Storm Outlook added to Weather Page

In a continual effort to make the RCARC website as useful as possible, we've added graphics provided by the Storm Prediction Center to our weather page.

The SPC, a part of NOAA, creates storm prediction models every day for the next eight days. We've added five small images to our Weather Page (just below NOAA's national weather loop) as well as links to the full pages with detailed information on each day's prediction.

 If there is not a measurable chance of severe weather on a specific day, the image will be mostly blank and include text stating there is no expected severe weather that day. The SPC updates these images and their corresponding pages once a day unless rapidly changes weather patterns require quicker updates.

 To view the complete weather product on NOAA's site, simply click one of the images.

Fun at the Christmas Dinner!

Several members of the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club gathers for a Christmas Dinner recently. The group enjoyed a variety of Mexican dishes in the company of fellow hams.

Among the festivities, several awards were given including New Ham of the Year, to Dana Ashby and Net Control Operator of the Year to Eric Smith. Craig Roquemore, Tommy Vaugh and James Pike were also recognized for their service to the club over the past year.

FT-991 and Digital Modes

The Yaesu FT-991 transceiver is a relatively new offering from Yaesu. It covers the HF bands, 6 Meters, 2 Meters and 70 cMeters amateur bands and offers All Mode operation on those bands.

After receiving my new FT-991 I wanted to get it hooked up for the digital modes, but the owner's manual didn't go into any details about using the FT-991 in this mode. After some time spent searching the Internet I discovered that the FT-991 actually has a built-in soundcard that can be accessed and controlled by installing one standard USB cable between the radio and your computer. The data signals for CAT control of the radio as well as the data signals controlling the on-board soundcard all travel across this one USB Cable.

Bottom line is this; the FT-991 does not require an interface, like the SignaLink or any kind of level conversion, isolation to communicate with your computer!

Should anyone else be looking for some assistance with getting a FT-991 hooked up to their computer, a short write up containing my notes can be seen here.

Keith
KN5G

Club Christmas Dinner

Club Christmas Dinner..

Make your plans and mark your calendars now to attend the Rusk County Amateur Radio Club's Christmas Dinner.

Tuesday, December 15, at 7:00 p.m.

Bring your spouse, children, and your appetite, and share in the fellowship during this special time of year. Our club has a great and diverse group of members and we want to spend this evening with our fellow amateurs and their families to celebrate the Christmas Season.

The club has a room reserved at Sombrero's Bar and Grill, so we should have plenty of room to visit and enjoy each other's company during the meal.

The restaurant is located in Henderson, at 405, Hwy 79 South, across from the old Sonic.

Merry Christmas !