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HCRA Blog

NoBARC Hamfest Tomorrow – August 12th

At my ‘summer shack’!

The weather is ‘supposed’ to be decent tomorrow morning, a perfect time to go to a hamfest. If you haven’t been to one in a while take a ride to the Berkshires and have fun. They have a bunch of good raffle prizes too.

http://www.nobarc.org/hamfest.htm

Maybe I’ll see you there?

Jim/KK1W

Preview our new meeting location!

Here’s some photographs that should get you ready for our first meeting at the Holyoke Medical Center. The auditorium is newly renovated, features seating for 100 guests, offers free wi-fi, podium with sound system, LCD projector, screen and sound system if needed, The site is fully accessible, rest room, drinking fountain and soda/juice vending machine right outside the door.

See you at our kickoff meeting, 7:30 PM, September 7th.

Jim/KK1W

Renewal time is here!

Summer is almost over, the kids will be heading back to school, vacations are winding down AND – it’s time to renew your membership to HCRA. Our 2012/2013 season starts September 1st. Why not beat the rush at the meeting, download the handy application form on our membership page and send it in now, while it’s fresh on your mind?

Your dues go toward funding HCRA events like Field Day and the Holiday Party, offset mailing costs for our members without email access, cover our web hosting and liability insurance expenses and IRLP node maintenance and more. We need your continuing support to keep HCRA rolling along in high gear.

Sincerely,

Jim/KK1W

From The Shack – Aug 2012

At my ‘summer shack’!

Hello everyone and welcome to HCRA’s ‘new and improved’ web site. Bear with us just a little while longer while we transfer over the remainder of relevant content from the old site. Jeff/NT1K is the major architect behind the change and is working quickly to get it wrapped up ASAP. He’s done a fantastic job so far don’t you think?

It is our hope the new website with its loads of interactive content will become a landing place for everyone interested not only in HCRA but amateur radio in general. We were at the front of the pack when we introduced our web site over a decade ago but we’ve been dragging our heels the last few years about moving to a better format. Thanks not only to Jeff for getting it done but also to Matt/W1MSW and John/Kx1x for their help and suggestions over the last six months. Like most things HCRA it is a team event.

As we move further away from website creation and closer to website utilization we’re working hard to understand the new format and how best to use the new features to enhance everyone’s experiences with HCRA. The new website is totally interactive and  allows everyone to participate, add comments and suggestions, calendar items, etc. Do you have something you’ve seen on other websites that could benefit HCRA? Pass it along, we’re looking for new ideas and different approaches – approaches that hopefully will interest new, younger folks into our interesting hobby.

I hope your summer has been going well and you’ve had a chance to experience some new things, ham radio or otherwise, before the kids head back to school and the leaves start to fall. Our next meeting is September 7th at the new HCRA meeting place at the Holyoke Medical Center. Keep an eye on this website, your email box and our Facebook page for complete directions to our fantastic new location.

Until then 73 and good DX,

Jim/KK1W

From old to new – in the blink of an eye!

If you landed here expecting to see the old HCRA web site and don’t see the blue background with the tower on the left – that’s OK. Nobody has hijacked our site, we’ve just embarked on a whole “rip out and rebuild” of our site. New host, new publishing software, new everything!

It’s going to take a little while longer to get everything back that’s needed but more importantly to comprehend the new tools available and how we can make use of them to keep everyone informed about what is happening at HCRA. Stay tuned, follow us along and don’t be afraid to join the conversation and put forward your suggestions and ideas. Like everything else HCRA this is ‘your’ website – all we need to know is what you want 🙂

Special thanks to Jeff/NT1K. Without his hard work and expertise we would still be limping along with our 1990 style web page. In a few short days he has pulled down the old site, worked with John/Kx1x to move the DNS to the new host and started putting pieces back into place. There’s still a lot left to do but he’s the man to do it!

Lastly, many thanks to SAMnet of Wilbraham, MA. They’ve been hosting our website for years as a donation and promotion of amateur radio. This was significant in the beginning. Web hosting was expensive and we could not have budgeted a webpage without their generosity. If you have need of web services or software why not give them a call – they’re the local guys and that’s always a good thing.