I am told we had a very good exam session this past weekend. New technician class hams, several who went on to get their general license and one person who went all the way to only miss their Extra by a few questions. I hope they haven’t given up and will try again soon.
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell the newly licensed hams to look at becoming a memeber of the American Radio Rely League (ARRL). This is the body that represents our interests to the government but they are so much more.
I won’t cover all the services they provide members but I would mention the best monthly magazine devoted to amateur radio anywhere, QST.
From product reviews, DIY projects, to contesting and other topics, it’s a valuable resource to a new amateur just starting out in the hobby. If anything, it can expose you to things other hams are doing you might not have even thought of yet.
The latest advancement has been the QST app for iPhone and Android devices. You are able to have your QST with you no matter where you are.
Here are just a few articles I grabbed off my iPad that are in this issue:
There are plenty of radio and antenna projects each month. 
To find out more on how to join you can ask any of the many CARS members who are already league members, or just visit this link. If you don’t already know, we meet on the first Monday of every month. We have shack day on the third Saturday of each month. The monthly shack days are a perfect opportunity to interact with fellow hams in an informal setting. This is also a perfect chance to check out HF communications, since we have several HF operating stations available to operate from.
To everyone who got their licenses this past weekend, I want to congratulate you on joining an enjoyable hobby. I hope that CARS can help you fully enjoy it. If CARS is too far for you to visit regularly, then check our links of local amateur radio clubs if one if closer for you. You are also able to search for ham radio clubs on the ARRL website.
73
Keith Ainsley, kg4zxk
President, CARS.