UCF Hams in a Tizzy
from
Interested Florida Hams
on
September 15, 2003
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Here is an article that has Florida again in the news... The following was posted on an eHam forum. What do you think they should do?
""UCF has evicted their Amateur Radio Club - members of the ARC are contacting lawmakers seeking their help!
The University of Central Florida Amateur Radio Club - K4UCF was evicted in June from the campus station it had occupied for 30 years.
The eviction reportedly resulted from complaints about the radio club by faculty who concluded that damage to computer equipment was from a lightning strike that entered the building through the club's antenna/tower system. According to club member Matt Kassawara KG4FEQ, the ham station is the closest facility to the antenna system and neither the station equipment nor the club repeaters were damaged by a lightning strike. The university's physical plant personnel also complained that club members worked on the roof of the building without authorization.
Although the club requested that UCF provide comparable space from which to operate, UCF administrators initially refused to accommodate the club.
Please review the detailed time-line and list of events leading upto the present situation and show your support for ham radio:
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~wb4tcw/evictimeline.html ""
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by K3UD on September 15, 2003
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I thought that universities were bastions of tolerance, new ideas, culture, and most of all, liberal thought.
The problem may be that Amateur radio is not considered a sport. Maybe if the club started competing and winning in the various on the air contests it could rise to the level of a minor sport and might even be recognized by the NCAA. Just think, you could then form a booster club (the people who really have the power at most universities) Well known contesters could be hired as coaches... the sky's the limit.
Kidding aside, it seems that the traditional mission of the University has changed considerably in the last 30 years, and if something, for whatever reason is not politically correct, it gets banned from campus. I come from the generation of college students that protested wars on campus, occupied university presidents offices, set fire to ROTC buildings on campus (remember, the ROTC was also banned from many campuses during that time), Forced recruiters from industries with military contracs off campus... mostly with the approval of the university administrations.
For whatever reason, the administration of UCF does not want an amateur radio club on campus. The only way to really fight this
is to enlist the aid of traditional large donors. Maybe a donor could be found to endow the club along with other things on campus. Money is something that university administraters and boards understand, and to my knowledge, has never been banned.
73
George
K3UD
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RE: UCF hams in a tizzy
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by K0BG on September 15, 2003
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Yet another example of the difference between education and intellect.
Alan, KØBG
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KE4ZHN on September 15, 2003
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Another fine example of a university president who makes decisions with what he sits on. Most likely because thats where his head is buried.
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Stupid people make stupid decisions...
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by KB9RHA on September 15, 2003
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To be nice, I should rephrase that...."Uneducated people make uneducated decisions". The problem is, they're not open to explanations. They've made their decisions and think they're 100% correct.
I fully agree with the sport comment. Everything has to revolve around sports with these people. Me, I hate sports, mainly for that reason. To many people, nothing is as important as sports. :( Idiots
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Clubs Need to Diplomatically Educate re: ham radio
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by KT8K on September 15, 2003
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If you read the QRZ article completely, you will see that this has a relatively long history (and an odor of bureaucratic insanity frequently found in universities and other large organizations). None of the evidence cited adds up to grounds for removal of the club from campus. It is quite possible that the university president is ignorant of amateur radio and its benefits to educational institutions, has her/his own ax to grind (perhaps a spouse who objects to the esthetics of "unsightly" antenna towers), and leads an organization that is for whatever reason desperate to please the head honcho.
I hope the UCF club will find a diplomatic way to educate the university leadership, and be able to restore their presence on campus, though possibly with a more stealthy antenna setup. (Telescoping poles are probably more esthetically acceptable, if not pleasing, than "big iron" towers, for example.)
I can sympathize with the UCFARC. My club (ARROW Communications Association, Ann Arbor, MI) went through a similar incident over a year ago, resulting in the unexplained and unjustified loss of our station space. Since that time I as station manager have failed to find a new home for our club station, W8PGW. (Send any ideas or encouragement to my address as listed in QRZ - thanks. Maybe I'll start a thread on this topic in the eham clubs forum ...)
73 de kt8k - Tim
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by N4GI on September 15, 2003
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<<Maybe if the club started competing and winning in the various on the air contests it could rise to the level of a minor sport and might even be recognized by the NCAA.>>
The club K4UCF (once WB4TCW) was quite active in many ham radio contests since the early 1970's, both phone and CW. The station was a great multi-op gathering place for many of us, unfortunately running a university in this day and age is big business.
The bloodthirsty quest for students (err, cash) has caused the worm to turn my friends.
73,
Blake N4GI
UCF c/o 1999 - ashamed to say
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by W9WHE on September 15, 2003
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Universities are bastions of IN-tollerance. If you disagree with ignorant liberal thinking, you are OUT!
What we really need is EDUCATIONAL DIVERSITY wherein people with thinking other than liberal are allowed in!
An educational divversity programs will be popping up everywhere soon. Please take time to support them.
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by N4NDR on September 15, 2003
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Please.. These guys and girls need help. This is not the place to continue the CW debate or to downgrade persons. Is there a ham lawyer out there that can advise them. How about alumni getting involved. You can email those involved with your support and to those against ham radio your dissapointment. Have any other college ham clubs faced this and how did you handle it? Where does the ARRL stand on this issue? How about the section manager's?? What does this mean for future ham clubs on campus? Is Florida going to start another trend?
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RE: UCF hams in a tizzy
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by AA6E on September 15, 2003
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Their web site lists a membership of 5 licensed student hams. University clubs I have known have had a hard time getting 3 or 4 hams to participate. College life is not friendly to ham radio. Either you're studying (some schools) or you're drinking (other schools). And 99% of your peers have never heard of ham radio...
As an undergrad even in the 60's (pre-Internet! pre-MP3!) I can remember making all of 2 or 3 visits to the miserable old ham shack.
73 - AA6E
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by WN3VAW on September 15, 2003
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Well, FWIW, K4VUD first alerted some of us on one of the DX reflectors to this, but when asked for details, none were forthcoming. Shame of that is that we are reacting now to a fact rather than opposed to a proposal -- ie, it would have been better to raise objections before, now the bureaucracy can simply wring their hands and cry, "well, what's done is done."
The Penn State ARC fought for years in the mid 1970's through mid 1980's, that I know of, to keep their shack. Seemed it was co-located on the same floor as a particular department of Mechanical Engineering, and the real reason for all of the eviction attempts was that the department head wanted the (2 room) shack for his private office. K3CR survived in large part due to a bureaucratic quirk... the University's Arrangements Committee had allocated the $$ to remodel and rewire the shack, and they weren't about to spend more $$ to do it over again, so unless MechEng would spend the $$, and they wouldn't, no move. K3CR remains to this day in 202 Engineering Unit "E" (and now it can be told, PSU never actually spent a dime on the K3CR renovation, the allocated funds never materialized. Club members scrapped up the $ for painting the shack, an alumni donated some furniture and a fridge, and credit then club adviser WB3AEI & then club trustee K3CM for the rewiring work. But I digress...)
On the other hand, the original ARC of the University of Pittsburgh W3YI was summarily evicted from the William Pitt Student Union Building when it was being remodeled... and Pitt was indifferent to relocating the club and those ("ugly," they said) antennas. (Rumor has it that the old W3YI shack location is now a lavatory... of course THAT couldn't be relocated, could it?) The old W3YI club folded shortly thereafter; the current Panther ARC W3YI only came in existence a few years ago and does not have a direct connection.
The point? It doesn't matter how active your college/university club is. It's up to the college bureaucracy to allocate space and funds for the club to survive (alumni donations rarely are enough, though they help). And it's the quirks and foibles and personal prejuduces of those bureaucrats that may determine whether or not the club(s) survive.
You want to know the real story behind the W4UCF eviction? I suggest follow the trail -- what happens to that room? Who gets it? And how much pull do they have?
...what, you thought the purpose of a college/university was to benefit the student population, especially the undergraduate one? Hah!
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by WA4OBJ on September 16, 2003
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I am a graduate of UCF and I am disappointed to hear they have such closed minds. One would think that in a college where educated people are supposed to be educating others in topics that are based in fact and not conjecture and emotion, they would be more open to the facts of the situation rather than assuming (and yes, I understand the breakdown of that word) their problems are related to a lightning strike on a tower that sustained no damage either to the tower itself or equipment directly connected to it. This is particularly true in the part of the world that is known as lightning alley. There are more strikes in the Tampa to Jacksonville area per year than any place else in the Western Hemisphere and probably world. Lightning problems should not be a new issue to these "educated" people.
Yes, UCF has a College of Engineering (which I attended) and you would think they would know better, or at least pick up on this as an opportunity to do some research in lightning that could benefit the rest of the world. Who knows, maybe they could qualify for another DARPA research project that would bring in more money to the University. (Oh I forgot, it isn't football related so it isn't important, sorry)
My take on the whole thing is that it is probably more related to ego and the application of the power that comes with working for or running a University (admittedly more imagined than real) on the students than any real threat to the University.
I just wish I was still in the Orlando area where I could do more to help out.
Dave
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KC0LPV on September 16, 2003
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IF YOU ARE A UCF ALUMNI/ALUMNAE, write a letter! Send it to the Office of the President, and send a copy to the Alumni director, and the director of the Foundation.
Express your disappointment that your alma mater would act in this fashion toward a student group that provides such a vital, important, potentially life-saving community service, and which fits directly with the mission of the University and the Math/Engineering department.
Explain that you will find it difficult to dig deeply in your pockets to donate to your alma mater so long as they maintain their attitude toward the UCF amateur radio group.
Jim kc0lpv
(with more than a little experience in university administration, alumni, and founation matters)
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KC4NUS on September 16, 2003
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I will have a better idea on Thursday 9/18, exactly how this whole eviction issue is going to end. If you have read through the Eviction Notes & Time line page, the matter has been handed off to the UCF Provost. I suspect this happened due to the heat generated by numbers of hams alerted to the issue via the qrz.com article and now the posting here emailing the university.
I have been CCed on a few emails of ham parents who have told the UCF President they will not be sending their kids or money to UCF if the amateur radio club is not provided a location to operate. I have received contact from one ham donor to the university which appears prepared to pull future donations over the issue and has told the university this fact. I suspect there are a number of ham parent's emails I have not been CCed on.
Unfortunately, at least UCF has become a business providing education instead of just an educational institution--I suspect many universities become this way as they grow. But it means there is a way to get their attention. I know of few businesses or people which don't start paying attention when their wallet becomes effected.
If the ham parents are serious about not sending their money or kids to the school and can provide compelling arguments to non-ham parents to state the same to UCF, the university administrators would be silly to not pay attention.
Personally, I hope it does not come to this. Besides being the advisor to UCFARC, I am also an employee of the university. I do not wish to see my employeer diminished. However, I also cannot stand by while a few administrators uneducated in the whole purpose of amateur radio cripple the emergency communications for East Orange County.
If Isabel had not turned north, there would have been around 55,000 residents of East Orange County either camped out in Red Cross shelters or needing assistance to dig out of their homes afterwards. Around 6,000 students who live on campus or in affiliated UCF housing, needing shelter with Red Cross support. An unknown percentage of UCF's 42,000 students who live around UCF in non-UCF affilated housing also seeking shelter. And thousands of people from the coastal counties which Orange County is a host for during a hurricane.
Even with Isabel missing Florida, it looks like it will make land fall. With UCFARC operations disabled we will not be able to provide any assistance for traffic passing as we have with previous hurricanes.
The university has received emails from a number of ECs backing up the Emergency Communications issue. The North and South Florida ARRL section managers have done the same.
Even if the current handful of students active with the club remain a insignificant to the UCF administrators, I would hope the safety of thousands of students and everyday people would mean something to them. I don't want to see it become important to them after a disaster because the media is standing in their offices asking why they knowingly let so many people down.
Hopefully after Thursday afternoon I will have a better idea where UCF's priorities lay. At minimum, I will update the Eviction page. If time permitts, I will update the posting here and on qrz.com
Mike Potaczala
KC4NUS
Staff advsior for UCF Amateur Radio Club
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by XE2WCG on September 16, 2003
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Mike:
It is sad to see that the future of the UCF Amateur Radio Club is in danger. Also it is good to know that some fellow hams are helping the Club on this matter.
I see that since the UCF Amateur Radio Club is located on an strategic zone on the East Orange County for emergency communications, it may be a good idea to get the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, the National Hurricane Center itself, the Hurricane Watch Network and some other emergency management offices, involved on this issue. So they could get in contact with the UCF directors and explain them that the Amateur Station at UCF is a very valuable resource for emergency communications.
I am not very familiar with the US legislation, but what about Homeland Security, can they also get inlvolved and help? I think so since amater radio is part of their voluntary network, but I am not sure about this.
My best wishes to the UCF Amateur Radio Club and its members, hopefuly you guys will continue with your fine work.
73
Carlos J. Guzman XE2WCG
Grupo Mexicano de Seguimiento de Huracanes
(Mexico's Hurricane Hunter Group)
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by N4GI on September 16, 2003
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<<So they could get in contact with the UCF directors and explain them that the Amateur Station at UCF is a very valuable resource for emergency communications.>>
Ahh, but CEO Hitt and his frat-boy (no offense) advisors do not see things like you and I. He has in fact handed down ignorant decrees from his plush corporate office denouncing the the Em. Comm. aspect of the K4UCF club siting the presence of on-campus police with their own radio "repeater" network.
He asks himself, "Why take up money making space on my campus with emergency communication capabilities that are already being covered by cops?". Perhaps his PhD doesn't allow him to understand the simple difference between the two services, or maybe he's blinded by the dollar-sign fog in his head.
You see, there will never be an emergency communication situation big enough to justify the loss of precious money making space to the Big-Business university tycoons. It's just a fact of life....
73,
Blake N4GI
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KT3K on September 16, 2003
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I grew up in Hillsborough County, Tampa, the lightning capital of the world.
TECO, Tampa Electric Company sells lightning arrestors, (CHEAP), for installation at houses and buildings to protect them from a lightning strike because it's so common there.
It's ridiculous to 'blame' the HAM radio club.
I'm sure the HAM radio club didn't design the building-complex electrical system? Clearly, the HAM's need frequent access to the building roof?
This University Administration is obviously doing a poor job managing it's valuable resources.
KT3K
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by VA3FCM on September 17, 2003
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Oh, get real for heaven's sake. At least those liberals have learned to spell. Get of your right-wing rant and get back on topic.
Charles VE3HBB
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by K1VT on September 17, 2003
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A little over a year ago I retired from a personally rewarding 28-year career in microelectronics technology R&D to launch a new career teaching electronics and mathematics at a college in Western NC. In my short experience as an educator, I have already been enlightened about the politics of my new environment. In my opinion the stated policy of the college “to serve the best interests of its students and the community” is merely a platitude that is solely intended to disguise its real mission. I believe that the college administration is really motivated by a need to promote self-serving agendas. As one of numerous examples, much of the equipment available to students in the electronics program is 1950’s to early 1970’s vacuum tube vintage. While monetary problems are cited as the reason for our virtually non-existent electronics budget, within the past year the college has spent $350,000 on a baseball field! It is well known that the college president’s passion has to do with everything that involves baseball. I have found that the bureaucratic inbred administration of the college is technophobic and resistant to change. The real losers are the students, because they are being denied an education which would best prepare them to compete in today’s world. So, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that UCF would exhibit the kind of behavior reported in the news article.
Jack, K1VT
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by K0PD on September 17, 2003
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WHY WOULD SOMEONE OR ANYONE WANT TO BE SOME PLACE YOUR NOT WANTED!!!!!!!
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KC4NUS on September 18, 2003
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We want to stay because unlike other hobbies and university clubs, by being licensed amateur radio operators, we have a responsiblity to the people living around UCF in East Orange County and to the students and employees of UCF.
While the general population may consider our technology outdated by the cell phones they carry on their hip and pointout our antennas as unsightly, we know that when it hits the fan, we will be the ones who can still make contact with the rest of the world. We will be the ones alerting the Red Cross of the number of people in our neighborhood needing food, shelter, and medical attention.
We are treated like the police. None wants us around until they need us.
Mike Potaczala
KC4NUS
Staff Advisor - UCF Amateur Radio Club
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KC4NUS on September 18, 2003
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I had a meeting with the UCF Provost today. The meeting had bad news and ok news that has the chance of becoming good.
Bad News:
-There is no chance UCFARC will be allowed back into its old ham shack in MAP502
Ok News:
-UCFARC situation is completely in the hands of Provost Hickey and VP Administration & Finance Division Merck
-Either the Provost's office and/or A&FD will be paying the cost to remove the UCFARC towers & antennas from their current location
-Dr. Hickey & Mr. Merck are willing to relocate UCFARC
-The Provost's office and A&FD are researching locations and will be compiling the dollar costs for doing the relocation
-Provost Hickey does not feel legislative oversight would allow him to draw funds for the relocation directly out of state provided money due to the current budgetary cuts
-Funding of the relocation will need to come from Student Government, state or federal grants, and donations from the public
Mike Potaczala
KC4NUS
Staff Advisor - UCF Amateur Radio Club
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KG4PTZ on September 18, 2003
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I have to agree that sports programs at universities do have too much priority among the higher-ups there. I know how that is all too well here at Virginia Tech. Granted, we are spending a large chunk on a bioinformatics center and a new chemistry building in the wake of our state budget cuts, but our amateur radio association is still goin' strong. I do hope the situation at UCF improves and y'all can get a new shack. If that fails, well, get out in a good open public place and have a mini field day. Let 'em know you still exist and give 'em a good reason to keep y'all around.
73,
Kenny Lewis, Jr.
KG4PTZ
Treasurer
Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association (K4KDJ)
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by W9WHE on September 19, 2003
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KC4NUS says:
"If Isabel had not turned north, there would have been around 55,000 residents of East Orange County either camped out in Red Cross shelters or needing assistance to dig out of their homes afterwards".
And your point is....? WHAT?
The station could have protected them from the storm?
A ham station could have fed, clothed, housed them?
The club station would have been the sole means of summoning help from the outside world?
A ham station would have made WHAT difference?
I am so tired of people that grossly overstate the value of our hobby to humanity. Get a grip! Sure, its sad to see the University close a station, BUT, with only 5 or so members, what do you expect? Should the eniversity fund, house and operate the hobby of every group with 5 members? Come on. Get a grip!
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by N4GI on September 19, 2003
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W9WHE writes:>>>And your point is....? WHAT?
The station could have protected them from the storm?<<<
Spoken like a true attorney, the bureaucratic crap sounds quite familiar. I'm sure that CEO Hitt would love to have you as counsel.
Have you ever relayed emergency traffic during a hurricane, Mr. Gunn??? Did you belong to a ham club at your law school??? I'd be willing to be the answer to both is NO, in which case it would be wise to not speak of what you do not know. The UCF campus HAS sheltered thousands during storms, and the brilliant club members HAVE proved the value of their service by relaying traffic during those times. Just because you do NOTHING to assist in emergencies (or probably anything else) does not mean that the potential is being overstated.
FWIW, Mr. Gunn (if that's your real name) the university funds HUNDREDS of your alleged "liberal" groups with even fewer members than the radio club. Does that sit well with you?
The gang at the "little" UCF club has and will have far more intelligence and immagination in their pinky toes than you could ever hope to have, dude.
It's obvious from your ignorant post that your law degree isn't helping you contribute anything useful to society, or this thread for that matter.
Fire away, sir-
Blake N4GI
(former President and V. President of the UCF club)
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RE: UCF hams in a tizzy
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by KC8VWM on September 20, 2003
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This appears to be a perceptual problem. The perception is that a lighting strike is the problem. The misconception is that it was actually the tower that "caused" it.
For one thing, lightning is random. The fact that it was a tower or a tree for that matter does not matter.
If one chooses to blame a tree as the cause so be it.
If you choose a tower as the cause so be it. But does anyone actually know the real cause? Or is this simply mere faculty speculation?
Perhaps they need to study how lighting behaves in the real world and stop thinking in terms of Ben Franklin flying his kite.
The fact that negative and positive ions intersect creating a discharge of electricity is a phenomenon that cannot be singly attributed to any one given cause. There are simply to many variables involved.
If the antenna was not present and they had this occurance, then what? Who is to blame? You see, the antenna tower makes it easy to find fault.
The fact that an antenna was present doesn't matter. If lightning is random, and is going to strike in an area then so be it. It will be done with, or without an antenna present.
Lightning that strikes the ground nearby a building that has sensitive electronic equipment present will result in the same effects.
KC8VWM
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KC5CXK on September 20, 2003
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Read that story close. There were a few things the club could have done to save the space. They dropped the ball and are now crying after the fact! If they would have put forth HALF the effort as now, they would still be there. Crying over spilled milk.
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by N4NDR on September 21, 2003
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The past has already happened. It can't be changed. The purpose of this article was to see what they can do now!! Everyone makes mistakes but the question is "What Now??"
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RE: UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by NEW2THEHOBBY on September 23, 2003
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I say we fix 'em by getting all the hams in America to donate all their old CB gear to every single student in that school! Remember the words of the legendary CBer John Belushi... "Nothing is over untill WE say it is!!!"
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by WA0UDX on September 24, 2003
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If they followed PolyPhaser guidelines and did a textbook job of grounding/lightning protection, the club station could take credit for providing somewhat of a "cone of protection" over the building. Yes I know that doing a "textbook job" is easier said than done, and not cheap, but it might be possible. It might also get the building maintentance people to look into some serious power line and network cabling protection too, which is their real issue anyway.
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RE: UCF hams in a tizzy
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by N2CTZ on September 25, 2003
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the arrl should get off their butt and sue the University of floridaq.
thats my 2 cents
N2ctz
http:/www.thebarbecuemaster.com
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RE: UCF hams in a tizzy
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by KC4NUS on September 29, 2003
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ARRL lobbying assitance as well as help with carrying out the relocation process would be appreciated. However, at this point, I am not holding my breath.
The director of CARA (http://collegiatehams.com/) spoke with the ARRL President. Two of UCFARC's officers had an opprotunity to speak with the ARRL President at Dayton. Basically same answer was given both times, there was nothing the ARRL could do.
Personally, with UCFARC being a point through which young people are introduced to amateur radio, being involved with Emergency Communications for central Florida, and being affiliated with the ARRL since 1979, I expected at least a visible attempt at assistance before we were told there was nothing which could be done.
Mike Potaczala
KC4NUS
UCFARC staff advisor
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UCF Hams in a Tizzy
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by KU4TF on October 2, 2003
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This just in…October 1, 2003… University of Central Florida … Population 42,000 …Orlando, Florida… I was walking up the stairs of the Math and Physics building today to check out what had been done to the Ham Shack, low and behold, I find the door to the roof of the building unlocked. The Amateur Radio Club has been evicted from that space since January 6, 2003, so, it was not the club that unlocked the door. According to Physical Plant there are only 2 people in the University that can open that roof. Of course we never had a key to that roof, but if we did anyhow, the locks had been changed on the roof so our “alleged key” would not work. Besides our keys to the shack do not work anymore.
I head on over to the Radio Club’s advisor, Mike KC4NUS, office and tell him. He reported the incident to Physical Plant. Physical Plant admitted that there were contractors on the roof bidding to remove our towers. After the report of the incident a Physical Plant employee went up and locked the door. Bottom line, Physical Plant left the door open. We have known that the doors to the roof stay unlocked for months at a time and have reported it but sometimes it would get locked sometimes nothing would happen. The roof would wind up being open a month later unlocked.
My fellow Ham’s, this one of the reasons that the Amateur Radio Club was evicted. Physical Plant blames us for the roof door being unlocked while we occupied that space. Today’s incident illustrates Physical Plant’s negligence.
Also, as you know we have been blamed for a lightning strike destroying Physics Department computers. (Never saw a charred and fried computer) Upon further investigation Math and Physics Building has a faulty grounding system according to a contractor that did a survey on the building.
As you know we are blamed for not having a smoke detector in our shack. I never knew a Ham radio license had a Fire Alarm System Installer endorsement. I think the FCC should replace the 5wpm code with a Fire Alarm installer test. (hi,hi) Life Safety devices like that is the responsibility of the Physical Plant not us.
We got kicked out for the other violations that Physical Plant and College of Arts and Sciences would not share with us. Still if we had known what the violations were we couldn’t have done anything because Physical plant likes contractors. It has taken them 4 months for them to bring out contractors to rebid the removal of the towers and antennas. We even offered to bring out our own independent tower professional to look over and fix our equipment if anything was wrong with it. That request was denied.
On a positive note congratulations to the new Miss America who is also a UCF student. I would also like to thank all the support from the Amateur Radio Community, including the local, state and national clubs. I would like to thank the local and state ARRL leaders for their support. Thanks to our local, state and national lawmakers for their support. Thank you to our friends in Engineering for helping us out at this time. I am sorry we have not answered all the emails and suggestions the club has been overwhelmed with this situation. I do apologize for not sending our QSL Cards out in a timely fashion, I think all our QSL cards are in a member’s garage in a box somewhere--please be patient. Our QSL Cards will be collectors items now since it has a photo of the Math and Physics Building on the front.
I think I will write my memoirs of the UCF ARC. Here are a couple of bits.
I helped out the United Nations and U.S. State Department with Amateur Radio communications during the situation in Liberia. I personally was on the phone with the United Nations and the U.S. State Department relaying important information. Our club didn’t just work 4U1UN we were 4U1UN. We also got some press coverage from a local TV station
I also helped out with the UCF ARC and local ARES/RACES Emergency communications at the UCF Arena during Hurricane Floyd. I was in charge amateur radio communications for 1300 people housed in the shelter.
Back to my studies, and finding a new place for the ARC.
Eric – KU4TF
Graduate Student member, UCF ARC http://ucf.edu/~wb4tcw
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