FIELD DAY 2010
< NOTICE: Field Day location has changed >
June 26-27, 2010 / ARRL Field Day is the largest on-the-air operating event in Amateur Radio. It draws tens of thousands to the airwaves each year, bringing new and experienced hams together for a weekend of fun!
This year MARC Field Day location will be held at the LEMA office on 14th Avenue, Meridian, MS.
Debbie (KD5JYJ) has ordered up BBQ pork from our local Piggly Wiggly. Serving time will be around 6 PM on Saturday evening June 26th. As in years past, many of you have brought along a dessert. This has always worked out well and many of us will appreciate you doing so again this year. Please keep in mind that this is only a suggestion and not a requirement.
We hope to see all of the MARC members and encourage you to invite a friend. Non-member hams from the area are always welcome to come operate with us as well. In addition some club members have decided to meet at Lake Tom Bailey just off of Hwy 80 EAST of Meridian (see note below). Be sure to visit both. Come join us!
73, Darrell W5MAV
FD @ Lake Tom Bailey
Hey guys, I am hosting a Field Day (June 26 - 27, 2010) event this year at Lake Tom Bailey! I am very excited about it, and I want to invite everyone to come. I know MARC will be at LEMA, but if you want something different to look at except four walls then come on out. I want all to understand I am NOT trying to take anyone from the event at LEMA; I just want everybody to understand my event is for everyone that wants to come. It is NOT a private event! I would normally be the club event myself but I don't know if I can sit boxed in and work the radio for that long. I need fresh air!!
Anyway, anybody and everybody is WELCOME!
73s, Eldon, W4IOS
Operation Gale Wind Leads to
ARC/ARES Negotiation
Lauderdale/Clark counties (Mississippi) EC Richard Morefield, AE5FE, reports that the Lauderdale Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) conducted their annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET) called Operation Gale Wind. This event simulated extreme weather conditions as a result of a hurricane that made landfall and consequent tornadoes in the Lauderdale County area.
During the exercise, two warnings were issued for tornadoes that resulted in structural damage and injuries at Clarkedale School, Meridian High School, Northeast High School, and Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian. Additionally, simulated injuries were reported from Lockheed at the Industrial Complex. ARES communication in conjunction with local EMA communications were used to give local hospitals advance notice of casualties inbound to their facilities. Confirmations of arrivals at Rush Hospital were relayed to the Lauderdale EMA EOC.
As a result of this exercise the Red Cross Key Chapter expressed an interest in partnering with ARES; an agreement is currently being negotiated in accordance with the MOU between ARRL and ARC National Headquarters. The City of Meridian, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, and Anderson Hospital also expressed an interest in ARES capabilities and the speed and ease with which information was transferred reliably.
Rick AE5FE
LEMA UPDATE
We are making good progress on getting things set up at LEMA EOC. Today we were able to finish deploying the 2M Ringo Ranger antenna using the standoff mount that Eldon (W4IOS) fabricated and welded for us. Weather permitting I will be back at LEMA during the coming week to finish running the coax.
Lauderdale Emergency Management EOC now has an operational Packet Station. The call for EOC is WX5MEI, and the mailbox is WX5MEI-10. At present it is in the monitor mode but can connect and receive mail. If you have a Packet Station please try to connect to it. The antenna is not very high right now so you may have to connect via KB5ASR. As soon as the Ringo is finished for 2M we will be installing an antenna for Packet at a higher elevation and directed towards the Jackson metro area. This should allow us to connect to nodes that will get us into JAX and SCARC on the backside while connecting locally through the side lobes (we hope). Once the bugs have been worked out, if any develop, the terminal will come out of monitor and be set up for mail in and out through a BBS. More later when that happens.
Thanks Bill (KB5ASR), Eldon (W4IOS), Fred (W5VZK), and Jim (W5ED) for you assistance and dedication.
73' AE5FE
Recent VE Session
The VE team from Meridian conducted a special Saturday session on the morning of 12 June. Five VEs administered the exams, for 6 examinees. Two candidates were successful in meeting the requirements for Technician Class licenses.
Participating VEs were Donna, KD5GWM; CP, W5BX; Jim, W5ED; Jim, AD5OW; and Russ, W5RB. Given typical transit and processing times, examinees may see results in the FCC database as early as the 18th but more likely around the middle of the following week. The next scheduled session is for 22 July at 6 PM. Other sessions may be scheduled by request. Further info on future sessions is on the main page at http://meridianarc.org/
Thanks, Russ, W5RB
Tech Test Gets a Little More Technical
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
Ever since the FCC dropped the code requirement and the Novice license exam, the Technician Class license has really been misnamed. Being the first license that most hams obtain, it really should have been called the Novice license. The question pool was arguably at the appropriate level for newcomers to amateur radio, being heavy on rules and operating practices, and perhaps a little light on technical topics.
That's about to change. On July 1, 2010, the question pool for the Tech test changes, and this version has noticeably more technical questions than the previous test. You could say that the Tech test is getting, errrr, a little more technical.
For example, the new question pool contains more questions about electronics components and their functions. In addition to that, examinees must also be able to identify the symbols for these components on a schematic diagram. This is a big change from the previous test, which had no diagrams at all. There are also more detailed questions about transistors and how they work.
There are also questions on how to make basic measurements with a multimeter how to troubleshoot basic problems that Technicians are likely to encounter. One question asks, "What two measurements are commonly made using a multimeter"? Answer: voltage and resistance. A follow up question asks, "What is the correct way to connect a voltmeter to a circuit"? Answer: in parallel with the circuit.
To make room for these questions, the committee dropped questions on operating practices and rules and regulations. In general, these are not big losses, but two questions that I was sorry to see go are the questions on the "basis and purpose" of amateur radio. I think these are very important for new amateurs to learn and keep in mind. (If you don't recall them, go to http://www.arrl.org/part-97-amateur-radio and review them.)
By the time you read this--or shortly thereafter--the new version of my No-Nonsense, Technician Class License Study Guide should be available. You can download it free of charge from my web site, www.kb6nu.com. Look for the link in the right-hand column. It's currently in the hands of more than two-dozen reviewers, who are proofreading it right now.
While it may not be in the initial release, I plan to include a section that contains links to websites that cover topics included in the study guide. That way, students can find more information on a topic, if they choose to do so. If you have any favorite websites that discuss making measurements with voltmeters or how to read schematic diagrams, I'd love to hear from you.
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When not updating his No-Nonsense amateur radio license study guides, you'll find him on 40m, 30m, 20m, and if we ever get any sunspots to stick around, 15m and 10m pounding brass. You may even hear him trying to get the hang of using the bug he bought at Dayton this year. You'll find his blog at www.kb6nu.com, and you can e-mail web site suggestions to cwgeek@kb6nu.com
HELLO MISSISSIPPI FROM GREECE
I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU ABOUT FORTHCOMING ACTIVITY FROM SKOPELOS ISLAND IOTA EU-072. SPECIAL HELLENIC CALL: J48S
PERIOD: 19 - 26 JUNE 2010
IOTA: EU-072
GIOTA: NAS-076
LOTA: GRE-071
LOC KM19TE
QSL MGR SV2FPU
MORE... ON www.qrz.com
WE SHALL LIVE AND TRANSMIT INTO THE LIGHTHOUSE 'GURUNI' AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS LIGHTHOUSE WILL BE ON THE AIR... ... SO... C U ON THE AIR...!
73s GIANNIS SV2FPU
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