1 Peter 4:8 / Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (NIV)
Our meeting for the month of January is this weekend, please come join us.
Seems like we had a fairly good year considering. Lot of work has been done on the Repeater and it is performing better. Check in numbers have improved. We are trying to get some test sessions on schedule. Since I became a Ham in January of 2010 I have made several new friends, seen a few become silent key and know sooner or later I will join that group. Not planning to rush that matter. Wishing for everyone a Safe New Year.
Treasurer Report
It's that time again; Please bring your dues to the Checker Board Restaurant on Saturday mornings or mail them to the address below. Thank you for your support. Dues are:
- $23.00 per Year per Member
- $25.00 per Year for Family
- $15.00 per year if 65 or older
Meridian Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 522
Meridian, MS 39302
Capital City Hamfest - Jackson, MS
Jackson MS Trademart
1200 Mississippi Street
Jackson, MS 39202
Talk-in Repeater Frequency:
146.16/76 NO Tone Backup 146.34/94 NO Tone
FRI JAN 25th, 5:00PM - 8:00PM and SAT JAN 26th, 8:00AM - 3:30PM
Hamfest admission is $10.00. Ages 12 and under admission is free.
Visit the new web site here: http://www.msham.org/capital-city-hamfest
Reminder: Winter Field Day January 26-27 2019
Purpose: To foster Ham camaraderie, field operation, emergency operating preparedness, and just plain on the air, outdoor fun in the midst of winter for American, Canadian and DX Amateurs. Don’t let those winter doldrums keep you locked up in the house… get out and play some radio!!
When: Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Saturday to 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Sunday. For 2019, the dates are January 26th and 27th. Station set-up may commence no earlier than 1900 UTC (2pm EST) on Friday, January 25th. Station setup may consume no more than 12 hours total. How & when you schedule/spend those 12 hours is up to you.
Find WFD rules here: https://www.winterfieldday.com/rules
Make ham radio a habit
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
Every week, I get an email newsletter from Penguin Random House called Signature. Signature includes links to articles about books and writing. Being a writer, I clicked on the link to "5 Good Writing Habits You Need to Learn Now." As I was reading the article, it occurred to me that the advice could also apply to amateur radio.
So, with apologies to the author, Lorraine Berry, here are five things you can do to make ham radio a habit:
1. To get on the air more, or to do more building, set up a time to do it. If you enjoy getting on the air or homebrewing, but never seem to be able to find the time to do it, you need to put it on your schedule. Set aside the time a couple of days, or a week, or even a month in advance, and you'll be more likely to do it. If you set up a regular time every week, pretty soon it will be a habit.
2. If ham radio is important to you, create an environment that encourages you to do ham radio. To make ham radio a habit, you really need a place that's set up to do ham radio. If you have to dig out and set up your equipment every time that you want to get on the air, you're just not going to do it. You need a "shack" that makes it easier for you to engage in the hobby. Richards, K8JHR, gave me some great advice back in 2012 on where and how to set up a shack (https://www. kb6nu. com/building-a-new-shack/).
3. Create temptations that reward you for your new habit of ham radio. For me, being able to make interesting contacts, or building some new gizmo, is reward enough, but you may want to reward yourself with a beer or some ice cream after an operating session.
4. Make it easy to do what you like to do. This is related to #4. Your shack should have everything you need to easily do whatever ham radio activities you enjoy doing. If you enjoy operating, then it should have a nice operating desk. If you enjoy building, then set it up so that all of your tools are readily accessible. The easier it is to do, the more likely it is that you'll do it. If you enjoy operating portable, then build up a kit that has all the stuff you need, and have it ready to go when you're ready to go.
5. Start with the Two-Minute Rule for new habits and continue from there. The "two minute rule" (https://www. lifehack. org/articles/productivity/how-stop-procrastinating-and-stick- good-habits-using-the-2-minute-rule. html) is a tool to help you overcome procrastination. The idea is to allot just two minutes to a task that you'd like to complete or a skill that you'd like to develop. It's a small commitment, but enough to get you started, and the idea is that once you're started on a particular task or project, continuing work on that task or project becomes a lot easier. Those two minutes could easily become a half hour or an hour once you've gotten the ball rolling.
Armed with this advice, I'm expecting you to be a more active ham in 2019. I'll be listening for you on 40m.
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Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, is the author of the KB6NU amateur radio blog (KB6NU.Com), the “No Nonsense” amateur radio license study guides (KB6NU.Com/study-guides/), and one of the hosts of the No Nonsense Amateur Radio Podcast (NoNonsenseAmateurRadio.Com). His wife sometimes thinks that amateur radio has become too much of a habit for him.
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