Christmas Wishes 2012

It is time to dust off the wreath and hang it on the blog once more.

Christmas Party
December 18
6:00 PM
at the regular meeting place
bring a desert.
See you there!

Mann Appointed To Water Board

Article by: Tom Palmer, The Ledger

Lakeland Polk City resident George Mann has been named to the Southwest Florida Water Management Districts Governing Board.

Man, 62, will succeed Neil Combee, who resigned from the board in May to run for the Florida Legislature. Combee was elected Tuesday.

Mann is a retired business development manager at Treatt USA, which processes citrus products.

His appointment is to fill the remainder of Combee’s term, which will expire March 1. Man is eligible for reappointment.

The seat is one of two on the 13-member board reserved for Polk County residents. Paul Senft of Haines City, the current chairman, is the other Polk member.

Mann is currently serving as a board member of Anchor House Ministry. Previously, he served on the Florida Citrus processors Association Committee and the Editorial Advisory Board of Citrus & Vegetable magazine. He is a graduate of Florida Southern College.

Board members, who set policy for the 16-county district, receive no pay. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Lets all congratulate one of our own on his new position.

Mike Sinclair from Microsoft Addresses LARC

The club was very fortunate to have Mike Sinclair from Microsoft speak on his area of expertise, MEMS. MEMS is an acronym that stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. Anyone who has played with a relay knows what a macro electromechanical system is. Shrink this functionality down to a size less than the thickness of a human hair and you are talking MEMS. During his presentation, Mike showed several fascinating examples of MEMS. The good news is that they are available on the Internet for you to watch over and over. You can find them at: http://www.mmnt.net/db/0/0/ftp.research.microsoft.com/Users/sinclair/MEMS/MUMP%20UserGroup

Complementing his work as a research scientist for Microsoft, Mike is an avid hobbyist, who likes to work hands on. One of his projects, of considerable interest to some of us, is his work with the Silhouette Cameo, a device used by scrap bookers and fabric artists. Mike has re purposed this device to create circuit boards. This is a work in progress, and for those interested, there is a Yahoo Group dedicated to this topic. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/message/30642

Mike’s site:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/papercutterpcbs/default.aspx

 
Mike’s presentation:
 
Mike’s email address:
 

During his presentation Mike showed videos of the Cameo in action cutting traces and even drilling holes. You can watch this video on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRN1_i0vJU

 We owe a special thanks to Al W4ZSC for arranging to have his old friend and former student join us.

There is more good news to report. Bill Paul KK4LYQ is now General, Kevin Murdoch KF5OIK Extra, and Kelly Reese also Extra. Kelly came within a point or two of scoring 100% on all three tests, which he took at one sitting. Clearly he was prepared. Make sure you congratulate Bill and Bob, new club members, and don’t forget to say hello to his wife Virginia KF5ORO.

Last but not least, we need to thank Gary KS4JI for doing such a great job on the programs this year. I think you will agree that he has set a new standard in this regard. It is easy to take for granted the work that goes on behind the scenes. Be sure you let him know that you appreciate his efforts, past and in the year to come.

 

October 20-21 Jamboree- On-The Air

Mark your calendars. October 20 and 21, 2012  are the days you should be listening for Boy Scout activity on the amateur HF bands. Help promote Ham radio by engaging in QSO’s with future hams. The 55th Jamboree-on-the-Air will be held at the National Scouting Museum. Planned activities include making contact with the International Space Station. For information:http://www.scouting.org/jota.aspx

Sky Warn Class Lake Alfred

The National Weather Service in Ruskin, and the Lake Alfred Fire and Parks &
Recreation Departments have teamed together to offer a Skywarn Class to the
citizens of Lake Alfred. The class will be held on Thursday, November 8th from
7:00pm until approximately 9:00pm in City Hall. The course will be presented
by Dan Noah, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the NWS.

National Weather Service SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotters help keep people safe
by reporting hazardous weather in their community. Amateur radio operators, emergency
response officials, and the general public are the backbone of this voluntary program. SKYWARN has evolved to include smart phone Apps, pictures, and streaming video. Come to the training to find out how you can help keep your community safe from the ravages of severe weather.

This is a free class that is open to all residents of any age, however, one must be 18 or older
to receive an ID card.

For more information about this event call the
Lake Alfred Fire Department at 863-291-5202
Or visit the Skywarn website at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/
to learn more about Operation Skywarn

New General And Another Great Program

Christopher Costine, K4CLC, earned his General License this evening.
He is pictured here shaking hands with Patrick KI4CDY, with his son Chris Jr looking on. Ernie KG4YNI is on the right. Thanks to Christopher, the club now has a presence at the South Pole. Also present but not shown were VE’s Mike KT2T, George KI4NBE, and Bill KI4ZMV.

Patrick addressed several items of interest before the main speaker. These included the following.
                          

  1. A 40 cup coffee pot was purchased for the clubs use during meetings and events.
  2. The Kathleen Historical Society will hold its annual fall event Nov 3. Club representation this year  has not been confirmed. If you would like to man a booth for the club, please contact Rip AA4HT aa4ht@tampabay.rr.com
  3. The Boy Scouts of America are looking for support for Lake Wales Jamboree. Please contact Charlie, KI4CRI for more information.   ki4cri@arrl.net  
  4. MARS is looking for new members. Patrick has more information if you are interested.
  5. There will be Sky Warn classes held at Lake Alford November 8th from 7 to 9pm.
  6. The Christmas party will be held Monday, Dec 17. The cost will be same as last year, $9.00 per person, and deserts are welcome. Note, the Christmas party will take the place of the monthly meeting for December.
  7. We will be collecting food for VISTE at the November meeting. Peanut butter and tuna fish are good suggestions if you wish to participate, and clean plastic bags are always appreciated.
  8. The board is actively pursuing the interests of the club’s younger members and will form a committee seeking their suggestions.
  9. Roger and Ren reported on the need for candidates for one or possibly two positions on the board. If you are interested in serving on the board, contact either Roger or Ren.
  10. The speaker at next month’s meeting will be Mike Sinclair from Microsoft. More on this to follow.
  11. Tom Evans took names for a course on digital electronics that he plans to teach to club members next year. If you are interested, but were not present, you can contact Tom on Yahoo Groups.

The main speaker for the evening was Dan who presented a program on Dxpeditions, or what you can do at a reasonable cost, and with fifty pounds of gear, on an exotic island. The next scheduled trip is to Barbados Jan 29th to Feb 6th, and is already booked solid.

 
 
 
At the end of his presentation, several interested hams gathered round to see what fifty pounds of gear looks like.
 
 

Picnic On The 29th, 2012!

For directions to Lake Parker Park click here.
We will be monitoring our repeater for assistance.
For More Information please contact Patrick at ki4cdy@arrl.net

*burger appearance may vary. Offer not good where prohibited by diet. Always contact your doctor before engaging in any serious eating event. If you experience drowsiness lasting for more than four hours you should seek professional help.