SQUELCH TALE
Central Missouri Radio Association KØSI 146.76(-) PL 127.3
Web Site: http://www.qsl.net/cmra
February, 2007
The Central Missouri Radio Association is the oldest Amateur Radio Club in the Columbia, Mo. area. Check out our web site at its new address:
If you have ideas for Web content, send them to Jim, WYØB.
To submit articles for this newsletter contact KCØLCS, Nathan, at the next club meeting or at kc0lcs04@yahoo.com . Also, if you have any changes in your mailing address or E-mail, send it to KCØLCS.
CALENDAR
Our regularly scheduled monthly meeting is normally held at Boone Electric on 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. December’s meeting will be the annual Christmas event held at the Golden Corral.
Each Monday evening (except the Monday preceding the meeting or holiday) join with the members at the club station on Worley St in the Red Cross building basement.
Each Wednesday is Club Net at 9:00 p.m. If you’re interested or willing to volunteer for Net Control or if you have questions, contact WMØH, Dewey.
If 2006 appears on your address label your dues have been paid for this year.
To renew your membership for 2006, see the treasurer, Bill Anglen, KCØACS, at the meeting, or mail a check for $20.00, ($25.00 per family) to: CMRA; P.O. Box 283; Columbia, MO. 65205.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Froze Toes Bike Race, Feb. 25th
Upcoming Hamfests:
Willard, Jan. 13th
St. Joseph, Jan. 20th
Collinsville, IL, Jan. 27th
FEBRUARY MINUTES
The meeting opened shortly after 7 PM with introductions all around. A couple new faces were present.
Treasurer’s report $1,526.88 in checking. Savings accounts unchanged.
It was announced that Nathan, KCØLCS, was absent due to the flu, so John, KCØHSB, tape recorded the meeting as a reference for typing the newsletter.
The list of officer nominees was read, and all were voted in by acclamation. New officers are as follows:
President: Dave, KVØS
Vice President: Jim, WØJGT
Recording Secretary: Tim, KCØTXW
Corresponding Secretary: Nathan, KCØLCS
Treasurer: Bill, KCØACS (to complete a current two year term)
Member at Large: Jim, WYØB (to complete a current two year term)
In spite of his eagerness to turn the gavel over to Dave, KVØS, Bob, KØYBN, was duty bound to carry on with this month’s business as usual.
There were no minutes for December, since that was the dinner meeting at Golden Corral, where no official club business was conducted.
Don, KMØR, announced the Froze Toes bike race is Feb. 25th, and volunteers are needed. This is a race which is completed in a few hours at a fast pace, unlike the MS-150. Operations are on 2 meter simplex, and there will be APRS as well. Contact Don for more info.
Dewey, WMØH, discussed the upcoming changes regarding no-code licensing. Effective date is sometime in the middle of February. Techs will have the same privileges as current Tech Pluses. Band allocations are changing somewhat also. Anyone who has already taken the General written test will not automatically be upgraded and will have to pay another $14 for administrative fees when the code requirement is officially dropped. It’s best for those wanting to upgrade to wait and take the written exam later and pay $14 only once. Anyone who has passed the General written test in the past year needs to bring a copy of their current license or CSCE, fill out form 605, pay $14, and it will be sent in by V.E.s to ARRL. Upgrades should appear in the FCC database within hours, and paper license should arrive in 7-10 days. Contact Dewey with any further questions or for further clarification.
Dewey pointed out that two Dons, Dave, Dale, and himself are all V.E.s whose names begin with D. That makes them the D-team.
Daniel, KCØUTW, discussed the possibility of moving the hamfest to the American Legion hall in Columbia, which would be smaller to accommodate the decreasing number of vendors. After considerable discussion, the club voted to keep the meeting at the Optimist building in Ashland on August 18th. Let Daniel or Tim know of any potential vendors who could participate.
Dave, KVØS, reported that the first MO Worked All Counties certificate has been awarded to an active ham from St. Louis. He recommended the club station be opened for members to take part in the Missouri QSO party, sponsored by the BEARS (Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society) club on the first full weekend in April, the 7th-8th. This would help those needing contact with Missouri counties. MO Worked All Counties is now on the web site for Worked All Counties. There may be future publicity about the award in CQ magazine.
Daniel, KCØUTW asked about scholarships for hams going to college. It was noted that ARRL has a number of scholarships.
There has been no word on whether the club will be working with the CASA program this year. It may not happen, due to the busy schedule of Mike, KCØPAH, who headed up a fabulous and successful effort last year.
Corry, KCØYNS, offered to sponsor a summer barbecue at his house. It was discussed as a possibility in conjunction with Field Day or some other event.
John, KCØHSB, urged members to come forward with any suggestions for items they’d like to see in the auction from businesses they patronize. This info will be passed on to his wife, this year’s auction chairperson.
A hearty round of applause was extended to Bob, KØYBN, for his efforts as club president. He hastily handed the gavel to Dave, KVØS.
Meeting was adjourned at about 7:55.
Dave, KVØS, gave an informative program on the basics of APRS satellite tracking operation. Anyone wishing to know more should contact him or Don, KMØR, our CMRA APRS gurus.
Respectfully submitted by John, KCØHSB, for Nathan, KCØLCS
It’s official, the 5 WPM Morse Code requirement will be dropped from the FCC Part 97 rules on February 23rd.Scholarship Info:
Foundation for Amateur Radio
Email scholarships@farweb.org or Send a QSL card by April 30 to FAR Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738