September’s guest speaker was Ray Uberecken, AA0L. Ray’s presentation was about the Deep Space Exploration Society (DSES), with special attention given to the logistics and careful installation of a donated 30-foot dish.

DSES is a not-for-profit organization whose primary purposes are research and education. “We exist to foster the exploration and understanding of space by encouraging students, society members, and the general public to participate in that exploration. We facilitate experiments designed to expand our knowledge of space, and to execute ground-based missions designed to support those experiments.”

More information can be found at https://dses.science/.

Thank you Ray!

Don Yowell (then WA0CYM) was a city employee and a charter member of the of the City of Colorado Springs Radio Club. He provided the original UHF repeater that was installed at the Mesa Water Control Center, overlooking the Garden of the Gods. The 147.180 repeater had its antenna atop the wash water tank next door. Then the group changed the club name to Garden of the Gods Amateur Radio Club.

After his retirement, Don changed his call letters to KI0IS, and went to work at Fargo’s Pizza, replacing his brother as maintenance technician. GGARC had been meeting at Giuseppe’s for years, and several other sundry venues. Don invited us to meet at Fargo’s, which has now been our venue for decades.

Don was an important part of all club activities and decisions we made along the way. Even at the time of his passing, he was our webmaster and he was also making arrangements for GGARC to take over operation of the Memorial Hospital Amateur Radio Repeaters (which had been donated by Ray, AA0L). He was also an active member of the Jaguar Club of Southern Colorado.

He was a good, faithful and true friend. Don has been missed by all. SK. …-.- …-.-

–Dave Givan, K0IRP

On July 1st the meeting was a round-table with each attendee discussing his/her first radio and how he/she got into the hobby of amateur radio.

We learned that some of the members present have been friends in the hobby for over 60 years,

…some are older than they look (were already on active duty when Sputnik was launched),

…and we even got a personal perspective of listening to the Voice of America for the first time, from behind the Iron Curtain.

Thanks all for attending and sharing your stories and your fellowship.