Valley Radio
Club on the web:
www.valleyradioclub.org
*****
THIS MONTH'S MEETING: Friday, December 5, 2008 7:00 PM *****
GAB SESSION WITH ICE CREAM INVOLVED
I encourage everyone to attend and be an active part of this very special
upcoming event. If you have other thoughts or suggestions, please bring them to
the meeting Friday, December 5th, at 7:00 PM at the Red Cross,
HAM RADIO CLUB
We're getting together at Roaring Rapids Pizza for our
club Holiday Gathering. It's on Saturday December 20, 2008. 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
All hams and their families are invited.
73,
Riley W7RIL
President
***** VRC DX
*****
Overview of November
15th SET
Thanks for Participating
in the Simulated Emergency Test
Yesterday's SET
Silent Key: Joyce Schiro K7RRS
Silent Key: Bob W7ADL
IBM bringing
broadband over power line to rural America
NASA Finds New Meteor Showers
Australian Repeaters Threatened by Fees
MINUTES of the Valley
Radio Club Meeting November 7, 2008
VRC CLUB CORNER
VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR
***** FROM THE ARRL *****
Monthly Oregon Section News Summary
Oregon Section Club News
ARRL NTS
Second Region Net Expands To Include Eastern Canada
W1AW 2008/2009 Winter Operating Schedule
Let's Get on the Maker Bandwagon
ARRL 2009
Spectrum Defense Fund
Solar Report
The ARES E-Letter
***** VRC
DX *****
(Please email your news, articles, buy&sell,
etc for the newsletter to
ke7gbo@arrl.net)
Overview of November
15th SET
Thank you to all local area Em Comm
ham operators who participated in the Simulated Emergency Test this past
Saturday, November 15th. A total of 46 hams participated from 20 different
locations. These hams traveled from
Special thanks for their work go to our Net
Control Operators: Annette KE3CWJ on the Health Net, Matt W7ARD on the South
Lane Net, Riley W7RIL on the Red Cross Net, Elmer KC7QAG on the Packet Net, and
Kenton N7BQ on the Resource Net.
Also, thanks to Brent KD7WIO, Paul W8IEB and Ron WJ7R for setting up the LCSARO
portable repeater, which operated on 145.250, was used for the South Lane Net
and which reliably gave wide area coverage, including down to
Locations were: Oakridge Fire Station, Springfield FS #3, Springfield EOC at
the Justice Center [a great sounding station newly put on the air by EARS], City
of Eugene EOC, 911 Center, Lane Courthouse, Junction City, Pleasant Hill,
Eugene Airport, Red Cross Chapter House, Willamette Hi School, North Eugene
High, Churchill High, 4J District Offices, Cascade Manor, Lane Memorial Blood
Bank, SH/UD Hospital, River Bend Hospital, McKenzie Willamette Hospital
[parking lot only], Creswell Fire Station, and Cottage Grove Hospital.
The Resource Net was run from the City of
After the SET, most of the hams and some family gathered at the Roaring Rapids
Pizza Parlor for food, visiting and a "hot wash" debrief on the
content of the SET. The SET was observed on the air by Bob W7FPY and
Steve AI7W - thanks to both of them - and their main comments at the hot wash
debrief was how well all did; good procedure, good net discipline, good pace
for tactical message handling, and how well both new and experienced Em Comm operators performed.
So, all in all, an outstanding SET. In the event of a real emergency, the
various agencies we assist, will be helped by the able
Em Comm ham volunteers of
A formal after action report will be prepared shortly, and will be available
for those who want a copy.
Thank you to all who participated. And see you in the next wide area SET,
next April 2009.
73, Mark N7MQ
Lane Emergency Coordinator
ARES/RACES
Thanks for Participating in
the Simulated Emergency Test
On behalf of the Sheriff's Office, please accept our greatest
appreciation to everyone who participated in this important event. It's
exercises like this that ensure the best possible outcome during real
emergencies.
Hats off to everyone!!
Linda L. Cook, PMP
Emergency Manager
Lane County Sheriff's Office
125 E. 8th Ave.
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682.6744
(541) 914.0267 cell
http://lanecounty.org/EmerMgmt
lane county: working for you
Yesterday's SET
I wanted to say GOOD WORK to all over those that participated in
yesterday's statewide SET, I think Mark was much happier to sleep with a
broad smile on his face last night!
73's de Jeff KE7OUR
Silent Key: Joyce Schiro K7RRS
I have just learned that Joyce Schiro,
K7RRS, immediate past-president of EARS (also EARS lifetime member) and member
of Valley Radio Club for a number of years, became a Silent Key today in South
Dakota. She had moved there earlier this year to be nearer to one of her
sons. No details as yet.
It was Joyce who initially engineered the connection
between EARS and the City of
The Amateur Radio Service is better because of Joyce's
tenure in its ranks.......she will be missed by both the airwaves and the ham
community......RIP
Bob W7FPY
Silent Key: Bob W7ADL
Bob W7ADL (WA7ADL) was a
brave person who kept on going when his Dr. had to give him another transfusion
to do so. He had to rely
on a scooter to get out and about as his body was weakening from back problems
etc. After an absence from Ham Radio for several years I went through testing
ending up with a new call (N7LTZ), was back on the air. I soon connected up
with Bob and after a few QSO's discovered we had
first contacted each other back in the early 1960's. Bob was occasionally helping
other Hams and folks who were becoming interested in the hobby.
Bob will certainly be missed from the air waves and his struggles with his
physical problems coming to the meetings of the Valley Radio Club and the
LCSARO using his scooter.
Bob, I hear where you are now the reception is "far out".
73
Ralph
W7WTQ
Subject: [w7pxl] W7ADL - Silent Key
Bob will surely be missed. I have had many great conversations with him.
He was a fellow electrician, ham and a great friend. He will be missed.
Dale w7lk
Bob will be missed. He was a good man.
KYØTE
IBM bringing broadband
over power line to rural
Looks like it is coming back.
de KO7N
IBM has been hired to help rural Americans get broadband access using power
lines.
On Wednesday, Big Blue announced it has signed a $9.6 million contract with
International Broadband Electric Communications to bring the technology to
rural America where it hopes to deliver high-speed broadband
connectivity millions of people who otherwise wouldn't be able to get
it. IBM and IBEC, which will build and manage the networks, are working with
over a do electricity cooperatives in seven states, The Wall
Street Journal reported.
For years, people have hoped broadband-over-power line technology, or BPL,
would allow power companies to become the third alternative in the broadband
market, competing against cable operators and telephone companies. But
technical limitations and interference issues with local emergency
radio and short-wave ham radios have stood in the way of mass
adoption.
In recent years, new modulation techniques supported by other technological
advances have helped BPL evolve. Most services today are capable of delivering
between 512Kbps and 3Mbps of throughput, which is comparable to most DSL offerings.
In rural areas in particular, BPL technology could finally bring high-speed
Internet access to people who otherwise couldn't get it. Traditional phone and
cable companies often find it too expensive to deploy new infrastructure to
provide service to the far reaches of rural
BPL could provide an affordable technology for reaching this population because
the infrastructure is already built. More than 900 electricity cooperatives in
the
The technology and its promise of leveraging existing infrastructure has caught the attention of other major players, such as
Google and EarthLink. But so far, BPL deployments have been slow to take off.
According to the United Power Line Council, there were approximately 35 BPL
deployments around the
But the big problem for BPL is that fact that there are still complaints of
interference with amateur radio operators. Several companies once hot on the
technology have now scaled back their hopes and are using the BPL networks to
offer smart-grid monitoring. Last May, DirecTV and Current Communications sold
a flagship BPL deployment in
Another company called Comtek deployed a BPL network
in
The BPL movement was also dealt a blow earlier this year when a federal appeals
court sided in part with amateur radio operators who challenged FCC rules
designed to speed the nascent Internet service's rollout. The judges in the
case sent the rules back to the FCC with instructions to
clarify is reasoning for its rules and to publicize its studies more
fully.
While IBM and IBEC have the right idea when it comes to focusing on rural and
underserved markets, it seems like they still have an uphill battle in
overcoming interference issues. There is no doubt that it is important t get broadband access to rural
Chuck Munce K0SQ
NASA Finds New Meteor
Showers
NASA astronomers have set up a monitoring station to scan the night sky for
unknown or unexpected meteor showers--and they're finding more than
they bargained for. In only two months of observing, the newly
commissioned system has captured a flurry
of meteors from an unknown comet.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/10nov_sentinel.htm?list773018_
(http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/10nov_sentinel.htm?list773018)
73 de W0WOI
Australian Repeaters
Threatened by Fees
VK2 repeaters may face eviction from sites across New South Wales, Australia,
says Phil Wait VK2DKN in a news posting to Wireless Institute of
Australia. The Director General of the NSW
Department of Lands has written to the WIA upholding the
Department's decision to impose a $367 fee for each amateur radio
facility located on
The WIA had written to the Director General in August
arguing for special consideration for communications facilities
maintained by small amateur radio clubs, and highlighting the
strategic community resource that amateur radio communications
facilities provide during emergencies.
In the Department's reply, the Director General advises
that the site rental fees are prescribed under
This is bad news for small amateur radio clubs which
maintain repeater facilities on
The likely outcome is the closure of a number of rural
amateur radio repeater facilities, or at least their relocation to less favourable sites.
On the other hand, larger well resourced clubs may
welcome the opportunity to enter into an agreement which
guarantees secure tenure for their repeater sites located on
Individual NSW amateur radio clubs adversely affected by this new fee should
consider their position carefully. Failure to
enter into a rental agreement when asked to do
so by the NSW Department of Lands may result in eviction from a
--Thanks to OTVARC Oscillator for this article
***** MINUTES of the
Valley Radio Club Meeting November 7, 2008 *****
The Minutes were not available at press time and will be included in next
month's Valley Voice.
*****
VRC CLUB CORNER *****
ARRL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: The Club can receive money when you renew your ARRL
membership. VRC gets $15 or each new ARRL membership for members of ARRL
affiliated clubs and $2 for each ARRL membership renewal. For the details
contact VRC Treasurer, Al K3DUW.
CLUB BADGES: You too can get a name badge with the VRC logo. And when ordering
that, get one of the great Club patches as well. Check with Prez
Riley at the next meeting and get the details on how to order yours - show and
wear the club badge and the club patch.
CLUB HATS: Club hats with names and call signs are good to have and wear at the
various public service events where club members provide radio support. To get
the hats, go to "J & S Embroidery" and ask about "ham radio
hats". They are custom made and available for about $13.00. J & S
Embroidery is located at
*****
VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR *****
6 Meter SIG: Informal net held at 7:30 p. m. local time Tuesdays on 50.125 USB,
run by Larry and Marv. For more, contact Larry WJ7S [wj7s@yahoo.com] or Marv W7AE [marv.w7ae@gmail.com].
VE Sessions: second Wednesday each month at Red Cross bldg - contact Riley
W7RIL for info and registration. His number is 345-2407, or w7ril@arrl.net.
Em Comm Testing: contact
Riley W7RIL well in advance of the regular VE sessions and he will arrange for Em Comm testing on ARRL Em Comm certification categories.
Code Class: no current plans, but if interested, contact Ron WJ7R
Technician License Classes: Matt W7ARD will teach anothe
Technician class starting Sepetember 18 and ending on
October 30, on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm at the Red Cross,
DX and Contest Sig: now meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month [except
November and December to adjust for holidays] at Countryside Pizza & Grill,
Em Comm Classes: For the
next emergency communication classes, based upon Em Comm I or Em Comm
II certification by ARRL please contact Mark N7MQ at n7mq@arrl.net.
Packet Information Group (P.I.G.): Meetings are generally on the 3rd
Saturdays of the month from 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Red Cross building located at
*****
FROM THE ARRL ****
Monthly Oregon Section News
Summary
NEW APPOINTMENTS
Everett Curry, W6ABM, who is the ASM (Assistant Section Manager) for ARRL
membership and who has been the Section Public Information Coordinator in the
past, has agreed to accept the position of Official Observer Coordinator for
the Oregon Section. He has communicated with the OO (Official Observer)
appointees in
Ron Morrell, KA7U, the DEC (District Emergency Coordinator) for District 6 has
announced the appointment of Vernon Estes, Ph.D., W7VLE, as Harney County EC
(Emergency Coordinator).
NTS (NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM) MONTHLY REPORT Scott Gray, W7IZ, the Oregon
Section Traffic Manager, has submitted his monthly traffic report. For
the complete report, see the section website at http://www.arrloregon.org.
Station Activity Report (SAR, Totals) October 2008:
K7IFG 271, W7IZ 170, N7CM 167, K7EAJ 157, N7YSS 133, W7IG 84, K7PMB 78, W7ELI
54, KK7DEB 53, W7VSE 41, KC7SRL 36, WS7L 23, KK1A 20 Public Service Honor Roll
(PSHR, Totals) October 2008: K7EAJ 215, N7CM 190, W7IG 140, KK7DEB 122, W7ELI
122, N7XG 110, N7YSS 110, W7VSE 88, KK7TN 77, KD7THV 7
PRESS RELEASES BY AMATEUR RADIO GROUPS
Douglas County ARES took advantage of the November 15th statewide SET
(simulated emergency test) to send out a press release about the SET and ARES
activities.
Recently, when floods were predicted along the coast, Steve Sanders, KE7JSS,
contacted media outlets and scheduled some media interviews for ARES leaders to
get the word out that ARES was ready to respond to support agencies as had been
done in the December 2007 storm and floods. David Kidd, KA7OZO, District
Emergency Coordinator for District 1, did the lead in a piece on amateur radio
from the EOC ham trailer with KGW that showed on their 10 and 11 PM news
shows. Two of his Washington County ARES/RACES personnel, with one being
the District PIO (Public Information Coordinator) did the 11 PM news on
KOIN. They also had radio spots using the District PIO on KEX 1190 AM.
The first Idaho State Convention will be held in
DX CARDS
Don Tucker, W7WLL, looks for help periodically in contacting hams with cards in
the Bureau Deadfile. He is looking for help
locating hams in Hermiston, Adams,
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Russ Mickiewicz, N7QR, the Assistant Section Manager for Youth in the Oregon
Section has reported on JOTA activities he was involved in on the designate day in October. There were 88 Cub Scouts who
they ran through the JOTA station. All either talked on the air, told him
something about radio, o asked a question about
radio. They talked to a few other Scout camps including a long chat with
a camp near
CENTRAL OREGON REPORT
Drew Holmes, W7GER, Geographical Assistant Section Manager for Central Oregon
providing the following report:
The local CORA Central Oregon Radio Amateurs) Club has disbanded and its
members and equipment merged into HiDARG (High Desert
Amateur Radio Group). This will make HiDARG one
of largest groups in
After many months of discussions, presentations, and not a few delays, HiDARG (High Desert Amateur Radio Group) has officially
secured federal funding through the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health
Systems (OAHHS) and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) administered by the
state of Oregon to install new repeater systems
at each of their mountain top locations, an expand their system to
include some areas not currently covered by the HiDA
system. HiDARG is also helping the hospitals set up
the stations in their hospitals. This will greatly enhance the regions
hospitals commumication capabilities.
For the last year Deschutes County Ares, HiDARG and
local hams have bee working with the Tri-County
4-H Leaders to put a 4-H amateur radio program together. This "GIVE
YOUTH A CALL" program became a reality on October 16th, when the first
Youth 4-H Amateur meeting was held at
The
PENDLETON SKYWARN NET
Alan Polan, KE4TRR, who is with the NWS (National
Weather Service) reports that the weekly Pendleton SKYWARN HF Training Net
changed its published meeting day and starting time to Tuesdays at 1730
hours. The Training Net will continue to meet on or near 3840.0 kHz LSB.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Oregon Section
Section Manager: Bonnie M. Altus, AB7ZQ
ab7zq@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to welcome a new club to the Oregon Section. The Harney
The mission of HCRA is to advance the general interest and welfare of amateur
radio, promote operating efficiencies and member knowledge, and to provide
emergency communications capabilities and services to th communities of eastern
Since it's formation in October, HCRA has gained a current membership of 13
hams and has elected the the following members as
officers:
President; Tom Sharp K7COW
Vice President; Steve Ryder WA7WKH
Secretary; Al Foulke KE7IZH
Treasurer; Walt Cooper WA7VGR
HCRA holds regular monthly meetings at 10 AM on the second Saturday of each
month in the Racine Building across from Harney District Hospital in Burns.
HCRA is also pleased to announce that a new VHF open repeater on 146.760- with
the call sign of WA7WHK is now in operation atop Radar Hill (the former site of
a decommissioned US Air Force base rada facility) near
Any inquiries or information about HCRA should be directed to: harneycountyradioassociation@yahoo.com
On November 12, Radio Amateurs of the Gorge (RAGS) sponsored an
"Introduction to Amateur Radio" course. The course is for the general
public and is a once-a-year opportunity to learn more abou amateur radio and what we do. The course is under the
auspices of t Hood River
The McMinnville Amateur Radio Club (MARC) reports that the Salem Ham fair will
be on Valentine's Day next year MARC reports
that the Eola Hill repeaters received new antennas
and other upgrades. The repeaters are on 146.640- and 441.800+. Two hustler
antennas were installed and received new feed lines during a day
l trip on the hill.
The Western Oregon Repeater Club (WORC) reports that on Friday, October 24,
2008 the club activated three Icom D-Star repeaters
at the WOR Sherwood site. The 1292.000 analog repeater was replaced by one of the new repeaters.
The available repeaters are:
WB7DZG A 1.2 Data 1248.750 MHz
WB7DZG B 70cm Voice 444.2625 MHz +5Mhz offset
WB7DZG C 2m Voice not installed yet
WB7DZG A 1.2 voice 1292.000 MHz -20 MHz offset
The Gateway is not active, and we do not yet have a local server, so it is a
basic D-Star node with cross band local operations on 70cm and 23cm bands, as
well as the repeaters on both bands.
WORC welcomes any signal reports from all users. These repeaters are not
connected to the WORC analog system but are in addition to those capabilities.
Users will need D-Star radios to use these systems. Sen your signal reports to: worc@qsl.net
The clubs call sign; WB7DZG was previously held by Western Oregon Radio Club
founder and President Frank Hoffman. That call sign being used on these new
repeaters is a fitting memorial to Franks enthusiasm
for new adventures in Amateur Radio.
WORC is grateful to the Ham Radio Outlet store in Tigard
I hope you all have a great and safe Thanksgiving. Until December,
73,
Pat Roberson, N7PAT
Assistant Section Manager, Administrative
ARRL NTS Second Region
Net Expands To Include Eastern Canada
As of November 1, 2008, the Second Region Net (2RN) of the ARRL National
Traffic System (NTS) expanded its reach, providing regular network node
for Canadian provinces in
In a joint announcement last week, NTS Eastern Area Chair Marcia Forde, KW1U,
and Bill Thompson, W2MTA, NTS Second Region Net (2RN) Manager for Cycles 2 and
3, invited those Canadian radio amateurs who handle traffic to participate in
Second Region Net operations as the Eastern Canada Net (ECN) is no longer
active. According to Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) <http://www.rac.ca/>, the ECN, a CW Net, handled traffic
for
"This expansion of 2RN operations is intended to allow Section Nets in the
eastern provinces of
Let's Get
on the Maker Bandwagon
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
About a week ago, I got an e-mail from a ham down in
He was amazed at the lack of any amateur radio content. He wrote, "The
Maker Faire was unbelievable. Incredible stuff. Pedal
powered carnival rides, robots, computer drive routers, kits. Outside of a
table with a Vectronics kit, and a license manual,
and a QRP book, the only radio stuff was from a pirate radio group."
I'm kind of amazed at this as well. It just goes to show how disconnected
amateur radio is getting from the mainstream. These are exactly the kind of
people we want to get interested in amateur radio, yet there was no one there
representing us.
Ham radio needs to be at these events and get plugged into the "maker
community." The Faire has not yet released attendance figures for this
particular Faire, but more than 65,000 people attended the Faire held in May
2008.
I blogged about this back in May
(http://kb6nu.com/why-cant-dayton-be-more-like-the-maker-faire/). One of the things I suggested then is
moving
And can there be a worse place for an event than Hara Arena? The parking lot,
where they hold the flea market looks like a mine field, and it usually rains,
making the flea market a wet, unpleasant experience. Is it any wonder that
fewer and fewer vendors choose to haul stuff out there? Some of us older hams
might fondly reminisce about the bargain we found while traipsing around
wearing a trash-bag poncho, but a story like that is not going to resonate with
new hams.
Please don't get me wrong. I don't mean to badmouth the Dayton Amateur Radio
Association or the Hamvention. I actually think that
they do a great job, all things considered. I'm just pointing out that if ham
radio wants to again be part of the mainstream, we have to get with the
program. Unfortunately, that program probably won't be at the Hara Arena.
Ham radio has got to figure out how to latch onto the Maker phenomenon. At the
very least, the ARRL should have a booth at the next one, and in addition to
all the books and t-shirts, they need to come up with some kind of demo or
display to attract makers into ham radio. I don't know what exactly, but I'm
willing to start talking about it.
This phenomenon might also be a boon for clubs who hold hamfests.
Just as the computer craze turned ham swaps into ham and computer swaps in the
80s, perhaps ham clubs could turn their hamfests into
a combination hamfest and Maker Faire in their
communities.
As I said earlier, Makers are exactly the kind of people we want in ham radio.
Let's go out and get them.
----------
When Dan's not pontificating about ham radio, you'll find him working CW on
40m, teaching ham classes, or running for the ARRL Board of Directors. Read
more by going to
www.kb6nu.com. Send
e-mail to cwgeek@kb6nu.com.
W1AW 2008/2009 Winter
Operating Schedule
Morning Schedule:
Time
Mode Days
------------------- ---- ---------
1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWs
Wed, Fri
1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWf
Tue, Thu
Daily Visitor Operating Hours:
1500 UTC to 1700 UTC - (10 AM to 12 PM EST)
1800 UTC to 2045 UTC - (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST)
(Station closed 1700 to 1800 UTC (12 PM to 1 PM EST))
Afternoon/Evening Schedule:
2100 UTC (4 PM EST) CWf
Mon, Wed, Fri
2100 "
" CWs
Tue, Thu
2200 " (5 PM EST) CWb
Daily
2300 " (6 PM EST)
RTTY Daily
0000 " (7 PM EST) CWs
Mon, Wed, Fri
0000 "
" CWf
Tue, Thu
0100 " (8 PM EST) CWb
Daily
0200 " (9 PM EST)
RTTY Daily
0245 " (9:45 PM EST) VOICE Daily
0300 " (10 PM EST) CWf
Mon, Wed, Fri
0300 "
" CWs
Tue, Thu
0400 " (11 PM EST) CWb
Daily
Frequencies (MHz)
-----------------
CW: 1.8175 3.5815 7.0475 14.0475 18.0975 21.0675
28.0675 147.555
RTTY: - 3.5975 7.095 14.095
18.1025 21.095 28.095 147.555
VOICE: 1.855 3.990 7.290 14.290 18.160
21.390 28.590 147.555
Notes:
CWs = Morse Code practice (slow) = 5, 7.5, 10, 13 and
15 WPM
CWf = Morse Code practice (fast) = 35, 30, 25, 20,
15, 13 and 10 WPM
CWb = Morse Code Bulletins = 18 WPM
CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW
bulletins.
RTTY = Teleprinter Bulletins = BAUDOT (45.45 baud)
and AMTOR-FEC
(100 Baud). ASCII (110 Baud) is sent only as time allows.
Code practice texts are from QST, and the source of each practice is
given at the beginning of each practice and at the beginning of
alternate speeds.
On Tuesdays and Fridays at 2330 UTC (6:30 PM EST), Keplerian
Elements
for active amateur satellites are sent on the regular teleprinter
frequencies.
A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between
0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Thursdays and 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Fridays.
In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as
follows: Voice on the hour, Teleprinter at 15 minutes
past the hour,
and CW on the half hour.
All licensed amateurs may operate the station from 1500 UTC to 1700
UTC (10 AM to 12 PM EST), and then from 1800 UTC to 2045 UTC (1 PM
to 3:45 PM EST) Monday through Friday. Be sure to bring your
current FCC amateur radio license or a photocopy.
The W1AW Operating Schedule may also be found on page 100 in the
November 2008 issue of QST or on the web at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html .
ARRL 2009 Spectrum
Defense Fund
"QUICK" DONATE NOW: www.arrl.org/defense
Dear ARRL Member,
Recently ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ asked for your support of the vital
Spectrum Defense Fund at ARRL. If you have already responded, thank
you. If not, here are some of the key reasons why your contribution
is so important this year.
As you know, defending and enhancing amateurs' access to the radio spectrum is
one of the most important missions of the ARRL. Together we have enjoyed many
successes over the years. But despite exponential growth in the variety and
number of radio frequency devices in the hands of consumers and businesses, we
have managed to protect our bands and to add several new ones.
Next March we will celebrate the full implementation of one of our greatest
victories: the removal of high-powered international broadcasting stations from
the heart of the 40-meter band-doubling the size of the worldwide 40-meter
band and making this popular band more useful than it's been in 70 years!
In 2007 the Amateur Radio Service earned its first low-frequency (LF)
allocation, 135.7-137.8 kHz. However, here in the
Our battle to give the Broadband of Power Lines problem the attention it
deserves has been going on for six years. Last year the ARRL went to court to
challenge the FCC. Guess what - we won! On April 25 the
It is only through the support of thousands of ARRL members and friends like
you that we have managed to come this far. Together we can celebrate all that
we have accomplished on the BPL front over the past six years!
But there is more work to do. BPL is still a challenge
as we face another round of technical arguments. We must leave no room for
these technical issues to be settled on anything other than technical grounds.
There's more work to do!
And another WRC (World Radiocommunication Conference)
lies ahead in 2011 - and preparations are already underway. Planning for WRC-11
has begun and there are important issues for Amateur Radio.
ARRL staff and volunteers are hard at work on your behalf, teaming up with
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) volunteers from around the globe to
build the strongest possible case for Amateur Radio at WRC-11.
Your financial commitment to spectrum defense is vital to our ability to
protect your access to radio spectrum. Your contribution of $100, $50 or
$25 to the 2009 <http://www.arrl.org/defense>Spectrum Defense Fund now will provide
the financial resources required for us to be vigilant and represent you as we
face new challenges.
Sincere 73,
Mary Hobart, K1MMH
Chief Development Officer
P.S. Because you care about Amateur Radio, I hope you'll make the most generous
contribution you can before November 30! Remember that your donation by
mail, phone on or the web at <http://www.arrl.org/defense>www.arrl.org/defense is tax deductible to the extent allowed
by law.
P.P.S. Recently the charitable giving provision of the Pension Protection Act
of 2006 was renewed for 2008 and 2009. If you are age 70-1/2 this year
you may contribute up to $100,000 directly to ARRL from your IRA or Roth IRA
and may benefit from tax advantages. Your contribution can be directed to
the Spectrum Defense Fund. As always, check with your financial and legal
advisors to determine how you might benefit from this renewed
opportunity. Thank you!
Solar Report
To read this week's Solar Report in its entirety,
check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. This week's "Tad Cookism" brought to you by Robert Browning's
"The Patriot" <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-patriot/>.
The ARES E-Letter
November 26, 2008
=================
Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor
<http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE>,
===================================
ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments:
<k1ce@arrl.net>;;
===================================
+ The View from Flagler County
Flagler ARES now has four active VHF repeaters located at strategic points
throughout the county. Last month, one of the repeaters took a direct hit
during an electrical storm. The antenna was blown to pieces. The PolyPhaser in the coaxial line did its job and protected
the repeater system from more damage. One of our team members donated the funds
to replace the destroyed GAM antenna, and the new system is functioning better
than ever.
Flagler ARES officials are re-writing MOUs so that
more local government agencies can be served more reliably. Flagler Emergency
Management is now providing NIMS training at the EOC for our team. At the
moment, only IS-100 and 700 are required of team members working in or from the
EOC. The future of the training requirement is, according to officials, in a
state of flux.
Flagler ARES is not only part of ESF#2, but is also under the broad roof of
ESF#15. However, it is understood that the prime function of ARES here is emcomm. Our ARES team and the Flagler Emergency
Service Volunteers (FESV) will be holding a joint holiday party in December.
The two groups work well together during emergencies, as does ARES and the
Flagler County REACT. All ARES groups should seek out and work closely with
their local REACT groups. REACT is a fine organization, with a long history of
superb public service in the emcomm arena. ARES and
REACT together form a synergistic bond, with the public as beneficiary.
________
Perhaps the final shot across the bow of the
A long time Cuban friend and colleague of mine in IARU Region 2 emergency
affairs, Arnie Coro, CO2KK, was active, as usual,
with Cuban emergency nets on 40 meters. He relayed reports of widespread
communication outages: at least one communications tower was blown down in
Reporting on the Caymans, VoIP Hurricane Net Director of Operations Rob Macedo, KD1CY, said "there was significant damage,
particularly over
______
Here is some good advice I just received: "Hi
Rick, in your 'View from
_______
In This Issue:
+ California Fires
+ Alabama County Hams Respond to Successful SAR
+ Applying Field Day Lessons to ARES Ops
+ 2008 SET Soapbox: Adding Exercise to an Exercise
+ Global Emergency Network Marks Record
+ Southern New England SKYWARN Group Cited
+ ARRL to Offer Self-Study Course on Digital Technology for EmComm
+ LETTERS: PowerPole Connector Configs
for Different Supply Voltages
+ Indiana National Guard Seeks Amateurs
+ LETTERS: Hospital EMCOMM in Florida - Compliance Monitoring by AHCA
+ Who Can Use the Name ARES(r)?
+ LETTERS: HDTV Transmissions in the Field, Comments
+ LETTERS: The Need to Build Strong Relationships
+ LETTERS: Coaxial Antenna Versus J-Pole
+ QST Author/ARES Op Presented Cover Plaque Award
+ LETTERS: Repeater Info Should Be Readily Available
+ K1CE For a Final
________
+ Southern California Fires
[ARES reports are spotty at this point, but a few have been received so far.
More will be published as they are forthcoming - ed.]
The Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS) <http://www.hdscs.org>, a specialty ARES group of
ARESLAX and Sylmar Fire, November 15, 2008 -- At 2:58 AM ARESLAX <http://www.ARESLAX.org> received a call from the county
requesting ARESLAX emergency support at
At this time, the media was reporting that the city's power system sustained
damage. The public was being requested to reduce power usage in order to avoid
power outages. Planned rolling power outages were possibly to occur. ARESLAX
planned on an immediate hospital deployment. Emergency Coordinators were
requested to monitor their hospitals' status and the general area's Amateur
Radio need. No ARES member was to deploy without authorization and proper
instructions. ARESLAX provided emergency net services, operated over the
DARN repeater system. The net exchanged fire observations
with communications and power outage reports in and around
[As more after-action debriefings are held, and reports become available, we
will provide additional coverage in next month's issue. -- ed.]
+ Alabama County Hams Respond to Successful SAR
At 8 AM Saturday morning, November 1, an 85-member team initiated a search for
a missing
Chris Tate, WX4CAP, lead the on-site Lee County EMA response while Mary Moore,
WX4MM, was the duty officer at the EOC. Team leader Mike Watkins, WX4AL, lead
an outstanding, well-coordinated 20 member Lee County CERT search effort
including Amateur Radio operators Debra Ward, KI4YZY, and Justin Webster,
KI4HKZ, while Tom Moore, WX4TM, coordinated on-site communications. Marty
Nelson, KI4NHW, led the Lee County Red Cross response. Thanks to Curtis
Jennings, KI4FUS for arranging for a troop of Boy Scouts to assist had the
search been prolonged. -- Tom Moore, WX4TM, Valley, Alabama
+ Applying Field Day Lessons to ARES Ops
During Field Day 2008 site visits in Western Washington, I picked u a few
tidbits of useful information that applies to ARES operations as we head into
the winter storm season.
In
The
The value of local media in smaller towns should not be overlooked. By sending
out Field Day announcements well in advance and working with the local media,
the Stanwood,
+ 2008 SET Soapbox: Adding Exercise to an Exercise
Here's an idea from Jim Fey, KO6UW, that should become
part of ARES/SET lore. (Fey leads the
His great idea: Have SET mobile operators report all emergency vehicles they
see--police, fire, EMS, etc.--back to net control. That simple activity turned
what would have been a boring SET exercise this year into a good training
event. And it impressed our served agency.
This happened last week. Several agencies were holding a flood evacuation
exercise and hams--for the first time in several years--were invited to
participate. Fourteen hams were involved.
In a real flood, the hams would be the eyes of the EOC. We'd be driving around
reporting on flooding, evacuation traffic, and generally looking for problems
the EOC needed to know about. For the drill, Fey sent our mobile hams to
assigned locations. While this proves we can drive our cars and find
intersections (given a small map), it doesn't do much more.
So, to make things interesting, Fey asked the mobiles to report to Net Control
every time a police, fire, or
Not just emergency vehicles, but our operators were reporting school buses,
city trucks, police motorcycles, and anything else official-looking that
happened to pass by. Sometimes the repor
would track the vehicles from one of our posts to the next. One of the posts
was near the corporation yard, where city vehicles are kept, and another near
the bus barn for the public school system. This created nearly constant traffic
on the net, with a reasonable amount of doubling and other minor problems.
These were quickly handled with a little on- air education for the operators,
who responded perfectly. Net Control (me) came down with writer's cramp from
logging all the reports. Good experience all around.
As we always warn our operators, ham radio can be (and is) widely listened-to.
And such was the case at the EOC, where members of served agencies got to hear
our traffic and were impressed by how professionally our "amateurs"
worked together. By adding a ton of traffic to an otherwise pretty boring
drill, KO6UW made certain our operators would have a good learning experience.
And our served agencies heard an example of how ham radio can "do the
job" when called upon. And that's about as good an exercise as you can
have. (This drill was used as our 2008 Simulated Emergency Test). -- David Coursey, N5FDL [Coursey is EC for
ARES of San Joaquin County, California. He is also ACS/RACES officer for the
City Tracy, CA, and manages an Amateur Radio program for the San
Joa County Emergency Medical
Services Agency.
+ Global Emergency Network Marks Record
The Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN), an international Amateur Radio
Service organization of ham operators dedicated to emergency/relief radio
communications, has become the first network to operate continuously for more
than 500 days on all international Amateur Radio short wave bands
simultaneously. According to HFN International ALE Coordinator Bonnie Crystal,
KQ6XA, the main purpose of the Network is to provide efficient emergency and
disaster relief communications to remote areas of the world. "Beginning
with a core group of six North American radio operators in June 2007, HFN
rapidly expanded to cover large areas of the planet with 24/7 digital communications,"
she said. "HFN was designed to be an open framework for global Amateur
Radio emergency services to interoperate on HF using the Automatic Link
Establishment (ALE) system." Relying on ionospheric
radio communications, interconnected HFN base statio
scan the radio bands every 10 seconds, from 3.5 MHz-28.0 MHz. Through this Net,
+ Southern New England SKYWARN Group Cited
At a Saturday, November 15, Amateur Radio SKYWARN Coordinators Meeting at the
National Weather Service (NWS) office in Taunton, Massachusetts, the
coordinating team was presented with an award from NWS Taunton Forecasters
citing excellence in service to the NWS Taunton office and service to the
people of Southern New England. The glass trophy was presented to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, ARES SKYWAR Coordinator
for NWS Taunton and Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
and the two dozen SKYWARN Coordinator representing portions of the four
"Today was a special meeting," remarked Macedo,
"I wasn't expecting the trophy that's sitting on top of the power supply
here at the station. I was surprised. Very well done, I must say. It is a
tribute to the team effort exhibited by Amateur Radio operators and SKYWARN
Spotters across the four state region."
The award meant even more to the Amateur Radio team since it was funded not by
NOAA, but rather by the forecasters at the station who paid for it out of their
own pockets. The award reads: "Presented to NWS-TAUNTON AMATEUR RADIO TEAM
/ WX1BOX With Sincere Appreciation for your
Long-standing Commitment to the National Weather Service and the People of
Southern New England and with Particular Recognition for your Tireless Support
during the Unusual 2008 Severe Weather Season."
The 2008 summer Severe Weather Season in
"It is the most active year in the 13 years I've been involved in the
SKYWARN program. We hope next year will be calmer in terms of severe
weather." Macedo said.
On the same evening as the SKYWARN Meeting, a Tornado Watch was posted for much
of
"Somehow, given such an active year in 2008 for severe weather, it is no
surprise that we had a wind damage event on the evening of our coordinators
meeting. We hope this is the end of the active stretch," Macedo quipped.
+ ARRL to Offer Self-Study Course on Digital Technology for Emergency
Communications
With digital technology becoming an integral part of Amateur Radio, hams
interested in Emergency Communications now have a new tool to help them take
advantage of emerging modes such as Packet Radio APRS, Winlink
2000, IRLP, EchoLink and WIRES-II, D-STAR, APCO25, HF
sound card modes and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). The ARRL Digital
Technology for Emergency Communications Course will introduce hams to all of
the ways Amateur Radio operators are using digital technology as a valuable
emergency communications tool.
+ LETTERS: PowerPole Connector Configs
for Different Supply Voltages
Several readers wrote in about my Hands-On Radio experiment concerning Go-Kits.
(Experiment #70, "Three-Terminal Regulators", <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/Hands-On-Radio/>). Their suggestion is to stack the 6V
PowerPole connector pair one "above" the
other, so that the longer side of the connector bodies are together. The 12V PowerPole connector pair can remain in the more common
side-by-side configuration shown in the article. With the two different
configurations, different voltage systems cannot be connected together. I've
done this in my own go-kit and urge others to do the same. The impetus for this
protocol came from Al Wolfe, K9SI,
"As the National Electrical Code recognized years ago, it should be
impossible to plug something into the wrong voltage or current receptacle.
Therefore, they set up the many standards for different kinds of plugs and
receptacles for power distribution. A simple solution to the instant dilemma
would be to lock the Powerpole terminals together
vertically for the lower voltage instead of the more common horizontal method;
i.e., with the flat contacts in parallel instead of in the same plane. This
should reduce the possibility of plugging in the 6 volt devices into the 12
volt supply by mistake."
This is also noted on the HOR Web page for experiment #70. - H. Ward Silver,
N0AX, Vashon Island Assistant EC, Western Washington; QST Columnist, Hands-On
Radio
+ Indiana National Guard Seeks Amateurs
The Indiana Guard Reserve (IGR) is soliciting Amateur Radio operators
throughout the State of Indiana to become part of its Communications Branch.
The IGR is activated by the Adjutant General of Indiana when there is a major
incident or exercise that requires the services of the 190 disaster responders
that make up the IGR. One of the functions the IGR needs to improve is ESF #2
Communications. -- LTC Spencer Gibbs, N9DVL,
+ LETTERS: Hospital EMCOMM in Florida - Compliance Monitoring by AHCA
Regarding the most recent ARES E-Letter item on hospital emcomms,
our local hospital communications contact sent us information from Florida's
Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), a compliance-monitoring agency
looking for documentation of agreements with Amateur Radio groups and
hospitals. <http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/MCHQ/Plans/pdfs/physical_plant_improvements.pdf>
The protocol is: "X. RECOMMENDED EXTERNAL
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS a. Each facility should provide for external
electronic communication not dependent on terrestrial telephone lines,
cellular, radio or microwave towers such as on-site radio transmitter,
satellite communication systems or a written agreement with an amateur radio
operator volunteer group(s). This agreement should provide for a volunteer
operator and communication equipment to be re-located into the facility in the
event of a disaster until communications are restored." -- Jeff Capehart, W4UFL,
+ Who Can Use the Name ARES(r)?
ARES(r) is a registered trademark of the ARRL. As such it can only be used by
groups that are officially affiliated with the ARRL. There is a PDF with the
details at <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/ARES-Registered-Trademark.pdf
> --Dan Henderson,
N1ND, Regulatory Information Manager, ARRL
+ LETTERS: HDTV Transmissions in the Field, Comments
[Last month's item on the impending TV Digital conversion and the need for emcomm ops to monitor TV transmissions in the field brought
a panoply of responses. Here is a sampling. - ed.]
I was a TV broadcast engineer in the analog days, and I recently put together a
slide show on DTV (of which HDTV is a subset), and in doing so I had to learn
new things. You are correct: There will be no more analog broadcasts, either
video or audio, after February 17, 2009, with the minor exception of
translators and low power TV stations. Cable TV is permitted to continue
delivering analog.
Let me list several options to receive broadcast digital TV in the field:
1. A DTV converter in front of any conventional analog TV tuned to channel 3 or
4 is the first option. I bought two RCA DTA800B1 digital converters for $20
each over the $40 government coupon. (Each household can get two coupons.)
Converter and remote control weigh 1 lb. Sensitivity is adequate.
With a converter you'll get more channels than before because three or more
video/audio streams are put on each ATSC channel (in the same 6 MHz width and
in some of the same bands as the old NTSC system).
With a converter you get optional caption decoding and display, and you get
composite video and stereo audio outputs and RF output. This converter plugs
into 120V, but I would be surprised if it could not be modified to work off 12
volts. The RF could be split to feed several NTSC receivers if desired.
2. With your converter, use an LCD monitor/receiver that will work from 12
volts via its in-line switching power supply. I use a 15" AOC LV15X221
computer monitor/cable-ready NTSC TV receiver (~$150 from CompUSA). It's
probably obsolete, but see <http://www.aoc.com/> for ATSC (digital) receiver/monitors.
3. The little grocery-store 5-inch B/W receiver can be used with the converter,
but with lots of intercarrier buzz.
4. Consider the cheapest digital TV that has a digital tuner but displays NTSC.(Consider it a digital converter and an NTSC receiver
in the same box.) Here's a 7-inch LCD 12-V portable for $112:
<http://www.amazon.com/Haier-HLT71-7-Inch-Portable-CD/dp/B001E78UQY/r
ef=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1224966207&sr=1-13>
Finally, if you have an NTSC tuner in your computer or on USB, use a
converter with it. Consider a *digital* USB tuner, using a laptop as
a monitor. Search Amazon for "USB digital tuner." You'll want to look
into the sensitivity of USB tuners.
An informative DTV Web site is <http://www.hdtvinfoport.com/> --
Travis Hardin, KE3Y, Huntsville, Alabama
This is the HDTV box I use for portable and mobile apps: A 5" LCD monitor
for the video with the audio piped into my Jeep's broadcast radio. I picked
this box specifically since it has a direct 12 vdc
power input. I've never seen another model with this. The antenna is a homebrew Yagi. For the
mobile, I plan to add a larger flip down monitor. It's eligible for the coupons
too.
<http://www.artectv.com/ehtm/products/t3apro.htm> -- Ronny Julian, K4RJJ, Dallas,
Georgia
Ward Silver's (N0AX) letter regarding clear audio for HDTV struck a chord with
me on one of my projects. A group of ARES/MARS ops in
We also have a low-cost 4-channel DVR (designed for security cameras), which allow
LAN-attached PCs to view real-time and archived Amateur TV and DirecTV
programming. All of this equipment is quite inexpensive. All of this is
available to our served agencies via the mobile unit's wired and wireless
networks. More on the project at: <http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/MCU/index.html>. - John Scoggin,
Jr., W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3EDE/AAA9SL, US Army MARS, Delaware Gateway Station
AAB3DE, Special Consultant - Technology; Emergency Operations Officer -
Delaware <aat3bf@armymars.net>
+ LETTERS: The Need to Build Strong Relationships
A great article was published in American City & Country, about the need to
build strong relationships within the emergency management community. It's
filled with anecdotes and makes for compelling reading.
<http://americancityandcounty.com/pubsafe/communications/wakeup_call/
>
During our recent experience here with Hurricane Gustav, I was shocked to find
that some of our county EC's didn't even know the names of the leaders at their
served agencies. As I've pointed out to many of them since, trying to forge
those relationships and bonds of trust during an emergency is the worst
possible time.
During the hotwash for this event, I had one local EC
give me a blank stare when I asked if he had ever met the Red Cross representative.
He didn't know what either organization was, and had never attended a meeting.
If you're currently serving as an EC and you don't have a good working
relationship with your local EMA Director, Red Cross Director, police and fire
chiefs, etc. make it a point to cultivate those now. If your
county has a Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC) try to attend the
meetings, or consider appointing an Assistant EC who can represent Amateur
Radio at those functions. If your community has an active chapter of VOAD
(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) you should try to obtain
membership for your ARES/RACES group.
It's important to understand that Amateur Radio is one piece of the
emergency management puzzle, and for us to serve our role we must be aware of
what the big picture looks like. Make it a top priority over the next few
months to build those relationships. -- Les Rayburn, N1LF, Alabama Section
Emergency Coordinator, NCS-SHARES NCS-047
+ LETTERS: Coaxial Antenna Versus J-Pole
In re my item in the last issue on coaxial antennas and readers' responses,
there was the original statement that the coaxial antenna has "some
gain," but this was not to mean that it has some gain over a dipole. The
Coaxial Antenna is a variant of a half-wave dipole.
A J-Pole is a fine antenna. However, the J-Pole has the following
disadvantages:
1. Construction is not as straight forward as the Coaxial.
2. The copper version of the J-Pole does not deploy as easily as the coaxial
antenna described.
3. With no real models for comparison, it is difficult to compare patterns for
each antenna. I would suspect that the J-Pole would not have an omni-directional pattern and would therefore produce a lobe
or lobes giving gain in some directions.
The purpose of my article was to introduce or reintroduce the Coaxial antenna to those who have never used or seen
one--especially as a great addition to an emcomm
operator's "Jump Kit."
1. Coaxial antennas have a gain of about 2dBi (about the same as a Center-fed
dipole).
2. Coaxial antennas may be fed with 52 Ohm coaxial cable without cumbersome
tuning.
3. Coaxial antennas require little if any horizontal displacement. (It's very
compact).
4. Coaxial
antennas have a low angle of radiation.
5. The lower sleeve or shield helps prevent the induction of current in the
outer conductor of the coaxial cable caused by energy radiated by the antenna.
No further matching is required as is required with the typical J-Pole. - Jay Musikar, AF2C, DEC East Central District, Northern Florida
ARES
+ QST Author/ARES Op Presented Cover Plaque Award
+ LETTERS: Repeater Info Should Be Readily Available
The letter "ARES Groups Should Publish Repeater Frequencies for Googling" in the September issue reminds me of how
hard it can sometimes be to get up on the air in disaster conditions:
it's not just the disaster but also the lack of information (sometimes the
result of the disaster).
Yes, we should be able to find repeater information on Google. But we should
also be able to find the PL tones. (And sometimes we won't be able to connect
to Google or anything else wired). The repeaters we can hear should be telling
us their PL tones every time they identify. Better yet, unless there is
an actual repeater interference problem, the PL tone system should be turned
off in a disaster response. That PL tone may well be known to the locals
(actually, probably not anymore since it's been put in the rig memory). The PL
tone will not be known to anyone else such as travelers with emergency traffic,
visitors, etc.
Especially in extremis, we should be doing what we can
to facilitate communication, not prevent it. -- Bart Lee, KV6LEE, ARRL
Government Liaison and Volunteer Counsel, former LO San Francisco ACS, former
EC ARES San Francisco, and Deputy Communications Lead, New York Red Cross
How about the list at <http://www.artscipub.com)>? I find this list to be fairly
accurate. -- Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, City of Altus,
Oklahoma
For several years now, I've maintained a list of primary Emergency Frequencies
in use in each West Central Florida County <http://www.saracs.org/docs/frequencylist.pdf> These frequencies and alpha-numerics can then be pre-programmed into radios and when
folks are deployed to other counties, they simply need to dial in the correct
"channel" listed on the Communications Plan, and they'll be ready to
go with no programming needed in the field. -- Ron Wetjen,
WD4AHZ, EC Sarasota County, West Central Florida, Sarasota County Auxiliary
Communications Service <http://www.saracs.org>
+ K1CE For a Final
Web site of the Month: <http://n5fdl.com/davids-blog/> It is superb!
Thought of the Month: "To every man there comes in his lifetime that
special moment when he is tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a
very special thing. What a tragedy if that moment finds him
unprepared and unqualified for the work which should be his finest hour."
-- Winston Spencer Churchill (Tnx to N9DVL).
Happy Tnxgiving to all! 73, Rick
K1CE
Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
==================================================================The ARES
E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month by the American
Radio Relay League The ARES E-Letter is an e-mail digest of news and
information of interest to active members of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES). Material from The ARES E-Letter may be republished or
reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission.
Credit must be given to The ARES E-Letter and The American Radio Relay
League. Past issues of The ARES E-Letter are available at http://www.arrl.org/ares-el/. Issues are posted to this page after
publication. ===============================================================
73,
Tom Cleveland KE7GBO
Editor - Valley Voice KE7GBO@arrl.net Dit Dah Dit Dah Dit
Dah