Donations

John Struemph K1JHS at 2015 Field Day

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he donations of audio-visual equipment to CMSARA have continued! New member John Struemph K1JHS recently donated two vintage commercial television video cameras and control units to the Association. “We greatly appreciate the support of great hams like John,” said President McKay N5DU. Frank Howell K4FMH added, “The standard definition quality of broadcast television back in the 1980s era was cutting edge at the time. John’s donation was used to barter for a current High-Definition video camera by Canon.” Special Events Coordinator Mike Flanagan WM5A said, “This was the missing piece in our ability to record high quality video from our monthly speakers and our special events activities. It could not have come at a better time!”.

John K1JHS is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Jackson Amateur Radio Club and an ardent DXer. John said, “This equipment has been in storage for a few years so I was very happy to answer the call when I found out that CMSARA was in need of adding video equipment to the other donations it has received from the membership.“ [Read more…] about More Donations…

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ocusing on the benefits of having good programs at each monthly meeting, CMSARA has begun upgrading the audio-video equipment assets owned by the Association. “Thanks to the donations by a CMSARA member,” said President Mike McKay N5DU, “we now have the start for a major enhancement of our capabilities for multimedia use by guest speakers. This will allow the Association or other individual members to donate equipment to further our capability to better enjoy the details of what a speaker has to say.” He added, “Since CMSARA is a registered non-profit with 501(c)(3) status, donations of equipment or money qualifies as a possible tax deduction for donors.”

New Push-Up Screen

CMSARA now has an 80″ Inch 4:3 format pull-up floor projection screen with a built-in aluminum storage case. Special Events Coordinator Mike Flanagan WM5A said, “This greatly helps the projected images be clearer to the audience. And it’s a snap to setup, which I like since I usually do this task!” CMSARA has previously used the painted wall behind the speaker’s podium as a provisional screen. “This worked ok but the crystal coating on projection screens make the details clearer and the image much brighter to the audience,” N5DU elaborated.

Elmo HD Visual Presenter with Speaker Screen

Another donation is an Elmo Visual Presenter Document Camera HV-5100XG with Color LCD Monitor LM-5611A. This device allows the speaker to show an object—such as a radio or circuit board—on a light board with a high resolution, auto-focusing camera that sends the image to a projector as an input like a Powerpoint presentation. This device has side lights so as to emphasize the 3D object being shown. It will take a PC input (such as with a Powerpoint or PDF slide deck or perhaps a software program) and the speaker can easily switch between these two inputs. It also has a remote control so the speaker can move around more easily from the Elmo device. A hard shell case was included for easy storage and transport to other locations. [Read more…] about CMSARA Upgrades AV Equipment for Meeting Presentations (updated)