—By , Steve Hopkins, K5RS
First I would like to say via con dios to Ray Schulze and his family. They
are in the process of moving to Brownwood to live on his ranch/potential antenna
farm that he has been preparing for several years (ahh, sweet retirement!).
They have tentatively sold their house in Midland and will be relocating this
fall (plus or minus the QRM). Ray asked me to take over the reigns of President,
and while doing such, I hope I can maintain the high standards of integrity
and diplomacy that he has demonstrated in his tenure as president. We will
miss these folks, of course, but I have already been told that he intends
to keep active to the extent that he can, and may even be able to give us
a hand come Hamfest time. Let=s have a round of e-mail applause and send it
to ray-jo@swbell.net We’re getting into October and meetings and are now into our 2nd and 4th
Monday schedule. We want to thank Charlie Royall, WB5T, our ARRL section manager,
for a very informative and inspiring talk on the benefits of belonging to
the ARRL. Sorry I missed it, but I have been a staunch supporter of the ARRL
for 40 years, and a continuous member since 1977. Also, please don’t be bashful to come to our announced Hamfest meetings
We’re not bringing the whips just yet, just trying to see who can participate,
and plan our strategy. Seriously, though, we can sure use everyone’s help.
These meetings are vital to keep us focused on our only fund raising event
of the year and provide us a chance to exchange ideas and maybe even make
the next St. Patrick’s Day Hamfest better than ever. Mark December 13th , Monday evening, on your social calendar for the annual
Christmas dinner and get-together. The happy hour will start at 6:30 PM with
a cash bar, and dinner at 7:00. Call me or any of the officers or directors
to R.S.V.P. This is one meal you can’t beat for the price. The board unanimously
voted to bring in Bill Bentley, N5POB, as succeeding Vice President to fill
the vacancy created when Ray resigned as President. All of us, who know Bill,
feel confident he will do a great job. He already has two FB programs planned,
and he is open to ideas about future programs. So if any of you have an area
of expertise that you think might be of interest to the members of the club,
contact Bill. The West Texas DX Association is actively trying to expand access to the
DX cluster to Odessa by putting a Digi-peater (node) and antenna at my Radco
offices which are located mid-way between the two cities. Joe Milam has graciously
donated the use of a TNC and Radio, and I personally installed the antenna.
We have done some preliminary testing, and it looks like we will be able to
provide continuous service to the Permian Basin for avid DX hunters (c mafdxc,
c wf5e). Our code classes are in mid-progress and everyone involved is excited about
our progress. Wayne Reddin, WT5M, has been a tremendous help, as has Ray Schulze,
N5SR. Our students include Hunter Watkins and his son, Trey, Peter Balog,
Mike Smith, Dwayne Fox, Dick Titchen, and Robert Boyd. It’s still not too
late for those of you that might want to upgrade. We meet on Tuesday and Thursday
evenings at 7:00 PM and we will continue as long as it takes. Y’all come! One more note: Let’s fill up the clubhouse! Please come to the meetings
and see what your club is doing. That’s all for now. Until next month 73, Steve There will be a statewide ARES drill prompted by a meeting of the Texas D.P.S.
and the various section managers. Dates will be October 7, and October 21.
Details may be obtained from Charlie Royall WB5T, cnroyall@wtt.net
The National Weather Service will be co-sponsoring an on-the-air contest
event November 27, 1999. It will be aimed at recognizing the contributions
that amateurs make to the NWS during threatening weather seasons. QSL certificates
are available and more information may be obtained from the Midland NWS Web
site, www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/radio.htm. Want to work the oldest club station in the U.S. and get a nice special
event QSL card? The Harvard University club station W1AF will be having a
90th anniversary special event October 2 and 3 and will include operation
from three HF positions and one VHF position. W1AF will be on the air each
day from 1200 to 0000 UTC--24 hours in all. HF SSB frequencies include 3890,
7270, 14,270, 21,370 and 28,390 kHz. HF CW will be 35 kHz up from the lower band edges. On VHF, look for
W1AF on 50.150, 144.200 and 432.150 MHz SSB. A special 90th anniversary QSL
card will be available for stations working W1AF during the special event.
QSL to Harvard Wireless Club, W1AF, Harvard University, 6 Linden St, Cambridge,
MA 02138. For more information, contact the club at w1af@harvard.edu. The
club's Web site is at http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~w1af/.Other E-News: