FIELD DAY 2011 is Here!

by John Chamberlain, AC5CV

Come out and join in the fun! HOTARC will set up their emergency-powered stations at Hewitt Park beginning about 10 AM Saturday, June 25, and operate non-stop from 1 PM to at least noon Sunday: demonstrating our ability to operate without commercial power AND contact as many other stations as possible. Earning points for each contact, we’ll strive to hold our rank as the top performing Field Day station in central Texas.

Other notable events will include the group meals at Noon and 6 PM Saturday, and a light breakfast Sunday morning (usually around 6 to 7 AM). The HOTARC VEs will sponsor a test session at 2PM Saturday for those wishing to earn their first license or upgrade. And we usually are treated to visits by the news media and government dignitaries (e.g., state representatives, mayors, etc.) Saturday afternoon and evening.

If you’re new to ham radio, this is absolutely your best opportunity to dip your toe into HF contesting. Don’t worry—there will be plenty of help. Soon you’ll be talking to hams from coast to coast! Last year we made over 1000 contacts!

Come to the meeting for more detailed information, maps, contact info, etc. Also see the latest news on our News page: http://hotarc.org/news.html

President’s Corner

by Scott Hamilton, K5ZOH

Well, next Saturday is Field Day! It is upon us. At the last meeting we talked about the importance of Field Day as an emergency planning exercise. This is a worthwhile event on our calendar! It is also a contest and we discussed some ideas about being as competitive and productive as we can.

I know some of you have been thinking about what you need to do to get us set up. Also, perhaps thinking about the mode on which you would like to operate during the contest. At the meeting this Thursday night, John will cover the final details. By the way, Bill (KD5UEW) has been working to get the food set up for us, and it sounds good.

Because of the extreme heat expected weekend, we all need to remember to keep well hydrated and pace ourselves, especially during set up on Saturday and take down on Sunday. The more of us who are available during these activities, the less the wear and tear on all of us.

I am looking forward to all of us working together on this project. It will be fun.

Scott (K5ZOH)

73, Scott K5ZOH
HOTARC President

 

For the Record...

HOTARC Meeting of Members
May 26, 2011

HOTARC’s April Meeting was called to order by Vice President Scott Hamilton K5ZOH on Thursday May 26th 2011 at 7:02 pm at the Salvation Army Center in Waco. Bill Feltenberger KD5UEW opened the meeting with a prayer.

Present were 17 full members and 4 guests. Our guests were Jim Boatman, Stephen Wolske KF6HSS of Chico, CA, Jerry Shaw KF5EQG of Robinson and Keith Schoenefeld W5TTL of Waco.

The Treasurer Reports...

Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club Treasurer’s Report, May 2011 Beginning Account Balance                              $ 7,969.93 Income        Dues                                    $ 60.00        Interest                                      0.32        TOTAL Income                   $ 60.32 Expenses        Trailer tags                                            $ 80.85        Liability insurance                                320.00        PayPal fees                                                0.96        TOTAL Expenses                              $ 401.81 Ending Account Balance                                    $ 7,628.44 Uncleared activity (as of 6/15/2011)  Credits: Dues $30.00  Debits: Paypal fees $0.96  Amount in account: $ 7,657.48 (incl. Flower Fund: $294.90) Submitted by Norris Martin, KB5SLI HOTARC Treasurer

A motion to approve the Minutes for the April meeting as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from Wayne Branscum KD5SMC, with second by John Hulbert AE5PZ. The motion was approved by the members.

A motion to approve the April Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from Larry Carlson KC5JWD, with second by Mike Ross N5MVL. The motion was approved by the members.

Committee Reports:

·         ARES:  Clint Anderson AE5CA reported that he has setup a radio at his house and an old computer to tie the NWS into our repeater. More Net control operators are also needed for the Monday night Bakers Dozen net on the 145.15 repeater.

·         Trailer: Mike Ross N5MVL reported everything is ready to go, no changes have been made but needs to get with Larry Carlson KC5JWD to put the HF rig back in.

·         Repeater:  Norris Martin KB5SLI reported that the 145.15 repeater went down during one of the nets and had to be switched to the backup Hillcrest tower repeater. Ron Bowden AA5RT is checking on when we can get on top of Hillcrest to switch out the antenna with the new one.

·         D-Star: Lynn Gustafson KD5DZU reported that the internet router hooked into the D-Star gateway may have been causing some connectivity issues. He is looking into replacing it with a higher quality router.

·         Web page: John Chamberlain AC5CV reported that everything is working fine.

·         ATV: No News

·         Education: Clint Anderson AE5CA reported that we are going to aim to have a Technician Class on June 11^th and 18^th.

·         Public Relations: No News

·         Special Events: Scott Hamilton K5ZOH reported that we are in great need of a Special Events Coordinator. Many helpers and volunteers are needed for the upcoming ARRL Field Day event starting on June 25^th-26^th.

New Business:

·         New members. application was received from Jerry Shaw KF5EQG of Robinson applying for full membership. A motion was heard from Mike Ross N5MVL with second from John Hulbert AE5PZ to accept the new member into the club. The motion was approved by the members.

·         Directors Meeting. With the absence of our president Rodney Baden K5YKC due to health reasons, the HOTARC Directors met to discuss filling the vacant position. A motion was made by John Chamberlain AC5CV, with a second by Larry Carlson KC5JWD to nominate Scott Hamilton K5ZOH (currently Vice President) as President, Clint Anderson AE5CA (currently 2012 Director) as Vice President, and Rodney Baden K5YKC as the 2012 Director. The motion carried unanimously by the vote of the Directors present.

Motion to adjourn was recognized from John Chamberlain AC5CV at approximately 7:54 pm.

Tonight’s presentation was from John Chamberlain AC5CV and Scott Hamilton K5ZOH on what Field Day and contesting is all about. Various other Tips and Tricks were given by members who have participated in contests in the past and what to expect the first time you call “CQ-FIELD-DAY! CQ-FIELD-DAY!”

Submitted by:
Jeremy Neal KE5PRG
HOTARC Secretary

Who Are You??

by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI McLennan County Emergency Coordinator

Consider this scenario: A major disaster has occurred and communications are disrupted. You pack your equipment and drive to the scene of the incident, only to be turned away for lack of identification.

The ARES ID Card provided to all registered ARES members might be all you would need to gain access to the site and begin to help in the recovery efforts. Local emergency personnel have been briefed on the capabilities of ARES and are aware that all registered members have been provided ID Cards. Know where your ID Card is—keep it with you, or in your vehicle. The card is valid with your signature on the reverse side. You may be asked to show additional ID to verify who you are. This card documents your amateur status and your willingness to help. You may add your photograph and laminate the card if you desire.

If you are not a member of McLennan County ARES, you can find an application on the HOTARC web site. Follow the directions for completing the application and submitting it to me. As we’ve said many times: The time to join ARES is before a major event occurs, not after the fact. Should an event occur, all efforts will be directed to assisting the served agencies—not processing new requests for membership. Those requests would have to wait until the situation has returned to normal.

As indicated in last month’s HOTLINE, the ARES membership roster has been updated. I plan to have the new ID cards available at HOTARC’s Field Day site. I will also have applications for membership available at that time. There’s no better time than Field Day to go ahead and sign up with our ARES!

2011 Board of Directors Back: W5NCD, AE5CA, KC5JWD, AC5CV Front: K5YKC, K5ZOH, KE5PRG, KB5SLI

HOTARC 2011 Board of Directors

President: Scott Hamilton K5ZOH, 717-0755, DrPSHamilton@gmail.com

Vice Pres: Clint Anderson AE5CA, 855-5080, AE5CA@grid-em11.com

Secretary: Jeremy Neal KE5PRG, 881-2123, JeremyLeeNeal@gmail.com

Treasurer: Norris Martin KB5SLI, 829-2138, KB5SLI@flash.net

Past-Pres.: John Chamberlain, 855-7731, AC5CV@arrl.net

Director (2011): Larry Carlson KC5JWD, 662-4106, LMCarlson1@att.net

Director (2012): Rodney Baden K5YKC, 857-9760, RBaden@hot.rr.com

Director (2013): Larry Bush W5NCD, 848-5155, LBW5NCD@gmail.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 June 25, ~2:00 PM. Location: HOTARC’s Field Day site at Hewitt Park. 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. If planning to attend, please contact: Linda Hynan, AC5QQ at 666-4873 or Linda.Hynan@UTSouthwestern.edu.

 

Our annual Field Day is here!
June 25-26...Come join the fun!