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Update from our club president Ron Matusek, WA6TQH:
Our meetings are held at the Klein VFD location unless otherwise published. Check here on W5NC.net and on the reflector, Facebook, and on Twitterfor updates.
We encourage all who feel comfortable with in-person attendance to join us for our in-person meetings. Please attend responsibly - if you are not feeling well or have a fever, stay home and attend on ZOOM. For the foreseeable future, we plan to continue the ZOOM meetings, whether we are able to have in-person meetings or not.
For current information and guidance on the COVID situation, please visit the following sites:
In person license testing is available. Please visit our testing information page for more information
Monthly meetings in person and on Zoom. Details posted on W5NC.net and on the W5NC groups.io reflector.
Latest License Exam Information
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As many of you are no doubt aware, NARS has been a Texas non-profit club for some time. But our sights were set higher than that. A dedicated group of officers and members has been working on obtaining 501(c)(3) certification from the IRS for some time.
Today, August 29, 2023, we were notified that as of May 15, 2023, we have been classified as a public charity by the IRS.
So what does this mean for us? The benefits of being tax-exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) include the following:
- We can accept contributions and donations that are tax-deductible to the donor.
- We can apply for grants and other public or private allocations available only to IRS-recognized, 501(c)(3) organizations.
- We can apply for a sales tax exemption on items purchased for use by the organization.
- We have the public legitimacy of IRS recognition.
- We can get discounts on US Postal bulk-mail rates and other services.
We’re looking forward to being able to serve the community at a much higher level now because of both the recognition aspects of this and the ability to raise funds to better equip ourselves to provide critical services in times of need. Great job by the 501(c)(3) team!
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The NARS trailer wrap has been completed and the trailer is back over at the Fire Station for all to ooo and aaa over! Very fine job to all who helped with this and hats off to Paul, KI5FJS, for shepherding this project through to completion!
Check back often as we get the equipment installed. We're trying to have it operational in time for field day, which looks possible now that we have the most important part back - the trailer! Of course, a project like this is never really finished, check in on us as the project grows.
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UPDATE 14 JAN 2024
April 2024 Update:
The NARS Repeater team has replaced the UHF repeater at the Galleria site. The new repeater is on 443.075 +5mHz offset with a PL 103.5 tone. We also installed the equipment necessary to connect this repeater to the NARS Allstar Hub. This links the Klein UHF and Galleria UHF repeaters together through the NARS Allstar Hub.
The NARS 146.66 / PL100 Repeater located in downtown Houston remains in service but is not linked to Allstar. The Repeater Team has identified a possible solution to provide the link and is working to implement it.
Important
The Galleria VHF repeater is off-line until further notice because of a faulty antenna. We are working diligently to replace it. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
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Ever thought you might have an article, how-to, or just a few tips and techniques to share? You have come to the right place. NARS members are a diverse bunch, full of good ideas, and are looking for new ideas to improve this great hobby.
We need material to expand our Hardware and Homebrew section as well as new content for the monthly newsletters. Well-written articles on any aspect of Ham Radio are bound to find at least one or two interested readers. All we ask is that you be willing to put forth the effort to write the article and work with us to polish it to our publication standards. Not to worry, they are not difficult and we will work with you through a simple editorial process.
If you need some guidance, and most of us do, we suggest a couple of excellent resources to get started in the right direction. First, recall those high school English 101 writing exercises and the five things that most articles must address:
- Who - identify your target audience. It may be DXers, contesters, or experimenters.
- What - a concise introduction to the the topic you will discuss. One or two short paragraphs is all you should need. Don't put too much info up front, it will get lost
- When - when is this important. For example, when a new ham is just getting started,
- Where = when traveling, or when operating from your home station. Maybe both - you get the idea.
- Why - what are the benefits, is this a safety article, or have you found a better way to build the mousetrap.
Now you can concentrate on the meat of the article. Explain how to duplicate your efforts. Try to keep the steps or procedures in the order they are likely to be most successful. If possible, illustrate with photos, illustrations, or examples as appropriate.
Grab a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White or read it online. This is an excellent and very short manual for writing clear and concise English prose. See the links at the end of this article for the web address.
Another good source of writing advice comes from our recently-departed Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is another very short read, but excellent advice, whether you agree with her politics or not. Not to worry, no political commentary in the linked reference.
Once you have completed your manuscript, set it aside for at least a day, then go back and reread it. Look at the flow of the document. Does the story flow, or does it seem to take the reader on what I like to refer to as 'rabbit trails'. Correct misused words, such as their instead of they are. Remove extraneous facts and observations that do not contribute to the main point of the article. As one famous editor put it, once you have written the story, go back and murder your darlings.
When you are satisfied with your writing, run a quick spell check if you work with automatic checking turned off. Then send it to
Writing resource list
Elements of Style http://www.jlakes.org/ch/web/The-elements-of-style.pdf
Chicago Manual of Style https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Ginsburg on writing https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/ruth-bader-ginsburg-taught-a-law-clerk-secret-to-strong-writing.html