The next meeting of the NCRC will be held at the VFW Post, 52 Underwood Ln, Middletown, RI 02842.

There will be a brief presentation on the W1AW portable operation that is active in all 50 states this year (and coming to RI on July 23 and August 12).  In addition we will be distributing a survey of proposed meeting presentations for the coming year.

We will also discuss our planned activity list which includes a “Worked All Rhode Island Islands” award (great for you boating hams), Field Day, and JOTA.  ILLW will probably be covered through one of the WARII weekends.

See you Monday at 7 PM

The annual Christmas Party will be held at the Mainstay Suites beginning with a cash bar at 6 PM.  There will be a buffet dinner, featuring Steamship Round.  Following dinner, there will be a Yankee Gift Swap.  The cost is $30 per person, and please bring a gift for the Yankee Swap.  The food is excellent and the gift swap is sure to instill loathing for years to come!

Contact Ed Gosling, W1NQH to reserve your spot.

Congratulations to the slate of new officers, elected during last nights meeting:

President, Willy Maclean– W1LY
Vice President, Ed Gosling – W1NQH
Treasurer, John Mills – K1JSM
Secretary, Bob Beatty – WB4SON
Exec. Comm, Rich Brendlinger, N3RWB
Exec. Comm, Sam Sanborn, N1SRV
Exec. Comm, David Brown, KC1AAA

Steve Hodell, KA1RCI, has, in the words of our own John Mills, probably done more for Rhode Island hams than anyone else.  Steve built a fantastic repeater network out of his own funds called the RCI network, which is an invaluable resource for Rhode Islanders.

Sadly, Steve has suffered major medical problems which have strained his family finances to the breaking point.  The club, at the request of the membership, has made a $500 donation, and is accepting private donations from members on Steve’s behalf.  By the end of the meeting, over $1000 had been raised for Steve.

If you would like to donate to this cause, please make your check payable to “Newport County Radio Club”, and send it to K1JSM, John Mills, and write “For Steve” on the memo line.  NCRC is a 501(c)3 organization, so your donation should be tax deductible.  John’s address is available on QRZ.com or in the member roster.

You can also donate using the PayPal donation button on our donation page.  But be aware that there is a small service fee deducted by PayPal, so if you want the full amount of the donation to go to Steve, send a check to John, please.