WA7ARC Radio Club

I wanna be a member of the WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club!  How do I become a member?!

About the WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club...

The WA7ARC Amateur Radio "Club" is more akin to a benevolent dictatorship. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for obtaining input from everyone and putting together groups to "get things done" but I've been down the path I call Lead By Committee too many times...

As a past-president of Seattle-King County REACT, a business owner for more than 25 years, and with multiple leadership roles for the American Red Cross under my belt, I've been in the position of trying to build consensus amongst all the players in the game of life. For some purposes, that's what you've got to do to get the job done.

Not so, here at the WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club!

Sometimes, a benevolent dictator is called for. If you're in another club, especially if you've been on the Board or in some leadership role, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Just getting people to bring cookies and coffee can be a challenge. Accomplishing something major, like building a new repeater, and you find yourself swimming against a tide...

Rather than jump through those hoops, attempting to navigate everyone's territory and avoid stepping on toes, I decided to be the BD (Benevolent Dictator). I generally pay the bills associated with the club and if someone wants to toss a few bucks in, I'm okay with that -- and I don't get bent out of shape if people are unable or unwilling to throw me a bone... Frankly, it just isn't worth the headache to worry about the small stuff.

I'm sure you'll love our requirements for being a member of the club, established by my personal preferences and round-tabled with those I consider friends. They're pretty simple:

1. The WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club seeks no dues, nor holds anybody to any financial standard in order to participate. Similarly, I'm not responsible for any losses sustained by any member of the so-called club, for any reason what-so-ever. The equipment used in the operation of the WA7ARC radio network is wholly owned by WA7ARC;
2. The WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club exists solely for the amusement of the bonafide members of the club. Such members are approved by the Benevolent Dictator himself, sometimes in consultation with other bonafide members. As such, I determine, at my own discretion, whether you may become a club member.  A few prerequisites: No jerks. No whiners. No Know-It-Alls. No Old Fogeys. No Losers. No Dope-Fiends. No... Well, hopefully you get the idea;
3. The WA7ARC Amateur Radio Club operates various repeaters and receivers, sometimes in cooperation and/or coordination with other repeater system owners. If you are asked to discontinue a practice on the system by an authorized control operators , please cease and desist immediately. If you wish to do something "unusual" (i.e., not in the master plan of the system designer) you should reach out to a control operator BEFORE engaging your plan.  Your plan may not dovetail with our plan, for various technical, ethical or puritanical reasons.  This would include remote linking to the system, cross-band linking, attempting to stuff data through the audio pipeline, and all manner of other attempts to modify the system from its current design.  Failure to follow the direction of a control operator may result in legal action. The repeaters are privately owned and operated and your use of these assets are conditioned upon your good operator practices and the obeyance of all rules imposed;
4. The PRIMARY purpose of the WA7ARC Repeater System is to provide Emergency Communications and Information. As such, you will hear various announcements on the system concerning emergency status indicators and other news. In addition, it is our goal to provide information and resources for visiting amateur stations and other interested parties;
5. The SECONDARY purpose of the WA7ARC Repeater System is to encourage educational growth for our fellow hams;
6. Fun. I expect and direct each of you to have FUN on the system, as well as in person. Those of you who know me also know that I'm a guy who likes to have fun (and eat). Don't take life so seriously and you'll probably live alot longer. Of course, we're going to die anyway - why not go with a smile, eh?

Rules of Engagement

There are a couple of ways you can interact with the club. For some, you'll simply use the repeater as you pass in/out of the area. Others will use the repeater facilities locally.

For those of you who want more out of life, we're not your typical bunch of technocrats. We're a loosely associated, fun-loving group that enjoys time together and learning about technology. We've all been down hard roads. At the same time, we've also learned to build new friendships without looking to the past - you're on new footing and have the opportunity to build a new foundation here.

If you're not up to the task of developing long-term relationships, or if you're looking to screw someone, you're coming to the wrong group -- we know where to leave your body. We're pretty much tired of the game-playing and we've developed a simple solution to these problems: Ostracize.

For those of you who don't understand the concept, it really is simple. Allow me to use some words from The Who's great song from Tommy, We're Not Gonna Take It,

Of course, there are a few Rules of The Road when it comes to using the resources made available:

1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T is more than a song by Aretha Franklin. If you can't respect yourself, you're unlikely to respect others - I'd suggest a different network if you're unable to play nice with the other children;
2. The repeaters on the network are drug-free, alcohol-free zones. It isn't my business to determine how you choose to live your life - no finger-pointing intended. However: Don't bring it to my repeater. Nothing more frustrating than a drunk with a microphone;
3. A sincere apology will go a long way toward fixing a screw-up;
4. If you find yourself in a hole, the best first-step is to put down the shovel;
5. Housekeeping items:

• No tailgating... Let the repeater drop before starting the next transmission.
• No double-teaming: After you let go of the PTT, the next transmission belongs to the other-party - give them time to reply.
• Round-robin: If you're involved in a multi-way conversation, hand off your transmission to the next person in line - "CD0OMG handing the conversation over to AB3DIG."
• EchoLink ettiquette: Allow the repeater to drop after each transmission and be sure to allow a couple of seconds of PTT up-time before you begin transmitting - otherwise, you'll cut yourself off or time-out the repeater.
• Yup, sometimes I get carried away and forget to follow the rules - feel free to mention it to me!

If you're looking to get involved and develop some friendships, drop me a note and I'll let you know about our next dinner gathering - you're free to come and join us, without reservation, and bring your wife if you please. I can be reached HERE.

If you're comfortable with the rules, and want to become a member of the club, all you need to do is send me a message via the system's message processor.  We'll chat with you, try to meet with you, and take care of registering you so you can access the rest of the network.  We won't bombard you with spam, although from time-to-time you may get a message about an upcoming event, etc.  Create a registration in the Chat-Room as well - that's where most of our notices and communications take place - or stop and visit via the repeater.

There, that wasn't too painful now, was it? 

Special mention to Barry KC7BZC, Dave KB7ILD , James WB7DIY and Lori KB7LJY , and Tony KG4EXA for their ongoing commitment to our mutual friendship and interests.