SCARC's NEWS - by Rod Scott- N1YZ

SCARC Minutes from November 8

2007-11-11T14:59:00.000-06:00

I was asked to post these here prior to Bill's blog being created in the very near future:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minutes of the meeting November, 10, 2007

The meeting was called to order by the president, Bill Davidson, KW4J, at 7:00pm.

There was a roll call with the following members present:
KW4J Bill Davidson, President
W4YXU Jim McLester, VP
W4ATK Jim Rogers, Secretary
KC4PZA Jack Evans, Treasurer
N1YZ Rod Scott, MEC
KE4DZU Mike Burns
KI4WZO Greg Evans
KI4VVI Frank Hoult
W4AVD Alex Davies
WB4CCQ John Wilder EMA
KF4JLI Mac White
N4DKE Charles Spanos
KA4VCA Michael Spanos
K3FP John Outland
K4NVJ Joe Ford VEC
KB4FKN Stephen Moss

The Presidental Plaque was presented to Rod Scott, N1YZ by the president honoring Rod's service to our club in the past year.

Vice President's Report:
Rod Scott, N1YZ will present the program at our November program meeting.

Treasurer's Report:
Checking Account - $71.43
Savings Account - $1571.60.
The treasurer reported he is conducting an audit of equipment in order to get the inventory filed with our insurance company in order. Any member who has equipment belonging to the club is urged to contact Jack.

Secretary:
The minutes of the previous meeting were read, and with one correction, accepted.

MEC:
ARES Training has begun on the Tuesday evening VHF net.
John Wilder has been working on the installation at the EMA.
Stephen Moss reported on the turnout at the Vulcan Run and alerted the club of the upcoming Meadowbrook Run.
Rick Seeders has been contacted in reference to a state grant and the proposed installation at the Shelby Hospital.

President's Comments:
The president described the e-mail information list and invited any members interested in receiving the email notices put their name on the list.

Board of Directors Report was given by the president.
The SCARC budget for the upcoming fiscal year was presented and opened for discussion by the members. The budget was adopted with a projected short-fall for the year of approximately $400.
In view of the short-fall, a motion was made by Mack White, KF4JLI, to raise the dues across the board by $5.00. The motion was seconded by John Outland, K3FP. This motion was tabled after a discussion and is to be voted upon at our next meeting in order to give ample time for members not present to present their comments.

$68.00 was collected for the repeater fund.
A discussion was held on the future repeater system (Pinnacle Point).

VEC Joe Ford, K4NVJ reported on the November testing session and the possible switching of testing dates with BARC.

Repeater Committee- No report

Red Cross Liason – Nothing to report

EMA – Lee and crew have done a great job. Antennas have been moved. G5RV is installed and operational as are UHF and VHF antennas. To be resolved are the installation of the APRS and Winlink.

Webmaster's report: Aliases are installed. Work progresses on the calendar of events. The president's email will change in the near future to kw4j@charter.net.

The Field Day committee chair person has been resolved as Ed Boutwell, K4ZSB. the field day site has not yet been selected.

New Business:
Christmas Party. December 13th at 7:00pm, Shelby County EMA. Turkey and ham will be provided. Members attending are encouraged to bring a covered dish. The program will be the “Dirty Santa”.

There was a motion to cancel the December 27th meeting and was seconded by Mike Burns. The motion carried,.

The president discussed the proposed calendar of events.

The meeting was adjourned.

Other Photos From Shelby EMA

2007-09-30T20:17:00.001-06:00

Jim and Lee at ground level.

The Radio Room viewed from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The EOC.

Photos by Hub Harvey, KI4PYW

Photos from Shelby County EMA

2007-09-30T20:11:00.000-06:00

John and Ed working at the EMA.

SCARC Meeting "Minutes" September 27, 2007

2007-09-30T14:06:00.000-06:00

Well, these are not really minutes....but the agenda from our meeting at Shelby County EMA. Sorry about the formatting:

SCARC AGENDA August 8, 2007 Page One of One Expanded

Current Officers:

President Rod Scott, N1YZ

Vice-President Mike Burns, KE4DZU

Treasurer Jack Evans, KC4PZA

Secretary Bill Davidson, KW4J

Assistant MEC Jack, Evans, KC4PZA

ALL Committee Chairs:

VE Testing Team Joe Ford, K4NVJ

Repeater Bob Thomas, KC4AF

Red Cross Liason Jack Evans, KC4PZA

EMA Construction Lee Aured,KI4NMD

Repeater 1st half of the year Bert Put, KG4BEC

A. Call to order
B. Introduction of visitors & members
C. Report of officers
1. VP – Mike is out of town
2. Treasurer - report
Accounts Receivable =
SAVINGS BALANCE =
CHECKING BALANCE =
Accounts Payable =
Membership
3. Pres
A. Red Cross Drill Report
Thanks to KI4VVM, KE4CTX, KI4PYW, KC4AF, KE$DZU who remained on call wednesday for a shelter deployment.
Red Cross volunteers told me that the Red Cross was searching for another location.
B. JOTA @ Brierfield Ironworks Park
Contact Name: STEVE WARE Contact Phone number: 205-936-8569 cell
sware@bipcoinc.com
C. Oct 6th SET – In our area, there will be two analog nets and one digital net operating. 146.880, 146.980 and 145.410(digital).
Will take checkins as in previous years. Special focus on written traffic.
Digital traffic will be originated at the State Level on PSK-31, Winlink2000,
D-Star, etc. This traffic will be disseminated to the local nets ASAP.
D. Thanks to outgoing officers and committee chairs (see above)
E. New Officers
President Bill Davidson KW4J
Vice President Jim McLester W4YXU
Secretary Jim Rogers W4ATK
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA
Director – 2 Year Lee Aured KI4NMD
Director – 1 Year John Outland K3FP
F. Summary of Year.

D. Reading of communications/minutes – Secretary – out of town
E. Application for and election of new members
F. Report of committees and directors
1. VE Committee – Joe
2. Shelby County EMA – Lee
3. Repeater Committee - Bob
G. Unfinished business
H. New business
L. Adjournment

D-CHAT Demonstration

2007-09-24T17:42:00.000-06:00

Mike Burns, KE4DZU sent me this link and it is worth posting. It is a U-Tube film on D-Chat software. Some of you need no introduction, others have heard some of us talkng about it. In less than 3 minutes you get a great "flash" introduction to D-Chat.
Enjoy,
73,
Rod, N1YZ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuPy34EPYf0

SCARC Meeting Minutes - September 13, 2007

2007-09-14T16:12:00.000-06:00

SCARC Meeting Notes
September 13, 2007

Vice President Mike Burns KE4DZU called the meeting to order at 19:00 and had the attendees introduce themselves, and there were no visitors.

Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA requested that all members who had not paid their dues do so now, or they will not be eligible to vote later in the meeting. A petition for membership from Bill Bussey KJ4J was presented, and he was voted into regular membership. Later in the evening Adam Raburn KI4UEB and Marcus Thomas presented KF4YHP their applications for membership and were also voted into regular membership.

Secretary Bill Davidson announced that the Alabama Section Simulated Emergency Test will happen on Saturday October 6, 2007 starting at 10:30 EDT on 3965k Hz. Also the Jefferson County Citizen Corps CERT Challenge is scheduled for this Saturday September 15, 2007 at the Alabama Fair Park Arena.

Repeater Committee Chairman Bob Thomas KC4AF reported that the new main repeater antenna has been installed. There is a voltage dip problem associated when the air conditioner is energized but it is temporarily relieved with the power supply being replaced with a larger one. Alabama power will be requested to install a larger service feed for a more permanent solution. Also, more money is needed to buy duplexers for the Pinnacle Point site.

Steven Moss KB4FKN reports that volunteers are needed to support the communication effort for the Vulcan Run, starting at 08:00 November 13, 2007 and for the Talladega Yellowhammer Run during Oct 5 – 7, 2007.

VE Test Chairman reports that three applicants passed the Technician test Friday September 20, 2007. He also said that BARC will be switching to the ARRL testing procedures.

Jack Evans reports that the Club has switched to Regions Bank and has $64.74 and $1371.47 in the checking and savings accounts respectively.

The annual election of Club officers was then held and the following officers were elected by a vote of acclamation:
President Bill Davidson KW4J
Vice President Jim McLester W4YXU
Secretary Jim Rogers W4ATK
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA
Director – 2 Year Lee Aured KI4NMD
Director – 1 Year John Outland K3FP

Rod Scott N1YZ was elected to the MEC position by a majority vote.

Marcus Thomas presented the Club with a bill for $225 to cover his expenses incurred for tower climbing and antenna installation associated with the new repeater, and the membership voted to pay the bill.

A motion was made, seconded, and passed to close the meeting.

Attachments:
SCARC Meeting Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
Email from Rod Scott, forwarding SET notification dated Sep 13, 07 01:51 Z
Jeffco FAX to Bill Davidson concerning the CERT Challenge

In October Please Vote for Greg Sarrat, W4OZK

2007-09-10T19:41:00.000-06:00

To all ARRL members:

To view Greg's web page, brochure, etc. follow this link: http://www.w4ozk.com/

Thanks for considering Greg Sarrat, W4OZK, for ARRL Southeastern Director.

73,

Rod, N1YZ

VOTE for SCARC

2007-09-10T17:07:00.001-06:00

Be sure and vote in the slate of officers for SCARC this coming Thursday September 13 at the club meeting.

Thanks for your participation !

Rod, N1YZ

N4PHP Reports on Amateur Radio Equipment @ NWS after Lightning Strike

2007-09-03T12:43:00.000-06:00

Ron Arant, N4PHP sent out an email regarding the impact to the ham station equipment: to cut to the chase...the Icom ID800 D-Star radio receives and transmits only in SIMPLEX in both DV and FM voice. This will have to be repaired. Ron said he'd loan an ID-800 to the NWS while the other radio is being repaired.

The Astron 35 was damaged and not working when Ron examined it, but Ron was able to repair it. The power strip that powered some of the equipment showed arcing damage and will likely need replacement.

This is pretty good news considering.

Be sure and THANK RON, N4PHP when you see or speak to him.
Thanks Ron.

Rod, N1YZ

Lightning Strikes the National Weather Service Station - Did the Amateur Radio Station Survive ?

2007-09-03T12:28:00.000-06:00

Public Information Statement
Sunday, September 2, 2007

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
920 AM CDT SUN SEP 2 2007

...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE...
AS WE CONTINUOUSLY EMPHASIZE LIGHTNING SAFETY...KEEP IN MIND THAT
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE. NO ONE PERSON OR EVEN BUILDING IS
IMMUNE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE. ON FRIDAY EVENING...THE END OF AUGUST
WENT WITH A FLASH AND THEN A LOUD BANG AS A LIGHTNING BOLT HIT THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE LOCATED IN CALERA.
NUMEROUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND OTHER HARDWARE WERE AFFECTED BY THE
STRIKE. HOWEVER...MOST ROUTINE OPERATIONS WERE NEVER INTERRUPTED AND
PRODUCTS CONTINUE TO GO OUT AS NORMAL.
THERE ARE A FEW ITEMS AND PRODUCTS OF NOTE THAT WERE IMPACTED.
MOST OF THIS HAS TO DEAL WITH PRODUCTS NOT UPDATING ON THE WEB-PAGE.
THESE INCLUDE:
POINT AND CLICK FORECAST
GRAPHICAL FORECAST IN THE BMX CWA SCALE
HOURLY FORECAST
THE OBSERVATION TABLE ON THE FRONT PAGE
CURRENT OBSERVATIONS
THE GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK (THE TEXT
VERSION OF THE HWO IS STILL UPDATING PROPERLY)
THERE WAS ALSO A LOSS OF THE COMPUTER THAT RECEIVES THE UPPER DATA
FROM THE BALLOON LAUNCH. THIS WILL RESULT IN NO UPPER AIR DATA
UNTIL THE SYSTEM IS REPAIRED.
SEVERAL PRODUCTS WILL BE MISSING DATA. THESE INCLUDE THE DAILY RIVER
SUMMARY(RVA)...AS WELL AS THE HOURLY WEATHER ROUNDUP(HWR).
THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED...AND PARTS ARE ON ORDER
FOR ALL OF THE HARDWARE ISSUES.
$$
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The condition of the ham radio station at the NWS is still up in the air, preliminary reports indicate one damaged radio and some PC connectivity problems..... we hope to have a detailed report soon.

Rod, N1YZ

Minutes from August 23, 2007 - ELECTION SLATE ENCLOSED!

2007-08-27T20:07:00.000-06:00

SCARC MEETING NOTES
August 23, 2007

President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 19:00 CDT by having the attendees introduce themselves and sign the meeting attendance sheet which is attached to this document. There were no visitors.

Nominating Committee Chairman Jack Evans KC4PZA presented the following slate for the upcoming election on September 13, 2007:

President – Bill Davidson KW4J
Vice President – Jim McLester W4YXU
Secretary – Jim Rogers W4ATK
Treasurer – Jack Evans KC4PZA
MEC – Rod Scott N1YZ
Director (2 Year Term) – Lee Aured KI4NMD
Director (1 year Term) – John Outland K3FP

A motion was made from the floor to add John Wilder WB4CCQ as an additional candidate for the MEC slot. The members were reminded that candidates can be entered as late as the actual voting event.

Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J announced that the CERT challenge is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 and that a review for it is scheduled for September 6 and 13.

Jack Evans reported that the following:
Ron Arant N4PHP replaces Dan James NU4A as a director on the Alabama Repeater Council.
The SCARC Tuesday night net will include a short technical Q&A session on various subjects. The first topic will be D-Star technology and uses.
We will meet at the Shelby County EMA on September 27 at 19:00

John Wilder has a new UHF repeater running in test mode at his QTH and the frequency is 443.350 MHz with a + 5M HZ offset and no tone at present.

Rod Scott will speak to the Chelsea COP (Citizens On Patrol) at the Senior Lodge, Chelsea on August 28. He will explain the benefits of amateur radio to them.

The meeting was adjourned and an informal discussion of D-Star technology and operation commenced with Mike Burns KE4DZU facilitating.

Attachments:
SCARC Attendance Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
Joan Ratchford’s email of August 22, 2007 concerning the CERT Challenge
===================================================================
Thanks again to Bill, KW4J !,

Rod, N1YZ

SET = Simulated Emergency Test - October 6th

2007-08-21T20:08:00.000-06:00

This year the ARRL SET will be October 6th. Plans are in the works and will be announced in due time.

Last year Jefferson and Shelby County ARES operated together from the W4CUE station.

Lessons learned from 2006:

1. Be prepared for a radio failure (it happened)

2. Be prepared for a people shortage

3. Headphones help when operating multiple stations in the same room

4. Have test equipment on hand to handle #1 listed above :)

73,

Rod, N1YZ

SCARC Web Page Updates

2007-08-20T20:58:00.001-06:00

Just a quick note: The new Club Constitution, the new By-Laws and a club roster have been placed in http://www.w4shl.com/ .

Enjoy!
Rod, N1YZ

The LAST Test Prior to Antenna Installation

2007-08-17T06:01:00.000-06:00

KC4AF, KA4VCA, KI4NMD, WB4CCQ, KE4DZU conducting final testing prior to installation. The tests were successful !

Thanks to KI4VVM for the photos..

KI4VVM Antenna Wins "Contest"

2007-08-12T11:36:00.001-06:00

John's antenna won the contest for the Most Homely Antenna (MHA) by virtue of being the only entry :)

A new contest will be held once this writer receives any other photo's of antennas that compete for the MHA award.

Just curious John, does that can at the bottom have any beans in it?

SCARC Meeting Minutes August 9, 2007

2007-08-10T17:13:00.000-06:00

Notes provided by our "super Secretary" Bill Davidson, Kw4J. Maybe we should double his current salary, what do you think?
Rod, N1YZ

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCARC MEETING NOTES
August 9, 2007

President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 19:00 CDT by having the attendees introduce themselves and sign the meeting attendance sheet which is attached to this document. There were no visitors.

Vice President Mike Burns KE4DZU said that a program on the new Kenwood VHF repeater may be the program this month. He reminded everyone that the election of new officers will be held on the first meeting of next month (September 13, 2007), and that will be the monthly program. Subsequent discussion centered on the election venue and it was decided to hold it at the Red Cross offices where the Club most often meets.

Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the Club savings and checking accounts have respective current balances of $169.74 and $1380.50. The Club’s present bank has changed its policy concerning free checking and he asked the membership to check with their banks about their policies. He also reported that the new repeater and antenna system total costs were $1974.96 and 1624.50 respectively.

Rod Scott reported on the following issues:
There is no change concerning the radio infrastructure at Shelby County Baptist Hospital, as the funding is still in limbo. Lee Aured KI4NMD will consult with the hospital management about this matter.
The Red Cross move has not begun and the local director is checking into the reason for the delay.
Everyone was reminded again about the September elections.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meets at Vincent on August 14, 2007 and Rod has been invited to attend as the amateur radio representative.
Rod will give an informative lecture on amateur radio to the Chelsea section of Citizens on Patrol (COPS) on August 28, 2007 and everyone is invited to attend.
David WB6BDR will talk to the Boy Scout Troop at Concord Baptist Church August 11, 2007 about amateur radio and will assist them in obtaining the Radio Merit Badge.
Barbara Brewer KB9TIV presented her suggested format changes to the Constitution. (Thanks again, Barbara!)
A copy of the D-Chat activity during the Calhoun County Disaster Exercise was passed around.

Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J presented the following:
The membership was reminded that all minutes are posted on the SCARC President’s BLOG.
John Outland K3FP forwarded an email from Joshua Knierim of the Red Cross that announced a Disaster Assessment course to be held at the Shelby County office on August 10, 2007 13:00-16:00 and everyone is invited.
An email forwarded vie ICOM’s D-Star reflector concerning the differences between RS-232 and USB ports was discussed. It points out the differences between the two and the reasons that some interfaces work erratically. This message can be found at http://www.icomarmerica.com/support/forums/fb.asp?m=6678

VE Committee Chairman Joe Ford reminded the membership that the next SCARC VE Testing will be September 7, 2007 at the Red Cross facility. He also stated that any change to the current BARC/SCARC test schedules will not take place until the first of 2008, if at all.

EMA Construction Chairman Lee Aured KI4NMD reports that the shelving above the desk at the new Shelby County EMA radio facility has been installed and all that remains is the painting. He will call for a work detail after Huntsville Hamfest (Aug 18-19) to install the radio equipment.

Repeater Chairman Bob Thomas KC4AF reports that work is still going on concerning the installation of the new antenna. Mostly it concerns VSWR and gain problems when it is fully assembled. More testing is underway. Also the temporary power supply for the new repeater is an automobile battery and a charger needs to be procured for it. Subsequent discussion presented several possibilities that will be pursued.

Nominating Committee Jack Evans stated that there was nothing to report at this time.

Marcus Thomas KF4YHP presented a bill of $125.00 for tower climbing services associated with the installation of the new repeater system and antenna and the club voted to pay the bill.

Rod Scott informed the club that the ARRL Booth at the Huntsville Hamfest on August 18-19, 2007 will issue a badge showing all emergency courses taken, so everyone is encouraged to take their certificates with them.

A motion was raised, seconded, and passed to close the meeting.

Attachments:
SCARC Attendance Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
N1YZ email of 7/15/07 - Lee Aured made the EMA Support Chairman
Joshua Knierim’s forwarded email (via K3FP) of August 3, 2007
ICOM Forum Reflector Note, 7/23/07 – RE: 91AD PC Cable

Ham's Invited To Red Cross Training Aug 10th

2007-08-05T11:39:00.000-06:00

This email was passed on to the BARC email listing on Friday Aug 3:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good morning,

My name is Josh Knierim, and I am responsible for disaster training for the Birmingham Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. I wanted to make you aware of an opportunity that is coming up next week. We will be holding a Disaster Assessment course at the Shelby County office on August 10th from 1:00 to 4:00. This class is geared towards teaching people how to evaluate the effects of a disaster such as a fire, flood, or tornado. In the past HAM operators have been a big asset in relaying this information to the Red Cross.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested in coming to the class to participate. Anyone who is interested can call me at 458-8249 to sign up or email me at this address.

Thanks,
Joshua Knierim
Emergency Services Specialist
Birmingham Area Chapter American Red Cross Office
(205) 458-8249 Office
(205) 337-3982 Cell
When you help the Red Cross, you help your neighbors recover.

SCARC Minutes July 26, 2007 - BYLAWS

2007-07-28T06:37:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all club members who worked on the By-Laws, and a special thanks to Bob Thomas, KC4AF who chaired the committee and Bill Davidson, KW4J, who typed these things up, corrected them, typed them up, corrected them, typed them......well you get the idea. :)
73,
Rod, N1YZ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCARC MEETING NOTES
July 26, 2007

President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 19:00 CDT by asking if there were any visitors and no one was identified as such. The attendees then introduced themselves and signed the meeting attendance sheet which is attached to this document.

Vic President Mike Burns KE4DZU solicited the members to ascertain if the group would be receptive for a program on the new Kenwood VHF repeater, and everyone was receptive. He also welcomed any ideas for future SCARC programs. Mike reported that the Club (and ham radio in general) received good publicity from the newspaper articles during the recent ARRL Field Day exercise.

Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the Club savings and checking accounts have respective current balances of $171.74 and $1291.05. He also reported that the new repeater and antenna system has been completely paid for. Donations for the project totaled $1440.00. Donations for the general repeater fund are still gladly accepted. Barbara Brewer KB9TIV requested information as to the expenses associated with the recent repeater system purchases and Jack presented and itemized sum of $1816.77 as the amount paid to date. He also emphasized that there is still money to be spent mainly for the new antenna installation.

Rod Scott reported on the following issues:
Lee Aured KI4NMD has been named Chairman of the EMA Support Committee, which has been working closely with the Shelby County EMA for the installation of the communication equipment at the new facilities. Lee reported that the facility is ready for the Club to do its part and called for a planning meeting Saturday July 29, 2007 at 8:00 AM to discuss the location of individual equipment.
There were no changes in the current repeater status other than a speed-up of the CW identifier.
The preamble for the SCARC Tuesday Night Net has been edited and is on the Club’s web site.
A nominating committee for the upcoming Club elections had been formed of the following members:
Jack Evans KC4PZA (Chairman)
Bob Thomas KC4AF
Ed Boutwell W4ZSB
Joe Ford K4NVJ

Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J presented the following:
The first annual Cullman Hamfest will be Saturday July 28, 2007 08:00-16:00 at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
Kimberley A. Frazier WX4KIM has been selected this year’s Alabama Outstanding Youth Ham.
The ARRL Letter, Vol. 26, No. 28 contains an article on the upcoming Huntsville Hamfest August 18-19, 2007, which will be the ARRL National Convention.
An article from the ICOM D-Star reflector outlined a Calhoun Disaster Exercise conducted by the Calhoun County EMA in Jacksonville, Alabama. Rod Scott reported that the exercise completed very satisfactorily and showed the value of D-Star communications during emergency conditions.

A discussion and vote on the proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws commenced with several members making suggestions and wanting clarifications of the articles. It was agreed that the changes were acceptable by the members and both documents were unanimously accepted. (There were 24 members present and all voted in favor of both document revisions.) The Club members were encouraged to present any changes to either document at any regular club meeting, as the process to amend them is very simple.

The Boy Scout Troop at Concord Baptist Church, Calera requests a volunteer to make a presentation of amateur radio on Saturday August 11, 2007. Any member who can do this is requested to see Rod Scott for more information.

Rod Scott has volunteered to speak about amateur radio to Calera’s Citizens on Patrol (COPS) on August 28, 2007. Everyone is invited to attend.

Gregory Pack KE4CTX was voted into membership by unanimous decree.

Barbara Brewer requested to be allowed to reformat the new Constitution and By-laws, and a motion was raised and voted to allow her to do so as long as the results are presented before the election of new officers.

Marcus Thomas KF4YHP donated the dry ice that he bought for use during Field Day and the Club membership thanked him for it. Several members made comments about how well the dry ice kept items cold on the hot days at the site.

Ken Caruso KS4NX announced that BARC is starting a new Technician Class course on Tuesday July 31, 2007 at the Bluff Park Community Center starting at 19:00 CDT. Anyone who can volunteer to help is encouraged to attend.

A motion was raised, seconded, and passed to close the meeting.

Attachments:
SCARC Attendance Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
N1YZ email of 7/15/07 - Lee Aured made the EMA Support Chairman
ARRL AL Section Note, 7/17/07 -WX4KIM as AL Outstanding Youth
ARRL Letter, Vol. 26, No. 28 (July 13, 2007)
ARRL AL Section Note, 7/12/07 – Alabama Hamfests
ICOM Forum Reflector Note, 7/12/07 – Calhoun County Disaster Exercise
Copy of Revised SCARC Constitution
Copy of Revised SCARC By-Laws

EMA Work Party Saturday July 28

2007-07-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

This is a suggested layout....we need input to insure that we set up the best set up for the EMA.
Thanks for your assistance,
Rod, N1YZ

ARRL STATE EMA Badges

2007-07-22T15:31:00.000-06:00

FYI,
On today's Alabama Emergency Net Mike (AENM), on 3.965 MHz, (every Sunday at 4pm), it was announced by Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, that the new state ARES badges will be made at the Huntsville Hamfest. They will be set up to take the photo and record the courses that you have completed. You will need to bring proof of what courses you have completed, or have your local county EC gather it all up and present it.

Jay also mentioned that his equipment is easy to carry around and he could come by a SCARC Meeting and do the photo's there.

So, if you have FEMA courses to take before this card is issued you still have time!

Now it will take a bit of time to take the ARRL courses but you can read more about them here: http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec001 .

73,
Rod, N1YZ

W4PA Scott Robbins Presents Program on Ten Tec Omni VII

2007-07-13T19:09:00.000-06:00

The Omni VII in living color.

Part of the large crowd that appeared for the Ten TEC Omni VII Program.

W4PA, W4ZSB, N4DKE, N4FP in a "radio huddle".

Scott Robbins, W4PA delivers the bad news to Ed, W4ZSB ......he can't take the radio home!

Photos courtesy of KI4VVM and N1YZ.

Minutes for July 12, 2007 SCARC Meeting

2007-07-13T19:07:00.000-06:00

SCARC MEETING NOTES
July 12, 2007

President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 19:00 CDT by asking if there were any visitors and Greg Pack KE4CTX introduced himself. The attendees then introduced themselves and signed the meeting attendance sheet which is attached to this document.

Vic President Mike Burns KE4DZU reminded everyone that the next meeting on July 26, 2007 will be a discussion of/vote on the proposed changes to the SCARC Constitution and By-Laws. He also welcomed any ideas for future SCARC programs.

Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the Club savings and checking accounts have respective current balances of $171.74 and $1291.05. He also reported that the new repeater and antenna system has been completely paid for. Donations for the project totaled $1440.00. Donations for the general repeater fund are still gladly accepted.

Jack is also the interim Club EC due to the resignation of Howard Moss KC4QJA who has changed jobs and must work conflicting shifts. Jack brought copies of the Net Preamble and asked for volunteers to act as net control. (The net meets on 146.98 MHz every Tuesday night at 20:00.) He mentioned that the new repeater has already helped to increase the number of check-ins. Rod Scott informed the club that Les Rayburn N1LF will assume the duties of the Shelby County Emergency Coordinator.

Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J informed the Club of a D-Star Users Meeting to be held at Embassy Suites Hotel, Huntsville 18:00-20:00 August 18, 2007, which is during the Huntsville Hamfest. He also said that any nominations for the 2007 Alabama Section Outstanding Youth should be sent to Rebecca Dorff WG4Y as soon as possible. Frank Hoult KI4VVI passed his General Class test last Friday at the SCARC VE Session. (Congratulations Frank!)

The regular business was dispensed with for the purpose of a presentation on the new OMNI VII by Scott Robbins W4PA, Radio Product Manager for the TenTec Corporation.

Attachments:
SCARC Attendance Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
Email from Frank Hoult , July 7, 2007 , “General”
ICOM Subscription Notification July 6, 2007,”D-Star Users Meeting, Huntsville, Alabama”
ARRL Section Memo, July 7, 2007, “Alabama Outstanding Youth”

2007-07-08T10:14:00.001-06:00

Lee, KI4NMD and Ron,N4PHP inspect the future radio rooom at the Shelby Co. EMA

Radio Move at the EMA. Howard, KC4QJA.

SCARC Meeting Minutes June 28, 2007

2007-07-01T18:42:00.000-06:00

SCARC MEETING NOTES
June 28, 2007

President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 19:00 CDT by asking if there were any visitors and Greg Evans, a newly licensed ham, introduced himself. The attendees then introduced themselves and signed the meeting attendance sheet which is attached to this document.

Repeater Committee Chairman Bob Thomas KC4AF reported that the new 146.98 MHz repeater was installed and working as of this morning and has been placed in an air conditioned environment. The new antenna has been installed at the 40 foot level of the tower for testing, so presently the new repeater is connected to the old antenna. The new antenna will be placed at the 180 foot level upon completion of the work. Discussion ensued about the method, safety, and responsibility of the climbing crew for the new antenna installation and it was agreed to use professional climbers. The new repeater acquisition/installation budget has an allotment for this purpose, and the Repeater Committee will investigate its sufficiency before continuing.

Rod Scott reported that the Club proposal to the Shelby County Baptist Medical Center has been postponed, as there is a strong possibility of an Alabama Hospital Association grant to purchase the emergency communication equipment.

Rod Scott also indicated that the Shelby County EMA is ready for the Club to move the radio equipment to the new location, so a work party has been scheduled for July 7 to accomplish this move. All members are invited to participate.

BARC/SCARC Field Day Chairman Jeff Drew N4DJU gave a synopsis of the past Field Day event and said that approximately 1600 contacts were made by the combined SCARC/BARC Group. He thanked the operators and the support staff for their efforts.

Jeff reported that a local Boy Scout Troop requests that a amateur radio demonstration be conducted at Concord Baptist Church, Calera tentatively August 11, 2007, and SCARC agreed to the commitment. Details will be worked out later.

The July 12 program will be on the Ten Tec Omni VII HF Transceiver. This will be a special, first-time presentation.

A motion was raised, seconded and passed to dispense with further Club business and a program on the past Field Day was presented by Ed Boutwell W4ZSB.

Attachments:
SCARC Attendance Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
email from N1YZ , June 28, 2007 , “RADIO MOVE at the Shelby County EMA”
====================================================================
Thanks again Bill (KW4J) for excellent minutes........Rod, N1YZ

Field Day Photos - Just a few! Thanks to KI4VVM

2007-06-27T21:20:00.000-06:00