The June D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020.

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm and will be virtual

There will be no VE testing session this month due to COVID-19

This month we have a busy meeting. Our guest speaker is Jessie Smith, WX4JRS, of the National Weather Service Melbourne Forecast Office. She will be giving an overview of Florida weather and a look ahead on the 2020 Hurricane Season. Following our guest speaker we have some club business to discuss: Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, Field Day, Club Membership Forms, and Bylaws Discussion.

The “Chat and Chew” will NOT be at the McDonald’s near the All-Star Resort as it is currently almost done with construction. Another venue can be coordinated via slack.

73s de Andy, Mike, Ian, Steve and Paul

Skype Conference Call Detailed Instructions

1. Click on the Online Meeting Link above
2. You may automatically join the meeting if your computer is already setup, otherwise you should see a screen with installation options. If you see the installation options screen click the link to “install or reinstall Skype Meetings App (web)”. This will install an add-on to your computer.
3. You should see a download for SkypeMeetingsApp.msi in your downloads folder. Run the installer. After the installer completes, click the link to “Try to join the meeting again” on the website.
4. Once joining the meeting you will need to configure your audio. You can do this by clicking on the button with 3 dots in the lower right. From there you can choose to use computer audio or have Skype call your phone. You can also setup video. To open the chat feature use the button on the left side of the screen.
   
   Please note that Skype Meetings is the professional version of the Skype app. You cannot open this meeting in the regular Skype. There is no need to register or pay for any apps. If you get to a screen asking you to activate Microsoft Office you have probably made a mistake. We will be monitoring slack if anyone has connection issues.

The May D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020.

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm – meeting will be virtual

There will be no VE testing session this month due to COVID-19

For the next 3 or so months we will have a bit of a theme of emergency preparedness. This month we will be discussing portable power. This is a “show and tell” type discussion where everyone is welcome to share their setups and experiences. Feel free to talk about batteries, generators, solar panels, power distribution, etc.

Next month we will welcome the National Weather Service to present at our meeting and in July we will have Orange County ARES.

Thanks!

The April D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 8th, 2020.

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

The March D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020.

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

There will be no VE testing session this month as we transition to a new VE leader.

This meeting we will be having officer nominations and starting Field Day planning! With the rules posted, now is a great time for everyone to learn what Field Day is and what we can do to participate!

New streamlined procedure for club business: at the last Executive Board Meeting we discussed how to reduce club business and focus more on amateur radio. As a result, the following new procedure will be used for all club matters.

1. Resolution or change is read at the General Club Meeting.
2. Comments/discussion are accepted via email or presented in person at the following Executive Board Meeting.
3. The Secretary will provide a verbal report of no more than 2 minutes at the following General Club Meeting.
4. Members who are yet to submit comments will have 30 seconds each to add a verbal comment before the vote is had, following the Secretary’s summary.
5. Discussion on the subject will end and a vote will be taken.

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will NOT be at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort as it is currently under construction. Another venue can be coordinated via slack.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve

The February D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 12th, 2020.

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

There will be no VE testing session this month as we work to identify a new VE liaison to the ARRL.

Due to a couple important meeting items at the last meeting (please see the minutes on the website), we were unable to actually work some satellite passes. We will be spending from 6:05 to 7:15 in the parking lot working both linear and FM satellites. These will include the CAS oscars as well as SO-50.

New streamlined procedure for club business: at the last Executive Board Meeting we discussed how to reduce club business and focus more on amateur radio. As a result, the following new procedure will be used for all club matters.

1. Resolution or change is read at the General Club Meeting.
2. Comments/discussion are accepted via email or presented in person at the following Executive Board Meeting.
3. The Secretary will provide a verbal report of no more than 2 minutes at the following General Club Meeting.
4. Members who are yet to submit comments will have 30 seconds each to add a verbal comment before the vote is had, following the Secretary’s summary.
5. Discussion on the subject will end and a vote will be had.

*** IMPORTANT – NEW MEETING LOCATION ***

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will NOT be at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort as it is currently under construction. Another venue can be coordinated via slack.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve

The January D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting and V.E. Test Session will take place on Wednesday January 8th, 2020.

V.E. Test Session begins at 5:00 pm

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

V.E. Test Session will be held at 5 pm at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services building in the Route 66 conference room and is open to anyone who would like to obtain or upgrade their ham license. This includes all levels of licensing. You do not have to be a D.E.A.R.S Club member to attend the V.E. Test Session or the Club meeting. We invite everyone to attend.

One suggestion from the July general club meeting was to start a tradition of introductions at the start of the meeting. To have some fun with introductions, we will have a slightly different topic for each month. This month will be sharing what you would like to do with DEARS in 2020.

Due to a couple important meeting items, the special presentation will be at the end of the club meeting. For this meeting we will be hearing from Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, on mobile satellite operation. There will be a live demo and club members are encouraged to bring an HT and a VHF/UHF Yagi if they have one. We will try and work some passes from the parking lot.

As discussed at the previous executive board meeting, we will be voting on previously proposed bylaws at this meeting. Please see the meeting minutes from the November/December Executive Board Meeting as posted on the club website.

A quick summary of why this is happening now: they Bylaws committee is not yet complete in their proposed changes; however, the club needs some agreed-upon and recorded guiding principles. The goal for this meeting is to pass the previous copy of the bylaws with one amendment: an expiration date of March 31, 2020. This will give the committee time to complete their review and give the club a clear set of rules going into the election. It was also discussed that the committee would begin to publicly share their draft document for general club membership and review. It is expected this will be available by the January club meeting.

We would love to see everyone at meetings or events. We also would like to invite every member to our monthly board meetings, suggest ideas for upcoming meetings, sharing your feedback, and volunteer for club committees. If you are interested in getting more involved in club activities or have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to any officer!

*** IMPORTANT – NEW MEETING LOCATION ***

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will NOT be at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort as it is currently under construction. Another venue can be coordinated via slack.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve

Hello friends!  Please see below for information on the upcoming DEARS Holiday Dinner to be held at Chilis Lake Buena Vista at 6pm on December 11th!  Friends and family are welcome as always. This will take the place of our December general club meeting and all attendees should expect to pay for their own meals.

RSVP is required by noon Wednesday, 12/4 to ensure the restaurant can properly plan their staff and food to provide us with excellent service.  For any questions, comments, or to RSVP please email Brenda Davis at davib069@outlook.com.

Directions to Chilis

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

The November D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting and V.E. Test Session will take place on Wednesday November 13, 2019.

V.E. Test Session begins at 5:00 pm

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

V.E. Test Session will be held at 5 pm at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services building in the Route 66 conference room and is open to anyone who would like to obtain or upgrade their ham license. This includes all levels of licensing. You do not have to be a D.E.A.R.S Club member to attend the V.E. Test Session or the Club meeting. We invite everyone to attend.

One suggestion from the July general club meeting was to start a tradition of introductions at the start of the meeting. To have some fun with introductions, we will have a slightly different topic for each month. This month will be sharing your radio goal for 2020.

For this meeting we will be hearing from Joe Eisenberg,  K0NEB, via skype to discuss ham radio kits. Joe will also be at Hamcation in February, and that would be a great time to catch up with him if you have any additional questions!

One additional thought: we would love to see everyone at meetings or events. We also would like to invite every member to our monthly board meetings, suggest ideas for upcoming meetings, sharing your feedback, and volunteer for club committees. If you are interested in getting more involved in club activities or have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to any officer!

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will NOT be at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort as it is currently under construction. Another venue can be coordinated via slack.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve

The October D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting and V.E. Test Session will take place on Wednesday October 9, 2019.

V.E. Test Session begins at 5:00 pm

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

V.E. Test Session will be held at 5 pm at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services building in the Route 66 conference room and is open to anyone who would like to obtain or upgrade their ham license. This includes all levels of licensing. You do not have to be a D.E.A.R.S Club member to attend the V.E. Test Session or the Club meeting. We invite everyone to attend.

One suggestion from the July general club meeting was to start a tradition of introductions at the start of the meeting. To have some fun with introductions, we will have a slightly different topic for each month. This month will be sharing favorite digital mode. See the agenda for more details!

For this meeting we will be hearing from John Knott, N4JTK, to talk about Winlink email. After his talk, as a club, we will be experimenting with getting setup on VHF Winlink. If you would like to try it out, please bring your laptop and an audio interface to your HT, if you have one. (If you do not, you can use Winlink over Telnet to get setup.)

This Sunday is Ride 4 Ronald. We will be volunteering for the event at Rest Stop 2 to provide communications. Signup at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BGG5CVT Address for Rest Stop 2:
CRESCENT PARK AT LAUREATE PARK
8374 UPPER PURSE CIRCLE
ORLANDO, FL 32827

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will remain at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort. Someone usually arrives between 4 and 4:30 pm. Just remember to leave in time to travel to the meeting location before the meeting starts.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve

The September D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting and V.E. Test Session will take place on Wednesday September 11, 2019.

V.E. Test Session begins at 5:00 pm

D.E.A.R.S. Club Meeting begins at 6:00 pm

V.E. Test Session will be held at 5 pm at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services building in the Route 66 conference room and is open to anyone who would like to obtain or upgrade their ham license. This includes all levels of licensing. You do not have to be a D.E.A.R.S Club member to attend the V.E. Test Session or the Club meeting. We invite everyone to attend.

One suggestion from the July general club meeting was to start a tradition of introductions at the start of the meeting. To have some fun with introductions, we will have a slightly different topic for each month. This month will be sharing years since you were first licensed.  See the agenda for more details!

For this meeting we will be constructing and tuning 2 meter Discone antennas to aid everyone is joining the monthly fun net! This should be a fairly laid back activity and a great time to socialize with your fellow hams. If you have a soldering iron or needle nose pliers, please considering bringing them. We will have some to share, but it will be helpful to have more on hand. An antenna analyzer will also be present to tune the antenna. We will also be hearing from Jim Schilling, KG4JSZ as he is running for the ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director.

*** IMPORTANT – NEW MEETING LOCATION ***

This month’s meeting will be held at Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building. Directions to the location are as follows:

Disney’s Pop Century Cast Services Building
Building B
Magic conference room

Coming from I-4:
– Take Osceola Parkway exit, follow signs for “Other Guest Areas”
– Follow signs for Pop Century Resort and take Right turn on Victory Way
– Turn right at sign for Pop Century Resort onto Century Dr
– Before security guard post, take left onto Cayman Way
– Speak to guard at gate, and park in lot

We will be monitoring the 147.300 PL tone 103.5 repeater and the 442.000 D-Star repeater. If you and are having trouble finding us, just give a call on 146.52 simplex.

The “Chat and Chew” will remain at the McDonalds near the All-Star Resort. Someone usually arrives between 4 and 4:30 pm. Just remember to leave in time to travel to the new meeting location before the meeting starts.

73s de Andy, Ian, and Steve