We start out 2004 with a lot of challenges, but, with more opportunities. The leadership team, the AARA officers, are eager to make our club the best it can be. Unfortunately, we have already lost one member due to a RIF. Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE, was elected to be Secretary for a second term, but, will not be able to continue in that position. Ernie has done a wonderful job as Secretary in 2003 and will continue to be the editor of the Newsletter. Ernie will also head up the documentation effort for the new repeater.
But, we're now in need of a Secretary. If you are a Full Member of the AARA, please consider accepting the nomination for this position. Details of the Secretaries duties are included in the Constitution and By-Laws (see http://www.qsl.net/w5vv/Constitution.html)
At the January Board of Directors' meeting, I outlined several areas which the Board and the Club need to address this year. Here's a brief look at the outline:
Membership -- We need to get our members to renew quickly. If you were a member in 2003 or before, please send in your dues and renewal form ASAP. The form is available at http://www.qsl.net/w5vv/member_form.pdf The Board will aggressively pursue getting "lost" members back in the fold, as well as solicit new members.
Training -- Licensing courses need to be conducted for the Technician and General class licenses. Similarly, classes, seminars or clinics need to be conducted for the equipment in the Club Station and use of the "new" AARA repeater. There may be other courses that our members would like to see offered. If you have ideas for such, please contact a Board member with your ideas (see http://www.qsl.net/w5vv/)
Club Station -- We have a wonderful new location on the second floor, southwest corner of PB7 at Alcatel. The room is relatively well organized, but, the equipment needs more work to make it operational. Plus, we need antennas for HF and VHF/UHF. We'd also like to see antennas available for satellite operation, as well as, a tower and beam for HF DXing. A procedure also needs to be implemented for checkout of the radio room key from PB7 Security. This would include unescorted access for Alcatel Retiree Members and possibly other non-employee members. If you'd like to help with the Club Room, contact the VP-Ops, Clarence Sebesta, K5YO, at [email protected]
AARA Repeater -- The "new" repeater is getting very close to deployment. At this time, the original repeater is being used with the "new" antennas at UTD. The Repeater Team has been meeting virtually every Monday for two years to work on the "new" repeater system and hopes to have it on the air from the UTD site sometime in February. There will probably be several weeks of testing and evaluation before the "new" system is fully operational and released for use. Training classes will be offered for the various capabilities of the "new" repeater once it's fully checked out. Capabilities will include more output power on transmit, a phone patch, remote base on 10M, 6M, 2M and 1.25M, and voice messaging. The system has redundant receivers, transmitters and controllers. It's intended to be very reliable.
Club Communications -- Getting the word out to Club members is critical. Various methods will be used, including the monthly Newsletter, Direct mail and email to members, email reflectors and an expanded web site. The AARA has also been instrumental in reviving the Mid-Week, High-Noon Net on the 442.8 repeater (every Wednesday at 12 Noon).
Club Programs and Activities -- Technical and informative programs are vital to attract members to monthly meetings. The Executive Vice-President, Miguel Ylagan, KC5FEJ, is preparing a slate of excellent programs for 2004 for those programs held at Alcatel (odd numbered months). The AARA meets with other Telecom Corridor Ham Clubs at MCI on even numbered months and the AARA is using its leverage to invite great programs for those meetings. Additionally, the AARA will coordinate amateur radio communications for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Alcatel the first Saturday of June and assist with support communications for the Richardson Corporate Challenge 5K and 15K races in September. In 2004, the AARA will strive to operate in some contests, as we used to do. The ones being considered are Field Day in June and the 10M contest in December.
Member Benefits -- The Board will promote the benefits available to AARA members. Benefits include: 1) various pieces of loaner equipment ranging from test equipment to transceivers and antennas; 2) ARRL new member discount; 3) discounts on selected ARRL books and manuals; 4) video and CD library; and 5) Retiree and non-employee unescorted access to the PB7 Club Room (not yet implemented).
Finances -- The Board, under the direction of its Treasurer, will conduct an annual Asset Inventory and develop an annual budget, which will include a request for Company support. The Board, with approval from its membership, will sell off unused or obsolete assets. And, related to the Membership item above, dues payments will be actively pursued from renewing, former and new members.
Officers and Administration -- The Board will evaluate performance of the Club in relation to requirements of the Constitution, By-Laws, Procedures and Standing Orders. Officers are to develop a plan of action for themselves and Committees/appointments they are responsible for. The Board desires to be proactive and ensure member's satisfaction with their club.
You may consider the AARA to be a small club; but, we don't think that way. This list is a lot of work. If you'd like to help with any of it, contact an officer to volunteer. Dues in the AARA are small -- benefits and results are BIG. Take advantage of it and pledge to give something back in the form of involvement.
Until next month, 73, Frank KR1ZAN ([email protected])
with KR1ZAN
The AARA Club Room contents were boxed and moved on Saturday, November 15th, thanks to the efforts of a number of members. Thanks are extended to: Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE, and children Mandie and Matt, Clyde Heath, K5NCH, Kris Mraz, N5KM, Clarence Sebesta, K5YO, and yours truly. The crew accomplished the packing and moving in about 4 hours and had donuts to spare. Well, you've got to have nourishment don't you?
While picking up a load of horse feed at Wells Bros. Farm Store on Avenue K in Plano recently, I noticed a display of "Pocket Ref" books, compiled by Thomas J. Glover. They now have the "New 3rd Ed!" This little book (it's got to be called little because it's a pocket book ... right!) is chock full of all sorts of reference information, charts, tables and diagrams. I opened it up randomly when I got home and the page I opened to was a drawing and table describing the pin-out for the trailer connector I have on our RV, including wiring color codes. There's a section on weather related information ranging from Chill Index to Cloud Identification to Weather Chart Symbols and more. There's info on drill bits and holes, and toll free numbers for airports and wire sizes. And ... you know it's got to be good ... they even include the Phonetic Alphabet and Morse Code Table. The little book is 768 pages and includes a very comprehensive Index. It's about the size of the ARRL Repeater Directory for comparison. I found answers to questions I've tried searching for on the Internet and never found the chart or table I needed. There's even a section on winding RF coils. And ... for the Chili Pepper Aficionados, "The Chili Pepper Hotness Scale" shows the Red Savina Habanero as the hottest pepper on the planet ... 100 times more wicked than the Jalapeno. The "Pocket Ref" is $12.95 and should make a wonderful addition to any Ham Shack.
Next time you get an AOL, EarthLink, Netscape, Juno or whatever ISP CD in the mail or stuffed into your newspaper, think RE-USE before you toss the entire thing away. Many of the CDs are contained in metal or plastic cases which you can use for storage of your own CDs or for mailing CDs to friends and associates. Some of your neighbors may be tossing their ISP "ads" out also -- ask if you can have them.
Congratulations to the 2004 Officers for the AARA (of which I'm one!). I will have the honor of serving you as President for this next year. Other officers are: Executive VP Miguel Ylagan, KC5FEJ; VP-Ops Clarence Sebesta, K5YO; Secretary Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE; and, Treasurer Al Koch KB5VSL.
Had a very nice QSO recently with David Reeder, WA0URJ, who is President of the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club. David was testing out a new antenna at his home in Bonham and was full quieting on the 442.8 machine. He told me the FCARC has an IRLP repeater on two meters and an EchoLink repeater on 70 cm. They're a pretty active club with about 60 members.
Good to hear that a couple of our members are doing well following a stay in the hospital: Bud Walton, K5HW, and Clyde Heath, K5NCH.
The ARRL Board of Directors will recommend a restructuring of the amateur radio service to the FCC. An article elsewhere in this issue details the proposal. A new class of entry level license would allow newcomers to have access to a little of most bands, including HF voice. No code requirements for the new "Novice" and the General class; but, 5 wpm for the Extra. Techs and Tech Plus would be automatically upgraded to Generals and Advanced would become Extras. Watch the ARRL web site (http://www.arrl.org/) for further announcements about the filing and when comments are allowed to the FCC. I've given this a lot of thought and support the proposal, which is a compromise of existing rules and many other proposals.
The National Weather Service Skywarn Spotter Classes for 2004 have been announced. You can view the complete schedule at http://www.srh.weather.gov/fwd/sptrsch.html The "biggie" for the area is the Dallas County Skywarn School to be held on Saturday, February 21, 2004, at the Garland Performing Arts Center.
Thirty-three volunteers helped staff the Fort Worth National Weather Service Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5 and 6 for Skywarn Recognition Day. Got to use the HF radio system implemented by David Darrow, KD5JLK, for his Eagle Scout Project. Lots of contacts on area repeaters using the VHF/UHF radios normally used by the NWS during Skywarn Nets. Total of 602 QSOs. Plus, the SRD got significant news media coverage including a 3 minute news piece on the Friday night 10 o'clock news on Channel 8.
A couple of months ago, I mentioned that the Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club was planning a Special Event Station for February 1, 2004, the first anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy and recovery effort. Kevin Anderson, KD5CCH, has set up a web site with information about the event and an on-line way for those who helped with the recovery effort to register to attend and help with the event. See http://www.andersoft.com/narc A social event is being planned for Saturday night, January 31st, following the setup of antennas and stations. Special event operation will take place on Sunday, Feb. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST. Various displays, slide shows, Eyeball QSOs, etc. will take place during the day on Sunday.
When things seem too good to be true, maybe things just aren't true. Case in point: A company promoting itself on various news groups as Power Ham, Inc. (www.powerham.com) may not be legit. Their deals on all kinds of amateur radio equipment are significantly better than others, plus they're offering the new ICOM 7800 $11,000 super radio as being in stock and ready to ship -- but, the radio hasn't been FCC Type Accepted for U.S. use yet. The URL is registered in Romania and the address they advertise on their web site is a hotel in Washington state. Caveat emptor!
Until next month, 73, Frank KR1ZAN ([email protected])
The Alcatel Amateur Radio Association will hold its January General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2004, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Conference Room 10073 of Building PB7 at Alcatel. A brief business meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. The program begins at 6 p.m. and will feature Barry Goldblatt, WA5KXX, President of the Plano Amateur Radio Klub, giving a presentation entitled "Batteries 101".
Batteries 101 is a discussion of battery types and their use. Heavy emphasis is paid to those items that are used by Amateur Radio operators. Barry will cover the "care and feeding" of batteries and how NOT to waste money on energy for radios and other electronic devices.
Barry A. Goldblatt, WA5KXX, a resident of Plano, TX since 1979, has been an Amateur Radio operator since 1998. He holds an Extra class license, is the President of the Plano Amateur Radio Klub and serves as a Network Control Station (NCS) for the Collin County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). The newsletter series that he produced for the Plano club received a national Apex Award for Excellence in 2002. He is the Chairman for Ham-Com 2004. That event will be held June 18-19, 2004 at the Arlington Convention Center.
Other family members in Amateur Radio include his son, Jordan, KD5KQM, and daughter, Alexandra, KD5PUC.
In addition to various community activities, he focuses his efforts on public service and youth activities in Amateur Radio. He was a mentor for the highly successful Collin County Community College Tech Camp series from 2000-2002, which helped license over 150 middle- and high school students in Collin County, TX. He authored an article about the project that appeared in the February 2001 edition of QST.
He has been an active participant in various projects Amateur Radio projects including: The Brandenburg Life Foundation's "Ham Radio in Schools" program, the ARRL's "Big Project," the National Weather Service "Storm Ready Partner" project in behalf of the Plano Independent School District and the North Texas APRS Workshop held at the University of Texas at Dallas in September 2003.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. His business experience includes management and marketing positions at Tandy Corporation and Electronic Data Systems. He founded his own company, Resource 800, in 1992 and markets products in the US and throughout the world. For more information about Barry A. Goldblatt, WA5KXX, visit his Amateur Radio web site at http://www.resource800.com/CQ/wa5kxx or send e-mail to [email protected]
Non-employee members and visitors should be at the PB7 northeast Security Station at 5:15 p.m. for sign in and escort. Talk in is on 442.8 MHz (+5 MHz). If you arrive late, call on 442.8 MHz (repeater or simplex) for escort.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Alcatel, PB7-10073, 3400 West Plano Parkway, Plano TX
The meeting was called to order at 1739h CST by President Mark Dempsky, N5MD. Also present were Secretary Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE, Amanda Brouwer, Treasurer Clarence Sebesta, K5YO, John Schroeder, K5ZMJ, Nancy Krizan, K5NCK, Executive VP Frank Krizan, KR1ZAN, VP Operations Kris Mraz, N5KM, Eric Wolfe, KG4VPV, Miguel Ylagan, KC5FEJ, and Clyde Heath, K5NCH.
SECRETARY'S REPORT:
TREASURER'S REPORT:
VP OPERATIONS' REPORT:
EXECUTIVE VP'S REPORT:
PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
OLD BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
There being no further business, Ernie, MOVED that the meeting be adjourned. Frank SECONDED. The motion was APPROVED and the meeting was adjourned at 1802h CT.
Respectfully submitted,
Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE, Secretary
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Alcatel, PB7 Club room, 3400 West Plano Parkway, Plano TX
The meeting was called to order at 1717h CT November 11, 2003, in the Alcatel PB7 AARA club room. Present were President Mark Dempsky, Executive Vice President Frank Krizan, Treasurer Clarence Sebesta, Secretary Ernie Brouwer, VP Operations Kris Mraz, incoming Treasurer Al Koch, and incoming Executive VP Miguel Ylagan.
SECRETARY'S REPORT
TREASURER'S REPORT
No change since last meeting (last week).
VP OPS' REPORT
EXEC VP'S REPORT
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
There being no further business, Ernie MOVED that the meeting be adjourned. Frank SECONDED. The motion was APPROVED and the meeting was adjourned at 1802h CT.
Respectfully submitted by Ernie, KD5MFE, Secretary.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Alcatel, PB7 Club room, 3400 West Plano Parkway, Plano TX
OPENING AND ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order at 1735h CT January 13, 2004, in the Alcatel PB7 AARA club room. Present were President Frank Krizan, KR1ZAN, Executive Vice President Miguel Ylagan, KC5FVJ, Treasurer Al Koch, KB5VSL, Vice President of Operations Clarence Sebesta, K5YO, and Secretary Ernie Brouwer, KD5MFE. There were no visitors present.
ANNOUNCEMENT AND APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Frank presented the following agenda and suggested that it be followed for the 2004 BoD meetings:
READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS BOARD MEETING(S)
Ernie read the minutes of the December 2, 2003 BoD meeting. Frank MOVED that they be accepted as read. Clarence SECONDED. The MOTION passed and the minutes were approved.
SECRETARY'S REPORT
No report.
TREASURER'S REPORT
Clarence (outgoing treasurer) passed on the treasurer's files and other materials (including a report of treasurer's duties) to Al. Treasurer's files and papers were brought for transfer/storage to the club room. He and Al will set up a time to transfer signature authority at the meeting. There being no additions or corrections, the financial report was accepted and filed for audit.
Via email, Mark Dempsky (outgoing President) conveyed the substance of a discussion he had with Scott Seale (our HR contact) regarding reimbursements. Apparently there is still some lack of understanding about the monies we spend (eg. repeater project costs, etc).
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS' REPORT
Clarence indicated that he plans to conduct an inventory in the near future to determine what we really have and what still needs to be insured.
Frank indicated that the final checkout of the repeater should take about two weeks, making installation some time in mid February.
Miguel suggested that we document the cabling as the repeater is disassembled for the move, so that we have it for future reference (such as during the install!). This brought up the issue of documenting the repeater. Frank and Ernie had had some discussion on this topic earlier. Miguel offered that he might be willing to OCR any documents we have in order to turn them into real search-able PDF files, possibly even synthesizing our own repeater reference manual. It was agreed that PDF was certainly a worthy target although there was some concern about the volume of data that might need converting. The first step would be to identify the materials we have and need.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Frank (outgoing EVP) reported that the upcoming meetings are currently scheduled as follows:
The Susan G. Komen Race is set for Saturday June 5, 2004.
We are considering operating field day from Alcatel (June 26-27, 2004).
Al mentioned that he would like to help with the final setup of the club room, to get its radios operational.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Frank indicated a number of priorities for the club including:
Club officers are also asked to review and evaluate the performance of the club based on Constitution, By-Laws, Procedures and Standing Orders. Monthly reports should be sent via email to BoD by Noon the day of the BoD (prior day preferred) and all legal and business documents of the AARA should be stored in a controlled location.
OLD BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
Frank MOVED "That the Board of Directors request approval of an Interim Budget of $500.00 for AARA Operating Expenses." Alan SECONDED. The motion was APPROVED.
Frank MOVED "That the AARA Board of Directors approves Community Credit Union as its 'bank of record' and appoints Al Koch, Treasurer, and Frank Krizan, President, as signatories to any and all accounts of the Association at the Community Credit Union." Clarence SECONDED. There being no objections, the motion was APPROVED.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
It was agreed that the 2nd Tuesday of each month (November and December excepting) was OK for Board meetings but the time henceforth is moved to 17:30h.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Miguel MOVED that the meeting be adjourned. Alan SECONDED. The motion was APPROVED and the meeting was adjourned at 1905h CT.
Respectfully submitted,
Ernie Brouwer
(reprinted from http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/?nc=1 with permission.)
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 19, 2004--The ARRL will ask the FCC to create a new entry-level Amateur Radio license that would include HF phone privileges without requiring a Morse code test. The League also will propose consolidating all current licensees into three classes, retaining the Element 1 Morse requirement--now 5 WPM--only for the highest class. The ARRL Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved the plan January 16 during its Annual Meeting in Windsor, Connecticut. The proposals--developed by the ARRL Executive Committee following a Board instruction last July--are in response to changes made in Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03). They would continue a process of streamlining the amateur licensing structure that the FCC began more than five years ago but left unfinished in the Amateur Service license restructuring Report and Order (WT 98-143) that went into effect April 15, 2000.
The ARRL has addressed frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning this proposal.
"Change in the Amateur Radio Service in the US, especially license requirements and even more so when Morse is involved, has always been emotional," said ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, in presenting the Executive Committee's recommendations. "In fact, without a doubt, Morse is Amateur Radio's 'religious debate.'" The plan adopted by the Board departs only slightly from the Executive Committee's recommendations.
The "New" Novice
The entry-level license class--being called "Novice" for now--would require a 25-question written exam. It would offer limited HF CW/data and phone/image privileges on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters as well as VHF and UHF privileges on 6 and 2 meters and on 222-225 and 430-450 MHz. Power output would be restricted to 100 W on 80, 40, and 15 meters and to 50 W on 10 meters and up, thus avoiding the need for the more complex RF safety questions in the Novice question pool.
"The Board sought to achieve balance in giving new Novice licensees the opportunity to sample a wider range of Amateur Radio activity than is available to current Technicians while retaining a motivation to upgrade," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "It was also seen as important to limit the scope of privileges so the exam would not have to include material that is inappropriate at the entry level."
As an introduction to Amateur Radio, the Novice license served successfully for most of its 50-year history. The FCC has not issued new Novice licenses since the 2000 license restructuring, however. Under the ARRL plan, current Novice licensees--now the smallest and least active group of radio amateurs--would be grandfathered to the new entry-level class without further testing.
Anticipating assertions that the new plan would "dumb down" Amateur Radio licensing, Harrison said those currently holding a ticket often perceive the level of complexity to have been greater when they were first licensed than it actually was. "Quite frankly," he said, "if you review the questions presented in our license manuals throughout the years, you will be surprised how they compare to those of today."
Technicians and Generals
The middle group of licensees--Technician, Tech Plus (Technician with Element 1 credit) and General--would be consolidated into a new General license that no longer would require a Morse examination. Current Technician and Tech Plus license holders automatically would gain current General class privileges without additional testing. The current Element 3 General examination would remain in place for new applicants. ARRL already has proposed additional phone privileges for Generals in its "Novice refarming" petition, RM-10413, but the FCC has not yet acted on that petition.
Morse Code Testing Retained for Extra
At the top rung, the Board indicated that it saw no compelling reason to change the Amateur Extra class license requirements. The ARRL plan calls on the FCC to combine the current Advanced and Amateur Extra class licensees into Amateur Extra, because the technical level of the exams passed by these licensees is very similar. New applicants for Extra would have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code examination, but the written exam would stay the same. The League's plan calls for current Novice, Tech Plus and General class licensees to receive lifetime Element 1 (5 WPM Morse) credit.
"This structure provides a true entry-level license with HF privileges to promote growth in the Amateur Service," Harrison said. "It also simplifies the FCC database by conforming to the current Universal Licensing System (ULS) structure and does not mandate any modifications to it."
Sumner concurred. "The Board started out by recognizing that three license classes was the right number when looking down the road 10 or 15 years," he said. "We need a new entry-level license."
"On the other hand, there's nothing particularly wrong with the existing Extra class license," he continued. "The change in the international regulations notwithstanding, the Board felt that the highest level of accomplishment in the FCC's amateur licensing structure should include basic Morse capability."
Sumner and Harrison say the current Technician entry-level ticket provides little opportunity to experience facets of ham radio beyond repeater operation. "The quality of that experience," Sumner said, "often depends on the operator's location."
Among other advantages, Sumner said the plan would allow new Novices to participate in HF SSB emergency nets on 75 and 40 meters as well as on the top 100 kHz of 15 meters. The new license also could get another name, Sumner said. "We're trying to recapture the magic of the old Novice license, but in a manner that's appropriate for the 21st century."
Proposal Includes "Novice Refarming" Band Plan
The overall proposed ARRL license restructuring plan would more smoothly integrate HF spectrum privileges across the three license classes and would incorporate the "Novice refarming" plan the League put forth nearly two years ago in a Petition for Rule Making (RM-10413). The FCC has not yet acted on the ARRL plan, which would alter the current HF subbands. The Novice refarming proposal would eliminate the 80, 40 and 15-meter Novice/Technician Plus CW subbands as such and reuse that spectrum in part to expand phone/image subbands on 80 and 40 meters.
The ARRL license restructuring design calls for no changes in privileges for Extra and General class licensees on 160, 60, 30, 20, 17 or 12 meters. Novice licensees would have no access to those bands.
Proposed Phone/Image HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal)
80 Meters
Extra: 3.725-4.000 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
General: 3.800-4.000 MHz (gain of 50 kHz)
Novice: 3.900-4.000 MHz (new)
40 meters
Extra: 7.125-7.300 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
General: 7.175-7.300 MHz (gain of 50 kHz)
Novice: 7.200-7.300 MHz (new)
15 meters
Extra: 21.200-21.450 MHz (no change)
General: 21.275-21.450 MHz (gain of 25 kHz)
Novice: 21.350-21.450 MHz (new)
10 meters
Extra and General: 28.300-29.700 MHz (no change)
Novice: 28.300-28.500 MHz (no change)
Proposed CW/Data-Exclusive HF Subbands (Includes Novice Refarming Proposal)
80 meters
Extra: 3.500-3.725 MHz
General: 3.525-3.725 MHz
Novice: 3.550-3.700 MHz
40 meters
Extra: 7.000-7.125 MHz
General: 7.025-7.125 MHz
Novice: 7.050-7.125 MHz
15 meters
Extra: 21.000-21.200 MHz
General: 21.025-21.200 MHz
Novice: 21.050-21.200 MHz
10 meters
Extra/General: 28.000-28.300 MHz
Novice: 28.050-28.300 MHz
Would you like a $15 rebate? Be our guest! If you're a member of AARA, you can join the ARRL as a NEW member and we will process your application at $15 below the regular rate. The present rate is $39 ($34 over 65) for one year. This is for new members only and former members with two years or more lapsed membership. Family, Blind or 21 and under discounted memberships are not applicable for any discount. The ARRL is a great organization, which promotes our hobby to the fullest. Many benefits include the outstanding QST magazine, representations in Washington and international conferences, QSL service, ARES emergency service, contesting, equipment insurance, and the members-only web access, which includes free e-mail forwarding. Simply submit an ARRL application with the discounted payment via the club treasurer. Contact Clarence Sebesta, K5YO at [email protected] or 972-867-2691 for more information. I've been a member for many years and I heartily recommend it.