QCWA Peach State Chapter 49 September 2004 Newsletter MEETING NOTICE: SATURDAY October 2, 2004 High Noon .Annual Picnic Meeting at W3CDE QTH. Hosted by Chapter 49 VP Jerry W3CDE and XYL Annie at their home in Snellville. The address is 1568 Red Fox Run, Lilburn. Directions below in Jerrys VP column. Call Jerry if you need further directions or information. Bring your own beverages and coordinate with Jerry and Annie about other items to bring such as desserts, etc. Please don't forget to RSVP with them so they'll have a good count for the entrees. 770-979-5500 or w3cde@arrl.net Meeting Minutes August 7, 2004 Meeting called to order by Mike K4HBI. Round-robin introductions were made of the Twenty Three in attendance, 13 members, 2 'Friends', 4 spouses and 5 guests including four visiting hams. "Missed you at the meeting" cards were signed by those present and will be sent to some members not in attendance. Several notes from members not able to make the meeting were read. Treasurer's report of $302 in the bank account. Last meeting minutes accepted as published. N4AC, Randal dePriest of Cumming joined the chapter at the meeting. He attended with his wife Laureen KI4FUE and harmonic Owen. VP report, Jerry is also taking over as Net Manager since Wayne wanted to give up the position. Director Frankie W4BJT asked the members to be looking for a new site for the MatParc 2m repeater or another repeater we could use for the 2m net. Sci-Trek report by John N4FAI. Jim W4QO has stepped down from his position at Sci-Trek. Possible new construction for the site is being considered. We have been following the reports in the Newspaper. It remains to be seen whether Sci-Trek will be able to continue at that site or another in the future. GA SM Susan AF4FO mentioned the availability of urcall@arrl-ga.net e-mail address use by GA ARRL members. Guy W4GBU announced a trip to Australia and New Zealand similar to the Russia trip a couple of years ago. Those interested had contact information available. President Mike noted that meeting attendance has increased with the bimonthly meetings instituted this year. Picnic next meeting October 2 and then return to Fire Mountain for the annual Christmas meeting, December 4th. Jerry W3CDE hosting the picnic. Bring your own beverages and maybe a dessert to share and please RSVP with him. Program chairman Sandy W4RU introduced our guest speaker Andrea Hartlege KG4IUM. Andrea is 15 and is the GA Asst SM for Youth along with writing a youth column for the QST web page and is also active in YLRL, Fists and GARS. Andrea is the 2004 Hiram Percy Maxim award winner and will be presented with a plaque at the Lawrenceville/Stone Mountain Hamfest. She has also been named the CQ/Yaesu/Newsline Young Ham of the Year. That award will be presented at the Huntsville Hamfestand and she will also receive a new radio from Yaesu at Huntsville. Andrea attended our meeting with her Mom Lisa and Dad Scott KF4PWI and younger sister Laura. We are sure Andrea's enthusiam will get Mom and Laura licensed soon also. Andrea talked about her introduction to ham radio, volunteering for the Peachtree road race communications, her Field Day experience in 2000 then getting her first license. She is involved in many volunteer communications activities, YLRL and ARRL and now has passed her General and Extra exams. She works to encourage and involve more youths in Ham Radio. She has also been involved with the 'Big Project' at two schools. Thanks to Andrea for the great presentation and pointers on involving the younger generation in ham radio. Sandy also mentioned that he will try to reschedule Bill Husted, the 'technobuddy' for a future meeting and also hopes to have Bob Allphin K4UEE talk about the new Peter I DXpedition after the expedition early next year. Door prizes were drawn for and books were won by visitors Stuart Liss WA2PQE and Jim Lynch K4GVO. Respectfully submitted, Bob Lear K4SZ, Sec/Treas Chapter 49 "Presidential Pontification" (or Da President Yaps!!!) Hope you all are doing well, as I pound on the keys the Hurricane Frances has moved on and Hurricaine Ivan is off the coast of South America. Eagerly looking forward to the Praters Mill swap and gab fest. Shelby was a blast and comfortable temperatures without rain made it quite enjoyable. Huntsville was a real treat for us also as we got to see GA's own, Andrea, KG4IUM, receive the CQ Magazine / Vertex (Yeasu) "Young Ham of the Year" award. Along with the award came a week long trip to Space Camp and an FT-817 xcvr. Andrea, as you remember, was our guest speaker at the July meeting. Those that were at the meeting know that amateur radio for the future - is in good hands - if the rest of the young hams only have a sliver of her ham talent. Between now and our meeting date of October 2nd, there are many Hamfest's to meet your parts, equipment, and reunion needs. I hope you show your support, so the hamfests will remain in place and active for the future generations instead of fading away. Thank You, to all the QCWA Chapter Forty-Niners for your support and smiling faces at all the local hamfests, they have turned into great face-to-face re-acquainting, meeting, and talking events. Our October 2nd meeting is NOT at the Fire Mountain Restaurant (the old Ryan's Steak House) Our program will no doubt be a blast, as it has in the past, the annual Picnic/Parts Swapping/Shack Clean Out get together. As last year, the event will be hosted by Ch. 49 VP, Jerry Lofstead, W3CDE, actually - lets put the credit where it belongs - to the lovely hostess Annie, Jerry's YL. Please notify Jerry about coming, you know - that RSVP stuff, so he knows how much food to char. Also coordinate side dishes we are to bring. Remember this is the annual QCWA shop/shack clean out, good excuse to make room for new stuff or to just find the floor. Again please let Jerry know about your attendance and look forward to seeing you at this wonderful get together. You know - this will make life easier, instead of sneaking stuff into Jerry's car, we can just set the goodies on the ground, or behind a bush and e-mail Jerry the location later, just do not let Annie see you feeding Jerry's collection. Directions to follow. Please keep the members of the QCWA family in your thoughts and prayers. Hope all stay healthy and if not, wish you a speedy recovery. Please keep us informed about your health, so we can put you in our prayers and let your friends know of status. With the travel season and gas price gouging upon us, please be extra careful out there, and try to make some of the special events and hamfests to renew friendships and plan on seeing your QCWA family at some of the upcoming events. We are still looking for someone to help Bob, K4SZ, by providing National with our Chapter news to be put in the quarterly QCWA Journal. You can always use the newsletter or minutes as a cut and paste source for info. Just need someone to remember to do this function and take some of the workload off Bob. Our meetings occuring every other month, has been a huge success. I am looking forward to each every one. Do not forget that the October meeting is the annual picnic/swap meet at Jerry and Annie's QTH. Please join us at these gatherings and please really consider the blessings you have been given, including the QCWA Chapter 49 Family. Again, Thanks Bob, K4SZ, for the great Chapter 49 Newsletter. See you all soon, 73, Mike K4HBI VP/Net Manager Notes: The activity on the Saturday morning net on 3857.5 KC has been doing very good. We heard from Ed, W4MMQ this last Saturday (Sept 11). It was great to hear an old familiar voice. Ed just turned 80 years young! Activity has been great all summer even with al the Hamfest's going on. The folks have been resurrecting some old gear and having lots of fun doing it. Ah!!! glow in the dark stuff i.e. "hollow state" stuff. As we turn in to the fall and winter seasons, we will all have more time to ourselves and not having to keep up mother natures growth outside!.. The Fall picnic meeting will be at my house on October 2, around Noon time. The address is 1568 Red Fox Run, Lilburn. On the eastern city limit of Snellville... You can come up I-85 to Gwinnett Place Mall and go south on Plesant Hill Rd. to Ronald Regan Pkwy. It is just after the Lowes store on the right. Go to Five Forks exit and exit right go for 3 lights and you will be at Martin Nash and a white Church, go left (the only way to turn!). Go to end and go right for about a half mile and turn into Rivermist Subdivision..A stone wall at the entrance. On the first street go right on Red Fox Run and follow it around to 1568... You are here! The house with the motorhome on the side and the steep!! driveway! IF you come up US78, go to end of limited access then about 5 miles. When you see Home Depot, you are near your turn three more lights. At the BP gas station, go left (North) on Hewatt Rd. Go about a half mile and JUST PAST!! (75 feet!) the RD Head Elementary School, go left into Rivermist Subdivision. and proceed as above. The food selections for the day are... Home made Chili, Burgers and Hot dogs. An some kind of fattening stuff... Please bring what ever you want to drink, I will have Ice. If you want to bring a desert to share fine. It will be enjoyed by all. Also, if you ARE COMING, please let me know via Email or call me at 770-979-5500 and let Annie or me know you will be here so I can have the correct amount of food available. I do not need for you to go away hungry and I do not want to have enough left over for supper for the next 6 months!! C U at the picnic and do not forget the clean out your old "good stuff" that you want to swap. 73, Jerry W3CDE Secretary Treasurer/Newsletter Editors Notes: No news from here this time. Now that contest season is over I hope to catch up on all my duties and also try to get come computers fixed and retrieve data I need. Looking forward to the picnic and I've been enjoying the 75m net. I even got to call it a few weeks ago when Jerry was down at the lake for the week. As always, if anyone has input for this NL or the national journal, please send it to me. Also don't forget to keep up your snail mail and e-mail addresses if there are any changes. 73 Bob K4SZ QCWA PEACH STATE CHAPTER 49 Web address: www.mindspring.com/~w4gbu/qcwa.htm 2004-2005 CHAPTER OFFICERS President Mike Swiderski K4HBI 770-449-0369 k4hbi@arrl.net VP/ Asst Net Mgr Jerry Lofstead W3CDE 770-979-5500 w3cde@arrl.net Secretary/Treasurer Bob Lear K4SZ 706-864-6229 k4sz@arrl.net Executive Committee:Fred Runkle K4KAZ 770-945-6326 runkle@charter.net Frankie Womack W4BJT 404-767-5382 w4bjt@mindspring.com Sandy Donahue W4RU 404-315-1443 w4ru@arrl.org NetManager Jerry W3CDE using the K4VN Chapter 49 Club Call: Chapter 49 QCWA VHF Net Wednesday 2000 145.41- MHz. Chapter 49 QCWA HF Net Saturday 0900 3.8575 Mhz.