W5RRR 2m Net Traffic – 2/6/18

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1. Shack refurbishment

  • Carpet pulled out
  • Tile installed – wasn’t done correctly, so N5FWB demanded a redo, which is complete
  • Tile now in place, but await proper reinstallation of baseboards and damage to drywall during their removal
  • Baseboards reinstalled, but again N5FWB has demanded rework of poor workmanship
  • Keith is requesting all-hands-on-deck to now paint the walls before reinstalling furniture
    • Bob sent out APB for painter help for Thurs- Fri
  • Will finish shack with 2 new modular desks (from MCC)
    • one will be replace satellite station, one will be Emergency Ops Center station
      • both on far fall (where IC-781 was)
    • 3 existing desks will sit side-by-side on primary wall
    • rework antenna coax patch panel onto smaller footprint

Note:  historical heavy satellite console/rack will be excessed, but we’ll take photos for historic files

2. Checkout web and newest blog entries

  • Website under update.
    • Look and feel under experimentation to optimize messaging
    • To date, calendars updated for more quicklook visibility
    • Also addition of new members menu bar, anticipating more new members
    • Newest blogs/galleries:
      • WFD
      • VHF Roving
      • KG5NQP NCS at the shack last month

3. Facebook

  • JSCARC has expanded its social media footprint and is now on Facebook! Facebook.com/W5RRR
  • Facebook automatically created a page for us based on posts/traffic about us; however, we have been unsuccessful claiming that page.

4. Aggressive marketing of JSCARC for new members

  • Posting on JSCTODAY about our membership drive
  • Concurrently, today, there was an unexpected article about Ham Radio and ISS (ARISS) which really helped our simo membership call
  • Last night, 25 posters for membership and club meetings were posted onto doors of the major buildings on JSC campus, including B40/MCC and all the Engineering building, the Space Station B4S , the cafeterias, and even Building 1 elevator- so we know everyone including VIPs know about this club!
  • This month’s meeting may bring in a flood of new potential members, or perhaps not. To be determined- standby for this experiment.

5. With our anticipated influx of new members wanting to know how to get a license, Bob Scully, N9RCS, has graciously agreed to help lead and kickoff our first Technician licensing class.  The class will be weekly on Wednesday’s during lunch time (onsite) beginning 2/21. Later on, if there’s interest, we may splinter off weekend compressed schedules.  The course material is on-average about 18-20 hours of material for a Technician license class.

6. Other classes, projects, and events are in work.

  • One of which will still be the club particiation of John’s CW decoder kit.
    • We’ll schedule a group buy of the kit and offer a kit building events over several nights. TBD

7. Next near term big W5RRR operating event is:

  • NOTA continues… come out to the shack and operate!
  • CQ WW 160m SSB contest February 24th and 25th
  • International DX SSB contest on March 3rd and 4th. Keith (KG5HOK) and Dave (W5OC) participated in this event last year and had alot of fun – come out for another fun year!

8. This Thursday’s (2/8) CW practice on the W5RRR repeater has been cancelled due to conflicting with the brown bag lunch meeting. Practice will resume one week from today on Tuesday (2/13).

9. Quick reminder the next JSCARC Monthly Meeting will be this Thursday, February 8th.

  • The brown bag lunch meeting will start at 12pm-1pm in Building 30, Room 3090
  • The evening meeting will start at 6:30pm at the Gilruth Center in the Inspiration Room
  • Contact Keith Grimm (KG5HOK) or Dave Lee (W5OC) for more information

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