News from the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club (SPARC)

 Hi,

Good Net/Zoom meeting.  Nine attendees. We started with three on 2M and then two moved to Zoom to join the others.  One moved to Zoom but his computer microphone did not work, so he watched and listened on Zoom and talked on the 2M repeater.

The jokes are getting better.  I even wrote three of them down and I could repeat them to me XYL.

Next Wednesday is the regular SPARC monthly meeting.  Starts at 7 PM.  We will send out a separate email on the meeting.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 4:32 PM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 27 January at 8:00PM.

I will be the host and Net Control.

 Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

 You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

 73, Gordon, NQ4K

 Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

 Email gormil@aol.com for Zoom connection information.

posted by SPARC'ie  # 8:17 AM

 Hi,

We had an excellent 2M/Zoom meeting.  I think 9 on Zoom and 1 on 2M. 

Kevin, W4KLS, ran an excellent meeting. 

However, I think the jokes were not quite as good as the previous week.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 8:23 AM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 20 January at 8:00PM.

 Kevin, W4KLS, will be the host / net control.

 Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

 You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

 73, Gordon, NQ4K

 Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

posted by SPARC'ie  # 5:55 AM

 Hi,

Very good 2M Net/Zoom meeting.  Henry, K2BFY, reported he could hear all very well on the repeater.

Twelve hams joined in.  The jokes are getting better.  I even remembered a couple of repeated them to my XYL after the meeting.  The best were the ones about how the Government and the Mafia differed and  the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the regular alphabet.

See you at the Stand-In on Sunday at 1300.

73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 8:30 AM

 Hi,

We will have our Sunday Stand-In on Sunday, 17 January, at 1300 at the amphitheater at Claude Moore Park (near the visitor center).  If no one is there, we may move across the parking lot to pavilion 1. 

For the Stand-In, we bring masks and enjoy a lot of talk. 

The weather says 42 deg with zero percent chance of rain. Dress to be warm. We will be alright.

Mike, I suggest no shorts.

Remember not to park on the grass - you could get a ticket or warning.

Hope to see you all there.

73,

posted by SPARC'ie  # 9:04 AM

 Hi,

Our weekly 2M/Zoom Net will be Wednesday, 13 January at 8:00PM.

I will be the host.  Kevin, W4KLS, will be on travel.

 Same agenda.
   Open net
   Check-ins
   Initial round of introductions and comments.
   Short story/tech talk (looking for volunteer)
   Final round of comments with Joke
   Close net

 You can join us on 2M repeater or on Zoom or both.

 73, Gordon, NQ4K

 Join via 2M Repeater
      2M on the Dulles Repeater 145.310 (-) PL77

posted by SPARC'ie  # 10:55 AM

 Hi,

Really good meeting.  We had 16 members present in addition to our guest speaker.

Luci Finucan's presentation on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) was really really good.  I enjoyed every minute.  We recorded it and will post the video later today and email the link.

Please all thank Marty, NV3H, for coordinating the presentation.

Kevin, W4KLS, won the GBT quiz and won the prize, the book "Energy Choices for the Radio Amateur."  The question was "When did the original GBT telescope collapse?"  The answer is 1988. 

Annual dues this year are $10.  Cash or check (make out to Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club) should be mailed to Eric, AJ4LN.

Charlie, K3SR, will look into the possibility of an on-line payment system, primarily for the Virginia QSO Party.  A comment was the for small donations the fees appear to be significant.

I think that is all.
73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 7:30 AM

 Hi,

It is time for our January monthly club meeting.  The meeting will be held on Zoom starting at 7 PM on Wednesday, 6 January.  Zoom connection information is at the bottom of this message.

The time has really gone by.  Another year has gone by.  Almost a whole year of COVID. 

Refreshments are by you.  Red, N3TG, reports that although Adrienne, K3MAF, may make some homemade refreshments, they will not deliver them to you. You will have to fend for yourself.

Marty, NV3H, has arranged for an interesting presentation.  Luci Finucan will provide "A Top to Bottom Virtual Tour of the Green Bank Radio Telescope."   Green Bank is in the middle of the national quiet zone, which is partly in Virginia.  I often wonder if this affects our coverage in the central western part of our state in the Virginia QSO Party.

We may also have some items of club business to discuss.

The Virginia QSO Party preparations are coming along well.  21 of the 27 plaques have sponsors.  We are still waiting on a response from the remaining sponsors.  I am late in arranging a meeting of the VQP committee, i.e., the people who do the substantive work in running the Party.  Maybe we can have one later this week.

Charlie, K3SR, has made progress on the checking accounts for SPARC and the QSL Bureau.  He thinks he has them under control. 

Marty, KV3H, and Charlie, K3SR, heard about an online payment program that perhaps we should discuss for annual dues collection and maybe VQP donations.  

The Wednesday evening 2M/Zoom Net meetings are coming along well.  A few more checking every week.  And the jokes are getting better.  This past week Chaz, KK4TNO, checking in from North Carolina in his new home.  And bill, WJ4U, checked in from Texas, also in his new home. 

I think that is about it.

See you Wednesday at 7PM
73, Gordon, NQ4K

posted by SPARC'ie  # 9:59 PM