March SAARC Meeting

The next SAARC meeting will be on Tuesday March 21. The meeting will be held in room 106 at Petoskey High School. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm. We will have another drawing for a door prize so be sure to show up. Congratulations to Chuck Brew who won a gift certificate for Radio Shack at the February meeting.

We have a lot to talk about this month. Our annual raffle ticket sale is coming up as well as a blood drive and Field Day. We will also be discussing the possibility of upgrading our current repeater. Chuck Scott should have some information on what is available and the cost of replacing our current set up.

SAARC Meetings 2006

SAARC VEC Exam Dates

We had five new hams get their tickets at our last VE session. Congratulations to all of you who passed and welcome to the world of amateur radio. Jack's class was very successful and we hope to have another class offered soon. If you know anyone who has been thinking about becoming a ham, let us know so we can inform them when the next class will take place. Jack is also considering running a class for those who want to upgrade so be sure to mention it when you see him at the next meeting. In the meantime, hit the books so you can be ready for one of the following test sessions.

April 1 - June 3 - July 8* -October 7 - December 2

All sessions are located at the Red Cross Building and scheduled times are 10:00AM.
*SAARC Swap session at 1:00 pm

Remember to bring a photo ID, a copy of your license and, if applicable, a copy of your "Certificate of Successful Completion of Element" you received at your last session. You will also need $14, a pen and pencil, and a calculator if you think you'll need it.

The Dues is Due

Well, it is that beautiful time of the year when the earth is renewed by the warmth of spring (sorry for getting poetic). While you are feeling all warm inside and thinking about renewal, don't forget to fill out the renewal form conveniently located in this issue of the Static. Your continued support will help keep the club going and maintain one of the best repeater systems in the north. You can return your form to our treasurer or renew at the next meeting.

Upcoming Hamfests

3/18/2006 SMARS - Marshall, MI

4/8/2006 Milford ARC - Milford, MI

5/6/2006 Wexaukee ARC - Cadillac, MI

5/19-21/2006 Dayton ARA - Dayton, MI

Michigan QSO Party

This month is the Michigan QSO Party. The contest starts on Saturday, April 15 at noon and ends at midnight. The object of the contest is to make as many contacts with as many Michigan stations as possible. Michigan hams are allowed to contact any station while out of state stations may only contact Michigan operators for points. Each county counts as a multiplier and our northern counties are typically rare ones. This makes for great fun as we get a chance to work some nice pile-ups. Unfortunately, this is also Easter weekend and many of us will not be around to participate. I was hoping to sponsor a multi-operator group here at my house but I am not sure what my family is planning for Easter so I will have to put my plans on hold. That doesn't mean you can't get some fun in and make a few contacts on your own. You don't need to work the full contest period, just get on for an hour and see how many contacts you can make. Your best bet will be 80, 40, and 20 meters. Suggested frequencies on these bands are 3.850, 7.225, and 14.250. Mobiles should be given preference for these frequencies so your best bet is to find a clear frequency close to these and call CQ. Be sure include your county in your CQ call as this will let people know you are from Michigan and can offer them a new multiplier. Good luck and have fun.

SAARC Area Nets

MONDAY 08:00 pm EST The Bill DeMay Memorial Two Meter Social Net
146.680 MHZ - Net Control - Rotating

TUESDAY 09:00 pm EST The Michigan Link-Up Net
146.680 MHZ - Local Net Control - N8DNX

WEDNESDAY 08:00 pm EST The Chain - O - Lakes Net
147.280 MHZ w/Pl 103.5 - Net Control - Rotating

THURSDAY 01:00 GMT The Ares Net
146.680 MHZ - Net Control - Rotating

SATURDAY 08:30 pm EST The Dip Net
146.680 MHZ - Net Control - Cliff Rosebohm KC8NVI

2006 Kids Roundup

April 1st (no fooling) is the annual Kids Round up. The object of the event is for kids in the United States, Canada and other countries to make contact and exchange QSO information with as many stations operated by kids as possible. The contest starts at 1400 UTC Saturday (1 April 2006) and ends at 2200 UTC Sunday (2 April 2006). The exchange must include the call sign, QTH, Category, and first name of each operator. See http://www.ki3ds.org/2006-KR-Rules.htm for more information. So get the kids and grandkids and gather round the radio for some fun.

http://www.qsl.net/k4adl/

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FOR SAARC Dues: Regular - $10.00 Student - $5.00 Family - $15.00 Associate - $4.00 Help support this great organization and repeater system. Thank You.   Name - Call Sign   Address   City/State/Zip   Phone Email Send to: Maxine Holmes KC8WXN 4047 Quarter Mile Rd. Harbor Springs, MI 49740 Make Checks Payable To: STRAITS AREA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB Regular______ Family_______ Student_____Associate______TOTAL______

  The SAARC Officers

73 KG8JK