The CATS club started in the mid 1980's with a small group of people interested in learning about amateur television. We met two times a month at the Falls Road recreation center near Ernie's Ham Radio Store which at that time was on 36th street in Baltimore, Md. The group grew quickly and we soon started a class, with W1FQW (John) who brought some equipment to show experiments so that people would understand the mechanics of ham television. We had to move to another recreational center which was more convenient to the group at Wyman Park. At this time, the group grew to about 25 to 30 members and we planned on building a TV repeater. In the late 1980's we had the output of the repeater (421.250 MHz) as a beacon signal which also generated a signal that they could hear on their scanners (144.950 MHz) where the group communicated.
In the early 1990's the CATS club had meetings at the Wyman Park Recreation Center more frequently and members started to give suggestions as to the frequency for the input of the repeater. The frequency decided upon was 434 MHz which incidentally most of the group was using for simplex TV anyway. At this point we only had the capability of repeating live space shuttle missions which the FCC allows. Ken K3UQQ went to a T-Marc meeting requesting 434 MHz for the repeaters input. The repeater was then moved to a better location at N3NTV's QTH (he has since moved to South Dakota)). The group is always been looking for a better site for the repeater and thanks to Jim Cross, WI3N , we at present have a good site atop the Laurel Regional Hospital .
Affiliation with the ARRL.
May 16, 2008
Chesapeake Amateur Television Society Amateur Radio Club
John B. Watson, NY3K
8660 Felsview Drive
Laurel, MD 20723
Dear John:
It
gives me great pleasure to advise you that the ARRL Executive Committee
has approved your club’s application for affiliation with the ARRL.
Your club is hereby declared a duly affiliated society with an
affiliation date of April 25, 2008.
A charter
has been generated and sent to you to honor this important event. We
hope you will coordinate a “Charter Party,” and invite your Division
Director, Section Manager (SM), or Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)
for a special presentation. Addresses of Directors and SMs are on pages
15 and 16 of QST.We ask that you keep these officials and us posted on
your club’s activities. Please send copies of any club news to your SM,
ACC, Director and us. Please feel free to contact us with any questions
or concerns; we are all vitally interested in your progress. Your club
is now eligible for the benefits of ARRL affiliation; we hope you will
make full use of our services. One of those services is our online
booklet full of helpful information for clubs – the Active
Club Online Primer at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/cpw/.
Want to get your club more involved in public service? Want to present
programs that make meetings lively? This online book permits quick
access to hundreds of pages that can enhance the club and help it gain
new members.
Again, congratulations and welcome. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with your club.
73,
Gail Iannone
ARRL Affiliated Clubs
cc: Division Director
Section Manager
Affiliated Club Coordinator
BALTIMORE'S CHANNEL 13 COVERAGE OF ATV FROM THE PAST
The link below brings up a Channel 13 interview with Dave, N3NTV done about 15 years ago. It shows some shots of Ken, K3UQQ along with some ATV photos. During the interview, KC3FI, BOB puts on a live signal.
Baltimore channel 13 interview with N3NTV
THE LINK BELOW CONTAINS CHANNEL 5'S INTERVIEW WITH THE CATS ATV GROUP AND LAUREL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
CLICK SCREEN BELOW AND THEN CLICK TO PLAY ON YOUTUBE
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