Matthew 2:1-6 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. (NIV)
It saddens me to report this month the passing of another Ham. Mel Oubre W5MLO, a long time mentor to many others in the community. Mel was also a member of the Lauderdale County Search and Rescue unit in the early years and also a VE in the early 90's. I was fortunate enough to have him deliver the Morse code test when I upgraded to General. Mel was one of those guys that would come over and help you with almost anything, he would give you the shirt off his back if it would help. He always had a good joke or a Budro story, he could brighten your day in just a few words.
Mel was a retired Navy Vet, I guess he and Margie were just some of those that came here to the Navy base and just liked the area so much that they decided to stay, and I for one am glad they did. They made a big impact on the community in my opinion. Mel used to call the ms section net on HF years ago and he just had that sense that made you feel welcomed when you checked in, it was like he was saying " Come on in and pull up a chair, stay awhile ". I don't know about y'all but I know that I am going to miss him.
On another note we have two other things that need to be mentioned.
1. Mel's family is in need of help with the funeral costs, donations are welcome, and that info will be posted further in.
2. We have our annual meeting this month, it will be on the 16th at the Western Sizzlin at noon, ALL HAMS AND FAMILY ARE WELCOME! This too will be posted further in.
BPQ/Winlink station operating 24/7
11-23-17
It was just announced that Lawrence, AD5O, (connect is AD5O-1) in Brandon, now has a BPQ/Winlink station operating 24/7. The station is on 145.01 VHF, 3586 and 7100 HF. Both are dial frequencies using RMS Express.
I think this is the first time Mississippi has had an open Winlink station within its borders. Lawrence is to be congratulated and needs your support. A radio operation such as this requires many man hours to set up, and maintain, in addition to the equipment involved.
For those not familiar with a BBS:
A BPQ BBS is very similar to your Internet Email provider, such as AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, ETC. The one major difference is the BPQ BBS is connected by a radio link.
Just like with your email provider where you are required to first establish an account, you will need to establish an account with the AD5O BPQ BBS selecting it as your "Home" BBS. Your home BBS is where you will receive your messages.
Once you are properly established as a user on the BBS you will be able to send and receive messages.
The BBS works just like your email service provider. You draft an email, send it to AOL or Gmail, and it is forwarded to its destination. Same with the BBS.
With the BBS, you draft a message, connect to the BBS by radio and your messages is sent to the BBS automatically. Then your message is either forwarded automatically by radio to another BBS for delivery or held on your home BBS for delivery
The BBS has a system operator (SYSOP), (AD5O) who will receive notification of an incorrectly addressed message. A normal email service provider will just "bounce" your email. On the BBS, the SYSOP receiving a notice of an incorrectly addressed message, will either make an obvious correction and forward the message or he will service the originator for instructions.
During an emergency, automatic forwarding between the BBS and an individual station can be accomplished. This can facilitate the speedy delivery of important messages.
The use of a BPQ BBS is not and should not be limited to emergency communications. If you have a ham friend who has access to the BBS, use the BBS!
The BPQ BBS has advantages if there is no Internet available. For instance: AD5O has a Winlink connection which is AD5O-10. Suppose the Internet is down in your area. Using AD5O-10 you can send an email to the Internet. If AD5O-10 does not have a Internet connection, the email message can be forwarded to KC5OAS in Arkansas for delivery to the Internet. If KC5OAS in Arkansas does not have a Internet connection he has forwarding capabilities to stations that may. This offers a tremendous amount of flexibility.
Use the BBS daily. When you access the BBS every day you are performing an operational test on your station. You test your antenna, transceiver, sound card interface, and computer. Plus you become familiar with band conditions for different times of the day.
Thanks for your time. Any questions or comments? Please contact me.
Fred
WB5BNV
Billfred5@AOL.COM
W5MLO GoFundMe
Please keep the Mel Oubre family in your prayers. A GoFundMe page has been setup to help with funeral expenses. To donate go here: https://www.gofundme.com/funds-for-melvin-oubre-jr
If you prefer, you could also mail a check directly to Margie at their home address: 2474 Jeff Davis School Road, Meridian, MS 39301
Deep Dixie Contest Club / Recruiting Interested Contesters
Dear Meridian Ham Radio Club Friends—
We members of the Deep Dixie Contest Club (DDCC) are contacting your club to see if you have any members who would like to join one of our teams for a forthcoming contest. We are attempting to reach out to clubs here in the Deep South to help encourage growth in contesting.
While we welcome interested (or potentially interested) hams to join us for any contest, our main focus right now is on the very popular North American QSO Party (NAQP) that will be held early in 2018. One weekend will be devoted to each of the main modes: CW, SSB, and RTTY.
Our Deep Dixie Contest Club was formed to help promote improved contesting skills and to recruit hams who might just want to get started in contesting. So, while we have some fantastic teams that regularly rank in the Top Ten in US, especially in NAQP, we also have teams of hams who are just getting started. For some, the NAQP is their first contest and they are really scared at first. But, in short order, they overcome their fear when they realize how hospitable our group is.
Please spread the word among your club members about Deep Dixie Contest Club. Then, ask any interested ham to contact me — nn5olarry@gmail.com — so I can help get them set up to enjoy success.
At DDCC, we have no annual dues (if you are invited to become a member of the club). All we ask is that you participate with us in contesting efforts as often as possible. Even in the contests when we cannot form teams, we hope you will designate your club as Deep Dixie Contest Club in places like 3830scores.com. But, also, this applies in any contest in which you can indicate your club affiliation.
Just so you know, we have members from MS, TN, LA, TX, AR, and several who are not in the Deep South, geographically, but we welcome them into our merry band. They come from KS, IA, OH, and we have two on the island of Sicily! During previous NAQP contests, we’ve had team members to join us from FL, SC, GA, CA, ND, and even Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. So, we are a welcoming group of people who desire to improve our craft, especially in CW.
So, please consider our offer and let us know. I look quite forward to hearing from you or any interested member of your club. In the meantime, feel free to browse our club web site at http://deepdixiecc.org
73,
Dr. Larry S. Anderson NN5O, President
Deep Dixie Contest Club
Tupelo, MS
Each of us is great insofar as we perceive and act on the infinite possibilities which lie undiscovered and unrecognized about us.
- James Harvey Robinson
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