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I would like to thank you for being a member of the Calgary Amateur Radio Association “CARA.”  It is time to renew your membership for the 2008/2009 year.  As a member you receive our monthly newsletter Key Klix which is a great resource through which you can keep informed as to what is happening in the club.  In the coming year, look for more technical articles on all kinds of subjects related to Ham Radio.  With your membership you have access to a large number of experienced and knowledgeable individuals who can help you setup and maintain your station.  If you need someone to climb your tower, to fix an antenna, or “figure out” where that mysterious interference is coming from just look to other CARA members who are more than willing to help.  One of the best reasons to being a member is just the fellowship of being around like minded people!  CARA hosts four meetings a month; a DX Section meeting at the Calgary Sports Car Club – VE6AO,  a VHF/UHF/Digital meeting at DeVry Institute of Technology , a CARATELS meeting at the Downtown Friendship Centre, and a General meeting at the Banff Community Centre. Each group focuses on different aspects of our hobby and each group is open to all CARA members and guests.  We encourage all members to attend all meetings, and while this is not always possible members are encouraged to contact Section Chairmen if they are having a problem with their station.  Sharing of knowledge is the cornerstone of our club.

As you know, monies received from club members operating Casinos provide the funds for the club to buy new ‘capital’ equipment for VE6AO and for the various VHF/UHF/Digital repeater sites.  Your membership fees are used for the day-to-day operating costs of the club which includes publishing and distribution costs for our monthly news letter Key Klix.  We also pay rent, utilities and maintenance costs at VE6AO and at various VHF/UHF repeater sites.  We cannot use casino funds for expenses of this nature!  Funds for events such as the club’s spring flea market, field day and the Christmas dinner all come out of General funds.  While we try and make these events breakeven we do subsidize them to some extent.  Education is a big part of CARA.  Twice a year we hold classes for those people interested in obtaining their ‘Basic’ Ham Radio certificate, and during this past year, we have offered an ‘Advanced’ Ham Radio course to allow individuals to up-grade their licenses!   In the coming year, we plan to also offer a course for those in up-grading their CW skills!

Your continued membership is greatly valued.  Without it our club would no longer exist.  So come on out and enjoy everything CARA has to offer.  Whether you’re a casual rag chewer on the local repeaters, a hard core contester, or trying to get that elusive DX, CARA has something for everyone!

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