President's Message

 

14 August, 2008

The OARS radio club has been busy for the past couple of months providing radio communications for a variety of local agencies such as the CAL FIRE, Butte County Sheriff, Salvation Army, Butte County OES, and the North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG).  The NVADG evacuated dogs, cats, horses, sheep and goats, alpaca, and assisted the pet and animal owners in evacuating their homes and getting situated in the shelters that were provided.  The disaster made us recognize the need for additional training and call-out procedures. 

 BERRY CREEK BERRY FESTIVAL

 The most recent function was a fun filled Saturday at the Berry Creek Grange hall.  There must have been 50 or more booths in the Berry Creek Berry Festival. The food was excellent, the pastries (with berries in them) were even better, the berry cobbler ala-mode was the best.  The weather was great… in the high eighties with a gentle breeze.  The live music was nonstop and very good.  The festival was well organized and plenty of parking was nearby.  There was something for everybody at the Berry Creek Berry Festival.  What was a ham radio club doing at a berry festival?  We are looking for individuals who are already hams but don’t belong to a club, and we’re looking for new applicants that need to study and get their Technician class license.  We were very pleased with the number of hams who stopped by to say hello, another group of very interested persons who want to get into the radio hobby.  There were many who stopped by to say their Dad or Grandfather or Uncle who were hams for years and they all had a good story to tell about the fun they had listening to the radios.  OARS will participate in other fairs and festivals as they come to Oroville.  We now have a nice green canopy, a great table

 

 

 

 

and some banner signs.  When all the antenna are mounted, the green tent bristled with cables and sounds.  We had VHF, UHF, 6 Meters, 10 Meters and 40 Meters in action and were able to demonstrate digital communications, slow scan TV, VHF and UHF communication.  We had a lot of fun and met many very interesting people from Berry Creek.

TECHNICIAN LICENSE TRAINING

The next major function is the Technician class license study program.  At 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 9 September 2008 Bill Cross will provide an overview of the study plan as the manuals are distributed.  Remember to bring $25 to cover the cost of the Technician study book.  Cash or checks are good.  No Credit Cards.  The group will go home and study the manual as directed.  On 4 October the group will meet in the Oroville Adult Education Bldg at 8:00 AM and will be guided through the book in a “ham-cram” session.  The training session will prepare you for the questions that are on the examination.  The day will end at 5:00 PM.  The following day, Sunday 5 October 2008 the students will again meet at the Oroville Adult Education Center for another session of “ham-cram”.  At Noon, the group will finish their study and break for lunch and travel to Chico.  A couple of vans will provide space for all the students going to Chico to take the Technician license examination.  The 35 question test is multiple choice and easy if you looked through the book and stayed awake during the classroom instruction.  The three VECs required to administer the tests will meet us for the examination session.  Pass or fail, you will get the results as soon as your examination is graded by the three VECs.  Within a couple of weeks the FCC will issue your license and you can then begin to operate on the air.  Welcome to the world of amateur radio operators. 

The next meeting of the Oroville Amateur Radio Society will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, 5 September 2008 at the Oroville Adult Education Center.  Look for the signs to the meeting room. 

 

See you there,

73, Larry Thompson, W6LAT

President, OARS