Newnan Regional Amateur Radio Club - NRARC

Someone posted a great idea on another site. HAMs should send a QSL card to Their Representative and Senators with the simple note of “Support S.3690”. This is a bill that would hamstring (pun intended) HOA’s regarding amateur radio antennas. My QSL cards went out today.

Please be advised that the Madras repeater will be offline Wednesday March 13, 2024. and the Canongate repeater will be offline Wednesday March 20, 2024. These repeaters will be offline until we can secure another location. Please program your radios accordingly.

Suffice it to say that there are circumstances beyond our control. Complete information will be given at our monthly business meeting at the Madras Center March 11, 2024 starting at 7:00 pm.

Hi to all. To the NRARC Membership. Not all of our members participate in Facebook. Therefore, we will establish an email method of communicating. The emails will be from BGMRC1972 (at) gmail. The first email will be later this week. If you wish to be removed from the email notification list, just respond to that email with "REMOVE" or something similar.

Thank you.
Admin.

Hi to all. To the NRARC Membership. Not all of our members partake of Facebook. Therefore, we will establish an email method of communicating. The emails will be from BGMRC1972 (at) gmail. The first email will be later this week. If you wish to be removed from the email notification list, just respond to that email with "REMOVE" or something similar.

Thank you.
Admin.

Our next Foxhunt is scheduled for Saturday, February 24, around 1300hrs. Same rules as previous events:
- Participants check in and coordinate via the linked repeater system.
- Fox will hide on public or publicly-accessible property.
- Fox will transmit on an FM simplex frequency (probably 146.535) on a regular schedule.
- First to find wins bragging rights.
More info will be posted as we get closer.

Update: Larry Chappell WX4LEC is donating a dual band handheld beam antenna, to be awarded to the first to find the fox.

As published in the ARRL Letter for January 25, 2024:

ARRL Board Approves Free Membership for Students

The Board authorized a new, free ARRL membership for students. For decades, ARRL has offered a reduced dues rate for young hams, currently priced at $30 per year. At this meeting, the Board established a new option for a no-cost Associate membership for full-time students aged 21 and younger.

Let us all congratulate Rod Bailey for passing his General Exam! Way to go Rod.

Hi to all:

Our membership renewal period has come and gone. Thank you for those who have renewed. Keep in mind that if you signed up during 2023, the dues were for only 2023 and are due again for 2024 as of December 31, 2023 (which has past). You can renew at https://bgmrc.org/

Our first monthly business meeting is Monday January 8, 2024. At the October 2023 meeting, our group elected new board members for 2024.

We look forward to your participation in 2024.

EJ Bauman, Jr.
Secretary (NRARC)
WB5RNS

www.bggmrs.org

Membership renewal is going on now! Please renew by December 31. 2023.
The NRARC membership will have two (2) options of paid membership class in 2024.
NRARC Full Member. This category of Member will have voting rights and be expected to participate, as outlined in the code of conduct, in Club meetings, field day, and other club functions. This category of Member will be used to calculate a quorum and active membership.
NRARC Associate Member. This category of Member will retain all of the privileges of an NRARC Member with the following exceptions.
Associate Members will not have voting privileges.
Associate Members do not carry an expectation of participation.
Associate Members will NOT count toward quorum requirements.
The NRARC will strongly urge those members who are geographically located in a way that would prevent them from being active club members to choose the Associate Member option. Those who have limited time due to personal or professional commitments and cannot dedicate the time needed to be a Member would be encouraged to choose the Associate Member option. Those who want to support the NRARC and its repeater network or the club but, do not intend on attending meetings or participating on a regular basis should choose the Associate Member option.

NRARC MEMBERSHIPS (RENEWALS AND NEW MEMBERS) VALID FROM TODAY THROUGH 12/31/2024 The NRARC membership will have two (2) options of paid membership class in 2024. NRARC Full Member. This category of Member will have voting rights and be expected to participate, as outlined in the code of conduct, in Club meetings, field day, and other club functions. This category of Member will....

The Bill Gremillion Memorial Radio Club (BGMRC) has officially changed its name to Newnan Regional Amateur Radio Club. Please bear with us as we update our logos and other club identifiers. We are excited about this change that better reflects our community and purpose.

Our club has a new name! The Bill Gremillion Memorial Radio Club is now Newnan Regional Amateur Radio Club (NRARC). We're excited about the change!!

‘My name’s Isabella’: 8-year-old girl contacts astronaut at ISS via ham radio “Once he found out I was 8, his voice instantly turned from normal to joyful,” Isabella Payne said.

Our August business meeting is tonight at 7:00 PM at the Madras Community Center, 2355 US-29, Newnan, GA 30263. Following our meeting, we will have an interesting program from Brian Haren W8BH about the ARES situational awareness map he developed. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about HAM radio or BGMRC.

We had a great turn-out for the June BGMRC dinner and business meeting! If you weren't there you missed some big announcements!
1. Field Day 2022 is June 24-26 and will be held at the Madras Community Center - 2355 US-29, Newnan, GA 30263. This new venue is easily accessible and offers a lot of visibility to the public. In addition, the gymnasium building we will use is large, air-conditioned, offers lots of power outlets, and easy access to the outside for antenna set-up.
2. Beginning in July our monthly business meetings will have a new home! We are excited to announce that we will also be utilizing the Madras Community Center for our monthly meetings. We will be using the Community Center Building which is newly renovated and provides plenty of space for a large or small gathering along with access to state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. Meetings will begin at 7:00 PM.

The June BGMRC meeting will be at Art and Jake's Sports Bar on Monday, June 13th. Join us for dinner at 6:00 PM followed by our business meeting at 7:00 PM. All visitors are welcome!

New info coming soon about Field Day and our new monthly meeting location......stay tuned!

The January BGMRC business meeting will be changed from January 10th to January 17th. Join us for dinner at 6:00 PM and our business meeting at 7:00 PM at Art and Jakes Sports Bar - 510 Newnan Crossing Bypass, Newnan, GA 30265

Merry Christmas!!

Raspberry P*s offer some great project options!

Coolest Raspberry Pi Amateur Radio Projects in 2021 Ham radio enthusiasts have found many uses for Raspberry P*s. Read on for some fun radio Raspberry Pi projects!

Currently, our Cannongate Repeater (147.165) is off the air. We expect it to be a few days before it is back up and running.
On August 1st, 2021, the Sunday Evening Net will be held on the Temple Ave. repeater (145.13). We look forward to meeting you there!

Enjoy the July 2021 edition of the ARRL "Georgia On My Mind" newsletter.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17lsuaZ2kB4etmHtUzJizDFsHyOKJxZaC/view

GoMM July 2021.pdf

At our July business meeting, we honored the 100th birthday of Bill Gremillion! While Bill has been gone for 51 years, there is a member of our club who knew him and remembers him. We were able to share with those in attendance a little about Bill and why we honor him with our club name. Below is a response to the celebration from Bill's daughter, Janice:

"Thank you so much for sharing this with me. Daddy would be so happy and proud that he has been remembered in such a way. He loved his time on the radio talking to people from almost everywhere. Please tell the club members how much I appreciate them remembering him. He was a kind, gentle, loving person who liked introducing people to the world of amateur radio. I guess you could call it a forerunner of our social media. Thanks again!"

We are honored to carry on his legacy!

For more information about Bill Gremillion please visit https://bgmrc.org/ and scroll down to the section "About Gill Gremillion".

Don't miss the next BGMRC monthly dinner/business meeting at Art and Jake's Sports Bar, 510 Newnan Crossing Bypass, Newnan, GA 30265. We will be celebrating Bill Gremillion who would have been 100 years old this year!

Have a question about HAM radio?
Want to get licensed but don't know how?
Want to meet some new friends and start a great hobby?
Already HAM looking for a great club?

Join us at the next BGMRC business meeting on June 14th, at Art and Jake's Sports Bar located at 510 Newnan Crossing Bypass. Those who want to socialize can meet for dinner at 6:00 PM, where each person can purchase their own dinner from Art and Jake's great menu. Our monthly business meeting will begin at 7:00 PM.

We look forward to seeing you then!

World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) 2021 is this Sunday, April 18. The occasion is being celebrated with on-the-air activities around the globe. For more information on how you can participate, go to www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day

(Photo, ARRL member Anne Frank, KD9LRB, of Deer Park, Wisconsin.)

Reminder: Free Ham Radio Licensure Testing April 13, 2021
The North Georgia VE Testing Team is an Amateur Radio testing team that offers FREE licensing exams through the Laurel VEC.
6:30 PM
HOBBITT COMMUNICATIONS
3 Hobbitt Trail, Newnan, Georgia 30263
Sign IP here: https://ngvet.org/

Welcome to North Georgia VE Team The North Georgia VE Testing Team is an Amateur Radio testing team that offers FREE licensing exams through the Laurel VEC.

Due to the recent tornado in Newnan, there is no internet service at the location where the WIRES-X node is housed. Therefore, WIRES-X is down until further notice. We will update the information once service has been restored.

Who was Bill Gremillion??
Bill Gremillion (Grem-e-yon) 1921-1970, was a resident of Newnan, Georgia, and responsible for raising awareness of Amateur Radio in the Coweta County area. Serving as a mentor or "Elmer," many new radio enthusiasts earned their HAM license thanks to Bill's time and the effort invested in them. Bill, or "Gremie," as he was also known, was a native of Bunkie, Louisiana, and enlisted in the Army National Guard at age 18. During World War II, Bill served in the European Theatre as a driver for General George Patton, using the French language he grew up speaking in Lousiana to assist General Patton while in France. Bill also spent many years working with the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS). MARS was a civilian auxiliary consisting primarily of licensed amateur radio operators who were interested in assisting the military with communications on a regional and national level when access to traditional forms of communication may not have been available. The MARS program also included active duty, reserve, and National Guard units; and Navy, Marine Corps units, but was closed in 2015 and no longer exists.

Bill was an electrician by trade. He obtained his HAM license in the 1950s and was assigned the call sign K4SEX. This call sign was assigned in the standard sequential order that the FCC uses and was not a Vanity Call Sign. For obvious reasons, Bill's wife, Cornelia, asked Bill to request a new call sign, which was assigned in the 1960s. K4SEX remains active as a Special Event Station with the club and you may hear it on the air from time to time.

Unfortunately, Bill passed away in 1970 at only 49 years old. While there are only a few remaining club members who knew him, the Bill Gremillion Memorial Radio Club exists to carry on Bill's legacy. The club dedicates itself to raising awareness of Amateur Radio and encouraging and mentoring all who express an interest in learning about the hobby and obtaining their HAM license.

Newnan Regional Amateur Radio Club - NRARC updated their business hours.