Prepared - November 8, 2009 By: Darrell R. Norris - WA3AJQ ===================================================== 2010 Applications & Dues The December meeting will be held on December 1st, our regular scheduled time. Members - Please plan to pay your 2010 dues as soon as possible! Any licensed amateur not a current member is invited and encouraged to join our club. Membership applications are available on our club website at: www.qsl.net/w3bmd under Membership forms. Click on, Indiana County Amateur Radio Club Form in Word Document . Please, complete the application even if you checked the box at the top indicating no change from this year. (2009) ====================================================== Christmas party The club Christmas party is scheduled for Saturday, December 12th around 6:00 PM at Hoss's in Indiana. Carl Hvozda, N3PIE, will have tickets available at both the November and December meetings. This will also serve as a fund raiser. Anyone interested, please let Carl know. ============================================================== A tragic note from the ARRL ARRL letter from October 15, 2009 Three People Killed While Erecting Antenna At approximately 8:40 PM on Monday, October 12, a man, woman and their 15 year old son were killed while trying to erect a 50 foot vertical antenna at the home of the man's mother, Barbara Tenn, KJ4KFF, in Palm Bay, Florida. The deceased were not licensed amateurs. "It happened in an instant," Palm Bay Fire Marshal Mike Couture said in a statement. "It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the most tragic result." According to police reports, Melville Braham, 55, Anna Braham, 49, and their 15 year old son Anthony were putting up an antenna -- Tenn's second -- at night when they lost control of the antenna and it crashed into nearby overhead power lines. The impact sent 13,000 volts of electricity through the pole the three were holding. A family friend, a 17 year old boy, was on the roof at the time of the accident. He and the couple's daughter, who was in the house at the time, were not injured. The mother was pronounced dead at the scene. When paramedics arrived, the father and son were not breathing; rescue crews immediately tried to resuscitate them. They were transported to a hospital where they later died. Neighbor Jim Vallindingham told television station WFTV that he called 911 when he saw the fire in the back yard and then he ran over: "I had no idea it was electrical until we got over there and saw the three people laying on the ground. So I called 911 a second time to tell them there were casualties. You know, there were people on the ground. So [the 911 operator] told me that's electric, you back away don't touch anything." Couture said that night was not the best time to be attempting to put up an antenna. "It wasn't the best time, meaning it was night time. Obviously, in darkness, and trying to do something like this and not being keenly aware of where the power line is in the backyard, [was not a good idea]," he said. Neighbors said that Tenn, an ARRL member, used Amateur Radio to talk with her family in Jamaica. -- Thanks to WFTV and Central Florida News 13 for the information ============================================================== Club Activities ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We have our Indiana County ARES net every Monday night at 8:00 PM local time (2000) on the two meter repeater, 146.190. Terry Carnahan KB3JOD, is our net coordinator and is looking for people to serve as net control operators, so please consider helping out. Robert Zugates, KB3JOF, is our Indiana County ARES Emergency Coordinator. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a two and one half to three hour Sky Warn session conducted at the Indiana County Emergency Operation Center on October 20th. We had approximately eight club members attend. Richard Kane, PBZ, was the instructor. The session was very interesting. The course certifies a sky warn volunteer for the next five years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The simulated emergency test (SET) scheduled for October 31st, was cancelled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Our club meets the first Tuesday of every month at Eat*N*Park in Indiana. Everyone is welcome. Please consider joining our club. Our membership to date is thirty seven. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Birthdays November: Dennis Whitson, KB3LBQ; Darrell Norris, WA3AJQ; Eric Hvozda, N3YMY December: Cliff Miller, KB3AGT; Al Fister, N3ZFZ; Bill Wieserman, K3ZYK; Robert Zugates, KB3JOF and Bill McMillen, N3QM. Happy Birthday to all !! Thanks and 73's, Darrell R. Norris - WA3AJQ |
Return to Indiana County Amateur Radio Newsletter for the Month |