Club News

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/korea/ham-radios-find-place-in-high-tech-world-1.139146

The ARRL has posted the 2011 Field day product and event information. Check out everything the ARRL has to offer for 2011 Field Day.

All,

Please read the following email from Jim Weaver K8JE, our Great Lakes Division ARRL Director.  Please follow the instructions and mail your signed letters ASAP.  I plan on taking one copy to my reps office in Livonia.  You can look up your rep and do the same.  But remember to also send a signed copy to John Chwat as stated in the email below.  Sorry if you got this twice, but this is of the utmost importance.  Give them an inch and next thing you know we loose it all!  PLEASE pass this around to every ham you know, post on line or print in your club newsletters!!

If anyone needs help printing them out, drop me a note or see me at a meeting.

Thanks, Shanon KA8SPW

***********************************************************************

[Reply to k8je@arrl.org]

Your prompt help to defend one of our amateur bands is urgently
requested.  Please read and follow through on the requested action.

You may have already heard that our 440 MHz band is being attacked by a
bill introduced into the US House of Representatives. In its current
form, HR 607 would take away the 420-440 MHz segment that is presently
allocated to Amateur Radio on a secondary basis as our 70 cm band.
Along with certain other segments not allocated to Amateur Radio, the
420-440 MHz segment would become part of a spectrum “give back”
involved in allocating 758-763 and 788-793 MHz for a Public Safety
broadband network.

The concept of this network has merit. Everyone wants first responders
to have the radio systems they need in order to protect themselves and
us. However, there is absolutely no need to take our 440 MHz band in
making it happen. We need to let our US Representatives know we oppose
the current form of HR 607.

To let your US Representative know you oppose the present bill, go to
http://www.kd4pyr.net/hamletter.htm.  Insert your call sign where
indicated and follow the simple instructions. The name and address of
your US Representative will automatically be put into the letter, as
will your name and address.  It will be ready to be printed and signed.


IMPORTANT: Please be sure to observe the following once you have
printed your letter:

- Be sure to sign it.  Letters without a handwritten signature are not
effective.

- Signed letters can be sent by fax or postal mail.  They can also be
scanned into PDF format and e-mailed as a file attachment.  Postal
mail: John Chwat, Chwat & Co., Suite 103, 625 Slaters Lane, Alexandria,
VA 22314. E-mail: john.chwat@chwatco.com. Fax number: (703) 684-7594.

- Do not send this letter or any letter about HR 607 to your US
Senators at this time. The bill is only in the US House of
Representatives. Letters sent on HR 607 to US Senators will merely
waste their time and demonstrate lack of knowledge of how our system of
government works.
WHY SHOULD the letter be mailed to John Chwat? There are two reasons.
First, all postal mail to members of the US House (and other government
bodies) is delayed 6 to 8 weeks in being searched for hazardous
materials that may be included in them. Second, Mr. Chwat will increase
the value of your individual letter by combining it with others and
delivering the stack of letters directly to your Representative's
office. This manner of delivery makes a particular impact on our
Congressmen.

If you feel it necessary to mail your letter directly to your
Representative, do it. However, please also send a signed copy of it to
Mr. Chwat for the reasons outlined above.

For your information, the letter generating utility will be open for
use by any US amateur for at least a couple of weeks.

Thanks for your help and support in this important effort. Please let
me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

73,

Jim

PS:  Thanks to Rick Haltermon, KD4PYR for developing the letter
generating utility.  He was aided by Trey Garlough, N5KO who wrote the
initial program.  Rick continues to add flesh to the program.

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661
ARRL, The national association for Amateur Radio

I just received this from Kevin Gilday KD8GVM those of you familiar with the free press marathon know Kevin,  this event will be run with the same quality I'm sure                                     John N8KAM

Hi Shanon & John

Just a quick note.

We have been asked to assist with the Cystic Fibrosis ½ Marathon on Grosse Ile to be held on March 20, 2011.  This is a first time event designed to raise money for CF research and will be running around the island.

The race course is 13.1 Miles long and will start and finish near the Grosse Ile High School on Gray.

If you would put this information out for me I could use between 20 to 30 ARO’s to assist.  The event will include runners with active CF and we really want to keep an eye out for them.  We will be running 3 weary wagons and at least 3 (I hope 4) aid stations in addition to 6 water stops.

I need to cover the weary’s, the aid and water stations in addition to other spotters,.

Operators should CONTACT ME DIRECT, that way they are not bothering you.

I can be reached at

KD8GVM@ARRL.NET

Thanks

Kevin

Want to get your license in a day??  

For the 14th consecutive year, members of the Stu Rockafellow Amateur Radio Society will be traveling to Whitefish Point, MI and Paradise, MI to do a ham radio ‘Special Event’ “Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald”. The Fitzgerald went down with her crew of 29 on November 10th 1975 in Lake Superior approximately 17 miles from Whitefish Point, MI. This marks the 35th year of that tragedy.

The call sign used at Whitefish Point will be N8F and the call sign used at Paradise, MI (11 miles South of Whitefish Point) will be K8F. The Whitefish Point Lighthouse # is USA 887. We expect to be operational Friday November 5th thru Sunday November 7th with up to 4 stations.

Our target frequencies are 3860, 7240, 14260, 18160*, 21360, and 28360* (kHz SSB) (* secondary) NOTE: CW operation is not planned.

Only a certificate will be available. Send a 9x12 SASE (N8F / K8F only) to W8VS - Richard Barker 264 N. East St. Brighton, MI. 48116. E-Mail Rich - W8VS

PLEASE OBSERVE THE CORRECT QSL ROUTES!

Also, teaming up with us this year are:

1: The Livonia Amateur Radio Club from Livonia, MI. using the call sign W8F and operating from the Dossin Museum, Sun. Nov. 7th , located on Belle Isle in the Detroit River.

2: The Stillwater Amateur Radio Association from Stillwater, MN, using the call sign W0JH, operating 3 stations from the Split Rock Lighthouse State Park at the west end of Lake Superior ( Lighthouse # USA 783 ).

Links Of Interest:

Livonia Amateur Radio Club W8F
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association W0JH
Fitzgerald Web site
Shipwreck Museum Web Site
Split Rock St. Park
Dossin Museum

The CW weekend of November Sweepstakes is just days away and you can feel the excitement building.  

This year is the Centennial year for the Boy Scouts of America. The Great Lakes Council planned a Centennial rendezvous for the weekend of September 24 to the 26th. Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties field will Metropark. The MC RC was asked to help set up a radio station in the event. A special event call sign of K8S was obtained. On Friday JimK8SSB, picked up the club trailer and brought it to the site. He then claimed our spot in a large tent. Around 2PM Dale, Stan, Dave and I arrived to set up. We met up with Frank Maynard NF8N, Wallace Murray KE8HR and his son BillKC8TVG. We looked over the site to determine where to set up the antenna. We quickly realized as Stan so aptly put it that it was field day all over again. We had a great big park and only a limited area in which to place our antenna. So we put up the antenna and tied a bunch of caution tape to keep everyone safe. Dale and Frank put up the 2 m beam. Later John N8KAM brought the radio out. We set it up and tested the antenna to be sure worked.

On Saturday morning we set up the HF station and the 2 m station. Frank setup a PSK 31 station and Wallace set up a satellite station. At 9 AM the scouts, families and leaders filtered into the tent. We asked the scouts if they would like to operate the radio. Several scouts were able to make HF contacts including one with a similar event happening in Colorado. When HF contacts were not possible, we were fortunate enough to have Marv KC8DQJ, standing by at his QT H to talk to the scouts. We kept him busy most of the day. The cub scouts were totally fascinated by the whole thing. If they got “mike –shy”, Marv would ask them a question about the event and soon they would be chattering away. One little scout kept looking around the station and asked “where is he?. Jim K8SSB spent a lot of time teaching CW to the scouts. He had a chart showing the code for each letter of the alphabet. He would ask each person their name and then have them find the appropriate code. He would demonstrate how to send code and then have the scout attempt to send their name on a practice key. We stayed busy right up till 5PM when that portion of the event ended.

I would like to thank Dale WA8FRD, Stan K8SB, Jim K8SSB, John N8KAM and Dave KC8OBH for helping set up and run the station as well as taking it down at the end. A special thanks to Marv KC8DQJ for being there to talk to the scouts. 

 

It is with a heavy heart that i pass this information along..

GEORGE SCHMALZEL W8PPG became a silent key this morning( Sat Oct 09 2010). He will be at the Martenson Funeral Home in Allen Park. Showings Monday evening and Tuesday during the day Funeral will be on Wednesday. Times have not been set as of yet. The phone number of the funeral home is (313) 386-6600.