It was a hot, humid evening as members of the EAWA gathered for the business meeting, announcements, to preview some Fall and Winter club activities, and enjoy a short presentation.
Here is a quick preview of some of the Fall activities:
**Weekend Sessions are starting up again, with the first session on September 14. These sessions start at noon and usually last around 2 hours. These catch-all sessions often include mentoring and assisting with new equipment or equipment repairs, and discussions around club events and emergency communications activities. It’s common to hear at Clandestine Coffee, “Well, you bring that and I’ll bring my soldering iron and we’ll fix it at the next weekend session.” You can find directions to our meeting place and the dates of the sessions on the Regular Events page of this website.
**The September 11th club meeting will include the Lend and Learn Library project. Twice a year the club encourages members and friends to bring in books or other items they are willing to loan for educational purposes. It is the responsibility of each person who brings something to work out the process with the borrower. In the past EAWA members have brought in things to give away as well, such as radio magazines and study books for license upgrades. Exchanges will occur before and after the regular meeting as well as during the intermission between the business meeting and the program. Feel free to speak up if there is a resource you would like to borrow. Two good ways to get the word out are posting in the Facebook group or sharing at Clandestine Coffee.
**Planning will begin soon for the Emergency Communications activities for the MDI Marathon, October 19. Unlike other club activities, participating in this event requires involvement in the planning and training meetings. There are opportunities to shadow operators during the event. Contact Barbara KC1SSY or send a note through the Contact Us on this website for more information.
**Plans are underway for a Club POTA gathering on a Saturday in October. Details will be announced at the September club meeting. Our goal is to have anyone who desires to bring their equipment out to set up and operate, while also offering a chance for those new to operating, operating portable, working POTA, or new to particular radios or antennas a chance to learn more. If you haven’t operated yet, even if you don’t have a license, you’ll have a chance to make a few contacts if you want to. We are likely to have Morse code and Digital stations going as well and voice (phone).
Following the business meeting and a short break, Phil N1EP gave a short program titled, “Radiograms & ICS-213’s: When & How To Use Them.” He gave some history and descriptions of Radiograms and the National Traffic System. He shared some of the built-in processes designed to lessen chances of errors and information is passed through NTS nets. Several message forms were presented and explained in terms of how to fill in the information and when to choose specific forms. The pros and cons of voice and digital message handling were also mentioned. Most importantly, Phil wanted to spread the word that Jim KY2D will offer an excellent training session on Sunday, September 14 at 5PM on the Maine emergency Communications Net, 3.940 MHz. Jim will be offering this training session on the second Sunday of September, October, November and December.
Written by Marion, W1GRL
W1TU 