May SAARC Meeting

The next SAARC meeting will be on Tuesday May 16. This month we will be doing an antenna project. We will be making a �Slim Jim� antenna for 2 meters. These antennas are inexpensive, easy to build, and great for portable operations. You will need the following materials: 60� of 300 ohm twin line (the old style flat TV cable with two conductors), a piece of RG58 coax cable, a PL259 connector for the coax, a soldering iron and solder. If you don�t have a soldering iron you should be able to borrow one. I may also have a few extra pieces of twin line available. I will be bringing my antenna analyzer to the meeting so you can go home with an antenna that is ready to use. I am including the plans in this issue of the Static in case you can make it to the meeting.

Since we are working on a project, we will try to keep the business portion of the meeting short. We would like to start on the antennas no later than 8:00 so if you have any items of business to discuss we would ask you to keep it short and to the point.

We will also be handing out 50/50 raffle tickets for the swap and shop. This is the only moneymaker the club has apart from our annual dues (did you pay yours yet?). Tickets are $1 a piece or a book of 6 for $5. Typically the prize is around $300 and you do not have to be present to win. If everyone in the club sold only four books of tickets, we would make more than we have in any previous year. That�s only $20 worth of tickets. You could buy them yourself if you wanted and maybe even win enough to buy yourself a new rig.

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.

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.

2 Meter Slim Jim Antenna

Here are the plans for the antenna that we will be building at the May club meeting. Thanks to Hamuniverse.com for posting these on their website. Don�t get too excited and build it before you come to the meeting. Complete instructions for building and tuning this antenna are located online at: http://www.hamuniverse.com/2meter300ohmslimjim.html

Upcoming Hamfests

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 RACES Net
146.680 MHZ - Net Control - Rotating

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

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

  The SAARC Officers

73 KG8JK