ARRL Meeting April 25th--make plans!

On April 25th, we'll be holding our NE QRP meeting at League Headquarters in Newington, CT. Bring your Show-N-Tell QRP radios, new shack acquisitions, old gear you want to sell, trade or give away, parts you have TOO much of, QSLs showing your made contact with 5 watts or less and perhaps a little snack to share with the group. The meeting agenda is open and if you have a topic to discuss, this would be the time to express your opinion. The following is scheduled for our club on Saturday:

Ed Hare-W1RFI will be our host and maybe Bob Allison-WB1GCM, ARRL's test engineer will be on hand to greet us. The Conference Room will be available and if more seating is needed, it can be arranged.

There will be a tour of the Engineering Lab in perhaps groups of 10, if a heavy turnout is anticipated.

The W1HQ station will be opened for all to use and you will be able to use your own call, if you wish. The station is located within the League building, not far from the conference room.

If members bring QRP rigs, a spectrum analyzer test, a power-output test and a few quick tests on the receiver, time permitting will be performed. Ed or Bill are willing to help us out with any questions and will do their best to accommodate all.

The lobby for book sales (badges, cups, banners, etc.) will be open before we leave the building and go home. There will be coupons that will be good for $5 on a $10 or more purchase, so bring your recessionary money and buy a lot.

Not too sure about operating W1AW, but Ed is pretty sure it can opened for a tour. (Bring your camera.) It will probably be the W1HQ station for all and any operating event and to let W1AW be only a tour.

Ed can take us all through the building, but on Saturday, the offices are pretty empty, so there isn't much worth seeing other than the Lab and W1AW. Nothing transpiring where you'll see people in motion, but more like an empty chair where all the action takes place.

Several members have already made plans to share their ride for it is a long distance to Newington. Please bring a friend and pass the word to those who do not receive the QRP Lister information. It certainly would be very nice if we, as a New England Club, could show a Tout-de Force and have a record turnout at the League Headquarters. Let's show the ARRL that the New England QRP Club and all QRPers we are "radio active!" We might even get the chance to hear the waffling words of wisdom from Hiram Percy Maxim, the father, founder and evangelist of amateur radio and first president of the ARRL somewhere in the corridors.

Dennis--K1LGQ