The activated county map is now up at the NC QSO Party page- http://www.w4nc.org/ncqsoparty.html

Please forward this info to any hams you know who might be interested, especially in state- ARES officials especially- who can let their counties know. Our goal is 100% county activation!

73, Henry, N4VHK

The Raleigh Ragchew net held a Holiday QSO Get Together hosted by w4cad (Jim) and N4bev (Bev).



BACK ROW: Jim (w4cad), David (kf4vxj), John (kb4dgj), Ray (k4tex), Jeff (kg4pql), Bruce (kc4uqn)
FRONT ROW: Bev (n4bev), Shirley (k4tey), Virginia (kg4pfa), Robert (kg4bdx)

Raleigh Ragchew net...145.19 GRA Repeater every Wednesday night at 9:30pm.

Danny Hampton K4ITL has put up a new, wide-coverage 220 repeater on 224.16 MHz (no tone, and the usual 1.6 MHz offset). The repeater is on one of the big TV towers southeast of Raleigh, "way up in the air" according to Danny. Initial coverage looks very good, with a bit of a null to the east toward Wilson.

Danny has included a UHF link to the PCRN network, but ran into some glitches after the repeater was installed, so the link isn't available yet.

Time to dust off the 220 gear and give it a try!
And I've added 220 to the Triangle Repeater Chart on the RARS web site at: http://www.rars.org/repeater/trirpt.htm. You might be surprised at how many 220 repeaters there are in the area.

73,
Gary KN4AQ

The packet node RNCLAN has been removed from service, with no plans for replacement. The node, operating on 147.54 MHz under Will Harper's callsign K4IWW-3, had been on the air from the North Hills area for over a decade, providing a link from stations in north Raleigh to the local packet BBS. Recently the management of the building housing the equipment decided to use the closet and roof space for other things. If anyone used the RNCLAN regularly, please contact Will at k4iww@attglobal.net.

An MP3 file is up on the http://www.kd4raa.net web page. It's about a 2 MB download, easy for DSL/Cable and not too bad for dial-up. The audio runs about 16 minutes, and includes the whole contact, plus many hams from around the world checking in on IRLP (KD4RAA and K4JDR took the local broadcast and put it out on IRLP, where it was picked up by 37 repeaters worldwide).

The 2001 Field Day results are now on the ARRL Members Only web page. Here's how we did:

W4DW placed 2nd in 8A!

Our 10,828 points put is right in the rocking chair. First place was taken by N6ME, the Western ARA, with (better sit down...) 17,326 points, blowing our previous 8A wins off the map. They placed 6th overall in the "top 10" box. And third place went to the Mississauga (Ontario) ARC, VE3MIS, with 5,692 points.

If we hope to capture 8A again, we'll need to brush up, or hope CA really does crack off into the ocean!

Meanwhile, downtown, W4RNC shows up at #124 in the very competitive 2A class. That's out of about 448 total entries (I counted quickly - might have missed a couple). Not bad at all!

The Cary ARC, N4NC, placed #32 in 2A, a very respectable showing, so congratulations to them!

The Orange County Radio Amateurs (OCRA), W4EZ, WON the 6A Battery class (again!). Congrats to you guys, too!

The Cape Fear ARS (Fayetteville), N4NG, came in 12th in 2A - the highest NC showing in that class.

The Knightlights, WQ4RP, took 14th in a very busy 3A Battery class.

A group called the Frogmore Stew and Brew Crew, with the familiar call WW4M (that's Jim Price, who made the IRLP presentation at the October RARS meeting), almost had the distinct honor of bottoming out the 2A class. Only three other groups managed to slink below their 506 points. And there's a story there that's I've only heard part of. Ask Jim or Danny KD4RAA.

Our neighbors in Franklin County, using KQ4MS, placed in the middle of 4A.

DFMA brought up the rear of 6A Battery with a 6th place finish.

Time to relive those Field Day moments - check the pictures in the RARS Gallery - http://www.rars.org/gallery.

73,
Gary KN4AQ

Georgia Orienteering Club (GAOC) has been selected to host the Second USA ARDF/Radio-Orienteering Championships, to take place April 19-21, 2002 at F. D. Roosevelt State Park near Pine Mountain, Georgia. The competition will get under way on Friday afternoon with a practice event, followed on Saturday by the main two-meter hunt and on Sunday by the 80-meter hunt.

In addition to the hunts, there will be a cookout on Friday evening, a spaghetti dinner on Saturday night, and an award ceremony following the 80-meter hunt, all included in the registration fee.

The USA ARDF/Radio-Orienteering Championships are open to anyone, from beginner to expert. Competitors will be placed in age/gender categories, with awards for first/second/third place in each category. Foreign visitors are welcome. Awards will be presented in two divisions, Overall and USA-Only.

Pine Mountain is approximately 90 minutes southwest of Atlanta. Lodging options include cabins in the park and campgrounds with RV hookups. There are also many local motels and bed-and-breakfast inns.

Laurie Searle KG4FDM of GAOC is the Meet Director. Sam Smith N4MAP will set the ARDF courses. Robin Shannonhouse is Registrar.

For more details, go to the Georgia Orienteering Web site and click on "Special Events - Radio-O Champs." There you will find the event flyer, rules, and registration forms. Registrations are now being accepted.

Slovakia will host the next ARDF World Championships in fall 2002. Positions on Team USA for these championships will be determined by individual performances in the Pine Mountain events, as well as in last summer's USA Championships in Albuquerque.

Joe Moell K0OV
USA ARDF Coordinator
www.homingin.com

The RARS Forum has been updated and is now the RARS Yahoo! Group.

To join the group and begin posting messages and chatting immediately, visit the RARS Yahoo! Group page.

Using the RARS Yahoo! Group you can not only post and read messages online but you can also choose to receive them via email either individually or as a digest. Searching the archive is also available as are many other message-related tools to make communication between members even easier than ever!

You can also chat live with other RARS members in the Java-enabled RARS Chat area. Chat during nets or whenever you like.

We hope you enjoy the new RARS Yahoo! Group!

There is now one consolidated RARS calendar that contains all club events, public service events and other types of events of club interest. Please visit the dynamically updated RARS Calendar and be sure to volunteer for an upcoming public service event.

Also, I've implemented a web search form on the site. If you go to the main page and scroll to the "Searches" section you will see a fourth search added. Type text into the RARS.org box and press your Enter key. You will see a listing of all pages on the RARS web site that contain the text you typed. The search is pretty nice, please play with it and let me know what you think. You can also click here to play with the search if you're too lazy to go back to the main page.

Note also that the search has a Site Map feature. Lastly, you can see What's New on the site as well. The site is re-indexed every Monday at about 3am ET so all the weekend updates should be available when you get to work in the morning!

Hope you enjoy this great new feature!

The Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill has an ARISS Space Station contact scheduled for early November. NASA hasn't given them the exact date, but it should be the week of November 12.

Barbara Pedersen KE4JZM is a teacher at Phillips. She uses Amateur Radio in class, and teaches ham classes to students as well. Her classroom is equipped with a working satellite station, including 144 MHz and 440 MHz beams that can be rotated in elevation and azimuth, which will be used for the ARISS contact. Several hams from OCRA (Orange County Radio Amateurs) are assisting in setting up the contact.

The contact will be "broadcast", probably on the OCRA 442.15 repeater, as it happens.

Stay tuned for updates.

Barbara Pedersen KE4JZM's science class at Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill will "reach new heights" next Tuesday, with a scheduled contact with the International Space Station. The contact, part of ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS), was just confirmed today (Wednesday, Oct. 31). Members of OCRA (Orange County Radio Amateurs) are helping make the contact possible.

The contact is scheduled on a Space Station pass that begins at 12:46 PM EST on Tuesday, November 6th. This pass lasts just over 10 minutes, and reaches an elevation of 72° over Chapel Hill at 12:51 PM, travelling from northwest to southeast. If a problem prevents a successful contact on Tuesday, a backup is scheduled for Friday, November 9th at 11:31 AM.

Students from throughout the school submitted questions to ask, and a panel of teachers selected the "winning" questions. The prize for the students who wrote the questions is getting to step up to the microphone and ask the question live during the ISS pass. KE4JZM's classroom features a permanent amateur radio station for HF, VHF/UHF and satellite operation. The satellite station will be use to make the contact.

The contact will be broadcast live over the OCRA 442.15 repeater, and the school's cable TV system.

This is only the second school contact with space for the Triangle Area. In 1992, RARS helped Wake County students complete a contact with the Space Shuttle Endeavour in what was then termed SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment. The program transferred to the Space Station after a permanent Amateur Radio station was installed earlier this year. For several years, the ham station aboard the MIR space station was also used to make school contacts, supplementing the SAREX program. Pedersen and OCRA applied for a shuttle or MIR contact nearly five years ago.

There are many web sites featuring ARISS operation. A good place to start is: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/, and http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/

Barbara Pedersen KE4JZM's science class at Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill will "reach new heights" this Friday, with a scheduled contact with the International Space Station. The contact, part of ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS), was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was just postponed by NASA until this Friday, November 9, at 11:28 AM.

This pass lasts just over 10 minutes, and reaches an elevation of 60° over Chapel Hill at 11:33 AM, travelling from northwest to southeast. Since this is the "back-up date", no additional back-up has been scheduled at this time.

Students from throughout the school submitted questions to ask, and a panel of teachers selected the "winning" questions. The prize for the students who wrote the questions is getting to step up to the microphone and ask the question live during the ISS pass. KE4JZM's classroom features a permanent amateur radio station for HF, VHF/UHF and satellite operation. The satellite station will be use to make the contact.

The contact will be broadcast live over the OCRA 442.15 repeater, and the school's cable TV system.

This is only the second school contact with space for the Triangle Area. In 1992, RARS helped Wake County students complete a contact with the Space Shuttle Endeavour in what was then termed SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment. The program transferred to the Space Station after a permanent Amateur Radio station was installed earlier this year. For several years, the ham station aboard the MIR space station was also used to make school contacts, supplementing the SAREX program. Pedersen and OCRA applied for a shuttle or MIR contact nearly five years ago.

There are many web sites featuring ARISS operation. A good place to start is: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/, and http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/

73,
Gary KN4AQ

What: RARS Code (CW) Classes

When: Starting on Monday, October 1st and running on Monday and Thursday nights until Thursday November, 8th. Classes are from 7pm-8pm all nights.

Where: The classes will be held at the Nortel Training Center on Rt. 54 west of the Fairgrounds.

For more information please contact:

Clyde Carl (wb2eyc) 481-0888 fourcarls@g12.com
Neal Fisher (n4haf) 848-8840 n4haf@nc.rr.com
Charlie Brown (w4vfj) 556-8551 w4vfj@aol.com

Class minimum is 6, class maximum is 11 for each trainer.

See the RARS Online Calendar for scheduled dates.

TEARA Technician Licensing Class

General: The Triangle East Amateur Radio Association is proud to sponsor a Technician licensing class for prospective amateur radio operators. This class will be held on Monday nights beginning October 1, 2001 and running through November 26, 2001 at the Knightdale Fire Station Number 2. This class will prepare the student to take the "no code" Amateur Radio Technician exam. In addition, for those who wish to obtain high frequency (HF) privileges, code instruction will be provided at no extra charge.

Costs: Fee for this class is $25.00 and includes the text, "Now You're talking", and code practice software for all who desire it. The last session will be an examination session conducted by the TEARA VE Team. A separate examination fee of $10.00 will be collected by the VE team as required by the F.C.C.

Location: The Knightdale Fire Station Number 2 is located near the intersection of Poole Road and Clifton Road in Knightdale!

Time: The first session begins at 7:00 p.m sharp and goes to 9:30. For all subsequent sessions, the code class begins at 7:00 and the theory class begins at 7:30.

Additional Information: For additional information, contact: k4bwc@arrl.net, w4fal@arrl.net, ka4puv@arrl.net or call Bill Edwards at Omega Electronics at (919) 266-7373.

The N4ZBB 444.675 + (100.0 pl) repeater signs on the air from Hwy 55 and Cornwallis in the Research Triangle Park. Designed coverage area favors the west-southwest of the RTP but includes mobile penetration as far east as RDU airport. The repeater will be linked to the KD4RAA- K4JDR repeater linking system and will have the features of the link system including the MTS Weather Alert, autopatch and IRLP internet linking access.

Primary participants in the project include: Charles Durst WA4WTX, Danny Musten KD4RAA, Ken Edwards N4ZBB, Ron Casey K4JDR, Harold Henion KF4AUF, Charles Bruckner KG4MXV, and David Thompson. More information on the 444.675 repeater can be found on the KD4RAA Repeater Group website at http://www.musten.com/kd4raa.

The KD4RAA repeater group recently activated North Carolina's first node for the Internet Repeater Linking Project on 146.775 MHz. IRLP is a growing cooperative effort linking more than 150 repeaters across North America, Australia and England. Participating repeater owners use full-time high-speed internet access, allowing local users to link to repeaters around the world. Information on IRLP can be found at http://www.irlp.net, and global maps of IRLP nodes are at http://www.ipass.net/~jimprice/irlp/. The IRLP Linux-based interface and control board is the brainchild of Dave Cameron VE7LTD in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 146.775 NC4SU repeater is operated by the KD4RAA Repeater Group for the NCSU StARS, W4ATC ( http://w4atc.ncsu.edu ) and is linked to several 440 MHz repeaters operated by the Group. It's on the air from a 350-foot tower west of the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh and requires 88.5 Hz tone. Regular coverage extends from Pittsboro and Durham to Smithfield.

Needless to say this is VERY COOL. For information on IRLP operation see http://www.musten.com/kd4raa/guide.html.

Cary-based Marshall Brain's HowStuffWorks web site has a nice article on How Ham Radio Works.

Jay Diepenbrock KM4EP, Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 104, is coordinating the Radio Merit Badge program at the Occoneechee Council Fall Camporee to be held October 12,13,14 at Fort Bragg.

Jay is mainly interested in help from some hams who can set up a demonstration station and operate it from the event. This would probably be a Field Day type station, but Jay can give you details on what facilities are available.

Anyone a little deeper into Scouting can also help teach the Radio Merit Badge material, but that wouldn't be required.

Gary (KN4AQ) sends the following:

"One other network that's been around a while in the Southeast is called SEDAN (Southeastern Emergency Digital Association Networks). SEDAN is dedicated to keyboard-to-keyboard live communication (chat-room?), operating on 145.77 at 1200bps throughout the Southeast, with a network backbone on six meters at 9600bps. There's a good chance that there's a node near you. SEDAN says their purpose is emergencies, but they're tested by regular ham use... so connect and use it up!"

Gary continues, "On one recent attempt where I *thought* I was doing things right, I got from home near Raleigh, NC, to a node outside Atlanta, GA, before things got so agonizingly slow that I called it quits (responses took more than 4 minutes to come back from the Georgia node). I was going through three or four nodes at the time, but without a good map it was hard to tell just where I was. I stopped to CQ on each one, with no replies anywhere on that Saturday afternoon. I suspect I was making more than one mistake, but I didn't know what to expect."

Visit http://www.sedan-central.org/ for complete information.

Call-in: Both 146.52 simplex (amateur) and C.B. Channel 10 will be monitored if anyone needs help finding the gate.

Location: Jordan Lake Crosswinds Pointe Park (same as last year).

Directions: From Raleigh, take highway U.S. 1 south to highway 64 west. Follow highway 64 west to Wilsonville. (stoplight, Exxon on left, Amoco on right). Go through the stoplight past the Amoco market to the next place where you can make a right turn. This will be Crosswinds Pointe Park. There will be a white "USCG-AUX" signs posted close to the road that have arrows on them pointing to the park entrance. The park entrance has a closed gate. The gate will not be locked. Open the gate to enter and close the gate behind you when entering or leaving the park.

Time: Arrive anytime after 3:00 pm. We can stay until 10:00 pm???

Facilities: There will be 2 picnic tables, electricity, some enclosed shelter, BBQ grill, drinking water and basic bathroom facilities (portable john)

Bring (all optional, if needed): Radios, Accessories, headphones, extension cord / power strip, folding chair, folding table, frequency lists, any personal care items (bug spray, sun screen,...), flashlights, food and drinks. NO ALCOHOL DRINKS PERMITTED IN THE PARK.

Antenna: For the desktop type of receivers, we plan to have set up a random wire that will be feeding an amplifier / splitter to feed several receivers at the same time. This worked out very well last year. (Thank you Charles.)

Rain: Event cancelled if raining. No rain date.

Questions: Send e-mail to Bob Zeher; ke4jvy@nc.rr.com

The Maysville, NC ARS is having their hamfest on October 14, 2001. For more information please contact Jean Dupree (KB4OHX) at jeanhd@icomnet.com.

Gary (KN4AQ) has provided some great photos and copy of the State Capitol 2001 Field Day location. Be sure to check them out here. Thanks Gary!

Jeff AC4ZO has calculated the score for the RARS Capitol Field Day operation. Operating in the competitive 2A class (and not trying to be competitive), Jeff predicts a top 25% finish anyway! Details are available here.

The following is from a posting to the tarheelscanner mailing list:

The CC-AWA presents the "Summer Swap/Antique Radio Collector Meet" at the NC State Fairgrounds L.R. Harrill Youth Center in Raleigh, NC. The event will be held Saturday, July 28th, 2001 from 8am until 12 noon. Admission and setup are FREE. Meet chairman: Mr. Ed Bell.

Directions to L.R.Harrill Youth Center Take Exit 3 (from either direction) off of the Raleigh Beltway (440) onto Hillsborough St. Go West (right) on Hillsborough St. Go past N. C. State Fairgrounds. Turn right on Youth Center Rd. Enter L. R. Harrill Center at Gate 6. You're there!!!

For complete information about the Carolinas Chapter of the Antique Wireless Association visit their web site.

Macintosh Users will want to check out Stimpsoft's new Solscape "Solar Data Browser" application. Check out the screenshots on the web site.

From the Solscape web site: Solscape is a "Solar Data Browser" application that grabs real time, up to the minute images of the Sun in multiple light wavelengths. Solscape also monitors current solar flare, geomagnetic, and Aurora activity, providing current Aurora Borealis information and warnings for your location, along with real time Aurora images when available. Solscape gets all of its information via the Internet and compiles it in a single, easy to use application. You can save and archive the data that Solscape collects for later use, and you can tell Solscape to automatically grab the data when you want.

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) sent a letter today thanking Amateur Radio Operators for their volunteer work at the 20th annual Run and Walk for Research in RTP, NC.

"The event was a huge success. With over 475 participants, and your generosity, we raised over $26,000 for CCFA research and education."

"We are grateful for both your time and energy, which has helped us make a difference [to more than one million Americans, including 100,000 children who suffer from these devastating diseases.]"

Thanks to all the Amateur Radio operators who helped out with the event this year!

Mike WA4BPJ has posted the score for the RARS Apex Field Day operation. We don't see them on the web site yet, so we'll put the details here:

We were 8A. 42 people participated in one of the best operations ever! 5 of those were unlicensed. This year saw 3 new band captains and one of those was out for his first field day! 165 digital contacts on PSK31 and RTTY!

	BAND	QSOs	POINTS		BONUS POINTS
	80CW	65	260		Emergency Power	800
	80PH	197	394		Site Visit	100
	40CW	812	3248		Press Release	100
	40PH	1098	2196		Unusual Modes Demo	200
	20CW	73	292		Copy ARRL Bulletin	100
	20DIG	165	660
	20PH	810	1620
	15CW	22	88
	15PH	168	336
	10PH	126	252
	6PH	87	174
	2PH	4	8		Total Points = 10,828

Some 8A History...

YEAR	1st	2nd	3rd	Entries
2000	12510 (RARS)	11730	7510	14
1999	11170	9772	9650	15
1998	13802 (RARS)	10658	6934	14
1997	12096 (RARS)	11372	7370	7

So based on the past 4 years, we're a probable 3d, 50- 50 for 2nd and not a likely 1st in perhaps 15 entries.

73,
Mike, WA4BPJ

Joe Zobkiw WA2UZO is the guy responsible for the new look on the RARS web site (we won't call him webmaster - he doesn't like the term!). So far, that look is just on the home page, but over time, expect many pages to be spruced up. And a lot of the work Joe has ahead of him won't be seen by site visitors - there's a lot of "background noise" to clean up on the web server, debris left by many hands contributing to the site over the years.

RARS thanks Ashby Spratly III KB5ZIH, who took on the webmaster job at the beginning of the year. Ashby never had time to dig in the way he wanted, and recently he has announced his engagement (!), a little item in life that will keep him very busy for the next few months. Ashby graciously backed out instead of letting things drag on.

And speaking of behind the scenes, thanks to Errol Casey KD4IHW. Errol does a lot of the technical work at our host, RTPnet, and has kept the RARS site up to date as we've moved through various web wizards. He also keeps the NCARRL web pages together.

The RARS web site has a lot of content. If you haven't browsed it lately, spend some quality time looking around.

A special Tarheel Net met Saturday morning, June 30, to find out how many counties could communicate and send messages to the State EOC in Raleigh. Lots of new operators got training across the state. For info, see the Wake ARES web page.

The Cary Amateur Radio Club Midsummer Swapfest is coming Saturday, July 21st. The Swapfest is located in the Cary Community Center, at the corner of Academy and Chapel Hill Road. The doors open at 8. Advance tix are $4, and $5 at the door. Indoor tables are $10. Talk-in on 145.39 (82.5 tone). For tables or more info, contact Will Harper K4IWW . The Swapfest is mostly indoors, but also has a free outdoor section in the parking lot that guarantees heat, rain, or both.

To get there from north Raleigh, take I-40 to the Harrison Ave. exit, and go south about two miles to Chapel Hill Rd. Turn left and go one block to Academy, then turn right, drive a hundred feet or so and turn left into the Community Center driveway.

From farther south, take I-40 to NC 54 (or just head west past the Fairgrounds on 54), and go west to Academy St. Then turn left on Academy, and left again into the driveway. (Note to oldtimers: NC 54 has been re-routed as it passes through Cary, and the section of Chapel Hill Road by the Community Center is no longer NC 54).

Well known DX'er Pedro Allina, HK3JJH, from Bogata, Columbia will the featured guest at a reception at the Holiday Inn, Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount. The reception will be held on Saturday, July 7, 2001 from 1 pm to 5 pm. This event is sponsored by Carl Smith, N4AA, publisher of The DX Magazine and the QRZ DX Newsletter. Carl is also the QSL manager for Pedro's recent HK0/M Malpelo Island DX operation.

The reception will be very informal, drop in any time for as long as you like. Soft drinks, coffee, and snacks will be available throughout the afternoon. Details here.

Members of the Castalia Island DX Assn. and the Tar River ARC of Rocky Mount NC will participate in the International Lighthouse Weekend August 18 & 19th with an operation near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse (USA 212) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The callsign for the operation will be K4UP. QSLs go to K4UP. More information can be found at:

http://www.qsl.net/cidxa/currituck.html

A list of scheduled amateur radio operations at lighthouses all over the world during this weekend can be found at:

http://vk2ce.com/illw/2001.htm

We look forward to many contacts from North Carolina hams!

Bert WA4TLI

RARS dual Field Day effort - 8A at the Carrol's farm in Apex and 2A downtown on the lawn at the State Capitol - was a great success. New band captains volunteered in Apex to provide both cw and phone on 80, 40 and 20, plus one station each on 15 and 10, plus VHF. The only stations missing were Novice/Tech and data (RTTY, PSK, Pactor, etc). Most available bonus points were collected.

Meanwhile, downtown, the brand new 2A operation made a big impression on the public from the southwest lawn of the State Capitol. Operation was a bit more laid-back as each station roved across whatever bands were open. Many RARS members, and a soaking overnight rain, visited both locations.

Next, the scores will be totaled and entries submitted, and we'll process the mass of photos taken. You'll find results of both efforts here on the web site in the coming days.

If you have a story to share in the Exciter, send it to Karl K4LNX.

Vince Heffron KF4ZMV (heffer-at-mindspring dot com) is looking for help with a substntial APRS effort at the MS-150 bike tour this September 8-9. The biggest need is for many "trackers" - packages combining a GPS, TNC and transmitter - to be placed on key vehicles to track their location. If you have APRS equipment, or are interested in learning about it quickly, drop Vince a line.

And speaking of public service events, the Public Service Calendar is filling up. The MS-150 is set for September 8-9, with a new course centered on New Bern. On just the 9th is the Familias Del Pueblo 10K Run in Chapel Hill. September 20 brings the Light the Night walk in downtown Raleigh, followed by the Duke Liver Center Triathalon at Jordan Lake on the 30th. The last thing currently on the schedule is the State Fair, where we provide radio operators for the Red Cross for three 5-hour shifts all 10 days, from October 12-21.

This all adds up to a lot of ham radio participation! The hams in the Triangle are up to it, but please do your volulnteer coordinators a favor - don't wait to the last minute to let them know you'll help. Volunteer early, and if something comes up and you have to drop out, they'll understand.

Lynn Pitegoff KO4QH died early Tuesday morning, June 19, at her home in Raleigh. Lynn was a long-time member of the RARS Board of Directors, as Education Director. She also served as a VE, and chief promoter of the RARS Crystals (a group for the women in RARS).

Lynn is survived by her husband Alan AB4OZ. They did not have any children.

A new SKYWARN operation has begun south of the Triangle. SANDHILLS SKYWARN has picked up the reins from Fayetteville SKYWARN, and moved to the Broadway PCRN repeater on 147.105 (with a new 82.5 Hz tone). This gives much greater coverage than was obtained from the Fayetteville 146.91 repeater. More info on the Central Carolina SKYWARN web page.

The Piedmont Coastal Traffic Net needs volunteers to act in many capacities. The PCTN is slated to meet each and every night at 9 PM on the 146.88 repeater. Our purpose is to handle incoming and outgoing traffic and to train traffic handlers and net controllers for the real world emergencies that can sometimes catch us all off guard. Our greatest need at the moment is for Net Controls. Experience is not required, we can get you up and running. We also need people to handle traffic to and from various local, area, and regional nets, if possible.

PCTN has been in limbo for about a year or so, mostly due to my fault, but we are trying to get this thing back up and running. If there is anyone who feels they can help us any night at 9PM on the 146.88 repeater, please contact me in any of these various ways:

• k2ezx@arrl.net
• ezx@bellsouth.net
• you can post at our Yahoo groups, which is "pctn"
• you can soon see our web page coming up on qsl.net (not there now...)
• you can write me, go to a callsign search and look for me
• you can call me! I AM in the phone book, but no phuny phone calls, please!

Thanks, and 73s! Eric K2EZX

Karl Ulrich K4LNX has agreed to take over editing the RARS Exciter newsletter from Gary KN4AQ. Gary is stepping up to edit the SERA Repeater Journal. Gary handed off Exciter production matierials to Karl in late May, and Karl will be producing the July issue.

The Editor position is an elected position on the RARS Board. Karl will be officially the assistant editor until the next elections in November. Then (assuming you all elect him), he'll become the editor.

Thanks, Karl, for jumping into this important club position! Anyone with information for the Exciter please contact Karl (address changes to to the club Treasurer).

Greg Seamster KE4PAX, RARS' treasurer, has announced that RARS members can now choose to receive the Exciter in both print (mailed to you via the post office) and pdf (e-mailed - required Acrobat Reader). Up until now, you had to choose one or the other. Click for details. Note that the print issue does cost the club treasury considerably more than the nearly free pdf version. KN4AQ has proposed a revision to the RARS dues structure that will essentially create two "tiers" - higher dues to receive a print copy, and lower dues for those who take only the pdf. The proposal will be discussed at the June Board Meeting.

Club dues for most RARS members are due July 1st. The June Exciter includes a renewal form and information update sheet. Electronic Exciter subscribers will get a separate mailing from the Treasurer.

Tom N4TAB
John KG4HDT
Wake County/NCEOC EC Team

WIZARDS WANTED! Are you one of the wizards and hotshots?  Your fellow club members need you, whether they’re new hams
or just new to 2 meters. If you know a little about the area repeaters and can dump that information into an HT or two, you’re who we’re looking for. Please make it a point to come to the meeting.

Computerize - do it the easy way! There is an alternative to punching in dozens of frequency/offset/tone combinations in your radio. Most of the new ones work with programming software and cables. You still have to determine what channels you want to load, but typing them into the com-puter is a lot easier than punching them into the radio’s keypad. RARS VP Bob K1RCB has become a programming expert, and will have the hardware and software to show you how... and maybe program a few radios.
Bob has also worked a deal with RT Systems. At the meeting, you’ll be able to order their software and cable for $30. They sell
it on their web site for $39. That site is: www.cloningsoftware.com.

Officers and Board: 

• Vice President: Bob Breyer, K1RCB (formerly KG4FIO) (two year term)
• Treasurer: Greg Seamster, KE4PAX (two year term)

(note: President KF4RTX and Secretary AC4ZO begin the second year of their two year terms)
• Public Service Director, Bill Cole, KG4CXY (all one year terms)
• Education Director, Lynn Pitegoff, KO4QH
• RARS Hamfest 2001 Chair, Hank Montgomery, K4HM
• Exciter Editor, Gary Pearce, KN4AQ
• RARS Membership Chair, Denyse Walter, KG4CXR
• RARS Net Manager, Bill Cole, KG4CXY
• At-Large Director, John Jascolka, N4YRD
• At-Large Director, Alan Pitegoff, AB4OZ
• ARRL Liaison, Chuck Littlewood, K4HF 

• RARS Vol. Exam Coordinator, Charlie Brown, W4VFJ
• RARS Librarian, Jim Walter, KG4FIJ
• RARS Web Master, Ashby Spratley, III, KB5ZIH

W4DW, W4RNC Trustee, Jeff Wittich, AC4ZO 

Please reply via email or contact our office at 968-2050 to register by the 22nd of November (just before the Thanksgiving Holiday) to get a close to accurate head count for training materials.

Feel free to contact our office if you have questions about the session.
Tammy Comar

The hack targeted the domain name entry on the master DNS maintained by Network Solutions, Inc. When informed of the illegal modification of the domain name Network Solutions corrected it on their master DNS, but it takes up to 48 hours for changes to propogate to all of the DNS computers on the internet.

ARRL Information Services Department Manager Don Durand was emphatic that the ARRL Web server had not been compromised at any time.  Also, the ARRL email redirection wervice was unaffected.

A review of the exam pools shows that the Technician pool, Element 2, is taken from both the old Novice and Technician pools, along with a number of new questions.  Element 3, the General Exam Pool, is essentially the old General question pool, with a few new questions, and even a question or two from the Novice pool!  The Extra Exam Pool, Element 4, is a combination of questions from the old Advanced and Extra pools, along with about nine new questions.  Dropped from all of the pools are questions rendered obsolete because of rules changes. Other, erroneous questions in past pools have been corrected or removed.  Look for typographical errors and other corrections over the next few months as the QPC deals with these minor problems.

Bottom line:  the material hasn't changed much, just rearranged.  The Exam Pools have been created from existing pools with limited new questions, and corrections of existing problems.  If you're looking to upgrade or to get a new license, the old study guides still have the content, although it may be spread around between them.  See the ARRL website for the Question Pools, or the QRZ site for a sample online exam!

FIRST HUNT:  Saturday, April 1,  10:00 AM to 1:30 PM at Carrboro Community Park, Off of Hwy 54 in Carrboro. This will be a great warm-up hunt for the...

SECOND HUNT: Date: Sunday, April 16, 2:00 PM, at William B. Umstead State Park.
(All details for this hunt are tentative at this time!)

Two Meter SSB Net augmented with Internet Chat and Streaming Audio (Feb 20, 2000)
The Raleigh 2 meter SSB net held on Sundays at 8:30PM on 144.220 is now using some Java and internet technology to help in net participation.  Both local and distant stations are invited to check into the real-time chatroom DURING the net for sideline comments and special "listen up for station" requests. This should help considerably those stations which may be wondering what is going on during the net or couldn't get in during check in. The Raleigh SSB net may also be heard in streaming real audio. Visit http://www.qsl.net/n1gmv for more information.

The RARS Forum now online in test mode! (Feb 4, 2000)
Starting today, the RARS Forum is online. Initially in a test mode, this new feature allows visitors to the RARS website the opportunity to ask questions, express opinions, or pass on information. Visitors are invited to contribute on topics related to Amateur Radio and to RARS.  Check the Forum page for more details.

QPC to publish the New Question Pool Today or Tomorrow. (Feb. 3, 2000)
Responses to inquiries sent to ARRL and W5YI have stated that the Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Council of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) has finished the new question pools and are planning to release them any minute.  Following this, expect several hours or a day before the new pools are posted to the internet.  Both ARRL and W5YI have indicated that they expect to have the new question pools posted by late Friday.

RARS Meetings cancelled due to snow! (January 25, 2000)
The following meetings scheduled this week have been cancelled:

• RARS Hamfest Committee 1/24, postponed to Monday, Feb. 7
• RARS Dinner 1/25 cancelled.
• RARS January Board Meeting - see below -- now cancelled.  Possible reschedule date for combined Jan/Feb meeting in early Februery.  Details to follow.

RARS Gallery now open! (January 24, 2000)
With more and more people showing up at local Ham events with digital cameras, it was time to create the RARS Gallery on this website. Go back and check out photos from last year's Field Day, see who graduated from the last Technician class, or just laugh at someone judging eclairs at the State Fair!

SWL/SIG Net to resume Monday, February 7th. (January 24, 2000)
The Shortwave Listening (SWL) net will resume weekly operation Monday, Feb. 7th. This net meets Monday evenings at 9:00 p.m EST. The goal of the SWL net is to provide a discussion forum of the latest happenings for the SWL community (both HF and VHF).  Topics include Air Band stations (ATC, Terminal, etc), Public Service (Fire/Police) stations, Pirate/Clandestine stations/loggings, Military stations/loggings, and Utility/Beacon stations/loggings. Special thanks to Kelly Mills (AE4FG) for his efforts in helping to re-start this net! Email questions or comments to KG4CXY@arrl.net.

RARS January Board Meeting Rescheduled due to snow. (January 18, 2000)
The RARS Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 18 has been rescheduled one week later, for January 25 due to the snowstorm.  Location to be announced.

NEW Two Meter SSB Net Sunday Evenings 8:30 p.m EST/EDT (January 15, 2000)
N1GMV in Zebulon, NC (FM05) Announces a 2 meter ssb net for Eastern North Carolina. Due to increased ownership of radio equipment with 2 meter SSB capability there has been an expressed interest for more activity on 2 meter sideband. Nets will be informal and will be held on Sunday Evenings at 8:30 PM ET on 144.220 Mhz.Horizontal Polarization is recommended however, check-ins are expected to be primarilly from the RTP area so most should stations should be heard regardless of antenna polarization. All are invited to check-in. Mark you calendar for Sunday Evenings 8:30 PM on 144.220 Mhz right after the RARS net (on 146.64 FM. Ed.).

RARS Exciter Available via E-mail or printed -- YOU CHOOSE! (January 1, 2000)
You now have a choice: receive the printed version of the RARS Exciter by mail, as you do now, or by e-mail! Sorry, you can't have both, it's an either-or choice. For more information, click here.

RESTRUCTURING IS HERE! (December 30, 1999)
The FCC has released the Report and Order reducing the ham licenses classes to three: Technician, General and Amateur Extra, with a maximum code test of 5 wpm.Details on the ARRL Web Site.

November Meeting starts EARLY at 7:00 Elections and Auction - Upstairs. (Oct. 25, 1999)
Remember, we're UPSTAIRS again this month! Because of the auction, we're starting early.  Registration for the auction at 6:00, meeting at 7:00 and auction to follow the meeting, hopefully at 7:30.

Election:
This month's meeting will be the annual election of officers.  Nominations will be accepted from the floor, in addition to those already made by the nominating committee ( http://www.rars.org/archive/nominations99.html ). Nominations will then be closed and elections will be held.
Auction:  click here.
 

RARS Attains 501-c-3 Status! (Oct 25, 1999)
After years of debate and effort, RARS has finally been granted 501-c-3 status by the I.R.S. This means that we are now recognized as a non-profit organization by the government. Some of the benefits of this status include breaks on bulk mail rates, a new tax status, and, of course, donations to RARS are now tax deductible. (Sorry, your membership dues are NOT deductible.)  More info to follow later.

Hams support Red Cross at State Fair. (Oct 25, 1999)
An October tradition in North Carolina is the N.C. State Fair, and with that is another tradition, ham operators supporting the Red Cross by operating their radio communications center at the fair.  This year's event was another success as area hams donated their time once again.  Thanks to Gary Pearce, KN4AQ for organizing this year's effort and for all the photos! To all those that helped out,
GREAT JOB!

HAMS support MS-150 ...   100?  (Oct 25, 1999)
Another tradition is support for the annual MS-150 bike ride in support of Multiple Sclerosis in September.  Normally, this is a two-day affair, where cyclists pedal 75 miles a day , from Clayton to Emerald Isle.  However, because of the impact of Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd, and subsequent rains and flooding, the event became a one-day event, around Clayton.  Cyclists had a 75 mile course, with an option to add another 25 mile loop near the middle of the route.  And, as usual, area hams served as volunteers or as participants. Once again, area hams have shown what public service means.  Of course, there are photosof the day to see, thanks again to Gary, KN4AQ.

Technician License Class Starts with Great Turnout. (Oct. 5, 1999)
The Fall 99 edition of the RARS Ham Radio Technician got underway last night (Monday, Oct. 4) at the Nortel Training Facility with a great turnout. Eighteen students attended the introductory class, ready to start learning the basics for a Technician Class license, or to start on Morse Code.  But the student turnout wasn't the only good news!  Over a dozen current Hams and club members turned out to help get things started. Photos from this class are available at http://www.rars.org/class/classpix/index.html. Many thanks again to Nortel for the use of the classroom facilities.

Meeting Upstairs in October and November. (Oct 3, 1999)
Remember, the club meetings in October and November are upstairs in the Chirch because of Elections. Park on the Clark Avenue side of the church and enter through the back door. Take the stairs or the elevator to the top floor.

Red Cross and State Fair need radio operators! (October 3, 1999)
It's State Fair Time again!  That means that volunteers are needed to staff the communications center at the Red Cross operation at the State Fair!  It's a lot of fun and an easy effort.  This will be on Red Cross radios, not on Amateur radio frequencies, so anyone can volunteer, but licensed hams are preferred for their communications skills and experience.  To sign up, check the schedule, or email Gary Pearce, KN4AQ or call him at 380-9944.

RARS Nominating Committee Reports Nominations (October 2, 1999)
The RARS Nominating Committee reported its recommendations for Officer nominations at the last Board of Directors meeting. The reported nominations can be viewed at http://www.rars.org/archive/nominations99.html and will be officially reported at the October club meeting.  Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the October and November meetings, with elections following the close of nominations at the October meeting.

RARS Micro-Exciter mailed (October 1, 1999)
You should have received a postcard from RARS today -- the Micro-Exciter.  The regular RARS Exciter hasn't been published since the July/August issue for a number of reasons, but certain information needed to be distributed this month.  Look for the regular RARS Exciter in the very near future.

RARS Elections Approaching!(August 20, 1999)
RARS will hold elections for President, Secretary, and all Board of Directors positions in the next few months. Do you have any ideas on who would be great as one of these officers?  Check out the Electionspage.

Field Day Commemorative Pins have arrived. (September 4, 1999)
Jeff, AC4ZO reports that the order which he placed for Field Day Commemorative Pins has arrived from the ARRL.  If you were one of the lucky ones that placed an order with him for your pin, Jeff says that he will bring them to the club meeting on Tuesday.

RARS Elections Approaching!(August 20, 1999)
RARS will hold elections for President, Secretary, and all Board of Directors positions in the next few months. Do you have any ideas on who would be great as one of these officers?  Check out the Elections page.
 

KD4ACW, N0WP Nominated for Hamfest, Field Day Chairs (August 20, 1999)
The RARS Nominating Committee is recommending Bill Pond N0WP for the position of Field Day Chair, and Cyndi Pearce KD4ACW for Hamfest Chair for 2000.  Both Bill and Cyndi currently hold those positions, and have volunteered to take them again next year.  The election for these two jobs will be held at the September RARS meeting.
 

Field Day Pins On Order. (August 20,1999)
This is the first year that the ARRL has offered Field Day pins to participants.  Jeff Wittich, AC4ZO placed a group order on behalf of the club for those that were interested and paid for their pins.  However, the ARRL underestimated the demand for these pins. It seems that they sold out and the League has ordered another 3500 pins manufactured.  As soon as they are shipped, we'll pass the word along.  See the FieldDay99 page.

Field Day Graphical Summary courtesy of WA4BPJ.  (Aug 20, 1999)
Speaking of Field Day, Mike Murphy, WA4BPJ, one of our past Field Day chairs,  has taken the logs from the RARS Field Day 99 effort and has created a series of graphics showing our contact rates on the various bands during the event, and placed them on his website.  Nice job, Mike.

Web Page Updates! (Aug 20, 1999)
Updates have been made to several web pages on this site lately, including the RARS Contacts page, the Field Day99 page, the club calendar, among others. More updates will be coming soon.  Web site work had to be suspended for the last few weeks as your webmaster was away, due to a death in the family.  If you have any suggestions, please send them to webmaster@rars.org

July / August Exciter Delivered. (August 20, 1999)
The July/August issue of the RARS Exciter was mailed out around August 14th. This issue included the latest version of the RARS Roster, the first roster in over eighteen months.  You may have wondered why you had no July issue.  Well, because of Field Day, the Fourth of July holiday schedule, summer vacations, and other factors, it was decided that it made more sense to send out a larger August issue than to send out two issues within two weeks of each other.

This may be your last issue! Have you renewed your RARS membership yet?  If you haven't sent in your check with yourrenewal form then you will not be receiving any further Exciter issues, so get that renewal in now!

WRAL-TV Runs Story On Scanner Listening. (August 20, 1999)
On Friday, Aug. 7, WRAL-TV in Raleigh ran a fairly lightweight news story about scanner listening.  You can see the web of version of the story at: http://www.wral-tv.com/news/wral/1999/0807-scanners/ (Yes, that's Gary, KN4AQ in the picture.)

RARS Hotline Discontinued. (August 20, 1999)
Due to a lack of interest and use, the RARS Hotline has been discontinued.  RARS News and Events are being communicated more effectively via net announcements, the Exciter newsletter, this website and email. Therefore, the RARS Board of Directors have authorized the discontinuance of the hotline.

Field Day Results and Photos (July 7, 1999)
Field Day 99 is over, the results are compiled and it was a lot of fun!  Check out the results, photos, and place your pin order now!

RARS Members Only (July 2, 1999)
If you want access, and you're a paid member in good standing for 1999-2000, send an email to webmaster@rars.org   (It's membership renewal time, see below)

Triangle radio operators to ham it up at Field Day -- Raleigh News and Observer Article (June 30, 1999)
Read the article appearing in last Saturday's N&O covering Field Day.

Membership Renewal Time. (June 30, 1999)
July means Membership Renewal Time for RARS.  This year, our goal is to renew as many members of RARS as possible by the middle of July. This is a substantial portion of the RARS budget, so please support your club and renew soon.

You should have received your membership renewal form containing the current data in RARS membership records with your June edition of the  RARS Exciter.  Please verify the info, add any corrections and additions, and bring this form and your checkbook to the next RARS meeting or mail your form and payment to our Treasurer.

Can't find your form? Not a problem, just download the membership form PDF file and fill it in.  This form is now designed so that you can fill in the blanks and then print it out. You MUST have a membership form to renew. Payments cannot be accepted without the paperwork for record-keeping reasons.
 
 

RARS Dinner - A Moveable Feast! (June 19, 1999)
Last month saw the initiation of the RARS Dinner, a monthly get-together of all club members and their families for the simple purpose of meeting and socializing over dinner.  No programs, no business, just food and friends.  This month, the RARS Dinner takes on another aspect, it's moving!  Okay, so they're not moving very far, just across the street, this time.  The June RARS Dinner will be held at Old Country Buffet, located on Rte. 70, about 3 miles west of Crabtree Valley Mall on Tuesday, June 22, 6:30 p.m..  This is right across the street from Golden Corral in N.W. Raleigh.

So why move?  Simple, starting with this month, the dinner will be moved to various restaurants around the area to provide a little more variety in the menu and to make it easier for amateurs and their families to attend.  Yes, the first move is only across the street, but we want to get people used to the idea.  So, in case anyone goes to the wrong place by accident, they need only come across the street to the right one!

Hope to see you there.
 

Repeater FAQ and News Archive web pages added. (June 10, 1999)
Thanks to Fred Decker, KE4IXL,  we have now added a Repeater FAQ page to the website, with details on the RARS 146.64 repeater installation.

Also, we've added a News Archive web page, somewhere to find those items from What's News from last month or last year.

Exciter Extras web page added to this site! (June 5, 1999)
Check out the new feature on this site, Exciter Extras.  Well, actually, it's a new feature page.  Often, stories need to be published immediately because of their timeliness or because of an event schedule.  Other times, stories of interest simply cannot be published in the Exciter newsletter because there simply isn't enough space to print them all.  For these and other reasons, feature stories like these may be published in the Exciter Extras section of this site.  Dolly Sickles, your Exciter Editor, and Cliff Broughton, your webmaster, will review all the stories submitted to both the website and the Exciter and will bring you stories of interest to RARS and Amateur Radio in the Raleigh Area.

Exciter June Issue Delivered. (June 5, 1999)
The latest issue of the RARS Exciter was mailed out earlier this week.  If you haven't received your copy, please send an email to the Exciter Editor and let her know.  Another fine job, Dolly.  Look for your membership renewal form inside this newsletter (see next story.)
Membership Renewal Time! (June 2, 1999)
According to RARS bylaws, membership is based on a calendar year that ends on June 30th of each year, not on the date that you join.  So, it's time to renew for everyone.  This year, a renewal form will be mailed out with the June issue of the Exciter, with your membership information already filled in.  To renew, please review and correct the information on this form, including the equipment and public service survey sections and return this with your payment to David Fix, RARS Treasurer at the July RARS General Meeting, or by mail.

In the past, payments have been accepted without any accompanying paperwork, but this has caused problems with record keeping functions.  It is very important that you return a completed renewal form with your payment.  If you do not receive a renewal form, or need a replacement or extra form, you can click here to download the blank membership form in PDF format.

RARS 10 Meter Net to Change Frequency. (May 30, 1999)
Since March, each Wednesday evening at 8:30 p.m, the call went out on 28.42 Mhz for check-ins to the RARS 10 meter net, to be greeted by a number of check-ins, sometimes lasting an hour or more.  While it wasn't a problem in the spring, the longer days and later hours of propogation have created a problem.  The frequency that was chosen, 28.42, is also the worldwide calling frequency for the Ten-10 club.  Oops! Oh well, it seemed like a natural since 147.42 is the RARS simplex frequency.

Effective Wednesday, June 2nd, the RARS 10-Meter Wednesday night Ragchew net will be moved to 28.364 Mhz., the same frequency that it was on years ago.  So, if you're ham ticket says anything other than Technician on it, please join us this and every wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time ( right after the 8:00 2-meter net ) for a very enjoyable ragchew net.  It may be a directed net, but it's still very informal.

RARS 10 Meter Net seeks New Net Control Operator. (May 30, 1999)
Most of the credit for the popularity of the recentoy reactivated 10 meter net goes to its Net Control Operator, Gary, KN4AQ. Gary has been doing a superb job of running the net and sparking interest in it's participants, but alas, he is also the RARS President and has his hands full with a lot of projects, so he has asked that we find someone to take over this net.

Have you had an interest in hosting an informal ragchew net?  You have 10-meter privileges and the technical means to operate in the Novice phone portion of the band? Then maybe you can be our next 10-Meter net control operator!  If you're interested, contact our Net COntrol Manager, Cliff - KF4RDP or Gary - KN4AQ.  Either would be happy to answer any questions you may have.   Also, check in to the 10-meter net and get a feel for how it is run and how well your station can copy other stations checking in. There's no better example to follow than Gary as an NCO for this net that this author can think of.

Wake County Gets New E.C. -- Matt Sickles, W2BYV (May 29, 1999)
From a notice published by Reed Whitten, AB4W, NC ARRL Section Manager.
Matt Sickles, W2BYV, is the new Wake County EC.  Wake County boasts the greatest number of Radio Amateur's in the state, over 2,100 at last count.  Matt plans to work closely with the EC's in neighboring counties to make area public service activities more a part of ARES training. (Matt is also the RARS Public Service Coordinator. Ed.)

Thanks to Jerry Davis, KE4TTS, who has served as acting EC for Wake County for several years.  Jerry has fulfilled the duties of EC, but preferred the title "acting EC".  Jerry has maintained a close relationship with local government and planned and executed an extensive SET in 1997.  He will continue as an Assistant EC in Wake County.  Thanks also to Thomas Babb, KF4JKQ, Central Carolina SKYWARN EC, who took responsibility for the Wake County SET in 1998.

Net Control Operators Still Sought! (May 17, 1999)
With the return of the 146.64 repeater, everyone has been returning to the nightly RARS Nets.  In order to run these nets regularly though, RARS still needs more Net Control Operators.  As of this writing, there are openings for NCOs on  Tuesday and Friday nights.  If you'd like more information, please contact the Net Manager for further info.

May Exciter delivered. (May 17, 1999)
After a two month absence, the RARS Exciter has once again been published.  Issue #346, the May 99 edition sports a totally new look, a new layout and even color! Dolly Sickles, our new Editor has done a wonderful job in getting publication of the club newsletter back on it's feet and has done a professional job to boot!  Congratulations on a job well done, Dolly.

ARTICLES NEEDED! (May 17, 1999)
Printing the newsletter is only half the job! Both a newsletter and a web site need articles to print!!!   Do you have a story to tell?  Maybe some technical piece on how to build a QRP rig?  How you solved that interference problem?  How about a tale of what happened at the last event you attended?  Rememberances of events worth retelling? Or, dare I say, you have an opinion on matters current in RARS or in Amateur Radio in general?

Both the RARS Exciter and the RARS Web Site need stories to publish! Don't worry about your writing skills, just tell it in your own words.  The editorial staff at RARS can handle the task of making sure you spelled it all right and can even correct the grammer for you. We reserve all editorial rights. What that means is that while we won't deliberately change your meaning, we must decide what's fit to print, how much space to give it, and so on.  Don't expect to see 20 pages about your Field Day experience, but something between a couple hundred to a thousand words in length  is a good guestimate. Just remember to tell the story, one story at a time. I'm sure that Dolly will have some suggestions in the future too, so keep your eyes on the Exciter. If you have something larger that you think would make a good feature, we can discuss that too.

To submit material to the Exciter, email your story, letter to the editor, questions or comments to Dolly Sickles at isabeaux@mindless.com,  or see the "Exciter Publishing Information" column on page 2 of the Exciter for the most current details.

To submit material to the RARS Web Site, email it to the webmaster@rars.org.  We'll look it over and, just maybe, you'll have your fifteen minutes of fame on the web!

RARS 146.64 Repeater is Operational!
Other repeaters expected to be up soon! (May 10, 1999)
Saturday afternoon, May 8th saw the return of the RARS Flagship repeater to the air! Check back here for more details in the next few days.

RARS Exciter is at the printers! (May 10, 1999)
New Editor Dolly Sickles has completed the latest issue of the RARS Exciter and is expected to be delivering it to the post office this week.  Check your mailboxes.

Nets NETS and more NETS! (May 10, 1999)
With the reactivation of the RARS 146.64 repeater, it is time to reactivate all of the club nets.  Cliff Broughton, KF4RDP, the acting Net Manager is seeking hams to serve as Net Control Operators for several of the nightly 8:00 p.m. RARS Ragchew nets.  If you're interested, email him at kf4rdp@arrl.net or call him at 787-8909.

There's also a 10-meter net on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm EDT on 28.420 Mhz SSB and discussions have started about creating a 6-meter net.  More details to follow.

CQ Magazine May '99 Issue -- Who's that on the cover?   (May 10, 1999)

Ham Radio Talk on WPTF (May 10, 1999)
The Raleigh Amateur Radio Society was invited to talk about ham radio and the RARSfest on the Tom Kearney "Open Line" show on WPTF radio (680 kHz AM, 50,000 watts from Raleigh, NC) on Wednesday, April 7, 1999.  The show ran two hours. Story and photos.

New Webmaster and New Look for the RARS Website (May 10, 1999)
See something different?  Well, the RARS Website is undergoing changes.  Cliff Broughton, KF4RDP, has taken the reins as the RARS webmaster.  With the changes to the RARS homepage and the addition of this page, we hope you will begin to enjoy and get more out of this site.  Please be patient for a while, as we go through all of the existing pages and http://www.rars.org/update them. It takes a bit of time to go through them all and to make sure we don't lose anything along the way.