I’m sure that most of you know that we had to cancel our Club’s Hamfest for next October. There was a conflict of dates due to the SET Drill, and we want to use all our members to assist in this very important event. We’ll try to get a date for 2007 to once again have our Hamfest at the Fairgrounds. While we haven’t had a real emergency in our area, it could happen at any time, and we do need to be prepared. So, on the first weekend in October, mark your calendars to have our Club and members join in and volunteer our expertise and much needed communication skills. Many of our Club members have leadership roles in the ARES/ACS and we are proud of their efforts. By their devotion to duty, they have brought great credit to our Club. I’m sure the "powers to be" would welcome any and more help especially with the new ACS facility being completed soon .

There are some events coming soon that will also need your help. Details will be provided by our Newsletter’s editor who does a super job. The March 9th meeting’s program is still being developed, as two plans didn’t materialize. Back to the drawing board. Hope to see many there for something to be provided.

73/88 Jerry Turner, K9CCZ

"The October Hamfest is cancelled meaning that the chance to get rid of the surplus gear in the shack or the garage is gone. Wrong!!!

Keep sorting through those gadgets and help make the XYL happy. One of the responses to our request for opinions the last two months was to assign one meeting as a gadget sell/exchange meeting. The members would bring items that they no longer needed and offer them up for sale or for swap. The respondent stated that he picked up a few pieces that he needed but could not afford at market price.

The meeting will be scheduled in late spring or early summer. It might even be a tailgate party/ meeting. Remember—one man’s surplus ("garbage") is another man’s treasure

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April is the birthday month for the US Navy Submarine Force. Every year, the Submarine Museums and Amateur Radio forces join together to run a Special Event to commemorate the contributions of "Silent Service". This year, the event will be on April 30th and May lst. Since Kitsap County is the home of the Bangor Submarine Base, it is appropriate that a Special Event be run during this period.

The Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport is a museum dedicated to preserving information and artifacts related to undersea development and to undersea warfare.

It has many exhibits showing the history of these related fields dating from 650 BC to the present. The Trieste, DSRV-1, and Deep Quest are two important vessels used in deep-sea research, development and search missions. The Museum has won international awards for its display of deep diving equipment and history.

The Museum has invited NKARC to run a special event station any time we could find a reason. The "Submarines on the Air" event was discussed and quickly endorsed by the museum. This will be the third consecutive year the event will be run. Bob Tomas, N7KTP, has volunteered to coordinate the event with the museum staff. Plans are to operate two stations within the museum. Setup will be on Friday afternoon, April 28th. Bob will be approaching the club members for sign-up to various tasks. We had fun at the last event so don’t be bashful about joining for this one. We will also be announcing this to the rest of the clubs and amateurs in the county to get a sufficient number of operators for the event.

Visit the NKARC web page at http://www.nkarc.org; click on "Special Events", and on "Subs on the Air" to see articles describing the event run in April 2004. The sonar ping in the background helps to add the "submariners" flavor. We will add to the article describing the 2005 activity. More than 30 museum submarines worldwide will participate in this Submarine Veterans Amateur Radio Association special event. Stations will transmit on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters--CW and SSB..

A person often mentioned in Amateur Radio circles is "Elmer". Almost every Ham will tell you that "Elmer" was either responsible for them joining the hobby or helped them through the task of learning the Morse Code and the basic knowledge required to pass that dreaded FCC test. When asked to describe "Elmer", the result will be a composite that is different to each person but, at the same time, bears many characteristics that make "Elmer" the most common personality in the hobby.

The topic of the presentation meeting on March 9^th will be on the "Elmer" we have known. Who was that person who was there to answer your questions? What encouragement did you get and how important was it? What assistance did you get after you passed your examination and wanted to get on the air as quickly as possible? Come on in and share your experiences. Why is "Elmer" important today? If you know anybody who wants to get into amateur radio, bring them to the meeting. They will find that "Elmer" is probably waiting to meet them.

Continuing the saga of the KC7Z communications trailer. John Pellock, N6ENB/7, towed the trailer with his Ford F-150 which is equipped for trailer towing to Russ Swank’s (KI7PG) QTH and the batteries placed on charge. Malcolm examined the floor and said that the floor was safe. He again suggested the "surplus" equipment not needed for emergency operations be removed and to remodel the interior to provide more efficient operating positions and a better weight distribution. He needs help to do these tasks. Contact Malcolm at nf7m@arrl.com or contact one of the club officers if you are available so that work dates can be set up. Note the trailer will be needed for the Subs On The Air special event at the end of April.

The 5kw generator is up for sale and is advertised in a separate article in this newsletter. Ron Sefton has offered to let the club use his Honda 2Kw generator during a field exercise to determine if it is suitable for use as a power source for communications equipment. The concern is that the output does not contain noise that will interfere with communications. In the meantime, the market will be surveyed for a similar unit at a reasonable price. The club welcomes all suggestions regarding the availability of a suitable generator.

So the saga of the KC7Z Communications Trailer continues More will be published as new events occur.

Mar. 9th -- Presentation meeting -- 7:30 PM– Viking Park Clubhouse – Who is Elmer?…Where is he? Discussion...

Mar. 19th -- VE testing Community Room, Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln St., Poulsbo. Doors open at 9am. Picture ID, original and photocopy of current amateur radio license and pending CSCE's needed. Cost of session is $14.00. Cash only – No checks accepted. Questions please call Horace, K7ORY at 360-779-2215.

Mar. 23rd – Business Meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse

Apr. 13th – Presentation Meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse – To be announced

Apr. 16th -- VE testing Community Room, Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln St., Poulsbo. Doors open at 9am. Picture ID, original and photocopy of current amateur radio license and pending CSCE's needed. Cost of session is $14.00. Cash only – No checks accepted. Questions please call Horace, K7ORY at 360-779-2215

Apr. 27th – Business Meeting -- 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse

Apr. 29th – Submarines on the Air – Special Event setup – Naval Undersea Museum, Keyport – 1:00 PM

Apr. 30th to May 1st – Submarines on the Air – Special Event – Naval Undersea Museum, Keyport – 8:00 AM

Please notify the club secretary to update the roster if you changed your address, call sign or e-mail address. Include your phone number so that you can be contacted in case of emergency or for assistance. This will insure that you will get the latest news via the club newsletter. Either notify Horace at the meeting or drop a card to NKARC at PO Box 2268, Silverdale, WA 98383-2268. You can also send the changes via e-mail to Horace or Bob Tomas at the addresses listed in the club officers list on the mailing page.

QST QST QST –It’s time to do the Mike and Key ARC Electronics Show and Fleamarket in the Pavilion Exhibition Hall at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA. The exhibition will be held on March 12, 2005 starting at 9:00 AM. Admission is $6. Persons under16 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Over 300 tables will be available on two floors with 44,000 Sq Feet of exhibition area featuring radio gear, computers, club information and parts. Table reservation information is available at (253) 631-3756,

dmdink@eskimo.com, or mwdink@eskimo.com. There will be a consignment area. Free parking will be available. Overnight SC/RV Camping will also be available.

License exams will be available. VE Exam information can be obtained at (206) 824-9039,k7yh-jan@comcast.net

Talk-in will be on the 146.82 (-600 offset) repeater with PL tone at 103.5

Need a generator to provide power in an emergency? Although the calendar says that winter officially ends on March 21^st, blustery storms can happen into April resulting in power outages.

It’s nice to have the capability to turn on the emergency generator and have the power to run the freezer and watch the storm reports. NKARC is offering for sale the 5 KW generator used to provide power during Field Day and special events. The generator has very few hours of operation on it and is very clean. The price for this piece is $300. Contact Jerry, K9CCZ, or any of the club officers.

It costs approximately 70 cents per copy to print a newsletter and postage to mail it. Receiving your newsletter electronically helps keep publishing costs down allowing the funds to be used for other club projects

Looking for hardware or some small parts to finish a project or cable to replace the worn lead-in from the antenna? Word was just received that an estate sale from Red Clotfelter, W7LHW(SK) will be conducted this weekend in Poulsbo. The estate includes several pieces of electronic hardware, wire, and coax cable plus a couple of 3-element Tribanders.

The sale will be at the daughter’s house in Poulsbo. Signs will be placed on Highway 305 to lead interested parties to the site. Watch for the signs as you approach the Fred Meyer gravel dump on Highway 305. The road leading to the house is across from the gravel dump going North

A Boy Scout troop in Silverdale is interested in qualifying some of the troop members for a radio merit badge. They need somebody who has experience in commercial or amateur radio to be a mentor to the boys and guide them through the qualifications. If you have experience working with Scouts and are interested in continuing in this field contact Bob Tomas, N7KTP, at 360-638-1659 or by e-mail at bobtomas@sprintmail.com.

Help the environment by properly disposing of discharged household batteries. This includes alkaline, regular zinc carbide batteries, and batteries with heavy metals such as mercury, ni-cads and lithium ion. The Solid Waste Facility on Hansville Road accepts the batteries as part of the county-wide recycling program. Otherwise, bring them to the meeting for transfer to the disposal site.

Do not bring lead-acid batteries to the meeting for disposal. It is your responsibility to take them to the Solid Waste Facility. There is no cost for the battery disposal because it is considered one of the items in the recycling program.

Just to let you know that the NKARC has its our own domain: http://www.nkarc.org and I hope as many of you will take a look at what is there and give me your ideas as to what more you will want.

If you have any items advertised on the site and they have been sold, please let me know so I can remove them. The site is live and there will be lots of new and useful changes in the very near future.

If you have any questions you can email Bill,W7ARC at:

The ARRL promoted Amateur Radio at the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Mid-Year Conference February 12-15 in Washington, DC. With help from Maryland-District of Columbia Section Emergency Coordinator Mike Carr, WA1QAA, and Assistant Section Manager and Emergency Coordinator Jim Cross, WI3N, ARRL Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan Miller, K3UFG, staffed an Amateur Radio exhibit booth at the gathering.

"This event provided excellent exposure for Amateur Radio to the larger emergency management community," Miller said. "Interaction with those representing many diverse levels of emergency management is a win-win proposition." Miller said the ARRL's presence further established the League as a national point of contact to answer questions about Amateur Radio's emergency communication capabilities. At the same time, he said, it gave League representatives a chance to hear the concerns of emergency managers for followup with local ARES teams.

The conference also offered an opportunity for NEMA members—ARRL included--to discuss the many challenges facing the emergency management world, to share solutions, grow professionally, network with peers and strengthen relationships with partner organizations. NEMA also shared with federal officials its views on emergency preparedness for all hazards. Individuals and organizations involved in shaping the future of homeland security and emergency management offered presentations and forums.

Miller said many of the nearly 350 attendees representing federal and state emergency management and other agencies around the US stopped by the ARRL booth to complete a short questionnaire and to discuss Amateur Radio--with a focus on emergency communications.

The FCC continues to work toward developing a Notice of Proposed Rule Making(NPRM) that will spell out what the Commission has in mind with respect to possible changes in the current Morse code requirement and Amateur Radio licensing.

A total of 18 petitions have been filed, including one from the ARRL, seeking Part 97 rule changes addressing the future of the 5 WPM Morse requirement (Element 1) and revisions to the overall Amateur Radio licensing structure. The FCC is planning to tackle all 18 rulemaking petitions within the framework of a single proceeding.

As far as the code issue is concerned, petitions--and comments in response to them--run the gamut from retaining or even beefing up the Morse requirement to eliminating it altogether. (The ARRL's proposal would retain the 5 WPM Morse examination for Amateur Extra class applicants only.) The League and others have also put forth proposals for a new entry-level Amateur Radio license class.

At this point, personnel in the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau are continuing to review the thousands of comments filed on the 18 petitions. While the FCC appears unlikely to release an NPRM any sooner than mid-2005, the issue still may be a major discussion topic during the FCC Forum at Dayton Hamvention, May 20-22.

Once public, the NPRM will initiate yet another round of public comments--this time on what the FCC has proposed. An FCC Report and Order to implement any new rules regarding Morse code and license restructuring is unlikely before the second half of 2006, although it's possible the Commission could wrap up the proceeding before then.

Mark the weekend of June 24 to 26 to be available for one of the most important events in the Amateur Radio calendar – Field Day. NKARC will operate from a new site so plenty of help will be needed to get the gear to the area and to set it up. See ya there.