Free Amateur Radio Technician License Class on Saturday, June 5th 2010 with a license exam scheduled for the following Saturday.

The Verde Valley Amateur Radio Club is pleased to announce a free Amateur Radio License course to be held on Saturday June 5th at the Cottonwood Public Safety Building conference room ( 6th Street & Aspen ). The course will start at 8:00 A.M. and will finish about 4:30 P.M. There will be morning and afternoon comfort breaks and a half-hour break for lunch. A bag lunch would be advisable. This course will be a one day session that will cover all of the material required to pass the FCC license exam for the Technician class Amateur Radio license. Note that being able to send and receive Morse Code is no longer a requirement to get your Amateur Radio license.

The recommended text book for this course is The ARRL Ham Radio Technician License Manual, 1st edition, 2006-2009. Textbooks are optional, but we are attempting to obtain sufficient manuals from previous students for this course as this manual will be updated in July 2010 and a new question pool will be used after that date.

Exams for all Amateur Radio license classes will be conducted at the Cottonwood Public Safety Building conference room on the following Saturday, June 12th from 9 a.m. until noon. The cost of the license exam is $15.00. Additional details on the exam will be made available to those attending the Technician License course.

Registration for this class is requested. Please send an email to:

Jack Crabtree, W7JLC
Volunteer Instructor Coordinator
Prescott, AZ
928-771-2344
jscra@cableone.net

Please indicate if you wish to reserve one of the donated ARRL License Manuals. You will be placed on an e-mail list, which will be used to disseminate further information and updates on the course and the exam

If you have any questions about the course or exams, you may contact Mr. Rod Rosenbarger by phone at: (929) 649-1866.



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Subaru Rally Car in Perkinsville Arizona

It’s that time of the year again when the rally races all show up in the Perkinsville area to drive as fast as possible along dangerous dirt roads. It’s the 2009 Prescott Rally and the way I celebrate my birthday every year since we moved here.

This years even is October 2nd and 3rd. Here’s maps of the event.

If you would like to see what the rally is like I’m including photos and video from last year.

Here’s photography from last year.

Here’s one of the videos I shot:

And one last video:


Watch 21st Annual Prescott Rally Video 1 in Motorsports |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

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The Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association is pleased to announce a free Amateur Radio License course will be held on Saturday, October 31th, 2009. This will be a great opportunity to obtain your Technician level FCC Amateur Radio License.

This course will consist of an intensive one day presentation that will cover the material required to pass the FCC license exam for the Technician class amateur radio license. (There is no longer a requirement to learn Morse Code to pass your ham license exam.)

The class sessions will take place at the Cottonwood Public Safety Building (6th Street & Aspen). The course will start at 8:00 A.M. and will be complete about 4:30 P.M. There will be a few breaks and a half hour for lunch (a bag lunch is advised)

The recommended, but optional, text book for this course is The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 1st edition, 2006-2009. A quantity buy discount will make the manual available for $20.00 (normally $24.95). Please note the ordering deadline is October 20, 2009. Textbook details are available from www.arrl.org.

Exams for all license classes for the Verde Valley region will be conducted on November 13, 2009. The exam session will be held at 7:00 P.M. at the Rimrock Fire Station, McGuireville Exit (#293), 1.5 miles east of Interstate I-17, Rimrock, AZ. The cost of the license exam is $15.00. Additional details of the exam will be made available to those attending the course

Registration for this class is requested. You may register by sending an email to the address below. Please indicate if you wish to order the optional License Manual. You will be placed on an email list, which will be used to disseminate further information, course location map, and updates.

Jack Crabtree, W7JLC
Volunteer Instructor Coordinator
Prescott, AZ
928-771-2344
jscra@cableone.net

This course will be hosted by the Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association and we hope that there will be a good response from folks who have wished to have such classes scheduled on this side of Mingus Mtn. We greatly appreciate Jack Crabtree and several other volunteer instructors who have stepped up to assist us in giving these classes for the Verde Valley community.

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The Cottonwood Stake Pioneer Day Celebration was held (Saturday, July 25th, 2009) from 4pm to 7pm. It was located at 1860 W Dougs Park Rd, in Camp Verde, Arizona.

There was lots to do including Butter Making, Clothespin Toss, Clothes Board Washing (FUN!), Hay Rides, Stick Pull, Horseshoes, 3-Legged Races, Crawdad Fishing and of course: Swimming!

The rain was light and never lasted very long. In fact, it helped keep the temperature down and everyone had a great time!

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Laying on your back watching the show is awesome.

Who wasn’t at the at the fireworks show at the fairgrounds in Cottonwood, Arizona on Saturday? I know I was. But, odds are, I was someplace you weren’t. I was behind the scenes where all the action was happening.

Last year, I was at the show and it was awesome. I told my wife then that I really wanted to do a behind the scenes photo shoot of what all took place. Fortunately, that dream worked out and I got my wish.

It turns out that they arrive early in the morning and get everything setup. All the mortars are laid out and placed in trusses. The grand finale is setup. I found it interesting that the fuses are wrapped in tin foil.

Since this stuff is dangerous, they can’t just set up the show and then leave it for the rest of the day. That means they have to leave some people behind to watch over it. The whole day a few people are there watching over everything and keeping it safe from any sticky fingers or nefarious evil doers.

Later in the evening everyone shows up and starts doing the final checks. Everything is double and triple checked to make sure it’s safe and going to operate correctly. As the time get’s closer, the plastic is removed from off the top of the mortar tubes. It’s there to not only protect the rounds from heat but also keep any debris from getting inside the tubes.

With everything checked and ready to go the final briefing begins. Instructions are given out, teams are assigned their respective duties, any bystanders have been sent away, and checks for safety gear and protection is made.

The fireworks began with a great start. Soon the air was filled with the smell of sulfer. From above debris started falling as ash, embers, and remnants of mortars came back to earth. The dark sky slowly turned red from the glow of flares used to light the fuses. The sky would alternately flash white and blue with the explosions of fireworks.

Once, as I was taking some photos I felt a sharp sting on my head as one of the embers landed in my hair. Fortunately, I brushed it out quickly and you can’t even tell it was there. That’s why they said you should have something to cover your head. I eventually had to pull down my sleeves to protect my arms. I thought I was going to be hot but the temperature was beautiful and I was completely comfortable.

I got to light off some of the 5 inch mortars.

I was given the opportunity to launch some of the five inch mortars. It’s not hard to do so, really. When you approach the mortars the first thing you do is make sure that no other fuses are in the vicinity of the one you will be lighting. You place the tip of the fuse against the wooden crate. Don’t worry about the crate catching on fire, it won’t. Remove the protective covering off the tip of the fuse. The first couple of inches burn slowly compared to the main part of the fuse. The main part burns at the rate of 60 feet a second. I touch the end of the flare to the fuse tip and once I verify that it’s lit I turn my back to it and take a couple of short steps from it. That way, the concussion from the launch of the mortar doesn’t affect you nearly as much. They say that your supposed to keep your mouth open or chew gum to protect your ear drums.

The show only lasts 25 minutes. During that time, the mortars have to be reloaded at least once. They store the extra mortar rounds in metal trash cans to protect them from falling debri. Carefully, they are opened and dispensed to a loader who puts the mortars in the tubes.

Finally, the end of the show arrives. From on top of the hill a sudden barrage of fireworks takes off. The crowd oohs and ahhs at the site. Just when they think it’s over, from the bottom of the hill the REAL finale starts. Everywhere around us is lit up from the white glow of the fireworks taking off and racing into the sky. It is really amazing. I’m laying on my back taking photos as fast as I can to try to capture the moment. I completely forget about my iPod Touch in my back pocket this time. Suddenly, it dawns on me that it’s back there. Fortunately, I also had my wallet in my back pocket which is significantly bigger and most of my weight is on it. You’ll be happy to know my beloved iPod is completely unharmed from this experience.

The Grand Finale setup release all that fireworks goodness.

Laying on your back watching the finale is really awesome. It’s right above us and it seems as if the whole sky is sparkling. Everywhere glowing trails of exploding fireworks is falling. The fireworks keep streaking into the sky and exploding one after another. The music can be heard faintly in the background as explosion after explosion rips the sky. From the hill, fires can be seen from burning boxes and more fireworks launching. For a brief moment in time everything is forgotten except capturing the moment and trying to remember it for as long as possible. It really is awe inspiring.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this event and I can’t wait for next year to do it again. It was something I will never forget and one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.

Below you will find a small sample of the 177 photos I took of the show. If you would like to see the entire gallery on Facebook click here or on Flickr click here.

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Cirque du Soleil - Cottonwood, AZ

On November 25, 2008 performers from the Cirque du Soleil engagement at Tim’s Toyota Center came to Cottonwood Thursday to tease the populace to follow them home to Prescott Valley for the full show, Saltimbanco, based on street performers.

For a brief time a light hearted atmosphere filled the air as the crowd of parents and kids were entertained by the antics of these very talented performers. Free tickets to the show were given away to those who knew their Cirque du Soleil trivia.

It was a wonderful time that was enjoyed by all in attendance.

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