Bible
Verse Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near to
all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He
fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears
their cry and saves them. NIV
President's
Report Hello all. Our next monthly
business meeting will be Saturday
November 5th at the Queen
City Truck Stop located on North Frontage Road. We will
try to start at 10 AM. Topics to discuss are the
Christmas party and a new meeting location that is smoke
free. We also need to start thinking about new officers
to carry us through 2006.
It has been a couple of months
since the last Spark Gap was published. All of the
predictions about this hurricane season being worse than
in years past have certainly come true. I think back over
the last few weeks in awe at all that has happened during
that time. Two hurricanes have demolished portions of
four states; Wildfires out west and floods in the
northeast; Earthquakes in Pakistan have killed thousands.
Amateur radio operators that can travel were in high
demand.
Hurricane Katrina made me
appreciate all of the extra preparations that we had
made. I have talked to many of our club members and all
made it through okay. Some of us had damage to our
property and all are thankful that it was not any worse.
In our area, several operators wanted to help the Red
Cross or The United Way with communications. However,
when they went there to see where the need was, no one
was able to establish a need. There was mention that we
would have to follow a set of guidelines if we were to be
of assistance, but no one knew what those guidelines
were. Perhaps this is something we need to get hammered
out before the next disaster strikes?
I received a letter from KB5DKW
this past month. He is very interested in setting up a
club station possibly at Meridian Community College. He
needs one more like-minded individual that is HF
qualified. Please kick the thought around and give Ronny
a call if you would like to get this project on the
drawing board.
I also received a letter from our
ARRL Section Manager, Henry WD4Q concerning the
ARRL Toy
Drive. Please read his
letter and the accompanying information below.
A special need has come to my
attention from the Mississippi
Wing Civil Air Patrol.
Please see this letter below.
Do you get a mystified when you
receive an email with an entire list of recipients names
attached to that email? This can easily be resolved by
using the BCC feature that comes with most email
programs. I have told several friends about this feature,
but they often forget to use it. Microsoft recently
published an article that explains the process and tells
you why it is important. If you are not familiar with
using the BCC feature, please take a look at this
article. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=4099661
Have a great month! 73, Darrell
W5MAV
Last year the ARRL conducted a 2004
Toy Drive for the children in Florida. This year we
(ARRL) are conducting the ARRL 2005 Toy Drive for the
children that were affected by Katrina and Rita. It is
much larger than last year and I am headed up the
warehouse here in Memphis. Here is the web site link:
http://www.arrl.org/pio/toys/
Please put this data in your next
newsletter. An article is in November 2005 QST on page
51.
73, Henry - WD4Q
In the wake of the unprecedented
devastation by Hurricane Katrina, hams around the country
are being asked, "Can we do it again?" Like thousands of
hams across the country, I was eves dropping on the
national nets following the Katrina disaster. Because I
had gone to Montgomery, Alabama to coordinate some
things, I was listening intently for people I had met who
were going into the areas so horribly devastated by the
storm. That's when Bear interrupted me.
The last time "Bear" talked was a
year ago when his simple head full of fluff thought up
the first Toy Drive. Hams around the country joined
together for children left homeless by a series of four
hurricanes in Florida. That effort, in late 2004,
succeeded better than anyone's wildest dreams. But now
Bear wanted to do it again. A second Toy Drive! Could we?
A phone call with the Public
Relations Committee said yes. An email from Dave Sumner
who was attending a conference in Europe said yes.
Another phone call with singer Patty Loveless' manager
not only said yes, but also offered help. Not only can it
be done, it really must be done. It is simply the right
thing to do.
Singer and active ham operator
Patty Loveless, KD4WUJ, is the Honorary National
Chairperson for the drive
We are asking hams from all over
the country to begin gathering new toys for shipment to
Memphis, Tennessee. ARRL Vice-Director Henry Leggette,
WD4Q, secured a receiving warehouse and volunteers there.
The toys should be sent to this address where they will
be sorted and stocked by volunteers. Early in December we
will divide the toys between the various agencies and
states that need help the most at that point in time. We
are making these arrangements so that we can maximize the
areas receiving aid while maintaining the unique identity
that this is the Amateur Radio Community's response.
Just as we did last year, we are
asking the donors to please put a QSL card into the box
with the toy. Many clubs are already gathering toys
together. Please check with your local club and see if
they are planning a mass shipment. If not, perhaps you
can help organize one for your area.
"Last year, hams from all over the
country brought smiles to children during the holidays.
We made a lot of friends, and we did a lot of good. No
one expected that we would need to do it again, but
Katrina's destruction has changed the plans of a lot of
people. I hope you will help in this effort to bring a
smile to children hurt by this disaster." - Pres. Jim
Haynie.
Unwrapped new toys for boys and
girls of ages 1 to 14 should be gathered and shipped by
amateur radio operators to the Memphis, TN facility
between now and Thanksgiving for distribution over the
holidays. Join in this effort to provide for the
thousands of children suddenly homeless due to Hurricane
Katrina.
Please send new toys for children
ages 1 to 14 to:
ARRL -- Toy Drive Monetary donations would also be
very helpful in covering the expenses of this operation
and purchasing toys for age groups often overlooked.
Those wishing to donate money instead of toys can send a
check to:
ARRL -Toy Drive
Everyone, MSWG (Mississippi Wing
Civil Air Patrol) is planning a SAR/DR (Search &
Rescue Disaster Relief) practice the last weekend this
month. The IC (Incident Commander) will be John Lamberth.
We will have very high emphasis on communications
training and ground team training. Please contact Eric
Hudzinski for training schedule on ground team tasks and
contact Bob Kilroy (228) 547-5970) about communications
tasks.
Commanders, please tell pilots not
to just fly down, prior approval for any flight is
required and if flights "show up" at Hawkins field
without prior approval through the IC (Incident
Commander) system it will not be covered under the
mission.
There will be sign in on Friday evening October
28th at 6:30 PM for ground teams and communications teams. Classes
will be held Friday night for each. Classes and training will continue
on Saturday morning October 29th at 8 AM. The Sunday morning time
will be announced.
Please make your plans to attend this exercise
and training mission. There is a special interest and need for new
HAM operators participating in these training sessions
God Bless Meridian contact: MSgt. Sam
Clatterbuck The Gulf Coast QRP Society has an
event the third weekend of every month. Here are some of
the upcoming events:
Rockmite QRP Transceiver Weekend -
Build a Rockmite QRP Transceiver on a Saturday Morning
and operate it that afternoon. (Small cost of about
$30.00 Thirty Dollars for Rockmite Kit.) Don't be afraid
it's not that hard. We'll walk you through it!)
QRP Antenna Party - (Bring your
Rockmite.) Come out to a local park or beach and make,
put up and test QRP antenna's (Antenna Wire, Insulators,
etc. provided)
If you are interested in QRP
operation or just want to meet some new operators. Come
out and join us. If you are just starting out in the
hobby, come out and join us, we are always learning
something new. QRP is a fun and can be an inexpensive way
to begin your Amateur Radio hobby. Join us for more QRP
Fun! Contact:
Gulf Coast QRP Society Daytime Contact Information JUST
AHEAD With hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, fires, severe t-storms and
earthquakes tearing up the country from one end to another, the quote
of the year is:
"Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge
of Allegiance?"
Have a
great month
October 2005
1775 Moriah Woods Blvd. -- Suite 12
Memphis, TN 38117
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111
Last Weekend this Month
Chris Cook
Guidance and Control Shop
186th ARW, Meridian, MS
(601) 484-9448
Jude KE5FEY (ex KB5FSG)
Email: Jude.Miller@atl.frb.org
Telephone: 800.562.9023 x5898
Telephone: 504.593.5898
