Although the December meeting of FWRC was the annual Christmas dinner, the club did conduct some official business. Read about it by usign the link below to download the meeting minutes.
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Al Burke, WB9SSE and Tom Rupp, KU8T have uploaded to this website’s photo gallery photos they took at the 2013 FWRC Christmas party. Check them out!
The December 2013 Issue of the Allen County HamNews newsletter is now available for download using the link below. This and previous issues are also available for download by clicking the “Files” link in the main menu and then clicking “Newsletters.”
This is an appeal to spread the word about the Northern Indiana NWS Skywarn Recognition Day special event starting at 7PM next Friday Dec 6 and running for 24 hours. We need operators to support the event. Many of you have particpated in the past, some have never particpated but are in leadership positions to spread the word to your local members who may be interested. The Fort Wayne Radio Club accepted responsibility for leading this year’s activity and we are welcoming operators from around the region.
We plan to operate primarily 80, 40, 20 SSB and have a 440 station to access the KA9OHV Echo/IRLP repeater. Pat Stevens has agreed to allow the use of his repeater and he has provided me the access codes. We have info listed on the NOAA/NWS Skywarn Recogntion Day page showing that WX9IWX will be active the full 24 hours. I have discussed previous years’ operations with Michael Lewis of the NWS and established some guidelines we need to follow (please see the PDF file linked below). One of the keys to making this event successful is getting operators registered in advance to know their availability. It is important to emphasize that walk-in operators will be discouraged. We need to know who and when each operator is available so we can schedule their operating period.
I scouted the room and antenna options at the NWS office yesterday. To maintain ease of setup and tear down, I’m recommending the use of endfed antennas that can be supported from the parking lot light poles. The Fort Wayne Radio Club has used endfed antennas quite successfully for other portable events. We have dedicated tuned 40 and 20m antennas and a multiband that operates 160 through 10 with a modest tuner. I plan to bring a complete station (IC-706 MKII G, LDG tuner, external DSP, headphones) to remain connected to the multiband endfed. Anyone is welcome to operate from that position during the event. The other antennas will still need stations. I will also have a dedicated dualband mobile VHF/UHF FM transceiver. We will advertize both echolink and IRLP node numbers for the 443.050 KA9OHV repeater and attempt contacting other SRD stations using VOIP.
The FWRC has logging computers that I plan to have set up ready to use at the event start. There will be some snacks provided (not a buffet) and the NWS will have coffee available.
I’m open to other suggestions to make this event successful, but the biggest help you can provide is to spread the word, do some promotion, review the attached guidelines, and get people to contact me so we know who is committed to operate and support the NWS Skywarn Recognition Day special event.
73,
Joseph Lawrence, K9RFZ
k9rfz@yahoo.com
(h) 260 373-1986
You’ve heard us talk about it. We’ve shared stories about the crazy people who run in the snow and freezing water! Now’s your turn to participate in this fun event yourself.
The Allen County ARES team will be joining other teams from NE Indiana in support of the Hoosier Ultra Fast Fifty (HUFF) 50K run at Chain O’lakes State park on Saturday, December 28th.
Here’s a link to a PDF file of the operator schedule as of the evening of Nov. 26. Pick out a time and a location and let us know if you can help.
Please contact me, KB9WWM at KB9WWM@arrl.net or Dan, N9WLW at n9wlw@yahoo.com. Let us know when and where you would like to be assigned.
Skywarn Recognition Day is fast approaching. The event runs from 1900 hrs Dec 6th until 1900 Dec 7th and will be held at the NWS Norther Indiana in North Webster.
Skywarn Recognition Day gives us the opportunity to operate the HF bands as a group from the NWS Office.
We are currently looking for volunteers to help with the event. We need operators for Friday evening, 1900 to approximately midnight, Saturday morning, 0700 to 1300 and Saturday afternoon, 1300- 1900. These times are negotiable. If you can come out at anytime to get on the air. We can use your help.
Contact me, KB9WWM@arrl.net, Steve Nardin, W9SAN@arrl.net, or Joseph Lawrence, K9RFZ@yahoo.com, if you can help us out and show your support for our Skywarn team!
The Fort Wayne Radio Club would like to extend an apology to recent 2014 paid members W9GT, K9DMA, and KC9CVI. These members paid in advance their 2014 dues, but due to a mixup with the tickets, did not get entered into the Club’s drawing for the BaoFeng HT.
We are very sorry for this mixup. In any future drawings, we will strive to make sure that everyone who pays early dues to be included in a drawing, does indeed get entered properly. The club is looking into ways to properly compensate these hams, and will be deciding on a path at the December BOD meeting on the 10th. We are pretty sure that only these three hams were not entered in the drawing.
Please plan on attending the Fort Wayne Radio Club’s annual Christmas Carry-in Pot Luck Banquet on December 20th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. We will be meeting in the large meeting room, Raasch Hall. This is always a well attended event, and very tasty, too! It is a good way to finish out a fun year of Amateur Radio operation. As in the past, the club will provide coffee, lemonade, plates, and silverware. There is also the Christmas Gift exchange for those who wish to participate. Bring a wrapped gift marked for either a man or woman (approx $10 or less in value) and include your call sign inside so the receipiant can thank you after receiving. All hams are invited, especially 2013 and 2014 members!
If you have some photos of this year’s activities, please send an electronic copy to me, Steve, W9SAN, at my e-mail, W9SAN@ARRL.NET. I would like to put together a slide show for the Banquet.
The club is going forward with plans to support the National Weather Service Skywarn Recognition Day operating event on December 6th through the 7th (Friday night and Saturday) at the NWS office in North Webster, along with other operators from around NorthEast Indiana. If you can help, please contact myself, W9SAN, Jim, KB9WWM, Joseph, K9RFZ, or Jay, W9LW.
Thanks for everything you do for Amateur Radio and the club! Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
FWRC President Steve Nardin, W9SAN, draws the winning ticket
At this year’s Fort Wayne Hamfest we used a new “Incentive” idea to get people to pay next year’s dues ahead of time. We held a drawing for a dual band BaoFeng HT with programming cable and software, speaker mic, and charging base. Tickets for the drawing were distributed as one “free” ticket for an individual or family membership, either renewal or new, and extra
tickets for $1 each (no limit).
The result was fantastic: we have now 59 memberships already paid for next year! Plus the extra tickets sales have actually paid for the transceiver itself, so for the club it was all positive
cash flow! Wow! With a result like this, we are already planning something even nicer for next year!
SPECIAL THANKS:
Special thanks to the following for their help with this incentive: