Well, I can't think of a better way to put it, so I will just come out and say: THIS YEAR, THE HOLIDAY PARTY IS GOING TO BE A DOOZY. The venue will be the Cameron Center in Thousand Oaks, so there will be plenty of room for everybody to socialize. Make sure your spouses know that there will be other non-ham spouses there.

We have some really excellent Raffle prizes lined up (details elsewhere in the newsletter). When you see what we have got, you will definitely want to get some tickets. In addition to the main prize drawing, those of you who have been buying tickets for our monthly drawings throughout the year will get an extra chance as we throw the red tickets from a whole year into the drum and pull one out for a special Holiday Prize.

The youngsters who have collected yellow raffle tickets throughout the year will get to find out who has won a hand-held radio.

We are going to try something new this year. We are looking for some donated "Junque", and if people are able to sort out some suitable items we will have some fun this year with the First Annual CVARC Mini-Auction. I hope that we will be auctioning off some wonderful treasures… I am the contact person for this particular event, so please phone me on (805) 493 2564 or email me at steve@stevechampion.com if you think that you have any suitable items. The items must be relatively portable!

Those of you who have been to previous CVARC parties will know that CVARC pot-lucks never disappoint. The club will chip in with some main dish items, so plan on bringing a side dish of some sort. The Social Coordinator (that's Tom) will be coordinating this aspect of the party.

Lastly, a "one-off" event like this is a great opportunity for members who are too busy to be able to commit a lot of time to the club through the year to participate. Please contact Tom if you are able to help with set-up of the event. This basically consists of turning up a bit early and helping to set up tables and chairs.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all there!

73, AE6NX

Bob Williamson, Vice President & General Manager, Coast Energy Corporation, Inc. will be the speaker at our November 10th CVARC Club meeting.

Bob started his career in the battery business in 1972 working as a stock boy at a battery company in Reseda, CA. At the time he planned to work his way thru UCLA.to become a doctor. Before the end of that summer he had advanced into sales and 6 years later started his own company at the age of 26, forgoing his medical career.

The Company was founded in 1978 by Bob when he sold his car and purchased 5 pallets of batteries. With his father as his partner, they rented a small building in San Fernando and began their new company.

While batteries for transportation were their main focus 27 years ago, today they are one of the principle suppliers of emergency back up batteries for telecommunications and uninterruptible power systems (UPS). They were the first battery specialist, 25 years ago, in southern California to offer the gel cell battery. In 2000, Coast Energy Corporation acquired the service division of C&D Technologies in California. That division, Coast Power Technologies is one of the prime contractors for battery and DC power plant installations in southern California for such companies as Verizon, SBC, Raytheon, Boeing and the County of Los Angeles. Coast Energy Corporation, Inc. operates three warehouses in California, San Fernando, Anaheim, and San Diego. Bob and his wife, Judy, have three children and reside in the San Fernando Valley.

As many of you might already know, Bob has been a frequent speaker and supporter of the amateur radio clubs in Ventura and Los Angeles counties for many years.

Our CVARC meeting will begin at 7:30 PM at the Elks Lodge on Conejo School Rd., with a social session prior to the meeting from 7:00 to 7:30. Hope to see you there.

CVARC hosts FCC License Examinations at 8:30 AM on the second Sunday of even numbered months at the Ventura East County Sheriff Station on Olsen Rd. (near the Reagan Library). CVARC conducts exams for all license classes . Exam candidates must bring a form of government issued photo I.D., the original AND a photocopy of any existing license or Certificate of Exam Element Completion, a Social Security (or government issued Taxpayer I.D.) number, and $14 ARRL VE Exam fee (cash is preferred). No advance reservation is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Advance notice is needed for special circumstances, such as reading the exam to sight-impaired candidates. If you have any questions, contact CVARC VE Coordinator Jeff Reinhardt at 818-706-3853.

Elections for the 2006 CVARC Board will occur at the November club meeting. We are in desperate need for a volunteer to fill the Treasurer position. We must fill this position to have a viable club next year! The Public Relations and Social positions are also open. I hope that you can fill one of these positions. We really need your help!

Greg Lane, K7SDW, volunteered to serve a second year as our Vice President and has already begun lining up some terrific programs for 2006. Here are the board positions for which we currently have volunteers:

President: Steve Champion AE6NX
Vice President: Greg Lane K7SDW
Treasurer: Open
Secretary: Ben Champion AE6NY
Editor/Publisher: Neil Waybright KG6QEL
Operations: Ken Larson KJ6RZ
Technical: Hugh Bosma KF6HHS
Education: Karl Moody AE6TO
Public Relations: Open
Social: Open
Member at Large: Greg Lane K7SDW
Member at Large: Mike Pershing KD6IJF

Please welcome the following newly licensed hams who passed their Tech license exams at our CVARC October 9th VE session at the East County Sheriff's Station.

If you hear any of these folks on the air, congratulate them.

Thanks to the VE Team.

73 de Greg
K7SDW

Attention CVARC members, guests, significant others and friends:

CVARC Holiday Happening / Potluck Dinner
Saturday, December 10, 2005
1800-2200 PST (6:00-10:00 PM)
Cameron Center
288 Green Meadow Drive, Thousand Oaks

DIRECTIONS:

" From the 101 Freeway go south on Lynn Road to Green Meadow Drive
" Turn left (east) on Green Meadow Dr.
" In about 3 blocks, Green Meadow Dr. dead ends into the driveway of the Cameron Center

Carpooling is encouraged, as there are only 32 regular parking spaces and two handicapped spaces. Latecomers may need to park on the Green Meadow cul-de-sac and "hoof it" about a block. The Club will provide a main meat dish of ham and turkey, soft drinks, and plasticware. Please bring your favorite appetizer, side dish, or dessert and RSVP to Tom, tomstough@juno.com or (805) 341-1354. I'll also bring a sign-up sheet to the meeting on November 10.

Now for the really important stuff: the prizes! Raffle tickets are $10 each from Neil Waybright, and are available at the November 10 meeting. Here's the lineup:

Grand Prize: Alinco DX-70 HF/6 Meter Transceiver plus Astron 20 power supply

Second Prize: ICOM 2100H 50 Watt 2 Meter FM Mobile

Third Prize: Alinco DJ-596 2 Meter/440 MHz HT

"Red Ticket" Prize (from 2005 monthly meeting raffles) is a "Samlex America SEC1223 23A/13.8V Switching Power Supply"

Youth Prize-for a licensed amateur 18 years of age or under: Alinco DJ-196 2 Meter HT

Come out, support your club and ring in the holidays with your radio friends, spouses and children. See you there!

73, Tom

Ventura County Area 2 R.A.C.E.S. members are encouraged to check in every Tuesday night at 7:00 pm on the Area 2 Check-in Net. Specific ARES/RACES times and frequencies are as follows:

Net Control operations for the weekly ARES/RACES Area 2 check-in is run from the ARES/RACES communications center at East County Cheriff Station on Olsen Road each Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Visitors are welcome and have the opportunity to operate the station equipment. Contact Jerry Goldman KC6SO ( 805) 241-9187 if you plan to attend. RACES members, should remember that their RACES card is issued for only two years. When your card is due to expire call Jackie ( 805) 646-2551 at the Office of Emergency Services in Ventura to renew your card. For questions concerning ARES/RACES call Area 2 Emergency Coordinator Ken Larson KJ6RZ ( 805) 495-9435 or go to the ARES/RACES secion of the CVARC website at http://www.cvarc.org.

The Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL affiliated Special Service Club. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, unless otherwise noted. Meeting location is at the Elks Lodge, 158 Conejo School Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA. Meetings start at 7:30 pm. with a pre-meeting social and technical assistance session, for those who are interested at 7:15 pm. Meetings are open to the public, and members are encouraged to bring their friends.