F  E  E  D  -  P  O  I  N  T

The Official Newsletter of the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association

July, 2009Vol. 19 No.7
Letter From Our President


Rain again! Looks like the whole of July will be wet and cool. Three hours of sunshine on July 17 and a temperature of 72F was a nice break for us and the gardens. There are reports of crop failures over most of the state. KA1SJV heard on the news that tomato and potato blight is rampant here in the valley.



AA1XD sent an e-mail saying the new antenna for 146.640 has arrived and he and K1XI are coming up Friday the 24th. Is there anyone who could go out to Maibec on the 25th in the afternoon to see if 146.640 can be reached from there with the new antenna in place?





I have asked Mike Daigle if he could help us by getting the Rocky Mountain repeater down before the 25th, so AA1XD and K1XI can work on it. Mike says he is working on it. Wanted to know how big it is, etc. It certainly will be appreciated if he can do that for us.




Gale Flagg
108 Franklin School Rd
Fort Kent, Maine 04743
Phone: 207-834-6670
E-mail: galeflagg@sjv.net


Next Meeting: Picnic at Cross Lake. Noon. Saturday, August 1. Rain date August 2.
Schedule of Coming Events
DateEventPlaceContactSponsorTimeFreq
SUNNetNBVE1PINIRG2000145.130
MONNetFort KentN1FGSJVARA1900146.64
MONNetPresque IsleWA1YNZAARA2000146.73
Page 2Feed-Point, July, 2009
Minutes of July 14th, 2009 SJVARA Meeting

Start Time: 18:01 Members present: N1FG, W1TCP, N1EVO, KA1SJV, K1FTK, N7GLR, KA7VNR, N1FRX, KB1OWW
Treasurer's Report: N1FRX:
Savings Account$2828.43
Interest on Savings:+$1.51
Checking Account$634.08
Money for New Antenna-$500.00
New Balance:$2964.02

Motion to accept report by N7GLR. Seconded by W1TCP
Old Business:

1. Rocky Mt.: Still off the air.

2. 146.640 Repeater: We await the new antenna. AA1XD asked if there would be a place for him and K1XI to sleep on the night of July 24 or 25, depending on the weather. (N1EVO has a room for them on the 24th)



3. Other Business:None
New Business:
1.August Picnic: The picnic is scheduled for Saturday August 1st at the Cross Lake Picnic Area at noon. Rain date is Sunday August 2. If Sunday is rainy, too, the picnic will be at N1FG's house.
Show and Tell: N1EVO handed around the print outs Stan Flagg made of the line of sight from various locations to the checkpoints for the Can-Am Sled Dog Races. All agreed that the best location for the Rocky Mountain repeater is Rocky Mountain.
Program: Northrunner, a documentary film celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. A history of its protection, films of workers in the woods, and log drives on the waterway, and comments from many local people who love the river were included. There were nice pictures of the river being canoed and of the wildlife along the river.
Next Meeting: Picnic at noon: Saturday August 1. Rain date Sunday August 2. Cross Lake Picnic Area. If both days are rainy, the picnic will be at N1FG's home. Adjourned at 19:16

Submitted by Gale Flagg, N1FG
In Case You Are Interested
Happy Birthday
Solar Cycle 24: Perseid meteor shower: Predawn. Originating in the NE. Maximum August 11-13. 50 per hour.
Gil Burgoin--08-19 Claudette Burgoin--08-31 Henry Nutting--08-14
Page 3Feed-Point, July, 2009
New Mexico Hams Get Big Publicity Boost

Thirty-three feet of brightly-lit showcase in New Mexico’s biggest airport, the Albuquerque Sunport, proudly proclaimed Amateur Radio’s service to New Mexico during the busy holiday travel season from late November 2008 to mid January 2009.

Over 370,000 travelers, friends, and family members viewed the Amateur Radio exhibit, according to Albuquerque Sunport management. Proudly featuring the latest ARRL banner as the centerpiece of the exhibit, everyone viewing the exhibit saw Amateur Radio emergency communications, a continuously-running slide show of Amateur stations in operation, 50 years of progress in Amateur Radio transmitters and receivers, typical Amateur Radio antennas, and 3-D coverage maps of New Mexico’s extensive Amateur Radio repeater systems.

A map of the world along with QSL cards from many countries worked by wheelchair-bound silent key WA5IAL demonstrated how Amateur Radio truly is a “window on the world.”

The display was the work of the New Mexico Amateur Radio Alliance, comprised of representatives of many central New Mexico Amateur Radio clubs. The project, initiated by Bill Ripley, KY5Q, is an outgrowth of Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT’s desire to better communicate Amateur


Radio’s service to all New Mexicans. New Mexico SM Don Wood, W5FHA, took a lead role in creating the display and communicating the benefits of the project to New Mexico Amateur Radio clubs.

As a result of this Amateur Radio display in New Mexico’s largest airport, the Albuquerque Sunport, Amateur Radio’s value and service to our community is much more appreciated and much better understood by many thousands of New Mexicans and by many travelers from afar.

Two “Please Take One” boxes holding information cards about Amateur Radio directing interested persons to the ARRL web site and to a local contact email address were repeatedly emptied by passers-by eager both to learn more about our service to our community and the rewards joining the ranks of Amateur Operators brings.

For more information about this Amateur Radio publicity event, and for assistance with your next Amateur Radio publicity outreach, contact the New Mexico Amateur Radio Alliance at NMHamRadio@gmail.com.


From Mike Langner, K5MGR Public Information Coordinator, New Mexico Section
For Sale

Heavy duty 40' galvanized steel tower, 16" X 16". Includes mounting hardware. $200. N1FRX.
Force 12 EF-510, 5 ele 10m Beam w/balun New in the box, never installed Retails at $470/$480 ... asking $350 Call Don, K1FTK, at 543-6033
A Bit of Humor
Richard Lederer Bloopers from newspapers
     * "Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper announce the betrayal of their daughter Miss Margaret to Ensign Raymond McKee." * "Carrie Seltzer, 43, of Salem, suffered minor injury after a car she was riding in struck a cow crossing Western Reserve RD, at 8:15 pm. The car had to be destroyed by its owner."  


F E E D - P O I N T            July, 2009

Published by the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association
and distributed free to members and friends of Amateur Radio.
President: Gale Flagg N1FG
Vice President: Gil Daigle, N1JHD
Secretary: Sandra Daigle, N1QMC
Treasurer: Charles Zafonte, N1FRX
Public Information: Charles Ames, N7GLR
Technical Advisor: Carl Pelletier, N1EVO and June Despres, KB1OWW
Editor/Publisher/Printer
Gale Flagg - N1FG / Stan Flagg 834-6670
Associate Editor/Web Edition
Charles Ames N7GLR
Membership Information (Annual Dues):
Regular Membership $ 12
Associate Membership $ 6
Articles may be submitted by anyone with a good idea, and may be re-printed
only in their entirety and with credit going to this newsletter.




FEED-POINT
108 FRANKLIN SCHOOL RD
FORT KENT ME 04743