Author: Darrell Davis KT4WX

WCF SECTION CABINET MEMBERS RECENT HOSPITALIZATIONS

Within the last week, two of the WCF Section Cabinet have been in the hospital.  Ben Henley KI4IGX, our Section Emergency Coordinator, was hospitalized last week after his doctors have observed some difficulty with his heart medication regiment.  Ben will be in the hospital for one to two weeks until his medication is adjusted.  Ben is in good spirits and looks forward to coming home soon.

Until Ben has returned home, Darrell Davis KT4WX has appointed Randy Payne K4EZM, an Assistant Section Manager and ASEC, as Acting Section Emergency Coordinator, until the time Ben resumes his duties.  A special thank you to Randy for picking up these duties until Ben’s return.

Geoff Haines N1GY, our Technical Coordinator, was in the hospital last week for hip replacement surgery.  The surgery was successful and Geoff has already come home from hospital and has begun the road to recovery, which will take some time.

Your prayers and thoughts for Ben and Geoff are certainly welcome and appreciated.

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ARRL HEADQUARTERS GUEST SPEAKER FOR 4TH ANNUAL TECHCON

Bob Allison WB1GCM, the ARRL Lab Assistant Manager, will be our special guest for the 4th Annual TECHCON, which will be held on Saturday February 24, 2018 at the Polk County Emergency Operations Center between Winter Haven and Lakeland.

Bob resides with his wife, Kathy, KA1RWY, in Coventry, CT. As Senior Test engineer at the ARRL Laboratory, Bob tests the latest Amateur Radio related equipment for QST’s monthly Product Review Column. He also has written several Product Review articles, as well as many technical and historical articles for QST magazine. Prior to his work at the ARRL Laboratory, Bob worked at WVIT-NBCCT (Channel 30) for 28 years as a Broadcast Engineer and Studio Supervisor. Bob is a graduate of Ward Technical College at the University of Hartford. His Hobbies are Amateur Radio (41 years), antique phonographs, antique radios and enjoying his 1931 Model-A. Bob also volunteers as a tour guide at the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum in Windsor Connecticut.

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TROPICAL STORM EMILY FORMS WEST OF TAMPA BAY EARLY THIS MORNING

At 0600 EDT, the National Hurricane Center began issuing Advisories on Tropical Depression Six, that formed overnight from an area of low pressure in the eastern Gulf of Mexico approximately 100 miles west of Tampa Bay.  At 0800, the National Hurricane Center found 45 MPH winds and upgraded Tropical Depression Six to Tropical Storm Emily.

At 0800 EDT, Tropical Storm Emily was located about 45 miles west-southwest of Tampa or about 50 miles west-northwest of Sarasota.  The maximum sustained winds are at 45 MPH and were located in the south side of the storm and movement was toward the east at 8 MPH.  The minimum center pressure was about 29.71 inches of mercury.   A Tropical Storm Warning is currently in effect for coastal Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.

To quote the National Hurricane Center, “The primary threat with this system is expected to be locally heavy rainfall across portions of the Florida peninsula during the next couple of days. However, an isolated waterspout will also be possible in the coastal waters within the warning area.”

Please stay tuned to the latest advisories from the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin, which covers all of the West Central Florida Section.  Also any ARES, ACS, or CERT, or SKYWARN amateur radio operators should be ready to activate in the highly unlikely event they are requested to do so by their served agencies.

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JOE EISENBERG K0NEB TO SPEAK AT LOCAL RADIO CLUB MEETING IN NEW PORT RICHEY

Joe Eisenburg K0NEB, the CQ Magazine Editor for the kit building column, will be the special guest speaker at the next Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club meeting in New Port Richey on Monday July 24th at 1900.  The doors to the clubhouse will open at 1800.  For details on the meeting location go to the West Central Florida Section website calendar entry for the Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club meeting at http://arrlwcf.org/monthly-meetings/gulf-coast-amateur-radio-club-monthly-membership-meeting/.

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THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #27 JULY 2017 IS NOW PUBLISHED

The WCF PRESSER Issue #27 July 2017, has been published on the Section website, and the ARRL website. An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly.  Please note that the WCF PRESSER is no longer disseminated on the ARRL remailer due to the expanded graphical content in the WCF PRESSER.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

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