HOMEBREW February 2006

FEBRUARY 2006
ENID AMATEUR RADIO CLUB-W5HTK
VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2
Mmm-Mmm-Good,
Chili Supper Coming Up!
The Enid Amateur Radio Club’s annual President’s Chili Supper
will grab top billing for this month’s meeting. This year the event
will be held at Triangle Insurance Agency which is located at
2821 N. Van Buren in Enid. Ralph Gandy, N0NOU, works at
Triangle and has made arrangements for the club to use their
facilities. Ralph asked all attending to park on the north side of
the building and enter through the double glass doors. Members are asked to bring their
favorite chili, cornbread, or dessert to the festivities. The EARC will provide the drinks
and all other “fixins”.
The meeting/eating is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. which is earlier than the usual start time.
The Enid
Amateur Radio
Club meets the
third Thursday
of each month.
Meeting time is
7pm at the Red
Cross building
located at 1023
W. Elm, Enid
Oklahoma.
What’s Inside
President’s Corner….…….3
Spotter Training……..……3
Club Dues……….………..4
Hams In Action….……….5
Club Logo………………...7
Minutes of Last Meeting….8
All interested amateurs in the area are invited to attend.
If you need more information you can contact Al Fox, KD5BA at 580-242-4800.
New Head of the ARRL
ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, of Judsonia, A
rk ansas, w ill b e th e
L eag ue' s p resident for th e nex t tw o y ears. He' ll succeed Jim Hay nie, W5JB P, w h o ch ose not
to run for a fourth term in th e uncom p ensated, v olunteer p ost.
G ath ering in Windsor, C onnecticut, for its annual m eeting , th e B oard v oted 1 0 to 5 to
ch oose Harrison ov er A R R L C entral D iv ision D irector D ick I sely , W9 G I G , th e only oth er
nom inee. Harrison, 4 7 , said h e b eliev es A m ateur R adio is look ing at a different society --and
p ool of p otential licensees--in th e 2 1 st century th an in th e p ast.
' ' O ne of th e th ing s w e need to do ov er th e nex t few y ears is realiz e th at M ain S treet U S A is
not th e M ain S treet U S A it w as y ears ag o,' ' Harrison com m ented after th e v ote. ' ' We all
rem em b er th ose day s w h en w e b ecam e interested in radio and th e m ag ic th at it p rov ided to
u s . T h e m ag ic is still th ere, b ut M ain S treet h as ch ang ed.' '
Harrison say s th is m eans th at th e L eag ue needs to focus on doing a b etter j ob of attracting
th e av erag e p erson on th e new M ain S treet of today ' ' into th e m ag ic of A m ateur R adio.' '
Cont. next page
1
The EARC Home Brew
The Home Brew is a monthly newsletter for the Enid Amateur
Radio Club. It is available in both print and electronic form. The
printed version can be found at Wheat Capital Communications 306
W. Willow, Enid Ok. The electronic form, in Adobe Acrobat PDF
format, is e-mailed on the second Thursday of each month. It is also
available on the EARC website at http://www.enidarc.org/.
To submit an article or place an ad for equipment, e-mail the editor
at [email protected]. Submissions need to be received by the
second Monday of each month for publication.
The views contained in the Home Brew are those of the individual
authors and are not necessarily the views of the Editor or the Enid
Amateur Radio Club.
The Enid Amateur Radio Club
The Enid Amateur Radio Club (EARC) was founded in 1936 and
continues to serve and support the amateur radio community in
Garfield County and the state of Oklahoma. The EARC is a
501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization.
The purpose or purposes for which the EARC is formed is a noncommercial association of radio amateurs, for the promotion of
interest in Amateur Radio communications and experimentation’s.
For the advancement of the radio art and for the assistance and
education of those who are interested in the theory, fundamentals,
and operation of Amateur Radio.
For the maintenance of emergency communication facilities, to aid
in times of disasters and emergencies to those in need as a public
service, and to make said communication facilities available
without cost.
Article Four of the EARC Articles of Incorporation
Anyone interested in amateur radio is eligible to apply for
membership. Dues for regular licensed amateurs are $25 per year
(Jan-Dec) for individuals. Family membership is $30 per year.
Membership dues can be mailed to:
Enid Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 261
Enid Ok. 73702
The Enid Amateur Radio Club shall not discriminate against race,
creed, national origin, or sex for eligibility for membership.
Home Brew Editor
Mike Cofer KD5OFF
580-242-2865
[email protected]
EARC 2006 Officers
President
V. President
Secretary
Treasurer
Trustee
Al Fox KD5BA
580-242-4800
Mike Cofer KD5OFF
580-242-2865
Dave Chael KD5GUD
580-242-3445
Dwayne Posey KC5QVS
580-237-3218
Dean Feken KL7MA
580-336-3326
Cont. f r om
First licensed in 1 9 7 2 as WN5I G F, Harrison say s h e' s interested in
v irtually all asp ects of A m ateur R adio, from HF D X ing and contesting
to VHF/ U HF/ m icrow av e and m oonb ounce. He' s an A R R L L ife M em b er. His
w ife, daug h ter and son all are A m ateur R adio licensees. He' ll b ecom e
th e L eag ue' s 1 4 th p resident since its founding in 1 9 1 4 .
Harrison said th e A R R L ' s initiativ e to create an im p rov ed entry -lev el
license also w ill b e am ong h is top p riorities as h e assum es office.
' ' I t is im p erativ e for th e A m ateur R adio S
lev el license th at p rov ides a w ide v ariety
g et into radio and learn a little b it ab out
th at th e L eag ue b eliev es th is ap p roach w
in h am radio.
Harrison also say s h e w ill p rom ote th e L
( R M -1 1 3 0 6 ) to h av e th e FC C reg ulate A
b andw idth . ' ' R ig h t now w e do th at b y m
countries in th e w orld th at does th at,' ' h
th at and m ov e forw ard w ith th is initiativ
instead of m ode.' '
erv ice th at w e h av e an entry of p riv ileg es for an indiv idual to
all of it,' ' Harrison said, adding
ill k eep new licensees interested
eag ue' s Petition for R ule M ak ing
m ateur R adio allocations b y
ode, and w e' re one of th e few
e p ointed out. ' ' We need to ch ang e
e of reg ulation b y b andw idth
Harrison said h e w ill continue and b uild up on th e L eag ue' s em p h asis on
A m ateur R adio' s em erg ency com m unication role--esp ecially in im p rov ing
its resp onse to catastrop h ic disasters lik e Hurricane K atrina--and on
Hay nie' s ' ' T h e B ig Proj ect' ' initiativ e to g et h am radio into sch ools, k now n
form ally as th e A R R L E ducation and T ech nolog y Prog ram ( E T P) .
' ' Wh eth er or not it g enerates a larg e num b er of radio am ateurs, it p rov ides
an introduction to A m ateur R adio to k ids,' ' Harrison said of th e E T P.
' ' Hav ing th at aw areness of A m ateur R adio and w h at it p rov ides is v ital,' '
b ecause it im p arts a b road-b ased k now ledg e of th e serv ice to tom orrow ' s
citiz ens and p olicy m ak ers.
T h e A R R L B oard also elected Vice President K ay C raig ie, N3 K N, as First
Vice President, succeeding Harrison, and D elta D iv ision D irector R ick
R oderick , K 5U R , to Vice President, succeeding C raig ie. B oth w ere
unop p osed.
A R R L D elta D iv ision Vice D irector Henry L eg g ette, WD 4 Q , w ill b ecom e
D iv ision D irector. A new D elta D iv ision Vice D irector w ill b e ap p ointed.
I n addition, th e B oard re-elected A R R L C E O and E x ecutiv e Vice President
D av id S um ner, K 1 ZZ, C O O Harold K ram er, WJ1 B , C h ief D ev elop m ent
O fficer M ary Hob art, K 1 M M H, C h ief Financial O fficer B arry S h elley , N1 VX Y ,
T reasurer Jim M cC ob b , K 1 L U , C h ief T ech nolog y O fficer Paul R inaldo, W4 R I ,
and I nternational A ffairs Vice President R od S tafford, W6 R O D .
A ll th ose elected w ill officially b eg in th eir new
D irectors adj ourns its current session.
Taken from the ARRL e-mai l .
EARC Board of Directors
(Classified by last year of term)
2006
Al Fox KD5BA
2007
Dave Locke KC5SII
2008
Mike Cofer KD5OFF (Corporate Secretary)
2009
Greg Veit KD5MFY (Chairman)
2010
Dean Feken KL7MA (V. Chairman)
page 1
2
term s w h en th e B oard of
SPOTTER TRAINING SCHEDULED
“A v o i c e
c r y in g
in
President’s
C o rner
It’s that time of year again!
The National Weather Service from Norman will again be conducting
weather spotter training. The date is Tuesday, February 28 at the Autry
Technology Center 1201 West Willow here in Enid America. Starting
time will be at 7 p.m.
t h e w ild e r n e s s ”
I am sure D an, K M 5D H, w ould not m ind m e referring to h im
w ith th e B ib lical q uote. O ften it seem ed th at D an w as such a
v oice w h en h e cam e b ack to a h am w h o could not seem to raise
any b ody .
D an th e g raderm an w as ready to talk and talk h e did. His w ry
h um or and p olitical w it b roug h t m any a ch uck le and h elp ed
sp eed a local or v isitor to th e rep eater on th eir w ay . Y ou m ay
not h av e ag reed w ith h is p olitics ( I did) b ut y ou w ere h is friend
any w ay .
O h y es and h e h ad th e distinction of talk ing to th e sp ace station
using a h andi-talk ie in h is g rader. I t seem ed h e w as only on
v acation and w ould b e b ack to stay ov ernig h t at Field D ay , h elp
as a V. E . or j ust b e a conscience for th e rest of us at a club
m eeting .
A ttending h is recent funeral it all cam e h om e th at h e w on’ t b e
h ere w ith us any long er b ut now is enj oy ing h is rich ly deserv ed
rew ard in h eav en. Just th ink of th e D X h e can g et from th ere.
D an y ou w ill b e m issed!
7 3 old friend.
Mike Honigsburg, Garfield County/Enid Emergency Manager, has
expressed a desire to organize the local amateur radio group into a
“stationary” spotting network. The amateurs would not be needed as a
chase team in the field but would be charged with reporting weather
conditions at their QTH. Each station would give their report on the
EARC’s 145.290 repeater.
If any amateur is interested in participating, attending the spotter
training class is necessary. You can contact Mike Cofer-KD5OFF for
more information at 580-242-2865.
For more weather information you can visit the NWS-Norman internet
site at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/.
D RO U G H T C O N D I T I O N S
C O N T I N U E
A red Flag Fire Alert as well as a state wide burn ban remains in
effect across all of Oklahoma. We here in NW Oklahoma have
not experienced the devastation that our neighbors in the rest of
the state have suffered, but we have been unseasonably warm
and dry. According to the Climate Prediction Center, drought
conditions will continue for the rest of the winter.
A l
Silent Key
The EARC wishes to express its
sa d n ess a t the pa ssin g of a c l u b m em b er.
Danny E. Voth-K M 5 DH
The Oklahoma Climatelogical Survey reports that Garfield
County hasn’t seen a .25” of rainfall for 97 days or recorded .10”
in the past 50 days. You can keep track of the Mesonet rainfall
information by visiting their site at http://ticker.ocs.ou.edu/.
Experts suggest watering your lawn and any other vegetation
during the next few months. This will help prevent the roots from
drying out. Also, you should try to put water up around the
foundation of your house to prevent the ground from drawing
away. Don’t forget however, to unhook your water hose from the
house as temperatures are still capable of dropping below
freezing during the nighttime hours.
For all weather updates go to the National Weather Service
website at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/home.php.
3
CLUB DUES
YOUR ANNUAL CLUB DUES NEED TO BE PAID.
EACH YEAR THE ENID AMATEUR RADIO CLUB INCONCURS EXPENSES. THESE INCLUDE INSURANCE FOR EQUIPMENT,
MAINTANANCE ON THE REPEATER, AND YEAR, GETTING THE CLUB RADIO ROOM UP AND RUNNING.
PLEASE DO YOUR PART BY GETTING YOUR ANNUAL DUES IN EARLY SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE A CLUB THAT IS
“ALWAYS THERE-ALWAYS READY”
4
AUTRY VO-TECH OPEN HOUSE
Local hams participated in the Autry
Vo-Tech open house on February 5.
Several members of the EARC were in
the electronics department to give
demonstrations on the wonderful world
of wireless communications.
Sam,KD5EUS and Bob, KD5ZOZ
showed how Morse Code worked while
Bill, KC5OKG helped with HF. Others
making an appearance were Al-KD5BA
and Mike-KD5OFF.
NIMS (National Incident
Management System)Training
(SEE STORY NEXT PAGE)
5
TRAINING REQUIRED FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
The next time you are called to participate in a disaster and provide emergency communications, your served agency may
require certain certification to participate.
On February 28, 2003, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive–5. HSPD–5 directed the Secretary of
Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System. NIMS provides a consistent nationwide
template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic
incidents.
NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across
functional disciplines.
HSPD-5 requires Federal departments and agencies to make the adoption of NIMS by State and local organizations a condition
for Federal preparedness assistance (grants, contracts, and other activities) by FY 2005. This has been extended to September
2006.
While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there’s a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions,
the state and the federal government. NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work
together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified
approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid
and resource management.
Mike Honigsburg Garfield County/Enid Emergency Management Director is in the process of getting all local groups in
compliance with this directive. On Monday night, February 6, several members of the Enid Amateur Radio Club attended a
training session for any agencies in the county to meet the certification requirements. Several agencies were present including
members from volunteer fire departments and the sheriffs department. Members of the EARC attending were KT5KTB,
KE5BCR, KE5FEQ, KD5ZOZ, KC5ZCK, KD5BA, KD5ZOY, K5ECH, K5ECI, and AA5LI.
Since the EARC has an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with both the American Red Cross Cimarron Chapter and the
City of Enid, any amateur radio operators that plan to help with emergency operations need to complete this certification.
You can take the training online free of charge at http://www.fema.gov/nims/.
Portions of this article were taken from the FEMA website and the IS700-NIMS training manual.
COMING UP!!!
FEB. 11-ADA HAMFEST
FEB. 12-LICOLN’S BIRTHDAY
FEB. 14-VALENTINE’S DAY
FEB. 16 EARC PRESIDENT’S CHILI
SUPPER
FEB. 20-PRESIDENT’S DAY
FEB. 28-SPOTTER TRAINING
LOCAL NETS
Mon-Enid Amateur Radio Club 8pm 145.290Kay County Amateur Radio Club 9pm 146.970Tue-Noble County Repeater Group 8pm 445.925+
pl 141.3
Wed-Wheat Straw Club 8pm 146.640-
BIRTHDAYS
To list your club’s net, contact the Home Brew.
FEB. 27-DON BLOM N5JEU
6
EARC LOOKING AT CLUB LOGO
At the last meeting of the En
i d Am a t e u r Ra d i o Cl u b M ik e, K D 5 O F F p r esented the c lu b w ith v ar iou s sty les of ar tw or k for
a c lu b logo that he c r eated . T he c lu b has b een inter ested in an offic ial logo of some k ind for things lik e shir ts, hats,
and a letter head .
A t this time the fav or ite is “ # 5 ” as it has b ec ome to b e k now n. T her e
ar e still d etails to b e ad d r essed ab ou t the c omp lex ity of the d esign w hic h
the c lu b w ill ir on ou t in the c oming months.
K D 5 O F F w anted ev er y one to r ealiz e that he is not an ar tist b y any means b u t
had b een “ insp ir ed ” to tr y .
W
H AT
F I RE
C H I E F M AG AZ I N E H AS
AM AT E U R RAD I O
T O
S AY
AB O U T
Established in 1956, FIRE CHIEF is a magazine for "Every Department, Every Leader." Articles by fire officers from across the country
and overseas cover a wide variety of areas that are important to today's fire chief.
An article appeared on their website September 12, 2005 concerning the lack of reliable communications which was written by Grady
McCright who is chief of the James Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, Cloudcroft, N.M.
In part he said that “Until digital communications systems are fully implemented, look to an already-available back-up system: ham
radios”. He went on to say that the new 800Mhz systems are not without their troubles and the new technology is not without its growing
pains.
Grady said that there is already a high quality reliable communications system in place and that is with amateur radio repeaters.
“Many in emergency services across the country are beginning to find out what we as emergency communications specialist have known
for years. Amateur radio has the flexibility to operate even when its own infrastructure has been damaged or is destroyed”. We are
fortunate here in Garfield County to have a good working relationship with our fire and police departments. We also have a good rapport
with county officials and the EARC is ready to use its resources and members any time the need arises.
To read more about this go to Fire Chief Magazine on the web at http://firechief.com/mag/firefighting_amateur_power/.
Old Farmer's Advice
Life ain't about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but
how well you bounce.
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna
happen anyway.
The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm, 'cause
the colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
Meanness don't jest happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal
with watches you shave his face in the mirror every mornin'.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin'
it back in.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try
orderin' somebody else's dog around.
7
Minutes of Last Meeting
Enid Amateur Radio Club
Club Meeting Minutes
19 Jan 06
President Al KD5BA prematurely called the meeting to order at 6:59 p.m. (prior to the 7:00 p.m. arrival of the club
secretary). The following individuals were in attendance:
Al KD5BA, Larry McElderry KE5GNG, Scott Robinette KE5GND, Greg Veit KD5MFY, Walter “No Comment”
Baker AA5LI, Bill Wehling KC5OKG, Tim McAnally KD5KTB, R.H. Herndon KD5ZOY, Frank Penner KC5PCI,
Mike Cofer KD5OFF, Bruce Smith N6MTY, Charles Sinesh N5JFS, Bob Webster KD5ZOZ, Gene Britnall N5SPY,
Dave Stiles KE6EYP, Ralph Gandy N0NOU, Phillip Burford K5ECH, Dwayne Posey KC5QVS, Dave Locke KC5SII,
Theresa Locke KC5TTI, Dave Chael KC5GUD. There was a really good turnout for the meeting!
Treasurer’s Report from Dwayne KC5QVS: Checking account $1837.32 beginning balance, deposits $461.47 =
$2298.79. Outflows: concrete $108.01, PO Box $38, tower bolts $50, bank service charges $1.05. Savings account
1432.68. Essentially, the Red Cross has reimbursed us for all tower expenses (with exception of the tower which was
donated by Ken Romine SK), and all labor for installation. A motion was made by Richard KD5ZOY, and seconded by
Ralph N0NOU. Approved unanimously.
Membership Committee: Mike Cofer KC5OFF passed around a roster congratulating the highest attendees for last
year.
Visitors: Al KD5BA paused the meeting to introduce visitors to everyone.
Old Business:
Chili Supper: Next month’s meeting will be held on the third Thursday as usual, but at a different time and location!
The Annual EARC President’s Chili Supper event will be held on 16 February 2007, 6:30 p.m. at the Triangle Coop
Service, 2821 North Van Buren. The building is south of the NODA facility. Ralph, N0NOU, has arranged for us to
use the facility, and has staked his professional reputation on the club using the facility responsibly. Please park on the
NORTH side of the building, and enter thru the double glass doors. Ralph indicated that the other doors would be
alarmed – don’t use them! Members, please bring a batch of your favorite chili, and/or a dessert/cornbread for everyone
to share. The club will provide the drinks, bowls, spoons, crackers, chips, etc. Richard KD5ZOY claimed to have 4
pounds of meat he was saving for the event. However, after hearing the story of how his “lovely” wife succumbed to
illness after eating his chili for breakfast, we were wondering if we too should avoid eating it (it was funny, and you had
to be there). This event is always open to family members who are strongly encouraged to attend. Should be a great
time for all!
E-Mail. Next a discussion on e-mail was conducted. Al KD5BA was attempting recently to send an e-mail to ALL
EARC members. There was confusion over the YAHOO user group, and who was a member, and how to sign-up for
this service. Mike KD5OFF graciously offered to forward Al’s messages to the group (ostensibly, Mike maintains the
most current list of members).
8
Field Day 2007: Mike KD5OFF reported on efforts to secure Meadowlake Park for Field Day 2007 (yes, that’s
eighteen months from now). The price has risen significantly to $45 per day, for a total of $90 for the two days. Upon
hearing the new inflated price, he elected NOT to plunk down his own cash (non-refundable) without first going thru
the club. Crosslin Park is now up to $25 a day (all city facilities have gone up in price). Field Day 2006 is already setup for this year, and most felt that the location at Meadowlake Park for 2007 would afford us increased visibility for
future years. A short discussion on holding Field Day at the Red Cross was held, but Bob KD5ZOZ was concerned
about the limited exposure we’d have inside, and most agreed that the increased visibility at Meadowlake was worth
the extra expense. Greg KD5MFY made a motion to secure the Meadowlake Park pavilion for Field Day 2007,
seconded by Bill KC5OKG. Approved unanimously.
Field Day Committee: Chairman Mike KD5OFF indicated volunteers are needed to help out, and that this event is
supposed to be a lot of fun for everyone. Typically, we plan a picnic supper and an overnight ham experience. Al
KD5BA, in an attempt to absolve some responsibility, reminded everyone that the club Vice President is in charge of
Field Day. Nice try, Al.
New Business:
Club Newsletter: Al KD5BA opened a discussion (aka can of worms) about the club newsletter. Greg KD5MFY
indicating that we’re not meeting the club bylaws as written. Basically, we have NO “official” publication. Mike
KD5OFF continues to amaze us all with his talents with his personal Ham publication, recently renamed the “Home
Brew”. Mike wishes to continue his personal efforts with this publication, and will not be the official newsletter
publisher. Discussion centered on Mike’s outstanding efforts with the Home Brew, and everyone appreciates his
contributions to the club and to the radio art, and we ALL understand his reluctance to be stuck with the responsibility
of the official publication.
Several options were discussed:
Option 1: Utilize the existing EARC Web Page, modify it slightly to meet the bylaw criteria. This requires the club
secretary to get minutes to the webmaster (currently Ralph N0NOU) to post on the web page. We’d be required to
change the web page to the Arclight. As always, printed copies would be available at Wheat Capital Communications
(this arrangement is working well now). As we have no official publication, this idea can be easily incorporated into a
web page format easily.
Option 2: Incorporate the meeting minutes (and other required info) into Mike’s publication, Home Brew. Remember,
Mike’s paper is NOT the official paper for the club. Mike emphasized he wanted to do something fun, not official, and
he did NOT wish to be the official newsletter editor for the club. Publishing minutes here would imply that the Home
Brew is the official publication for EARC.
Discussion: Ralph N0NOU indicated that the bylaws said nothing about a “club website”. Then the question arose
about putting the Home Brew on the club website. No one raised any objection to this proposal, with a clarification
that Mike should remove the EARC annotation from the top of the newsletter. The club agreed to publish club
meeting minutes on the website, and that this would become the Arclight. The bylaws may need to be reviewed
and possibly changed to reflect this new approach to the Arclight.
Motion: Ralph N0NOU made a motion to publish meeting minutes to the web as the Arclight, and to continue to
distribute the Home Brew to the EARC via this website. The motion was seconded by Richard KD5ZOY, and
approved unanimously.
FEMA Class Update: Al KD5BA discussed the upcoming FEMA class, scheduled to happen this weekend. Michael
Pokorny is certified to teach this FEMA class as well as the CPR class. For EARC members, he could do the training
in 1.5 hours instead of the normal 4 hours (we must be fast). Ralph made a motion for the FEMA training to be
conducted at the March meeting, but is was decided to discuss this further at the February meeting/chili supper.
9
Advanced Assessment Class, “IS700”. Larry Elderberry is offering the advanced assessment class, IS700, on 11 Feb
at the Red Cross. It will start at 9:00 a.m. and take 4-6 hours. For those who may have had this training previously, it is
an updated version. Larry wants the entire club to take the class, and pre-registration is desired in order to have sample
straining supplies available. Members were encouraged to contact the red Cross for registration.
Emergency Preparedness Public Forum. Autry Vo-Tech is offering an Emergency Preparedness Public Forum on
31 January, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The forum is designed to help residents to become better prepared for disasters like
our recent ice storm, tornadoes, and hurricanes. There will be cost to participants.
Club room work day. Al KD5BA asked for suggestions in order to set a time and date to work on the Club room. It
was recommended that we move on some available weekend, but we need to check with the Red Cross schedule prior to
committing to a date. In addition, the issue of a required 4” hole in the wall (for antenna conduit) was brought-up again.
The club also needs to purchase coax, ends, a ground rod, and Poly-Phaser lightning protection for the tower.
Antenna construction. The Red Cross is going to construct a fence to protect the antenna and a proposed emergency
generator to be sited therein. We’ll need a gate specifically sited to enable the tower to be lowered to the ground for
maintenance.
Echo Link/IRP. Al KD5BA asked for a future presentation on Echo Link/IRP. The ARRL has a powerpoint
presentation available. Since Feb and March are already taken-up, it was recommended to conduct this training after the
March meeting.
Equipment and Insurance. Ralph N0NOU discussed the recent renewal of insurance and our outdated equipment
roster. The inventory has not kept up with insurance since 2001, and he’s convinced we’re underinsured. Ralph made a
call to renew the club equipment roster. We’re presently covered for $7500, but we own approximately $10,000 of
equipment. Ralph indicated that for an additional $30 premium, we could be covered for the full $10K. Ralph made a
motion to update the equipment roster, seconded by Walter AA5LI. The motion passed unanimously. Ralph will work
with Dwayne KC5QVS to update the roster.
Board of Directors vacancy. KC5SII is resigning his position on the board of Directors. Dave has recently obtained a
job in Oklahoma City, and will be moving as soon as his house is sold. No action was taken on his vacancy at this
meeting.
Dan KM5DH memorial. Several members attended Dan’s funeral. Greg KD5MFY motioned to make a club donation
to BOTH memorial funds, seconded by Richard KD5ZOY. Motion passed unanimously. Dwayne will take care of the
donations.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m. Due to the protracted meeting, Bob KD5ZOZ’s program on hurricane relief
will be conducted at a future meeting date and time.
Respectfully submitted,
Dave T. Chael, KC5GUD
EARC Club Secretary
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