[LCC] Upcoming LCC meeting - attendence

[Mark Ketchell]

Hi Folks,
      We are now 2 weeks out from the Monroe hamfest, Saturday, April 
18. We have a forum/meeting scheduled for 10:45. There should be 
almost no business to cover, so most of the forum will be an update 
on LaQP, and a presentation by our President on contest logging. 
Rather than only a powerpoint, we will have a rig attached to the 
logging computer, to demo using the built in rig control to change 
freq, band, mode and maybe even make a few live contacts. Several 
have asked for an in depth" instruction on this topic, so this should 
be it.  Several N1MM "power users" will be available to answer questions.

      When we formed the LCC back in 2008, we envisioned it as a 
means to get the contesters in LA together. To share information, to 
share experience, and to assist each other with hints and kinks on 
how to improve their stations and their own abilities.We have 
partially succeeded, as Louisiana is no longer a "rare" multiplier, 
several of us have built/improved our stations, and LA contesters are 
placing higher and higher in many contests. I am very proud of these 
accomplishments, but we are not done.

      The founding members understood that not everybody likes to 
travel too far, so we had the idea of moving our meetings around the 
state at hamfests, so that at some point each year, every member 
would have a relatively "local" meeting they could attend. The two 
largest areas of "member density" are Monroe and Lafayette, so we 
have always had meetings at the Monroe and Rayne hamfests. We have 
also had meetings in Leesville, Slidell, Pineville and Shreveport.

      Several members have regularly taken time to build 
presentations for club meetings, sharing their experience and 
knowledge. At most meetings, we ask, "if you have a topic you want to 
see, please let us know." We also solicit members who want to do a 
presentation to let us know.

      Now to the meat of this message. At the Pineville meeting last 
fall, in the very middle of the state, there were over a dozen 
members in the building, yet we had ONLY FOUR members in the meeting. 
That's pretty sad. At the most recent meeting in Rayne, just a few 
weeks ago, we had 9 members (one joined as he came in) in the 
meeting, yet there were nine or ten more whom I visited with at the 
hamfest, who didn't bother to walk the 100 feet of so to the meeting 
room. I understand that I may be a fanatic about the hobby. Heck, I 
thought as contesters most of us were. Several officers, and myself, 
took off 1/2 day of work, drove almost 4 hours each way, and had the 
expense of a hotel room, in order to be there. Yet we have some who 
were in the building who just didn't walk over, and some went to eat 
at a restaurant within 10-15 minutes of their house, which they could 
go to most any time, rather than attend the meeting. I just don't 
understand, and think it is pretty darn disrespectful. If the 
meetings are boring, tell us what topic you want to see. If you don't 
like the current topics, volunteer to present one yourself. It you 
don't show up, participate and tell us what you need or expect to get 
out of the meetings, then its a pretty sure bet that the board won't 
plan for or put it on the agenda.

      While it is great that we have members who support us 
financially with their dues, we also need your PARTICIPATION. We need 
your experience, your ideas and your opinions. Some of the young 
members can benefit from the mentoring and suggestions of someone 
"who has been there before." I realize sometimes things come up. 
Family, business and other things can sometimes keep one from 
attending. I want to challenge our club members to actually be a part 
of the club activities and attend at least one, if not several meetings a year.

      Hope to see you in Monroe.

73,
Mark, K5ER