News from the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)

Hi,

The summer is almost over.  School has started, the leaves are starting to turn color, and SPARC is ready to go for the year.   

Our next club meeting is on Wednesday, 6 September 2017, at 7PM.

Refreshments will be provided by Judy, KN4BHJ.

As always our first meeting of the year will be a "Show and Tell."  All should bring in some ham-related item and tell about it.  This is a way for all of us to learn something about a piece of old, or new, equipment and enjoy tales of success or woe.

In addition, this year we will have our First Annual Ham Radio Stuff Exchange.  If your have stuff you want to get rid of, please bring it in.  There will be someone who will want it.  Equipment, parts, old magazines, etc.  All are valuable to someone.  This can be giveaway stuff or even stuff for which you may want to charge a few dollars. regardless, the more the better.

I have a few items I will bring. Small things I never use and maybe someone else could use.  A cold heat soldering iron, a new 35 watt soldering iron, maybe an old wire antenna if I can find it.  I will also have club patches on sale for a dollar each.

We also have a few items of club business.

We can go over the Activity Calendar for the year.  We are trying to get an activity every month in addition to the club monthly meeting.  Not quite all the way there yet, but making progress.  We could use a few suggestions.  We like a side variety of activities so that we can be exposed to many facets of ham radio.

We also have two events coming up in the near future.

Our September Tech Class and license Exam session is coming up on 16-17 September.  I believe we have a full set of instructors.  Mike, WB8RDN, has coordinated for volunteer examiners.  We have 14 students already signed up.  It should be a fun time.

We also have the Sterlingfest coming up on Saturday, 7 October.  SPARC runs a Special Event Station and booth at the event.  We need someone to lead this activity.

Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting,
73, Gordon, NQ4K

Please ask members of SPARC to contact our senators to ask for their support of the Radio Amateur Parity Act introduced in the U.S. Senate on July 12, 2017, as S. 1534 which is identical to H.R. 555 passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in January.

73,
Monte KV4KS

Hi,

Once again a very nice event.  Thank you all for coming out.

http://www.qsl.net/sterling/Pizza/Pizza.html

73, Gordon, NQ4K

Hi,

Rich, KM4WWM, suggested that the club do a club swap during one of our meetings. His suggested words for the announcement are:

****
  You're invited to /The First Annual Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club
Ham Radio Stuff Exchange/ to be held during the SPARC meeting at the Sheriff's Office in Sterling.

  Instead of leaving it in your attic, basement or garage, or tossing it
out, consider donating those ham and/or computer things that you no
longer need or even want to SPARC members who might need or want them.

  Things like (but not limited to): ham radio and electronic magazines
like QST, CQ and others; ham radio and electronic books (like old
versions of The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications); ham radio and
electronic catalogs; ham and other radios; ham and other antennas;
meters and other test equipment; CW keys, equipment and code learning
materials; computer equipment and cables; computer magazines and books
and even non-useful ham radio or electronic curiosities.
****

After some discussion and raising the idea at the Pizza Party last Wednesday, It seems like the members of the club would like to try it out.

We will do this at our September meeting in conjunction with the previously scheduled "Show and Tell."  This will definitely fill up the time and be an encouragement for hams to attend the meeting to either get rid of stuff or perhaps pick up some useful stuff.

73, Gordon, NQ4K