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Welcome to the home of the Middle Georgia Radio Association, MGRA, serving central Georgia. Rather than a business meeting, we hold a Technical Seminar on a topic relative to Amateur Radio every 3rd Thursday of the month at the Church of Christ, 1947 Watson Blvd, Warner Robins, GA, at 7:00 PM. Talk in on 147.300+ MHz, PL 107.2 Hz. License testing for May will be held May 10, 2008, at the Heart of Georgia Hamfest.
Join us for The Amateur Hour Net on Mondays at 8:00 PM on the MGRA Repeater, 147.300+, PL 107.2 Hz. Also check in to the Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club VHF Net, each Tuesday at 8:30 PM on the CGARC repeater, 146.805-, no tone necessary.
Repeater Replacement The 147.300 repeater has developed problems over the last couple of years, and it is in need of replacement. We need your help! We need to replace the existing elderly repeater and controller with modern gear, so we're kicking off the repeater replacement fund.
The replacment repeater will consist of: Hamtronics Transmitter (crystal controlled w/crystal oven)
| $250.00
| Hamtronics Receiver (crystal controlled w/crystal oven)
| $250.00
| Cat 200B Repeater Controller
| $200.00
| Rack Mount Enclosure for Controller
| $60.00
| | Enclosures for RX and TX | $100.00
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Total is about $860.00 The CAT 200B controller will give us the ability to add link radios (CAT sells an additional module allowing up to 3 link transceivers to be mixed into the system) to link the 440 repeater and even the Perry and/or future repeaters. If you can contribute $10, $20, $50 or more, we will all benefit. If you wish to contribute, but need to spread your contribution out, make a pledge of, say, $60, and contribute $20 a month for 3 months. This is a fairly critical upgrade, but not immediately required. We'd like to get this funded within 90 days, or by the first of August, so let us know your pledge as soon as possible. Contributions above that required for the direct repeater replacement will be earmaked solely for the repeater fund, with upgrades and upkeep costs coming from the repeater fund. Priorities for upgrades will be purchase of a 440 link transceiver and antenna to bring our 440 repeater into the system along with the 220 repeater that's already linked (via the controller on the 220 repeater, courtesy of Tim, AF1G).
Rock N Roll Man Triathlon  Again this year, the Middle Georgia Radio Association will provide communications along the bicycle race part of the race route for the Coliseum's Rock N Roll Man Triathlon. The route begins at Lake Tobesofkee in Bibb County and runs through Crawford County, out to Roberta, before coming back to Lake Tobesofkee. We need help staffing various points along the route. If you have a mobile 2 meter radio, we can use you! Also needed are APRS trackers to help the race organizers keep up with the front and back of the pack all along the bicycle portion of the race route. Remember, this is a 56 mile bike race, going through Bbb and Crawford counties. The Triathlon will be held May 31, 2008, a Saturday this year instead of Sunday as in years past. Please contact Mark Swann, AE1MS, to let him know your availability to help out for the race. ARRL Field Day
 It's almost that time again, Field Day! This year, Field Day will be held on June 28 and 29. As usual, MGRA will take over the pavilion at Central Baptist Church to light up the airwaves for the entire period. This year, the Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club (CGARC) will combine forces with MGRA to create a truly awesome force for Field Day 08. Both groups would like to invite you to come out and find out what local amateur radio operators do "when all else fails." The purpose of Field Day is to be an exercise in going to a location, setting up radios and antennas and making contacts around the country and, in many cases, around the world. Central Baptist Church is at Russell Parkway and Lake Joy Road. If you have any questions, please contact any member of either group and we'll do our best to answer those for you! Shelby Hamfest is ON. It will be held Labor Day Weekend at Biggerstaff Park in Dallas, NC, just north of Gastonia, NC, and not far off I-85. Membership Forms It's time again to renew your MGRA membership. Dues are $16 for regular membership, $12 for full-time students and those retired and on a fixed income. Due to problems with locating a valid club roster, we are basically "starting over" on the roster, and we need all members to fill out a new membership form. Here is a copy of the form that you can fill out in Adobe Acrobat Reader and print out to bring to the next meeting, or mail in with your check: MGRA_Membership_Interactive.pdf If you have trouble with that one, you can use this one: MGRA_Membership.pdf Please bring one of these completed along with your 2008 dues to the MGRA meeting on February 21, 2008. If you can't print either one of these, we will have forms available at the club meeting. |
