The Blue Ridge Echo . .

Echo

.. Echo. .

Official Transmitter of the Blue Ridge Amateur Radio Club - W4YK -

Volume 25, Number 1 January 2012

The Prez Sez Well all, 2011 has come and gone and now we are off to 2012. It has been a great year for
the BRARC and we have accomplished much. I hope that we set a few goals for 2012. But most of all I hope we have a lot of fun accomplishing those. Danny has left a large set of shoes to fill, so I will be leaning on everyone to assist the club. We can't thank him enough for his service. A few things are coming up soon for you to dust off that gear and make some contacts. First and foremost is that annual New Years Eve event we love to hear, Straight Key Night. I challenge every member to make at least one contact with the brass. The speeds are slow, the contacts are fun, and we have many members who still have that old key from their Novice days lying around. What better way to spread the hobby. I remember listening, many years ago, to CW coming across the shortwave radio and wondering what far away land caused those sounds. So go, grab a key and see what music you can make. Who knows, maybe you'll rekindle that novice nostalgia. 73. Rusty K4SAA

Our Next Meeting: January 3, 2012 7:00 pm Show and Tell, bring your new Christmas presents, equipment you have collected over the years, kits you have built, pictures of your shack, etc.

MEETING MINUTES OF December 6th, 2011 The December meeting of the Blue Ridge
Amateur Radio Club was held at the Blue Ridge Pizza Company in Etowah, beginning around 6:30pm. The annual holiday dinner was a great success. The location chosen for this year worked out well. Over 30 participants, members and families, were in attendance and a good time was had by all. Danny Rector, NA4X, passed the gavel to the new club president, Rusty Jones, K4SAA. This was the only club business handled at this event

Hendersonville Christmas Parade On December 3rd, the club pulled together again to assist with
the Hendersonville Christmas Parade. The weather was great for a change and despite the usual chaos, the event went smoothly. Eleven members of the club gathered for this event and enjoyed the fellowship and satisfaction of a job well done. In attendance were: Danny Rector, NA4X David Lewis, KG4NUW Frank Forrester, WN4NC Dan Maxwell, K2DRM Duke Knief, W4DK Martin Harris, W4FOT Bob Delwiche, KD4OKT Harry Ryttenberg, N4ZVX Michael Parente, AI4GR Ron Fink, KF4HAT Gene Mathis, KG4SXE

Fletcher Parade On December 10th, another fine group of club members gathered for the Fletcher
Christmas parade.

After the event, Dick Smith, W4RSS, had this to say, It was a great day. The weather cooperated and the parade went off without a hitch. Chris Weiner, Parade Director, was extremely pleased with the operation and mentioned to me that they could not have done it without our help.

BRARC Aims for DXCC The DX Century Club (DXCC) is one of Amateur Radios premier awards. It entails confirmed contacts with 100 DXCC entities. These entities are not necessarily countries, but are locales that satisfy certain parameters set up by the ARRL. For instance, the contiguous U.S.A. is an entity, but Alaska and Hawaii are also entities.
BRARC has an account with ARRLs on-line Logbook of the World (LOTW), and is using it to confirm radio contacts with DXCC entities. Of course, this method requires the contacted station also to use LOTW. If it does not, our contact is not confirmed. Many, not all, of our contacts are made during contests. And since many contesters we reach use LOTW, we are progressing toward our goal. We now have 79 contacts with different entities confirmed on LOTW. Of these, 68 are via SSB; 20 CW, and 4 digital. These dont total 79 because more than one mode may have been used to reach a given entity and only the first contact counts. If we look at all of our confirmed DX contacts regardless of band and mode, we have 159. The club is getting closer. Help us along. If you make a contact from the shack using W4YK as the call, enter it in the logbook. Every few months we sweep them into LOTW.

Mark Your Calendar

7-8 January 21-23 January 18-19 February RTTY Roundup January VHF Sweepstakes International DX Contest CW

Please notify the editor if dates change, or as new events arise.

ITEMS ITEMS FOR SALE

AZDEN 2m FM Transceiver, model PCS7000H w/original manual and Pyramid Phase III 13.8v 10amp Power Supply. $200.00 OBO. Contact Wayne Secrist at 828-890-0385.

If you have items for sale, or need something, notify the editor.

 DUES FOR 2012 ARE DUE

PTT
K2DRM is clear.

Another year has passed. It is again time to make the list of resolutions for the New Year. What will we resolve to do this year? Will it involve Amateur Radio? Just a thought.

Blue Ridge Amateur Radio Club Points of Contact

President: Rusty Jones, K4SAA - 828-674-9350

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Financial Report: December 2011 - Lil Clark Balance as of 11/20/11 Plus: Deposits Less: Expenses Balance as of 12/20/11 $ 1797.22 40.00 0.00 $ 1837.22

k4saa@arrl.net
Vice President: Jonathan Williams, KF4NVX - 828-429-1007 jsw007@bellsouth.net Secretary: Doug Davis, KJ4WWN- 828-685-1291

v6dakota@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Charlie Chester, W8INI - 828-692-7159

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

charliebarb@bellsouth.net
Members-At-Large: TBA

TBA
Antennas: Walt Wernsing, KO4JN - 828-891-9956 walter134@mchsi.com Echo Editor: Dan Maxwell, K2DRM - 828-243-1347

danmaxwell@dan-maxwell.com
Webmaster: Dick Smith, W4RSS - 828-687-9531

w4rss@att.net
ARRL Emergency Coordinator: Bob Felt, W4RYF

828-696-4103 w4ryf@arrl.net
VE Testing: Sid Hendricks, See above Membership: - Lil Clark, See above Public Relations: Dick Smith, See above Trustee: Steve Smith, KC5F - 828-697-6388

Purpose: The purpose of the club is to further the exchange of information and cooperation between members, to promote radio knowledge, fraternalism and individual operating efficiency, and to promote and conduct programs and activities as to advance the general interest and welfare of amateur radio in the community. Elmers: We have many Elmers. An Elmer is a knowledgeable amateur radio operator who is willing to help new hams and students with questions or procedures and help them to understand more about the hobby. Volunteer Examinations: Every 3 months, our volunteer examiners provide an opportunity to get your amateur license or to upgrade your status. NEXT SESSION: February 11, 2012 Contact Sid, W4IOE, for details. Classes: We occasionally have classes so you can learn how to get your own amateur radio Technician class license.

kc5f@arrl.net
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Club Information
Address: Blue Ridge Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 831, Horse Shoe NC 28742

Website: http://www.radioclub.org/ Dues: Our dues cover the period from January through December. Dues for additional related members in the same household as a Full or Associate member are one-half the applicable rate. Dues for full-time students of an accredited school are one-half the regular rate as long as student status is maintained. New members joining between July and December pay one-half the applicable rate for membership through the end of the year. This years dues are $20.00 per person; $10.00 per additional family member. Please send your renewals to: Lil Clark, 15 Autumn Glen Ct., Brevard, NC 28712 Meetings: We meet at the Stoney Mountain

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A message from the editor....... Articles and submissions for the Echo should be sent by the 15th of each month. If you have something to add to our newsletter, send it to: Dan, K2DRM. Call me at: 828-243-1347 or E-mail me at: danmaxwell@dan-maxwell.com

Activity Center at 7:00 pm on the first Tuesday of each month.

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Nets and On-The-Air Activities

Net BRARC Net Henderson County ARES Net High Country Swap & Rag Chew Red Cross Communicators Mount Mitchell 6m Net QCWA Chapter 76 Buncombe ARES Net Good Morning Net WCARS Info. Net 6600 Net Blue Ridge Traffic (SC) Mount Pisgah 220 Net Mount Mitchell 220 Net NC ARES Area 15 Roll Call Net Tarheel Emergency Net NC Morning Net SATERN Net NC Evening Net Carolinas Slow Net Carolinas Net (Late) Carolinas Net (Early)

Freq / PL 146.640 MHz/ 91.5 146.640 MHz / 91.5 442.225 MHz/107.2 146.640 MHz/91.5 53.630 MHz/100 3.625 MHz (SSB) 146.910 MHz/ 91.5 146.760 MHz 146.910 MHz/ 91.5 145.190 MHz 146.610 MHz 224.260 MHz 224.540 MHz 146.640 MHz/ 91.5 3.923 MHz (SSB) 3.926 MHz (SSB) 14.265 MHz 3.923 MHz (SSB) 3.571 MHz (CW 5-8 wpm) 3.573 MHz (CW 15-18 wpm) 3.573 MHz (CW 20-22 wpm)

Day Sunday Wednesday Monday Sunday Friday Saturday Wednesday M-W-F Monday Saturday Daily Sunday Monday Thursday Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

Time 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM 8:45 AM 9:00 PM 9:00 AM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:45 AM 10:00 AM 6:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 7:00 PM

If this information has changed, please contact Dan at danmaxwell@dan-maxwell.com.

Club Meeting Tuesday January 3, 7:00 pm Stoney Mountain Activity Center Subsequent club meeting February 7, 7:00 pm Stoney Mountain Activity Center Henderson County ARES Training Fourth Monday of Month in the County Building 100 King Street, Hendersonville, 7pm

Find us on the web at < http://www.radioclub.org >