Wide Area Amateur Radio Network An Open Network, An Open Club

We didn't get it done in time for Christmas, but the equipment transition necessary to bring the KQ1L link to 146.805 took place today.

So access to the KQ1L linked system is now available on 146.805 with a tone of 156.7 and also at 441.500 with a tone also of 156.7. The 441 repeater will remain linked into KQ1L for a while, then eventually return to it's previous status as a standalone repeater and part time link to the 145.210 system.

We also discovered a problem with an antenna system at the Mt Hope radio site in Sanford. This problem leads to occasional high VSWR on the transmit antenna and appears to be a problem near the connection at the antenna end.

Work will be done to resolve this problem next week.

The next WAARN club meeting is Sunday, January 18, 2009, 1700 hours (5:00PM) at the Sanford Town Hall Annex, 3rd floor Council Chambers

This meeting will feature the RESCHEDULED annual Holiday Dinner after snowy winter weather forced the cancellation of December's meeting for a second straight year.

We are asking for $5.00 for each person to help cover the cost of food, or bring something to add to the meal. If you would like to bring something, please coordinate with Jenny, W0RMI by messaging her using the Contact Us link on the left side of the web site and selecting "Meeting Agenda Items" from the list. If you paid for December, your money is still good! If you can't make it in January, contact Jenny at feedme@wa1arn.net and she will refund your money.

The Sanford Town Hall is on Main Street (State Route 109) near the Washington Street intersection, use the parking lot behind the annex accessed from Roberts Street. Roberts Street is right beside Dunkin' Donuts in the center of town.

Click to get a GOOGLE MAP to this location

Get your items for the agenda to Secretary Jen, W0RMI as soon as possible! She can be reached by clicking the Contact Us link to the left and selecting Meeting Agenda Items from the pull-down list.

Hope to see you there!

It is that time of the year again. Some of you have sent your dues
already. For those who have not, please do. You can send them by the
following means:

- In person, at a meeting.
- By mailing a check to our address, PO Box 165, Acton, Maine 04001-0165
- Online By Paypal. This is a new method.

To send dues via Paypal, go to http://www.wa1arn.net/dues1.html and add the
appropriate number of full or family memberships, then "check out", using
normal online store techniques. ONLY FULL MEMBERSHIPS get assessed a
$1.00 fee. Additional family memberships do not. You can pay using your
PayPal account or if you don't have one, add the appropriate memberships,
click "Proceed to Checkout" and look for the link on the next page
that says "Don't Have a PayPal Account?". PayPal will accept either a
credit card or a I think also most bank accounts for payment.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP if you have any problems with the PayPal system,
because it's new and probably will have some problems.

Although there is a fee for use of the PayPal system, it's probably
similar to what it would cost for a check and postage if you were to send
a check by mail. So to get the most "bang for the buck", come see us at a
meeting and give us your dues in cash (or a check for minimal additional expense) !

It is important that we get your dues, as we are expecting an increase in
the club expenses this year related to ongoing expenses for repeater sites
.. specifically the southern site. See the October minutes to read
details.

Remember, according to the by-laws of the club, full members are granted
voting rights and are eligible to hold and officer positions. Family
memberships do not have voting rights and may not hold officer positions.
There must be at least one full membership in a family.

Also remember that there are provisions in the by-laws for people that may
not be able to afford a membership. If this is the case with you or
someone you know, contact a club officer to learn about sponsorship of
membership.

The 145.210 repeater located in Chester, NH is offline pending it's move to a new location. NO contact has been established with the tower site owner in Chester, despite multiple attempts to contact them ... so we had to assume that they were not interested in our business.

The new site probably will be in Fremont, NH. Once we get antennas up at the location we should be able to get back on the air, although we do have an outstanding question about the backhaul to the central controller for the system.

This site will cost money to be on, so we will need the club to begin to support the repeater network financially if the system is going to continue at it's current build-out level, so please ensure your dues are paid or join the club so we can keep this system operational.