August update

The purchase of a cabinet was approved at the August meeting. The Technical Committee expects to have that on-hand in the next two weeks or so (the manufacturer is right here in Wynnewood - buy local!).

Programming of the controller is under way. The guts of the system are much more capable than the older RC-85 controller in the current system. Not that there is anything wrong with the current controller, just that it's design is some 15-20 years old.

Arcom, the new unit's vendor, is active in providing on-line support as well; the ham that runs the company is always answering technical questions in the support forum. He also solicits and accepts ideas for new features for future updates - yes, this controller can be "flashed" with new microcode!

Jeff KT5OK, Treasurer and SKYWARN coordinator, worked with Tech Comm members after the August meeting and we will be converting that conversation into programming macros for the new system shortly.

In addition to a sampled digital voice, similar to the old RC-85, the new controller has room for a number of recorded voice tracks. As a result, you may start hearing familiar voices making announcements on W5NOR/R.

Another addition is a scheduler that will automagically set the repeater for regular net operations and announcements.

Peter N5UWY
For the Technical Committee