October was a busy month for the Green Valley Amateur Radio Club. It began with our 8 October monthly meeting. We were privileged to welcome Ken Van Horn, KE7VTW, and Steve Baker, KE7WJE, into our membership. Steve has since earned his Amateur Extra license and call sign, AD7WY, and his wife, Star, KE7WSU, has earned her Technician license.
We also learned that Lloyd Miller, N7GV, was starting a Technician class at the Desert Hills center on 16 October. The class is for Green Valley residents with a GVR pass. He also stated that Continental School radio classes start on 22 October and run from 1445 – 1630 each Wednesday. Up to 20 children can be in the class. Projects include robotics, AM-FM radios, and radio-controlled airplanes. Please contact Lloyd if you are interested in being on the Continental School committee.
Additionally, Walt Harsch, WØALT, represented GVARC at the emergency drill conducted on 27 September. He presented an excellent slide show detailing the various activities that occurred in the parking lot of the Desert Diamond Casino during the drill. These included a simulated nursing home evacuation, triage setup to care for the injured, food rations, the RACES emergency communications trailer, and others. Many thanks to Walt for a great job done on the Club’s behalf!
At the same meeting, Dr. Miguel Enriquez, KD7RPP, presented a slide show to help familiarize us with the Pueblo High School Amateur Radio Club activities. He also expressed appreciation for the help specific GVARC members have given the school. His vision for future Pueblo High School amateur radio activities includes a long list of projects, including equipment construction, teaching/learning Morse Code and QSO skills, erecting an antenna tower, and much, much more.
On Saturday, 25 October, GVARC members participated in the annual White Elephant Parade. Bob Call, KE7SBQ, showed outstanding leadership in effecting coordination between GVARC communicators and the SAV, while Gene Schouweiler, WØKAD, did a superb job as net control. In Navy talk, Bravo Zulu (well done!) to Bob, Gene, and all the club members who manned the various posts.
As if that weren’t enough, on Thursday, 30 October, we had our 2008 Fall Picnic. Dee Gross, AD7NM, scoured southern Arizona for brats, hot links, burgers, chicken, rolls/buns, soft drinks, bottled water, condiments, and table service. Our Master Chef, Ron Phillips, AA7RP, flawlessly prepared the meats over the open grill. Club members also contributed a tantalizing variety of delicious salads, hot dishes, and desserts. Three cheers to Bob Epstein, AD7FQ, for riding his bike up to the picnic site and holding it for us. One thing GVARC members like to do is eat, and if anyone went home hungry, it was his/her own fault!
This month has also seen an increase in problems with our VHF and UHF repeaters. In one case, one of the repeaters was found to be connected to a bad antenna. In others, interference to the link radios from various sources necessitated a shutdown of the linkage between the 145.29 and 145.27 repeaters. Another BIG BRAVO ZULU to Ron Phillips, AA7RP, and Gene Schouweiler, WØKAD, for their constant diligence and dedication in keeping the repeaters going, even in the face of a total power outage at the Elephant Head site.
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank Jane Lang, AD7NR, for the outstanding job she did as net control on the 20 meter Snow Bird Net over the summer. We needed someone to take on that responsibility so that our winter visitors could keep up with what was going on in Green Valley, and Jane stepped up to the plate, learned how to run the Club station, and did a fantastic job – as always! Thank you, Jane. Thank you also to our other net control stations, Bob Epstein, AD7FQ, on the Thursday evening Ice Cream Net and Jane Lang, AD7NR, and Dee Gross, AD7NM, on the Tuesday morning Oatmeal Net. What a blessing these consistent and dedicated volunteers are to our Club.
Well, that’s it for another month. Don’t forget the regular monthly meeting on 12 November, nor the Christmas Banquet on 10 December. Details on the banquet are provided elsewhere in this newsletter. However, let me say this about it. Since this is a Christmas Banquet and there are a number of traditions represented among our membership, I invite anyone who wishes to present a song or short reading or poem that expresses the meaning of this time of year to you. It can be secular, religious, patriotic, or whatever. Maybe you’d even like to give a tribute to our Founding Fathers for the great country their faith, courage, and sacrifice gave us. To my knowledge we have never tried anything like this, so the evening might prove to be moving as well as entertaining.
73, Ron; AD7FV
We have completed our second week of classes and all goes well. We have 20 new students in the electronics group building Christmas trees, all 5th graders, 8 returning students in our radio controlled airplane group, and 5 returning students in our newly formed robotics group. We meet in 4 different class rooms to keep the chaos down.
Most of our staff are men and women from GVARC. Without their support, none of this would be possible. So far no significant soldering iron burns.
Lloyd N7GV
We will be holding a license exam session on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 9 A.M. at Desert Hills Recreation Center, 2980 S. Camino Del Sol, Green Valley, Az 85622. All license level exams will be available. Admission by advance notice only. Call Lloyd or Carolyn at 648-2834
Our 2008 Christmas Banquet will be on Wednesday, 10 December, at the Grill on the Green at Canoa Ranch Golf Club. A cash bar will be available starting at 1700 with dinner being served at 1800.
This year we are offered only one dinner choice (vegans will be accommodated):
The cost is $25.00 per person (the Club will pay the $8.38 tax, tip, etc. per meal).
Carolyn Miller, AB7KC
1612 S. San Ray
Green Valley, AZ 85614
Since this is a Christmas Banquet and there are a number of traditions represented among our membership, I invite anyone who wishes to present a song or short poem that expresses the meaning of this time of year to you. To my knowledge we have never tried anything like this, so it might prove to be moving as well as entertaining.
We will also have our annual elections after the banquet. Nominees for this year will be announced at the November GVARC meeting on 12 November. Door prizes are also planned.