3^rd Thursday, 16 September 2010, 7:30 PM

BARC Clubhouse & Communications Center

Sugarcreek Elementary School, Room 1 Lower Level

51 South East Street, Bellbrook

Talk-in on BARC 147.045(+) Repeater & 147.405 Simplex

We had scheduled a representative of DP&L to do a presentation about the new

1.1 Megawatt Yankee Solar Facility on Yankee Road in Washington Township.

However, we were just informed that DP&L no longer offers

this presentation since the visitors Center now is open at that site.

In lieu of a program, members are invited to do a Show and Tell

about their Spring & Summer ham radio projects and related activities.

By BARC Secretary Ed Kulesa K2VEE

The meeting was called to order by Club president Chris Stauter (KD8APN), at 7:34PM. There were 18 club members and 4 guests present at this meeting – a meeting that was scheduled one week earlier than usual so as not to conflict with the Lions Club Festival.

This month’s program was presented by Fred Stone W8LLY and was a photo review of BARC’s 2010 Field Day exercise. In addition to Fred’s own photos, he also included photos contributed by several Club members and even guests.

Thank you, Fred, for putting together this pixel-summary of one of the Club’s prime yearly activities.

There were no additions or deletions to the August 2010 BARC meeting minutes. The August minutes were approved as published.

Treasurer’s Report By Dave Walton, KD8GCR

* Restricted Funds for Comm Center antenna system components.

The July Treasurer’s report was approved by vote from the Club membership present.

All the details of the Lion’s Club Parade activities were published in the August BARC newsletter. Darryl listed several parade activities still requiring someone to manage them. Please contact Darryl and volunteer your services to make the parade a success.

Clubhouse Committee By Darryl Fowler, KD8JQE

Darryl reports that there was a committee meeting held on 5 August 2010. At this meeting, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) also attended to begin discussion on matters dealing with the Club antenna/grounding system.

Considerable discussion was exchanged regarding antenna tower grounding and cable entry into the clubhouse.

At this meeting it was suggested that the club create the position of Club Librarian. Several members already have expressed interest in this volunteer position. Please notify Darryl if you would like to throw your hat into the ring.

Fred presented a detailed placement diagram for the tables, chairs, and projection screen in the main clubhouse room. The diagram was accepted as a very workable initial layout.

Finally, the date for the BARC Open House was confirmed for 28 August 2010.

Education By Fred Stone, W8LLY

Fred reported that the GCARES EMCOMM courses have been underway since 25 July and will end 22 August. There will be a certification exam held on 29 August.

Amateur radio license courses for Tech, General, and (possibly) Extra class licenses will begin 12 September 2010. A schedule will be published on the BARC webpage when the final attendee count and instructor availability has been finalized.

The Club owes Jack Cotterman (W8NRO) another tip-o-the-hat and a big THANK YOU for providing two flag poles, an Ohio Flag, and two nicely home-made flag pole stands for the main clubhouse room.

These will be valuable items with which to start each meeting and will remain a tribute to Jack’s generosity.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:32PM

BARC provided its usual communication support for the 64^th annual Bellbrook Lions Festival Parade on Saturday, August 21. This has been an annual activity of BARC since the club was founded in 1976.

BARC members gathered at 2:30 PM at the Bellbrook Community Church parking lot to pick up an assignment, a safety vest and a parade line up sheet. BARC personnel were at their assigned posts by 3:00 PM to assist parade participants in finding their lineup positions.

In addition to helping line up the parade, BARC radio operators provide support communications for parade officials and coordinate with public safety officials (Police/Fire/EMS) for safety and security concerns.

BARC’s primary simplex frequency (147.405 MHz) was used for parade operations and the BARC 2m Repeater (147.045+) was used for Talk-In.

A big thank you to BARC Public Service Chairman Darryl Fowler for all of his efforts in coordinating BARC’s management of this year’s parade. Also, to Ed Kulesa for arranging the convertibles, to Chris Stauter and Ray Hitt for setting out the line up numbers stakes and to Darryly and Ron Sprauer for setting up the Reviewing Stand and PA System. Around 14 BARC members participated in Parade Operations.

The BARC Clubhouse & Communications Center Open House was a big success on on Saturday, August 28, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. The Comm Center partitions were finished and looked really great. HF equipment was set up at all four stations. Operating Position 4, the Clyde R. Schaffnit Memorial Station, with the Drake TR-t transceiver was utilized for Ohio QSO Party Operations. About 35 QSO’s were logged during the Open House period. This was pretty good considering the less than optimal band conditions and the casual operating activities during the Open House.

Approximately 35 guests attended the Open House. A big thank you to Clubhouse Chairman Darryl Fowler for steering the completion of Clubhouse construction and remodeling projects and other preparations. Thanks also go to Station Manager Ken Gunton for getting all of the stations set up and operational, to Todd Rardon for coordinating the refreshments for the Open House, and to Clubhouse Manager Jim Lusk for his part in the preparations. Other BARC members acted as greeters and escorts for visitors. One member worked the parking lot to direct visitors towards the entrance. Another member stood by the gymnasium exterior door in case anyone needed handicap access into the building. And, I probably have omitted some others who were vital to making the Open House a big success. A lot of members were involved and we thank everyone for attending the event and helping out as needed.

The Greene County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (GCARES) conducted a VE Test Session for the ARRL Level 1 Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC-1) on Sunday evening, August 22.  Five students took the exam and passed with "flying colors" including BARC member Todd Rardon KD8LCW. Each will receive a Certificate of Successful completion of the course. The 6^th member of the class was unavailable to attend the test session.

The Greene County FALL 2010 Amateur Radio License Courses began Sunday, September 12. There were 7 students in the Technician Class course, 12 students in the General Class course, and 9 students in the Extra Class course. The classes run concurrently at three different locations from 7:00-9:00 PM on Sunday evenings through November 7. The Fall Test Session is scheduled for November 14 at the BTFD Station 1 Training Room.

The BARC Clubhouse and Training Center is hosting the Technician Class Course. This site also offers a great opportunity for demonstrating various radio principles and techniques for prospective new hams.

It is not too late to join the classes if you know anyone interested in becoming a ham or in upgrading.

These Greene County Amateur Radio License Courses and the Test Sessions are sponsored jointly by the three Greene County amateur radio clubs (BARC, UVARC and XWARN) and GCARES.

BARC members are reminded that they may become an ARRL member or renew an existing ARRL membership at a discounted rate. BARC is an ARRL affiliated club and receives a commission for ARRL memberships transacted through the Club. BARC passes on this discount as a club membership benefit in order to promote ARRL membership. New ARRL members receive a $15 discount on first year cost. Please contact BARC Treasurer Dave Walton KD8GCR for details.