Well, I want to thank everyone for an excellent meeting. We filled most of the positions and we settled the SPACE/MAST issue. I would encourage everyone to keep on attending the meetings. There was quite a bit of selling and swapping going on and the next meeting will be probably be even better! Joe is planning a killer DOM for next month and I am planning on a raffle at the next meeting, check your newsletter for the date!
For the next couple of months, there will be an emphasis placed on new and rewnewing memberships. If you bring an ATARI computer owner who is not a member to the meetings, you will be rewarded with magnetic media. If this person joins, there will be additional rewards! Please help out the club and help find ATARI owners who would benefit from joining SPACE!
There are some nice new features to the club that I would like to mention. For one thing, we have a certified technician at the meetings who is able to check faulty equipment. So if your 1050 is ailing or your 800 resets just before you finish that tough adventure game, bring it in and he can advise you on what needs to be done. Also, there is a programming group that meets after the general assembly. They have their own ATARI computer in a back room and discuss all types of Programming problems. Also lately ther have been a number of peddlers at the last few meetings, one of which has been myself. I managed to get Budget Computers to let me have most of their ATARI stock to bring to the meetings. I also noticed another table bearing a modified 800 and some hard to find software. And of course, SPACE is selling DOM's for $3. Our DOM's are always impressive, Joe Danko puts a great deal of effort into them, but there is one DOM that is a MUST have for an ATARI owner. It is called ZYBEX and it is the best public domain game I have ever seen! If you don't have this game yet, you are seriously missing out! You can order it from SPACE by sending a check to P.O. Box (add $1 for postage please) or you can purchase them at the meetings. If you don't have ZYBEX yet, Buy it. It will be the best $3 you spent for your ATARI software-wise.
Well I guess that wraps it up for this month, please plan to attend the next meeting so we can have as much input in the club as possible.
This is a new experience for we. I never seem to have much to say, about the only thing I would like is for the members to use the back side of this sheet to comment on this newsletter. I.E. format, content, text font, etc. You can leave it with me or a SPACE Officer at the next meeting, or send it directly to me if you want to remain anonymous.
Mike Schmidt
11349 Palm st. NW
Coon Rapids, Mn.
55433
1. The Meeting was called to order on March 9, 1990 at 7:30 PM by President Nathan Block.
2. Nathan indicated the need for a membership chair who would serve as a contact to the SPACE/MAST treasurer. He also said we need a secretary, Vice-president and newsletter editor. The Vice-president would recieve free membership while in office.
3. Nathan also reported that the March SPACE newsletter, which was basically a letter to the membership, was almost Free to prepare and cost $14 in stamps to mail.
4. The nominations and unanimous elections for the open offices with the following results:
Ken Moden Vice-prez 425-1290 Ken also continues as SYSOP Pat Kren Secretary 631-3136 Ron Vanrossum Membership 731-2451 Mike Schmidt Newsletter 757-4192
Nathan said officers will conduct 95% of their meetings in conjustion with the SPACE Meeting. Allan Fink will still have the check book and Ron will work with him. The only basic problem was the charges for the newsletter and the seperate newsletter solves the problem. There is no need to seperate SPACE/MAST. Nathan said he personally believes the problems can be put to rest and he has no hard feelings. Nathan Block's phone no. is 922-8012.
5. The question of dual memberships came up and it was identified that dual memberships have not been sold for awhile. To avoid problems, SPACE will continue to send newsletters to people with dual memberships. The last of the dual memberships will expire in a few months. Dual memberships will then cost double.
6. Ron will report each month on membership, income, expense and bank balance. The meeting room costs $25 for 25 or less people, even if no one shows up.
7. News and rumors.
Jim Johnson is leaving for Michigan.
The 1050 is known for having heat
problems if a doubler is installed.
It has sector problems. Suggested fan
be used to keep it cool. The ICD chip
may pull out of socket when hot due to
short legs. The second susgestion was
to plug in new socket in place of the
chip and put chip in new socket. No
soldering is required. The lastest in
Technovision catalogs has a lot of in
software, some of it thought not to be
available any more. No Frills Software
offers Print Shop Fonts and Borders.
Mindscape says all of their ATARI
Software is still available. Mark V.
has a line on getting 10 meg hard
drives for $10 (st506). He will bring
them to next meeting if successful.
Note: This does not include the
controller.
8. The new phone number for our BBS is 425-3962. Non-members will recieve lower access. SPACE members will have full access. The details need to be worked out, more info coming. The BBS costs about $22 per month to run.
9. Problems: Synfile allows the typing of a few entries, then strange text appears on the screen. A 130XE with a U-Print interface attached was used. Recommendations: Hold down the option key to disable basic upon loading, disconnect the U-Print to see if that solves the problem, if you think you lost a file -- try reindexing. A monitor problem related to the hook up to the tv output from the computer or the failure to use the proper hook up cable with choke when hooking a TV to the computer.
10. A member is looking for Critical Connection by U.S.S. Enterprises. It allows the use of a Z-100 or other CP/M computer to be used as a slave for storage on the CP/m's hard disk. Another person mentioned the use of an IBM compatable as a slave.
11. members can sell Hardware and Software for free. Non-members must Pay $5 to sell at meetings.
12. The meeting closed with the demonstration of the Disk of the Month (DOM) programs.
Published by the Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts (SPACE), an independent organization with no business affiliation with ATARI Corporation. Permission is granted to any similar organization with which SPACE exchanges newsletters to reprint material from this newsletter. We do however ask that credit be given to the authors and to SPACE. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of SPACE, the club officers, club members or ATARI Corporation.