A monthly publication of the Meridian
Amateur Radio Club
November 2007
Bible
Verse
Matthew 9:27-34 (NIV) Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute (27) As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (28) When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. (29) Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; (30) and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." (31) But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. (32) While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. (33) And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." (34) But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.
VE EXAM
Thursday, November 15th. LEMA/911 building, 2525 14th Street, Meridian, MS at 6:00 pm. Talk-in on 146.700/rptr.
Thanks, Dennis NO5C
Annual Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas party will be held on Saturday, December 1st, beginning at 6 PM at the home of Dennis (NO5C) and Gayla (KB5VAD) Carpenter, 7760 Van Zyverden Road. Please call (601) 679-5668 if you need directions.
In years past many of you have exchanged gifts. If you wish to participate in exchanging gifts please bring a gift and limit the cost to $5. Please bring your favorite dish if possible (not required). If you are not sure what to bring, please call Debbie (626-0053) or Gayla (679-5668) for a few suggestions. We look forward to seeing all of you at the Christmas party. God Bless you!
ARES UPDATE
Negotiations continue between the ARRL and the Red Cross over background checks. The RC wants the ARRL to conduct checks on ARES members; however, the LEAGUE says that many ARES members are not LEAGUE members and it will not be responsible for those checks. I can understand the LEAGUES position and feel that as long as the ARES members are vetted by the EC there should be no question about their participation. Working alongside the RC should require no more than a background check done by the local emergency management agency which might require the ARES member to also be a member of that local EMA.
Most of us can understand the need for security and for the safety of served agencies but excessive, invasive background checks which involve checking credit references and other such things is not necessary. If you want to be a member of the RC you should be prepared to tolerate their requirements.
The one thing that ARES/RACES members should be aware of is the need to be properly trained to support an emergency and to be knowledgeable enough to interface with support from outside your area. The LEAGUE has been moving for some time that ARES members must complete certain courses and participate in training and exercises conducted at the local level. If they don't comply they will not be allowed to participate when a real emergency arises. The courses are shown below.
W5ED/Jim
The ARES E-Letter (ARRL) October 17, 2007
Current ARES-Recommended Training CoursesIn addition to the ARRL Emergency Communications Courses, ARES field operators should also complete the following formal training courses:
Except for the first two, the courses are free of charge, and CPR/First Aid may be free to members of the Red Cross. CPR/First Aid is the only course that requires periodic refreshers and the only course that must be taken in person rather than on the Internet. Where FEMA courses exist in more than one current version - aimed at somewhat different audiences - any of the currently-available versions will suffice. - ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee Recommendations, January 2007
A Case for Digital Messaging
During the recent SET (Section Emergency Test) I sent a NTS (National Traffic System) message to the local EOC (Emergency Operations Coordinator) for relay into the NTS system. I received a "Roger" for my message. The EOC immediately contacted a local HF station and gave the message to that station for relay to NTS. Since the EOC immediately called the HF station on the same frequency I was able to monitor the sending of my message from the EOC to the HF relay. I recognized two errors in my message as it was sent to the HF station. The time filed was not correct and the call sign of the destination station was not correct. I broke in on the relay and made the corrections.
I then monitored HF and listened to the HF relay station send the message to a station that was to place it on RN5. Again, the time was not correct according to the time I sent to EOC. In addition, the destination city, the last four digits of the phone number and the signature were not correct as originally transmitted by me. Five errors between the originating station and two relays.
I had previously, less than an hour before, sent four messages via VHF Packet to Hattiesburg for re- filing on the Packet bulletin board, N5UDK-1, in McHenry MS. These messages went to McHenry ERROR free. This is not meant to be criticism of the stations involved in my message (the HF relay station is an experienced traffic handler and the EOC station is not new to traffic handling). It is only meant to illustrate what happens everyday when messages are passed by voice, under less than perfect conditions, sometimes with faulty equipment, and between operators with faulty hearing. (like me!).
Errors should not be tolerated on any message but they happen. Errors on a tactical message in an emergency situation can have very serious consequences. A good digital communications network with Forward Error Correction will prevent these errors.
Fred WB5BNV
"Hamfest" "Junk in the Trunk" "Swapfest"
The Pearl River Amateur Radio would like to invite any and all Amateur radio operators to our "Hamfest" "Junk in the Trunk" "Swapfest" coming up this December 8th, 2007, at Poplarville, MS. This is the Club's first attempt and the size will be dependant on your response. It will be at our local fairgrounds (indoors, with AC). There is plenty of room and the best concession there is.
Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Admission: $1:00
Tail gate fee: $3.00
Table rental fee: $10.00
Prizes: under consideration.
Call Sign Depot
Hello, Recently, my web site, www.callsigndepot.com was launched. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mel Horowitz and I have been doing custom embroidery for over 20 years; the last four years, almost exclusively for ham radio operators at hamfests.
During this time, I have compiled a list of what ham radio operators have asked for the most. I have included these items in my web site. All of my items are available up to size 4XL and many up to 6XL.
If there are any items you’d like to see added, just let me know. All pricing includes a call sign and, if requested, a personal name or club name. I can also embroider your club logo and I enjoy helping clubs with fund raising projects. Let me know if I can help your club.
To thank you for your time, I want to offer all your club members, free shipping through December 31, 2007. At checkout, just enter “thank you” in the coupon box.
Respectfully, Mel
Take a trip down memory lane complete with some CW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBGIdf0VjQ4
73's WG5X
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