JANUARY, 2009

Greetings, All. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I don't suppose that being called "two-faced" is much of a compliment, huh? But at this time of the year, I think we're all kinda two-faced, in a manner of speaking. January gets its name from the Roman god Janus, who's usually portrayed as having two opposite-facing faces. Those ol' Romans really knew what they were doing when they chose that particular name for the first month of the year, didn't they? The cusp of each new year usually stirs in us an urge to look behind us at the events of the year that is slipping away, while making hopeful and well-meaning plans and resolutions for the year that rises in front of us. It's a time of taking stock, of experiencing a warm glow of satisfaction for the jobs well done and the moments well-lived, and for feeling pangs of regret and sorrow for those things and people who have passed from our lives. And always, each new year holds such promise, like a fresh piece of paper, just waiting for us to make our mark. Let's hope that in 2009, together we can make that mark a positive one.

It's a pretty good guess that most of the ham clubs throughout the state had a special Holiday party in December. Hope you all had a terrific time. My better half and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at all of the ones we attended. After missing it last year, we were happy to get back to joining the annual post-Christmas gathering of AM enthusiasts at the awesome shack of TOM KOCH, W4UOC. As always, it was a fun gathering, marked by the swapping of some pretty terrific gifts, as well as the swapping of some pretty terrific tales. (All TRUE, I'm sure!) Tom said that I was a "good sport" for hanging out with all of those "old men". To tell the truth, I was honored to hang out with them. What a fantastic group of guys. Smart, funny, and gentlemen, to boot. (only told me to "cover my ears" a couple of times...)

As we end 2008, I would like to thank each and every one of you who has made a difference in amateur radio this year, whether it was by teaching a class, serving as a VE, leading a club, working with ARES or RACES, mentoring a new ham, introducing Scouts and other youngsters to amateur radio, using your amateur radio skills for public service events, forming strong working relationships with our served agencies, or informing the general public about amateur radio. There is strength in numbers. Hams, working together, usually through organized clubs, can make a difference in the footprint we make on the collective consciousness of the general public. Every little bit helps. Thank you for doing your "bit".

Thanks, also, goes out to my better half, MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI. He's the one who puts in all of those hours behind the wheel of our little red car to take us to events and meetings all over the state. His enthusiastic support truly is the wind beneath my wings. I couldn't do it without him.

COMING UP: January 10 is the one, the only, TECHFEST, which is sponsored by the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society, and supported by a number of other fine radio clubs in the area. For the third year, there will be a tailgating section out in the parking lot from 8AM until 11, and while that's fun, that isn't meant to be the main thrust of this event, and that isn't why this event was created. Like its name implies, this event was developed around the more technical side of things. It's a place where hams can share information with other hams... and where non-hams can ask questions and learn more about our wonderful hobby. Where you can learn more about some of the modes of amateur radio that you've not yet explored. Where you can tap into the experience and expertise of other hams. Where you can have some FUN enjoying the fellowship of other hams, and oh yeah, did I happen to mention....? FREE FOOD. (Donations are always welcome, but not required.) Contrary to rumor, the fact that our favorite Director of Vice SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, will be attending Techfest has absolutely nothing to do with the abundance of free food. He always enjoys the chili, but he also enjoys the overall event. Bet you would, too. Oh, and there will also be a VE session, too, at 10:30. For more information and directions, please see www.gars.org 

OK, let's get on with it, and see what's been happening, and what's coming up right around the corner...

"My new year's resolution? I'm gonna set a little time aside each day, so at the end of the year I'll have a lot of extra time saved up."
STEVEN WRIGHT

CLUB NEWS

ARC of AUGUSTA --- Congratulations to HENRY AROSTEGUI, KN4AV, who was chosen as the club's Ham of the Year. This well-deserved honor was bestowed upon him at the club's Christmas party, where in addition to sharing great food and fellowship, members also shared their generosity with the community by providing donations for Toys for Tots.

ALBANY ARC --- CONGRATULATIONS to the following slate of newly elected officers who'll be leading the club in 2009: President- KEN ADAMS, K1KBA; VP- DR. GENE CLARK, W4AYK; Treasurer- BOB SMITH, K4PHE; and Secretary- LEON PERRETT, K4GCR.
(de BOB SMITH, K4PHE)

BARROW ARES CLUB --- CONGRATULATIONS to the following newly elected slate of officers: President- CAL NEFF, K4JSR; VP- LUTHER WATKINS, K4RRP; Treasurer- STEVE LUNN, K1SRL; and Secretary- BILL WILSON, KJ4EX.

CENTRAL GA ARC --- Hams in the Warner Robins area were lauded by the local newspaper for the role they play every year as volunteers in the Santa Patrol. While one ham mans the radio at the Sheriff's office, others deploy to and around local shopping areas to be on the alert for suspicious behavior. As extra eyes and ears for law enforcement, these hams offer a tremendous service to the community and to local law enforcement.

COASTAL ARS --- As a direct result of a series of General Class license classes that were taught by club member KEN GRIFFIN, W4JKG, there are SIX new general class operators in the Savannah area. Along with two brand new technicians, they all passed their tests and earned their new operating privileges at the club's November VE session. At the club's November meeting, officers and directors were elected to lead the club in the new year, and CONGRATULATIONS go to the following: President - GUY MCDONALD, K4GTM; 1st VP- RUSS PIERCE, K4YGD; 2nd VP- KEVIN BELL, WD0GFG; Secretary - SUSANNE JONAS, W4SWJ; Treasurer- BILLY ELMORE, KG4SZS; and Directors BILL FAUST, AD4AZ; JERRY PEARLMAN, W4SGA, RA MEGUIAR, N4RVM, LESTER LAMHUT, KF4JBQ, and MARK BOLTON, KA4CID. Best wishes to all of them for a fun-filled and successful year. In addition to being elected as the new president, Guy was also selected as the recipient of the 2009 Dan Goddard Amateur of the Year Award. Guy was honored for his service to not only the Coastal Amateur Radio Society and the Amateur Radio community, but to the community at large. Guy has served the community as the Emergency Coordinator for Chatham County Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Using events such as the Imperial Sugar Refinery explosion, the St. Patrick's Day Tornados, and Hurricane Hanna as catalysts, he has guided resurgence in ARES interest and activity in Chatham County. He is also an active member of the American Red Cross and the Georgia Baptist Emergency Amateur Radio Service.

DALTON ARC --- Thanks to Whitfield County EMA Director JEFFERY PUTNAM, club members started the month of December by touring the county's mobile command vehicle and learning about its modes of communications. Director Putnam, who already has a ham radio license, expressed enthusiasm for the idea of other Whitfield County Emergency Services personnel getting their licenses, as well. To help achieve that goal, on December 6th, club members RIAL SLOAN, AI4ZV, and DAVID MCKAMEY, KJ4CFS, taught a one day technician class at the Whitfield County 911 center. As a result of that class, all four of the ES personnel, one fire department member and David McKamey II are now licensed amateur radio operators. (info de JOHN HEARD, N4JJK)

GWINNETT ARS --- CONGRATULATIONS to STEVE BACK, WB2OGY, who was selected as the club's Ham of the Year, in honor of his many years of service as a Boy Scout leader, his long-time support of club activities, and the successful manner in which he manages to integrate Scouting activities with amateur radio. The plaque was to have been presented to Steve at the club's Holiday party, but wouldn't you know? He was away on an outing with the Scouts....

NORTH FULTON ARL --- There's a whole bunch of congratulations to go around here. First, to the new slate of officers: President- MACK MCCORMICK, WB4MAK; VP- WALT WORON, KJ4HE; Secretary- SHELIA STATON, KD4NKE; and Treasurer- FRED MOORE, N4CLA. Then, to the club's Ham of the Year, BILL COBB, K4YJJ, who created, and maintains, a truly topnotch webpage for the club. www.nfarl.org It's no secret that this club's membership has enjoyed an unprecedented growth explosion in the past couple years, but what's even more impressive is that once people join this club, they tend to get swept up in the incredible (and contagious) wave of enthusiasm... and they actually participate. At the December party, where members brought toys to donate to hospital-bound children, TWENTY members were presented with special Hams Helping Hams awards, in recognition of their contributions to amateur radio and high-level participation in club activities. And finally, in appreciation for the incredible job that outgoing president JIM STAFFORD, W4QO, has done in leading this club through its amazing rebirth and transformation, he was presented with a beautiful crystal globe. After all, he HAS made a world of difference.

THOMASVILLE ARC --- Two more of the 2008 "Golden Mic" honorees received their trophies at the December TARC meeting. TERRY WEBB, N0TW, was honored for adding his technical expertise in the form of a monthly newsletter column called "Tenna Wizard", and for leading the charge with two antenna building projects for the ARES group during the year. DEWEY RYKARD, KI4RGD, was honored for his exemplary performance as the GOTA Coach during Field Day and for his contributions as Club Secretary. A week later, a number of club members made their way to Valdosta for their Christmas Party, and got to watch as the new 2009 VARC officers were inducted. New VARC President JON STRAUB, N0JMS, was also honored as "VARC Ham of the Year". TARC's annual Christmas Eve Net had 37 people, a number of which were kids, checking in to share some last minute "good cheer" before heading off to bed to wait for Santa's visit. And on the Saturday following Christmas, a mix of Georgia and Florida hams got together for supper in Tallahassee to cap off the year with a good helping of barbecue. We ALL look forward to a great 2009 with our respective clubs!! (de MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF)

The bankrupt gardener made a resolution to forget the past and rely on the fuchsia.

TEACHING SCOUTS ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO

On Saturday, November 15, 2008, members of the Ellijay Amateur Radio Society worked with Boy Scout troops from the Mountain District, Northeast Georgia Council, at an event called "Fall Rendezvous", which was held at the Carter's Lake area in Gilmer County. At this camporee, with a "Communicate '08" theme, club members taught Scouts about radio communications and helped them complete the necessary requirements to earn their Radio Merit Badges.

DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI, provided the following report on what EARS members did to create a fun and valuable learning experience for the Scouts:

A "high level" Radio Overview was the kick-off for the event, and was presented to about 100 Scouts by GREG ABERNATHY, AI4UD, and DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI. An on-site pavilion was used as a shelter for the overview. A generator, donated for use by BRUCE SILK, KC4GH, was used to power Greg's LCD projector. Prior to the presentation, the scouts had covered the sides of the pavilion against the cold, wet, and windy elements. They also erected a large screen for the projection of the presentation.

The overview covered such subjects as radio transmission, propagation, skip vs. line-of-sight, broadcast vs. two-way radio communications, simplex vs. half duplex, FCC vs. ITU, WWV and WWVH broadcast stations, antennas, transceiver block diagrams, schematics, how voice messages are conveyed by radio, ham radio activities, emergency communications, voice pro-words, CW Q-signals, how to obtain an amateur radio license, and more.

Following the Radio Overview, Greg and Dave followed the Scouts to an activities location. There were 5 "Activity Stations" set up, where groups of scouts circulated around the various stations at 30-minute intervals. JIM HADDER, KE4ZX, had set up a ham station with HF and VHF/UHF transceivers and antennas. BOB BURDICK, NB8N, provided the other end of the communications link at his home station to demonstrate HF and VHF/UHF Repeater operation. Many of the scouts operated the radios under the direction of Jim as control operator.

WAYNE BURGESS, W4YNE, brought some of his Antenna sling-shots (regular and super-size), and cross bows to show the scouts how to launch an antenna support line over a tree limb or other structure. Later that day, the scouts used sling- shots they had made in a contest to see who could successfully launch a line over a tree limb or hit a target. For more information on Wayne's launchers, you can contact him at w4yne@juno.com.

Greg Abernathy worked with the scouts on using FRS-type hand-held transceivers, how to operate a net, call signs, etc. Later that day, the scouts planned to use the FRS hand helds to play a "find the net control station" game. Groups of scouts with hand-helds were fanned out around the campground area. The net control station hid and directed each fanned out scout to his location by giving out clues.

One of the scoutmasters set up a "build your own key" activity station, where the boys constructed their own telegraph key and sounder. Most of the scouts were able to partially or completely build their keys.

Dave Meadows held a Morse Code class at his activity station. Each scout was given a quick lesson in Morse code characters, how to send code and how to receive code. Bob Burdick, NB8N, and Dave had constructed two-way Morse Code stations with LEDs and switches to serve as keys. These Morse Code stations were set up at tables with scouts facing each other. Each scout sent a 3-character "word" to the scout on the opposite side of the table. The receiving scout had to copy the word looking at the light and tell what was sent. Later, a code practice oscillator and an authentic telegraph key were used to allow each scout to send a three letter word. Scouts in the group were challenged to listen to what was sent and shout out the word once they had copied it.

Ellijay Scout Master, EDWARD LACEY, told me that he continues to get good reports from the scouts and the leaders from his and the other troops in the North Georgia Council. Hopefully, some of the scouts will try for their Technician licenses. Several EARS members have agreed to help any of the scouts in preparing for the exam. The Ellijay VEs will give the exams when needed. (de DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI)

Gee, the year is almost over, and I still haven't broken my New Year's resolution- never to go to another New Year's Eve party.
Honest, I haven't been to one all year.

ARES NEWS

** Our annual STATEWIDE ARES MEETING is coming up on Saturday, January 24, at the GA Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA. DEC meeting at 10AM; General meeting at 1PM. Hope to see you there.

AGENDA
1000 - 1145 DEC Meeting
1145 - 1300 Lunch
1300 - 1315 Welcome + Awards
1315 - 1400 Public Health- Presenters BARRY KANNE, W4TGA; STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD; and ED ROLLER, N4ZRA
1400 - 1410 Break + Raffle
1410 - 1440 NWS- Presenter LANS ROTHFUSZ, KD5EJN
1440 - 1450 Q & A
1450 - 1500 Break + Raffle
1500 - 1550 KEYNOTE SPEAKER- MARK RUGGIERO, KB6HPD
1550 - 1600 Break + Final Raffle
1600 - 1615 Q & A for Mark
1615 - 1630 GPB & D-Star- Presenter JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX
1630 - 1700 SEC comments, General Q & A

** The following information is hot off the presses from DENNIS DURA, K2DCD: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released a revised National Incident Management System (NIMS) - the national standard for incident management. NIMS establishes standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all federal, state, tribal and local responders will use to coordinate and conduct response actions.

NIMS expands on the original version released in March 2004 by clarifying existing NIMS concepts, better incorporating preparedness and planning and improving the overall readability of the document. The revised document also differentiates between the purposes of NIMS and the National Response Framework (NRF) by identifying how NIMS provides the action template for the management of incidents, while the NRF provides the policy structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management.

DHS news release- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMSPressRelease.pdf
NIMS Resource Center- http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/
NIMS Fact Sheet- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency.nims/NIMSFactSheet.pdf
NIMS - What's New- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMSWhatsNew.pdf
NIMS FAQs- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMSFAQ.pdf 
Revised NIMS Document- http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf

** BANKS COUNTY ARES --- On November 14, at the request of EC GEOF FRANKLIN, KE4IGD, a flag was flown over the United States Capitol in honor of LARRY PHILLIPS, K4PIC, and his exemplary commitment to Banks county ARES. This flag, along with its certificate, were presented to Larry at the December NE GA ARC meeting.

** GWINNETT COUNTY ARES --- Joint SAR Exercise With GA Appalachian Trail Club - Nineteen Gwinnett ARES members participated in a joint search and rescue training exercise with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. The exercise was organized by EDDIE FOUST, WD4JEM, who is a member of both organizations. The Incident Commander was MIKE REISER, WB4WTL.

The group assembled at Little Mulberry Park in northeast Gwinnett County on Saturday morning, November 22nd for a briefing and assignments. The park encompasses about 900 acres much of which is undeveloped and provided a realistic environment.

The ARES Mobile Communications Vehicle trailer was onsite and provided support for Net Control operations. All communications were handled on simplex to simulate remote search conditions with no available repeaters. ARES members were assigned to search teams as communicators. The exercise used the ICS structure for organization to give both groups experience for future operations.
The exercise provided many lessons learned including the challenges of simplex communications over the large area of the Park. Field teams within range of remote teams and Net Control served as relays, but slowed communications and search area coverage. GATC members participating in the exercise did not have any previous experience working with communicators as a part of teams.
The exercise concluded with a thorough debrief and plan to conduct additional joint exercises. After the exposure to Amateur Radio, some GATC members plan to obtain their licenses. Gwinnett ARES regularly conducts its exercises with a variety of groups and agencies to jointly gain experience for future operations.
(de EC JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX)

** NORTH FULTON ARES --- Members of this group participated in an emergency drill with Emory Johns Creek Hospital on December 22. With additional support from other ARES groups, there was a total of 20 participants, who used both VHF and D-Star during the exercise.

** NEW APPOINTMENTS --- It's a pleasure to announce the following new ECs:
DECATUR- DANA SWICORD, KJ4GWB; GRADY- DEWEY RYKARD, KI4RGD; RICHMOND- JAMES RICHARDSON, AH6IW; SEMINOLE- MITCH MILLER, K4TPD; and THOMAS- BOBBY COOPER, N4KXL. Thanks to each of them for their willingness to serve.

** ADVANCED SKYWARN CLASS --- For those who have already completed the basic SkyWarn class, STEVE NAGLIC of the NWS in Columbia, SC, will be offering an advanced class on March 21, from 10AM until noon, at Augusta State University's Allgood Hall, room N-126. RSVP to DEC/NWS-Columbia DON DRAWDY, N0FBV, at n0fbv@knology.net Questions? Contact East Central DEC ROBERT LEITER, KJ4AMN, at kj4amn@arrl.net 

** GA ARES was challenged in early December by a surprise exercise that was sprung on us by ARRL HQ'S DENNIS DURA, K2DCD. So, what's the story, how'd we do, and what did we learn?

SCENARIO: Just after 7PM on December 1, Dennis sent an exercise alert to me (and presumably, to some other SMs, as well) via email, indicating that a tsunami, which had been triggered by the collapse of a volcano in the Canary Islands, was expected to hit the U.S. in approximately 9 hours.

TASK: Contact the SEC, put the section on alert, and ascertain what ARES resources (personnel, individual equipment, field deployable stations, and mobile communication vehicles) were available to respond. Then send that information back to HQ via email ASAP. The drill would be concluded at 0000Z December 3.

HOW'D IT GO? Well, since I didn't check my email until the following morning, we were already at a distinct disadvantage. Had it been the "real deal", parts of GA would've already been underwater. Not good. However, had a tsunami been approaching our shores, I do believe it's safe to say that we wouldn't have needed notification from CT to let us know it was headed our way. Plus, had there been an actual emergency that necessitated activation, email would NOT have been the only means of contact.

EMAIL notification was immediately sent by me to our esteemed SEC GENE CLARK, W4AYK, and to each of our Deputy SECs, as well as to numerous others within the GA ARES leadership. Our DECS for each geographical district were asked to notify their ECs and get the requested info back to me ASAP. All three of our MARS DECs were notified, as well as our ASECs or DECs for GEMA, NWS, Red Cross, ARES-MAT, GA Baptist Disaster Relief, and our STM/ GA ARES NM.

RESULTS? A mixed bag. Email definitely isn't the best means of notification. For one thing, if a recipient doesn't acknowledge receipt of the message, you simply don't know if they've actually read it, or if they have any intention of acting on it. Some four weeks after the exercise, and some of our DECs never responded at all. Others weren't on their computers until that afternoon, but they did scramble to get the info out at that time. Some were out-of-state, in a meeting, at work, etc, but even so, they made a point of responding to let me know their status. Though he was on the road, TERRY JONES, W4TL, immediately responded and let me know what resources were available from the Southern Baptists Disaster Relief folks.

BOTTOM LINE: When the report was sent back to HQ, we had 50 volunteers, 32 of whom were recruited by our SW GA DEC MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF. Included in our list were numerous deployable operators, digitally capable individuals, and emergency communications vehicles. All things considered, not bad. But let me repeat something again: email definitely is NOT the best means of notification. Mike Brown happened to be on the computer, received the notification right away, and was able to take action. Boy, did he take action! But I'll not fault anyone who, for whatever reason, didn't happen to be on the computer. Heck, if I'd been on the computer the evening before, I would've had a lot more time to "do it up right". But rest assured, if there is an ACTUAL ACTIVATION, we will NOT rely entirely on email. If need be, we will call our leaders at work for an actual event; I simply was not willing to do so for an exercise.

LESSONS LEARNED: Though we won't be relying entirely on email, it's still important that we have CORRECT email addresses and telephone numbers for all of our leaders. One of my emails bounced.... though it was sent to two different "last known" addresses. Not good. Second, it's a given that we won't all be available in the event of an activation. However, most especially for our geographical DECs, it's very important that you have at least one assistant DEC who can be relied upon to contact the ECs within your district if you're unavailable to do so. And finally, if you should receive notification via email, please have the courtesy to acknowledge receipt. Don't have the time or inclination to participate? Fine. But please let us know that you received the information.

ETC: I haven't gotten any feedback from HQ as to how all of Dennis' exercises have been going so far, though I do know that there was one with an earthquake scenario, that involved, among other sections, TN and AL. AL held an HF net, and our SEC GENE CLARK, W4AYK, checked in with them and represented GA well. Most notable in TN was the fact that TN Army MARS supported the ARRL exercise by running a MARS exercise net, on which they gathered applicable resource information. TN ham CLIFF SEGAR, KD4GT, expressed some concern about how long it took for the alert notification information to trickle down to the individual ARES members, but he also noted, like with our tsunami exercise here in GA, if there were an actual earthquake in his area, it isn't too likely that ARES or MARS operators would require outside notification. Nope. Pretty sure we'd notice.

Every year millions of people want a New Year's Eve they'll never forget. Then they drink so much, they can't remember it.

ARES REPORT DE ASEC TOM FULLER, KE4QCM

Total number of ARES members: 773
Change since last month: +6
# of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 50
# of ARES nets active: 140
# with NTS liaison: 0
# of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 128
Person hours: 1422
# of public service events this month: 11
Person hours: 314
# of emergency operations this month: 1
Person hours: 7
Total number of ARES operations this month: 140
Total Person hours: 1743

DECs REPORTING:

Central-W4OY; East Central-KJ4AMN; GPB-WB4QDX; NWS/Columbia-N0FBV; NWS/ Peachtree City-KD4YDC; Salvation Army-WA4UJC; Southwest-KE4FGF

ECs REPORTING:

** Central: Baldwin-K6DPL; Bibb-KS4GH; Houston-WB4EEL; Morgan-K2MGL; Peach-AA4JF; Putnam-KF4EOH; Wilkinson-W4OY

** East Central: Burke-WE4GW; Columbia-WE4GW; Lincoln-W4KNS; McDuffie-KD4CK; Washington-K4GK; Wilkes-KJ4AMP

** Metro Atlanta: Dekalb-W4TGA; Fayette-AG4ZR; Gwinnett-WB4QDX; Henry-AJ4GT; Newton-WA4UJC; North Fulton-W4UOC; Paulding-K4DMF

** Northeast: Banks-KE4IGD; Barrow-K4JSR; Clarke-N4ZRA; Hall-KI4RBE; Stephens-K4UES; Towns-W4VFZ

** Northwest: Bartow-N4QET; Carroll-W4CET; Floyd-KD4EKZ; Haralson-KD4YDA

** Southeast: Camden-WD8LQT; Toombs-KG4BKO

** Southwest: Baker-K4GCR; Sumter/KE4VPD; Thomas-KE4FGF; Worth-K1KBA

** West Central: Troup-K3IMC

---> DEC COMMENTS

** Central-W4OY: Net was conducted by EC because of my work schedule. Helped to make plans for future training on NTS traffic handling. Plan to conduct training in future based on work schedule, which is flexible. Made suggestions on traffic handling of a recent SET exercise. Group consisted of persons from two counties because of the limit population in the two counties. Worked with several counties in ascertaining readiness to function in the recent drill.

** GPB-WB4QDX: Working with Statesboro Amateur Radio Society on activation of D-STAR repeater on WVAN GPB tower, conference call with Director of Network Operations on use of PBS towers for nationwide network, coordination with GEMA/GPB on potential funding of GA D-STAR Network

** NWS/Columbia-N0FBV: SkyWarn training class by STEVE NAGLIC, NWS COLUMBIA S.C. on 15 November

** NWS/Peachtree City-KD4YDC: 2 People preparing for Skywarn Recognition Day - 1 person/1 hr, 2nd person/4 hours

** Southwest-KE4FGF: A small delegation made the trip to Lawrenceville to the Hamfest and for the statewide ARES meeting. Otherwise, a quiet month.

---> EC COMMENTS

CENTRAL

** Houston-WB4EEL: December is a heavy public service month for us. Activity should be much higher next month.

** Putnam-KF4EOH: Sun net is on K4PDQ repeater also.

** Wilkinson-W4OY: Lost one member who moved to the Baldwin County area. Encouraging hams in the county to participate in the BCARES Net, Monday nites.

METRO ATLANTA

** Fayette-AG4ZR: Miscellaneous activity includes participation in 911 Practitioner activity, meetings, and coordination.

** Gwinnett-WB4QDX: Conducted joint SAR exercise with Georgia Appalachian Club

** Henry-AJ4GT: Planning meeting for next year was held during our November general meeting as well as updating emergency plans. Will be updating ARES / RACES and CARES rosters in December.

** Newton-WA4UJC: Installed a satellite receiver on the repeater for better HT coverage in the county. Participated in the section SET

NORTHEAST

** Banks-KE4IGD: Assisting Jackson County ARES with their SET on 6.Dec.2008.

** Barrow-K4JSR: Appointed K9CRB; KJ4EX; K1DGW; KJ4CZE; WN4AZY; W1TF; AND KB4JEH as Assistant EC's for 2009. B.A.R.E.S Club Officers for 2009 are; K4JSR, Pres: KJ4EX Secretary: K4RRP, VP: K1SRL, Treas.

** Clarke-N4ZRA: Training for November centered on the upcoming SET in Dec. Public Service events included providing communications for the :In Their Shoes

** Stephens-K4UES: Stephens County ARES has another repeater for use. The frequency is 442.500 + with PL 88.5. We are also working to improve our antenna system from the top of Currahee Mountain (1696') in order to boost our coverage area

** Towns-W4VFZ: Public Service Events included: (1) staffing radio communications between stations for Pandemic Flu Drill (2) routine clean-up and maintenance of county emergency radio services building & equipment, (3) function as member & comm. advisor for E911 Board.

NORTHWEST

** Carroll-W4CET: 1. Following NZ4T passing, I was appointed EC. 2. Spent 16 hours downloading and printing many ARRL, ARES & EC related documents. 3. Spent 16 hours (est.) reading above documents. 4. Spent 4 hours printing, reading testing re FEMA EMI IS-00700 National Incident Management System Certification. 5. Should be able to make NTS liaison contacts next month.

SOUTHEAST

** Camden-WD8LQT: We continue to have Echolink active on our local 147.195 repeater where nets are held every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m.. Please feel free to join us by connecting to the N6EMA-R Repeater via echolink.

SOUTHWEST

** Thomas-KE4FGF: A small delegation made the trip to Lawrenceville to the Hamfest and for the statewide ARES meeting. Otherwise, a quiet month.

I'm not a real party animal. I get a hangover from mouthwash.

NET REPORT DE STM CHARLES PENNINGTON, K4GK

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

*****NOTE: Don't forget the South CARS net, which meets every day from 8 AM until 10 AM and again from noon until 2PM, on 7.251 MHz. A friendly, welcoming group of folks. Especially great company while on the road. I understand that a Trader's Net meets on this same frequency on Wednesday mornings at 10 AM.

***** Other GREAT nets:
QCWA: Saturdays at 9AM on 3.8575 MHz
SE 6M SSB Net: Sundays at 9 PM on 50.145 MHz
SE AM Net: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM on 3885 kc (AM nets ALWAYS meet on kcs...)
Hole in the Wall Net: Wednesdays at 9 PM on 50.135 MHz

"In days of old, when ops were bold and sideband not invented, the words were passed by pounding brass, and all were quite contented."
Anonymous

GEORGIA PIGLETS

** CONGRATULATIONS to HUNTER LEMING, K4PWN, who recently earned his Eagle Scout award.

** ASM for Scouting DAVID PEARCE, ABØNG, shared this cool video of a bunch of lucky Scouts at the second annual Space Jamboree in Illinois making contact with GREG CHAMITOFF aboard the International Space Station:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsL4OkZb9CQ

** Next SCHOOL ROUND-UP is coming up the week of February 9-13.

New Year's Eve is the one night of the year that the loaded guns in this country are outnumbered by the loaded people.

THIS 'N' THAT

** Talk about a mega-cool recycling project, how about turning the parts inside of a CFL light bulb into a QRP transmitter???? Amazing! (info posted by JIM STAFFORD, W4QO, on the NoGA QRP reflector)

http://mjrainey.googlepages.com/dasderelicht

** DAVE MOORE, KU4MT, shared some nifty info he got from MIKE ALMETER, W4MJA, on how to use Google Earth as a handy tool when preparing to string antennas in your yard. Once you get on Google Earth and pull up your QTH, you'll see a small blue ruler on the top toolbar. Dave writes, "Click on the blue ruler and select the unit of measurement. Then as long as you have an antenna length in mind, you can see if that antenna would fit between two trees or in another place. I find
that the ruler is dead accurate."

** Planning a road trip? This link, provided by MACK MCCORMICK, WB4MAK, makes it quite simple to plot out the repeaters you'll find along your route. Just put in your starting point and end point, and let the program do the rest. (If it's a looooong trip, you might want to break the info up into smaller segments.)

http://k5ehx.net/repeaters/qrepeater.php 

** DIGITAL NET--- (Dallas, GA) Thursday nights at 7PM on the 146.955-(PL 77) repeater. With net control LEE MCDANIEL, WB4QOJ, net members discuss and experiment with "the latest and the not-so-latest information on Sound Card modes and also Software Packages supporting these modes".

** TECH NET--- a unique technical net that answers questions and shares a ton of information... via the 145.47 repeater, Google, a chat room, and Echolink. When? Every Monday evening at 8:30 PM. www.nfarl.org/nets.html 

** JERRY FLANDERS, W4UK, has set up A Yahoo group for amateur radio related discussions for all hams in the Central Savannah River Area. Jerry writes, "You can join at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CSRA_RAG/ if you're already a Yahoo member, or send an email to CSRA_RAG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Include your callsign and FCC address when you apply."

** Woop! Woop! Woop! Busted link! As mentioned in the mid-monthly summary, JORGE LUIS de la TORRE, KI4SGU, has started a Yahoo group with the goal of "activating the whole of the Appalachian Trail with 2M simplex radio", and for the general sharing among outdoor-loving hams who enjoy hiking and mountaintop radio operations. That's all true. Unfortunately, the link that was provided wasn't. The correct link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/peak-2-peak/

** If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth even more. How about a video that shows the installation of a PL-259 Connector?

Installing a PL-259 on RG-213
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nabA6yMoI

Installing a PL-259 on RG8X
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzXXjzmA-IE&feature=related

** You may already be familiar with this webpage, which provides some interesting data about ham licensing: http://www.ah0a.org/AH0A.html But here's another site, that is also quite enlightening. For example, would you believe that in the past year, the number of technician class licensees in the U.S. has increased at an average rate of 39 per day? http://www.hamdata.com 

** Still a little fuzzy on the meaning of the A and K indices? Here's an interesting website that helps demystify the indices, as well as providing a lot of other general information about propagation. (posted on the SEDXC reflector by BOB CARROLL, W2WG)
http://mysite.verizon.net/k9la/id1.html

** The DEADLINE is quickly approaching to register for the North Fulton ARL's general class Ham Cram. This all-day class will be held on January 17 at the Masonic Lodge in Alpharetta, but in order to participate, you must be registered by January 1. http://nfarl.org/hamCram/generalClassHamCramRegistrationForm.html 

** Interested in checking out some high-quality learning materials for virtually no cost? You can do just that at the Virtual Institute of Science, where you'll find a wealth of out-of-print technical references: http://www.vias.org 

For many people, the highlight of the New Year's Eve is watching the ball drop in Times Square. Big deal.
I've seen lots of balls drop this year. I watch the braves.

UPCOMING EVENTS

JANUARY 1--- Straight Key Night. 0000Z- 2400Z. 3.5-28 and 50+ MHz. For details, please see www.arrl.org/contests 

JANUARY 3-4--- ARRL RTTY Contest. 1800Z Jan 3- 2400Z Jan 4. 1.8- 28 MHz. www.arrl.org/contests

JANUARY 4--- KIDS DAY. 1800Z- 2400Z. www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html 

JANUARY 10--- TECH FEST, at St Marguerite D'Youville Catholic Church in Lawrenceville. FREE. The event will kick off with a tailgating Hamfest at 8 AM, with the indoor fun starting at 10 AM (set-up at 9) until 2 PM. Demonstrations on various modes of amateur radio, and lots of FREE food, including a chili cook-off; VE Session at 10AM; and MORE. Always lots of fun. (See www.gars.org for directions)

JANUARY 10--- 070 PSK Fest. 0000Z- 2400Z. 3.5-28 MHz. www.podxs070.com/

JANUARY 10-11--- NA QSO Party (CW) 1800Z Jan 10- 0600Z Jan 11. For details, see www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

JANUARY 17--- International United Teenager Contest. 0600Z-1400Z, 80-10M CW/SSB, a contest designed specifically for operators under 18 years of age. www.qrz.ru.contest/detail/17.html

JANUARY 17-18--- NA QSO Party (phone) 1800Z Jan 17- 0600Z Jan 18. For details, see www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php

JANUARY 17-19--- ARRL VHF Sweepstakes. 1900Z Jan 17- 0400Z Jan 19. SSB/CW on 50+. www.arrl.org/contests

JANUARY 23-25--- CQ WW 160 M CW Contest. 2200Z Jan 23- 2200Z Jan 25. Please see www.CQ160.com for additional info

JANUARY 24--- Statewide ARES meeting

JANUARY 24-25--- Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Society for the Preservation of Amateur Radio (SPAR) 1700Z Jan 24-1700Z Jan 25. 1.8-28 and 50+ MHz. Curious? Please see www.spar-hams.org

JANUARY 25-26--- CLASSIC EXCHANGE (CW) 1400Z Jan 25- 0800Z Jan 26. 1.8-28, 50, 144 MHz. Get that beautiful old equipment off the shelf, wipe off the dust, and put it on the air. This is the contest where multipliers are based on the age of the equipment. The older, the better, and the more, the merrier. www.qsl.asti.com/CXentity 

FEBRUARY 9-13--- SCHOOL ROUND-UP. 1300Z Feb 9- 2400Z Feb 13. www.arrl.org/SCR /

And don't forget to mark it on your calendar NOW! The Georgia 2009 Hamfest season will be kicking off in fine form on FEBRUARY 28, so be prepared to chase away the winter doldrums by spending a fun-filled day with hordes of your fellow hams at the always hopping, always memorable DALTON ARC HAMFEST. (8AM, at the North GA Fairgrounds)

My New Year's resolutions are to start smoking again, quit my diet, and watch a lot of TV. I think I owe myself some realistic goals.

SILENT KEYS

BILL CAMPBELL WB4HAT
CHARLES CRATON, JR. K4HNM
COLON WILSON KA4KUL

Heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of each of these fine men. They will be missed.

Well, folks, that's about it for now. Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves. And each other.

Unfortunately, some trees were killed in the sending of this message.
Alas, some terribly inconvenienced electrons got a wee bit fed up and ran amok. Terrible, just terrible.