Club News and Information
Next Meeting: Thursday August 12, 2010
Location: Carrollton Public Library, Hebron Branch
We had a last minute change in speakers for our July meeting and we want to thank Bill Krueger, AE5BK, for giving us a very nice presentation on the satellite program Orbitron, and insight on working the low earth orbit birds. Bill is known for his ability to make antenna from readily available and low cost materials. Thanks Bill.
For August, Charles E. "Chuck" Thomas, Jr., the District Sales Manager for Generac Power Systems will be our guest speaker. Generac is launching a new product that seems perfect for hams and our emergency power needs. The product is just now being launched. It is a permanent generator with an automatic transfer switch that costs less than a good amplifier and runs on natural gas or propane. Last year something with these features would cost well over $10,000. This new product is surely going to be a big hit with hams and Chuck can "hook you up" with a Generac distributor. Please pass the word to our members and other local clubs. This could be a serious addition to our emergency capabilities.
In September the speaker will be Wayne Kubbe, the Director of Technology for Belo Corporation. Wayne was instrumental in WFAA’s digital switch over from analog TV and is also a newly licensed ham. We are indeed fortunate to have Wayne as our upcoming speaker and it will be an extremely interesting program.
It is also time for the annual dues which can be paid at the upcoming meeting or mailed to the club. Details on the various memberships are available on this website. The club address is:
Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society
PO Box 117381
Carrollton, Texas 75011-7381
Why Hams Do It
Ever had someone ask you why you like amateur radio and struggled for an answer? Here is an excellent explaination of the draw of amateur radio from a fellow ham. Click Here
MARS Information Net
The MARS Information net is now once a month, on the Wednesday preceeding the club meeting at 8:30pm. The Net will become less formal in hopes of generating more interest, participation and feedback from the attendees. Please tune in and check it out!
Field Day
Plans for field day are coming together quickly. We have a new page that will keep you up to date on the latest details and plans for field day. Click here to get up to date.
MARS CLUB PICTURES
Come in and visit our MARS activities by viewing our clubs snaps!
MARS Pictures
Live Audio from the 145.210 Machine
Live audio from the Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society 145.210 repeater is available online. Simply click the 145.210 Repeater link to start streaming. The streams generated are MP3 based, which means that any application capable of decoding an MP3 stream should be able to play. This means that Windows Media Player, Media Player Classic, iTunes, Winamp, Video Lan Player, Quicktime, QMMS, and more will work with itWeather Center Now Online
Radar, Watches, Warnings
The Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society web site now features an interactive Weather Center with Radar, Watch and Warning graphics from the National Weather Service.
ARRL Headlines Available on kb5a.org
American Radio Relay League
The Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society web site now features amateur radio news headlines on the home page. These articles orginate from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) - The national association for Ham Radio. To read the full article, simply click the headline to open the full story.
