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News for Amateur Radio Operators In and Around Hillsdale County
Gatherings The club Christmas party was held on December 19 at
the Fayette Street Church of Christ in Hillsdale and attended by 22
members and guests. The
club provided ham, chicken and drinks, and attendees brought pot-luck dishes
that provided a plentiful selection of food.
After dinner there were games and a gift exchange.
Many thanks to Brenda Sprow for her help in organizing the party. The November club meeting was canceled.
A special club meeting
was held on December 19 immediately preceding the Christmas party.
Club leadership elections
were held and President Don Gambill KC8WAU, Treasurer Joe Gosla KD8UJS and
Board Member Dan Sprow KC8RYF all won re-election without opposition. Vice President Anne Burchardt N8VIF and Secretary Penny
Seevers KD8PKY both decided not to run again.
There were no nominees to fill their positions.
Special elections for vacant positions will be held at the next club
meeting. Click here
to view club leadership. The next club
meeting will be Thursday, January 15 at 7pm at
the First United Methodist Church, 45 N Manning in Hillsdale (map).
Park in city lot F and use the east entrance off the alley and follow
the signs. This month the Ham Breakfast
will be held on Saturday, January 10 at 8am at
the Coffee Shop, 119 W Main
in North Adams (map).
Everyone
welcome! Ten hams enjoyed the December breakfast at the Blue
Rooster in Jonesville. It was our first time there and everyone had a good time.
We were sad that this was our last breakfast with Charlie Hinkle W8CFO
before he moves to out of the area. The next
Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 7 at 6pm at the First
United Methodist Church, 45 N Manning in Hillsdale (map). Membership Report Club
membership stands at 19 as of December 31.
One new member has joined for 2015 and five members have renewed.
Membership application is available here
(print 2-sided). Membership Dues For 2015 Club membership dues for 2015 are due.
Rates are unchanged from last year and are $15 for regular membership,
$5 for household membership (additional members in same household after first
member pays regular rate) and free for students.
All members are asked to fill out an updated membership
application (print
2-sided) as part of the renewal process.
Dues can be paid by cash or check at the monthly meeting or mailed to
club treasurer Joe Gosla KD8UJS, 2175 Blackmer Drive, Jonesville, MI 49250.
Make checks payable to Hillsdale County Amateur Radio Club or HCARC.
Your club appreciates your support. Vernon
Ruth W8AGV (SK)
Club Website Running and Up to Date The
club website www.hcarc.club is up and
running and fully updated since December 20.
We had been unable to post updates to the website since September 23.
Thanks to Dan Sprow KC8RYF for fixing this problem and for hosting the
website at no charge to the club. Monday Night Ragchew Net Volunteers
are always needed to run the Monday Night Ragchew Net.
Check the Net Control
Schedule on the club website for the
schedule and results. Contact a
member of club
leadership if interested. And
don’t forget to check in every Monday at 7pm on the 147.06 MHz repeater. Marshall
Hamfest Moving The Michigan Crossroads Hamfest, commonly
referred to as the Marshall Hamfest, is moving to a new location.
This year it will be held on March 14 at the Wings Stadium
Annex, 3600 Vanrick Drive in Kalamazoo (map).
Click here for
the SMARS hamfest page and click here
for the ARRL hamfest info page. Weather
Summary December
was much milder than last year. Average
high temps were about 5 degrees warmer, and low temps were 8 degrees warmer.
Plus there was NO measurable snow.
January looks warmer than last year also, with highs 4.4 degrees warmer
and lows 10.1 degrees warmer. Last
January we had 43.4 inches of snow, more that the entire previous season.
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again!
So far this season there have been no record lows, compared to 2 last
year. The table below shows
updated weather summary for Hillsdale city created with data from Accuweather.com
and local measurements. Total
unofficial snowfall in Hillsdale for last winter was 90.9 inches, compared to
28.6 inches in 2012-2013 and 39.6 inches in 2011-2012.
PRB-1 Update Federal PRB-1 legislation HR 4969,
the “Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2014", was
not acted on before the 113th Congress adjourned.
According to ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson N1ND, a
new “Amateur Radio Parity Act” bill with a new number will be introduced
into the US House sometime after the new Congress is called into session in
January. (ARRL
story) Michigan Senate Bill 0493
was approved by the House Committee on Energy
and Technology on December 9 and passed by the full House on December 18,
the last day of the session. The
bill needs the governor's signature to be come law.
Click here
to view the history of Michigan Senate Bill 0493. Ham in a Day Training Know
anyone that wants to get a technician license?
Dan Romanchik KB6NU of Ann Arbor is offering a One-Day Tech Class on
Saturday, January 17 at the Ann Arbor Hands-On
Museum. Pre-registration is
required. Interested persons
should register soon as classes often fill up early, then download the free
PDF study guide and begin self-study.
The Technician Class license exam will be administered immediately
after the class. Click here
for more information. New General Question Pool Released The Question Pool Committee of the National
Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC)
has released the 2015-2019 Element
3 (General Class) question pool. The
pool will take effect on July 1, 2015, and will remain valid until June 30,
2019. The current
General question pool, released in 2011, is valid until June 30, 2015.
(ARRL
story) Michigan Ham Wraps Up Grid Master Award Doug
Papay KD8CAO of Zeeland has worked all 488 US grid squares via satellite and
has been granted Grid Master Award #2. He
worked N2COP operating portable in FM13 via SO-50 on December 15 for his final
grid. His father, John Papay
K8YSE of North Royalton, Ohio, holds Grid Master Award #1.
(ARRL
story) Financial Woes
Reported at Hara Arena Hara
Arena, home of the Dayton Hamvention,
is facing some financial issues and has cut back on its full-time staff to
save money, according to a WDTN-TV account.
The Dayton TV station reported on December 2 that the complex now has a
full-time staff of only 12 employees. (ARRL
story) RadioShack Loss Widens RadioShack
outlined cost-cutting efforts to boost its earnings as the struggling
electronics chain works to shore up its finances and fight back against
lenders who say it has defaulted on a loan.
RadioShack also reported its loss widened in its November quarter,
missing Wall Street expectations, as sales plunged. Chief Executive Joseph C.
Magnacca said the cost-cutting efforts include reductions to its
headquarters, stores, and support to "right-size our business".
(MarketWatch
story) Revised ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines Now Available The
ARRL HF Contesting
Guidelines have been revised and the latest edition is now available.
The guidelines, updated by the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee (CAC)
team, address changes in technology that have affected contesting in recent
years and present a current understanding of contesting standards and
practices. George Wagner K5KG, a
member of the CAC team that undertook the update, said the goals of the
revised ARRL HF Contesting Guidelines are to provide guidance and advice and
to encourage contest operation that advances the spirit and integrity of
radiosport. (ARRL
story) Ham
Radio in Space Japan
has successfully launched its Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample-return mission into
deep space, and with it, two satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads.
A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) rocket lifted off on
schedule early on December 3 carrying the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft on the first
leg of its journey to Asteroid 1999 JU3.
Along for the ride into deep space are two Amateur Radio satellites, Shin’en
2 (Abyss 2) and ARTSAT2:
DESPATCH. Shin’en 2 will
identify as JG6YIG, while ARTSAT2:DESPATCH will use the call sign JQ1ZNN.
(ARRL
story) FCC Amateur Radio License Database Activity in Hillsdale
County 09/23/14
KA8WBR, Ona, William M, address updated to out of county 12/23/14
KA8ALG, Ruesink, Edward W, license renewed 12/23/14
N8BIZ, Baker, William R, issued vanity call sign, previously KB8DFK QSM SKYWARN
training will not
be offered in Hillsdale County in 2015. The
nearest Spotter Training for the National
Weather Service Northern Indiana
Forecast Office will be held on March 17 in Coldwater.
Click here
for a complete schedule of training for the Northern Indiana office, including
registration links. Upcoming Events January
7 – Board Meeting January
10 – Ham Breakfast January
15 – Club Meeting March
14 – Michigan
Crossroads Hamfest March
17 – SKYWARN
Training in Coldwater |
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