San Antonio Hams

Ray Taylor (N5GAR), STX’s long-serving and dedicated SM, retired this year, resulting in a 3-way race for Section Manager of one of the ARRL’s largest Sections.

STX was lucky to have three fine hams, Lee Cooper (W5LHC) from Austin, Lou Everett (WA5LOU) from Kennard and Gary Tangrady (K5GST) from San Antonio vie to replace Ray Taylor.

The ARRL just announced the election results:

A close race between good men.

Congratulations to Lee who will officially take office on October 1, 2009.

More photos from the August 15th Cowboy Homecoming in Pleasanton, TX where Atascosa County Amateur Radio Club WA5AR had a demonstration station.  This country fair had all the usual amentities like rooster roping, bull riding, pony rides, beauty queens, home-made jewelry, ham station demonstrations, and oops!  even Longhorn Mobile operations? 

Click on photos below for larger view.

One of my favorite tracking sites is www.stormpulse.com which lets you choose which storm to track, and can see how far away it is in miles from some city (like San Antonio or Corpus Christi, etc.).

Currently as of 08/17,  this tracking authority apparently does not envision a high chance of Hurricane Bill coming to Texas, but instead predicts that it will be heading toward the eastern US coast.  Bill turned into a Hurricane status as of the morning of 08/17.

Of course, the true official hurricane forecast site is always the National Hurricane Center from the National Weather Service.

The State EOC has issued potential timelines for response to Ana or Bill, should they threaten the Texas Coast:

Lee, W5LHC

1.Current Situation:

Tropical Storm Claudette will make landfall overnight in the western Florida Panhandle. No threat to Texas. Tropical Storm Ana has weakened to become a tropical depression. Most current models do not develop Ana once it enters the Gulf.

Tropical Storm Bill appears to be destined to become a major hurricane.

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Later this month on August 29th, the combined talents of Navy-Marine Corps MARS, REACT, National Weather Service, Bexar Operators Group and others will work together during a hurricane drill. Information will be passed using both MARS EEI and standard text messaging when a “hurricane” landfalls on an area just north of Corpus Christi. We will also have coastal hospitals and Skywarn personnel working the event.  The drill is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, August 29th.

This will be a test of various MOUs and our ability to communicate with each other in case a real weather event should erupt.

This is NOT just some “table top” drill, as stations will actually deploy along the coast and along evacuation routes from both Houston and Corpus Christi. In addition, there will also be stations up and running at two National Weather Service offices (New Braunfels & Corpus Christi).  And now it looks like “someone invited” Tropical Storm Bill to come help make our drill be a bit more realistic. 🙂

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Here are some photos of the Atascosa County Amateur Radio club taken during the 08/15/2009 Cowboy Home Coming in Pleasanton, Texas, at River Park.

Thank you
Andrew KD5NNN

Click link below to see photos….
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Parade with floats, displays, vendors. A nice, small town fair.
Bob  W2IK

Following are some photos by Krissy, KD5YTN and a few byW2IK.
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For all of you that live in other parts of the country or who could not attend the Huntsville Hamfest, QSO will be broadcasting live from 12pm to 4pm CDT or 1pm to 5pm EDT on 9330 KC WBCQ.

The broadcast can also be heard live streaming at the link below. Click Here to Listen Live

Please note this link will be dead prior to and after the broadcast.  Or go to www.tedrandall.com  and click the live link.

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44th  Cowboy Homecoming – Saturday Aug. 15  starting at 9AM till—??

Pleasanton, TX at the city park located off of Business HWY 281 at the Atascosa River just North of downtown Pleasanton.  Bob – K5AUW

Several San Antonio Hams, including myself (Lee N5NTG), apparently made the 100 mile round trip down to visit our fellow hams from the Atascosa County Amateur Radio Club, only to find out it was just as hot and dusty down there as it was up here in San Antonio.  🙂   after finding the place (without any exterior signage on the main road) by using my GPS, then trying to find the main entrance with the parking lot by following a couple of large pickups (did I say it was out in the rural country area?), paying my $5 admission fee, and then walking what felt like 2 miles to find the ham station located almost at the rear of the country fair event, I found smiling faces and a cold bottle of water awaiting me.  The way I first spotted their “booth” was due to a couple of antennas stuck up in the air about 25-30 feet with colorful surveyor’s tape stretched around the area.

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