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November 1997 - Page 5

TWIAR Celebration

"This Week in Amateur Radio" will celebrate its Fifth Anniversary of providing the latest amateur radio news, information, and features via satellite and the World Wide Web with a Special Event Station. Under new FCC rules, producers, staff members and affiliates will be given the opportunity to operate all bands and modes using the special event call sign W2T, which has been assigned for our use from 0000 hours EST Saturday, February 28, 1998 through 2400 hours EST Saturday, March 14, 1998.
A special QSL card will be offered to all stations worked who send their QSL and an SASE to Stephan Anderman, WA3RKB, 183 Pine Ln, Stillwater, NY 12170-1259. If there is sufficient interest, a certificate may also be offered.
Further details will be forthcoming to affiliates of record and on future editions of "This Week in Amateur Radio."
Stephan Anderman, WA3RKB
Executive Producer - "This Week in Amateur Radio"

"TECH AMERICA" OPENS, OFFERS FREE CATALOG If you lived in the Northeast back in the sixties and early seventies, perhaps you remember the "Lafayette Radio" chain of electronic stores based on Long Island. Or maybe you recall the Chicago-based "Allied Radio." Remember those four and five hundred page catalogs of order-by-mail electronic goodies? Wouldn't you like to be able to order from those catalogs again?
Bob Miller, K2RM, is Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing for Tandy Corporation's new retail/mail order outlets called "Tech America." Tandy Corporation, which operates "Radio Shack" and "Computer City" retail outlets, is now in the mail order business with the new operation. "`Tech America' is an extension of Tandy Corporation's core competency," says Miller. "`Tech America' is picking up what `Radio Shack' has left behind. The new business is what most `Radio Shack' stores were about thirty years ago."
"Tech America" carries components, test gear, kits, batteries and a lot more. 2000 technical book titles are available. Having trouble finding Rohn tower? How about that odd value resistor, or capacitor? You won't have that problem anymore! "Tech America" also carries computer parts down to the chip level. Amateur radio gear in the catalog includes complete lines from Standard and Alinco, Cushcraft and Valor antennas, and more to come.
With its flagship store located in Denver, other outlets are also open in Atlanta, Dallas, and Mesa, Arizona. Their FREE full-color, 548 page catalog, sure to please any technophile, is available at 800.877.0072 or try http://www.techam.com/
(Info provided by Hap Holly, KC9RP, and "The RAIN Dial-up.")
Submitted By: George Bowen, N2LQS

Low Figures Puzzles Liaison

On November 8, 1997 ATVET (Albany/Troy Volunteer Examiner Team) concluded their '97 exam schedule, which was anything but impressive. ATVET's Liaison Bill Eddy, NY2U said, "This has been one of the most puzzling and disappointing seasons I've ever experienced in the 12 years that I've been administering exams with ATVET. We've seen the numbers plummet from an average of around 35 to 40 candidates per session, to an average of just 10 candidates this season. In fact we even had one session where we had just ONE candidate that showed up. We used to have so many candidates that we would regularly use 3 separate examiner teams, with four examiners per team. Plus we would have 2 or 3 examiners that handled the floor during exams. Nowadays we can get by with just 1 team."

ATVET hasn't yet posted their schedule for 1998 but we are sure they'll be back again next year serving the Capital District, just as they have for the last 13 years. Check TARA's web for new schedule:
CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE

Editor's Note: We'd like to congratulate all the volunteer examiners who have offered their services to ATVET year after year. You folks have been there for all of us when we needed you. Be assured that your services haven't gone unnoticed!

ATVET EXAMINERS 1997