Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society

President’s Corner

April 2018

     Welcome to April! It’s the time for thunderstorms, Skywarn®, and the first outdoor operating events! Andy Parcel, KE5KOF, and I set up some antennas this past Saturday and some of the bands were hopping! There were plenty of contests who need you to check in, and people to talk to. The bands are alive! And this with a modest mobile HF rig, not even an SDR. If you have one of those, you ought to be able to make contacts worldwide.

     It’s not too early to talk about elections. All officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) are up for election every year, plus one of the three directors. A few of the existing officers have had changes in their work or personal lives and would prefer not to run again. The Society really needs for you to consider running for office. Send an email to Ron Reeves, NN5R, at nn5r@arrl.net to express your interest.

     ARRL Field Day is coming up fast, at the end of June. We have a place (same as last year) and we need to put together a committee quickly. Please email me at N5KRG@ARRL.NET and let me know which job you would like:

• Facility Coordinator talks with the facility to make sure we have what we need;
• Antenna Coordinator lays out the antenna farm (where we will put which antennas) and organizes setup;
• Station Coordinator makes sure we have what we need for the operating positions;
• Operations Coordinator makes sure we have a food and literature plan, and makes it happen;
• Promotions Coordinator calls local city council and other officials to invite them to come out, sends out notices to newspapers, radio and television stations.

Pick one or two positions and let me know. As soon as I hear from you I’ll call together a planning meeting.

     Right before Field Day is your chance to get rid of old equipment you aren’t using and pick up new equipment to play with. That’s right, it’s Ham-Com time! Second weekend in June at the Plano Convention Center. This is the third-largest ham convention in the USA. We’ll have three tables where you can sell your gear. The club will handle credit cards. We make a small commission from members (10% up to $10 max) and non-members (10%, no limit). Start organizing and pricing now and be ready to convert old gear into cash. Plus, most of the important manufacturers and resellers will be there—not to mention the individual tables and tailgates loaded with treasure!

     See you at the meeting on April 12th!

73,

Kevin N5KRG