Meetings and Discussion
This section of the web site will recap previous meetings and any discussion that was raised at these meetings or since that time. This will give the membership time to digest what was brought up and then pose any questions, comments, or suggestions. It will also have downloadable files of any pertinent program material presented at these meetings.
RARC Meeting August 28, 2025
The August 28th meeting of the RARC was called to order at 6:30pm at the Obion County Library. There were 11 members and 1 guest in attendance. The financial report was not given due to the Treasurer KO4HEX's absence due to family issues. But we are 99% sure it was the same as last month. Old business was next on the docket with Field Day being the main topic.
New business was next on the list, Phil N4PWG brought in a banner he made for Winter Field Day coming up the first of the year in 2026. Phil also asked if there was any club interest in participating in it. There were several members interested in this contest. More info to come on this as the event draws closer. The TN QSO party is coming up on Sept. 7th. and there were a couple club members planning on playing in that contest also. Christmas dinner was discussed and several members spoke up and said they were interested in going back to The Keg in Fulton, KY. They are closed for vacation and will not reopen until Tuesday Sept. 9th so reservations will be made after that. We are shooting for the 2nd Friday in December.
We broke for refreshments next. Jamie WB4YDL and XYL June whipped up some wonderful BBQ sandwiches, slaw, chips, other fixings, and some awesome cookies. Thank you very much.
Noel KJ4UNX talked about the Huntsville Hamfest he attended the week before. He discussed some of the vendors, how big the bone yard was this year, what he picked up, and the attendance. The paid attendance this year was 5531 which has really grown since the Covid era. KJ4UNX picked up a set of old Kenwood Trio twins T599/R599. Glenn N4MJ played with the receiver some at the refreshment break. KJ4UNX also gave a little talk to the newly licensed hams about radios to stay away from like older tube type gear that is NOT plug and play and to stick to more modern solid state gear.
Phil N4PWG made a motion to adjourn and Harrell WD4LAR seconded the motion. So see you next month
RARC Meeting July 24, 2025
The July 24th meeting kicked off with Vice President Phil, N4PWG, at the Obion County Library at 6:30 PM. We met in the side room as FEMA was in our usual location. Noel was out sick. Thanks Phil for running the meeting! We started off with the treasurer's report with no change and moved on old business. Old business included the All star node discussion which will likely not happen due to the repeater being owned by Robin.
We then took a break for refreshments provided by Phil. We had some great sausage dogs!
Announcements afterwards included the Baptist hospital needing ham operators that can hit the Jackson 70cm repeater. Nobody in this area has that kind of capability. They claim that Martin can hit the Jackson repeater. New EMA director is Danny Carr and openly expresses gratitude for ham radio and would like to become a ham.
We then moved on to the Field Day stats. Please check out the recent events page on the website for all of the stats! In summary we broke a RARC record with almost 9k points! This was operating QRP and with battery power. I can't wait to see what the rankings look like in December! There was some discussion that the ARRL and the RRL have combined to promote and establish digital nets. RRL will be in charge of ARES and Skywarn.
Harrell, WD4LAR motioned for a close of meeting and Patrick,KO4HEX 2nd. We hope to see everyone at the August meeting!
RARC Meeting May 22, 2025
The May 22nd 2025 Reelfoot Amateur Radio Club meeting started at 6:30 at the Obion County Public Library. There were 15 members and 2 guests in attendance. We started off with refreshments provided by Mike, AK4VU. Thank you Mike for the BBQ and fried chicken!
RARC Meeting April 24, 2025
The April 24th Reelfoot Amateur Radio Club meeting kicked off at 6:30 at the Union City Public Library. There were 11 members and 1 guest in attendance. We started the meeting off with refreshments, provided by Ben, KO4MAO, with a variety of snacks, chips, dips and cookies. Thank you Ben! We then moved on to old business and the financial report with Patrick, KO4HEX.
New business included a motion from Jamie, WB4YDL, seconded by Harrell, WD4LAR, for Patrick to be the new Field Day Chair. He accepted and was approved. We moved on to discussion about Field day which included changing our FD operation to 2A TN A/B QRP. This would include some obstacles or new things to consider from our previous operation. Topics mentioned were:
- Heat
- Batteries
- Lights
- QRO vs QRP radios
- Power comsumption
Harrell, WD4LAR, gave a presentation going over the different levels of ARES. He provided a handout going over the levels 1, 2, and 3 in more detail. We also mentioned that we do not know who our DEC is and it was asked how do we get a new DEC ? Comments were made that Jim Snyder AJ4NAO, Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) would have to appoint. (Addendum: Actually Assistent SEC for West TN, Steve Kellett, KF4SJU, would make the recommendation for District 2 DEC) Ben, KO4MAO, made a comment wondering if we could have a club representative for the local area who could act as a level 1 for communication.
Glenn, N4MJ then led a discussion on club membership. He asked Tonya, KR4BTJ, how she heard of the club, and she said she looked it up on the ARRL website. She also mentioned that we need to expand our club presence such as other social media and club events or project days. Discovery Park was also mentioned as a potential location for a 'Ham Radio Day'.
RARC Meeting March 27, 2025
The March 27th Reelfoot Amateur Radio club meeting kicked off at the Obion County Public Library at 6:30 PM. We had 14 members and 1 guest in attendance. We started the meeting off with refreshments provided by Ms. Carrie and Harrell WD4LAR. The chicken spaghetti, and pies were fantastic!
The meeting started off with the Financial report and moved on to old business, led by Patrick, KO4HEX. Old business brought up was the decision on to go 'Dutch' on the Christmas dinner this year, as well as the emergency protocol that Harrell, WD4LAR, is leading. He says he will have more information in upcoming meetings.
New business kicked off with comments by Noel, KJ4UNX, about the Trenton hamfest. The hamfest was a big success. I believe the numbers were down slightly by about 50 people according to Barry, KJ4CLV, but still had quite the turn out. The vendors were great! And a couple already confirmed they would be back next year. A big thanks to TN07 Engineering for the antenna donation! Harrell, WD4LAR, mentioned that he would donate an Ten-Tec Omni 6 to the club to sell at the next hamfest. Thank you Harrell!
We then had a presentation from Jamie, WB4YDL, over Packet Radio and APRS. The presentation included a broad variety of the capabilities, the importance, the gear required, and many other use case scenarios for the Automatic Packet Reporting System. Due to technical difficulties the presentation could not be used on the library televisions, so we had to adapt and improvise using theMmicrosoft Surface. The full presentation will be posted on the website for reference. We then concluded the meeting at aprox 8:30PM. We hope to see everyone at the April meeting.
RARC Meeting February 27, 2025
The February 27th Reelfoot Amateur Radio Club meeting was kicked off at 6:30 pm at the Obion County Public Library. There were 15 members and 1 guest in attendance. Patrick, KO4HEX, started with the financial report which led into discussions on old business. Old business was discussed about the Christmas Party. A vote was held, motioned by Phil, N4PWG, and seconded by Jamie, WB4YDL, to have the Christmas dinner moving forward as going “Dutch” or everyone paying for themselves at future dinners, until such time we can increase revenue for the club. The motion passed.
New business included welcoming 2 new club members including 1 new licensee.
Tonya Pride – KR4BTJ
Jeff Fontaine – WD4USA
Welcome Jeff and Tonya! And congratulations to Tonya on your Technician Class license!
Phil, N4PWG, had some show 'n’ tell with a ZM 3:1 30W manual tuner, and a 9:1 Balun QRP matching unit. He also provided attendees with wind up flashlights as it is typically dark by the time the meetings adjourn, and he had recently not seen a hole and fell. Thank you for the flashlights and show n’ tell!
Patrick, KO4HEX, had let the club know that he has a functioning RX-only Igate on the east side of Union City. He also let the club know that POTA support your parks weekend was the same weekend of Easter and that he will look for another weekend for the club outing. Ben, KO4LFZ, had made the suggestion for Ship day on May 24th. Thanks Ben!
We then took a break for refreshments provided by Patrick. He provided an assortment of drinks and Domino’s pizza. Also, a big thank you to his XYL for dropping off the pizzas. After refreshments we held elections, and the officers were voted to remain in the same positions:
Noel, KJ4UNX – President
Phil, N4PWG – Vice President
Patrick, KO4HEX – Secretary/Treasurer
Congratulations to the officers!
Harrell, WD4LAR led a presentation on the Emergency Net protocol. The state convention in Knoxville, TN will be the 1st of June. He explained how the distribution of information will be from the State, to the Regional, to the Local level for emergency communications and how we can play a role in our local community. This also sparked some conversation about Winlink. Thank you for the great presentation, Harrell. We look forward to the updates in June! Noel, KJ4UNX, then had a presentation on a piece of gear he picked up from the Huntsville hamfest back in August of 2023. It was a "boat anchor" National NC-173 which weighed 57lbs. The radio was manufactured back in 1947 that included 13 tubes and covered 6M to 160M. Adjusted for inflation, the radio originally cost $199 and would be $2100 today. Thank you for the show n’ tell!
Phil, N4PWG, updated the club about the new administration changes that will affect state and local levels with the emergency planning committees roles shifting to the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA command and control is also moving to the states. He informed us that credentials would be needed through the Sheriff’s office.
The meeting then concluded shortly after 8PM CST. It was great seeing everyone at the meeting! Jamie, WB4YDL volunteered for a presentation on Packet / APRS for next month's meeting! We look forward to the presentation!
RARC Meeting January 23, 2025
The First meeting of 2025 for the Reelfoot Amateur Radio club was on Jan 23rd and was kicked off at 6:30 at the Union City Public Library by President Noel, KJ4UNX. There were 13 members and 1 guest in attendance. The financial report included the Christmas dinner as well as the updated balance. There were additional comments about doing the Christmas dinner differently this year as the club cannot sustain the way things are currently. No votes were made. Ben, KO4MAO, received his DXCC for phone in the mail. Congratulations Ben!
Archive of Previous Year's Meetings
All files below are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat® reader to view:
Previous Power-point Presentations and Handouts
Packet Radio and APRS
Summits on the Air
Programming Your HT with CHIRP Handout
Power Supplies
DMR - Digital Mobile Radio
RF Receiver Architecture
Introduction to EME Communications
An Introduction to Contesting Powerpoint (updated 2024)
An Introduction to Contesting Handout (updated 2024)
HF Receiver Principles: Noise and Dynamic Range Powerpoint
HF Receiver Principles: Noise and Dynamic Range Handout
Amateur Radio Operational Awards
Narrow Band Emergency Communications System
PSK31
ARES - Winlink
Emergency Communications - Special
Basic Message Handling
Introduction to Emergency Nets
