SYNTOGRAM -- February/March, 2000
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Joint Synton/Twin Cities ARC 2-meter net Thursdays at 9 p.m. local 146.76 MHz (-600 kHz transmit offset) Champaign repeater
Please advise Tim, KM4KS, shy@uiuc.edu, if you are receiving duplicates of this newsletter, or would like to be added to our e-mailing list.
PRESIDENT'S LETTER
Hi Syntonians!
Mid-semester greetings and apologies! My travel schedule left me with little time in town these last several months. This caused some delay in getting the newsletter assembled. With tornado season looming, things may not get much better for me, and I hope your own personal "academic tornado" is not doing too much damage to your world right now!
This has been a good couple of months for ham radio and the club! New licensing rules have injected a fresh excitement into the hobby. Record turnouts at local examination sessions show renewed interest in getting the most out of the hobby. Let’s match this bubble of enthusiasm by welcoming newcomers to the bands and lending a hand to get them started. Nothing brings back the magic of this extraordinary pastime better than helping someone else learn it for the first time.
Things went well in early March with Synton’s support of Engineering Open House. Due to our chronic shortage of members (and the shortage of member’s discretionary time), we are still left in a support role for EOH. But, we fulfilled this commitment and received some kind words of appreciation from EOH organizers.
We are still waiting for official word on when we will be leaving our Physics House III shack in advance of demolition. I will keep you posted as things develop. In the meantime, please make as much use of the shack as possible. It would be groundlessly pessimistic to assume that any building we’re moved to would be worse. However, I do anticipate a "shakedown" period where we may not have things quite so nice as we have them now.
A final word on safety -- with severe weather season approaching, please be ready to carry out one of the most important missions of ham radio: communication in time of emergency. Think about an emergency power source, toss some area maps and pencils in a small box or envelope near your radio, and have a flashlight nearby should you need to operate in the dark. If you don’t have time to become actively involved with our local Champaign County ARES group, at least become familiar with how they do business so that you might be able to pitch in and help if disaster strikes.
Have an excellent "home stretch" for the academic year. See you around the shack or around the bands.
73 Tim, KM4KS
Synton ARC President
SYNTON NEWS
License Examinations -- Next chance to test locally will be with the Twin Cities Amateur Radio Club (TCARC). They will be holding ARRL-VEC
license examinations on Sunday, April 16th, at the Fire Service
Institute Building. Because of the new licensing rules, those needing "paperwork-only" service should come at 1 p.m. Those needing an actual written or 5 w.p.m. Morse code examination should come at 2 p.m. Please bring picture identification, and both the original and a copy of your license and certificates of successful completion (CSCE). Don’t forget the $6.65 fee (there are no free exams anymore, you must pay for even 5 w.p.m. Morse code).
TCARC Auction -- Synton sold some mobile antennas, some surplus test equipment, an old non-working HT and old Hallicrafter’s HF receiver at the recent Twin Cities Amateur Radio Club auction. The sale netted Synton $52.20.
Spring Party -- As the semester’s end approaches, let’s think about a good day for our end-of-semester party. The "old stand-by" … Papa Del’s for pizza … is a good possibility. Would anyone like something different this year? Send your preferences on to Tim, KM4KS <shy@uiuc.edu>
New Equipment? -- Still need your input on how to spend our $450 funding windfall. Although consensus is building around a new computer for our HF shack, alternative ideas are welcome. Make sure we hear yours … contact Debbie, N9DN <fligor@uiuc.edu> or Tim, KM4KS <shy@uiuc.edu>.
New Hams -- New licensing rules mean more new hams, and currently licensed hams becoming active with their new spectrum privileges. Let’s be sure everyone is welcomed by answering those CQ’s or "monitoring" calls on repeaters. Let’s help demonstrate that the hard work on those exams has a payoff!
...AND ON THE BACK BURNER...
Handbook Sales -- Two more 1999 Handbooks are still for sale to a good home at a discount! We missed a good window (blame the President!) for 2000 Handbook sales this spring, but should be in much better position for the fall.
SYNTON CALENDAR
April 5 -- Club meeting: 330D Everitt Lab at noon. Bring a lunch!
April 12 -- Club meeting: 330D Everitt Lab at noon. Bring a lunch!
April 16 -- ARRL-VEC license examinations, Fire Service Instititute. 1 p.m. for "paperwork only" upgrades. 2 p.m. for examinations.
April 19 -- Club meeting: 330D Everitt Lab at noon. Bring a lunch!
April 26 -- Club meeting: 330D Everitt Lab at noon. Bring a lunch!
April 30 -- Hamfest, Arthur, IL (Details TBA)
May 3 -- Club meeting: 330D Everitt Lab at noon. Bring a lunch!
TREASURER'S REPORT
Checking 235.96
Savings 475.91
Voucher 357.66
===========================
TOTAL 1069.53
(Plus $450 on hold for us in Jim’s account, and a $51 check from the Auction that hasn’t been deposited yet)
OFFICER LIST
President: Tim Shy (KM4KS)
Vice President: -- Vacant --
Treasurer: Debbie Fligor (N9DN)
Secretary: -- Vacant --
Station Manager: -- Vacant --
QSL Manager: -- Vacant --
Public Service Manager: Mark Belding (N9GPA)
Engineering Council Representative: Tim Shy (KM4KS)
Advisor: Prof. Jim Coleman (KA6A)