December 18, 2009

____________________________________________________________

Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ WTARS Helps a Member Return To Airwaves Dayton Hamvention 2010 ARRL

+ Foundation

____________________________________________________________

WTARS Helps a Member Return To Airwaves

By Lee Towater, KF4NZV

E-mail: kf4nzv@arrl.net

The West Tennessee Amateur Radio Society < www.wtars.org > is pleased

to announce the return of Gary King, W4WKZ, to the amateur radio

waves. Gary, who is legally blind, has been off the radio for almost

two years. Gary had been a very active part of the amateur radio

community. He was an active participant in the daily weather

reporting of conditions from his home in Medon, TN to the National

Weather Service in Memphis, TN. He has not been able to make reports

via ham radio due to damage to his antenna system nearly two years

ago.

The story began back in November 2008 when a long time friend, Bob

Alper, W6KT, came to visit Gary. He noticed the damage to Gary's 60

foot tower and antenna array. Gary, not being able to make the

repairs himself, was left with no way to use his ham radio equipment.

Bob quickly got in contact with Philip Julian, KG4NVN, the treasurer

of West Tennessee Amateur Society (WTARS) here in Jackson. Bob and

Philip worked together to make a plan for repairing Gary's tower and

antenna system.

During the summer heat of July 2009, a group of WTARS members

assembled at Gary's home to begin the repair project. The group mixed

and poured more than 880 pounds of concrete, by hand in a 5 gallon

bucket, to make a new base for the existing tower. During the next

four months a new antenna system and other tower installation items

were purchased.

On December 5, 2009, the group reassembled at Gary's home to

complete the repairs. Philip, KG4NVN, contacted local crane owner and

operator Randy Rushing of Rushing's Crane Service. Randy happily

agreed to bring his equipment out for the installation of the new

antennas. All of Randy's expenses were donated to the project which

helped tremendously due to the fact WTARS was operating basically on

a $0 budget for this project. Randy is known throughout the community

for his willingness to serve others during local emergencies and

disasters. Randy is a part of the Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry.

The group installed a Diamond X50 dual band vertical. This antenna

will give Gary the coverage he needs to reach the local repeaters and

ample simplex coverage. They also installed a home brew HF multi-band

wire antenna built by Randy Bennett, W4RFB. The wire antenna was

installed on a pulley system allowing for easy lowering and raising,

eliminating the need to climb the tower, to tune or make adjustments

as needed.

At the end of the day Gary was back on the air. WTARS has given

Gary back the joys he once had in the amateur radio hobby. WTARS

would like to give a special thanks to Philip Julian, KG4NVN, for

taking the lead on this project. Philip spent a countless number of

hours in preparation for this project. We also give a special thanks

to Randy Rushing of Rushing's Crane Service in Jackson, TN for

providing the bucket crane to complete the installation.

-----

From the Editor: The WTARS example above shows what a dedicated club

can do to assist fellow members and Hams. Even a quick, visual

inspection of an antenna system can save life and property. Maybe

there are hams around your club who could greatly benefit from simple

assistance so that they may fully enjoy all that Ham Radio has to

offer?

____________________________________________________________

Amateur Radio Clubs make a difference!

When it comes to reaching radio amateurs there is no stronger

link than to the hundreds of Amateur Radio clubs across the country.

Now as the application period for ARRL Foundation Scholarships is

open (until February 1, 2010), club newsletters and email bulletins

to club members are an effective and important tool to remind young

hams that there are more than 50 scholarships to be awarded in the

spring of 2010.

If your club membership has high schools seniors and adult

hams pursuing continuing education, remind them that the application

period for the 2010 scholarship awards closes promptly on February 1,

2010. All the information about ARRL Foundation Scholarships,

including application instructions and forms, can be found on the web

at www.arrl.org/arrlf. Candidates should review the

descriptions of all the scholarships and apply only those for which

they qualify*. Note that a recent transcript is required with all

applications.

Another vital role your club can play in the scholarship

program is to encourage club members -- and the club itself - to make

contributions to the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Fund. Contributions

in any amount to the ARRL Foundation are an important source of

revenue to strengthen the scholarship program. New $1000 scholarships

are added every year and your club might think about sponsoring one

with an annual donation or by endowing an award with a larger gift.

Note: The William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship is open only to

high school seniors who must complete the application for that award

and include a FAFSA or SAR based on the most recent family financial

information, along with a full high school transcript.

The ARRL Foundation is an IRS-designated 501( c)(3) organization

holding tax id

# 23-7325472. Contributions to the ARRL Foundation are tax-deductible

to the full extent of the law.

____________________________________________________________

Hamvention organizers have announced that the theme for the Dayton

Hamvention 2010 will be "Amateur Radio Clubs Worldwide: The

Lifeline." The event will take place May 14 -- 16, 2010 at the HARA

Complex in Dayton, Ohio.

< http://www.hamvention.org/index.php >

If you have never been to "Dayton" it is worth the effort to visit

the grand-daddy of all hamfests.

Many clubs coordinate travel and lodging for Hamvention so that

members travel together and enjoy the event with familiar friends. If

your club is considering an organized caravan or other group trip to

the event now is the time to make your reservations and start

planning your trip. Hotel rooms disappear quickly for this well

attended extravaganza.

ARRL Expo will be exhibited in the Ballarena hall. We hope to meet

and greet many ARRL members that weekend. See you there.

____________________________________________________________

Milestones

60 Years October

*W7

WWA Lower Columbia Amateur Radio Association W7DG

----

25 Years November

*W2

WNY Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club W2CM

*W5

WTX Amateur Radio Society at Texas Tech (TTU) K5TTU

*W6

EB Northern Alameda County ARES

*W9

IN MID-STATE Amateur Radio Club WA9RDF

----

50 Years November

*W4

NC Shelby Amateur Radio Club W4NYR

----

60 Years November

*W2

ENY Crystal Radio Club W2DMC

*W8

OH Tusco Amateur Radio Club, Inc W8ZX

----

75 Years November

*W4

TN Nashville Amateur Radio Club, INC. K4CPO

----

10 Years December

*W5

NM New Mexico Hamvention, Inc

WTX Lubbock Amateur Contest Club W5LCC

*W6

EB Red Oak Victory Amateur Radio Club K6YVM

*W0

KS Southern Plains Amateur Radio Klub

----

60 Years December

*W5

MS Hattiesburg Amateur Radio Club Inc W5CJR

*W9

WI M&M Amateur Radio Club W8PIF

*W0

IA Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club Inc W0GQ

======================================================================

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is published on the first Wednesday of each month by

the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur

Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax

860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is an e-mail digest of news and information of

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be given to The ARRL CLUB NEWS and The American Radio Relay League.

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ARRL Club Newsletter

August 15, 2009

Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ Club Resource

+ Cruise-In

The Local Club Resource

I am very fortunate to be in a position at ARRL which allows me significant interaction with our members. It is very fulfilling to be able to put a smile on someone's face by helping them find a solution to their problem regardless of the complexity. Sometimes it is not possible to be as helpful over the telephone or with e-mail so I will try to direct the individual to a local club where they may be able to get some side-by-side coaching. The local radio club is without a doubt the place where most of us received our ham radio education. The club is where we learned the jargon and techno-speak used on the air and where we met folks to emulate and folks who we swore we would never be like. Everything that we know about ham radio that didn't come from a book was probably learned at club meetings or late night Field Day chats over burnt coffee. Personally I have made many longtime friendships from my involvement in local radio clubs and I am sure many others can say this as well.

Clubs, by definition, are groups of like-minded people who share a common interest. In reality a club is an eclectic assembly of individuals each with a unique perspective of their activity. The dynamic of a club is no different than that of a large family. Think of your last family get-together and then take a look at your radio club. If everybody was the same, life would be very boring. In every club there is the usual cast of characters that add their distinctive flavors to the stew and make things interesting. It is diversity that makes a club work well. I have seen that no matter how varied the personalities are in a club, most of these personalities are also eager to help. Helping each other is characteristic of radio amateurs.

How often have you experienced something like this: Two hams will be in QSO, perhaps discussing an antenna installation or radio repair when another radio operator will break-in with a helpful suggestion?

This situation may have happened to you or you may have even been the breaking station. The same thing happens (or should happen) at club meetings. If you need help with something the closest resource is your local club. On the surface the club may appear to be dysfunctional, but once you are involved you will find that it is actually very productive.

The Pareto principle, commonly know as the eighty-twenty rule is a simple expression that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. As applied in the business world this would be 80% of the sales are driven by 20% of the customers. In a club the percentages may be slightly different but the fact remains that a small percentage of the membership is responsible for making things happen.

This is not to suggest that eighty percent of the members do not participate, but without a "sparkplug" some things would never get started. These people are the doers. The doers don't take no for an answer and are always willing to take on more responsibility. But where is the fun in jump-starting a project without someone telling you it would never work? Of course it would be much more fun without the negative comments but that goes against human nature. Ever since man tried to open a coconut with a rock someone was right beside him offering a thousand excuses why it won't work. "You'll smash your thumb." "The rock will break." "You should invent a wheel and roll it over the coconut." "Let's just eat the bananas." The cynics of the world are an essential part of society, and of our clubs. They challenge us and make us work harder to prove them wrong. Learn to accept these people but never let them distract you from moving forward.

You only get as much from a club as you put into it. A majority of the club bashers tend to be long time hams with a "been there, done that" attitude asking what a club has to offer them for them. To borrow from President John F. Kennedy, "ask what you can do for your club." Of course we took more than we had to offer when we were younger and inexperienced. But over the years we have gathered knowledge that we can share with the newcomers. Based upon my countless interactions with hams of all levels of experience, the novice has much to offer the old-timer even if it is just reliving the joy of discovery. The local radio club has something for everybody who is willing to get involved.

Don't know where you local club is? Use the ARRL Affiliated Club search.

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml