USECA Swap You Can Help! Delphine, KC8JSH HE USECA SWAP and Shop to be held this year on Sunday, October 26th is USECA’ s one and only major fundraising event at this time. The money raised from this event helps to keep the club functions going, such as Field Day, Pre-Field Day, the annual picnic as well as other projects and events throughout the year. In addition, a certain amount of money is needed to make sure our repeater is running smoothly. A problem with the repeater could be very costly. As you can see a lot hinges on the continued success of our swap. Volunteers will again be needed. If you can help in any way please contact me at: (586) 791-4669 or email: [email protected]. If you are not able to volunteer in this capacity, you can still be a great help to us. One of the fundraising events at the Swap that was started last year was “Golden Treasures.”It was quite successful— and we would like to try it again this year. Sandy, KC8NYQ who did just a fabulous job last year will again be handling this. (Thanks Sandy.) If you have any useful donations we could use it would be greatly appreciated. It doesn’ t have to be ham related or even new. Just things you may have around the house that maybe you aren’ t using. Of course we don’ t want real junk but you know what we mean. “One man’ s junk is another man’ s treas- ure.”Household items are fine. Un- wanted Xmas gifts, gadgets & giz- mos etc. duplicate tools, candles, books, etc. — Continued on Page 2 Michigan’ s Largest and Most Active Amateur Radio Club UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC. Volume 19, Number 8, October 2003 T Next Meeting — October 14 Absentee Ballots The vote to approve the new By-Laws changes will be held at the October General Membership Meeting. If you are not going to be present at the meeting and would still like to cast your vote, you may request an absen- tee ballot. Requests can be made to Membership Secretary at [email protected], by tele- phone (586) 791-2720, or by mail. To request by mail, send requests to: USECA By-Laws Election; P.O. Box 1222; Sterling Heights, MI 48311-1222. If requesting by mail allow enough time for request to be processed and enough time for completed ballot to be returned. Ballots should be received two days prior to the General Mem- bership Meeting in October. Any questions, contact me. Thank you. Mary Cunningham, KC8IAP Membership Secretary USECA Proposed By- Laws Changes THE FINAL VERSION of the proposed revision of our by-laws is in this edition of the Express. A lot of effort and many hours went into pro- ducing this document. I want to thank the By-Laws Committee for their efforts in the development of the revised by-laws. I also want to thank the members of the club who took the time to review the changes on the website and contacted us with their ideas. After consideration, some of these ideas were incorporated. Hopefully, the revised by-laws will be useful to the club in any questions that may arise in the future. Most grateful thanks go out to: Phil, W8IC; Mary, KC8IAP; Floyd, W8RO; Mark, W8IR; Arpad, WY8M; Nancy, KB8QMS; and Dennis, W8DFG. Jim, W1IK, our President, also provided review and support. Thanks to Dave, KC8IAQ for his patience in providing website support for this project. Also, last, but not at all least; many thanks to Joe, K8OEF, our Express Editor, who took the time to closely scrutinize and do the final editing of this report. The changes are underlined and in bold print for your review. The vote on the by-laws revisions will take place at the October general meeting. The vote will be on the by- laws revisions as a whole. 73. By-Laws Committee Represen- tative and Recording Secretary, Ann Manor, KT8F. ? Look Sharp! ? Feel Sharp! ? Be Sharp! “How are you fixed for blades?” — See Page 13
Transcript
USECA Swap
You Can Help! Delphine, KC8JSH
HE USECA SWAP and Shop to be held this year on Sunday, October 26th is USECA’s one
and only major fundraising event at this time. The money raised from this event helps to keep the club functions going, such as Field Day, Pre-Field Day, the annual picnic as well as other projects and events throughout the year. In addition, a certain amount of money is needed to make sure our repeater is running smoothly. A problem with the repeater could be very costly.
As you can see a lot hinges on the continued success of our swap. Volunteers will again be needed. If you can help in any way please contact me at: (586) 791-4669 or email: [email protected].
If you are not able to volunteer in this capacity, you can still be a great help to us. One of the fundraising events at the Swap that was started last year was “Golden Treasures.” It was quite successful— and we would like to try it again this year. Sandy, KC8NYQ who did just a fabulous job last year will again be handling this. (Thanks Sandy.)
If you have any useful donations we could use it would be greatly appreciated. It doesn’t have to be ham related or even new. Just things you may have around the house that maybe you aren’t using. Of course we don’t want real junk but you know what we mean. “One man’s junk is another man’s treas-ure.” Household items are fine. Un-wanted Xmas gifts, gadgets & giz-mos etc. duplicate tools, candles, books, etc.
— Continued on Page 2
Michigan’s Largest and Most Active Amateur Radio Club
UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC. Volume 19, Number 8, October 2003
T
Next Meeting — October 14
Absentee Ballots The vote to approve the new By-Laws changes will be held at the October General Membership Meeting. If you are not going to be present at the meeting and would still like to cast your vote, you may request an absen-tee ballot.
Requests can be made to Membership Secretary at [email protected], by tele-phone (586) 791-2720, or by mail. To request by mail, send requests to: USECA By-Laws Election; P.O. Box 1222; Sterling Heights, MI 48311-1222. If requesting by mail allow enough time for request to be processed and enough time for completed ballot to be returned. Ballots should be received two days prior to the General Mem-bership Meeting in October. Any questions, contact me.
Thank you. Mary Cunningham, KC8IAP Membership Secretary
USECA Proposed By-Laws Changes THE FINAL VERSION of the proposed revision of our by-laws is in this edition of the Express. A lot of effort and many hours went into pro-ducing this document. I want to thank the By-Laws Committee for their efforts in the development of the revised by-laws. I also want to thank the members of the club who took the time to review the changes on the website and contacted us with their ideas.
After consideration, some of these ideas were incorporated. Hopefully, the revised by-laws will be useful to the club in any questions that may arise in the future.
Most grateful thanks go out to: Phil, W8IC; Mary, KC8IAP; Floyd, W8RO; Mark, W8IR; Arpad, WY8M; Nancy, KB8QMS; and Dennis, W8DFG. Jim, W1IK, our President, also provided review and support. Thanks to Dave, KC8IAQ for his patience in providing website support for this project. Also, last, but not at all least; many thanks to Joe, K8OEF, our Express Editor, who took the time to closely scrutinize and do the final editing of this report.
The changes are underlined and in bold print for your review. The vote on the by-laws revisions will take place at the October general meeting. The vote will be on the by-laws revisions as a whole.
73. By-Laws Committee Represen-
tative and Recording Secretary, Ann Manor, KT8F.
? Look Sharp! ? Feel Sharp! ? Be Sharp! “How are you fixed for blades?”
— See Page 13
October 2003 Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4” Page 2
Thanks to Charlene Gracey, (wife of Walt, WB8E) for filling the vacancy for our Health & Welfare position. WOW! Look at the fine field day article and publicity our club received in the September edition of World Radio Magazine — a copy is in this issue.
This edition is full due to the proposed by -laws and our swap flyer. More articles are coming in from Dick, AF8X and will appear in subsequent editions of the Express.
Congrats to the L’Anse Creuse radio club for their winning newsletter, “The Tuned Cir -cuit” in the recent ARRL Michigan newsletter contest.
CLUB DIRECTORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Jim Wickstrom/W1IK (586) 771-4135 Vice President Mark Milby/W8IR (586) 295-9430 Recording Secretary Ann Manor/KT8F, (586) 751-3893 Treasurer Delphine Wrona/KC8JSH, (586) 791-4669 Membership Secretary Mary Cunningham/KC8IAP, (586) 791-2720 Past President Nancy Carr/KB8QMS, (586) 749-3383
ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS Dave Cunningham/KC8IAQ, (586) 791-2720 Jerry Radcliffe/N8KLX (586) 731-9041 Dave Edenfield/KC8RVF (586) 445-1576
COMMITTEES ARRL Liaison Phil/W8IC Awards Manager Tom/KC8LOC Door Prizes Dina/N8YJI Editor Joe/K8OEF (586) 781-0050 Field Day Chair Mark/W8IR (586) 295-9430 Health & Welfare Charlene Gracey (586) 777-2954 Historian Jerry/K8CFY Mailers/Sorters Ann/KT8F; Phil/W8IC; & Crew Net Manager Brian/KC8DIR (586) 749-4561 Photographer Richard/K8QLM Program Director Mark/W8IR (586) 295-9430 Public Relations Officer Ken/N8KC Refreshments Don/KC8CPT & Richard/KC8HMJ Repeater Trustee Dennis/W8DFG (586) 465-7126 Swap & Shop Delphine/KC8JSH (586) 791-4669
SILENT KEYS Len Czapiewski/K8DHH Rick Parady/KB8KLW Dave Martin/W8VB Art Sheff/WD8EGV John Moore/KA8KTV Harry Young/W8VRW Joe Lucido/NU8F John Palmer/WD8LBH Velma Ragon/N8YVC Charles Smith/N8FWF Joe Palson/WD8MFN John Tomlins/KG8YX Clarence Ringo/W8HQO John Pizzuti/WB8NHT Joe Steel/KA8IZM Vance Dupuis/WB8QNI f=Founder c=Charter h=Hon. Charter N8AWV h N8HCT f c WB8OSF h KA8BDG c KA8IZM f c SK K8QLM f c N8BK h KA8KTV f c SK WB8QNI c SK N8FDN c G. Manquardt h KA8VYV h N8FNO f c WD8MFN f c WA8VZZ c SK J. Haubner c WB8NHT f c
The Editor is:
Still Going Joe, K8OEF
USECA Swap— You Can Help— From Page 1 If you’ve ever been to a yard sale or flea market
you see what the variety is. Just bring the items to any USECA event, Board Meeting, General Meeting etc. If you have a lot and can’t get it there contact someone and we can try to arrange for a pick up. We are going to need a ton of stuff so please help if you can.
Thanks in advance from the USECA Swap Com-mittee.
USECA UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
Michigan’s Largest And Most Active Amateur Radio Club
18th Annual
HAMFEST & COMPUTER SWAP Sunday, October 26, 2003
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Ham Radios Computers Scanners CB Radios Electronic & Computer Parts Prizes
Breakfast and Lunch Available
Testing From 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Plenty of Parking Lots of Tables SEMINARS
• HF Antennas • Mobile Antennas • Packet Radio • APRS, GPS & PSK 31 • MABEL III Video • Contesting & More
Admission $5.00 (11 & under free) Tables $15.00
Talk-In on USECA Repeater: 147.180+ — 100 Hz PL
Pre-Registration For Testing: Joe, N8OZ (586) 977-7222
Italian American Cultural Ctr. 28111 Imperial Drive
Warren, Michigan
CA.NET
USECA EXPRESS Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4”
October 2003 Page 4
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse Event 2003 Jerry, K8CFY
UGUST 17, 18 AND 19 once again found us at the Light-house in beautiful Eagle
Harbor, in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan (in da U.P.) for the an-nual International Lighthouse Weekend event. This is the third year that Betty (N8SIH) and I (K8CFY) have participated in this Special Event. We expected antenna installation problems since it had been reported that we would not be allowed to tie-off at the top of the tower, as we have in the past. This is because the Coast Guard has installed a new, bigger light, and there is very little clearance getting past the light to the outdoor plat-form. Also the light needs to be shut down and cooled before any-one can do this; so they have pad-locked the entry to the light enclo-sure, and no one is allowed up without their permission. Fortu-nately I was allowed to go up and secure the ropes for two of our an-tennae. (Last year I did this hang-ing on to the guardrail in 60-mph winds!) The first antenna was a dipole, the opposite end being tied to a line shot into a tree about 80 feet away, running North/South. From the opposite side of the tower we ran our trusty G5RV type antenna with a line to another tall tree to the west. The third antenna was a new
vertical homebrewed by Vince, (KA8FFM) and he was anxious to try it out. This was made of 4 ten-foot sections of an extremely light alloy 2” diameter pipe, an insulator at the bottom and a parabolic (dish) top hat at the top end (like a bowl upside down).
Equipment consisted of a Yaesu FT100D; FT 847 and a small Heath Amplifier. Operations were on the 80, 40 and 20-meter bands; 20 seemed to be the hottest. An inter-esting interlude occurred when my wife Betty contacted a friend, Marion (N8MOJ) operating at the Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron on 40 meters: “Betty! Is that you? A surprised Marion asked. Then Jerry (KB8TAS) at Gaylord, MI came in; and since he and Marion could not work each other, Betty relayed—one of the nice rewards of Amateur Radio. As of this writing we do not have a total count, but we do know that over 400 contacts and about 10 DX countries and at least 40 States were made. This is far better than last year and it seems that we are getting known better— stations from other years were looking for us. All this of course is due to the extreme dedication of our capable organiz-ers and operators: Lynette (KA8MAF) and husband Mike (N8MR); Vince (KA8MMF) and his
wife Angela; Betty (N8SIH) & Jerry (K8CFY) along with the great coop-eration of the Lighthouse Society. Returning to McLain State Park after the antennae were installed, I ran across another interesting group of Amateurs set up at the edge of the bay at Cat Harbor; just a few miles west of the lighthouse. This was a group of 7, mostly from Minneapolis, using 10 GHz Micro-wave equipment: (WB0LJC, Gary; W9FZ, Bruce; K0KFC, Jim; WA2VOI, Donn; KD0JI, Tony; KC0P, Mel; and N0HZ, Carol.
Each unit was set up on a tri-pod. The dish tilted slightly down and facing out across the water; all seven lined in a row across the beach overlooking the water. They were experiencing unbelievable propagation conditions, and were working 200 miles over the water into Duluth, using mere milliwatts of power. They were having such a blast they stayed all day, even ex-periencing some backscatter QSO’s in the late afternoon. That evening they went up to Brockway Moun-tain to attempt an over-land contact with a station in Glen Arbor, near Traverse City, Michigan. I sure hope they were successful!
It was most interesting and our first exposure to this fascinating branch of Amateur Radio contest-ing.
A
USECA EXPRESS Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4”
October 2003 Page 5
USECA Board Meeting Minutes— September 2, 2003 In attendance: W1IK, Jim President W8IR, Mark Vice-President KT8F, Ann Recording Secretary KC8IAP, Mary Membership Secretary KC8JSH, Delphine Treasurer KC8IAQ, Dave Board Member N8KLX, Jerry Board Member KC8RVF, Dave Board Member *KB8QMS, Nancy Past President *Absent Meeting called to order at: 7:35PM Minutes of the last meeting were approved. Treasurer’s report given by Delphine, KC8JSH and approved. Membership: Mary, KC8IAP: 220 members. Website: Dave, KC8IAQ detailed some changes made to the website over the winter. Express: Joe, K8OEF discussed the newsletter contest. Winner unknown at this date. ARRL: Phil, W8IC - discussion re: ARRL Great Lakes Division meeting at the Findlay Swap, Saturday and Sunday of this week. USECA should send a representative. Phil read part of a letter that had been sent to the White House regarding Amateur Radio Emergency preparedness. Phil stated the ARRL is requesting donations from clubs to fight BPL. Dave, KC8IAQ made a motion to bring before the general membership at the next meeting that a $400.00 donation be made to the ARRL. Ann, KT8F seconded. Motion carried. Technical, Floyd, W8RO – repeater running well. Floyd provided a letter to the Secretary; agreement between USECA and the Michigan Proving grounds for USECA to install and maintain a remote receiver/transmitter on their site. He detailed conditions and status of our equipment. Discussed our inventory and the possibility of selling certain items. Scott WN1B – discussed the state of the replacement repeater/power supply. He has checked the configuration and tested the system. Output is very good. Currently is finishing up some of the wiring. Thanks to Scott for many hours of work over the summer. Our backup repeater was in use and functioned well during the recent power outage. Swap: Delphine, KC8JSH - has flyers ready for people to take and pass out. Delphine and Scott will make arrangements at the hall this week. Dick Mondro, the ARRL Great Lakes Division Vice-Director will provide a forum at our swap in October. Bylaws: Ann, KT8F reported that the final revisions have been completed. The proposed changes will be read to the general membership at the September general meeting and then printed in the October Express. The bylaws will be voted on at the October meeting. Discussion re: a club table at the Dayton Swap. Dave, KC8RVF made a motion that $200.00 be allocated for a 120 gig new hard drive to be used for the audio recording of repeater traffic. Seconded by Jerry N8KLX. Discussion. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 PM Respectfully submitted, Ann Manor, KT8F, Recording Secretary
USECA General Meeting Minutes— September 9, 2003 In attendance: W1IK, Jim President W8IR, Mark Vice-President KT8F, Ann Recording Secretary KC8IAP, Mary Membership Secretary KC8JSH, Delphine Treasurer KC8IAQ, Dave Board Member N8KLX, Jerry Board Member KC8RVF, Dave Board Member *KB8QMS, Nancy Past President *Absent
Meeting called to order by the President at: 7:38 PM Introductions were made, new members, visitors and upgrades recognized. Motion made by Dennis, W8DFG and seconded by KC8TTQ to approve the minutes of the last general meeting. Treasurer’s report given by Delphine, KC8JSH and approved. Membership: Mary, KC8IAP: 220 members. Webmaster: Dave, KC8IAQ – reported on the website. Periodically check the USECA.net website for new info. Express: Joe, K8OEF reported that there is an article in the World Radio. Discussed the upcoming newsletter. Technical report: Floyd, W8RO. Repeater’s working to specifications. Scott, WN1B stated the focus has been on getting the PA rebuilt The replacement repeater is now being tested and the output is spectrally clear and within specifications. The backup repeater operated well throughout the August blackout. Trustee report given by Dennis, W8DFG. Reported on the MARC meeting. ARRL: Phil, W8IC – as of June 21 the ARRL became part of the Citizen Corps, which is part of Homeland Security. Online classes are offered by the ARRL on various topics and levels, some costs are refunded on successful completion. Broadband over Power Line transmission report given – if employed will cause widespread interference. Dave, KC8RVF discussed his attendance at the ARRL Great Lakes Conference in Findlay, Ohio, last week. Provided info he had picked up. Swap: Delphine, KC8JSH – swap flyers are available. Scott, WN1B requested volunteers for security, VE’s, ticket sellers and others. Contact him or Delphine. Tickets can be pre-purchased at the October General meeting for $4.00; instead of $5.00 at the door. Dick Mondro will be giving a seminar on the ARRL and the BPL issue. Other seminar topics discussed. New this year: will have a testing booth set up to check radio equipment for sale. Walt, WB8E is requesting people to help out in the kitchen. Need a Health and Welfare Committee Chairman. Walt, WB8E volunteered Charlene, pending acceptance. Field Day: report given by Mark, W8IR. Thanks to all who volunteered at Field Day, and special thanks to Dennis, W8DFG and Brian, KC8DIR for running the food tent. Scott, WN1B made a motion that the club donate $400.00 to the ARRL for the BPL defense fund. 2nd by Floyd, W8RO. Motion carried.
— Continued on Page 14
USECA EXPRESS Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4”
October 2003 Page 7
Top 25 HF OperatorsCallsign Name Total Callsign Name Total Callsign Name Total
AB8BT Andy 17 VA3IDJ Don 4 K8QLM Richard 166AB8JN Pete 1 W0JBC J.B. 1 W1IK William J. 67AB8MJ Barbara 1 W1IK William J. 14 AB8BT Andy 52K8CFY Jerome 5 W8BHF Bob 3 KC8RPL Bob 50K8DXX William J. 15 W8DFG Dennis 6 WA8JPR William 48K8EDS William 1 W8EDX Ed 1 KC8HMG Janice 43K8GEO George 8 W8IC Phil 2 WY8M Arpad R. 42K8PBX Steve W. 1 W8IR Mark 6 KA2IBE John F. 34K8QLM Richard 40 W8KC Paul R. 2 WN1B Scott 28KA8LGI Darrell 3 W8NG James 2 KC8LOC Tom 27KA8NDY Dan 2 W8RO Floyd 2 KI8HJ Larry 24KB8ULS Roger 2 W8SLR Sam 4 N8KC Kenneth T. 14KC8CPT Donald R. 16 W8SOX Laurence 1 K8DXX William J. 14KC8DBG Bill 1 W8VB David 6 WD8CRT Neil 12KC8DIR Brian 2 W8WTH Richard B. 13 W8RO Floyd 12KC8EDK Brian 2 WA8JPR William 7 KC8ECB Ken 10KC8HMG Janice 56 WB8E Walt E. 12 KC8PNL Scott 6KC8HMJ Richard 1 WB8FUI Phil 3 WJ8R Bill 4KC8HYS Patrick 2 WB8OAF William G. 4 WB8E Walt E. 4KC8IAQ David 6 WB8X Lenny 1 KC8IAQ David 2KC8IDG Kevin 1 WD8CRT Neil 2 KA8NDY Dan 2KC8LOC Tom 7 WG8M Emmanuel 2 N8MOJ marion 2KC8NAG Jim 1 WN1B Scott 2 W1SKU fred 2KC8NLE Ken 1 WN8VOT David 1 N8OEV Dave 2KC8PNL Scott 0 WY8M Arpad R. 2 WB8FUI Phil 2KC8REX Bernard 2 KC8VXQ gary 2KC8RPL Bob 19 KC8UCH robert 3 Top 25 VHF OperatorsKC8RVF Dave 9 N8MG marty 1 Callsign Name Total
KC8RYX James W. 3 KG4LMU john 2 K8QLM Richard 88KC8SQH Steven 3 W8HVG renda 1 KC8HMG Janice 56KC8TDE Tom 10 WD8IFL Dave 1 N8YBY Leonard 50KC8TTQ David E. 17 KC4ITU Dwight 1 W1IK William 35KC8UZS Tom 3 N8XOQ Ishmon 1 KC8RPL Bob 19KI8HJ Larry 10 N8OEV Dave 1 KC8TTQ David E 17KI8JN Phil 11 WA8GPR Bill 1 AB8BT Andy 17KT8F Ann 3 N8DMW Jim 2 KC8CPT Donald 16KW8Z Ken 4 WJ8R Bill 1 N8PDP Michael 15N5WCS R. Mike 4 N8UWQ Jerry 1 K8DXX William 15N8COQ Ken 10 N8ZR Steve 3 W8WTH Richard 13N8KC Kenneth T. 2 N8TUH Steve 1 N8ODY Steve 13N8NQQ Biff 1 AA8OZ paul 2 N8COQ Ken 13N8ODY Steve 13 VE3LFZ marie 1 WB8E Walt E. 12N8PDP Michael 15 KC8IHO colin 1 W8DFG Dennis 12N8RAR Wayne R. 3 N8RUE eddie 2 KT8F Ann 12N8SA Bill 1 N8QOQ tom 1 KC8RVF Dave 12N8SIH Betty 6 KC8DRK tim 1 KI8JN Phil 11N8SN Chuck 1 KC8SQJ tim 1 KI8HJ Larry 10N8TLC William 1 N8ZZF pat 1 KC8TDE Tom 10N8UO Ken 5 N8WNF bob 3 K8GEO George 8N8XO Steve 6 KC8TTT kirk 1 WA8JPR William 7N8YBY Leonard 2 W8HYI tom 1 VA3IDJ Don 7N8YVB John A. 1 KC8WXF jim 1 KC8LOC Tom 7NJ8F James 3 N8RLO larry 1 W8VB David 6VA3GRE Greg 1 KC8USV bill 1
W8WRB bill 1See or call Brian KC8DIR, KC8OJT henry 1USECA's Net Manager, KC8WNH dave 1for more information on See USECA's "Net Point System Database courtesy of Tom KC8LOC
running a net and earning Explanation" for info on how Logging Software Courtesy of Jerry N8KLX
extra points. net points & awards are earned. Thanks Jerry, Great Job!!
ATTENTION NCOs… I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED ALL NET LOGS. PLEASE SUBMIT ASAP!
USECA 2003 VHF Net Points
October 14, 2003 Page 1 of 5
CONSTITUTION OF THE UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC.
ARTICLE I NAME The name of the organization shall be Utica Shelby Emergency Communication Association, Inc. ARTICLE II PREAMBLE We the members, wishing to secure for ourselves the pleasure and benefits of the association of persons commonly interested in amateur radio, have joined together as USECA, Inc. amateur radio club and enact this constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose to further public relations, emergency communication activities, training, and technical advancement of the club members, operation activities, and other miscellaneous activities. ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP All persons interested in amateur radio communications, which is the amateur radio service as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), shall be eligible to be considered for membership. ARTICLE IV BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the organization and shall meet regularly to determine such policies necessary for the continued growth and welfare of the organization. ARTICLE V OFFICERS The officers of the organization shall be licensed amateurs and shall be the governing body to oversee the meetings. ARTICLE VI ARRL This organization shall conform to any and all provisions required for affiliation with the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL).
BY-LAWS OF THE UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC.
ARTICLE I MEMBERSHIP SECTION 1 ELIGIBILITY Any person interested in amateur radio communications, which is the amateur radio service as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), shall be eligible to be considered for membership and/or renewal.
A. Charter membership may be conferred on the founders of the club at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Charter members are eligible for full club privileges.
B. Lifetime membership may be conferred on members at the discretion of the Board of Directors for outstanding service to the club. Lifetime members are eligible for full club privileges.
SECTION 2 VOTING Each member shall be eligible to vote on each matter brought before the membership for a vote.
A. Voting on major topics such as Election of Officers, Change in Constitution, or By-Laws shall be determined by a majority of a ballot vote, with absentee ballots being accepted. All absentee ballots shall be mailed to the Nomination Committee or its designee, and must arrive at least two days prior to the next meeting, or shall be brought in person to the next meeting.
a. The Membership Secretary and designees will validate membership. b. The Recording Secretary shall hold ballots for one year, or until the next election.
October 14, 2003 Page 2 of 5
B. Voting on minor topics shall be brought before the general membership at a regular meeting and shall be determined by a majority of yea/no vote or show of hands, whichever method the officers decide to use.
SECTION 3 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS Any member may be expelled from the organization for misconduct by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at a general meeting. This meeting will take place after reasonable notification has been made to the membership stating that there is a motion on the floor to expel a member. The Board of Directors must review any such motion before being posted. Misconduct is defined as any willing and repeated infraction of the rules and regulations of the FCC, and any other laws pertaining to the amateur service, or public misconduct, so as to reflect unfavorably upon USECA, Inc. or its members. ARTICLE II DUES The organization, by recommendation by the Board of Directors, and by majority vote of those members present at any regular meeting, may levy upon the membership such dues or assessments as shall be deemed necessary for the business of the club organization, within its objectives as set forth in the Preamble.
A. Dues shall be levied on each of the following categories: a. Regular Membership; with or without auto patch privileges. b. Family Membership; with or without auto patch privileges. Family Membership is defined as: a
primary member and an adult partner, and licensed dependents living in the household. c. Charter member and lifetime members are exempt from paying dues. If a family membership
is desired, dues will be prorated at half the regular membership rate. B. The membership period shall extend from January 1 of any given year, through and including December 31.
New members shall be prorated as follows: January thru June; full membership rate – July thru September; half membership rate – October forward; full membership rate with membership included through following year.
C. A member who is in arrears (dues and/or assessments) for a period exceeding 6 weeks may have his membership terminated and will be dropped from the roster. A member dropped from the roster has no voting privileges and cannot serve as an officer or committee head.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS SECTION 1 OFFICERS The officers of the organization shall be: President, Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer. Only members who have been in good standing for the preceding six months, and who are licensed amateurs at the time of election shall be eligible to run for office. SECTION 2 TERM OF OFFICE The Officers and Board Members shall be elected for a term of one year, which shall run from January 1 through December 31. The election meeting shall take place at the December meeting, after nominations at the November meeting. SECTION 3 VACANCIES Vacancies occurring between elections shall be filled by the following means:
A. The Vice-President will fill the Office of the President. B. All other vacancies will be filled by a special election at the next general meeting. A reasonable attempt
will be made to notify the membership prior to the vote via announcements in the Express, and/or repeater announcements.
C. Members presently serving on the Board of Directors that wish to be considered for nomination for a vacant position must first resign their current position in order to be eligible.
SECTION 4 REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS Officers and Board Members may be removed from office by a three-fourth vote of the members present at the next scheduled general meeting. This shall be upon written notice to said officer and by recommendation of the Board of Directors.
October 14, 2003 Page 3 of 5
ARTICLE IV DUTIES OF OFFICERS All officers may enlist volunteer assistants as necessary to fulfill the duties of the office. All officers are charged with keeping accurate records as may be necessary for their position and turning over to their successor, upon expiration of their term, any and all items belonging to the club. SECTION 1 PRESIDENT The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization, conduct them according to the rules adopted by the club, make appointments to the committees, and be responsible for the operation of the organization. The President shall oversee all club activities. The President shall have discretionary fund approval up to two hundred dollars. The President will then report on any expenditure to the Board at the next Board meeting. SECTION 2 VICE-PRESIDENT The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President when he/she is absent. The Vice-President will assist the President in the affairs of the club, as well as oversee general meeting presentations. SECTION 3 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY The Corresponding Secretary shall keep all minutes of meetings as deemed necessary, maintain all correspondences for the club, notify the members of all communications to the club, and oversee the mailing of written notices for special meetings. He/She shall keep the club Constitution and By-Laws and have the same, with any and all amendments, changes, and additions available at all meetings for any inquiries by the membership. SECTION 4 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY The Membership Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the membership roster. It is to be kept accurate, up-to-date, and available at all club meetings. He/She shall be responsible for all membership cards, new member information, and seeing that each new member receives all information necessary. He/She shall contact the Technical Director to establish a quick dial number for a member with autodial privileges who requests it. SECTION 5 TREASURER The Treasurer shall accept and deposit in the club account all monies collected by the club, make disbursements as authorized by the club, and shall be responsible for and keep an accurate record of the financial status of the club. Any disbursement over two hundred dollars shall be brought before the membership for approval. ARTICLE V BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers (President, Vice-President, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer), the immediate Past President, and three elected members. They shall be the governing body of the organization and shall meet regularly to determine such policies necessary for the continued growth and welfare of the organization. All officers shall maintain their membership and their amateur license during their term of office. Members of the Board shall keep their dues current, arrearage being cause for removal from office. If, for any reason, the Past President is unable to serve on the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors may appoint a previous Past President to the position. If there is no Past President available to fill the position a special election at the next general meeting will be held to fill that position. ARTICLE VI MEETINGS SECTION 1 REGULAR MEETINGS Regularly scheduled general membership meetings shall be held at least once a month with the exception of the months of July and August. A quorum for the meetings for the transaction of business shall be ten percent of the total membership. Meetings are open to all organization members and guests. Only members in good standing shall have a vote in the proceedings. SECTION 2 SPECIAL/EMERGENCY MEETINGS The Board of Directors may schedule special or emergency meetings. Announcements to this effect will be made as deemed necessary.
October 14, 2003 Page 4 of 5
SECTION 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS Board of Directors meetings shall be held at least once a month with the exception of the months of July and August. A quorum for the transaction of business shall be five board members. Meetings are open to all organization members. Only the Board of Directors shall have a vote in the proceedings. ARTICLE VII REPEATER TRUSTEE The Repeater Trustee shall be appointed or changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. He/She shall be responsible for the proper operational compliance of the repeater according to the rules set forth by the FCC. The Repeater Trustee shall appoint control operators, at the Board’s discretion, as needed to monitor the repeater operation for compliance. The Repeater Trustee is responsible for maintaining coordination of the repeater frequency pair and filing the Technical Data Sheets with the required pertinent information to the Michigan Area Repeater Council in a timely manner. ARTICLE VIII CLUB CALL SIGN TRUSTEE The Club Call Sign Trustee will be appointed by the Board in agreement with the Repeater Trustee. He/She will be the administrative contact for the club and will handle the duties of QSL Manager. The Club Call Sign Trustee shall also maintain a set of guidelines for the use of the club call sign. Permission to use the club call sign shall be coordinated with the Call Sign Trustee. ARTICLE IX COMMITTEES OF THE CLUB The need for committees shall be determined by the membership through the daily activities of the club. The President shall appoint or request a volunteer to chair each committee as needed. Each committee chairperson shall be responsible for appointing assistants or requesting volunteers as needed to complete the work of the committee. ARTICLE X CHANGES TO THE BY-LAWS Major changes and restructuring to the By-Laws may not be accomplished more than once every three years, although amendments may be requested when appropriate. The process to add or rescind By-Laws is to present the change to the membership at a regularly scheduled meeting, have it printed in the Express for the entire membership to review and return ballot votes the following meeting per Article I Section 2; Voting. ARTICLE XI CLUB FUNDS It is the wish of the membership that if the Utica Shelby Emergency Communication Association, Inc. (USECA, Inc.) disbands as a club, that all equipment owned by the club be sold. All funds from the sale, along with any other funds of the organization shall be donated to the organization known as Handy-Hams. This organization is properly named Courage Handy-Hams System and is located at 3915 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55422. ARTICLE XII LISTING OF COMMITEES/DIRECTORS FOR USECA, INC. TECHNICAL DIRECTOR The Technical Director shall be appointed or changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Technical Director shall be responsible for maintenance of all repeater equipment and distribution of any and all codes. The Technical Director shall also provide all necessary technical data to the repeater Trustee for coordination of the repeater. EDITOR The Editor of the club newsletter shall be responsible for the assembly, editing and write-up of the club newsletter. (DELETION: if for any reason the club newspaper cannot be mailed to the membership, arrangements should be made for a postcard to go out to all members reminding them of any meeting or activity during that month.) DELETION: Activities Director… shall oversee all special club activities… such as the swap, field day, club picnic, holiday dinner, fox hunt, etc. DELETION: Program Director: considered part of the Vice-President’s function.
October 14, 2003 Page 5 of 5
NET COORDINATOR The Net Coordinator, serving at the Board’s discretion, shall coordinate a schedule for USECA Net Control Operators and make an earnest effort to see that all nets have scheduled and/or alternate operators available. The Net Coordinator may select and appoint an assistant (Net Point and Awards Manager) to handle compilation and publishing of net points, as well as the design and preference of any awards offered. REFRESHMENT CHAIRPERSON The Refreshment Chairperson shall be responsible for refreshments at club meetings. SWAP AND SHOP CHAIRPERSON The Swap and Shop Chairperson shall be responsible for the annual Hamfest, seeing that all areas are staffed, advertising/flyers are sent out and that spaces are properly allotted and sold. FIELD DAY COODINATOR The Field Day Coordinator shall be responsible for Field Day, seeing that an appropriate area is found, that all stations and special areas have someone to act as station chairpersons and coordinate equipment. The coordinator shall be responsible for assuring that current field day rules are adhered to. MAILERS/SORTERS These people are volunteers who help put the newsletter together and make sure it goes out on time to the membership. HATS AND BADGES COODINATOR The Hats and Badges Coordinator makes sure that if any hats or badges are requested by the membership, the order is filled in a timely fashion. HEALTH AND WELFARE COORDINATOR The Health and Welfare Coordinator makes sure that flowers or cards are sent to any club member should a death or sickness occur in their immediate family. CLUB HISTORIAN The Club Historian is responsible for keeping the history of the club through any and all means possible; newsletters, pictures, scrapbooks, videos, etc. This history will include all club activities and community work. A report on the club history to the membership will be provided annually. ARRL LIAISON The club ARRL Liaison is responsible for maintaining a good relationship with the ARRL, keeping the club abreast of information coming from the ARRL and providing encouragement to USECA Club members to join or maintain their ARRL membership. NOMINATION COMMITTEE The Nomination Committee shall consist of three to five members appointed by the President to assist in the election process. They shall have the responsibility to investigate the possibilities of future officers of the club from the membership. After contacting the possibilities and gaining a positive answer, they will present the slate of officers in November, accepting nominations from the floor. The slate of officers shall be printed in the club newsletter. Nominations will also be taken from the floor at the December general meeting prior to the vote. The voting procedures will be in compliance with Article I Section 2, Voting. ARTICLE XIII USECA CLUB RESERVED RIGHTS The USECA repeater is privately owned, and as such, the USECA Club reserves the right, in addition to FCC Rules and Regulations, to set policies and guidelines for conduct, and to control usage of the repeater based on such policies and guidelines.
USECA EXPRESS Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4”
October 2003 Page 13
? Radio Items? MFJ-713, 2 meter HT intermod filter. Like
to run your HT mobile but can’t stand the intermod? This thing really works. $40. KC8LOC, Tom, home: (248) 542-3340; work: (586) 576-3314 or email: [email protected].
? Miscellaneous Items? BELKIN — USB 4-Port Hub. NEW! $25.
INTEL Easy PC Camera. Never used. Still sealed. $25. K8OEF, Joe, (586) 781-0050 or email: [email protected].
SNAP-ON KR1100 upper tool chest, very large (l-53”, w-22”, h-18”, fits KRL1000 roll cabinet, 9 roller bearing drawers, would make nice bench top box $1000. KC8LOC, Tom, home: (248) 542-3340; work: (586) 576-3314 or email: [email protected].
TOSHIBA Laptop computer 486 Satellite with Canon Jet Printer. $130. Hewlett-Packard Color Printer Deskjet 560C. $35. Bapco safety analyzer 120v to 220v test for ground on any product. $125. Sony car stereo, AM/FM cassette with Sony CD 10 Disc Changer $140. KC8QIC, Denny, (586) 268-7417. ?New or changed this month. Notify the editor to have items added
and/or removed. This Cork Board is for club members
only and it’s free!
USECA Cork Board
?FOR SALE ICOM IC-2100H – 2M 55W mobile rig, great condition, still current production, tone encode/decode, large green or amber LCD display, box, manual, mobile mounting bracket, mic; $130. ICOM IC-756PRO-II – for more info on this awesome rig with the built-in fish-finder, go to: http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/index2.html ; rig definitely works as advertised!!!, brick wall filtering, like new, clean, non-smoker, never mobile or outside, complete, freshly back from Icom from its annual check-up, “MARS/CAP” mod’ed, only selling it so I can buy motorcycle stuff; $2099. DIAMOND X-500A – 2M/440 base antenna, about 16’ tall overall, breaks down into 3 pieces, missing mounting hardware & the three 20” radials, no manual but available online, works; $70. CAROLINA WINDOM – used HF windom wire antenna, made by Radio Works, needs the longer wire element replaced & been to lazy to do it myself; $70. COMPUTER STUFF – P-III 600MHz processor w/mboard (board bad), Elsa Erazor III 32Mb AGP TNT2 video card, Creative Labs sound card, 3Com 10/100 network card, 250W Aopen PC power supply + cord, a complete 386-387 system, assorted old 386-486 type stuff; $$ ?? KENWOOD KLF-1 – in-line DC filter; $8. OVERHEAD PROJECTOR BULBS (?) – have two new bulbs in the box, one is a 36V-400W, the other a 24V-250W(?); both never touched by fingers directly and both verified for filament continuity; $4-/each. KENWOOD MOBILE MIC – MC-45DM, modular “phone jack” style connector, with DTMF pad; $14. COMPUTER SPEAKERS – pair of amplified pc speakers, my hearing is still too good & the slight buzz in the background annoys me, they were new and used only 10 minutes; $9. CELLPHONE MOBILE PWR CORD – for cellphone with 4.8V battery, DC coaxial plug on phone end; $8. UNIDEN BC60XLT – 30 channel VHF/UHF scanner, separate WX button, stock rubber duck, belt clip, good condition, two manuals, comes with fresh AA batteries; $48. POWER SUPPLY – switching PS, 12-15 VDC, 16A, works, you wire it up; $25. DUCKIES – UHF duck: $5-, dual band “Icom” style: $10-, ANLI dual band duck: $10-, CB duck screws into back with PL259: $5. K-40 10/11M WHIP – 4’ fiberglass, black, tunable, substitute for original K-40 stainless whip & base load, no mount or coax just the antenna; $4. ARGUS 300–slide projector, with assorted old Italian home slides; $28. COBRA 89XLR -- 40ch CB AM base, built in power supply, SWR meter, loaded, someone buy this thing for their cabin up north; $43. Contact Arpad WY8M at: [email protected] or [email protected] or at (586) 751-3804 or 147.180 MHz+ 100 Hz PL.
USECA Cork Board On The Web Every month, this page is up-loaded to our web page for the “whole world” to view. Don’t hesitate to list your wants and/or needs— you never know who will be reading it. And, the best part, it costs you (members) NOTHING!
The Deal Of The Century
The USECA Express archives are now available on CD (recent editions are in color). There are 150 editions! You can purchase them for the low price of only 15¢ each! But you must take all 150.
Deal? You bet! Purchase the CD for $10.00 and get ALL the Express’ from November 1986 up to and including 2002!
Just reading all of Arpad’s “Soap Box” articles is worth the price.
Contact Jerry, N8KLX (586) 731-9041 and tell him you want “the deal of the century” and he will make arrangements for you to obtain your copy. Or, you can email him at [email protected].
If you can’t make arrangements to get this CD from Jerry directly, he can arrange to mail you the CD for the low cost of $15.00. The cost includes the labeling, jeweled case, envelope, postage, handling, (and a few leftover pennies for the USECA “kitty”).
And since you are such an avid supporter of USECA, Jerry, will include FOR FREE, an analyzer to view the Field Day logs of 1999-2002 on the same CD.
To view the Express’, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Readersoftware — this software IS included on the CD — also included is a “read me” file with detailed instructions.
Credits for this project go to Joe, K8OEF; Jerry, N8KLX; Jerry, K8CFY; and Doug, N8KND to make all of this possible.
— From Page 1 (“How are you fixed for
blades?”) Gillette Blue Blades
Do you remember them?
USECA EXPRESS Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4”
October 2003 Page 14
Meeting Minutes— From Page 5 New Business: Dave, KC8RVF asked for a show of hands to see if there would be interest in a club-sponsored table at Dayton next year. Moderate amount of interest displayed. Send email to Dave if you are interested. Jim, W1IK: Morse Code Class: will be starting up 9/15/03 on Monday nights at 8 PM, 147.180. Looking for more Morse Code instructors. Mary, KC8IAP: spoke about the Golden Treasures drawing – to be held at the swap. The item does not have to be radio related. The item should be usable and in reasonable condition. Jim, W1IK spoke about net participation. Please pick up a net if you do not hear it in progress after 5 minutes of starting time. Contact Brian, KC8DIR if you wish to volunteer for a net.
Bylaw proposed changes: Ann, KT8F thanked the committee members and members of the club who contributed suggestions. Thanks also to Joe, K8OEF for doing the final editing. Bylaw changes were then read by Ann, KT8F. Motion made by Scott, WN1B to provide an official thank you to the bylaw committee for their hard work. 2ND by Betty, N8SIH, motion carried. You’re welcome! Business meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM. Program on ARRL BPL video showed by Jim, W1IK. Respectfully submitted, Ann Manor, KT8F, Recording Secretary
USECA VE Testing Testing will be FIRST Saturday EVERY month of the year. Bill, N8SA; Don, WA8IZV; and Mark, W8IR will share the CVE duties. No pre-registration is needed or wanted. Test Fee is $12.00. Applicants need copies and originals of CSCE's and/or license. There is no copy machine at Corps. (there are none close by). Starting time is 7:15 p.m. — please do not arrive earlier. Walk-ins are wel-comed. Test site is at the Salvation Army, 55 Church, Mt. Clemens. If testing, you must have the following: picture ID (or birth certificate); and a copy of your current license or completion certificates, if any.
Jackets–$45.00 ? Sweatshirts–$25.00 Polo Shirts–$22.00 ? Caps–$6.00
Net Point System ?1) HF CW NCO = 4 points, HF SSB/VHF NCO = 3 points, HF CW/SSB check-in = 2 points, VHF check-in = 1 point.
HF < 30 MHz, VHF > 30 MHz. (NOTE: Check-ins should do so personally, proxy check-ins are legitimate only for members on club business. "In & Out" check-ins, though allowed, are discouraged.) ?2) Awards are earned for 50 points and multiples thereof. Additional awards for the highest annual HF and VHF
scores. Awards are meant to encourage participation and can be earned by any licensed amateur. ?3) Net logs must be readable and include the CALLS and NAMES of check-ins, as well as NCO, DATE, and MODE. ?4) NCO's: Forward net logs to the Awards Manager within 30 days; logs received later will not earn the bonus
points normally awarded a NCO. Mail your logs to: Tom, KC8LOC, 26708 Osmun, Madison Heights, MI 48701; or email to [email protected]. ?5) If you notice any errors in the database, wrong or changed call signs, mis-spelled names, etc., let Tom know
ASAP.
The USECA EXPRESS is published monthly (except July and August), by the UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC., of Macomb County, Michigan. Club meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month (except July and August), 7:30 p.m., local time, at the Elks Club, 179 S. Main (between Church and Robertson), Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Visitors are always welcome. Articles for the EXPRESS should be submitted to the editor no later than the night of the club meeting for publication in the following month’s edition. The articles within are those of the author and not necessarily endorsed by USECA. Material contained in the EXPRESS may be reprinted provided credit is given to the USECA EXPRESS and the author, except material published by permission of a copyright holder. The awards for “Excellent” (1994) and four times “Superior” (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998) were received from ARNS (Amateur Radio News Service). [Note: ARNS has disbanded.]
USECA Apparel
October 2003 Awarded as “EXCELLENT” and “SUPERIOR4” Page 15
FOR FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS ONLY:
Annual Membership Dues Regular: $20 — Family: $30 — Auto-Patch: $35 (One Time Fee) + Annual Dues Applications can be given to the Membership Secretary at monthly meeting or mailed.
Please make check payable to: USECA — Address: P.O. Box 1222, Sterling Heights, MI 48311-1222 (Allow 4-6 weeks for processing.)
USECA reserves the right to accept or reject New or Renewal Memberships.
2-Meter LANs
Local Area NetsLocal Area Nets DAY TIME CLUB FREQ. SUN 1:00 pm USECA/Information 147.180 SUN 8:00 pm USECA/Traders/Helpers 147.180 SUN 8:00 pm SPIRIT of ’76 146.760 SUN 9:00 pm HPARC/DART 146.640 SUN 9:00 pm Garden City ARC 146.860
SUN-SAT 10:15 pm S. E. Michigan Traffic Net 145.330 SUN-SAT MACEOC (Packet) 145.030
*If applicable NCO’s— If you're unable to take your net please get a replacement
or contact Brian, KC8DIR (586) 749-4561— Don't wait!
USECA USECA AAPPLICATIONPPLICATION DATE_____________________________ c NEW c RENEWAL CALL_______________ CLASS_______________ AUTO-PATCH_____________ NAME_____________________________________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________ CITY___________________________________________ STATE____________ ZIP______________ TELEPHONE #__________________________________ PRINT IN ROSTER c YES c NO BIRTHDATE___________________ EMAIL ADDRESS_____________________________________ MEMBER: ARRL c YES c NO RACES c YES c NO
OCT 14 7:30 pm General Meeting OCT 26 8:00 am USECA 18th Annual Swap NOV 11 7:30 pm General Meeting (Nominations) DEC 5 USECA 16th Annual Christmas Party DEC 9 7:30 pm General Meeting (Elections)
