Author: K5ARN

The new club Caledonia Amateur Radio Association, CARA with call sign KI5AST is an ARRL affiliated club. CARA is offering VE tests monthly.

CARA has already 5 experienced ARRL VE’s and we are offering our first technician class in September ending with a test. The teacher is an ARRL certified instructor.

Class schedule:

Wednesday September 12, time 1800 – 2000 

Thursday September 13, time 1800 – 2000 

Friday September 14, time 1800 – 2000

Saturday September 15, time 0800 – 1200  test at 1400

Study material:

Gordon West Technician Book 2018 – 2022 and we expect participants to purchase and study the book in advance.

Cost:

$15 including test fee, the book is extra. The whole fee is sent to ARRL to support the future of amateur radio, CARA does not keep anything.

Participants:

Contact Ken AD5DO very soon for questions and instructions at

ad5do@bellsouth.net or (662) 356-4462

If an aspiring ham or an upgrading ham choses CARA ARRL/VEC testing for a small charge of $15, he or she supports ARRL with some income to improve the future of amateur radio and represent American hams in contacts with FCC, legislators and international organizations.

Gordon West study book is available at Amazon link below.

Gordon West book at Amazon

A General Exam Class is scheduled for January 2019.

Attention WCBI Over the air Antenna Viewers only:

The FCC has mandated that WCBI move to a new channel to make more airwaves available for wireless internet services.  WCBI will start this transition on Sept 14th and this will cause some interruption in the signal.  We should be completed by Sept 28^th.  We will continue to keep you updated on this page on wcbi.com and on the air as we narrow down the date of the transition.   After we have completed the work and switched to our new frequency you will need to rescan your box to able to receive WCBI, My MS and CW4.  You will not need to purchase new equipment or services. After you rescan your set, you’ll find WCBI, My MS and CW4 on the same channel numbers.  If you subscribe to cable or satellite TV (Dish Network or DIRECTV) you do not need to rescan. Your service provider will do it for you.  Again, this only affects viewers who receive WCBI with an antenna over the air.  IF YOU ARE A CABLE, DISH NETWORK OR DIRECTV CUSTOMER YOU WILL NOT BE AFFECTED AND DO NOT NEED TO TAKE ANY ACTION.

For more information call 662-327-444 or email us at fccrepack@wcbi.com

2017 ended with 159,070 members — 735 members ahead of the year-end goal. This represents a loss of 3.05% or 5,000 members for the year. ARRL Membership Manager Diane Petrilli, KB1RNF, says that the loss of members is occurring in the exact fashion that was forecasted due to the 2016 dues increase, and notes, “We continue to realize additional income from the dues increase. As with all previous increases in dues in ARRL’s history, membership is forecast to continue to decline in 2018 (2.0% loss is forecast). The decline should begin to flatten out in 2019/20.” As was the case in 2016, membership in 2017 came in slightly above forecast. Diane Petrilli says that test mailings to new hams in mid-June, and fully converted for all new ham mailings mid-October, are likely responsible for the variance at year end. Multiple tests for the new ham mailings are scheduled for 2018. Data for 2017 indicates that 6% of all new hams have already joined ARRL by the time their license is issued or are otherwise unsolicitable. Annual dues pay for the education, advocacy, and outreach ARRL provides to all members and to Amateur Radio as a whole, including things like sending ARRL representatives to Washington, DC, to educate lawmakers about the Amateur Radio Parity Act; partnership with disaster relief organizations; Logbook of The World — a digital logging program that makes confirming Amateur Radio contacts easier and more efficient than ever; the Education & Technology Program, and more.