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June 2006

MINUTES OF GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF

SILVER SPRINGS RADIO CLUB, INC.

May 15, 2006

The meeting was called to order by President Bill Miller, N6WGM, at 7:42 p.m. Present at the meeting were Officers, President Bill Miller, N6WGM, Vice President Richard Moss, KF4ML, Treasurer, Bill Britt, KQ4UJ, and Secretary, Jeanette Frantz, KG4DJA. Board Members present were Russ Merkel, WB9GIU, and Walter Hill, W0WRH. There were 27 members and three visitors in attendance. A quorum was present.

The invocation was given by Gene Layerd, N4QFA.

The membership recited the pledge of allegiance.

The membership introduced themselves.

Upon motion made, seconded and adopted, the April General Membership Meeting Minutes and May 2006 Board Meeting Minutes were approved as published in The Oracle.

Upon motion, made, seconded and adopted, the Treasurer's report was approved as published in The Oracle.

Committee Reports:

ARISS: Larry Phelps, K4OZS, read a letter from Romeo Elementary School.

MEMBERSHIP: The membership applications of Membership Applications of Frederick Miley, II, KI4OLL, and Frederick Miley, III, KI4OLM were approved.

MARCH OF DIMES: Bill Britt, KQ4UJ, reported that the Walk-America event was a success, as far as amateur radio communications.

MERT: MERT is gearing up for the upcoming hurricane season.

MARS: Bill Miller and Dick Moss continue to work at the MARS Station.

Oracle ARTICLES: Jeanette Frantz reported that she had received three separate articles for The Oracle.

FIELD DAY 2006: Pete Axson, WD4LST, reported on his progress on organization of the Field Day 2006 events. Letters of invitation to various dignitaries will be prepared by the Secretary, signed by Bill Miller, and mailed.

There was no program.

There being no further business to come before the membership, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Jeanette Frantz, KG4DJA

Secretary

THERE WAS NO BOARD MEETING

HELD IN JUNE 2006.

FLORIDA HAMFESTS

June 2006

Compiled by Bill Britton KB4VOL/AAM4AFL

THESE LISTS ARE ONLY AS ACCURATE AS THE INFORMATION RECEIVED.

PLEASE SEND CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS---SEE BELOW. SEND PL FOR REPEATERS WHERE NEEDED.

DATE LOCATION NOTES

Jul 14-15 Milton At Santa Rosa Auditorium Talk-in on 145.490 INFO: Dave, KC4HKJ (850) 626-7663

Aug 12 Fort Pierce At Ind. River Comm. College 3209 Virginia Ave. Talk-in on 147.345 PL 107.2 INFO: Pete, KD4SPW (772) 465-5204

Sept 23 Orlando, Bahia Shriners Tailgate, at 2300 Pembrook Drive, Talk-in on 147.390 PL 103.5, INFO: Warren, W4WHH

Sept 23 New Port Richey, at First Lutheran Church, Talk-in on 145.640, INFO: Ron, N9EE (727) 376-6575

For a complete listing of Hamfests in Florida, please visit the Florida Ham Website at its new location, http:// bellsouthpwp.net/k/b/kb4vol.

A WAKE-UP CALL FROM

ALBERTO

This writer is not certain how she was so complacent and confident. After all, she thought it was only June 9, 2006, much too early for a significant tropical storm or a hurricane. How foolish is procrastination!

On Friday night, June 9, we had gone out to dinner, and on Saturday spent the day in Crystal River. On Sunday, we suddenly became aware of the threat this early storm presented. Simul-taneously with Sunday's realization came another realization: we were NOT in any way prepared for

this storm. Quite simply, we were complacent, adopting an attitude that "it (the storm) won't come here." Guess what, the storm wasn't listening to us.

Alberto began life as a tropical depression which formed south of Cuba. At 11:00 p.m. on June 10, Alberto's winds were at 35 mph, with the storm moving North-Northwest at 10 mph. The storm remained at this strength and forward travel direction through 5:00 a.m. on June 11.

At 11:00 a.m. June 11, the storm had strengthened to 45 mph, had become a named tropical storm, with a forward path in a Northwesterly direction at 10 mph. At 5:00 p.m. that day, the storm's forward speed had slowed to 5 mph. At 11:00 p.m., the storm's forward speed was again 10 mph, only this time the storm was moving North. At 5:00 a.m., on June 12, the storm had strengthened to 50 mph winds and its forward direction was North.

On June 12, at 11:00 a.m., the storm had strengthened with winds at 70 mph sustained winds, moving North at 5 mph. At 5:00 p.m. on June 12, the storm, still having 70 mph winds began traveling in a North-Northeasterly direction moving toward North Central Florida. At 5:00 a.m., June 13 the storm's sustained winds had dropped to 65 mph, but its forward speed and direction wee unchanged. At 11:00 a.m. June 13, the storm's winds had fallen to 50 mph with the storm's center nearing landfall. By 5:00 p.m. on June 13, Alberto was barely a tropical storm with winds at 40 mph. The storm had made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida. Although Alberto left a great deal of much-needed rainfall behind it, Marion County escaped with little damage. However, Alberto leaves this writer deeply concerned.

Why? Because, she was not prepared for this storm. Although historically the birthplace of this storm doesn't lend itself to formation of strong hurricanes, 2004 and 2005 should have convinced all of us that we have NO control of these storms. This storm named Alberto could just as easily have been a storm like Charley, Frances and Jeanne in 2004, and Rita, Katrina and Wilma in 2005. On Tuesday, June 13, Crystal River Police closed all businesses in Crystal River because the City had to shut down the sewer system. Many streets had water 10-12" deep. This writer has had no reports from Levy County, which took a bigger hit from this storm than Marion County, but the likelihood is that there was flooding.

So, yes, this was and is definitely a wake-up call! This writer will be prepared when another storm forms.

In 2004, thousands of people residing in Marion County evacuated to the storm shelters throughout the County. That evacuation undoubtedly saved lives-we'll never know how many. When the storms were gone, so were a lot of homes. Many individuals who evacuated to the shelters throughout the county had no home left.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center has published its outlook for the 2006 Atlantic Hurricane season. That prediction indicates an 80% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 15% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 5% chance of a below-normal season. Thus, the outlook is for a very active 2006 hurricane season, with 13-16 named storms, 8-10 hurricanes, and 4-6 major hurricanes (categories 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale). Although NOAA, National Hurricane Center and Hurricane Research Division predict an above-normal hurricane season, those organizations do not expect a repeat of the catastrophic 2005 season,

Why write this article? Because, my friends, we must NOT be unprepared to protect ourselves and our families first, with property ranking far below the lives and well-being of our families and neighbors. All the property we have won't mean anything at all if our families are injured or lost in efforts to save our property.

So, for the benefit of your families and yourself, GET PREPARED. We cannot expect to get through this hurricane season unscathed - we can only hope.

Your Editor,

Jeanette Frantz

Internet Scams

by Kevin Young, KC7FPF

It's estimated that six billion e-mail messages are sent worldwide everyday. Some are legitimate. A lot aren't. It's what's known as spam. That spam can cost you a lot of money if you're not careful. Here are some Internet scams and myths to look out for and what you can do to protect yourself.

One of the most common scams is the Nigerian Letter. You get an e-mail saying someone's relative in Nigeria has died and they need your help to transfer money overseas. They mention this "urgent matter" requires secrecy. Then they ask for your phone and fax number and a bank account. This scam started back in the 1980s through regular mail. Don't believe anything they say. It's all lies. There is no great amount of money waiting for you in Nigeria. Just delete this e-mail.

Another common scam that comes through your e-mail is one offering a business opportunity. They'll say you can make hundreds or thousands of dollars a day by doing very little. They'll tell you to call a phone number and leave a message or send an e-mail to have a sales person call you. This "business opportunity" is usually nothing more than a pyramid scheme masquerading as a business to try and make money off of you. Just delete this e-mail.

The most vicious type of scam is known as phishing. You get an e-mail supposedly from a legitimate business like PayPal. It says there's been a security breach or there's a question about your account. They then ask you to verify your account information by sending in your account number or personal identification number, or in some instances, both. They'll also ask you for your credit card info as well as other private personal information. The e-mail looks genuine, but that's about the only genuine thing about it. Legitimate businesses don't contact you about personal account info by e-mail. They do that through the regular mail.

If you have any questions about the legitimacy of an e-mail from a company, call the company directly. That phone call could save you thousands of dollars and years of headaches, so what can you do?

First of all, be cautious. As a rule of thumb when you're dealing with e-mail, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you think you've been the victim of phishing, call your local police. Also, keep an eye on your credit report by getting a credit report at least once a year.

For more information on phishing, log on to:

www.fraud.org/tips/internet/phishing.htm

Field Day 2006

This year, the Silver Springs Radio Club will be conducting Field Day activities at the Marion County government complex, in the area in front of Green Clover hall. This centralized location should allow us to get the public to come out and see what ham radio is all about. We will have a GOTA (get on the air) station available to allow anyone the opportunity to experience amateur radio.

The Marion County Emergency Radio Communications Team (MERT) will have a station set up to show their emergency communications capabilities. The Marion County Sheriff's Mobile Command Center will be on location with public preparedness information. The communications group of the local Civil Air Patrol will also have their Mobile communications center on display.

AAR4CSS, the local Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) station will have a display set up to allow the public to see their steadfast commitment to American service personnel stationed abroad.

A special invitation is extended to all of the newly licensed hams, as well as the new members of the Silver Springs Radio Club. This is the perfect opportunity to jump in and get your feet wet. Regardless of your license class, you WILL be able to operate HF during this event with a control operator present. Come on out, learn some new tricks, operate with fellow hams, and have fun! Whether you are a seasoned operator, or just received your ticket, your participation will be key to the success of Field Day.

Invitations have been mailed to various dignitaries in Marion County, and we hope to have at least some of our public officials present.

Set up will begin early Saturday morning so that we can get all of the work of antenna erecting and station setup done before the heat of the day sets in. Saturday morning until early afternoon will also be the busiest in terms of public interaction. At 2:00 p.m. (1800z), the contesting portion of field day begins. This will continue throughout the night until no later than 2:00 p.m. Sunday.

If you have any questions, or would like to make known your preferred operating band/mode/time for field day, please email me at wd4lst@alltel.net.

You can also get more information on the web at: www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/

73s,

Pete Axson, WD4LST

your friendly field day coordinator dude

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALLS,

CARDS AND YOUR PRAYERS!

Donna and Johnny Williams wish to express their appreciation to those of you have called, those who sent cards and to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and caring concern following their automobile accident.

For those of you who may not be aware, Donna and Johnny were involved in a very bad accident a little over a month ago. They are both facing some long-term medical treatment as a result of their injuries.

So, keep them in your thoughts and prayers for their swift recovery.

From our hearts to yours, we hope and pray you will both recover sooner, rather than later.

CLUB MEETINGS are the third Monday of each month 7:30 PM At the Health Department Auditorium, 1801 Southeast 32nd Avenue, Ocala, Florida., Ocala, Florida. Coffee & Doughnuts are available.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS meetings are the first Monday of each month, 7:30 PM at the Marion County Health Department, 1801 Southeast 32^nd Avenue, Ocala, Florida.

K4GSO, club station, Green Clover Hall, is available to all members. Contact Bill, KQ4UJ, 694-1605.

MARS, club station located at 161 Oak Circle, Silver Springs Shores. Phone number is 680-1528. Contact Bill KQ4UJ, at 694-1605.

LICENSE TESTING, on the second Monday of each odd number month, except July, 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, Room 18, located on East Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala.. Call Otto Hoel, N1OH, 291-4934.

RADIO NETS are conducted over the club repeater, K4GSO, on 146.610 MHz (-600).

LADIES AUXILIARY. Sunshine - Provides flowers and get-well cards for members or members' family. Also orders SSRC logo shirts and caps, Barbara Million, KE4ZTW, 694-5744.

NOTE: For change of address or corrections (with SSRC) contact the Membership Chairman.

SSRC NET, every Tuesday at 7:30 (local time). Contact Jeanette at (352) 489-0571.

MERT (Marion County Emergency Radio Communications Team) NET, every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. LOCAL time. Contact Jeanette Frantz, KG4DJA at (352) 489-0571.

President William Miller, N6WGM 873-2017

V. President Richard Moss, KF4ML 873-2079

Secretary Jeanette Frantz, KG4DJA 489-0571

Treasurer Bill Britt, KQ4UJ 694-1605

Trustee Bill Britt, KQ4UJ 694-1605

Board

Members: Russ Merkle, WB9GIU 624-2285

Walter Hill, W0WRH

Tony Blalock, K4OCF 622-4960

Oracle

Editor: Jeanette Frantz, KG4DJA 489-0571

Oracle _editor@prodigy.net

Membership Phillip Frantz, KF4QIC 489-0571

Ladies'

Auxiliary Barbara Million, KE4ZTW 694-5744

Email: funyet2@earthlink.net

Silver Springs Radio Club Website:

http://www.qsl.net/ssrc/

Ocala Radio Amateur's Candid Letter of Enlightenment

SILVER SPRINGS RADIO CLUB

P.O. BOX 787

SILVER SPRINGS, FL 34489

June 2006