Thirty-two members braved the frigid 74 degree weather to attend the November picnic. As usual, the food was both plentiful and excellent.

Click here for more pictures of the Picnic

 One New Tech and One New Extra

Jim KN4QCN left a new Tech,  and Andrew WX4AMS new Extra are congratulated by VE Richard W8DUK.

Election Results

First the highlights. We have a new Vice President, Mike Shreve. In addition, we have three new board members, Glenn Culler, Aimee Holzer, and Dave Lafave. Bob Doherty stepped down as VP to take care of family matters. We wish him well, and his grandson a speedy recovery. The club benefited greatly by his organizational skills and his ability to line up great speakers for our meetings. Al Sheppard has also stepped down as active board member. He has relocated to Naples Florida to be closer to his son. We will miss his quick wit, kind words, and helpful direction.

For 2018
    • President Matthew Stevens
    • Vice President Mike Shreve
    • Secretary Bill Johnson
    • Treasurer Patrick O’Neil

Board members:
James Stewart, Mike Oliver, David Zdanowicz, Glenn Culler, Geoff Schuck, Stephanie Hildreth, Kevin Rought, Richard Kennedy, Aimee Holzer, and Dave Lafave

Our Main Presenter For The Evening James Stewart 
     On Winlink

Jim did a masterful job at presenting a powerful tool that should be on every hams tool belt. If all local communication fails Winlink will enable you to reach anyone in the world with internet access. Winlink allows you to jump out of the affected area to reach a station that will forward your message.

Brief History (excerpt from Jim’s presentation. Click here for a PFD
                        Click here for a You Tube Demo  )

• Been around since the early 80’s
• Originally known as Aplink, an early DOS based mailbox program and was the brainchild of Victor Poor, W5SMM
• Widely used by both the maritime and RV Amateur Radio communities and by MARS and EMComfolks
• Several versions of companion products were created to work in this arena, the Classic Winlinkand Airmail among the most well known.
• Latest version of the popular Winlinkis known as WinlinkExpress

John Lemon Receives His First Contact Award

Attendees Who Signed In

Other Guests
John Batty
Scott Pugh
Glenn Smith

Weather was perfect, turnout was lighter than last year, but sales were brisk.

Michele Pugh chats with Darrell Davis KT4WX about the value of joining ARRL while Glenn Minich looks on. Mike Douglas W4MDD is far left holding a tablet.

The club had a table this year. All items, some publications and some hardware, were donated by Al Sheppard. All proceeds from the sale went to the club.

The club tables before the rush. Over half the items were sold.

Making A Big Splash

Left to right after Glenn is Robert N4LVG, Jay KN4PIH, and wife Sharron KN4PII new Techs, and John KN4PIJ, new General

Our Surprise Speaker, And It Was A Pleasant One At That

Pinch hitting for Chet who could not make the meeting due to nasty fall, Mike did an excellent job covering the use baluns, toroid composition,both ferrite and powder iron types, and long wire antennas. This kind of presentation makes you want to go out in the back yard and experiment and that is just what he did to prepare. Discovery, and even rediscovery is what makes this hobby so interesting.

Note: I just chatted with Chet who is recovering from a fractured hip. The good news is that the doctors believe it is a hairline fracture and he should recover in a month or so, without the need for surgery.

Attendance

Lucy CH1MP posing before a vintage telephone switchboard.

Finally, there is the Bubble chart. The following is a very simple one. It shows three Nodes connected to a fourth.

How do I let everyone know I am connecting to an Allstar link and it is not my grandson messing with my HT?
        Good procedure is to announce your intentions before you send any DTMF codes. Say “This is ‘your call sign’ connecting to Allstar.”

Can I cause any damage by punching in something incorrectly?
        Not likely. The system is robust.

If I connect to a Node, do I have to disconnect after I am done with a session?
        You don’t have to, but if you open a pathway to Dusseldorf Germany, and don’t  disconnect it, some of your fellow hams might be caught off guard if Hans responds to their request for a signal report in a heavy German accent.

Can someone else disconnect a link I established but forgot or purposely left open?
        Yes. Anyone can disconnect our repeater from any Node using *1 followed by the Nodenumber sequence.

How can I tell which Node or Nodes the LARC repeater is connected to?
         This is wherethe bubble chart comes in handy. It will show any connections to the LARC repeater.

Can you recommend a hub?
         You might try Node2577. This hub is located in Central Florida.

Judy Bukoski listens while the Governor of the Lakeland hangar of the Quiet Birdmen reads the official letter of condolences to Judy, and gives her permission to wear Charlie’s wings. Those standing with her are some of the other Quiet Birdmen present. Among those standing are some familiar club faces: Don Jeerings, Bill Aten, and Jeff Schuck. Also present was Bill Johnson.

Click here for a map of the area.

You may also contact Don Jeerings or Geoff Schuck for additional information.