THE AIRWAVES CALENDAR
SCHEDULE NOW FOR SARC SUMMER ACTIVITIES FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SHACK by Larry Merwin KE6YLG A budget is one of those things that different folks have different feelings about. Some people have one and follow it carefully. Some people don't have one and don't care. The State of California has a budget but they never pass it until way past the deadline. The United States Government has one that consumes unconscionable amounts of red ink. In recent times SARC has not had a formal budget. That is about to change. At the last Board of Officers meeting Mike Herr WA6ARA made the excellent suggestion that we develop a budget to help us better plan present and future operations. To that end, the treasurer has already printed out the club financial information for the last four years and Mike has volunteered to put together a straw man budget for consideration. The quick cut is that our membership fees do not cover all of our expenses and SARC is solvent only because of the generous donations we receive. Now, at first thought, putting together a SARC budget should be a pretty simple exercise. Our income derives from membership dues and various donations which come in throughout the year. Our expenditures include newsletter costs, insurance, repeater expenses and fees to rent the room for our monthly meeting. However, the fact that our dues are not covering the club's annual expenses leads one to realize that some serious consideration is required. A number of questions have already been raised. Can we afford the phone patch on the new 147.00 machine when it becomes operational? Could we find a free meeting room? Could we save significant newsletter costs by distributing the AIRWAVES via e-mail? Should repeaters be supported by annual dues or should some other mechanism for funding these machines be established? Annual membership dues have been at the present level for many years. Is an increase justified? As you can see, just looking at the numbers is the easy part. The balance sheets provide important data but the real questions require careful thought and consideration. Your comments, ideas and suggestions are needed. Please contact one of the board members listed on the front page or come to a meeting and make your opinions heard. By the way, this is the last issue of the AIRWAVES until September. I wish you a great and safe summer.
MEETING PROGRAM Wed 14 June Todd Evans W6TOD will present a talk on his experiences with weak signal six meter and VHF operating. SSB, CW, FM, meteor scatter, moon bounce, trans-equatorial - ummmmm? Sound interesting? Come learn about another of the many facets of Amateur Radio.
SUMMER ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED SARC Field Day activities organizer, Mike Herr WA6ARA, has canceled all plans for a club Field Day exercise due to total lack of participation. For the past few years when SARC did not participate in this national Field Day event, members have traveled to Shirley Meadows to join the Kernville club. A phone call to the Kernville club's Activities Director, LaVern Thrall KF6OFD, resulted in the same message - canceled for 2000. 12 July 5:30 PM 147th Annual SARC Bar-B-QSO, Pot Luck and Tail Gate Swap Fest (SARCBBQSOPL&TGSF) is at Ron Ogren's WA6PEV palacial estate, 243 North Brady St. on regular second Wednesday meeting night. Bar-B-Que light off is at 5:30 pm with the pot luck dinner getting off to a munching start around 6:30 pm. Ronald McDonald's iced orange punch, condiments and sizzling hot BBQs will be provided. Bring: a pot luck dish - salad or desert to serve six (singles can bring rolls, garlic bread, chips - dips - easy stuff) - your own meat to BBQ - table service - lawn chairs - swim suit and towel - Amateur Radio swap items. The pool will be open for all to dip 'n cool. The Swap Meet will be a tailgate affair. Dig out that RF trading stock, old Ham magazines, other not-used-in-a-long-time hardware and take it to the swap fest. How to find Ron's place: Drive west on Ridgecrest Blvd, past Downs, and look to the right for a UHF/VHF antenna farm on a small hill. 9 August 6:30 PM 80th Annual Summer Ice Cream Social at Al & Reeds Natural Ice Cream on regular second Wednesday meeting night, but no meeting. Just a get together - gab fest - eye- ball QSOs galore. Bring the family. The ice cream, sandwiches and chili are reeeeley gooood. C U there.
PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES This sixty mile bicycle ride from Leroy Jackson park in Ridgecrest to River Park in Kernville on Sunday, 24 September is sponsored by the High Sierra Cyclists of Ridgecrest. Eight Hams are needed to provide communications at the start, finish and six water stops. Contact Elvy Hopkins NØLV at 384-3589 or ehopkins@ridgenet.net. Desert Classic Bike Race 22 Oct The Eleventh Ridgecrest Desert Classic Mountain Bicycle Race will be on 24 October. About a dozen Hams are required to cover the thirty miles of this race. Contact Elvy Hopkins NØLV at 384-3589 or ehopkins@ridgenet.net.
CHAIRMAN SEEKS PARTICIPATION
RECENT SARC ACTIVITIES Amateur radio communications for the Twenty-Seventh Death Valley to Mt. Whitney bicycle race went off without a hitch on Saturday and Sunday 13 and 14 May. Sunday started at 0515 hrs with Elvy Hopkins NØLV meeting the race organizers and picking up T-shirts at Stovepipe Wells. Short chats with the official race starter, California Highway Patrol, Bureau of Land Management and the ambulance crew gave all officials the word on Amateur Radio communications for the day. The race started at 0600 hrs with different classes of riders leaving every five minutes for thirty minutes. Over one hundred and thirty riders started the race. Todd Evans W6TOD and his wife Pam KC6UUS were stationed at Emigrant rest stop. They drove a recently purchased and modified RV with antennas bristling from all corners of it's roof. With this bevy of radios, they were able to reach both sides of Towne's Pass to keep track of the ambulance and CHP and pass traffic both directions. The first rider was reported at 0645 hrs. Bill Burns WA6QYR and his wife Judy KC6UTF were parked on top of Towne's Pass in the cool breeze. Bill brought along his twenty foot mast and six element, two meter Yagi all held vertical by a home built mount kept in place by his truck's rear tire. Alan Hugo KD6IQB was, officially, working the water stop but kept an ear open to Ham traffic on his HT. The warm, sunshine bathed and very busy Panamint Springs water stop was manned by Lloyd Brubaker WA6KZV. Windy Crowley Lookout was covered by Mike Alamo KF6WSR with son Shawn doing the logging. Portable repeater set-up, control, tear-down and communications duties at Darwin Junction were covered by Greg Roush WA7IRW with able assistance from Dave Hunter KC7CEX. Dusty, windy, hot Keeler with it's local group of nutty cut-ups manning the water stop was enjoyed by Dennis Farrell KF6SWK. The finish line was covered by Dave Stone KC6UUR until about 1530 hrs when only one sixty-seven year old rider and the SAG van were still on the course. Elvy and Dave then made a hasty trip to the park and got there just before the chow line was closed down. Sunday began at 0650 hrs in Lone Pine with NØLV briefing the officials again and the race starting at 0800 hrs. Elvy anchored the crew. The switch back water stop had Judy Burns KC6UTF calling out messages and the finish at Whitney Portals was handled by Phelps Ter Huen KF6ZVD. Saturday's 78 miles and 14,000 feet of vertical gain was finished in 4:03:15. Sunday's time was 1:27:37 for 22 miles and 4,600 vertical feet. These times compute to 19.2 mph and 15.1 mph average speeds. Larry Merwin KE6YLG was on standby for short notice call up, however everyone was able to cover their assignments on both days and his services were not required. Three Hams, all first timers, rode the race. Hardy Tyson KF6TMJ completed Saturday's stage. Jay Kovar KF6GUD and Mike Gallagher KF6BCN completed both stages. All Hams enjoyed the task, the weather, the company, the picnic and the trips. As communications organizer for this event, I want to thank all those who did such a great job and made mine easy. Let's do it again next year. I attended the follow up High Sierra Cyclists meeting. During the review of lessons learned and changes of plans for next year, I asked "What would you ask the Hams to do differently?" The answer was "What you are doing now is working very well. Don't change anything."
Magnolia Days The Magnolia Day Parade of 20 May 2000 was eventful from the standpoint that it all ran smoothly and briefly. The twenty-six entries lined up from 0730 to 0900 hrs and stepped off right on time. Fifteen minutes later the first entry returned to the assembly point in front of the Baptist church just in time to see the last entry get out of the way. It was over so quickly that we kept looking down the street to see if there was any more. Well, OK, Inyokern has not grown much since it was called Magnolia. Judy Burns KC6UTF, Mike Gallagher KF6BCN, Greg Roush WA7IRW and Lloyd Brubaker WA6KZV did these public service honors and are looking forward to a repeat next year. The Main Street celebration, ethnic foods, antics and tom foolery added to the enjoyment.
RACES RAMBLINGS The "new" RACES communications trailer repairs are progressing slowly. More volunteers are needed to complete the rework. All help will be gratefully accepted. Call Lloyd WA6KZV at 375-7245 for more information.
REPEATER HAPPENINGS
IN THE MILL
NET CONTROL STATIONS NEEDED
OLD BUSINESS May 10, 2000. Those present: President Larry Merwin KE6YLG, 1st VP David Stone KC6UUR, Treasurer Ralph Frasier KQ6UU Secy. Tom Ingram WB6EPD, AIRWAVES editor Elvy Hopkins NØLV and Jerry Brooks KK6PA. The meeting started at 1847 hrs. Elvy checked with the library about the possibility of SARC donating Ham magazines on CDs. While the local library is receptive to CDs the state library system does not, at present, catalog CDs. Elvy will write a letter to the Kern County Library director to approach the subject with them. Elvy announced that he would like to order all of the new license manuals (3) and FCC part 97 for the library. The Board approved the purchase. Elvy is working on the Roger Meng memorial plate for the new books recently purchased for the library. Elvy will publish a list of new books that are placed in the library in the AIRWAVES. Elvy reported that Jim Kusznir KE6DWM and Greg Roush WA7IRW are working on the 147.00 repeater. Elvy reported that several possible sources have been identified for the coax and connectors. The cost is expected to be approximately $500. A short discussion was held on the SARC budget and the Little Lake repeater. A special board meeting will be held as soon as it can be scheduled to address both of these topics. The meeting was adjourned at 1927 hrs.
Minutes, Membership Meeting The 10 May meeting was called to order by President Larry Merwin KE6YLG at 1933 hrs at the Heritage Inn. Fifty-fifty tickets were available. The sign-up sheet was started around. Announcements: Larry announced Field day 24, 25 June. Contact Mike Herr WA6ARA. Elvy Hopkins NØLV announced the upcoming Death Valley to Mt Whitney bicycle race on Saturday and Sunday. More volunteers are needed. Elvy also announced the 10 June VE session. Call Elvy to sign up to take exams. There will be a work party for the RACES trailer at Lloyd Brubaker's house this Friday. A disaster drill is scheduled for 13 October. This month the program was on home-brew equipment. Bill Burns WA6QYR was the first presenter with a complete twenty-four gigahertz system. Greg Roush WA7IRW was next with a forty meter QRP CW transceiver and the SARC portable repeater. Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD was next with a complete CAP fly-away search and rescue kit for downed aircraft. This kit contained VHF and HF radios, power supplies, a generator and thirty foot, collapsible tower. The complete kit would also include food and camping supplies and weighed less than 170 lbs. The last presenter was Paula Herr N6VGW who was standing in for her husband Mike. Paula displayed a forty milliwatt, miniature, forty meter CW transceiver, a twenty meter SSB transceiver with digital display and a one watt CW transceiver. Paula Herr was the winner of the 50-50 drawing. Eighteen amateurs were present. Dave Hunter KC7CEX was a visitor. The meeting adjourned at 2037 hrs.
Special Board Meeting May 20, 2000, 1300 hrs, Larry Merwin's residence. Members present were: President Larry Merwin, 1st VP Dave Stone, 2nd VP Mike Herr, Secretary Tom Ingram, Repeater Committee chairman Elvy Hopkins and Jerry Brooks. The budget was discussed. It appears that a budget is needed and that current club expenses (newsletter, insurance, meeting room, etc.), without any autopatch expenses, exceed the clubs income from dues. A long discussion on the Little Lake repeater autopatch followed.
TREASURERS REPORT
As of 30 May Y2K
Share account $3,421.00
Draft account 2,210.25
Total $5,631.25
Obligated funds
Relocate 147.00 repeater 1,200.00
Balance $4.431.25
Contacting THE AIRWAVES Editor See ya in da funny paperz. de NØLV |