Hello all, This last week has been a sign to everyone, and by that I mean that the good LORD has smiled graciously on us here on the east central side of the state. Sure we've had some bad storms that placed a lot of trees in places we didn't want them, but for many it was a blessing. I mean it could have been a lot worse. I have looked at several houses in the area and one of them I will tell you, HE was watching out for this couple. Yes, they have holes in their home, but it can be fixed. Yes, it's inhabitable after the tree is removed. At least it did not demolish the house, but simply put, " it was a show of both power, love, and mercy." We were spared the devastation that Rolling Fork residents witnessed and it proved again the need for HAM radio.
I've been on the phone a couple of times this week with upper ARES persons and also with the Department of Health Services about the reactivation of the HAM stations in the hospitals. Together I believe we can ease some of the problems that arise when events like this happen, but we need help from you as well. We need more ARES members and we need some that can fast deploy when something like this happens. Now I'm not talking about self-deploy, what I mean is when we are needed and called then someone can take a GO kit and get communications back into the area so that the supply chain can start rolling productively. If you want to be a part of ARES it's simple. We have a meeting Saturday, April 1 @ 11AM, Western Sizzlin, I'll be glad to help you start the process. Join us in fellowship and good discussion.
Description of a Radioman (From the US Navy Point of View)
Among the stranger people of this Earth are Radiomen. A Radioman is a person who is either going on or coming off watch. Contrary to popular belief, Radiomen are not crazy. A Radioman has two brains: one perfectly normal brain which is destroyed during the process of learning radio and the other which is in a constant state of turmoil and used proficiently in his work. This latter brain is filled with Dits, Dahs and procedure signals. Radiomen are like groundhogs.
They seldom see the sun, coming up topside only on Saturday mornings at the special request of the Commanding Officer. If the sun is shining and the Radioman sees his shadow, he goes below and then everyone knows there will be six more days. Sitting at his typewriter, a Radioman receives an endless story of the world flowing through his ears, unable to get out any where else, because both ears are blocked by earphones. The stuff flows out through his fingers and given out as press news, weather reports, messages, etc.
When conversing with a Radioman, do not try to paint your story by asking him if he remembers the “message to Garcia”, because he will jump and scream, “What’s the number of it? and who sent it? If it’s lost, it didn’t common on my watch.”
Radiomen live on black coffee and cigarettes. All through the long midnight watches they such and sit and dit & dah, so tired and weary of it all an wondering why they ever chose radio as a profession. When they go home, they just dit & dah to their heart’s content on their little Ham rigs.
Girls who fall for Radiomen will find they are courted with much sparking and after they are married will receive a lot of broadcasting, both loud and long. Radiomen are found on all ships and in all shore stations, and are quite harmless if left alone, occasionally fed, and given annual leave so they may rig up new Ham outfits at home.
US Coastguard Magazine
Rules Changes Announced for 2023 ARRL Field Day
A new 500 W peak envelope power (PEP) transmitter output category has been introduced for Class A, B, and C stations only. Changes to the Get on the Air (GOTA) station scoring have also been made this year. Contacts made from the GOTA station are worth 5 points, regardless of mode, with no limit to the number of contacts that can be made. Stations can earn a GOTA Coach bonus of 100 points for having a coach supervise at least 10 of the contacts made and logged at the GOTA station.
In addition, changes have been made to the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) section list. The Maritime (MAR) Section has been eliminated, making New Brunswick (NB) and Nova Scotia (NS) individual sections. The Greater Toronto Area section has been renamed Golden Horseshoe (GS) and Northern Territories has been renamed Territories (TER). Participants should make sure their logging software has been updated to reflect these changes. For a complete list of ARRL/RAC Sections, see https://contests.arrl.org/contestmultipliers.php?a=wve.
ARRL Field Day will be held on June 24 - 25, 2023. For more information and complete rules, visit https://www.arrl.org/field-day.
2023 MS QSO PARTY
Starts: 1400z / 1 April 2023
Ends: 0200z / 2 April 2023
Duration: 12 Hours
Objectives: - Maximize the activation of MS amateur radio stations in as many counties possible.
- Encourage amateurs around the world to contact as many MS stations as possible.
- Incorporate FT4/8 digital modes into the event. Bands: 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m, 6m, 2m
Modes: CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4/8
Contacts: Same station can be worked on each separate band/mode.
Example, W5XX can work W1AW on 20m CW, 20m SSB, 20m RTTY, 20m FT4/8.
Quote of the Month
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson
Next
Month
April 2023 