W4WVP

LTC (Ret) Henry J. “Jack” Reed, rocket scientist, amateur radio operator (a.k.a. “HAM”), photographer, American Red Cross Volunteer, and INSPIRE board member, died from a heart attack on Nov. 5, 2009, in Arlington.

Jack was born in 1945 in Washington D.C., the only child of Henry J. and Marjorie (nee Friday) Reed. After his father’s death in a 1959 Capital Airlines turbojet crash near Baltimore, he moved with his mother to her hometown of Charleston, SC.

After graduating from Clemson University in 1967, he was commissioned into the Army, serving in Vietnam, Korea, West Germany, and several assignments in the United States, earning the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Overseas Service Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, among others. During his Army career he completed two masters’ degrees in engineering from University of Texas at El Paso, and from University of Southern California.

Retiring in 1990 as a Lieutenant Colonel, he and his wife, Barbara Clemens, settled in Arlington VA. Working for Nichols Research, and then Computer
Science Corporation, he helped develop missile and sensor technology.

A HAM radio operator since a teen, Jack, WA4FXX, was President of the Arlington Amateur Radio Club for 11 years, a 13-year volunteer at the Smithsonian’s
NN3SI station, and a member of the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club.

Jack was an American Red Cross volunteer at the Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which sponsored the Arlington Amateur Radio Club and provided space for its station, meeting, and other activities. Through those associations, he participated in many emergency preparation exercises.

As a means of helping his community be better prepared for and able to respond to emergencies. Jack – along with wife, Barbara – completed Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training in Arlington, VA in 2006. He was an active member of the County’s CERT, as well as his neighborhood team.

Jack was also a board member of The INSPIRE Project, an organization, partnered with NASA, to provide hands-on opportunities for students of all ages to enhance their knowledge of space science.

His work as a photographer was published in the 2008/2009 Washington Project for the Arts Directory, and his work can be viewed on their website.
Besides an exhibition of his work at the Arlington County Central Library, his work was also included in shows at the Ellipse Art Center, and at Green Springs Garden. During the last few months of his life, Jack put his photography on hold as he helped his wife through her breast cancer treatments.

Jack was deeply devoted to his family. For that devotion and his ongoing service to his country and community, his wife and children will always be grateful.
Besides his wife, he leaves his son, Stephen W. Reed, of Tampa FL, and his step-daughter and her husband, Laura L. and Alan J. Lauder of Arlington VA. His internment, with full military honors, will take place on January 14, 2010 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Posted belatedly at the request of Barbara Clemens. Converted from original Microsoft Office document format received 2009-11-30 from Barbara Clemens.

Acting President Bodson called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. Minutes for the December 2009 meeting were approved as posted on this site.

ARRL News - Dennis reported on the recent ARRL board meeting that elected the new ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. Other new officers were elected. See the ARRL website or the new issue of QST.

The ARRL has signed an memorandum of understanding with the American Red Cross concerning radio amateurs who are credentialed to help in emergencies. Those who volunteer through the ARRL will be accorded recognition based on ARRL or local criteria. Those who volunteer through the Red Cross must meet the Red Cross requirement.

The ARRL has formed an Emergency Communications Advisory Committee to address issues in this important area.

EnComm - Gary reported that the Haitian relief efforts were well underway. There was no need for any amateur deployment at this time. All government communication efforts were being conducted on government frequencies.

Old Business - It was noted that current membership applications are pending. It was decided to defer these applications until the February 2010 meeting. The request from Yorktown H.S. for aid in starting a radio club was responded to, but no further requests were forthcoming.

New Business - A new schedule of CERT classes was provided for all members. It was noted that the Arlington Chapter of the American Red Cross has now been consolidated into the National Capital Region. Discussion was also held on topics relating to club operations. These included:

-Having program speakers start at 7:30 PM and then holding the business meeting later,
-Checking the website copies of the club’s constitution and by-laws,
-Checking to see if the club was required to file a Federal tax return,
-The need to archive club minutes, and
-The need to notify all members of club meetings.

Upcoming Events - The following events were noted for the calendar:

Sat Feb 6 - Frostfest in Richmond, VA
Sat March 20 - National Marathon and VA QSO Party
Sat April 10 - Bull Run Run
Sat/Sun June 26/27 - Field Day
Sun Oct 31 - Marine Corp Marathon

The election of officers was held and the results are posted separately on the website. New President Chuck Norton invited all members to submit new suggestions to him by e-mail.

Program - Mike, KA8OPJ demonstrated certain antennas including a two meter two element quad, a two meter wire element J-pole, and a 20 to 6 meter broadband coaxial antenna.

Present at the meeting were: Ken, WB4AKK, Dennis, W4WPF, Mike, KG4RKL, David Church, Craig, K4GOR, Jim, K9AUC, Gerry, KJ4DFY, Pat KJ4OCA, Cynthia, KJ4CLK, Chuck, KI4DHW, Efrain, HK3TKI, Arthur, W4ART, Prentiss, K4PDJ, Mike KA8OPJ, Mike, NW3V, Gary, KC5QCN, George, KR4MU, Randy, WB4MJF, Jack, K5OTZ, and John, W7JCF.

The next club meeting is on February 16, 2010.

Election of Arlington ARC officers was to have been done at the November meeting, according to By-Laws, but was tabled until January to allow reflection after the sudden death of 11-term President, and unopposed nominee for reelection, Jack Reed, WA4FXX, now -SK. This evening, at the January meeting, Members elected Chuck Norton, KI4DHW, President, unopposed. Incumbents, unopposed, were reelected: Vice President: Dennis Bodson, W4PWF; Secretary: Ken Heitner, WB4AKK; Treasurer: Mike Ingles, KG4RKL; and Activities Chair: Gary, KC5QCN. Officers assumed office upon election, although new President KI4DHW asked Acting President W4PWF to continue presiding over the remainder of the meeting. This is my unofficial eyewitness account; stay tuned for official Minutes of the meeting. — Mike, NW3V

President’s Report (Dennis)-
-The organization of the party contributions on the AARC net went well. The elections postponed in November will take place in January.

Program Chair and Emergency Coordinator’s Report (Gary)-
-Full information on the Marine Corps Marathon event will be put out in January.

Jim Hastings -
-The Red Cross now has four new UHF type radios. One is in a go kit with a mag mount antenna. Art asked about the “red” battery. It is charging.

New Business-
-Chuck is a grandfather for the first time and passed the Extra exam on Saturday.
-Art mentioned that the Chinese had launched a new amateur radio satellite yesterday.
-Art also mentioned that WAMU had provided tower space for the NERA repeater and we should thank them for that action.

ARRL Report (Dennis) -
-There will be a lot of change and shifting in the ARRL leadership. The Board of Directors meeting in January should be interesting.
-Senate Bill Number 1755 passed unanimously and has gone to the House. It is currently in the Energy Committee. It would be preferred if it was in the DHS Committee.

-The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM. In attendance were: Chuck KI4DHW, Cynthia KJ4CLK, Pat KJ4OCA, Jim K9AUC, Gary KC5QCN, Prentiss K4PDJ, David Church, Craig K4GOR, Dennis W4PWF, Arthur W4ART, Randy WB4MJF, Chris KK4WB, Roy AI4GO, George KR4MU, Mike NW3V, Susan Strank, and Barbara Clemens. (Thank you to Cynthia for the meeting notes!)

An obituary of Jack Reed, WA4FXX-SK, appears on page B-6 of the Metro section of today’s

Washington Post

. The online version is here.

In a message transmitted to Arlington Amateur Radio Club members today, Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Arlington Amateur Radio Club Vice President and now also acting President, wrote

It is with deep regret [that I] inform you that our President Jack Reed, WA4FXX, became a Silent Key (SK) last evening. Chuck Norton, KI4DHW, Informed me that Jack past away at 9PM last night….

President Reed called the meeting to order at 7:37 PM. Corrections were noted to the previous minutes and they were approved. The Treasurer made his report.

Tom Azlin, N4ZPT, made an excellent presentation on the use of 23 cm D-Star 128 kB data bridge and 9600 baud packet to be used for communications at the Marine Corp Marathon. This is a very sophisticated data system meeting all of the marathon’s communications needs.

ARRL News - Dennis noted that there was a contested election for the Director of the ARRL Roanoke Division. There had been some problems with the Log Book of the World and electronic certificates. These problems have been fixed. The ARRL is now shipping out the ARRL 2010 Handbooks. Everything else was quiet.

Our guest, Max, from Australia asked about the foundation license concept in the US. He noted that the foundation license has been generally successful in Australia. Dennis noted that the Technician license has been the foundation license in the US. The FCC was generally reluctant to add any new license classes.

EnComm - The Arlington ARES sponsored course last month produced eleven new Technician licensees. They are generally members of CERT. Gary noted it would be desirable if there were more ARRL certified VE’s available from Arlington. Currently, only Dennis and Mike are ARRL certified VE’s

Upcoming Events - President Reed noted there were the following possible future events:
-November Phone Sweepstakes
-10 Meter Contest (if any propagation on 10 meters), and
-January RTTY Roundup.
Please let him know if you are interested in participating in any of these events.

New Business - The club received and application from Craig Pennington, KJ4NJF. (This will be deferred until next month). The club will hold elections next month. The floor is open for nominations. The meeting was adjourned.

In attendance were: Ken WB4AKK, Gary KC5QCN, Prentiss K4PDJ, Gerry KJ4DFY, Jim K9AUC, Walter KJ4DZZ, Dennis W4PWF, Jack WA4FXX, Pat KJ4OCA, Chuck KI4DHW, Chuck KE4LYK, Mike KG4RKL, Roy AI4GO, Tom N4ZPT, Arthur W4ART, George KR4MU, Randy WB4MJF, Mike NW3V, and Max VK2ARZ/W4

President Reed called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. The minutes of the August 2009 meeting were approved.

ARRL Report - Dennis reported that the ARRL front was very quiet. A few more members of Congress have signed up to the proposed HR 2160 (sponsored by ARRL). An ARRL committee is working on the question of non-amateur use of the amateur bands. Members stated there was a great deal of confusion on this subject, especially in regard to supporting emergency services. Dennis thinks there will be an ARRL letter on this topic shortly.

EnComm - The Marine Corp Marathon is October 26. Volunteers are needed. PARC will be involved.

Club Repeater - There have been some interference problems. These problems are being worked on. The repeater will support the Marine Corp Marathon, with good coverage of the western portion of the Marathon course. President Reed provided coverage maps for the repeater to the Marathon staff.

Training - The ARES &CERT sponsored Technician level course has plenty of room for additional students. Contact Gary Sessums. The Alexandria club is sponsoring a General class at the Alexandria/INOVA hospital on Tuesday nights. This class runs through December. A third class will be sponsored by Venture Crew Radio on Saturdays starting in January.

Field Day Results - We were one of two stations in our class, 10F. We are still awaiting the results from ARRL.

Upcoming Events - President Reed said the club will potentially be open Sunday, September 27 for the Worldwide RTTY contest. We would nominally operate with one or two transmitters. Members should contact him if interested. Nominal hours 11 AM to 2PM or a little later.

September 26 there will be a county wide emergency exercise. CERT members will participate. Cynthia noted that a lot of people are signing up for CERT classes.

Pat, KJ4OCA was voted into membership at the club.

Art noted that AMSAT Symposium this year will be in Baltimore, MD near BWI airport. This was the 40th anniversary of AMSAT, and will have excellent speakers on amateur satellites. See URL: www.amsat.org. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM.

In attendance were: Ken, WB4AKK, Arthur, W4ART, George, KR4MU, Jack, K5OTZ, DrMac, KG4HZC, Pat, KJ4OCA, Dennis, W4WPF, Jack, WA4FXX, Prentiss, K4PDJ,
Cynthia, KJ4CLK, Chuck, KI4DHW, Mike, NW3V, and Gary, KC5QCN.

A member of REACT visited with me during the Arlington County Fair. He mentioned that many members of REACT have amateur radio licenses. He also noted that REACT has repeaters that use the GMRS frequency allocations. GMRS channels are provided for UHF repeaters. REACT has repeaters set up in Washington, DC area. These require GMRS radios with appropriate setups to operate.

President Reed called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. The minutes of the July 2009 meeting were approved as posted. The Treasurer made his report. George, KR4MU, left as note that he was in upper New York state and would miss the meeting.

ARRL - Dennis reported that new methods of submitting material for awards were being implemented. This included electronic field checking of QSL cards submitted and direct entry of material into the Log Book of the World. More folks were signing onto the ARRL bill for CC&Rs that would affect amateur antennas. There are several ARRL actions pending before the FCC, but there has been no word on the resolution of these matters. (Side discussions will be held with Dennis on matters like non-amateur use of amateur bands, particularly those set aside for space operations.)

Emergency Communications - Members were urged to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon, which is the last weekend in October. (October 24-25). President Reed noted that we are in the hurricane season. Hurricane Bill is expected to pass along the Atlantic Coast, but could strike the coast if it moves to the west. Being ready included having charged batteries, and emergency food supplies including water.

It was noted that the best backup power for radios is a deep cycle marine battery which is floated on a trickle charger. If the line power fails, the batteries are available to power the radios without any other changes. Suitable connectors, such as Anderson Power Poles should be used to hook all the equipment together. Publications from ARES gave more information about emergency communications. Several pieces of equipment for emergency power were shown and discussed. (Members examined the club’s emergency equipment after the meeting.)

CERT Training Classes - CERT will have two new classes in September. Room was available for club members. A two day Technician license training class will be held on the first two Saturdays in October with the exam administered after the second class. This will be held at the Arlington Fire Training Academy in Shirlington.

Cynthia noted that at a recent national meeting on emergencies, amateur radio was seen as an important resource. She also noted the potential for use of Family Radio Service equipment.
[For more information see URL: http://www.reactintl.org/blog/?p=372]

Old Business - President Reed noted that Ken had reworked the soundcard interface cables for the Kenwood TS-850S radio. Dennis will inquire about the club’s Field Day results. Volunteers were still needed for the County Fair for Saturday and Sunday evenings.

New Business - Art noted that the AMSAT Technical Symposium will be at BWI Airport later this year. It is the 40th anniversary of AMSAT. There also will be a SimSat launched on Sept 26, 2009. See URL: http://patkilroy.com/simsat/4/.

Up Coming Potential Events - CQ Worldwide RTTY Contest Sept 27, JOTA October 18, and ARRL SSB Sweepstakes November 22. Let President Reed know about your interests.

In attendance were: Ken WB4AKK, Jack K5OTZ, Arthur W4ART, Roy AI4GO, Mike KG4RKL, Prentiss K4PDJ, Mike KA8OPJ, Cynthia KJ4CLD, Pat KJ4OCA, Chuck KI4DHW, Dennis W4RWF, and Gary KC5QCN.