We start this month on a sad note with the passing of Mike Gee, WB7JGW, SOARC Secretary, who was always there to give a hand or take on any task.  My first meeting with him was working at last year's Field Day. He was a big help to get things taken care of as well as putting in the hours operating on the air.  We will all miss Mike's smiling face and energetic attitude. 

Once again it's meeting time, April already, and we are beginning to make some progress towards getting all the various committees set up and operating.  This meeting we can expect reports from each group on what is happening with their activities.  I know some of you have been calling old members and hams in the area, reminding them that there is a club, and we sure would like to see them participate by coming to our meetings.  Plus, it's time for the snow birds to return to the area, so we should see an increase in meeting attendance.

Don't forget about upcoming activities, and that your help is always appreciated.  Not just club-sponsored functions, but helping out other groups; doing a bit of public service by providing communications help as needed.  Invest a bit of time and have a good time as well.  Keep up with local activities that need help and do what you can to help them.

Always looking for program suggestions, so, if you have any thoughts or things you would like to see or learn more about, let Mike Wright, N7GEI, know, or drop me a line.

Field Day was fun last year, and we hope to have another good one this year.  Galen Kelm, KE7LM, is heading things up with the help of some of the others, and will be putting together some groups to help get set-up, as well as operate, that weekend.  We hope to have good weather once again, and no mosquitoes--or at least a minimum number of bugs.  To get ready for it this year, we are planning on a pre-Field Day get together for the Oregon QSO party.  It's a good chance to practice technique and operating in a "contest" situation when there is a lot of activity on the ham bands.  Plus, it lets the rest of the world know there are hams in Oregon too. 

Field Day is a chance to practice getting set-up and operating from emergency power.  We get to use our technical talents as amateur radio operators, and also be communicators.  The tragic events in Indonesia and India show us that disasters can happen, and that amateur radio can quickly provide emergency communications for disaster management, as well as health and welfare messages.  Passing a message from a survivor to their family, to let them know that they are OK, is appreciated more than we can imagine.  I recommend that, if you can, participate in the various traffic nets that operate in California, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.  Sure, the messages we handle are pretty mundane, but you get to practice technique, how to listen, or request repeated information.  In a real emergency, having these skills will help everyone to communicate better and faster. 

Well, will see all of you at the next meeting. 

73, Dennis Recla, WA5KTC

Club President 2005

Leonard Coleman, KB7TSX, has been involved with CROP Walk for some time now. He won't be available to head up the communications support for this year's event and has requested a volunteer to chair that part of the walk this fall. Basically, you will coordinate the hams who will be at the park and along the route. He also has asked for more ham volunteers to man the various waypoints to request any need for assistance for the participants. Please consider getting involved in this important event. You can contact Leonard by phone at 866-2463 or online at kb7tsx@echoweb.net.

Great article about hams in the April issue of Highways, the official publication of The Good Sam Club. Entitled "Aces of Communication", it chronicled the efforts of the "Hammin-Sams of Ohio" who maintain a statewide weather net which provides advisories and alerts for RVers. This ham-only Good Sam chapter also provides communications for various events and organizes raffles for charity. If you would like to see the full article, I'll have it with me at the next meeting.

Have you made your reservations for this year's Sea-Pac? I have already made my motel reservation and received my Sea-Pac tickets by return mail. I always attend the Quarter Century Wireless Association luncheon on Saturday and the convention banquet on Saturday night. I'm sure a great time will be had by all. See you there?

If you haven't paid your 2005 dues, you have been deleted from the official SOARC roster. Dues are due by March 31st each year and the club roster is purged as of April 1st. When you pay your dues, your official membership will be restored.

Don't forget--you can list your "for sale or trade" or "wanted" items in the newsletter. Please limit them to ham or computer-related merchandise or services.

If you have anything to contribute to the Gnus, see the contact information above.

73, Mike, N7GEI

Western Belles is a women's ham radio chat group that meets at 7:30 PM on the second Tuesday of every month on the 147.300 repeater. Please check in!

The ladies get together regularly for lunch and all female hams are invited to attend.

Our next luncheon will be at 11:30 on April 30th at Taqueria Mexico, 137 SE H St., Grants Pass, next to the Rogue Theater.

Two meter Isopole antenna for $30.00. Cushcraft 10 meter monoband vertical for $35.00. Contact Richard Perkins, WA7SNY, 482-1966 (Ashland).

SOARC Secretary Mike Gee, WB6JGW, 56, of Grants Pass, died Thursday, March 17th, at his home. Mike missed the March SOARC meeting, just two evenings before his death, because he reportedly had developed flu-like symptoms earlier that day and didn't want to chance spreading his "bug" to others.

Mike worked for Siemens Rolm Communications in San Ramon, CA, before moving to Grants Pass in 2002. He retired from the California National Guard in 2004 with the rank of major. He was an ARES volunteer and enjoyed radio-controlled model airplanes.

Mike is survived by his wife, Dianne; a daughter, Tiffany A. Whysong, Sacramento, CA; a brother, Larry Gee, Diamond Bar, CA, and a granddaughter.

The Southern Oregon Amateur Radio Club is sponsoring ARRL licensing examinations for 2005 on June 28th and November 29th at the regular meeting site. ARRL has once again increased the fee for licensing from $12.00 to $14.00 per license class exam. As usual, if you take a written and code test together you only pay the single fee. Either one by itself is $14.00. Should you take two written tests to upgrade twice in one session it will cost $28.00. Even if you don't take any tests, the fee for an upgrade (in this instance, the invoking of the grandfather privilege for pre-1987 technicians) will be $14.00.

Walk-ins are dandy with no pre-registration required. If there are many of you arriving in a group, or are examinees requiring special accommodation (PWD), then please do advise me in advance so that we can best meet your needs.

Register between 6:00-6:15 PM. Exams begin at 6:30. Plan on spending from one to two hours.

Contact: Bill Tyner, WX7U, by e-mail at
goodgrendl@aol.com or leave a phone message at (541) 476-2703.

73, Bill Tyner, WX7U

Looking for projects for students?  Check out ARRL Education and Technical Kits and Projects at:
http://www.arrl.org/fandes/tbp/kits-projects.html

For tower maintenance:
http://lists.contesting.com/archievs/towertalk/2002-03/msg00040

73, Elmer Seutter, W6IGK

Callsign database – just type in the zip code and you will get all of the hams registered in that area:
http://callsign.ualr.edu/callsign.shtml

World Radio Site:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/nation

Manuals and do-it-yourself blueprints:
http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/

73, Gary Ingram, KB7FCI