Let us hope that 2005 is a healthy and prosperous New Year for us all, in our personal lives as well as in our amateur radio activities.

As I am sure you are aware by now, I will be replacing Ed Redington, W4EBR, as Club President. Ed has served as President of our Club for the past three years, and he has served us well. I am sure that you all join me in expressing our sincerest gratitude to Ed for his efforts on our behalf. We will all look forward to Ed’s continued participation in and contributions to Club activities.

As we enter the new year, let us collectively and fervently wish the solar cycle a speedy descent to the bottom of its eleven year cycle and a rapid rise out of the trough and upward toward maximum DX opportunities.

The first 2005 meeting of the Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club will take place on Tuesday, January 18, at UNCW in Cameron Hall. Talk-in and ragchew to start at 7:00PM and meeting to start at 7:30PM. Room No. to be announced. Please check in to the Club Ragchew Net Monday night at 9:00PM on 147.180MHZ for the latest update. All Amateur Radio Operators are invited to join the Net, and all interested in Amateur Radio Activities are most welcome to attend the meeting.

This meeting will be critical to our activities during the year, so I do encourage all Club members to make every effort to attend. There are important issues to be discussed and decided.

The adoption of a revised Club constitution is pending. A Club constitution consistent with that promulgated by the American Radio Relay League is essential to continued Club affiliation with the ARRL. (The benefits of Club affiliation with ARRL are many. See the ARRL website at Affiliated Clubs.) Revisions to the existing Club constitution were discussed at the November 2004 meeting. If you have any revisions to the document which you would like to propose for consideration, please submit them to David-KF4CQS- at davecw@ec.rr.com no later than January 15.

Suggestions for Club meeting programs and Club activities are also most welcome. Any such ideas can be forwarded by any method. I’m in the phone book. E-mail responses may be created by clicking “reply” to this message.

We will also have to plan the scope of Club activities for the coming year, including programs for Club meetings, Club net activities, the traditional Club involvement with Lighthouse, Field Day, Battleship programs and support for various Community activities as they arise.

Therefore, please make every effort to attend, and help us get the Amateur New Year off to another rousing start.

73’s to all