CMARC Welcomes New Hams to the Hobby!
The Central Michigan Amateur Radio Club takes great pride in welcoming New Amateurs with open arms. We even have our very own 'Club Ambassador', Don McLain (KB8RAD). For years, Don has collected and compiled a stack of goodies, including wall maps, stickers, information on equipment from the major manufacturers and the like. When a newly licensed Ham gets involved in CMARC, it is likely that Don will present he/she with a packet of these goodies.
Don (KB8RAD) presents Richard (KD8HLR) with his packet at
RAD's Coffee Break in Lansing
This page, suitably named the 'Ham Sources Page' is going to be a great place to keep coming back to for new and prospective Amateurs. This page is one you will want to visit often, because there will be a constant flow of antenna plans, kit ideas, operating help.....basically everything a New Ham wants in an Amateur Radio website.
We cannot do this alone, so credit will be dutifully shared. If we find something you might be interested in, we will tell you where we got it, so you can thank them for posting it.
For CMARC Members & Visitors...Downloads and More!
Among the many things you will find on this page, you may now include the CMARC Bylaws in PDF format. As usual, this document required ADOBE ACROBAT. If you don't have Acrobat, Click Here
Information for New and Prospective Hams
This page contains some good information and it was found in a link from the LARK homepage, in Howell, MI. As you will see at the bottom of the page, the site is from the University of Texas Amateur Radio Club.
What is Amateur Radio all about? Click Here for an informative brochure, produced by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) on emergency communications and our Hobby. We will also have these brochures available at Club Meetings, VE Testing Sessions and Field Day. Stop by and pick one up and then get into the action with Amateur Radio!
Psst....are you studying for your Technician, General, or Extra Class License? Would you like to get a copy of the Question Pools, as published by the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC)? Good news...we have them here! We also have the new Extra Question Pool, which goes into effect on July 1st of this year. We will list the current pools first, along with the new Extra Question Pool at the end. Good luck and we'll see YOU at a VE Session soon.
Technician Class Question Pool (Valid
until June 30, 2010)
General Class Question Pool (Valid after
July 1, 2007)
Extra Class Question Pool (Valid until
June 30, 2008)
Extra Pool Graphic Page (Valid until
June 30, 2008)
Extra Class Question Pool (NOT Valid until July 1, 2008)
Did you recently pass your Technician Class, General Class, or Extra Class exam and now you're waiting (im)patiently to see your new callsign, or upgrade online? Here is the link. Once you get to the page, in the center you will see a seach box, select "By Name", then type in your name (Last name, First name) and hit enter. If you have been given a callsign....you may get on the air immediately thereafter.
You can also check the QRZ database, but it is often 24 hours behind the FCC database, so we recommend that you use that one first.
Equipment Reviews
Trying to decide what your next rig should be? We have some great reviews, from the ARRL and QST magazine. Below is a list...just click your choice and read all about your rig of choice. Don't see yours listed? Contact us and we'll see if it is available! You might also consider a membership to the ARRL, because all of these reviews and MORE are available on their website...
Rig |
Type |
2 meter Mobile |
|
Dualband Mobile |
|
Dualband HT (1000 Memories) |
|
2 meter 65 watt Mobile |
|
VHF, UHF, HF Mobile |
|
VHF, UHF, HF Base |
|
VHF, HF Base |
|
HF, 6 meter Base |
|
Dualband APRS Ready Mobile |
|
Dualband APRS HT |
Antennas and Other Gadget Projects
For the new (and not so new) Hams out there, we have compiled some great antenna and gadget designs for you. We are always adding, so please come back often, but take a look at some of these little wonders...
SKYWARN...it's NOT Just Another Net!
For many of us, the summer of 2007 was anything but ordinary. On August 24th, a series of severe storms raked the Greater Lansing area, spawning at least two tornadoes. The first, an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, struck northeastern Eaton County and devastated several homes. The second, an EF1, blew through south Lansing hitting a mobile home park, several businesses and a campground, before dissipating.
Below is a link to a PDF file, which was compiled from many sources including
NOAA and our local SKYWARN Team. It's a good read and it underscores the
need for a trained team in the field. And one more thing we ALL learned
last season....severe weather nets should never be considered 'just another
Net' again.
(Click the tornado below for this report.)
