THE SPARK GAP. Motor City Radio Club INSIDE THIS ISSUE. December will be our food bash Please bring food for celebration of our Christmas meeting.

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1 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Prez Says!... 1 Amateur Radio Parity Act 2 General Course offered... 3 MCRC November Dinner PIX... 3 L ANSE Creuse swap & EXAM. 4 MCRC ARRL VEC EXAM times. 5 Flashback to April NO meeting minutes 5 Upcoming Dates.. 6 THE SPARK GAP I hope everyone enjoyed our November dinner. Thank you Dale WA8FRD for setting it up. Thank you to everyone who helped make 2016 a successful year for the Motor City Radio Club. December will be our food bash Please bring food for celebration of our Christmas meeting. WANTED - Spark Gap Editor!! Creative member with a desire to spread the news of happenings amongst amateur radio operators wanted! Report on happenings with the club during special events or club gatherings. Report information announced by the ARRL or our area contacts. It s time to contribute to your club! Perks include: Getting the Spark Gap before anyone else! Interested?? Contact one of the board members! Motor City Radio Club The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club in Michigan Spark Gap December 2016 We finally got the 501c3 non-profit Thank you to Bob AC8DZ for stepping up as Field Day Chairman. It was another successful Field Day and a good time had by all. Fox Hunting. We had a good season. Congratulations to Woody N8MWQ and Tony KE8CDD as the 2016 season champions. But for 2017, your club needs your help! We need a secretary. Our secretary had to resign do to health reason. We need to find a replacement to have a full functioning club. We need a spark Gap editor. Thank you to Dale WA8FRD for stepping in as an interim editor, but like the rest of us he s getting spread awful thin. We really need someone to step up and handle this if we are to continue publishing a monthly newsletter. We need a volunteer to take on the Metro Grand Spring Bike Tour communication support. This is an important activity for the club as it helps us maintain our Special Service status. There are several other jobs, like Historian and special events coordinator, that have been open for some time and could use some attention. Another need in the coming year is for meeting presentations. We have several openings so if you have an idea for a presentation please let me know. In December after our regular business meeting we will be having the traditional potluck late dinner in celebration of Christmas. Please bring a dish to pass and join us for the fun and fellowship. In January we will get back to business with a discussion about the clubs goals and priorities. This will be your chance to let the board know what is important to you and what you want to see the club doing over the next year. Please come with an open mind and lots of ideas. We will also see a presentation of a proposal for an education program, and an update of the status of the WY8DOT repeater. At our March meeting, on March 10th we will have the SkyWarn presentation. And finally, I d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope everyone has a blessed and joyous holiday season. 73, Bruce AC8KD.

2 The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club in Michigan December 2016 Volume 64 Issue 12 Page 2 Club Officers President Bruce Menning, AC8KD president@w8mrm.net Vice President Ralph Nagy, KA8KGW vicepresident@w8mrm.net Secretary???????????? secretary@w8mrm.net Treasurer Dale Poblenz WA8FRD treasurer@w8mrm.net Custodian John Roberts N8KAM Trustee(s) Jim Baksa KD8HFX for W8MRM John Roberts N8KAM for W8GTZ Parliamentarian Bill Loeber NU3D NU3D@arrl.net Club Volunteers V.E. Liaison Don Novak K8THU k8thu@arrl.net Net Manager John Roberts N8KAM netcontrol@w8mrm.net Education Kimball Williams N8FNC k.williams@ieee.org Webmaster Jim Baksa KD8HFX webmaster@w8mrm.net Associate Webmaster Woody Kirkman N8MWQ N8MWQ@arrl.net Amateur Radio Parity Act ZCZC AG44 For those who have already sent letters to Senators Stabenow and Peters: Thank you. For those who have not yet done so, please see below and take action as suggested: SB ARL $ARLB044 ARLB044 ARRL Issues Urgent Last Call to Press for Senate Passage of Amateur Radio Parity Act ZCZC AG44 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 44 ARLB044 From ARRL Headquarters, Newington CT December 1, 2016 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL,ARLB044 ARRL Issues Urgent Last Call to Press for Senate Passage of Amateur Radio Parity Act It's now down to the wire: ARRL has issued a last call for members to urge their US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act (H.R. 1301) when it comes up during the "lame duck" session of Congress that adjourns in a couple of weeks. The House of Representatives approved the bill in September, and the Senate must follow suit if the bill is to succeed. If it fails in the Senate, the entire process will have to be repeated in the new Congress. The legislation is now in the Senate in two forms - as H.R and alternately in the packaged bill S. 253 "We are on our final push for the Amateur Radio Parity Act before Congress adjourns," said ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR. "The grassroots effort by the Amateur Radio community has been outstanding. Since September, over 110,000 s have been sent to legislators in Congress. Thanks to everyone who has helped, but we can't stop now. Please, keep the s coming and also work the phones down the stretch. Call your Senators! We are almost there. Let's get it done!" ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board's Legislative Advocacy Committee and has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R forward, echoed President Roderick's sentiments. He said the bill was just starting to build momentum in the Senate following its unanimous passage in the House, when Congress shut down for the 4 weeks prior to Election Day. He pointed out that H.R has received broad support from both parties. Lisenco had a special request of Florida radio amateurs. "Please write and call Sen. Bill Nelson and demand that he remove his hold on H.R and support passage of this critical legislation." Urging your US Senators' support is simple: Go to our Rally Congress page at, enter your ZIP code, fill in your name and address, press enter, and s will go directly to your Senators. Members may do this even if they have already contacted their US Senators for support. There are no guarantees, Lisenco has pointed out. "In order to have a chance at overcoming political obstacles that have little or nothing to do with the legislation, we need our voices to be heard," he said. "And we need that input today!" President Roderick urged members to "reach out one more time to your Senators today! Right away Right now!" September's victory in the US House culminated many years of effort on ARRL's part to gain legislation that would enable radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect efficient outdoor antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules "to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land-use restrictions, and for other purposes." While similar bills in past years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it was not until the overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur Radio community for H.R. 1301, and ARRL's relentless and strident efforts on Capitol Hill that this bill made it this far. NNNN /EX ARRL Michigan Section, Section Manager: Larry Camp, WB8R

3 The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club in Michigan December 2016 Volume 64 Issue 12 Page 3 Hi: Starting on Saturday, January 7, 2017, I will be teaching a General Class course at the All Hands Active (AHA) makerspace. AHA is located in downtown Ann Arbor at 255 E Liberty St #225. Classes will begin at 10 am and run until approximately noon. Unlike my one-day Tech classes, this class will run for eight to ten weeks, depending on how fast we can get through the material. There are several reasons that this is not a one-day General class. First, there's more material to be covered than on the Tech test, and it's covered in more depth as well. Second, I'm going to attempt to teach you more than just the answers to the test. Having said that, you don't have to show up for every class. I will publish a schedule before hand, and you can feel free to skip classes on topics that you already know. It's not like you're taking this class for college credit, and you're responsible for whether or not you pass the test once the class is over. There will be a $10 fee for the class, though, whether you come for a single session or all eight. This money goes to our hosts, All Hands Active, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization. They do all kinds of cool things, and you might General Class Course want to check them out, even if you don't take this class. Their website is at The text for the class will be my No-Nonsense General Class License Study Guide. You can purchase the e-book version from study- guides/. The price is $7.99 (cheap!). If you prefer a print version, I can sell you one for $10 (that's a $5 discount). If you do want the print version, let me know, so that I have enough on hand. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. btw, you're getting this because you were either in one of my recent Tech classes or you expressed some interest in taking this class. You don't have to worry about being spammed. This is the only that I will be sending you about this class. 73! Dan KB6NU CW Geek, Ham Radio Instructor Read my ham radio blog at Everyone enjoyed the MCRC Dinner The food was great and the conversation was wonderful. Several people have said they would like to come back this place next year.

4 The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club in Michigan December 2016 Volume 64 Issue 12 Page 4 AMATEUR RADIO/COMPUTER SWAP L ANSE CREUSE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 44th ANNUAL SWAP & SHOP SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2016 ********** New Location ********** Madison Place (also known as United Food & Commercial Workers 876 Hall) 876 Horace Brown Drive Madison Heights, MI TIME -8 AM Noon Early Setup for Vendors with Pre-Paid tables Times Friday Dec 2nd from 7:30am to 5:00pm Saturday Dec 3rd from 6:00pm to 10:pm Sunday Vendor s get access at 6:30 AM SWAP TICKETS: $5.00 (Kids under 12 Free) NEW & USED EQUIPMENT: RADIOS Amateur, Commercial, CB ELECTRONICS & COMPONENTS COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE ACCESSORIES DOOR PRIZES: (deposit swap ticket at club table) 1st $ 100, 2nd $50, 3rd $25 ARRL Books Handbook, Operation Manual, etc. SWAP FEATURES: FREE PARKING FOOD & DRINKS Talk-In: ECHO Repeater hz Yaesu FT-991 Raffle 160-6m, 2m and 70cm Fusion/C4FM capable Built-in Tuner For Addition Information contact Dale McGorman / K8RO, LCARC Swap Chairman 2855 Norton Lawn Rochester Hills, MI k8ro@arrl.net - Please put 'LCARC Swap' in subject. LCARC 44th ANNUAL SWAP & SHOP - Sunday, December 4th, 2016 Club Web Site: LCARC 44th Annual Swap & Shop Location Madison Place, 876 Horace Brown Drive, Madison Heights, MI For Addition Information contact Dale McGorman / K8RO LCARC Swap Chairman 2855 Norton Lawn Rochester Hills, MI k8ro@arrl.net - Please put 'LCARC Swap' in subject. LCARC 44th ANNUAL SWAP & SHOP - Sunday, December 4th, 2016 Club Web Site: LCARC 44th Annual Swap & Shop Location Madison Place, 876 Horace Brown Drive, Madison Heights, MI Raffle tickets are $10. Available at the club table. Winner will be drawn before the end of swap (You do not need to be present to win!) FCC EXAM SESSION: VE Testing: Doors open at 9:00 AM. You will need to bring $14.00 cash, copies of existing licenses or CSCEs, (originals will not be accepted), two pieces of ID, (one must have a photo). You must also provide either your Social Security number or FRN. Questions: contact Cliff, ab8xq@arrl.net

5 The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club in Michigan December 2016 Volume 64 Issue 12 Page 5 MCRC ARRL VEC Exam Time Motor City Radio Club VEC Exams January 14, 2017 TIME: 9:00 am (Walk-ins allowed) Contact: Don F Novak (734) ( K8THU@ARRL.NET) Or sign up & pay at W8MRM.NET Location: Glenwood Methodist Church 2130 Ford Avenue (Northline), Wyandotte, MI VEC: ARRL/VEC Flash Back to April 2000 NOTES FROM YOUR EDITOR KC8HDX Denise Keeler Spring! These tentative, tantalizing days... Our revered President opined the other day as to how nice all our members are looking in their blue club polo shirts. Perfect shirts for spring and to wear to the meetings. The shirts not only make us look like an organized group, they are pretty impressive to look at! If you don t have one yet, the order slip is included below. If you have your polo shirt, wear it to the next meeting. We will all be so impressive to visitors and new members! This month s program on GPS looks as if it is going to be VERY interesting. It is going to be oriented to ham radio operators, but should be an absolute don t miss program for those of us who own planes or boats as well. K8RWG Rick Graves has written an interesting bio for us about the speaker on page five. There is a review of upcoming special June events further on in the Spark Gap. It is time for us all to plan on making a commitment to MCRC events. The Station dates and locations are given, as well as short information pieces about what happens at them for the newer members. Write the dates in your calendars for those events which interest you and in which you plan to participate. Then tell the appropriate Chairpersons! This is a really great club as far as member participation goes I know. You are to be complimented. NO Meeting Minutes from Nov 2016 MCRC Dinner

6 FIRST CLASS MAIL MOTOR CITY RADIO CLUB, INC. P.O. BOX 1337 Southgate, Michigan FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED Save The Date! Date(s) Activity Time Dec. 9th General Meeting (Christmas bash bring food) 7:00 p.m. at (Copeland Center, th St, Wyandotte, MI) Dec 15th Board Meeting (Leo s Coney Island ) 7:00 p. m Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI Dec 17th Club Breakfast Leo s Coney Island ) 9:00 a. m Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI Jan 13th General membership Meeting 7:00 p.m. at (Copeland Center, th St, Wyandotte, MI) Jan 14th Ham Radio Exam (Glenwood Methodist Church) 9:00 a. m. (2130 Ford Avenue (Northline), Wyandotte, MI ) Jan 19th Board Meeting (Leo s Coney Island ) 7:00 p. m Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI Jan 21st Club Breakfast (Leo s Coney Island ) 9:00 a. m. Join us every Tuesday at 9 p.m. for the Motor City Radio Club Net on the Wyandotte Repeater. Or use EchoLink: WY8DOT/R The Spark Gap is published monthly as the official organ of the Motor City Radio Club, Inc.