W4WVP

Default Net Control Stations:

• On 1st Tuesdays, NCS will be KC5QCN, backup will be NW3V.
• On 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, NCS is TBD, backup will be NW3V.
• On 5th Tuesdays, NCS will be NW3V, backup will be KC5QCN.

Net Managers:

Net Managers KC5QCN (representing ARES) and NW3V (representing the Arlington Amateur Radio Club) will solicit volunteers to act as NCS or backup NCS, and will consult or endeavor to notify one another of amendments to default or latest agreed duty roster.

Net Preamble:

Net Control Stations may use the following as a script or guideline:

QST, QST, QST calling the Arlington County Net. Net control station for this evening is __. My name is ___, and I am located at ______.

Before we begin this net, does anyone need to use the repeater?

The Arlington County Net meets every Tuesday except the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM local time on 145.47 megahertz and is sponsored by the Arlington Amateur Radio Club and the Arlington County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, ARES. A PL tone of 107.2 Hertz is required to access the repeater.

On the third Tuesday of each month the club meets at 7:00 PM at the Saint Thomas More Cathedral School, 105 North Thomas Street.

All stations are invited to participate in tonight’s net, and all operators and listeners are welcome to our meetings.

The purpose of this net is to practice controlled net procedures for use in emergencies, and to keep the amateur community informed of ham radio activities in and around Arlington. Information about the club is available at its website, w4wvp.org.

PROCEDURE

After the preamble, ask for check-ins with name, call in ITU phonetics, and location. Do in the following order: Check-ins

• Which have traffic (i.e., announcements, information, questions);
• Which are mobile or short-time;
• Which are current or past club officers;
• Other stations, any type, any jurisdiction.

Go through the list in above order for their traffic, comments, etc.

Take breaks for check-ins; re-identify the net every 10 minutes.

When all topics are exhausted, close "with thanks to the Arlington Amateur Radio for the use of the W4WVP/R repeater" and give the time.

This meeting was preceded by discussion of three topics. First, it was discussed and agreed that a future presentation will be made on traffic handling. This will cover use of the standard ARRL message forms and ARRL message formats. It was noted that standard ICS message forms might be used in real emergencies, but the formats were similar. Second, there was short presentation on how to use the W4WVP List Server. Third, it was noted that we can individually participate in the upcoming Virginia QSO Party. Members were encouraged to visit the relevant website for more information. Members were also invited to participate with the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club.

President Norton called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM.

Dennis provided an update on ARRL activities. The main item was the implementation of remote field checking of QSO cards for awards such as DXCC. Members could now take their cards to a local person for verification. This would speed up the awards process. Certain CQ Magazine awards would be included in this new process. Dennis also noted that the ARRL publication QST would be available in an electronic format starting in June 2012.

EnComm - The Bull Run Run will be on April 14, 2012. Operations will be on 6 and 2 meters.

Club Net Operations - Typically the net has about 15 participants. The question of using a net roll call was discussed. Current net procedures under the net controls were deemed adequate.

CERT - Arlington CERT has now trained over 550 persons under the curriculum provided by FEMA/DHS. Arlington CERT has over 200 deploy-able members. CERT is activated by Arlington County officials. New classes will begin in March 2012.

Club Home - The club is still looking for a new home at this time. Possible locations for Field Day on June 23-24, 2012 are the Fairlington Community Center and Upton Hill Regional Part.

New Business - The eventual need for a video projector for the club was discussed. The club voted to make a special collection for this item. However, no funds were authorized for purchase at this time as this was not seen as an immediate need.

Members present at this meeting were: Ken WB4AKK, Cynthia KJ4CLK, Pat KJ4OCA, Dennis W4PWF, Mike KA8OPJ, Jack K5OTZ, Prentiss K4PDJ, John KK4EBG, Mike KK1MM, Gary KC5QCN, Chuck KI4DHW, Mike NW3V, Randy WB4MJF, Jim K9AUC,
Roy AI4GO, Dave KJ4EMI, and George KR4MU.

The club held its annual Holiday party from 7 to 9 PM. A good time was had by all.
In attendance were: Ken WB4AKK, Roy AI4GO, Chuck KI4DHW, Mike NW3V, Jim K9AUC, Walt W4ZPQ, Mike KG4RKL, Randy WB4MJF, Cynthia KJ4CLK, Pat KJ4OCA, Barbara, Dennis W4PWF, and John KK4EBG.

Dec. 19 updates from Activities Chair Randy Kelly, WB4MJF:We will have the use of the teachers lounge. It has sink and microwave, also nice table and chairs….fortified egg nog should be ok.

In an email message sent today to the w4wvp-members mailing list, Arlington Amateur Radio Club President Chuck Norton, KI4DHW, announced that he just received word from Activities Chair Randy Kelly, WB4MJF, that the December meeting, including the traditional party, will be held [December 20] at the Saint Thomas Moore school, starting at 7:00 PM. There will be a talk-in on the club repeater, W4WVP/R, 145.47(-) MHz, PL tone 107.2 Hz.

As in the past, we will have a short business meeting then adjourn to a social gathering. This year we will be meeting in a different facility than past years, so the exact cooking and cleaning arrangements remain to be seen. We will be enjoying whatever food and drink you care to bring to the gathering. I would suggest coordinating questions concerning food and drinks through Randy or myself this year.

As in the past, we will have a present swap. If you care to bring a present, we pool the items and the folks bring gifts draw numbers and pick from the available items Try and limit the cost of the gift to $5.00.

Don’t forget that we are still looking for a new home for the W4WVP club shack.

Also don’t forget that your club dues, $10.00, are due January 1, 2012. See Mike Ingles concerning your dues and club patches.

If you have any questions, this Tuesday on the ARES NET, would be a good time to ask them.

The meeting will start at 7:00PM and end in time for us to cleanup the area we use and EXIT the building BEFORE — 9:00 PM.

Minutes of Arlington Amateur Radio Club - November 15, 2011

This meeting was preceeded by a session on amateur handheld VHF and UHF radios organized by Randy, WB4MJF. Each member brought a handheld radio and explained its pros and cons.

President Norton called the meeting to order at about 8:15 PM. The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted. The Treasurer made his report. Dennis reported that there were no significant activities from the ARRL.

EnComm - Some progress was made in the club’s ability to support Arlington County in the future. The club’s weekly net on the club is well attended and repeater operation is working very well. We will also try to use the simplex operation on 28.400 MHz upper sideband.

President Norton noted that amateurs who complete their CERT training are encouraged to join the club, as are all radio amateurs in the Arlington County area. There was no old or new business. We still need a location for Field Day in 2012.

Club officers as posted on the masthead were re-elected for 2012. Members are reminded to pay their annual dues to the Treasurer at upcomming meetings.

In attendance were: Ken WB4AKK, Roy AI4GO, Pat KJ4OCA, Mike KK1MM, Dennis W4PWF, Randy WB4MJF, Chuck KI4DHW, Mike NW3V, Mike KB4RKL, and Prentiss K4PDJ.

The November regular meeting of the Arlington Amateur Radio Club will be held on November 15 at 7 pm at the Saint Thomas More School, 105 N. Thomas Street, Arlington, VA 22203. If you need directions, please ask for a talk-in on 145.47(-) MHz, PL 107.2 Hz. The program is Bring Your Own HT (handheld transceiver), so please do, if you have one. Election of Club officers will be conducted afterward.

President Norton called the meeting to order at about 8:15 PM. The minutes of the September 2011 meeting were approved. The Treasurer made his report. The club voted to reimburse expenses incurred in procuring a new Astron power supply for the club repeater.

Dennis reported that he was working on updating the Roanoke Section of the ARRL web site. It was estimated there are about 700 thousand radio amateurs in the United States.

Members reported that participation in the weekly club net continued to be good. The repeater continues to operate well. More radio amateurs are in training through the Arlington CERT program.

It was agreed that members would bring their handi-talkies to the November 15th meeting and discuss the characteristics of these radios. This will also be the election meeting.

Brian made a brief presentation about the payload of his amateur rocket. It contained a small beacon transmitter to aid in locating the payload after the payload returned to the ground.

Members in attendance were: Ken WB4AKK, Mike KA8OPJ, Prentiss K4PDJ, George KR4MU, Mike KG4RKL, Dave KJ4EMI, Mike KB1WDD, John KK4EBG, Mike NW3V, Randy WB4MJF, Tim KT4MV, Jim AA0J, Arthur W4ART, Gary KC5QCN, Walt W4ZPQ, Dennis W4PWF, Craig K4GOR, and David Church.

President Norton called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. This was a special meeting to discuss the future of the club in view of the closing of the Arlington County Red Cross building.

The initial discussion concerned where and when the club meetings would be held. The initial consensus was to maintain the third Tuesday of the month as the meeting night. Alternative meeting sides were considered. The consensus was initially continue to use the St. Thomas More Catholic School as the meeting site. This was very close to Red Cross site and was not going to incur any expenses for the club.

Further discussion on a physical site for the club station was at this time speculative. Possible locations could include one of the Arlington County community centers, or the Virginia Hospital Center or hospital’s ‘wellness center’. Further investigation was needed on all these topics.

ARRL - Dennis reported that the ARRL was involved in activities to decide on the location of the ARRL Centennial. Special committees were working on activities for young people and commemorative items for the Centennial.

EnComm - Gary reported that the operations during Hurricane Irene were straightforward and worked well. Fortunately, normal communications handled all emergency traffic. The county ARES net also worked well.

Repeater and Club Net - These items continued to work well. Most of the club members made positive comments about the addition of the Amateur Radio Newline broadcast prior to the regular net.

Red Cross - Chuck noted that all the club’s equipment had been removed from the Red Cross in response to their request. The building was still being used for a blood drive.

CERT - CERT supported Arlington County during and after Hurricane Irene. About one hundred CERT members surveyed the county after the storm for downed trees and power lines and areas that were flooded.

Satellites - Art reported that the ARISSAT battery had failed early. The satellite continues to function well when in sunlight. This includes its imaging systems and telemetry.

New Business - Chuck discussed the club’s continuing role in public service. The main question revolved around the need for joint operations between ARES and RACES in Arlington County. This might be aided in the future by a joint emergency preparedness drill. The club would continue its current affiliations with ARRL and the Red Cross.

Field Day - Chuck encouraged the club members to think creatively about Field Day for 2012. We would hopefully operate in public venue, perhaps in one of the county parks.

Special Requests -

October 2 - A representative is needed for the T-MARC meeting.

October 15 - A radio station is needed to host the Cub Scouts for a demonstration of amateur radio operations.

In attendance at the meeting were: Ken WB4AKK, Mike KG4RKL, Dennis W4PWF, Chuck KI4DHW, Prentiss K4PDJ, Mike KA8OPJ, Arthur W4ART, David Church,
Craig K4GOR, George KR4MU, Mike NW3V, Gary KC5QCN, and Dave KJ4EMI.

Arlington Amateur Radio Club President Chuck Norton, KI4DHW, announced in a September 17 email that a talk-in (driving directions) to the September meeting would be available starting 6:30 pm to anyone who requests it on the club repeater frequency 145.47 MHz (standard frequency offset for transmitting) using PL tone 107.2 Hz.

From the September 13 Net Notes (by Pat, KJ4OCA):

The meeting next Tuesday September 20, 2011 will be held at the Cathedral Of St Thomas More School at 1900 (7PM) instead of 1930 (7:30PM) because we need to be out of the building by 2100 (9PM). The school is located one block east of the Red Cross building on Cathedral Lane. At the intersection of North Glebe Road and Cathedral Lane there is a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the corner. The school parking lot is easily visible on the right. (Drive to the back parking lot where the playground is). Enter through the north entrance of the school near the cafeteria. The room number will be announced in a later email when Randy gets back from New York.