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Hello all! We have a lot to discuss this week so in order to get it done before closing time for the library at 8PM we will be starting the meeting at 6:30PM. Location is the upstairs meeting room at the Fort Atkinson Library. Directions are here. Dan KC9IKI has graciously offered to host a Zoom computer session in conjunction with the in-person meeting. Credentials for the meeting are here in this Link to Join Zoom Meeting

Mike AE9MZ will be doing a presentation on the “on-line” HamFest Table Reservation program he has created. Very exciting. This year, you can reserve tables, buy tickets, even get maps of who’s selling what and where the are, all right here from the web site. Check it out at https://www.W9MQB.org/SwapFest/. It’s so much fun, you might want to buy a table just to try it out!

Elections will be held. See the club minutes from January for information.

We will also have a discussion about the changes coming to the Repeater Main site.

Remember – dues for 2022 are due, if you haven’t done them yet. I will have forms at the meeting, or you can use the online form at https://www.W9MQB.org/MembershipForm/. If you’re not sure if you’ve renewed already, you can also use the web page to check your status, since the page warns you if you’re already paid up.

73’s!

I’m sure most of you have heard the news about the end of the WARC Mid-Winter Swapfest. Here’s the information from https://warac.org/swap/index.htm:

The West Allis Radio Amateur Club is, unfortunately, cancelling the Mid-Winter Swapfest event. The 2021 Swapfest cancellation was due to the COVID. Beginning for year 2022, club-related issues force us to abandon the Swapfest despite our best efforts.

We understand the planning and effort that our sellers put forth to in order to attend the swapfests and provide interesting and useful goods to sell or swap. We thank all of our sellers and attendees for 48 successful Mid-Winter Swapfests.

We have no specific plans to get back into the swapfest business; however, as we all know, never say never. The Mid-Winter Swapfest has been a remarkable success throughout the years, and we have enjoyed being part of that success and we value the relationships which naturally spun off of the event. We will miss the excitement and action.

I, for one, will miss the event, as it was fun to see the Waukesha County Expo building filled with hams.. and all of those cool finds! Besides being a great way to support club operations, WARAC succeeded in providing us with nearly 50 years of good reasons to crawl out of the snowdrifts and head back home with new stuff to make our ham shacks more complete and our communication skills more effective. Plus, besides just helping us move equipment around, they created a cultural event to help us connect as hams. For all of those who helped make that possible, thank you from all of us!

Still, the loss of this Swapfest has left a gap in my winter, and empty space by my workbench. For those of you like me, left with that same gap, let me suggest the Tri-County HAMFEST 2022 as an excellent alternate. The Tri-County Fest, held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, is smaller than the WARAC fest, holding as many as 110 tables, but still provides that great blend of new and used equipment, general electronics, and general Ham Radio fun! Best of all. it’s only about 35 miles west on I-94 from the old Mid-Winter Swapfest location. making it a short trip from both the Milwaukee and Madison areas.

Join us!

Hams are good at talking, so when we say that that we excited beyond words to bring back out annual Swap Fest, you know that means a lot! Covid-19 kept us from having our normal spring SwapFest in 2021, but it’s back with everything you’ve loved in the past! Free parking. Food and beverages will be available so it’s a great opportunity to meet and greet amateur radio friends you haven’t seen in a long while. Lots of vendors expected to bring all that cool computer technology, GPS, electronic parts, tools, radios (new and used), and all of the indescribable weird ham oddities (waterproofing for N connectors!) you’ve been craving during our lockdowns. You know, everything that makes this the place you want to be on March 20th! Download the flyer with the details.

Doors open for sales at 8 AM on Sunday, March 20th with vendor early check-in at 6 AM. TCARC Ham Fest 2022 will be located in the main Activity Center building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, located at 503 N. Jackson Street in Jefferson WI. Talk-in on the 145.49 MHz repeater (negative offset, CTCSS 123.0) if you have questions on the way into the swap. Get directions here:

Vendor tables are still available for $15. Reserve yours now, before they run out.