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ALERT: Sat, August 23, 2008; 8:09 AM ET Alert: Due to ARES Leadership changes, the Sunday morning ARES/RACES Training Net at 7:00 a.m. local on 3987.5 Khz is officially suspended until further notice! The ASTEN will serve as the Ark. ARES/RACES HF training module. Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net meets Monday- Friday following the Arkansas Razorback Net on 3987.5KHz at 7:00PM+- local. Upcoming Arkansas Hamfests: Mena Hamfest/ AR State Convention September 5-6, 2008 CAREN All-Arkansas Family Hamfest September 20, 2008 Write Congressman Mike Ross a Thank You Letter! Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross, WD5DVR has introduced H. Res. 230, which uses the "Sense of Congress" to urge the FCC to re-evaluate RF interference issues before deployment of BPL systems. Mike stuck his neck out for us on this and we should support him by sending e-mails and more importantly letters. The arrl.org website has a form letter "go-by". Just type in H. Res. 230 in the search box and the site should take you to it. If you have already written the Congressman, I thank you; if you have not, I urge you to do so soon. The Arkansas Section Website: http://www.arkansashams.org/ has complete information on the events listed below as well as other events. Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net: Monday - Friday at 7:00PM Monday, Tuesday - Friday 7:30 p.m. local. Every Saturday - Arkansas DX Association Net 3815 Khz 10:00 AM Please let me know of other hamfests, tailgate parties, and other events of general interest so I can get them on the www.arkansashams.org web page. |
News last updated: Wed, August 20, 2008 at 5:45 PM ET
Certification Standards for ARES/RACES Posted Below 8-20-08
Greetings All!
In the interest of general knowledge for the membership of the Arkansas Section and to quell all rumors, I am hereby distributing the rough draft as proposed by the ARES/RACES Certification Standards Committee. The committee was formed at the DEC meeting held 13 July 2008 at ADEM and consists of ARES members from around the State. The base document was drafted by Tom Harris, K5WTH with input from our SEC J.M. Rowe, N5XFW and the committee revised, edited and expounded upon it. It has been posted on the ARES/RACES Yahoo group site as well as the ARES/RACES section of the arkansashams.org website as to let all ARES/RACES members review and comment upon it. It will be posted this weekend on the arrl.org Arkansas Section Page for further public viewing.
We are in the comment period until 20 September, 2008 at which time we will close all comments and the committee will form the final draft for a vote of approval at the October 12 DEC meeting at ADEM. We will have to public forums on the PROPOSED Certification Standards at the Queen Wilhelmina Hamfest on 6 September, 2008 and at the CAREN All-Arkansas Hamfest 20 September, 2008.
These Standards DO NOT apply to all ARRL members, only those wanting to actively participate in ARES/RACES through ADEM/local emergency management agency, e.g., those operators who want to work from a served agency/ADEM EOC, or at an incident site being managed by ADEM or your local emergency management officials. If you plan on helping out by operating from home most of this will NOT apply to you. As always, please check with you local ADEM or emergency management officials, served agencies or local ARRL EC as to their specific requirements.
Please send us well thought out, logical comments either positive or negative. Please keep them constructive in nature and refrain from petty personal attacks on the committee members. We are also aware of the errors in grammar and spelling so please don't point those out. Furthermore, questions are always welcome.
If you have no interest in this, please disregard this emailing; otherwise we look forward to your comments.
73 ES TNX!
DE K5UZ
The ARRL Arkansas Section ARES/RACES organizations
"CERTIFICATION LEVELS"
"Experience is the worst teacher; it gives the test before presenting the lesson."
INDEX:
1. Purpose.
2. Goals and Objectives.
3. Certifications levels.
4. Exemptions.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Arkansas ARES/RACES Certification Program is to establish a minimum level of capability and competence within each Counties ARES/RACES Program, and within the ARES/RACES leadership structure of the State. Standards have now been established as certified at a Level One, Level Two, and Level Three, or Not Certified.
The Arkansas ARES/RACES Certification Program is not meant to replace those locally developed programs, which, in many cases may be more demanding than the similar elements of the Arkansas ARES/RACES Certification Program. However, these requirements must be met by all ARES/RACES members with the exceptions listed below.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
1. To clearly identify the capabilities available to Emergency Managers in any specific County.
2. To build confidence in the AREA/RACES Program among Emergency Managers at all levels.
3. To encourage a program of continual improvement among ARES/RACES members and units.
4. To recognize the exceptional work of County ARES/RACES units and individuals in meeting the needs of the emergency communications customer.
5. To improve skills, knowledge, and abilities of all Arkansas ARES/RACES members through training, seminars, and information.
6. Our goal for the Arkansas ARES/RACES organization is to develop a trained corps of emergency communicators and develop the type of reputation that will encourage served agencies to call us, rather than avoid us. It is NOW up to us to demonstrate we can do the job. That reputation will come over a period of time and only after steady top-notch performance and professionalism, thus the reason for a certification program.
CERTIFICATION LEVELS:
There are three levels of "Required Certification" for the Arkansas ARES/RACES organization. This training material has been designed to accommodate the various needs for trained personnel in any emergency situation, as well as to allow you to focus on the areas of volunteer service and the amateur radio focus you prefer. The material used to define the Arkansas ARES/RACES certification program came from the ARRL ARECC level I, II and II and from sites written by gentlemen who wrote the ARRL ARECC' s.
Each of the certification
levels includes study material and a 25 question written test.
(A.) "Arkansas
Level One Emergency Communications Course and Test": A minimum test score of
80% required.
1. This certification is an excellent entry point into becoming a fully certified ARES/RACES emergency communication resource. Level one certification is easy! (This course must be completed before proceeding to Level two)
2. The FEMA NIMS courses IS-100 and IS-700.
*(EXEMPTIONS LISTED BELOW)
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(B.) LEVEL TWO REQUIRED FOR LOCAL FIELD DEPLOYMENT:
1. The "Arkansas Level Two Emergency Communications course." A minimum test score of 75% required.
2. The FEMA NIMS courses IS-100, IS-200 and IS-700.
This certification is focused on compliance training requirements. This level is the way to go if you are interested in focusing your time with serving at the local levels with communications during emergency events. (This course must be completed before proceeding to Level Three)
*(EXEMPTIONS
LISTED BELOW)
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(C.)LEVEL THREE REQUIRED FOR ALL "NET CONTROL STATIONS" INCLUDING THOSE THAT PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS REQUIRING THAT THE ARKANSAS ARES/RACES PLAN BE ACTIVATED, "EOC OPERATORS" AND ALSO ANY "RAPID RESPONSE TEAM MEMBERS" THAT MAY BE DEPLOYED TO OTHER CITIES OR STATES.
1. The "Arkansas Level Three Emergency Communications course." A minimum test score of 80% required.
2. The FEMA NIMS courses IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS 800.
This level of certification delivers the most rewarding ARES/RACES experience. Once you have completed the Arkansas Emergency Communications courses I and II the ICS 100, ICS 200, ICS 700 and IS 800, you have reached the highest level of the Arkansas Section ARES/RACES certification and are awarded Level status. At this level, you will be one of Arkansas's ARES/RACES finest, relied upon as a knowledgeable emergency event communications expert.
*(EXEMPTIONS LISTED BELOW)
THERE are NO EXCEPTIONS to the above requirements for the Arkansas Emergency Courses, except those listed below.
*EXEMPTIONS:
1. If you have been in emergency communications for a minimum of 5 years, have a proven performance record and you're EC and/or DEC will furnish information as to skill, emergency events worked, time involved and has completed all of the required NIMS courses, and can be placed into the web site as permanent data, will be exempted from the Arkansas ARES/RACES courses and grandfathered in. (Subject to the approval of the SM and SEC.) (Emergency events require more training and methods used than does local events such as parades, marathons etc. Although these events are a good source of training they may not be considered a part of this exception.)
2. Anyone that has served for 8 years as an Emergency Net Control Station, including Skywarn nets and has successfully completed the NIMS 100, 200, 700 and 800 will be exempted from the Arkansas ARES/RACES courses and grandfathered in. (Subject to their DEC's approval and then submitted to both the SM and SEC for their approval)
3. Realizing that many of our ARES/RACES members have taken some or all of the ARRL's ARECC courses, the following are the only "exceptions" to the above:
(a.) If you are in a leadership position and have taken the ARECC Levels I, II and III you are exempt from taking any of the above except for the FEMA courses.
(b.) As an ARES/RACES member, if you have taken the ARECC Levels I, II and III you are exempt from the above listed courses except for the FEMA Courses.
(c.) As an ARES/RACES member, if you have take the ARECC I and II you are exempt from taking the "Level One" and "Level Two" above listed courses except for the FEMA courses.
(d.) As an ARES/RACES member, if you have take the ARECC I you are exempt from taking the "Level One" above listed course except for the FEMA courses.
NOTE: Copies of ARECC Certifications and NIMS courses certificates are required to meet exemption status.
NOTE: Please note however that certain served agencies in the State might want you to have a criminal background check within ARRL guidelines. Most served agencies will pay for this, but this is NOT guaranteed. The going rate seems to be fifteen dollars $15.00 from Arkansas State Police. When you are dealing with law enforcement agencies or ADC, DCC prison systems you will always be subject to search both you and vehicle.
June 2008 News Summary
ARVARF News- Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. Wow! This June has passed so fast. So sorry to be late with the Newsletter but it's been a hectic month. Field Day 2008 at Washburn Park went very well. I stayed up as late as possible on the radio and then fell asleep for about 6 hours. The hamburgers were great and the weather wasn't too bad. We have about 6 more months left before the end of the year...(already?). If anyone has any new ideas that they would like the club to do, please email me at soniapi@centurytel.net. Perhaps if the club wants to, we could have another foxhunt and this time Steve Felkner will be the fox so he won't wear out his shoes! Thank you
Sonia Picado, KE5EIW
Batesville ARC News- Batesville ARC -- The Batesville Amateur Radio Club just completed another successful 2A Field Day operation with 2978 QSOs in the log. We had ssb, cw, GOTA, and VHF stations on the air. Club member Kenny Thompson KG5KS has recently been appointed ARRL Arkansas section district B emergency coordinator. With Kenny's help, we now have an APRS node back on the air in the Batesville area. There are already several club members participating on APRS. The BARC will also be helping the Boy Scouts of America with their annual White River Canoe Race held each July. Some of the canoes will tracked using APRS and other club members will act as spotters to report the progress of the multi-day race. The BARC newsletter is now being distributed monthly by email; send an email to barc.newsletter@gmail.com if you are interested in subscribing. BARC Info -- President: KE5NZY Vice-President: KE5JMO Secretary: KE5NZZ Treasurer: K5UZ PIO: KD5J Nets: Mon./Thur. 8:00 pm 147.27 (+) Mon. 9:00pm 28.305.
Faulkner Co. ARC News- This article is from the front page of the Log Cabin Democrat on Sunday June 29 2008. That's me in the picture. Some other noteworthy items is that we had the Faulkner County Judge Preston Scroggin, and Senator Gilbert Baker with his kids stopped by and got a tour of our field day set up on the front lawn of the Faulkner County Courthouse. We had 3 stations set up, a GOTA station set up by KD4TA, and 2 demonstration/contesting stations. One setup was in a screen gazebo by N1WNC and the other was set up in the Command Post trailer donated by Conway MEMS. The major credit for our success this year should go to Club President Frankie Parks K5FRP and Club VP and field day coordinator Wayne Johnston KD4TA.
Local ham radio operators hone their skills during Field Day
By JESSICA BAUER LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER When disaster strikes, whether it's a vehicle accident, a tornado or a medical emergency in a remote area, communication is key. And when the situation becomes even more dangerous and electricity, phone lines and cell phone service are no longer available, there is one group of people in Faulkner County trained to jump into action. There are 64 members in the Faulkner County Amateur Radio Club and the group began participating in the annual American Radio Relay League's Field Day on Saturday afternoon on the lawn of the Faulkner County Courthouse. "Once a year all across the country, thousands of licensed ham radio operators go to different areas and try to make contact with one another," Wayne Johnston, the club's vice-president, said Saturday. Tents were set up to protect the radio operators from the elements Saturday, along with an extra tent to allow passersby to test their hand at amateur radio. There was also a radio and computer set up in a MEMS trailer so the radio operators and MEMS employees could practice working together. Johnston said the storm that blew through Conway had the radio operators a little worried, but added as long as there is no heavy wind or lightening, rain won't affect the event. "The show goes on for 24 hours," Johnston said. "Rain or shine we'll have people operating the radios all night."
According to Johnston, the field day is a contest among operators to see how many actual connections can be made. Very early into the event, he said the club had already made 56 contacts across the country, stretching from as far as Utah to Massachusetts. He added the possibilities are endless with the radios being able to reach around the world and all the way to satellites on space stations. George Carroll, one of the radio operators who participated in the event, said the group's main goal is to be prepared for disaster.
"This event just keeps us ready in case we are needed, but we hope we are never needed," Carroll said. In recent cases of Arkansas tornadoes, Carroll said he and the club members have seen the benefits of being a licensed amateur radio operator as a number of times communication has been down over large areas. He added cell phone service isn't always a given, either. "Cell phones are not a reliable form of communication, and that is what we are supposed to be in case of disaster," Carroll said. "Even if power and everything goes out, we have battery back-up systems and we know how to switch over and go direct. If one thing doesn't work, we'll try something different." Johnston said the club members aren't the only ones who want to spread the importance of amateur radio. He said County Judge Preston Scroggin has proclaimed June 23-29 as Amateur Radio Week in Faulkner County to help educate residents about the incredible technology.
"For many people, when they think of ham radios, they think of a bunch of old guys sitting around tapping out Morse code, but they're wrong," Johnston said. "When you combine radios with computers and the Internet, you can let your imagination run wild." (Staff writer Jessica Bauer can be reached by e-mail at jessica.bauer@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1236. To comment on this and other stories in the Log Cabin, log on to www.thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
Fort Smith ARC News- The University of Arkansas Fort Smith received a Grant from the ARRL Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program to install a complete Ham Station at the University for educational training and maybe to get more interest in Ham Radio. John Martini went to ARRL HQ for a weeks training on Amateur Radio and also took his Tech Test and passed and became a Ham. His call is KE5JVD and has already up graded to General. On May 20th at about 8:00 am an antenna party was formed and a vertical 10,15,20,40 meters was installed and a dual band UHF/VHF beam was also installed on top on the Baldor Technology building. Those attending the party was John W5ATW, John KC5JBY, Jim K5JUC, Wayne W5OFN, John KE5JVD and several students that helped out installing the Ham Station. This program will be on going and the Fort Smith Area Amateur Radio Club will be assisting the college with training and any other projects to help this program out. The college received an ICOM 706 MK II-G, an antenna tuner, a dual band VHF/UHF beam, a vertical 10,15;20,40 meters and a power supply and plenty of coax and connectors. John, KE5JVD, is Professor of Electronics Technology at University of Arkansas Fort Smith. FSAARC ran Field Day from Columbus Acres. Report to follow next month.
Spa Amateur Radio Association, News-
Again, Field Day has come and gone.
Several helped assembling the antenna and tilt-over tower. The stacked tower
went together pretty quickly and with the beam working well. The crew strung a
40 and 80 meter dipoles from the 40' mast on the COMM trailer. The afternoon
went pretty well. Contacts were made on 40-80 using the ICOM 706 MKIIG from the
trailer COMM room and 10-15-20 from a KW TS-50 set up in the trailer conference
room. Several friends, other amateurs and interested members of the public
stopped by to 'check us out'.
We closed shop a little early due to the history of non-participation overnight
and Sunday. I would like to personally thank everyone for their help. No matter
how much (or little) you were able to do, every little bit helps and is MUCH
APPRECIATED. Also, Thanks goes to the Hot Springs Municipal Airport for again
allowing us use of the facilities. 73, Robert (Bob) King, W5LVB President -
SPA Amateur Radio Association
NOTICE: Take a look at
wonderful pictures included of the Delta Division Convention June 13, 2008 at
Knoxville, TN. John Nordlund AD5FU of Little Rock, AR was named Delta Division
Ham of the Year for his work in the Arkansas VE Supersession.
April/May 2008 News Summary
AD5FU Selected as Delta Division Ham of the Year- John Nordlund, AD5FU has been selected as Delta Division Ham of the Year according to Henry Leggette, WD4Q ARRL Delta Division Director. John was selected for his hard work in preparing, organizing and instructing the Arkansas VE Super-Session Technician Licensing Classes and Test Sessions through the Arkansas Department of Health (ADOH) and Arkansas Hospital Associations microwave videoconference network. John was responsible for teaching the sessions in 2006 and again in 2008 in which nearly 300 new hams were licensed. The session in January 2008 netted 189 new techs and several new general class operators across Arkansas. The session has given areas of South Arkansas a boost in amateur radio activity and has helped revitalize some of the clubs in the area. Other amateurs involved in the Super-Session receiving letters of commendation form the ARRL included Arkansas Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ and Arkansas Section Emergency Coordinator J.M. Rowe, N5XFW for coordinating the overall effort; Joe Giddons, N5IOZ and Ron Lynch, K5NP for helping coordinate the VE teams; Dr. Paul Halverson, KR5EA, ADOH Director for sponsoring and allowing the use of the video facilities at ADOH; Tommy Black KE5JNR, Arkansas Hospital Association for coordinating the hospitals around the state; Lynette Nordlund KD5QMD and Kayla KE5JYX(John's XYL and Harmonic) for assisting in class material preparation. The awards will be presented at the Delta Division Convention in Knoxville, TN June 14, 2008. Congratulations John and all those involved.
ARVARF News-April- Our 400th issue. Wow! Is there anyone who remembers the very first issue? These newsletters not only tell everyone what is happening with our club but also bring back memories of all what your club has done in the past, from the multiple Field Days and Hamfests to so many other activities. As everyone knows I want to add to those activities and I've been working hard to get everything ready for the Extreme foxhunt. I do have some friends and possibly a professor or two coming to join in on the fun. We will start at 9:00 AM at the Hughes Center right beside the City Park. All you'll need is a 2-meter receiver and its antenna and a vehicle. Hopefully we'll find the fox before noon so we can enjoy a picnic afterwards. I invite everyone to come and join us.
If you have any suggestions e-mail me at soniapi@centurytel.net
Sonia Picado KE5EIW President.= Pope Co, ARES/RACES- John Robinson of the National Weather Service gave an interesting presentation for the Weather Spotter's course in March. He had some new video and also told us about the "interesting"
weather of 2008. Floods were the problem at the time and the NWS folks were running all over the state surveying water problems. Since then, we have had more tornadoes, so stay alert, anything could happen! Our April ARES/RACES meeting will be at 7:00 on April 22. We will talk about the upcoming Arkansas Nuclear One exercise in May. We will have a part in the exercise and I will have more details by the meeting. Then in May, Mike KE5EIY, is going to present a demonstration of packet via sound card. Packet is a great mode for public service communications, but the specialized Terminal Node
Controllers are harder to find and more expensive now. Charles Shingleur demonstrated a simple modem that can be used with software for packet, and Mike will show us how to do it with just software and a sound card. Since most other digital modes can be operated with just a sound card, it will be good to know how to do packet also. I hope you will participate in the club's fox hunt. This is not only fun, but has public service
applications. This is severe weather season - be alert for threatening weather and monitor the 146.82 repeater when appropriate. 73, Dennis W5RZ
ARKAN News- The Memorial Day Troop Train left the Springdale station at 8:00 AM on May 26th bound for Chester. It rained heavily during the morning and we were thankful we had things organized so we wouldn't have to be too concerned about the weather. Somewhere between Springdale and Fayetteville our 20 meter hamstick got whacked by a tree limb and came loose at the ball mount! When the train stopped in Greenland Scott KD5KZJ and Rob KE5RFL scampered up the ladder with a trusty adjustable wrench and made repairs within three or four minutes.
Batesville ARC News- I want to thank each of you for your participation in our local nets. The local training will be one key to our success in preparing for the future. It is great to Elmer one on one, however we can only stretch our Elmer's so thin. If you answer a question for one new ham while on the training and information net, you will find your time well spent. There will no doubt be ten more that have the same question that will be answered at the same time. We had 27 check in the first night and 19 of those have KE prefixes. I ask you to consider being an Elmer if you aren't already. I am sure the time will be rewarding. April News- More Storms, More Flooding -Seems like the topic of storms and flooding was used in last month's newsletter and here it is again! Our storm spotters are getting plenty of practice and have been doing a great job. The reports heard on the repeater during these recent events have been timely, concise, and professional sounding. Maybe next month we will be able to devote our time to other activities while giving our rain gear a rest. Summer Fun With the coming of warmer weather our minds turn towards those summer events such as Field Day and the Water Carnival. Plans are already being made for our club's participation in these exciting events.
BCRO News- The next Tech class is scheduled for Sept 13th, 20th and 27th; it'll be a total of 15 hours of class time. We'll post more on this later. If you would like more information please send an email to Jay KCØCNB. The Tour de Cure for 2008 will be Saturday October 11th this year. Also, on August 9th there is a Diabetes Health and Wellness Expo at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center. Superfest was held Saturday April 26 at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. A good sized crowd attended ARRL Delta Division Vice Director Karl Bullock WA5TMC's forum on Emergency Communications as well as K5UZ's ARRL forum in which WA5TMC also discussed Technology and the ARRL. Thanks to all on the hamfest committee for making this a successful event.
Fort Smith Area ARC News- Several members of the Fort Smith Area Amateur Radio Club participated in a disaster drill held at Chaffee Crossing on Thursday, March 27,
2008. Just after 9:30AM, the drill started when police were called to a mock crash that happened when a semi-tractor trailer hauling radioactive dirt to a landfill stopped behind stalled traffic on a busy highway. A City bus was unable to stop in time and slammed into the back of the truck. Moments later, a small automobile crashed into the back of the bus pinning that auto's driver inside. Fire fighters were dispatched to render aid to the bus passengers who were decontaminated and transported by EMS to local hospitals. The driver of the small car succumbed at the scene but the body (a rescue dummy) had to be cut out of the wrecked car. The driver of the truck was uninjured but was contaminated with the radioactive material. While the chaos of the wreck was unfolding, a passer by stopped and took a container of the contaminated dirt. He later placed an explosive device on the container and left it on the doorstep of his former employer. This, of course prompted another police call and a response from the fire department's bomb squat. Ham operators provided an information stream to the hospitals and to other service providers. As always, these operators provided a great service and proved that amateur radio is ready to respond with its own equipment at a moment's notice.
Field Day Cometh!- June 28 - 29 will be amateur radio's largest operating event. Many clubs around Arkansas are making their Field Day plans and I want to encourage all clubs to participate. One encouraging sign is the unified "All Central Arkansas" Field Day effort in Little Rock to be held at the Arkansas School for the Blind. Members from CAUHF, CAREN and ArkRES Clubs are invited to come play Field Day. Other traditionally great Field Day efforts are being put forth at ARVARF in Russelleville, FSARC at Columbus Acres in Fort Smith, Ozark Wireless/ARKAN in NWA and Batesville ARC at Brock Mountain.
ARKAN News- W5T - Troop Train Special Event -March 2, 2008 test run! This afternoon we conducted our first tests on installing antennas on the 1950s vintage caboose that will be used on the Memorial Day Troop Train, Saturday May 26, 2008. Our biggest concern was that operating on both 40 and 20 meters simultaneously would cause interference with one or both of the transmitting stations. Our tests indicate that there will be no problem with interference even thought the antennas are not that far apart. The next test will be operating the stations on board the train during a run from Springdale to Van Buren during a regular run of the Arkansas & Missouri Excursion Train. The date has not been set for the test, but we'll make an effort to post it here so you can try to work us while we are train mobile. We can hardly wait! The article about last year's troop train is on page 21 of the March issue of QST Magazine.
ARVARF News- The Ham Fest of 2008 was wonderful! I personally had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones. During the Fest I heard that several people upgraded their licenses. Congratulations to you for doing a great job. I hope that everyone had fun and I can't wait to get ready for next year. Alright, is everyone ready for the EXTREME foxhunt? Several ideas have been sent to me and I still ask for more. Feel free to email me your ideas at soniapi@centurytel.net. Also on the upcoming agenda is where our Field Day contest will be held this year? And who is going to be the Field Day chairman? Thank you; Sonia Picado, KE5EIW, President.
UPGRADES FROM OUR HAMFEST:
New extras: Larry Pettit Sr. KJ5ZT, Gregory Miller KE5PAT
New Generals: Philip Thorjusen KE5SHX, Robert Helton KI6DFZ, William Sowell KE5SUE, Michael Martin KC5YWN, Tommy Lightfoot KE5SCC, Dennis Robinson
KD5OHT. New Technician Larry Pettit Jr. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!
ARVARF Newsletter- We found out that we started doing our newsletter around the first of the year in 1975. This makes 2008 our 34th year. Based on these numbers, and assuming we've been putting out a newsletter pretty much continuously, we estimated the number of issues we've published. And surprise! It's approaching a milestone
number. This is issue #399. I feel that these numbers are important because they pay tribute to our founders and to the long-standing tradition as a community ham club. It's a good way to connect to those hams who began our organization. It's also a nice way of showing how long your club has been a part of this community. Thanks to John Evans and the Schaefers for helping me figure the numbers.
Batesville ARC News- The April club meeting will be held on the 24th at the First Community Bank's community room. We are starting to feel quite at home there and hope you will come join us for the latest in club news and plans for the future. We will hear updates from each of our committees on the planned activities of this summer.
More Storms, More Flooding - Seems like the topic of storms and flooding was used in last month's newsletter and here it is again! Our storm spotters are getting plenty of practice and have been doing a great job. The reports heard on the repeater during these recent events have been timely, concise, and professional sounding. Maybe next month we will be able to devote our time to other activities while giving our rain gear a rest.
Summer Fun -
With the coming of warmer weather our minds turn towards those summer events such as Field Day and the Water Carnival. Plans are already being made for our club's participation in these exciting events. Please come to our Thursday night meeting and hear the latest information from the respective committee chairs. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and adjourns at about 8:00 but the fellowship usually continues on for a while.
BCRO News- Date: 03-11-2008. Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM at the Centerton Fire Department. The treasurer's report was read by Glenn WB5L and approved by club vote. Minutes from the previous meeting was read by Randy KE5JVH and approved by club vote. Glenn announced the results of the tech class. Thanks Glenn for putting the class on. Field Day is June 28th and 29th this year. The club voted to use the Mobile Command Vehicle and park it in the Bentonville City Square. Jay KCØCNB mentioned having an Elmer group for all the new people. Buster AD5AM mentioned his upcoming events: Blackjack Enduro March 30th and the Ozark Challenge April 5th - 6th For the program we toured the Mobile Command Vehicle. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM. BCRO Superfest will be held April 26th at the Jones Center in Springdale.
Cross County ARC News- A meeting was held Thursday February 8th at the Wynne Fire Department in order to organize and plan Amateur Radio License classes.
TECHNICIAN LICENSE CLASS
Feb. 22 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Feb. 24 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Feb. 27 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 1 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 3 Saturday 9:00 AM till?? FINAL TEST
We will be using the same written material as used in the class last summer. I will send the file to everyone attached to a separate email. We will print up booklets (from the same file) for any students who have not already printed their own. We also plan to have a DVD for a teaching aid. All classes will be held at the Wynne Fire Department.
GENERAL LICENSE CLASS This is the schedule, subject to change if needed:
March 13 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 15 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 17 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
March 20 Tuesday NO CLASS
March 22 Thursday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
March 24 Saturday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
March 27 Tuesday 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM FINAL TEST
All classes will be held at the Wynne Fire Department. Written material will be provided.
Final schedule may be adjusted to fit class progress.
CCARC Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month. Everyone is invited to attend. You do not have to be a member to attend club meeting visitors are welcome.
Faulkner Co. ARC News- The March 11 meeting was called to order by Frankie Parks
at: 18:31. Craig, N5CTM explained that Regions bank had made some changes to the policies for the bank accounts. In the process of these changes, the bank accidentally moved the club's account into an analyzed business account. Craig spoke with the bank and had it changed to a free small business account since the bank apparently didn't have an account for non-profit groups. Roger Williamson made a motion that the club change accounts. The club was in favor of doing this. After some discussion about whether or not the matter was a club matter or a job of the officers to decide what to do about the account, a motion was made to resend the 1st motion and have the officers take care of the account. The motion carried and the officers will decide what to do.
Old Business: The club will be doing a special event station for Toad Suck Daze this year. It will be on May 3 from 8am-noon. The frequencies are 14.260 kHz and 7.260 kHz. Those that volunteer to operate will be doing so from their home stations. Volunteers will be taken at the April meeting. Wayne Johnston checked on the prices for the booths. The cost was $125 dollars no matter if it was a business or organization who rented a space. All the members decided not to rent a booth.
New Business: Field day is coming up June 28th & 29th, 2008. The club had some discussion on where to hold field day this year. The suggestions were Toad Suck Ferry Park, MEMS Ambulance services, and Cadron Settlement. But no decisions were made. Brian Kessler informed the club about a qrp simplex net on 147.570 MHz. The net takes place on Saturday nights. Brian said the net control usually starts off the net at 8pm by playing the ARRL audio news and then they start taking checkins at 9pm. The net has an Echolink node set up that is KE5ELU-L (260617). The net is done by a group from the Cabot area which may be out of range for some in Conway.
Thursday Night Net meets each Thursday at 7:30 P.M. on 145.210- MHz with a PL Tone of 114.8Hz. Please make note of this and come join in! Reminder: Don't forget about lunches at Smitty's BBQ in Conway on Fridays at around 11:00 am till we leave. For more information about the Faulkner County Amateur Radio Club, including news and upcoming events, go to http://www.w5auu.org/
January February Ark ARRL News Summary
January VE Testing Super Session- TheVE Supersession was a major success beyond our wildest dreams! A tremendous effort by our instructor extraordinaire John, AD5FU, J.M. N5XFW, Ark. DOH, all the participating hospitals and all the VE teams netted us 186 new techs and several new general class hams January 19. By publicizing this to the general public, we gained many more new amateurs around the state particularly in the areas and districts that were having a real shortage of amateur operators. We have a tremendous opportunity with these new hams in our ranks; now we must be elmers! Help them, encourage them and make them HAMS! Again, Congratulations to John, AD5FU for a great effort!
February Tornado Outbreak- February saw an unprecedented tornado outbreak in the diamond state. The outbreak affected areas from West to extreme North Arkansas and one storm now looks like it may well hold the record for distance traveled on the ground - 126 Miles from Yell County to Fulton County. Hams from across the state activated Skywarn nets giving valuable warning to many communities and saving scores of lives. I want to thank all amateurs in the CAUHF network and Arkansas Skywarn for you invaluable service to the citizens of the state. From Atkins, to Scotland, Clinton, Mt. View, Melbourne, Zion, Ash Flat, Highland and Gassville the damage was horrific and I was amazed that there weren't hundreds of casualties. This disaster showed our strengths and also showed our weaknesses. We must "lightning proof" our HF stations. We must better follow our ARES/RACES SOP and Plan after the WX outbreak in the effected areas. We must revitalize the Arkansas Packet Network and get all hubs back on line and functioning. We need more HF and VHF/UHF PMBO's on Winlink throughout the state. We will need local volunteers and resources to complete this task and get Arkansas back in to leading the US in Emcomm. Are you up to helping us?
New STM- Tom Harris K5WTH has been appointed Section Traffic Manager for the Arkansas Section of the ARRL by Section Manager David Norris, K5UZ.
From the Arkansas Section Traffic Manager:
New Net- ASTEN - "Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net" is off to a good start. In the twelve sessions we had during February, even with bad band conditions, we had 236 check- ins and ran for a total of 348 minutes. Our Net Control Stations are some of the best and they are eager to do their duties and their part towards bringing the Arkansas Section into the New Age of Emergency Communications. Plans are in the working stages towards the ASTEN becoming the States first HF Skywarn Net during times of severe weather. If you have any thoughts that may help along the lines of an HF Skywarn net please e-mail them to Tom Harris at k5wth@arrl.net or David Norris k5uz@arrl.org .
It's that time of year again; time to start gearing up for Field Day, ARRL's flagship operating event. Field Day, held the fourth full weekend in June, brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says there are several rules changes this year, mainly concerning "Get on the Air" (GOTA) stations and the elimination of the Demonstration Mode Bonus Category. The complete Field Day Packet can be downloaded from the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/fieldday>. And please pass a lot of NTS traffic during this year.
Congratulations to all of our Net Managers for another great job well done during February 2008. All of our States Section Nets continue to grow despite the bad band conditions we have had the past couple of months.
The "Arkansas Section Traffic Emergency Net" is looking for a few good men and women who would like to be a Net Control Station, Alternate Net Control Station or enter into Net Control Station Training. If you would like to volunteer to fill one of these slots please contact or e-mail k5wth@arrl.net or k5uz@arrl.org .
ARKAN News- W5T! On March 2 we conducted our first tests on installing antennas on the 1950s vintage caboose that will be used on the Memorial Day Troop Train, Saturday May 26, 2008. Our biggest concern was that operating on both 40 and 20 meters simultaneously would cause interference with one or both of the transmitting stations. Our tests indicate that there will be no problem with interference even thought the antennas are not that far apart. The next test will be operating the stations on board the train during a run from Springdale to Van Buren during a regular run of the Arkansas & Missouri Excursion Train. The date has not been set for the test, but we'll make an effort to post it here so you can try to work us while we are train mobile. We can hardly wait! The article about last year's troop train is on page 21 of the March issue of QST Magazine.
FS Area ARC News- The Fort Smith Area Amateur Radio Club met at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 17 at the Harry E. Kelly Riverfront Park and amphitheater for its annual Christmas
dinner. President Dennis Burton called the meeting to order and presented the club officers for 2008.
âˆ-- Newsletter Editor - David Overton
âˆ-- Repeater Chairman - Wayne Johnson
âˆ-- Activity Chairman - Mike Cole
âˆ-- Secretary - Kathy Bromley
âˆ-- Treasurer - Mike Bell
âˆ-- Vice President - Chuck Johnson
âˆ-- President - Jimmy Lowrey
Our appreciation goes out to the staff of the Golden Coral for the delicious meal they catered. President Burton gave out the following awards in recognition for their excellent service during 2007:
âˆ-- Hamfest Coordinators - John & Jan Eddleman
âˆ-- Secretary - Larry Carmack
âˆ-- Activity Chairman - Mike Cole
âˆ-- Newsletter - David Overton
âˆ-- Website Master - Jim Scott
âˆ-- New Ham of the Year - Deborah Kee
âˆ-- President - Dennis Burton (Award presented by John Samuels)
âˆ-- Awards Makers - Rick & Mary Deaton
Numerous prizes were awarded. President Burton closed the meeting with an appreciation for everyone's help during 2007 and looking forward to an exciting new year.
LCARC News - The Lawrence County Amateur Radio Club held its annual winter-fest at the Hoxie Community Center Saturday February 16ÂAmateur radio operators from several surrounding counties and Missouri attended. The Amateur Radio Club would like to thank the following local merchants for donating door prizes and helped to make our winter fest a success. - 2008 Grand Prize winners: Kenny Weathers ( KE5RHX) of Caraway, AR won the Yaesu VH-150. Roy Pits (AD5SL) of Marked Tree, AR won the Yaesu FT-7800 with separation Kit.
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