April Fool’s has come and gone already. April showers are starting. The pollen is already turning everything green, and tissue sales are spiking.
Yep. Spring has sprung. Another month has arrived. And the arrival of a new month means the usual thing: the monthly meeting of the Decatur Amateur Radio Club.
The Decatur Amateur Radio Club will hold its monthly meeting for April on Tuesday evening, April 5th, at 7:30pm in the basement auditorium of the Morgan County Courthouse in Decatur. Please arrive early at the lower entrance off of Lee Street. The building remains locked, and someone has to stay by the door to admit visitors.
Our program for the evening will be an introduction to the Morgan County CERT, the Community Emergency Response Team. This organization has recently formed and is beginning the training for citizens to be able to assist their neighborhoods in case of a disaster. Come learn how you can get involved.
Also, the club offers license testing on the first Tuesday of each quarter. That’s this month. If you want to take a test for a license or upgrade, be at the courthouse at 6:00 on Tuesday.
And note to all: the FCC is implementing a $35.00 fee for new, upgraded, and renewed licenses, beginning on April 19th. You’ve got 2 weeks to do one of those 3 things before the extra cost becomes a requirement. Check the ARRL website for a more detailed explanation.
And once again, please don’t forget about paying your membership dues for this year. The club raised the the annual dues to $20.00 beginning in 2021 (this was the first increase in anyone’s memory stretching back more than 30 years!). Bring your $20.00 (and $5.00 each for additional family members) and pay the treasurer for the year. Dues are annual, beginning in January and expiring in December. If you’d rather do it the old-fashioned postal way, mail a check to DARC, PO Box 9, Decatur, AL 35602-0009. And you can pay for multiple years if you wish (sorry, no volume discounts!).
The continuing reminder: the roster of current club members is now online at www.HamClubOnline.com. Set up your free account and if you have paid your dues (and the Secretary has updated the database) you should see that you’re associated with the DARC. If there’s an issue, let me know.
See you on Tuesday evening!
