, AC5CV@arrl.net
Vice
Pres: Rodney
Baden K5YKC, 857-9760, K5YKC@arrl.net
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
(2010):
Ed Hynan KC5KNI, 666-4873, KC5KNI@arrl.net
Director
(2011):
Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, 826-4053, KC5NT@arrl.net
Director
(2012):
Clint Anderson AE5CA, 855-5080, AE5CA@grid-em11.com
Club Repeaters
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)
VE Testing
Next session is scheduled for Saturday
March 27, 2010 at 3:30 PM. Location: Salvation
Army Worship Center, 1225 S. Jack Kultgen Expwy (southbound interstate 35 near
12th Street) in Waco. Bring: 1) testing fee of $15 (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
Notice
The next Meeting of HOTARC Members
will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday March 25 in the Kultgen Automotive Center of
the TSTC Waco Campus. Visiting hams, family members, and prospective hams are
welcomed!
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Special events
need volunteers! Contact KA5QKL
