San Antonio Hams

The word I’m getting from the different clubs around the Ssn Antonio metro area, is that in compliance with the various emergency health declarations, all in-person club meetings and test sessions have been canceled.

Several clubs are experimenting with using various forms of Teleconference services, such as Freeteleconferences.com, Skype, or Zoom. One group was overheard suggesting they all get on their club repeater and hold a net.

<gasp!> What will they think of next?

As of this morning, I’ve been told by different VE groups that they will be unable to hold test sessions until the ban on social gatherings (greater than 10) has been lifted.

While ROOST holds their exams at their own clubhouse, they posted on Facebook this morning that they are suspending their 1st & 3rd Saturday VE exams for the time being.

SARC holds theirs on the 4th Saturday in even numbered months, so perhaps the crisis will be over before the end of April?

AARO holds theirs the 3rd Saturday of odd numbered months, which would have been today, March 21st.

GVARC holds quarterly exams in New Braunfels, but the facility normally used has been placed on usage restrictions, which prevents them from using it.

KARS normally offers test sessions after their monthly meetings, but since they can’t hold their meetings in-person, no exam sessions will be possible.

Date:  Tue, 5 May 2015 23:30:12 -0400 (EDT) HB 939 — Thank You For Calling/Faxing Your State Representative But, More Calls & Faxes Need To Be Made

HB 939 is still scheduled to be voted on by the Texas House of Representatives on Thursday, May 7, 2015.

We have a very, very good chance of passing this Bill — IF we have the same effort that everyone made on the cell phone bills. John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, West Gulf Vice Director and his XYL, Mary, visited the Capitol today to speak to each Representative to personally ask them to vote for HB 939. A lot of State Representatives and their staffs commented that they had been called and/or faxed by Hams, asking them to vote for HB 939 — they were impressed. But, many of you have not yet called or faxed your State Representative. We need you to do so. The ARRL cannot pass legislation beneficial to Ham Radio — or defeat legislation that hurts Ham Radio — unless you help us. For those who did not call or fax, we really, really need you to do so on Wednesday. You may determine who is your State Representative — and their fax and telephone numbers — by going to this link and inserting your zip code or your zip code and your address: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/

Please DO NOT CALL OR FAX STATE REPRESENTATIVES TONY DALE, RENE OLIVEIRA OR MATT SCHAEFER. These Gentlemen are our Sponsors — they don’t need to be convinced.

DO NOT EMAIL — the ONLY effective contact methods are either faxes or telephone calls. Whether you contact your Representative by phone or fax: BE POLITE – ALWAYS — elected Representatives and their staff are not our enemies. They want to hear from their constituents — the people who vote for them — about Bills their constituents want passed. Some staff members may ask where you are from or for your telephone number – it is ok to tell them – it makes you “real” and convinces them you are not a phony caller. If you call or fax and their telephone numbers are busy – that is good news, because it means other Hams are calling. KEEP CALLING OR FAXING UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH. Read the rest of this entry »

Source: This is forwarded to you by the State of Texas State Operations Center (SOC).
Date: August 11, 2009
Subject: New traffic, criminal laws set to go into effect Sept. 1

HB 2730 is the DPS’s Sunset Legislation, and many of the DPS-related bills this session were included in HB 2730.

Notable traffic and criminal laws that go into effect on Sept. 1 (unless otherwise indicated) include*:

Seatbelts:

HB 537 requires all occupants of a vehicle, no matter their age, to be secured by a safety belt, no matter where they are seated in the vehicle; changes the definition of a passenger vehicle to include a passenger van designed to transport 15 or fewer passengers including the driver; removes the current exemption for third-party Medicaid transportation provisions regarding the use of child passenger safety seats; and prohibits a motorcycle operator from carrying a passenger under the age of 5 unless the child is seated in a sidecar attached to the motorcycle.

Read the rest of this entry »