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PARC Bulletin No. 2 - 09: PARC Views - Winter Newsletter

Hello to you all …….

At the PARC monthly meeting on January 7^th, the members in attendance agreed that we needed a newsletter to send out to the members. So here it is! It’s not anything fancy - just information about what’s currently happening with PARC, the amateur radio community, upcoming events and topics of interest to all.

====> TECHNICIAN CLASS TRAINING SESSION

The Hampton Public Service Team and the Southern Peninsula Amateur Radio Club (SPARK) will be holding a Technician Class training session at the Northampton Baptist Church located at 1409 Todds Lane in Hampton on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. The dates of the class are January 24, 31 and February 14, 21 & 28 with a test session slated for March 7. There WILL NOT be a class on February 7 due to Frostfest.

This class is not required to obtain your Amateur Radio license. The group provides instruction aimed at producing competent hams that can pass the Technician and maybe even the General amateur radio class examinations.

The class is free but you will need the book, “The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual” 1^st Edition (c) 2006 #9639. The cost of the book is $24.95. The group anticipates having a supply of the books on hand for the first class. The books are also available at Hilton Sport and Hobby Shop in Newport News http://www.hiltonsport.us (owned and operated by our own Gary Dohey, N4ZCC).

There is a $14.00 testing fee collected on the day of the test which goes to the FCC.

For additional information or to register for the class, contact Chris Hosman (KC4F) at:

chrishosman@cox.net

(757) 825-9345 - Home

(757) 719-0956 - Cell

====> FROSTFEST 2009

Frostfest 2009 will be held at the Richmond Raceway Complex on Saturday, February 7^th from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Admission tickets are $9.00 but if you order online by going to the RATS website at: (http://www.rats.net/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=4) and use the coupon code “WEB2009” you can receive $1.00 off. For more information, go to the Frostfest website located at: http://www.frostfest.com

====> ARES/RACES REGISTRATION

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and Virginia ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to establish guidelines and procedures when ARES/RACES members are activated during disasters, emergencies, drills and exercises. In order to participate in any of these ARES/RACES events, you must first be registered with your local ARES group. If you are not registered, you are not covered under the insurance so you will not be allowed to

participate.

Please note that if your registered PRIOR to June 1, 2008, your ARES registration IS NOT valid and you must re-register. Registering with ARES is fast, easy and painless.

Registering does not obligate you so please take a minute to register by going to:

http://www.aresva.org/aresva.html

Look at the top of the far right hand column “ARES/RACES VA MENU”

Scroll down and select “ARES / RACES VA Registration”

This will take you to the beginning of the registration process. Be sure to select “ARES VA Member or Appointee Registration,” type in your call sign and select “Go to Form.” Follow the instructions from there.

If you have any questions about the process or about ARES in general, contact Rick Ross (KG4TAX) at: ross873@arrl.net

====> SUMMER PICNIC

We plan on having a picnic this summer with SPARK and the Hampton Public Service Team, possibly at the Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Nothing is set in stone as of yet. Look for

more information on the picnic in the Spring newsletter.

====> REPEATER NEWS

The 2 meter repeater is still down but the 440 repeater (442.900+ with 100.0 pl) is up and running. At the present, the antenna height is only 50 feet so the range is very limited. Its physical location is near the intersection of Harpersville Rd & Hampton Roads Center Parkway in Newport News.

====> FIELD DAY

Since we had a low turn out at last years Field Day, we discussed the possibility of having a combined Field Day with the Hampton Public Service Team and SPARK clubs.

More details on this in the Spring newsletter.

====> MEMBERSHIP DUES

Your 2009 PARC membership dues are up for renewal. Dues are still $25.00 (single or family). You can renew at the meeting, we can come by and pick them up or you can send

them via snail mail to:

PARC

c/o Marc Fogleman

21 Carolyn Dr.

Newport News, VA 23606-3103

====> FOR YOUR HEALTH

Are you at risk for heart attack or stroke? Yes, no, maybe? Want to find out? Consider a health screening. If you follow the link to either one of the websites listed below, it explains the procedures and their associated costs. You can type in your zip code to locate the closest screening center and the available dates.

http://www.lifelinescreening.com/Pages/MyDoctorsCare.aspx

http://www.healthfair.com/sign_up.html

====> FREE ON-LINE COLLEGE COURSES

Interested in biology, electronics, aeronautics, computers? Charlie Stokes (WB4PVT) found that MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is offering free on-line college courses in over 1800 subjects. Yes, there is a catch: you can’t obtain college credit for completing the courses (that is, unless, you are willing to pay for the course). For more information, visit

their website at:

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

====> PARC OFFICERS FOR 2009

Our PARC officers for 2009 are:

Bobby Yates (N4RY), President

Rick Ross (KG4TAX), Vice President

Janet Jenkins (KC4YWY), Secretary

Marc Fogleman (KF4POD), Treasurer

Please take a moment to congratulate and thank them for their efforts to keep our club moving in a positive direction.

====> FEBRUARY MEETING INFORMATION

The combined February business and program meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 4^th at 7:30 pm at Warwick High School, 51 Copeland Lane in Newport News. Our assigned room is 117. The program will consist of a PowerPoint presentation on monitoring the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station and how to use amateur radio to make contact. We will be handing out free computer satellite tracking programs at the meeting. As usual, dinner prior to the meeting (Dutch Treat) at 6:00 pm at Sam and Steve's House of Beef, located just south of Dresden Drive on Jefferson Avenue.

====> DID YOU KNOW THAT ……

Operators skilled in Morse code can often copy code in their heads at rates in excess of 40 wpm? In July 1939 at a contest in Asheville, NC, Ted R. McElroy, W1JRN (1904-1963), set a still-standing record for Morse copying at 75.2 wpm. In his online book on high speed sending, William “Bill” Pierpont, N0HFF (1915-2003), noted that some operators may have passed 100 wpm. By this time they are "hearing" phrases and sentences rather than words. The fastest speed ever sent by a straight key was achieved in 1942 by Harry Turner (W9YZE) who reached 35 wpm in a demonstration at a U.S. Army base. By the way, did you know that Bill was the brother of Ken Pierpont (KF4OW) and author of “The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy.” A web version of the book can be found at: http://www.raes.ab.ca

Lastly, I previously mentioned we plan on sending out a newsletter once a quarter. Please send us anything you would like to see placed in the newsletter. Give us your suggestions on what you’d like to see and how we can improve on the content. Look for the next newsletter around April 1^st. If you know of someone who does not have email capabilities and would

like a hard copy of the newsletter, please let us know and we’ll be sure they receive one.

Take care, stay warm and 73,

Marc Fogleman, KF4POD

PARC Bulletin and Publicity Chairman

Visit the PARC website at: http://www.qsl.net/w4mt