Hams & Eggs at Virlie’s

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An octet of hungry hams conclaved at Virlie’s in Pittsboro for the last breakfast gathering of the year this past Saturday morning.

John, KX4P, brought in a broken main frequency dial digital encoder for the group’s examination. It was from a Collins KWM-380 from the 1979-83 era that he recently repaired.

Dave, W4INN, determined to get on the air one way or another, is toying with the idea of just running anantenna wire out the window. Dave likes bees because he likes honey. His daughter-in-law gave him a whole jug of the stuff for Christmas.

Terry, KK4JGT, agrees. He has four hives now and a gardener neighbor who gives him produce in appreciation for his quadrupled yields since Terry became a beekeeper. With perhaps the best eyes in the group, he made several good observations regarding the shapes and orientation of the slots in the rotating disk assembly of John’s encoder.

Nick, KA1HPM, described working back-in-the-day with, and the workings of, the coordinateograph, a beautiful machine which is basically a highly precise Etch-a-Sketch. He is still puzzling out his mysterious loss of power on FT8.

Roy, WA2JLW, commented on the Bouvet Island DXpedition as well as CW and digital operations. He is now getting out of his back yard on 160 with his improved antenna which sports a pair of 30 foot radials.

John, KK4VUR, reports that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will attempt to put a car into heliocentric orbit on its next test launch. Maybe a Tesla? John confessed that he has been listening to HF on his SDR. (Ah, the HF siren beckons.)

Bill, N8BR, suggested that John try a vertical antenna for his HF SWLing. Bill is bracing for Bouvet.

Herb, N4HA, kept busy trying to remember what was being said so he could compose this. Thanks to KX4P for mnemonic assistance and the photo.

We hope you will join us in the new year for some stimulating conversation, friendship, and breakfast. We still meet around 8:30 AM.

Happy New Year to all.

and thanks to Herb, N4HA and John, KX4P for the always interesting reports and photo.


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
OCRA members and Club contribute to Bouvet DXpedition

			
						

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With the interest expressed by OCRA members to provide some level of contribution toward the upcoming Bouvet Island DXpedition, OCRA facilitated member donations and provided a matching contribution up to a $200 maximum.


Member donations came  to a total of $210 plus the club $200 matching donation for a total of $410 donated to Bouvet Island DXpedition. The individual donors are (from the largest to the smallest were:


    

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    • N8BR
      • 

    • NC4CX
      • 

    • KJ4UZU
      • 

    • W4BOH
      • 

    • KR4UB
      • 

    • KA1HPM
      • 

    • W4KIL
      • 

    • KA5JUJ
      • 

    

    • 



From Bob K4UEE Bouvet DXpedition:

We depart for Bouvet in under two weeks now, and the excitement level among the 20 team members is very high. Thank you for your financial help in making this historic DXpedition happen.

73, Bob-K4UEE


and…. OCRA’s logo is now on the Bouvet DXpedition website as a supporter


Further details regarding contributions, news and updates on the expedition can be found at https://www.bouvetdx.org/

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
OCRA member Tucker, W4FS and Sam, KI4TRG of Raleigh receive QCWA Scholarships

			
						

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In the December 2017 issue of the QCWA Journal, it was announced that Tucker McGuire, W4FS of Efland, and Sam Brewer, KI4TRG of Raleigh, received QCWA 2017 Scholarships.  Tucker W4FS is a junior at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro pursuing a career in information technology with a focus on data analytics.  Sam KI4TRG is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina – Asheville pursuing a degree in Mechatronics, a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
January Meeting Location Change

			
						

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Hello All, The renovations to the EOC have impacted the room in which we have held our monthly meetings. The room has been reduced to 18 seats, with cubicles on each side. Some of those cubicles are open, so in theory up to 30 may be able to participate.


After discussion with the board, we decided that this does not allow enough space for our monthly meetings, as sometimes we have more than 30 participants. The January meeting will be at the Orange County Baha’i Center in Efland, which has been used for a couple of exam sessions and for one membership meeting. Click the “Directions” link on the right for a Map.


The Fellowship Hall of the Baha’i Center can comfortably accommodate more than 60 people. There is a 55″ flat screen TV available for presentations. A kitchen is available so we can even lay on coffee and tea if so desired. I contacted the Baha’i Assembly, and since they know that the club’s mission is public service, they will allow usage of the center at no charge.


I proposed that we hold our next membership meeting at the Baha’i Center on January 8. Besides the elections, the membership can vote on whether they wish to continue holding the meetings at that location through November.


The Orange County Baha’i Center is located at 119 Maple Street, Efland ,NC 27243.


From Interstate 40/85, take Exit 160, turn north onto Mt. Willing Road. Go 0.3 miles, to the railroad crossing, and turn right onto Forrest Ave after go cross the tracks. Take the third left which is Maple St. Go past the church building and park in the gravel lot on the left. Enter through the church, go down the hallway to the left to the Fellowship Hall.


From Highway 70- Maple St is just west of the Efland Ruritan Club. Turn right onto Maple St, enter the gravel lot on the right.


One last- We are maintaining a toehold at the EOC, the exam sessions held on the 2nd Saturdays of the even-numbered months will continue to be held there.


73,


Dave Snyder, W4SAR