RADIO ACTIVE Newsletter of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club November 2004 Serving Las Vegas since April 1961 ------------------------------------- President's Corner for Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ by Art Sheldon, K7ZE Well it's that time of year again. We will be electing new Board Officers for 2005 at the November meeting. Howard Mark has been working very hard to fill a slate for all to vote on. The last time I checked we still needed a President and Vice-President. If you are interested in running for either of these or any position on the Board of Directors please contact Howard. This is your club and you elect the people who will sit on the board, so I will see you at the meeting on the 9th of November. We will also have a great program to fill out the evening. The Simulated Emergency Test (S.E.T.) went very well Saturday the 30th of October. We had many check-ins and many scenarios to keep everyone on their toes. Thanks to all who participated. The Holiday Party is Friday, December 3rd at 6:30 P.M. at the Elk's Club in Henderson. More details to follow. ------------------------------------- Secretary's Report By Sandy Nelson, KD7WYD Minutes of the General Meeting of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club Tuesday, October 12, 2004 Call to order 7:00pm Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ, conducting Welcome and Introductions 56 Hams were in attendance. 3 new members. 1 license upgrade. 1 visitor. Silent Key: Bill Cornelius, K8XC Secretary: Sandy, KD7WYD - The members attending approved September's Minutes from the October Newsletter. Treasurer: Jamie, N3TOY - The Treasurer's Report was posted on the Website and printed in the October Newsletter. The members attending approved September's Report from the October Newsletter. Repeater Committee: Bob, KD7UHG – no report at this time. Trustee: Pat, N7QE – absent. Newsletter Editor: Gary, KK7LV – The newsletter needs pictures. Please bring your camera to events and submit pictures to Gary. Librarian: Shelly, KD7HZK – Please contact Shelly if you want to borrow one of our items, the list is on the website. COMM Trailer Manager: Vern, K0EGA – absent. Mike, KD7CVJ reported that they have replaced the roof vents and are working on finding replacement for the steps. Public Information Officer: Frank, KL7IPV – Another QST article will be coming in the next 2 months. Old Business: Silver State Classic Challenge, Sept 19th: - No one was present to report: The race did run and we did have Ham participation – Thanks to those that went. Vests, Sandy KD7WYD: New vest order will go in shortly. 5th Grade Class - Sully, KC6GLD: Jim Bassett, W1RO, donated many items including speakers, wall charts, etc. Please contact Sully if you have anything you can donate. Email: sully20@cox.net. Speedway NASCAR Truck/Indy Car Race, Sept 24 & 25 – Sandy, KD7WYD: This went very well. Again, many Thanks to all that participated! Total Sales were $25,227.60, total Tips were $218.03! Still waiting to hear from the Speedway on our check. MS150, Nov 6 & 7 – Joe, N7XSD: Let Joe know if you are interested in working this event. It's the first weekend in November and will run from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Mesquite this year. More Hams will be needed to cover the vast area through Valley of Fire. He has plenty of work for one-day volunteers or 2-day volunteers! The Oasis Hotel is offering a $29.00 room-rate for participants. Las Vegas Marathon, 1/30/2005 – Howard, K3HM: We have been asked to cover all 26 miles. Howard will be looking for up to 50 or more volunteers. He currently has 39 signed up! A signup sheet was again circulated to get more volunteers lined up! Holiday Party, Dec 3 – Charlie, AA5QJ: It is once again at the Elk's Lodge in Henderson – Potluck with the club providing the main course. There will be a Yankee Swap and many, many gifts for the members attending! Donations- Charlie, AA5QJ: Jamie has sent out the $100.00 to Newsline and the $100.00 to AMSAT that the membership approved. New Business: School Club – Dave, WD6ZZY: also requests donations of equipment for an after-school program he is starting at his school. Memorial for Bill, K8XC – Charlie, AA5QJ: Please jot down your ideas for the club to remember Bill and all his achievements in the HAM community and get them to Charlie or one of the board members. Nomination Committee – Howard, K3HM: We need new officers for 2005. Please let Howard know if you would like to be a part of the board or feel that another member would make a good officer. The Election will be at the November meeting. Net-Control Operator – Howard, K3HM: He is looking for one more net-controller, please let him know if you are interested. Club Polo Shirts – Bob, KD7UHG: Kimberly from the Custom Clothiers brought in several 'sample' shirts and presented them to the members. She took orders and they should be available at the next General Meeting! Please remember your checkbooks! ------------------------------------- Announcements: ARES/RACES, Charlie, AA5QJ: Deployment: Steven Andrews, N7RNU Dennis Cornell, N7HRO Brad Anderson, KE7ABX are still deployed in Florida. The only word we've had is a brief email from Dennis that he's been moved around quite a bit. SET – Saturday, October 30th from 8:00 AM to Noon – Annual local emergency exercise. Skywarn Recognition Day: Dec 3 and 4th. Test Session: Art, K7ZE: Evening session will be held on the 22nd of this month. More info online on the ARRL site. Raffle Prizes – Byon, N6BG: General Class book for AES, Power pole connectors, New batteries, used-batteries from the Robber's fire, Hershey Kiss Antenna, Rig-runner. Refreshments/Break Program: PowerPoles – Byon, N6BG: Byon did a short presentation on PowerPoles and their uses. Including the ease of assembling them and the convenience of having all your equipment on them. Hazardous Materials Handling – Mike, KD7YGU: Mike presented a very basic version of the program used by the Highway Patrol. It was very informative and even a little scary when you think of how much of this stuff is out on the road with us everyday! Raffle: Robber's Fire Batteries: Pat, N7QE Joseph John, N7LWG Ron, N7NBA Stanley, W7SLP John, KD7QYB Mike, KD7CVJ Larry, M3ERS Power Pole connectors and batteries: Dennis, KD7ZAL Power Pole connectors and batteries: John, KD7QYB Hershey Kiss antenna and batteries: Mike, KD7CVJ Rig Runner and batteries: Ron, N7NBA Meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM. ------------------------------------- Treasurer's Report By Jamie Gorr, N3TOY The treasurer's report is also posted on the club Web site. We will also continue to publish it in the newsletter. Beginning Balance 11,261.42 Deposits Took some in Expenses Put some out Ending Balance Still have some! ------------------------------------- ARES / RACES for Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ Clark County ARES Emergency Coordinator/RACES Officer by Gary Hartman, KK7LV In preparation for the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) which was held on Saturday, October 30th, an updated list of frequencies was distributed. This list was used during the SET to assign alternate frequencies for message traffic. This is a very good test of the capabilities of the system and it gives us the option to keep the main emergency channel open for immediate access. Now is a good time to remind everyone to update the frequencies in your radios and become familiar with the procedures for setting the frequencies, offset, PL and memory channels in your radio. An exercise that is frequently done at club meetings and ARES/RACES meetings is for everyone to pass their radio to the person to their immediate left and then change frequencies. Usually everyone gets a radio that is much different than their own. The point is that you are doing exactly the same thing but the buttons may be in a different order or named something slightly different. Get together with a friend and try it. I would like to take this time to comment on the SET. First of all, I want to congratulate Art Sheldon, K7ZE, Assistant EC for North Las Vegas and the acting net control for the SET. He was professional and on top of all the activity. Job well done, Art. The SET included many people and more message traffic than we have had in the past. Any time we have that many people involved in the activity we are learning and developing skills over a wide range of folks. My participation was limited as I got called away in the middle for a business crisis, however, I monitored the HF and local frequencies. It was obvious to me that we had more local activity and were very well organized. A request was issued to send traffic via WinLink. I am unaware of the success or any problems with this or any other digital transmissions. I have received some comments from the northern part of the state that there were too many frequencies to monitor. I have also received information that we did not utilize all the communications capability that we have at our disposal, such as IRLP and Echo Link. The fact that IRLP and Echo Link were not included in the planned activity for the SET does not invalidate that service. There are certain goals at the outset of each SET and those change from year to year. The idea is to focus on areas of communications links and strengthen those areas. WinLink, IRLP, and Echo Link are definitely on the radar screen of the local leaders and are an important aspect of our capabilities. I might also point out the IRLP and Echo Link played a vital roll in the Hurricane disasters in Florida. Just as this exercise pointed out, we need alternate frequencies and other modes to be able to service a real emergency. ------------------------------------- MS-150 Bike Race (Vegas to Mesquite Editorialized By Gary Hartman, KK7LV As you know, this race is probably over by the time you read this. At best it may be in progress. I want to be sure that you all know what an excellent job Joe Scanlan, N7XSD, has done with this program. He is well organized and as I witnessed at our organizational meeting on Thursday night, he has taken lessons learned from past races and implemented procedures to provide better coverage. This is an important fund raising event for the MS Society. It also gives us a chance to exercise our emergency communications skills. If you missed this year's race, plan to work it next year. There are some other opportunities coming up throughout the year and it really is an opportunity for you to develop and refine yours skills as a communicator. It is also an opportunity for the club to get exposure to the community and for the community to get to know what Ham Radio is all about. Whether you have participated in our races before or not you will hear the term "Turtle" used. This is the driver that brings up the "Rear". I took a snapshot just so you would know when you see him. I join with Joe in Thanking all who participated. ------------------------------------- Coming Events MS-150 Bike Ride November 6 & 7, 2004, from Las Vegas to Mesquite. Contact Joe Scanlan, N7XSD at n7xsd@arrl.net or 896-0507 LVRAC Holiday Party Elks Lodge in Henderson at 6:30 PM. December 3, 2004 SkyWarn Recognition Day December 3rd & 4th. This event lasts for 24 hours. It will start at 0000 UTC (4:00 PM PST) on Friday And lasts until 0000 UTC (4:00 PM PST) on Saturday. Location is NWSFO parking lot. Las Vegas Marathon January 30, 2005 Contact Howard (The voice of Summerlin) Mark, K3HM at 256-3662 or hmark@earthlink.net ------------------------------------- 2004 Exam Schedule License examinations are given on the second Saturday of each month. There are a couple of evening sessions at a different location. November 13, 2004 12:30 PM (PST) December 11, 2004 12:30 PM (PST) Day Time Test Sessions at: All Saints Episcopal Church 4201 W. Washington Ave. Between Decatur and Valley View Evening Test Sessions at: Clark County Government Center, Training Rm 3 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. Southeast of the spaghetti bowl (I-15 & 95) Please visit www.lvhamtest.com for updates, maps and further information. $12.00 Exam Fee Proper Identification, prefer a picture ID with your signature. Normally applicants provide a drivers license or student ID. Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer ID number (TIN) if you are not eligible for an SSN. If you presently have an Amateur Radio License, we will need the original plus a photocopy. If you have a CSCE, we must see the original plus a photocopy. Pen and a pencil. You may bring a calculator as long as the memory can be "flushed" before you take the exam. ------------------------------------- LAS VEGAS RADIO AMATEUR CLUB P.O. Box 27342 Las Vegas, Nevada 89126 Membership Application Please Print Legibly NEW MEMBER (Please attach copy of license) RENEWAL UPDATE INFORMATION Name_______________________________________________ApplicationDate ____/______/_______ M D YR Call Sign _______________ License Class ______________ Expiration Date ____/______/______ Address _______________________________ City ___________________ State _____ Zip ______ Home Telephone (____)___________________ Work Telephone (____)___________________ Cellular/Pager (____)______________________ E-mail: ________________________________ Family Membership Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ ARRL Member Signature ___________________________________ Your preference in receiving the monthly club newsletter - Club Web Page w/email notification The club operates on a calendar year (January through December) with dues presently at $20 per year. Dues are the same for an individual or family membership. Please send check or money order payable to the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club (or LVRAC) and mail to the club's post office box listed in the heading of this application.. Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club P.O. Box 27342 Las Vegas, NV 89126 Internet: http://www.lvrac.org/ Radio: 146.940 MHZ (K7UGE repeater) 448.500 MHz (K7UGE repeater) 146.730 MHz (QST machine) Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club November 2004 Issue