Holiday City Amateur Radio Club - W2HC

..........................................THE SKYHOOK TAKES ON A NEW FACE..........................................

After many years of serving as the editor of the SKYHOOK, John Roberts has decided to retire. His professional and dedicated effort provided the entire membership of the Holiday City Amateur Radio Club with up-to-date information on the activities of the organization. John's commitment to excellence in each issue of the SKYHOOK is appreciated and will be missed.

In addition to the web page (hcarc.us), the SKYHOOK is the only means of communication available to the members. Without this connection of information, the lifeline of the club is compromised.

As with any volunteer organization, the membership is counted on to provide the necessary tasks for the club to provide a functional environment. We are fortunate to have someone who is willing to "step up" and take the responsibility of becoming the editor of the SKYHOOK. Richard aka "Wolf" Wallace KD2ZIW has volunteered to accept this position, and we are grateful for his concern for the club. We need to support the new editor by providing content Wolf will require for each issue of the SKYHOOK.

The club decided to have a presence on FACEBOOK after a presentation was conducted by Thom Roberts (John Robert's) son. Thom agreed to assist in the formation of this new line of communication. More information will follow.

Our August meeting will ask the members for suggestions for presentations at our monthly meetings. Volunteer to pick a topic and share your knowledge with the group. You do not need to be an expert; people at the meeting will supplement your information. A successful presentation merely involves presenting the facts and letting the members interact.

The Holiday City Amateur Radio Club (HCARC) invites all hams or prospective hams to join our club. We are an ARRL affiliated club and have members eager to help others to achieve licensing or to up-grade their present license privileges.

Members of the HCARC have a sense of friendship and concern for each others welfare and interest. This extends to helping each other with problems associated with their station, rigs, computers and more.

We meet the first Thursday of the month, in the evening at 7:00 PM. Our meeting place is in the Club House complex of Holiday City South off Mule Road (Corner of Mule Road and Santiago Drive) in the Toms River area.

We always have an interesting monthly program that in the past have consisted of discussions about APRS, DX, Computer Aids, Power Line Surge Protection, the Battle Ship N.J. Amateur Radio Station and many other topics. The club has arranged for tours of such places as the Naval Engineering Station at Lakehurst (location of the famed Hanger 1 and the Hindenburg disaster) and the Nuclear Power plant at Cedar Creek. Guest speakers from the world of elder law, medical professionals, club members presenting alternative hobbies, and speakers from other Amateur Radio Clubs, have also provided interesting and educational presentations. We have annual get-togethers. These include our holiday party and a Field Day picnic at the Toms River Park. Luncheons, including XYLs and friends, take place from time to time at local restaurants and an every other Monday luncheon for members are also part of our regular routine. At each meeting we provide refreshments; coffee, cake and cookies and quarterly we host a pizza meeting. XYLs are in the picture at all social events held during the year, assisting and helping to plan such activities. Our club has sponsored technician and general class license classes that included learning or increasing ones Morse code ability. We think the club has something to offer each member and would be delighted if you participated.

We here at the Holiday City Amateur Radio Club welcome all who venture into the ranks of Amateur Radio. Like all radio operators there comes a point when we attempt to set up a working radio station and get "on the air". Many questions come to mind such as, What radio should I buy and where to buy it?, What type antenna should I use?, Can I install an antenna where I live?, or if I have already set up my station, When do I push the transmit button?. We here at the Holiday City Amateur Radio Club are here to help answer those questions. All you have to do is ask. You may contact me at my email address: n2wlh@yahoo.com