May 2005

NEXT MEETING: Monday, 16 May 2005, 8:00 PM at the Sterling Community Center Annex. Contact Gordon (NQ4K) email: nq4k@arrl.net PRESENTATION: Jim, Jim, KF4PQL, "Early Days of Radio" REFRESHMENTS: Bill, KI4DHY PRESIDENTS THOUGHTS: Hi, Another month has gone bye and I did not get as much done as I had expected. I did not get on the air at all this month. Too much going on. Oh well, there is always next month and Field Day is coming up. We are wrapping up the 2005 Virginia QSO Party. Preliminary results have been posted to our web site. This has been a very successful Party. Participation was way up. Plaques will be presented at the Manassas Hamfest on 5 Jun 05. I hope that some of you can come out and join in the presentations. We have three enjoyable activities for this upcoming meeting. First, our very own famous radio personality, Jim, KF4PQL, discusses the very early days of Radio, Malone Loomis, and Gugiellmo Marconi. I admit I have never heard of Malone Loomis so I am looking forward to Jim's talk. Next, we have field day coming up and this is the meeting at which we begin to formulate our plans for the big event. Our June meeting is just before Field Day, so I hope that we can do most of the planning at this meeting. Jim, KF4PQL, has already arranged for the use of the school land. Kevin, W4KLS, has volunteered his Yaesu FT 840 and "new" laptop. Please think about any changes we want to make this year from last so we can discuss them and still have time to make preparations. We are well on our way to another great Field Day. Finally, we are nearing the end of the year and it is time to nominate officers for the next SPARC year. We will accept nominations at the meeting. (Notice how Jim, KF4PQL, has his name mentioned twice above.) Elections will be held at the June meeting. See you at the meeting, 73, Gordon, NQ4K

WEBSITES http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.qcwa.org Quarter Century Wireless Association http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.qsl.net\sterling SPARC Website http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.amateurradio-far.org FAR Website http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.groups.yahoo.com\group\k4nva http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.arrl.org\divisions\roanoke\ ARRL Roanoke Division http://www.qsl.net/sterling/SparcGap/www.wage.com WAGE Radio, Leesburg, VA http://nist.time.gov%20/ NIST time site http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html International Space Station tracking information HAMFESTS UPCOMING SPARC ACTIVITIES 5 June 2005     Manassas Hamfest: Presentation of Virginia QSO Party Plaques 20 June 2005 Club Meeting, Election of Officers, Final preparations for Field Day CONTESTS 25-26 June 2005     ARRL Field Day OTHER NOTES None.