Bible Verse
Revelation 3: 5-6 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (KJV)
Next Business Meeting
The next MARC business meeting is scheduled for Saturday, MAY 6th at the Checker Board Restaurant on South Frontage Road next to the Best Western in Meridian. There is hope that the new location might encourage a larger group to attend.
President's Report
Please note the changed location for the upcoming May 6th business meeting. During our April business meeting it was decided to try a new location for the next three months.
Please note: This ONLY applies to the 1st Saturday of the month business meeting. Our normal coffee-drinking get-together will still be held at the Queen City Truck Stop. Our friend WB5BNV is currently stirring up some interest in digital modes of operation. Please see the attached list of some of the guys currently using packet on 2-meters. This is at 1200 baud. If you are interested in joining this group, talk to Bill KB5ASR or any of the other calls you see listed. CUL & 73! KB5ASR
New CALL SIGNS
The following have new vanity call signs:
KI5FW is now NO5C
W5OQY is now W5BX
From our new Delta Division Director
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Henry R. Leggette, WD4Q. I am former Vice Director of the Delta Division. I live in Memphis, Tennessee. After the January Board of Director meeting I became Director when Rick Roderick, K5UR was elected as a Vice President of the ARRL. Coupled with the election of Joel Harrison, W5ZN as President, this is an unprecedented honor for the Delta Division. I know you will join with me in congratulating Joel and Rick. You may have met me during my service as Vice Director. If not, I look forward to meeting you soon.
As the incoming Director, I will attempt to advise you of some of the things we are working on at our level. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me. I want to discuss several key issues in amateur radio as it relates to you. We are faced with (a) BPL (Broadband Over Power Lines) (b) Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act of 2005 (covenants) (c) Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2005.
Lastly, we need to find ways to get our young people involved in amateur radio. The average age for amateur radio operators continues to increase. As one of our efforts to combat the interference potential of (a) broadband over power lines (BPL), the ARRL is supporting House Resolution 230; HR 230 was introduced last April by Congressman Mike Ross, WD5DVR from Arkansas. It expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the FCC should reconsider and revise its rules for BPL "based on a comprehensive evaluation of the interference potential of those systems to public safety services and other licensed radio services".
It can be located at: http://www.arrl.org/govrelations. After going to this page, you can obtain information on (a) Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act of 2005 (covenants) (b) Amateur Radio Protection Act of 2005. You should also find a sample copy of a letter to a senator or congressman/woman on this web site if you desire it. Please, write those letters to your congressmen/women!
If this is not enough, Wednesday, February 8, 2006 Rep. Ross delivered " A Salute to Ham Radio Operators" on the floor of the House. You can find the text of his message at the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/02/09/100/?nc=1 . Membership is down and we need to find some ways to increase it. The total national regular membership is a count of 148,514 as of January 31, 2006. The total regular Delta Division membership is 6152. It is down 1% from February 2005. Can we make an extra effort to increase our membership? We need to come up with ways to bring our young Americans into this great radio services. If the trend continues, within a few years no one or not enough will be licensed to operate and maintain the frequencies that we have worked so very hard to achieve. This is something everyone should have the opportunity to check out.
Visit: http://www.hello-radio.org/historyofradio.html as we celebrate 100 years of voice over radio worldwide. We are using the most commonly used word in the languages and that is "HELLO", whether it is in English or some other one. The Summer Teacher Institute sponsored by the ARRL on wireless technology, teaching fundamental electronic concepts, micro controller, satellites, robotic and bring space technology into the classroom is once again asking for applicants. There will be 12 students per class. These classes will be one week long each over a four-week period. All tuition, travel, lodging, and a daily meal stipend are provided though generous ARRL member contributions. An Applicant does not have to be a ham radio operator to apply. If you know of any teacher, who may benefit and meet these requirements to help students, please look up http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp for additional information. Finally, I want to "thank" all of you who worked so hard to help out the citizens affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. What I hear is "HAM RADIO" passed the test! 73, Henry R. Leggette, WD4Q Director, Delta Division ARRL
From W5XX
Effective October 1, 2006 several states are now requiring that emergency responders working in state and/or county EOCs as well as field operations complete selected FEMA Emergency Management Institute courses.
These courses are the Incident Command System (IS-100/IS-200), the National Incident Management System (IS-700), and the National Response Plan (IS-800). IS-100 and IS-700 are required for workers and, in addition, IS-200 and IS-800 for supervisors (EC/DEC). MEMA now only recommends that these courses be taken, but this could change in a second because course requirements are tied in to the Federal funding that an agency receives. The four courses are available on line at no cost at www.training.fema.gov/EMIWEB/IS/. Click on 'Our Courses.' Each course takes about two hours to complete including taking and submitting the exam.
If emergency responders have not taken the appropriate courses they could be restricted at some point in the future from participating in MEMA/local EMA operations. Be Prepared!
April 2006 