Time out

This Month’s Meeting

This month’s meeting will be held on Friday, September 21st at 7:30 P.M. at the American Red Cross, 209
Farmington Ave. (Rte. 4), Farmington, CT. All are welcome. Bring a friend.
This month, we will have a guest speaker. Our own Chuck Motes – K1DFS will give a presentation on the
Official Observer program. Chuck is the Official Observer Coordinator for the Connecticut Section.
Don’t miss this interesting presentation!
Last Month’s Meeting
ICRC Meeting Minutes

Date:
Time Started:
Time Ended:

Minutes taken by: Dan Wall – W1ZFG
Attendees (Callsign):
WY1O N1RMF


Last Month’s Meeting – cont’d

There was no regular membership meeting held last month. Instead, a Board of Director’s meeting was held and
various club issues were discussed. Also, the VE session yielded three new Technician class licensees.


Nominations for Officers/Board Members

Once again it is time to think about elections for next year. I will be accepting nominations for officers and
board members at the September meeting and up until the October meeting, where the slate will be presented.
Anyone who would like to nominate someone (or themselves) for any office or board membership may do so
either at the September meeting or by e-mailing me the information.
Dan Wall – W1ZFG
Chairman – Nominating Committee

Elmer’s Net

Last year’s popular Elmer’s Net will be returning for another group of sessions. The first session will be held on
Monday, October 1st at 7:00 P.M. on the ICRC linked repeater system. Sessions will continue each Monday
until the end of November. Refer to our website, ation about subjects and
dates.
Swap and Sell Net
If you have any ham radio gear you would like to sell or swap, or are looking to buy new or used equipment, check into the Swap and Sell Net. The net is held every Thursday at 8:00 P.M. on the W1AW repeater, 145.45, PL of 127.3. The net is run by Dave – KB1WYE, who is also an ICRC member. This would be a great opportunity to clean out all that old gear you’ve got piled up in your attic or basement – or to pick up that classic radio you’ve always wanted. So check in and give it a try!
President’s Message
“Complications and Change” Greetings to you all, Life is complicated. Or at least I think the simplest things in my life require complex analysis. With each passing morning, it is darker and darker when my alarm goes off. My brain makes a note that autumn is here and that I need to wear a light jacket outside. Yet as I am getting into the car, my brain hesitates (more than the usual) and tells me that I will be too warm in the car unless I open the windows or take off the jacket. So now my “poor little brain” has to decide whether I’d rather listen to the radio or enjoy the nice fresh air. Additionally, for my hour ride into work, I need to decide if I’m going to listen to the FM broadcast radio – or the newest jazz CD, or with the “Book on a CD”. It seems that I’ve been on that book for about a year now. Additionally, I have other choices, to include waiting to get out of a dead spot for the various repeaters – for a small chat on the way in. It seems that being engrossed in a round-table chat makes the trip in – a little bit faster. There are several ways into work, and decision might be made as to which paths of travel will permit (or block) a path from the mag-mount to the repeater tower. Maybe you city folk don’t have to make those types of decisions, but coming from mountainous northwest corner of the state; we do! And then there’s the coffee order. Gosh, what flavor shall I choose that I’m “in the mood’ for. Nothing is simple! And because of that, we often take comfort in patterns. Whenever I am home, breakfast is always 3/4 of a cup of oatmeal with a half cup of water heated in the microwave for 55 seconds. If the microwave is ever replaced and it takes 60 seconds to cook the oatmeal, I’ll probably need to be institutionalized. With all the variables and complications of life, I need something that doesn’t change, like the morning bowl of oatmeal that has been cooked the same way for years. The above paragraph was written “for affect”. Anyone who knows me knows that I won’t need to be institutionalized for such minor changes in life. But it is true that as human beings, we don’t react well to change. But change is inevitable in almost all that we do in this human community. It’s the person who is able to adapt to the changes that is offered in life, that makes out well in future endeavors. Probably a good example of that is recalling where we were almost a year for now – in October 2011, Halloween to be exact! We had just finished enduring Hurricane Irene, which wasn’t so bad – then the freak storm “Albert” came along dumping record-breaking snowfalls, and the storm continued getting worse and worse. After the snow-burdened boughs and trees collapsed to massively take out the power lines, in our state alone more than 800,000 customers of electricity were without power, with little chance of rapid recovery. We weren’t alone; Massachusetts and New Jersey each suffered more than 600,000 cuts to power, with our neighbors of New York also in the dark. What a change that was on my ride into work! No traffic lights, in the early days of the storm’s aftermath – no gas being pumped. When gas was available it was cash only – ATM’s and banks weren’t open.
President’s Message – cont’d
My oatmeal by microwave wasn’t available – but the repeaters were up – emergency power ARES and SKYWARN were up and running. Halloween was postponed in most communities, and the night air was filled with the sound of generators. At the end of the power calamity, the sound of silence by the generators off – was almost deafening in their own way. Will I be affected by this change? Probably. Even at the very basic level, when the colder temperatures approach, I’ll be sure that the car’s gas tank has at least a half tank full, and that I’ll have more than normal spending cash in the wallet. Our ICRC club is still gradually going through some gradual changes, some seem like real bumps in the road, but with time they will smooth out, I’m sure. As with life in general, change is usually a progressive and proactive activity. One such change was the vacation from a Club meeting in August. The Club’s Board of Directors, however met – and deliberated on a variety of subjects, with the ability to devote some time to the issues, rather than to rush through as was used to be done when meeting prior to a regular Club meeting. One notion was to continue with the creation of membership cards for the club. Several designs were discussed, and the ways of producing them was also discussed. Recently, we’ve discovered how another amateur radio club sends out the annual membership cards via e-mail –and seems to be a bit better in design, as well as being more cost-effective for the Club – so it’s a change and a change. We’ve been discussing the need for replacing the batteries at the 147.150 repeater, and are now considering a serious research into a possibility of a grant. The time at the Board of Director’s meeting was well spent on discussion pertaining to the By-Laws revisions, as well as the return of the successful Elmer’s Net on Monday evenings. The “time off’ in August positions the next meeting – on Friday, September 21, to be the “kick-off” for our new year. As a special presentation, our own Chuck Motes, K1DFS will have a special presentation on the OO Program. The Official Observer program is the main branch of the Amateur Auxiliary Program. OOs must pass a comprehensive examination based on a set of study materials before they can be certified as members of the Amateur Auxiliary; they must also be an ARRL member and be licensed for at least four years. OOs report to an OOC (official observer coordinator). The OOC is an ARRL section-level leadership official, appointed by the ARRL section Managers for two purposes; (1) to supervise the maintenance monitoring work of the section official observers, and (2) to coordinate special amateur auxiliary efforts with headquarters and the SM. With the inception of the amateur auxiliary to the FCC, the role of the OOC is greater today than ever before. A key liaison in the auxiliary, the OOC assists OOs in evidence gathering and conveys evidentiary materials to headquarters for handling with the FCC. We are fortunate to have Chuck Motes within our club not only from the standpoint of his long-time valued leadership in the club, yet also as the OOC for the Connecticut Section! In conclusion, just a reminder to all about our ICRC repeaters. In addition to the services that we provide though our club repeater system, these FM voice repeater are available for enjoyment by all Technician class licensees and above, regardless of club membership. They are open to all; 24 hours / 7 days a week. The frequencies are: • 147.15+ (N1JGR) PL 77Hz located in Burlington • 146.88- (K1DFS) PL 77Hz located in Bristol • 442.85+ (K1DFS) PL 77Hz located in Bristol
President’s Message – cont’d

All repeaters are to be regarded as “open” repeaters, with CTCSS sub-audible squelch control set at 77.0 Hz.
The following 224.60 repeater is not owned, supported or controlled by the Insurance City Repeater Club; but
is linked to the ICRC system, by special permission.
• 224.60- (K1WMS) PL 123Hz K1WMS (affiliated) repeater located in Vernon, CT
Did I once mention that I listen to the ICRC repeaters habitually from 6:45 to 7:30 AM, on my way to work,
Monday through Friday. Occasionally, I'll join another conversation somewhere else on another system. But
basically, I'm looking for some action on our ICRC repeaters. If you're up and about - please give me a call!
Perry WY1O
Monthly Connecticut Section News Summary
Section Leadership: K1EIC SM: ASMs W1FXQ emeritus, KD1YV, K1HEJ; OOC K1DFS; PIC KA1WPM; SEC N1CLV: ASECs N1FNE, K1BRF, AF1HS, K1VSC, W1GTT; SGL K1MK; STM K1STM; TC N1KHB. First of all, I want to thank you for re-electing me as Section Manager for another 2-year term that begins in October. I pledge to continue to do the best I can to improve what we do together in the service of Amateur radio in the ARRL CT Section. But I can’t do this alone. Remember, this is your Section. And I bet some of you have some great ideas for goals we might consider. So what I’d like you to do is to send me some goals you would like to see us achieve in 2013. Please send me an email with the word “Input” as the only word in the subject line by September 15. My cabinet and I will take all input into consideration and come up with a set of a few measurable goals we think we can achieve in 2013. I’m hoping I can get this done to report to you at the ARRL Forum on October 7 at the State Convention in Meriden. Then at the end of the year or beginning of 2013, I’ll fill you in on our plans for achieving these goals. Now remember that I said we will try to achieve a few goals—your idea might be wonderful but one that needs to be accomplished at a later date so please understand this at the outset. We hams love to be wordy but please try to get your ideas across in a somewhat succinct fashion. Know that if I have any question, I will surely write you. Thanks. So in summary: Input please by September 15 with the word Input as the only word in the subj line so I can sort the mail. This should be fun and productive. Thanks in advance. Some of you are not familiar with the Field organization. The members of my cabinet are listed at the top of this letter. You can read about their job descriptions, all field appointments, and about my job at: http://www.arrl.org/section-manager
Monthly Connecticut Section News Summary – cont’d
The CT Section mourns the loss of Joel Kleinman, N1BKE as reported in the most recent ARRL Letter and on the news page of the ARRL Web site. Joel was managing editor for QST and one who was known to be a very gifted editor. He died in a house fire Saturday, August 18. Joel served as president of NARL and was a longtime member of QCWA. I know you will remember Joel’s family, his co-workers at ARRL and all his friends in your prayers. You can read more at: Unfortunately, noted QST author Steve Powlishen, K1FO is also a silent key. Steve was an authority on EME (earth-moon-earth) also called “moonbounce”. Amazingly, Steve made 613 unique contacts on 70 cm EME! He studied the characteristics of yagi antennas with special emphasis on their performance on EME on 70CM and wrote articles in December 1987 and January 1988 QST reporting his findings. You can read more at: I have fond memories of Steve at the meetings of the Northeast Weak Signal group which I used to attend some years ago. We’re very saddened to hear about the death of Leonid Soliterman, formerly UA1LD in the Soviet Union. The Valley Amateur Radio Association had the privilege of meeting Leonid AA1LD who told us the hair raising stories of being a ham op years ago in Russia and about his experiences at Chernobyl. Leonid was a very active member of the Stamford Amateur Radio Association. He was a very interesting speaker and we were all grateful that Jon WB2RYV brought him to the meeting. Leonid was really special; we will miss him. You can read more about Leonid at: ?. In happier news, about 1,000 people attended the New England Division Convention in Boxboro, MA last weekend and I saw many of you from CT! The program was terrific; several CT ops participated as speakers. You can view the program. But there was something different and very exciting that occurred. It seems that George Lillenstein AB1GL joined my table at the banquet on Saturday night. Many tables went up to the buffet before ours and we kidded about the fact that just maybe, because we had to wait a little longer for our food, that one of us would win the grand prize. Well, you bet—George won the KX3! Of course, he was absolutely thrilled! But that’s not the end of the story. The next day, at the end of the show, prizes are drawn. Then there are three bigger prizes and the main prize which was a Kenwood TS590S transceiver. George won the second of the three bigger prizes: a Kenwood HT capable of APRS! So I don’t think that GL stands for George Lillenstein—it most assuredly stands for Good Luck!
Monthly Connecticut Section News Summary – cont’d
Director Frenaye K1KI told us that a proposal was written and approved by the Board to hold the national convention in Hartford in 2014, the 100th anniversary of ARRL! The Board has asked that FEMARA, the sponsors of the New England Division Convention assist the organizers. I’m sure that there will be lots of opportunities for us to help out in CT—this is really exciting! Now mark your calendars for the weekend of July 18, 2014! The week before Boxboro, NTS ops from Maryland to Maine joined me and K1EIR at my home for the annual Eastern Area Staff picnic! There were 35 of us including some from CT. The chair of the Eastern Area Staff who is also EMA STM Marcia, KW1U attended and helped to host the event. Attendees from CT were STM K1STM, ASM K1HEJ, NM N1DIO, NM KB1NMO, NM W1MCT, N1BDF, K1UQE, W1FYM, my twin K1EIR of course, W1RM and WB1ADL. There were so many traffic handlers together from the First Region Net that the skeds had to be run from my station—it was a lot of fun! Help is needed during the weekend of September 8 and 9. Here’s a note from our SEC: “Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is hosting their annual Camp Challenge Ride on Saturday, 8 Sept 2012. Similar to AngelRide, this fundraiser supports the HITWG Camp's many activities to provide for youngsters with life-threatening diseases (e.g., cancer, leukemia, etc). There are three separate ride options - 15 miles, 30 miles, and 100 kilometers (aka a "Metric Century" ~ 62.5 miles). There will be multiple Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles patrolling the three routes. The day's activities will start around 0700 and end around 1700. We have been asked to supply amateur radio operators for as many of the SAGs as possible. If you can help with this very worthwhile public service event, please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know! Since the repeater coverage of the area is a little spotty in places, an HT won't cut it -- you'll need a mobile radio Go Box, preferably a dual bander (2m/440), and a magnetic mount antenna. If you can help but don't have the right radio configuration, let me know and we'll see if we can find you a loaner for the day! 73 & Thanx, Wayne Gronlund, N1CLV. Connecticut Section Emergency Coordinator Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)” And now from DEC Region 3 Jonathan—he needs 14 volunteers on Sunday, Sept 9. Here’s his note. “We have been contacted about providing support for the National Multiple Sclerosis event called ‘Bike MS’. This event has been relocated from the shoreline to the mid-upper region of the state (centered in Hartford). Because of the relocation of the event, it was brought to our attention ‘at the eleventh hour’. That being said, it's a great charity and we hope to have enough hams to support the event. Event info: Date: Sunday, September 9th Type of event: Bike ride with three circuits (25/50/75 mile) Hams needed: approx. 14 Time: 7:00 - 3:00 at the most (many positions can start later and some can leave earlier). All help greatly appreciated, Jonathan” [email protected]
Monthly Connecticut Section News Summary – cont’d
September is not only back to school month; it’s time for our first Hamfest of the Fall sponsored by The Candlewood Amateur Radio Association. September 9 is the date of The Western CT Hamfest at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, Newtown 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can download the flier at: I hope you will plan on attending. Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. See you in September. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Connecticut Section Section Manager: Betsey M Doane, K1EIC [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------- For the latest information, visit our website at

Source: http://www.icrcweb.org/Time%20Out_0912.pdf