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The HOTLINE |
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Make Our Section Manager Feel Welcome! |
by
Rodney Baden, K5YKC |
ARRL North Texas Section Manager Roy Rabey, AD5KZ,
will be speaking at the July HOTARC meeting on a number of issues that are very
important to the amateur radio community. Topics to be discussed will include
the latest on BPL in Texas, the on-going efforts for the Amateur Radio spectrum
protection acts, activities related to Citizens Corps, and a number of other
issues of which hams should 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 July meeting!
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QRV? (Are You Ready?) |
by
Ed Middlebrook, KC5NT |
A Field Day to Remember!
I’ve just read my comments one year ago concerning the 2003 Field Day. Yes, that was a memorable event, but this year was another great one for HOTARC! And here’s why...
I awoke Saturday morning to a
pouring rain and asked myself, “What are we in for?” Driving to the site from
West and monitoring the 98, one of our members informed me that the Temple ARC
was already setup and we were welcome to drive on down to work the event with
them. I remember that I thanked them for 
their hospitality, but if we couldn’t stand to get a
little wet, then we should give up any hopes of being ready for a real
emergency!
Saturday was wet—really wet! We managed to get the trailer up and running, but I was really apprehensive about setting up Station 2. I didn’t want to risk an injury trying to get the vertical atop the shelter and I really doubted that very many members would come out. Well, cooler heads prevailed (thanks AC5CV!) and it was decided that we would go “2A.” Nuff said!
John Curry comes on in and I’m shocked! But then John reminds me that he was not about to miss a Field Day—rain or shine. Things are looking up! John Curry takes to the airwaves in the trailer, while we get Station 2, with Rodney’s “huge” Icom 761, up and running. Wayne has hamburgers grilling, K5IMC is pounding brass, both stations are on the air and the game is afoot!
There’s a lot more to the story, but all ends well as we end up just 400 points shy of last year’s record-breaking event. Murphy was around—but sometimes you have to tell him to “step aside and take a seat”! This was a great effort by HOTARC and I’m tippin’ my cap to ‘ya!
73
Ed Middlebrook, KC5NT
HOTARC President
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For the Record... |
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HOTARC Meeting of Members
June 24, 2004
The June meeting of the Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club was called to order by Ed Middlebrook KC5NT at 7:05 pm at the Kultgen Automotive Building on the TSTC Waco campus. Present were thirteen full members and one visitor: Hurshel Pruitt WB5MEX of Marlin.
The Minutes for the May meeting were approved as published in the HOTLINE, following a motion byRusty Keyes AD5JY, second by Norris Martin KB5SLI, and unanimous vote by the members present. The May Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE was also accepted, following a motion by Otto Hackfeld KI5QT, second by Rodney Baden K5YKC, and unanimous vote by the members present.
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The
Treasurer Reports... |
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Heart
O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club Beginning Account Balance $ 3,280.54 Income Interest $ 0.68 Dues 15.00 TOTAL Income $ 15.68 Expenses TOTAL Expenses $ 0.00 Ending
Account Balance $ 3,296.22 Outstanding (as of
7-13-04) Submitted by |
Announcements:
· Wedding plans: Best wishes to Jane Lovett (widow of former member Jim Lovett AC5HV) who has announced plans to remarry on June 26, 2004.
· New Position: Congratulations to the new NTX ARRL Assistant Section Manager: Rodney Baden K5YKC! Rodney will be overseeing CERT efforts in NTX. To that end, he announced a new CERT program in Lorena, with classes to begin July 8.
Committee Reports
· ARES: K5YKC commented on the upcoming WMD Exercise (see also the article in the June HOTLINE), provid8ing some preliminary details about locations and the prominent role expected for amateur radio. Contact Ed Hynan KC5KNI to volunteer.
· Trailer: Bill Cox W5JRM will pull the trailer to the Field Day (FD) site.
· Repeater: Scott Shafer KD5MLY reported by correspondence that work on the 145.15 antenna was imminent.
· Web Page: Nothing to report.
· ATV: David Bush KC5UPOZ reported that the ATV repeater needs some work: probably either the antennas or the coax.
· Education: KC5NT reported that the Technician class completed with three students; hopefully they will test at FD.
· P.R.: John Chamberlain AC5CV reported that KD5MLY completed a Field Day public service announcement (PSA) which was well received by NTX Section Manager Roy Rabey AD5KZ and even posted on the ARRL web site.
· HamComm Report: KC5NT and K5YKC gave a report on their experiences at HamComm in Arlington. (See also the June HOTLINE.)
Old Business
· Field Day: Anticipating rain, the need for tarps were discussed. A GOUTA packet will be provided by AD5JY. Per Waynbe Branscu, KD5SMC, Saturday food will be provided by the Salvation Army. Motion by K5YKC to authorize $50 for food expenses was seconded by KI5QT, and unanimously approved by the members. Bill Russell K5WAR will bring the Public Information table.
New Business
· New Member: Hershel Pruitt WB5MEX of Marlin submitted an application for Full Membership, which was approved by Directors, and the members following a motion by K5YKC, and second by KB5SLI.
KC5NT heard a motion by AD5JY to adjourn the meeting at approximately 8:00 pm.
The program this evening was “Hints & Kinks” presentations by KC5NT, K5YKC, W5JRM, K5WAR, and KI5QT.
Submitted by:
John Chamberlain AC5CV
HOTARC Secretary
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A High School Ham Radio
Club |
by
Bill Feltenberger, KD5UEW |
There are several teenagers at
A.J. Moore Academy in Waco (where I teach) who have expressed an interest in
ham radio. Some would like to learn electronics. Some are interested in
engineering. There are even a few that would like to do something for their
community. It seems to me that the time is ripe to channel these interests to
form a student ham radio club!
What
good is a ham radio club in a high school? Why would you want to teach
teenagers about ham radio? What else
might you want to teach? I would like to propose some short answers to these
questions and invite you to help.
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As I see it, I would have
three major goals in forming an amateur radio club at A.J. Moore Academy. I
want the students to: 1. Earn their FCC Technician class license and be good
operators. 2. Learn enough electronics to assemble simple
electronics kits, and have a reasonable understanding of how they work. 3.
Be so excited about
using ham radio for the good of the community that they will volunteer for
all the community activities I can offer them! |
To achieve these goals I
will need to: 1. Prepare the students to pass the FCC Technician
exam. 2. Teach the basic electronic theory: a. Related to the FCC test, and b. Associated with the operation of simple electronic
kits. 3. Teach verbal communicating skills so that the
students can: a. Teach others about electronics or radio skills, and b. Effectively use their radios in ham-related
community activities. |
I
expect the new student Club to learn the material as a group needed to pass the
Technician Class exam, probably this Fall. For those students who earn their
license, I plan on having one or more VHF radios to borrow. Once licensed, I
will provide them with electronic kits and teach electronics theory so that
that can begin to cultivate a better understanding of electronics in a hands-on
way. Once we have a base of knowledgeable and somewhat seasoned student
operators, I will provide them with a means to serve the community. When
communicators are needed, I want the community to call us and ask for our help.
Eventually, I want them to be so eager to help that they look for opportunities to serve! And my dream is
that the members of this student Club will capture the attention of younger
students coming to A.J. Moore and provide a steady influx of new interest year
after year.
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I actually have made
significant progress towards these goals already. I presently have: ·
Funds for three VHF
radios and their antennas. ·
Funds for one multi
mode HF radio and an antenna. ·
One push up pole for
an antenna to be mounted on the side of the school building. ·
Funds to purchase
several electronics kits. ·
An funding application
submitted to ARRL’s Big Project. ·
Two different kits to
use for electronics instruction, provided by ARRL. |
What are some things you can do? ·
Donate new or used
equipment to the new Club. ·
Donate time to assist
in preparing the students for the FCC Technician Class exam. ·
Donate time to teach
electronics theory and the assembly of the electronics kits. ·
Provide transportation
for students to community events. ·
Engage the students on
the air as they practice their communications skills. |
A
ham radio club for teens is going to be a challenge. It will be a challenge
because of all the things competing for their time. It will be a challenge
because of all the things these young people need to learn. It will be a
challenge just because they are teenagers!
In
conclusion, I’m convinced that a new student Amateur Radio Club can be very
rewarding. Students will be rewarded
with learning new skills and forging new relationships that can impact the rest
of their lives. I expect to be rewarded
by the opportunity to teach something that I truly enjoy, and probably will
understand and enjoy even better afterwards. The
community will be rewarded by having a cadre of young men and women
who are better communicators and better citizens. And all of you can be rewarded: knowing that you have
contributed to the future of amateur radio right here in your own back yard,
and—just maybe—you will find in these young adults some new friends on the
other end of the microphone! So, c’mon! Can you catch the vision with me? This
is your chance to help inject some new life into our hobby and be an “Elmer” to
some bright, energetic minds!
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ARES Update: Recap of the Waco/
McLennan County Terrorism/Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction Exercise |
by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI, |
The following was the scenario
and the events that led up to the start of Waco/McLennan County Terrorism/WMD
Exercise held from July 13-15, 2004. The exercise was sponsored by the Texas
Department of Emergency Management, and ARES members volunteered to
participate. It was staged at a point of time in the future.
Today is Oct 8, 2004. In the past two weeks the following
individual events have occurred:
·
Sep
20 – Suspicious person sped away from Riverside Water Plant when confronted by
a guard.
·
Sep
21 – Single vehicle accident I-35 & Hwy 6, driver critical to HBMC, name
Abizad Medina.
·
Sep
24 – Pharmacy break-in, prescription drugs stolen.
·
Oct
1 – Baylor reported two foreign students missing from part-time jobs, not in
class since Sep 21.
·
Oct
3 – Propane gas truck stolen in West.
·
Oct
5 – Street vendors selling t-shirts & spray cooling misters at HOT Rodeo
Parade—no permits.
·
Oct
6 – Car accident victim Medina condition worsens with change in skin—tests
ordered.
·
Oct
7 – Test results positive for small pox.
As a result of the medical tests, the Waco-McLennan County
and Limestone County Emergency Operating Centers were activated at 7:30 AM
based on a possible WMD event: Smallpox. In the next eight exercise hours, the
following occurred:
·
I-35
and 2114 in West: explosion collapsed the overpass.
·
Train
derailed in Groesbeck with RPG attacks on derailed tank cars releasing toxic
gas.
·
Two
aircraft were reported missing from McGregor airport.
·
Train
derailed near I-35 and river.
·
Lady
surrendered in Dallas said she was part of a smallpox suicide team.
·
Media
received faxes threatening terrorism.
·
J.H.
Hines school had 100 students exposed to chlorine.
·
Explosion
at the Riverside Water Treatment Plant (half of city without water).
·
Rail
car exploded in Limestone County.
·
Baylor
indicated that students & staff should go to Ferrell Center, but that not
able to protect personnel from WMD; result is mass exodus from campus.
·
All
Waco phones/faxes/cellular phones go down.
·
Bus
suicide bomber identified himself in downtown Waco.
·
Hundreds
of volunteers and equipment show up at City Hall.
·
Jailbreak
in Limestone County, escapee has small pox symptoms.
·
Mount
Carmel Water Plant bombed.
·
Governor
Perry wants to tour city.
·
Tanker
truck jackknifes on Rt. 84 at the Lake Mexia bridge releasing toxic chemicals
into Mexia water supply and blocking road.
·
Bomb
goes off at Dillard’s in the Mall.
Rodney
Baden K5YKC, Cheri Baden WD5GRU, Terry Williams KD5KJU, Bill Cox W5JRM, Al
Leverenz KC5GVT, Ron Bowden AA5RT, Rusty Keyes AD5JY, and Ed Hynan KC5KNI
provided support through McLennan County ARES for this 8 hour period (stretched
over two days). Help was also provided from Limestone County by Matt Gillet
KE5BPH, Aaron Thompson KD5MBX, and Dewey Lafoy W5DRL. Bosque County provided
support with Lynn Tharp KB5TDZ and Tom Lovelady W5JZZ. Gerald Richmond N5ZXJ
and Joe Dorn W5VEX from Bell County arranged for us to utilize the new Bell
County Wide Area Repeater 147.14 (tone 123.0).
Communications
support was provided at the Emergency Operations Center, the District Disaster
Control Center (Waco DPS), the Incident Command Post, the, and the McLennan
County Public Health District, as well as Hillcrest, Providence, Limestone
County Medical Center and Goodall-Witcher-Hospital in Clifton. A smallpox
vaccination clinic was also set up at AJ Moore Academy with about 100
volunteers arriving for simulated vaccinations. When the phones were taken out,
all messages that went by phone or fax were now the responsibility of the
operators above. Total message traffic for the exercise was over 200 messages
with 16 to 20 being totally handled by amateur radio during the communications
outage. Information received from exercise controllers indicated that the Texas
Department of Emergency Management has realized the importance of amateur radio
and that amateur capabilities will continue to be tested during drills and
exercises.
Thanks
to all who participated. All objectives were met and many positive comments
were received. Plan on future events and exercises like this.
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News From The Top |
by
Roy Rabey, AD5KZ, ARRL NTX Section Manager |
Greetings ARRL Members of North Texas,
I
am sorry to report that Texas has now joined a growing list of states with
active BPL projects. The following is from a Central TX industry news email
service.
73,
Roy Rabey - AD5KZ
ARRL NTX SM
Broadband Horizons to offer
Broadband Over Power Lines
Central Texas-based
Broadband Horizons has launched broadband over power lines (BPL) in three Texas
communities. Texas is now one of a handful of states, including Virginia,
Indiana and Kentucky that have implemented BPL. The successful pilot projects
were launched in mid-June in Blanco, Burnet and Weimar, Texas. According to
Mike Steele, Burnet's city manager, the city has had great success with the
initial pilot project and is expanding it to additional parts of the community.
BPL delivers Internet connections just like cable and DSL but over existing power lines. By plugging a small modem into any outlet and a computer into the modem, there is a connection to the Internet with no other installation needed. Broadband Horizons is led by Bob McClung, managing director; and Michael Bates, vice president of sales and marketing. McClung was president and CEO of Momentum Online, an Internet service provider. Bates led the creation of more than 25 wireless high-speed Internet networks in Texas as founder and president of Summa Associates.
Visit
the Broadband Horizons web site at http://www.broadbandhorizons.com
for more information.
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A HOTARC Field Day to Remember: Water, Water Everywhere!! |
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Austin
Summerfest (August 6-7) is
supported by the Austin Amateur Radio Club and the Austin Repeater
Organization. This year, Austin Summerfest is also the ARRL Texas State
Convention. For more information, see:
http://www.austinsummerfest.org
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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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2004 Board of
Directors |
HOTARC 2004 Board of Directors
President: Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, 826-4053, KC5NT@arrl.net
Vice Pres: Rodney Baden K5YKC,
857-9760, K5YKC@arrl.net
Secretary: John Chamberlain AC5CV,
855-7731, AC5CV@arrl.net
Treasurer: Norris Martin KB5SLI,
829-2138, NMartin@tstc.edu
Past-Pres.: Rusty Keyes AD5JY,
662-1461, RustedKey@aol.com
Director
(2004):
Bill Cox W5JRM, 863-5149, W5JRM@aol.com
Director
(2005):
Ed Hynan KC5KNI, 666-4873, KC5KNI@arrl.net
Director
(2006):
Scott Shafer KD5MLY, 848-5888, ScottShafer@clearchannel.com
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)
10:00 am on the fourth Saturday of the month at Baylor’s Rogers Engineering Bldg, Room 109. Bring: 1) testing fee of $12 (cash, please); 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 Notice
This month’s
meeting of HOTARC will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday July 23, 2003 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! |
Come meet our
ARRL Section Manager!