ISSN 1067-0262, CODEN AAOVE3. ©Austin Amateur Radio Club, Inc. and/or the Austin Repeater Organization. Published monthly by the Austin Amateur Radio Club, Inc.

Viewpoints expressed in the AARCOVER do not necessarily reflect those of any club, or of its members, directors, or officers. Material quoted from the ARRL Letter is supplied by American Radio Relay League, Inc.

Members and other readers are encouraged to submit material for publication. Mail to Rick Herndon at the address shown for K5FNI on QRZ.com, or the contact means shown above. FAX available on schedule. Submissions may be edited for publication. Deadline is the 15^th of the month. Material may be used in a later issue. Unless otherwise noted, permission is granted to reprint AARCOVER articles, provided you credit the author and the AARCOVER.

AARC Speaker – September 10
To Be Announced.

Upcoming Amateur Exams

  ARRL VEC - Sep 7/Oct 12  @9 a.m. at Murchison Middle School  – Take Far West Blvd. exit from MoPac (Loop 1) west to Hart Ln. (turn left).  Then,  right on North Hills Dr. Enter school from south (North Hills Dr.) entrance.  Contact Joe Makeever, W5HS (345-0800) or Joe Thiel, N5SMN (832-0450) for information.

  W5YI VEC - Sep 21/Oct 19 @2 p.m. in room 208, Moody Hall, St. Edwards University campus. Contact Jim Greenwood, AB5EK@arrl.net, 327-6184, http://texasparadise.com/w5yi-austin for additional information.

[ed.— The article was accidentally truncated in the August issue, so here is the whole thing. Apologies to the author.]

One key question about satellite operations is simply this:  "When is the satellite in view of my QTH?"  To answer this question you need to learn about orbits.  Satellite tracking is usually done with computers so software and data are important as well.
A circular orbit is the simplest one--the satellite path traces a circle in space around the center of the Earth.  Think of spinning a toy tied to a string that you hold.  Once you get the toy moving you have to hold the string firmly to keep that toy moving in a circle over your head.  With a satellite the force of gravity that the Earth exerts on the satellite replaces the string.  The equivalent to spinning up the toy is that a large rocket places the satellite above the atmosphere with a large velocity (7 kilometers per second).
What happens if you have a satellite in a circular orbit over the equator with a 24-hour orbit?  The satellite orbits at the same rate that the Earth rotates so it appears to "hang" over that spot on the equator.  Most communications satellites use this orbit since it makes life easy for ground station operators.  Unfortunately, this orbit isn't very useful for amateur radio satellites because the large distance (36,000-kilometer altitude) leads to unacceptable path loss.
A low circular orbit over the equator wouldn't be useful to hams because most are located well to the north and would never see the satellite in the sky.  A low circular orbit that passes over the North and South poles will move into view of any location on the Earth at least twice per day; many amateur satellites such as AO-27 are in this kind of "polar" orbit.  The rotation of the Earth greatly complicates the task of predicting when the satellite will pass overhead so most hams use computers for tracking.
Elliptical orbits have been very useful for certain amateur spacecraft such as AO-13 and AO-40.  The goal is to have the high part of the orbit over the Northern hemisphere where most hams live; also, the ground coverage is broader when the satellite is higher.  Elliptical orbits are harder for spacecraft controllers to maintain due to effects such as the "lumpiness" of the Earth, the gravity of the Moon, and the gravity of the Sun.  In fact, the orbit of the very productive AO-13 drifted so that the low point dipped into the atmosphere and the spacecraft was destroyed by heat.
Several numbers (called Keplerian Elements after the astronomer, Johannes Kepler) describe orbits.  NORAD uses radar and optical systems to track space objects in order to update these elements.  The numbers are regularly distributed by several sources including the ARRL and AMSAT.  I won't go into further detail about the elements but there is a nice tutorial on the AMSAT Web site at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/keps/kepmodel.html.
If you're ready to tackle the job of tracking satellites you'll need some software.  There are some free downloads on the Internet but the most complete programs are sold by AMSAT.  Take a look at this Web page: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/catalog/software.html.
An alternative to doing your own tracking is to use a Web site that does the job.  For example, http://www.heavens-above.com needs just your Zip code to figure your location.  You can generate a table of upcoming passes for amateur radio satellites.
If you are interested in orbits there are some great books available.  ARRL publishes "The Radio Amateur's Satellite Handbook" that contains some chapters about orbits and tracking.  A more detailed treatment is "Fundamentals of Astrodynamics" by Bate, Mueller, and White; this inexpensive paperback is available from online bookstores and is used as a textbook at the Air Force and Naval Academies.

1948-1949: A Spark Coil, The FCC & "I'm Only Experimenting"
W5CN, Marcus Barnes

This nostalgic yarn--set in the West Texas town of San Angelo--is a slice from my plucky teenage years, about the path a young boy might stray upon en route to getting his ham ticket. 
As a thirteen-year-old introverted electrical experimenter, my hoard of "high-tech" playthings ran the gamut; voltaic cells to doorbells, crystal sets to Atwater Kents.  I fancied my prized clutter equaled that of the young Edison in his day.  I'd built one, two, and three-tube radios with '99s, 'O1As and '30s, ala Hugo Gernsback.  But amidst this consuming electrical paradise was what came to be the most mystical and demonic toy I possessed--a Model-T-Ford Spark Coil.  With Morse Code ability and the obsessive dream of being a radio ham one day, I was off to a buzzing start (like Marconi?).
Illustrated in a radio book was an induction-coil "Experimental Wireless Set."  The 1909 edition of Operator's Wireless Telegraph and Telephone Hand-book, still on my bookshelf, showed how to do it.  With no tuned circuits, you hooked an antenna to one side of the spark gap, the other side to ground, just like in the picture, simple as that.  My own version ended up with a Model-T coil and six-volt lantern battery both inside a Travis Club cigar box.  Fahnestock clips soldered on the Ford Coil's contact blobs made connections easy, and the taped-shut cigar box was stood on its edge.  A pair of short, flat-ended, number-ten wires in binding posts, comprised the spark gap on the top side.  A J-38 telegraph key was mounted nearby.  Setting the gap to a bit less than a quarter-inch gave the most ravishing spark ever; thick, blue, and hot...a bewitching fire, fit to blitz the ether!  But I'll never forget that weird, funny smell.  My daddy called it "Ozone."
Having a ninety-foot antenna running high to the back of our big lot made getting on the air quick and easy.  An SPDT porcelain-based knife switch, from Woolworth's, worked nicely as the antenna changeover.  An out-of-the-cabinet Atwater Kent 55 TRF chassis was the receiver, and wherever you tuned it, the buzzing roar of my "Experimental Wireless Set" was equally loud.  My mother said it came in over the telephone line.  Moreover, my grandmother complained of an annoying sound in her Beltone hearing aid. 
Charles, a neighborhood pal and kindred electrical tinkerer was dazzled by my "Experimental Wireless Set."  He soon got his own Model-T Coil from Sears Roebuck (yes, they still had them), and hastily rigged a similar setup in his garage workshop, a few blocks away.  His station sported a Hallicrafters S-38.  So as new horizons awaited us, and Charles "committed" to improving his code speed (he didn't), we would somehow--in the dim future--get our ham licenses (he never got his).
And while we had a few code-practice spark-coil QSOs, always initiated by a 'phone call, there dawned a new awareness:  At our disposal was an uncanny power, one tantalizingly ripe for assorted mischief, a forte whose prospects far surpassed any juvenile aspirations to the radiotelegraphic art itself.  That we were wreaking utter havoc on the AM broadcast band (plus 200 meters and down?) opened the door to more alluring pastimes. 
A car--with radio playing--would pass our house.  As it rolled to a halt at the stop sign, I'd hit the key, and faithful "Experimental Wireless Set" sounded its crisp, staccato bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz.  With the street only fifty feet away from my upstairs bedroom window, the spark's harsh note was heard--much to my tittering--blasting from within the car, drowning out local station KGKL.  There being no car A/Cs in those days, motorists drove with windows down. 
But there was more to come:  For anyone whose electrical enlightenment was limited to the mundane shock of a static charge, or maybe 120 volts AC, bodily contact with spark-coil electrodes was, by comparison, a truly unequalled and unforgettable event in their lives.  Take my word for it! 
Being imbued with my high-voltage wisdom, there naturally followed a compelling incentive to induce others to share this uplifting experience.  In fantasy, virtually nothing--doorknobs, beds, schoolteacher's chairs, sewing machines, doorscreens, toilet seats, sofa cushions, mailboxes--escaped consideration of being wired up.  In reality, though, only a few of these perverse fantasies were acted out, offering a jolting shock (step lively, there!) to an unsuspecting, electrically-naive victim.  And believe me, it didn't come free of charge.  But although parental confiscation of this infamous, little wooden box and battery was an ever-looming possibility, it never amounted to more than a threat and a  scolding.  (But I'm only experimenting...like Edison.) 
Then there was my first "mobile rig," a novel adaptation of the now tried-and-true "Experimental Wireless Set."  Installing the cigar-box rig in the front basket of my Western Flyer bicycle, complete with a wire-wrapped cane fishing-pole antenna lashed to the front fork, I boldly took to the streets of San Angelo.     
Wiring the spark coil's ground side to the bike frame proved tricky at first.  Touching the frame or letting it go, under key-down conditions, guaranteed a shock.  So either keeping one hand in contact with the metal handlebar, or staying insulated from the bike altogether, was a fast-learned reflex.  In retrospect, dragging a grounding chain would have probably made a difference.  To a casual observer, the tall vertical pole on the bike made it look like a boy going fishing.  But BCLs...beware.
Keying the spark coil during a Sunday evening bike ride through our quiet, affluent neighborhood was the most bizarre amusement ever.  San Angelo didn't get a TV station until about 1954, so in those days families gathered about their living-room console sets tuned in to Stop The Music, or Inner Sanctum.  Some houses had outside radio aerials strung high over backyards and garages.
In nice weather it was usual to have windows open and blinds undrawn to catch the evening breeze.  Many a vexed BCL lunged for the knobs on his parlor radio as the raucous buzz of my mobile "Experimental Wireless Set"  bellowed forth.  Although such living-room commotion was clearly seen and heard from out in the street, I recall nobody ever looking out the window!  
One evening I peddled four blocks up the street to the QTH of W5QX (the late Carl Brinegar), old-time ham and my radio mentor, active on 40-CW and 10-meter phone.  With the backyard hamshack door wide open, he and his son were listening to CW over his 1936-vintage SX-11 Super Skyrider.  I could hear it in the alley.  Although my original intention was to show them what I'd proudly rigged on my bicycle, I couldn't resist banging out his call, W-5-Q-X, on the old J-38.  What a racket, full break-in!  If I confounded a QSO, I don't remember, but a rankled CW operator was out to the alley in no time flat, flashlight in hand, junior op at his heels.  
Still abiding to this very day was Carl's ominous tone as he admonished me that night:   "...and you'd better keep that thing off the air...do you want Mr. Apple to catch you?  He just might do that!  It's a federal offense."  (Next stop, Leavenworth?)
Known to all hams, Mr. Marion E. Apple was the FCC Radio Inspector in Dallas.  He sent out those dreaded pink tickets.  His own ham call was W5CG.  That Dallas was 250 miles away mattered not, for there lurked in my callow mind a real fear of the FCC coming to town one day...and if they did, then what?   And so it was that W5QX's fatherly counsel inspired me with a fresh and challenging fantasy:  Could I outwit the FCC?
Perceived as both a feared authority figure and hero-policeman of the airwaves, Marion Apple, a couple of years later in September 1951, actually made a radio sleuthing trip to San Angelo, located a 20-meter bootleg ham station and, assisted by a federal marshall, dismantled it.  The story made the local newspaper and included a photograph of Mr. Apple triumphantly hovering over the felonious ham rig.  Oddly enough, this incident was just two months after I got my novice ticket, WN5TGV.  And as it turned out, I soon befriended the bootlegger ham (but that's another story).
Nine months later, in May 1952, on the sixth floor of the U.S. Terminal Annex Building in Dallas, it was none other than Mr. Apple himself who proctored my General Class code test and radio exam.   And although we chatted about his celebrated San Angelo excursion, I dared not mention those memorable spark-coil shenanigans of my adolescent, pre-license era.  (But what if I had?) 
While I've divulged a treasured piece of my boyhood and coming of age, I must say that as a licensed ham operator, wanton QRM--to my sensibilities--is an abominable high crime of the airwaves.  So I trust this account is received in the right spirit.  And admittedly, on today's telecommunications scene, we're frayed with young virus-wielding computer hackers whose malicious actions are clearly criminal.  The irreparable damage they've inflicted is incalculable.  And we read in QST of ham QRMers getting nabbed here and there.  But can such banditry be justly compared to youthful radio pranks of a half-century ago?  How clear--or how blurred--is the boundary separating these two worlds? 
E. Marcus Barnes, W5CN, ex W5TGV, VP5ME AWA Member, 27 Years Life Member QCWA, ARRL
6507 River Place Blvd. Austin, TX 78730 512-338-1816 w5cn@arrl.net
 

Some Finer Points of Operational Modes
Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW

This is a small glossary of various modes of operation (besides AM/FM/SSB/CW, etc) that are common in Amateur Radio. It is meant as an overview of some of the more common ways to make your radio do its thing.
VFO operation:
Free-tuning of the radio by the "big knob on the front". This is similar to the tuning knob or control on your AM-FM entertainment radio. The exception, of course, is you are also changing a transmitter's frequency along with the receiver. While in VFO mode, one "dials around the band" or punches in the desired frequency. Before transmitting, one must remember where the band edges are (one reason for the exam) to keep one's emissions, including sidebands, within the assigned band.
VFO A and/or VFO B:
Many Amateur radios have two (or more) separately tunable VFOs, selectable by a front-panel button. This allows one to rapidly "QSY" or change frequencies without disturbing the exact settings of the other VFO. One VFO may be selected as the Transmit frequency and Receive on the other (see Half-duplex or "Split").
Memory operation:
Most Amateur Radios do not come with pre-programmed "channels". We select our frequencies of interest and store them in numbered memory locations of our choosing. Once offsets, PL tone, etc. are selected, one "enters" the information in a selectable numbered memory location for later automated retrieval.
Simplex or "Direct":
This is a two-way mode that uses the same frequency to receive and transmit. It is the most common mode on HF, as there are no repeaters allowed below about 29MHz and most stations tune to the exact frequency of the station they wish to contact. Most bands have a calling frequency. On 2m FM, 146.52 is reserved as the "National FM Simplex Calling Frequency".
Duplex:
A two-way mode that uses one frequency to transmit and a different one for receive.
Half-duplex or "Split":
Using two different frequencies, one for receive, one for transmit. The other station must use opposite frequency pairing for transmit and receive. On HF, remote DX stations most often use this to reduce crowding and interference during contesting. The DX station will announce "listening XX" to inform contacting stations where to transmit. (see VFO A and/or VFO B). On VHF/UHF, this is used to offset the transmitter from the receiver to match the repeater input/output frequencies.
Full Duplex:
The -simultaneous- use of two different frequencies, one for receive, one for transmit. Both parties can hear the other while transmitting. Full Duplex is the normal mode of a repeater, the receiver feeding audio to the transmitter for immediate rebroadcast. Many dual-band FM rigs are capable of receiving on one band while transmitting on the other.
RIT:
Receive Incremental Tuning. This feature allows moving the receive frequency slightly without changing the transmit frequency. This feature allows the operator to adjust the receiver to satisfy the ear, without moving the transmitter's frequency, which would change the apparent pitch to all listening.
XIT:
Transmit Incremental Tuning. This feature allows moving the transmit frequency slightly without changing the receive frequency. This feature is seldom used but compliments the RIT function. A practical application would be- tuning the transmitter to a specific (split, net or standard) frequency while leaving the receive frequency adjusted to the operator's desired one.
DTMF:
Dual Tone Multi Frequency. A signaling format that uses two simultaneous audio tones to activate telephone or control circuitry. A sixteen-button pad has four rows and four columns. Column tones are 1209Hz - 1633Hz and rows are 697Hz- 941Hz. Two tones are outputted when any one button is pressed, corresponding to the intersecting row and column. A "1" (one) would be signaled when 1209Hz and 697Hz corresponding to row 1, column 1 were output together. Also known as "Touch Tones", the same tones as heard on your telephone.
Subaudible Tone or "PL" and DCS:A signaling system most commonly used on FM that uses continuous, low-frequency audio tones (67-250Hz) modulated or "encoded" on the carrier. The tones are detected by a "decoder" and used to filter out noise or co-channel activity. This is also referred to Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS). DCS stands for Digital Coded Squelch. It basically encodes a short three-digit number over and over in a low-speed, low deviation format- similar to PL but a wider (2Hz-300Hz) bandwidth. The "decoding" receiver "listens" for the number and rejects all signals without it. Many times more code numbers are possible with DCS than PL, as there are theoretically 1000 different codes in a three-digit number and only 50 or so PL tones. In practice, there are 104 standard DCS codes. 

Over the Radio WWWaves….
Collected by Rick Herndon, K5FNI

This month’s collection is wide and varied.

I found the first bunch:
For emergency field operation where a headset (not earset) is needed for communications, see the subject heading on
http://www.racescanners.com/access.php?racescanners_Session=0b02e0f50dcd9e1d859ae64dd48167a9

also see Headphone Volume Control heading on the same page. This is handy for the second headset or logging headset for FD operations. I use one of these at work for my cubicle Walkman speakers to vary volume during the day without having to move to the location of the 'boombox' to turn the volume up and down when the phone rings or I get busy on a project.
Headset Splitters - same page for multiple ops off same audio feed.

Good site for radio news http://strongsignals.net/index.cgi [Run by a ham]

Article for Bearcat scanner emergency power source is at http://www.strongsignals.net/access/news/news.cgi?type=single&section=acc&entry=173  and references an item on the previous page that uses an alkaline 9V battery to supply power to a scanner when the rechargeable battery goes flat in the field with no spare.

Review of SWL in NYTimes http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/30/technology/circuits/30BASI.html [Have to have sign-in, but free.]

Where is my kid/fellow operator?
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-02-2033A1.pdf

Steve Puckett sends: The Life of Tesla in Morse Code MP3 extract at http://www.showandtellmusic.com/pages/galleries/gallery_q/morse.html (courtesy of NTK)
Also http://www.showandtellmusic.com/pages/galleries/gallery_q/morsecode.html This album cover might bring back memories for some.
 

Periodic Events

Club Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 7:36pm by President Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW.
Visitors: No visitors this month, only familiar faces.
Monthly Drawing Winner: Steve Bosbach, KW5V, if present, would have won the drawing and had his dinner paid by the club. Smokey Wiley, K5RDJ, was present and won the door prize, a reversible screwdriver.
Minutes: The July 2002 meeting minutes, after noted that the headings were incorrect in the AARCOVER, were approved as written.
Treasury Report: Treasurer Roger Wines, W5WIA, reported that the bank balance was $4611.33.
Technical Committee: No report.
Activities: Jeff Schmidt reported that the Gathering of Memories Airshow in San Marcos on Nov 9 needs volunteers. There will be a special event station, W5CAF, operating during the show. Jeff passed around a signup sheet for volunteers.
Website: The web team is planning to put more Austin radio content on the website.
Old Business: None
New Business: Smokey Wiley, K5RDJ, asked if we could use the 146.94 repeater for CW practice. The discussion that followed mentioned that this was done in the past. The time to offer CW practice was discussed before deciding that this topic should be discussed outside of the meeting.
Rick Kirchhof, KD5ABM, announced that the 147.36 repeater now has significant battery backup since the site owner installed.
Ham of the Month: Bob Morgan, WB5AOH, was recognized as Ham of the Month for his help installing the backup power system at the 147.36 repeater site.
Equipment Loaner Program: Hugh Brown, NT5O, has the antenna analyzer. Contact Lori Schmidt, KM5MQ, for signup.
Announcements: Stuart Rohre, K5KVH, had extra handouts left over from this past weekend’s Summerfest. Attendees were told to help themselves to this material.
Mitch London, KD5HCV, presented an interesting development in tee-shirt technology. He brought shirts from the Austin Area Rocket Group that were printed with a special process (dye-sublimation) on good quality micropolyester fabric. The cost may be a little higher than normal screen-printed tee shirts (about $15), but the artwork lasts much longer. Visit this site for more info: www.electricweave.com.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08pm.
Program: The August program was entitled “Field Day 2002 – Lessons Learned” and presented by Stuart Rohre. Stu presented statistics of our performance at the Field Day site this year. He went through a lot of the things we did right, as well as the things we need to improve on. He also presented a copy of the form with our final scoring that was sent to the ARRL.
 Submitted by John Suchyta, KG5O ARO Secretary


 

AARC Meeting, August 13, 2002

The monthly meeting of the Austin Amateur Radio Club was held on August 13th, 2002 at Luby’s Cafeteria, North Loop Blvd.  Club President Don Dudley, AC5YK, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM
Monthly Prize Winners – Jim Greenwood, AB5EK, won the free dinner. The money prize ($40) was not awarded and therefore will increase another five dollars. 
Visitors and New Members – Stephen W. Johnson, N5OAK, and Anna Butler, KD5TMN (brand new call). Officer Reports - Treasurer – Roger Wines, W5WIA, reported a balance of $1735.86
Vice President – Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW, said that the next Technician class will be starting on September 9th. It will be a Mon-Wed class, 6pm –9pm at Murchison Middle School.  Class costs $30 (or $15 if you already have your book).
The Gathering of Memories Air Show held by the Commemorative Air Force (The former Confederate Air Force) in San Marcos will be held on November 9th. They are looking for volunteers to assist with communications. Jeff already has about 25 names signed up but, if we can get another 15 or 20 folks, then we will run shorter tours of duty, so the day will not be such a long one for everyone.  There will also be a special events station (W5CAF) set up at the Air Show and help is being sought for that also. If you wish to come out and join us for a great air show and a fun time please contact Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW, at n5mnw@arrl.net
Activities Manager – No Report, but the fall picnic will be coming up and we will get information out on it soon.
Technical Committee (Ed Golla, K3AHS) No Report
Old Business – None . New Business – Stuart Rohre, K5KVH, announced that the American Red Cross chapter in Austin will be hosting a series of training sessions. Many of these are the classes that were discussed at the Travis County ARES meeting in July.  Stuart has sent out an email with class information on it and it will soon be posted to the various web sites.  In the meantime if you have any questions contact Stuart at one of the meetings.
Announcements – None
 Program- The program of the evening was presented by George Brandon, K5PI, and Robert Allen, KK5MI, and was on the recent IARU HF World Championship.  George and Robert along with a large number of local contesters worked the event as W1AW/5.  They accomplished this by setting up six separate locations throughout the area, running 12 transmitters that covered 10-160 bands both SSB and CW.  Robert and Steve Johnson, N5OAK, recorded the event on Videotape, which was shown at the meeting.  As we saw on the tape, there was an amazing amount of antennae and radios involved in the event.  The event was hindered somewhat by the amount of Thunderstorms that we had in the area in July but they still pulled in some impressive numbers for the contest.  Additional information on the contest and on local DXing can be obtained at http://www.ctdxcc.org.
 Respectfully Submitted, Lee Cooper, W5LHC

SOMETIMES, we find time for ourselves, but find it difficult to have the time to share with others. We all need to spend a little of our personal time helping those around us that are interested in what we do. Sure, it's a hobby/service. But what can be more interesting to us than that? Your excitement about the things you do might seem sort of ho-hum at times, but to someone that is looking in from the outside it can be very exciting. We look around and what 'don't' we see? We see very few young folks active in our hobby. It's up to us to share with them what we are enjoying.  I have been trying for a couple years to take our hobby/service to the schools. The schools are willing, the students are eager, now it's time for us to stand up and be counted. If you are interested in this hobby, and want others to learn about it, then you too can help. Contact me for an assignment (453-2193). It will require either some early morning or mid to late afternoon time on occasion. You will need to go to the schools to help. You can't sit at home and expect it to happen. There is plenty to do, and the time to do it is now.

This is an announcement of a good deal for club members. If you are not yet an ARRL Member, sign up through Roger Wines, as a NEW ARRL member, and you receive a year's membership in AARC & ARO for the cost of the ARRL membership, (which features a rebate to the club). To get this free membership, you must sign up through Roger Wines, W5WIA or other club officers and helpers. The form is on the ARRL web site at http://www.arrl.org/member.pdf. Download it, use the free Adobe Acrobat program to print it out, fill it in, and bring to the next club meeting with your checkbook. Roger will direct you how to fill out the check to AARC. (As the ARRL-affiliated club, AARC must process these memberships).  Again, the free membership is only available to those not holding current membership: it is NOT for renewals.  [However, please renew your ARRL membership through the same folks at the club and the club gets a monetary benefit and you save an envelope and stamp!]
Club officers have diligently been discussing budgets and the coming crunch caused by Postal rates increasing later this year. The rise in printing costs, costs of bulk rate permits and bulk mailings have all gone up since the club dues were last set, to feature the $15 combined club membership for ARO and AARC, (your best bargain in TX ham radio). It has been ten years or more since club dues were updated. The Club bulk mailing permit also supports all the Summerfest mailings, which generally go outside Austin. (Summerfest Convention publishes an entry form in the summer AARCOVER newsletter for the convenience of local hams). Summerfest moves to a different hotel, this August, back to the Red Lion, IH 35 and 290, so will need this mailing publicity.
Don Dudley, President, and Lee Cooper, Secretary are seeking ideas on fundraisers you think would be good club moneymakers. Ideas afoot include a meeting with a member's gear auction where a percentage of the selling price goes to the club treasury. Lori Schmidt has pointed out ways nearby clubs make extra money, and some sell donated old parts or New Old Stock vacuum tubes, and parts, or sell tickets for drawings for donated ham gear. Roger Wines and Rick Kirchhof have also contributed ideas from fund raising events in other organizations. The range of possible events extends to a golf tourney, a catered high-class banquet with entertainment for hams and family, and revival of the Austin Amateur Radio Club Swap Meet.
Manchaca Swap Meet is still a fond memory around the state. Its replacement has awaited a venue with sufficient parking, off-road vendor access, and covered facilities were available at a price that would allow the club to recoup costs. The club would hope to make money by selling tickets with a drawing during the event. A venue may be available, meeting the needs that crushed the Manchaca meet. (These included the loss of free parking, and increased traffic early in the morning, when vendors were trying to enter and unload from an increasingly busy and dangerous highway. Travis County, who owned the Manchaca site, discouraged the continuance of the swap meet there.)
Other ideas for fund raising are solicited from the membership, to rebuild the Treasury. The beefed up treasury would allow us to support:
an outstanding Christmas party
door prizes at meetings
expand the public service activities in support of ARES efforts
maintain our TWO club stations, W5KA for the Red Cross support, and W5TQ at City EOC in Austin
maintain the ARCHES stations, W5OEM at the various area hospitals

[Yes, we have another club call sign for the ARCHES network! You will see that on packet and voice.]

Central Texas DX and Contest Club (CTDXCC)

A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE!

I’m sure we have upcoming events that need volunteers that would net more
volunteers if the event were explained clearly by an article in this newsletter.

DO IT NOW!

—The Editor
            Rick, K5FNI