Bible
Verse
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Next Business Meeting
The next business meeting will be held at the Checker Board Restaurant on Saturday, March 1st, 2014 beginning at 10 A.M. Come join us for breakfast, coffee and fellowship.
Mr. Earl Baker K6MG (SK)
Received a sad note from Mike Duke, K5XU, that Mr. Earl Baker (K6MG) became a silent key on January 4th while living in California, where he had moved a few years ago to be near his family due to his health. Earl lived in Newton, MS for many years and was active on HF and VHF. Here is an article by WB5BNV (published April 2013) written about Earl Baker and his many accomplishments.
MEET EARL BAKER, K6MG Newton, MS
Earl was born in Clarion Iowa 83 years ago on March 4th, 1927.
Earl's communications career began when he joined the U. S. Navy on his 17th birthday, the 4th of March 1944. During WWII Earl served on a number of ships, Destroyers primarily, and when the war ended he was sent to Greenland for 2 years. At the Greenland shore station Earl received his first amateur radio call, OX3BF, compliments of the Danish government. Earl entered amateur radio in a big way at the Greenland shore station. There were 13 high power HF transmitters and Earl could use any of them on the Amateur bands. These transmitters were also the source of heat for Earl's living quarters.
After Greenland, Earl was discharged for a short period of time. During this time he worked on a railroad in Iowa as a control tower operator. But the Navy decided they could not do without Earl's services. They called him back to active duty and finally let him go after a total of 23 years' service.
During Earl's second tour in the Navy, he was in charge of the Navy Radio Station on Bainbridge Island, WA., then served an instructor at the USNRTC in Colorado Springs, CO. Earl ended his naval career as the Radioman In Charge of Communications for the Admiral and Staff of COMSERVRON ONE out of San Diego, CA. While servicing on the COMSERVRON ONE staff, Earl was sent to Guam Island but was allowed to take His family on board the ship with him. This was a trip the kids still remember today.
The day after Earl was "Piped over the Side" (discharged from the Navy) he received a call from the American Radio Association (ARA). They needed radio operators for merchant ships. Thus began another 23 years of going to sea as a radio operator. On one of his merchant ship cruises to Vietnam, his wife Wauneta went with him. His ship was subjected to rocket fire from the Vietcong and Wauneta hid from the rockets in the ships lifeboat. She said if the ship went down, she wanted to be the first one in the life boat!
The many amateur radio call signs held by Earl include OX3BF, W0IQP, W7PQT, W7PVS, K6TSQ, VQ9MG and finally K6MG. Earl is a Charter Member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. Earl still uses a Vibroplex Bug for sending and sends flawless CW.
Next time you hear K6MG on the air, you will be hearing a true "OLDTIMER"
Lauderdale Repeater Group w5LRG
146.970 - ki5fw/R (pl 100hz)
444.500 + w5LRG/R
GE to all: As some of you already know that it is the time of year for both the Lauderdale Repeater Group and Meridian Amateur Radio Club to jointly pay for Liability Insurance to cover both groups and repeater sites. This year’s premium remains the same price or $325.00 for a one year policy. Both groups will pay half of the premium ($162.50 each). I urge everyone to help pay for this expense. If you use any one of / or both repeaters just remember these things do not stay on the air all by themselves. All donations will be greatly appreciated. Dennis NO5C
Contributions can be mailed to:
Lauderdale Repeater Group w5LRG
c/o: Dennis Carpenter
7760 Vanzyverden Road
Meridian, MS 39305
Treasurer Report
Thank all of you that have paid your dues this far. Currently we have 29 paid members. Please bring your dues to the Checker Board Restaurant on Saturday mornings or mail them to the address below. Thank you for supporting your club repeater. Dues are:
- $23.00 per Year per Member
- $25.00 per Year for Family
- $15.00 per year if 65 or older
MARC
c/o Debbie Hover
11785 Nancy Drive
Collinsville, MS 39325
73, Debbie, KD5JYJ
Lauderdale-Clarke County ARES FD Announced
The Lauderdale-Clarke County ARES group, in conjunction with members of the Hospital Emergency Amateur Radio Service (HEARS) Organization have begun planning for this years (2014) ARRL Field Day. The Field Day Site will be Archusa Water Park, Quitman, MS. On display will be the Clarke County EOC Communications Van along with other displays.
The plans for this year are to operate totally off the power grid, using Solar/battery power. All bands and all modes will be used to make contacts. If you would like to help in the planning and make some contacts during field day using your favorite mode, please join us.
Contact Rick Morefield, AE5FE or Gary White, KF5MWE. or John Bates, KF5QLL
2014 BirminghamFest
Dear Meridian ARC
Greetings from the Birmingham Amateur Radio Club!
We invite you to attend the upcoming 2014 BirminghamFest to be held March 1st and 2nd. This event will also serve as the Alabama Section Convention for 2014. The venue of the event is the Zamora Shrine Temple located just off I-459 and Grants Mill Road. Further information can be found at http://BirminghamFest.org.
Many amateur radio vendors will be in attendance and there will be plenty of good fun and fellowship to be had by all. VE testing will be held at
9:00 AM Saturday and there will be fifteen forums including Google Earth Signal Path Analysis, D-Star and Satellite Communications.
The Alabama Historical Radio Society will have 11 exhibition tables of antique radios on display including a selection of radios, parts, magazines and test equipment for sale. The display will also include an antique military radio section and a WWII-era Military Communications Vehicle will be on display outside.
There will be many hourly prizes on both days and the Sunday grand prize will be an ELECRAFT KX-3 PORTABLE HF TRANSCEIVER with internal auto antenna tuner and hand microphone. http://www.elecraft.com/KX3/kx3.htm
We look forward to seeing you at the 2014 ARRL Alabama Section Convention!
Please forward to your club and announce the BirminghamFest on your local nets.
Sincerely,
The BirminghamFest Committee
Memphis FreeFest
On April 12, 2014, the Mid-South Amateur Radio Association is hosting our annual Memphis FreeFest. As is our custom, all raffle proceeds will be donated to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. We would like to ask you help in spreading the word about this event.
Please share the flyer below with your members. We would appreciate your mentioning our event at your February and/or March meetings so that we can make sure everyone is aware of the event.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Tony Brignole—WA4KHN at abrigno@comcast.net or (901) 216-3263. Click Here for flyer
Thank you,
Mid-South Amateur Radio Association – W4EM
Uno, Dos, Tres...
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
If you have done any amount of listening to shortwave radio outside of the ham bands, you have undoubtedly run across "numbers stations." The broadcasts from these stations consist streams of numbers or letters, often in a computer-generated female voice speaking in Spanish. Every now and then, a numbers station pops up on 30m, sending five-character groups in Morse code.
According to the Conet Project (http://www.irdial.com/conet.htm), "Shortwave Numbers Stations are a perfect method of anonymous, one way communication. Spies located anywhere in the world can be communicated to by their masters via small, locally available, and unmodified Shortwave receivers. The encryption system used by Numbers Stations, known as a 'one time pad' is unbreakable. Combine this with the fact that it is almost impossible to track down the message recipients once they are inserted into the enemy country, it becomes clear just how powerful the Numbers Station system is."
The Conet Project sells a CD with a number of recordings for $55, but you can find a bunch of mp3 files at http://www.archive.org/details/ird059 for free.
Recently there was a thread on the Glowbugs Google Group about numbers stations. One fellow mentioned "The Numbers Station," a movie released earlier this year starring John Cusack. IMDB (http://www.imdb.com) says that The Numbers Station is about "a disgraced black ops agent dispatched to a remote CIA broadcast station to protect a code operator. Soon, they find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to stop a deadly plot before it’s too late." It’s currently available for streaming on Netflix, and I watched it recently. It’s kind of violent (lots of people get shot), but it’s a decent thriller.
Jim, K6FWT mentioned ENIGMA 2000 (http://www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/). The group’s web site describes ENIGMA 2000 as "a UK based online group, whose aims are to bring together listeners and enthusiasts who monitor and gather information on 'Number Stations' and other related radio transmissions. Through our Yahoo Group monitors can share their logs, discuss frequencies, thoughts and opinions on this most emotive subject." Jim says, "These folks are SERIOUS enthusiasts. I have heard that they surpass many intelligence services with their thoroughness. You can get in up to your eyeballs if you don’t watch it."
These stations have been around since World War II. I remember as a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, reading articles about numbers stations in Popular Electronics and Electronics Illustrated. They're as much of a mystery today as they were back then.
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When he's not listening to numbers stations, Dan, KB6NU enjoys working CW on the HF bands and teaching ham radio classes. For more information about his operating activities and his "No-Nonsense" series of amateur radio license study guides, go to KB6NU. Com or e-mail cwgeek@kb6nu.com.
Have a great month
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Month
February 2014