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Georgia Section On My Mind

February, 2008

Greetings, All. Had about enough of this winter weather? Yeah, me too. But with February here, can spring be far behind? (The spring bulbs in our back yard seem to think spring is ALREADY here, poor things.)

First off, CONGRATULATIONS to Georgia's two brand new ARRL Affiliated clubs: the CHARLES E. KILBOURNE MEMORIAL ARS, made up of members of the GA State Defense Force, and the NORTH GA TRI-STATE ARC, made up of a bunch of fine folks up in the Blairsville area. A hearty welcome aboard to both of these fine clubs.

Thanks to each of you who've sent information to our webmaster, BOB SMITH, K4PHE, regarding your VE sessions. Our intent is to provide comprehensive information about ALL of Georgia's VE sessions so we can make it easier for people to locate the testing sites that are nearest and most convenient for them. To see if your information is posted, and is accurate, please check the "Exam Sites" link at the top of the page on our www.arrl-ga.org website. If you have any additions or corrections, please send that info to Bob at k4phe@arrl.net

JIM COTE, N4PJR, has served as our SEC for better than three years, and has continuously demonstrated his unwavering dedication to emergency preparedness, response, and communications. But in addition to serving as our SEC, he's also been serving as Deputy Director for the Wayne County EMA, as well as being the county's go-to guy for technical support. Plus, there's that pesky matter of trying to run his own business, and I'm pretty sure his wife likes to see his face at the dinner table from time to time, too. Needless to say, something had to give. So Jim has regretfully stepped down as SEC. We owe him many thanks for all he's done for us, but as he says, he isn't going away, and will continue to be a valuable part of GA ARES.

Stepping up into the SEC position is SCOTT ROYLE, KK4Z. He brings much experience and enthusiasm to the position, and I thank him for his willingness to lead GA ARES.

OK, let's see what's been going on, and what's coming up right around the corner...

For this month's one-liners, it'll be a little bit of fun and games, and the game is anagrams. (That's where you rearrange the letters of one word or phrase to come up with another word or phrase.) Whoever came up with these has entirely too much time on his hands, but the results are pretty doggone amazing.

DORMITORY: dirty room

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS

JANUARY 12 -- TECHFEST- WOW! What a fantastic event! And there must have been 400 or more people in attendance. The tailgating section, a new addition last year, was considerably larger and more active this year. Besides the wheelers and dealers, the parking lot also held a Red Cross emergency communications vehicle and the Gwinnett ARES mobile emergency communications trailer, both of which were duly inspected by many appreciative hams. But the major action took place inside. That's where all the booths were set up, where ideas and expertise were shared, and where copious amounts of food were consumed. For the first time, WES LAMBOLEY, W3WL, and the SE DX Club offered a couple DX forums. Both were filled to capacity. (and beyond) Also for the first time, a VE session was held, and quite a few people took advantage of the opportunity to earn a new license or upgrade. And another first: youth activities, hosted by our ASEC for Youth Activities, BRITTNEY HANCOCK, KI4WNY. Booths were set up to cover a multitude of subjects: DX-ing, QRP operations, Linux operating systems, CW, (and a QLF contest!) all kinds of digital modes, the Strange Antenna Challenge, and more. The club cooked and served something like 120 burgers and 150 hot dogs, and every single pot of chili was all but licked clean. I heard nothing but positive comments about the day's events, and our new SE District Director GREG SARRATT, W4OZK, even made a surprise visit. GENE CLARK, W4AYK, came all the way up from Albany, but he went home a happy man, because he found the help he needed in setting up MT-63 on his computer. And THAT is what Techfest is all about: hams helping and teaching other hams. I hope this is a GA event that continues for many many years. For sure, it'll be held NEXT year, because the date has already been set for January 10. Knowing the Gwinnett ARS crew, it'll be even better.

PRESBYTERIAN: best in prayer

CLUB NEWS

ALFORD MEMORIAL ARC --- The highlight of the club's January meeting was the annual roast, a light-hearted tribute to the club member selected as recipient of the Ham of the Year award. The meat held over the fire this year belonged to BARRY KANNE, W4TGA, an active club member, Dekalb county EC, and ASEC for Public Health. Congratulations to Barry on this well-deserved recognition.

BILL GREMILLION MEMORIAL ARC --- Congratulations to the new team of officers selected to lead this fine group: President- EDDIE WILSON, K4UN; VP- JIM MAY, AE5M; Secretary- KEVIN MCGEHEE, AK4MC; and Treasurer- CHRIS MCGEHEE, KLØUD. Best wishes for a fun and successful year. (info de CHRIS MCGEHEE, KLØUD)

ELLIJAY ARS --- Things have been a-moving and a-shaking up in the GA mountains. (With the cold weather they've been having, they GOTTA keep moving and shaking!) First off, congratulations to their new slate of officers: CEO- SAM UNDERHILL, K4SWU; President- BOB BURDICK, NB8N; VP- MARSHA GREENWOOD, KG4AHV; Secretary- DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI; and Treasurer- SANDY SILK, K4SRS; with DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI, pulling double duty as the repeater trustee, and DENNIS RODGERS, KA4VHP, serving as repeater technician. A hearty congratulations also goes out to SAM UNDERHILL, K4SWU, who was chosen as the club's Ham of the Year, in recognition of his "excellent leadership in the club, for serving as the club's liaison to the community, and for being an overall excellent ambassador for ham radio". In addition to bestowing that well-deserved honor on Sam, special Certificates of Appreciation were also presented to some of the other dedicated club members: DOW HOFFMAN, N4VYU, and his bride LOIS; DOUG BARKER, N3DAB; DAVID FREDERICKSON, WB4HZG; BRUCE, KC4GH, and SANDY SILK, K4SRS; and DENNIS RODGERS, KA4VHP. COMING UP: A Pixie2 kit-building project, and a new 10M net. Also, club meetings will see the addition of 5 minute technical and/or operating presentations, just to keep that gray matter stimulated. Plans are also afoot to offer a variety of technical and licensing classes in the new year, as well. As always, the club will be hosting a terrific Hamfest for our pleasure in August, but the officers and members reluctantly decided that they can no longer afford to host the event for free. (It's amazing that they've done so for as long as they have!) Tables and tailgating will still be gratis, but there will be a nominal entrance fee of $5. Still a great bargain for such a fun event. No better way to escape the blistering heat of August than by retreating to the refuge of Ellijay's cool mountain air to enjoy warm fellowship and hot bargains. Hope to see you there. (info de DAVE MEADOW, K4LDI)

GWINNETT ARS --- This club always provides top-notch programs at all their meetings, but in January, they weren't satisfied with only ONE. There were three separate min-presentations. STEVE BACK, W2OGY, gave the annual report on the Venture Crew 73, the Boy Scout group sponsored by the club. ED WOODRICK, WA4YIH, talked about the new D-Star repeater, and yours truly finished up by talking about Elmers and mentoring. In February, MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX, will be providing a presentation about operating QRP.

LANIERLAND ARC --- Yup, it's true. You can't keep a good cowboy out of the saddle. Leading the new slate of officers is that "ol' cowboy" himself, TERRY JONES, W4TL, who's taken the reins once again as President of this fine group, after serving for many years and then "retiring" from the presidential saddle a couple years back. Joining him to round out the slate are VP- PHILIP LOGGINS, K4PDL; Treasurer- JOHN BRANDON, KE4PCF; Secretary- MIKE HALL, N4HGO; and Activities Manager- ROGER GIBSON, WB4T. Best wishes for a terrific year. (info de DOYLE GANTT, W4DJG)

NEWTON COUNTY RC --- CONGRATULATIONS to BOB CARTER, W4NNN, the club's choice for Amateur of the Year. In addition to honoring Bob, the club also presented an Honorary Member plaque to Sheriff JOE NICHOLS, in appreciation of his support for the club.

NORTHEAST GA ARC --- It is my great pleasure to announce the new 2008 club officers for the Northeast Georgia Amateur Radio Club (NEGARC). With a group of officers like this, how can we go wrong! President- LARRY OSBORNE, WT4XX; VP and newsletter editor- DOUG BROWN, KC4RSL; Treasurer- JOE TILLER, KD4VHX; and Secretary- ED THOMAS, N4EJT. I would also like to thank last years' officers for their hard work and dedication making 2007 another successful year! The following internal positions are provided as specific points of contacts with email addresses available on our website at: http://www.freewebs.com/negarc/ JIM MITCHELL, K4LCP, Repeater Trustee, and BOB ALDRICH, N9RLA, Activities Manager, Skywarn Coordinator and Webmaster. (de BOB ALDRICH, N9RLA, ARRL PIO)

NOTE: If you want info in the newsletter about your club, the ONLY way to insure that it gets there is if someone takes the time to send it to me.

ASTRONOMER: moon starer

ASKED, AND ANSWERED

CARROLL SHIFFLETT, JR, W4LLP, sent me an email to ask about the legality (or illegality) of modifying an amateur radio to operate on the business band, and suggested that this might be a topic worth addressing in our newsletter. Sounded like a good idea to me, and I asked our outstanding OOC, who also happens to live in the same house with me, if he'd like to provide a response. (absolutely no arm-twisting involved!) His response follows:

Hi all, de Mike K4HBI (That's Me). As OOC for GA I was asked to address the use of amateur gear on the Business Bands. This is not under the official OO umbrella, however some info follows.

A little background first, the amateur band operations are governed by the FCC via CFR Title 47, Part 97, which we should all be familiar with. Many of us have converted "business band radios" to amateur use. Under part 97 we are given the rules for emissions in the amateur bands and therefore we take the responsibility that the equipment conforms to the emission standards for Part 97 amateur band operations. This is the same as anyone that has ever "rolled" their own rigs by homebrewing. We have this permission under Part 97, as one of our basic purposes, as follows:

"97.1 Basis and purpose.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communications and technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts."

Now the question at hand is whether we can do the reverse, use our ham gear on the business bands. Simple answer would be a NO. The business bands are governed by a different set of FCC rules, Part 90. The simple answer of NO is derived from the following excerpt from Part 90:

"Title 47 Telecommunication; CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION; PART 90--PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES
Sec. 90.203 Certification required.
(a) Except as specified in paragraphs (b) and (l) of this section, each transmitter utilized for operation under this part and each transmitter marketed as set forth in Sec. 2.803 of this chapter must be of a type which has been certificated for use under this part.."

Since the FCC has different rules for the commercial "business band" operations, ham gear is not "certificated/certified" for use on those bands. NO is the simple answer.

However...

Food for thought, the business band frequencies are individually licensed to a specific user. This concept is opposite from the ham frequencies and means that a station is licensed to a frequency. Suppose you do have the licensee's permission to use their business band frequency to support them. Suppose you do not have a "type accepted" radio and have been asked to help. If you have your radio properly set to the parameters or emission standards (ie deviation, etc.) for that frequency of operation, who can really know the difference from over the air communications? (Assuming that the system is not a trunking or signaling system.)

[Note: For many years during my career, I was saddled with a Motorola HT-600 brick, its football sized charger and spare battery, one suitcase full. I was expected to maintain communications anywhere I traveled with the local field forces. The Motorola stayed at home, and my opened up and properly programmed Yaesu FT-530 fulfilled both business and ham commo all around the USA.]

The official answer to the question is NO. Reminder, messing on any Public Service frequency without authorization can lead to a vacation in a concrete and bars motel room with lousy room service. 73 and Happy New Year

DESPERATION: a rope ends it

GEORGIA'S CARD CHECKERS

Did you know that you don't have to bundle up your hard-earned QSL cards and ship them off to ARRL HQ in order to receive those coveted operating awards? Did you know that you don't have to trust your precious "babies" to the whims of the U.S. Postal Service? We have a whole team of dedicated volunteers right here in Georgia who can check those cards for you... and a tip of the hat to each of them for providing this valuable service.

These two fine gentlemen can check your cards for DXCC:

Bill Barr, N4NX
Home Phone: (770) 399-0824
Email Address: billn4nx@alltel.net

Marshall Thigpen, W4IS
Home Phone: (912) 764-4984
Email Address: marshall@nctv.com

This group can check for HF WAS:

Bill Barr, N4NX
Home Phone: (770) 399-0824
Email Address: n4nx@arrl.net

Mike Weathers, ND4V
Home Phone: (770)246-0083
Email Address: nd4v@comcast.net

Andrew J. Blackburn, III, WD4AFY
Home Phone: [912] 238-4676

Ira L. Bray, KA4JNB
Home Phone: [404] 253-0392

William D. Croom, W4PWR
Home Phone: (770) 921-3456

Curtis M. Carter, W8SY
Home Phone: [912] 929-4390

Sanders B. Walker, III, WB4EVH
Home Phone: [912] 953-9104

Marshall R. Thigpen Jr., W4IS
Home Phone: [912]489-8756
Email Address: marshall@nctv.com

Wayne Harrell, WD4LYV
Home Phone: (229) 567-2643
Email Address: wd4lyv@arrl.net

Verne E. Fowler, W8BLA
Home Phone: [770] 993-2909
Email Address: vf355@bellsouth.net

And this group can check your cards for VUCC:

Carroll Norton, W4WTA
Home Phone: (706)860-8834
Email Address: w4wta@arrl.net

Charles Osborne, K4CSO
Home Phone: (770)497-9303
Email Address: csosborne@citcom.net

Larry Lowe, AF4MI
Home Phone: (912)756-5988
Email Address: af4mi@aol.com

Andy Blackburn, WD4AFY
Home Phone: (912)238-4676

Wayne Harrell, WD4LYV
Home Phone: (229) 567-2643
Email Address: wd4lyv@arrl.net

James Worsham, W4KXY
Home Phone: (770)945-9910
Email Address: w4kxy@bellsouth.net

Mike Weathers, ND4V
Home Phone: (770)246-0083
Email Address: nd4v@comcast.net

Sanders Walker III, WB4EVH
Home Phone: (478)953-9104
Email Address: wb4evh@fiamg.net

Ira Bray, KA4JNB
Home Phone: (780)253-0392
Email Address: ka4jnb@aol.com

Bill Barr, N4NX
Home Phone: (770)399-0824
Email Address: n4nx@arrl.net

Verne Fowler, W8BLA
Home Phone: (770)993-2909
Email Address: vf355@bellsouth.net

NOTE: These lists were garnered from the current ARRL database, but that doesn't guarantee that all information is 100% accurate. If you happen to know that any of these fine gentlemen have become SKs, please let me know so I can notify HQ of that sad fact. Thank you.

THE EYES: they see

PARTY HEARTY, GEORGIA!

That's right! PARTY TIME is coming, and YOU are invited! Come as you are, (no ties required, and you can even kick off your shoes!) belly up to your rig, and join in the fun. Of course, I'm talking about the GA QSO Party, the ONLY operating event sponsored in the state of Georgia, I might add.

It's coming up on APRIL 12 and 13, so why not jot it in your date book now? The first round will be held from 1800Z Saturday until 0359Z Sunday, and then after you catch a little shut-eye, the partying continues on Sunday from 1400Z until 2359Z. (When's the last time YOU went to a 2-day party?) You can operate phone, you can operate CW, or you can throw caution to the wind and do both. You can participate as an individual, or you can pool resources with your buddies and enter as a multi-op or club. And you can operate QRP, low power, or with your amp cranked up. It's all up to you. And the sponsors, the Southeastern DX Club and South East Contesting Club, are counting on you to make this year's party the best one EVER.

How about a little history on Georgia's one and only operating event? And who better to give it than GA's one and only unofficial amateur radio historian JOHN LANEY, K4BAI? He provided all kinds of interesting information for us:

The first GA QSO Party was held back in May of 1962, making it one of the earlier state QSO parties. And one of the most popular. It was sponsored that first year by the Columbus Amateur Radio Club, with RUSTY EPPS, K4BVD, (now W6OAT) serving as the first chairman, (and again as chairman for two of the later years) and the Columbus club continued to sponsor the event until 1978 or '79. During those years, John, K4BAI, served as chairman a multitude of times, and other chairmen included John's father, K4VGI,(SK), K4ADU, who later became KR4M (now SK), and K4RHU (SK). Beginning in 1980, the Atlanta ARC took over sponsorship of the event for a few years, with KI4Y serving as chairman for a couple years, and K4JRB serving for one. John isn't sure if there was a party at all from '84 to '87, but in '88, the Dixie DXers Contest Club took over sponsorship until about '92, with N4UZ (SK) chairing the events. For a couple years, it was a combined GA-AL QSO Party, but with only 2 AL logs submitted in '91, it reverted back to being a GA only party again the following year. John wasn't sure if there was a QSO party in '93, but WB4EVH valiantly sponsored it himself for several years. Needless to say, it was a huge job for one person, and participation was scant, with only six logs submitted in '94 and nine in '95. Revival began in 1999, when SEDXC and SECC took it over, and it's been growing steadily ever since, under the chairmanship of K4EA, K4TW, NE4S, and KU8E. (Thanks for all that, John.)

MIKE CONDON, NE4S, this year's GQP chairman, said there were 250 logs entered last year. That's pretty darned good and a LOT better than SIX, but there's still room for improvement. A couple hams from Texas come all the way to GA to operate as Rovers during the GA QSO party, but they can only rove so much. The sad fact is, too many counties remain silent, with little or no activity at all. The GA QSO Party offers the perfect opportunity for operators all over the country to work every county in Georgia. No matter how hard they try, they'll never succeed if we don't make an effort to get all of those counties on the air. This is Georgia's chance to SHINE, and to make ours the best doggone QSO party in the country. Are you in?

Up to operating as a Rover? The counties that elicited NO contacts at all last year are Atkinson, Berrien, Echols, McDuffie, Seminole, and Wilcox. If you aren't into roving, maybe you and a couple buddies can go to one of those counties and set up field operations. (Bet you'd draw a pile-up!) Last year, only two contacts were logged for Brantley and Warren, and three for Glynn. Pierce did a little better with nine, followed by Brooks and Fayette with thirteen, and Lowndes with sixteen. Charlton had seventeen, and Chatham, where I KNOW we have a lot of operators, had a surprisingly low twenty-one.

Why should you bother? Pride. Fun. And to support the SEDXC and SECC, who go to an awful lot of trouble putting this together every year. I have a feeling if you do it once, you'll be hooked, and will want to do it again and again.

Sure hope I've piqued your interest. For more information, please check the GQP website at http://gqp.contesting.com There's lots of plaques and certificates to be won, but you can't earn 'em if you don't give it a shot. (You can even submit a paper log...) Even if you don't have an interest in "winning", your participation at any level would insure that this, Georgia's Starship QSO Party, is a real "winner".

GEORGE BUSH: he bugs Gore

ARES NEWS

** JIM COTE, N4PJR, has done us proud as SEC. He has that perfect laid-back personality that keeps him cool under fire, coupled with a steely sense of purpose regarding the use of amateur radio as a means of emergency communications. Not only has he been serving as our SEC, but he's a certified Master Emergency Manager, too, and has been wearing the Deputy Director's hat for Wayne county, as well. Alas, he can do a lot of things, but he's only been graced with ONE head, so one of the hats had to go. I regret to report that Jim has stepped down as SEC. Our loss is Wayne county's gain. We owe him a great deal of gratitude for all he's done on our behalf. So, THANK YOU, Jim. We're sorry to lose you as SEC, but grateful to have had you at the helm for so long.

** NEW SEC --- It is a pleasure to report that GA ARES continues to be in good hands, as SCOTT ROYLE, KK4Z, has taken over the helm as our new SEC. For several years, Scott served as the Southeastern Communications Coordinator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and in that position, was responsible for organizing, preparing, and deploying the church's amateur radio response teams in the aftermath of a multitude of hurricanes. It was an appropriate transition for him to take over in GA ARES as the head of our ARES-MAT team, and in that capacity, he led members' participation in the National Guard's HURREX. His next position was as our ASEC for Operations, and he did a great job in organizing and planning our most recent GA ARES conference, which was held in Forsyth on January 26. It was at that meeting that he officially took over as our SEC, and he did a fine job "running the show".

** Feb 3-9 is Severe Weather Awareness Week, with a tornado test scheduled for Wednesday morning, February 6. There will be a net run, beginning at 9AM, on 3.975 MHz, and it'd be great if we could get representation from most of the GA counties. (if there is severe weather on Wednesday, the test will be postponed until Friday) Full details are on the Peachtree City NWS web pages, at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/swaw08_main.shtml.

** One of the things that came out of the ARRL's recent Board of Director's meeting: the positions of Assistant SEC and Assistant DEC are now officially sanctioned by the ARRL, which means that all of you folks who've been serving in that capacity for us for the past umpteen years will now actually be recognized in the ARRL database as holding those positions. (as soon as I enter all of the necessary changes, that is) No Deputy SEC in their database yet, but we will continue to recognize that position here in Georgia. Talking about Deputy DEC, we've recently appointed a second one for GA ARES, DAVID BENOIST, AG4ZR, who also serves as Fayette county's EC. He joins MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX. Congratulations to David, and thank you for accepting this additional role.

** Our new SEC, SCOTT ROYLE, KK4Z, wrote the following message for us:

On January 26 we had our Annual Section ARES meeting at the Forsyth Public Safety Complex in Forsyth, GA. We had over 80 folks show up between the DEC meeting and the General Session. The program included presentations from the National Weather Service, our Skywarn leaders, two presentations from our digital group, and our Section Technical Coordinator. These were quality presentations with slide shows and demonstrations. Many people commented to me that it was worth the trip so I hope to see more next year.

This year I set some objectives for us as an ARES Section to work toward. An old Maxwell Coffee House axiom went something like this:

As you ramble on through life brother,
Whatever be your goal,
Keep your eye upon the donut,
And not upon the hole.

By setting some goals for the ARES Section we can collectively work together. NIMS calls this management by objectives. Each year I will choose objectives for us to work on based upon what we did during the past year. For this year our objectives are:

1. To increase our reporting. It is important that all EC's, DEC's and anyone else required to turn in a report to do so to either Tom Fuller our ASEC for reporting, or Charles K4GK our Net Manager. Even if there was no activity we would like to hear from you.

2. To develop and implement digital nets to augment our voice nets. Our digital team led by Tom Olley is working on choosing modes for our upcoming digital nets. By picking and using one or two modes and setting up nets then, during the time of disaster there will be no confusion on which mode to use or where to go. This has been in the works for a couple of years but we are hoping to have something together in Feb. 08. This process will probably evolve as we try to see what works and what doesn't as we move to beta testing.

3. To increase the quality and quantity of our annual SET. At the Section or State level we will provide those items normally associated with us such as nets, operating at GEMA, and the ARES-MAT team. In addition we are seeking volunteers to help us develop the basic scenario. Those wishing to work on this project can e-mail me : kk4z@arrl.net.

Those are our objectives for 2008. One last note is we are revamping the website to a blog style format. This will give all the members an opportunity to comment, seek help, and post events. I want to give everyone who desires the opportunity to participate in the goings on with ARES. Robert Tyler and Tom Fuller are working on this and will get it going as soon as possible. Right now Robert has a pretty heavy work schedule.

That's it for this month. Thanks to all those who participated in this years annual meeting and of course to Susan and all her help. Stay tuned and stay involved.

'73
Scott Royle, KK4Z
GA SEC

** And now, MY comments on the conference:

The DEC meeting was well-attended, with 27 people in attendance, some of whom had to get up mighty early to make it there in time. A very special thanks goes out to each of them. Scott said there were "more than 80" in attendance at the general meeting, but I did a quick head count guesstimate and came up with just over 100. Indeed, that's more than 80, but I like the sound of "more than 100" a little better. That's a slight decrease from past years, but a number of our ARES groups, unfortunately, had other activities scheduled for that day. And one of our most active and long-time serving ARES leaders, LOWRY ROUSE, KM4Z, who reserved the meeting place for us, was unable to attend because of an untimely attack of the flu. We appreciate him for not coming to share that with the rest of us, but his presence was certainly missed.

No GA ARES Ham of the Year was named this year, and I sincerely apologize for that. I promise we'll do a better job of allocating proper time for the solicitation of nominations next year. We're graced with a tremendous number of hard-working volunteers within GA ARES, and next year, we WILL honor one of them. However, even though there was no "official" Ham of the Year named, I took it as "executive privilege" to honor a couple of fine gentlemen I deemed worthy of special recognition: BARRY KANNE, W4TGA, and TOM HUGHES, KD4OEZ. Barry has traveled from one end of this state to the other this past year, attended a gazillion meetings with various Public Health officials and hospital administrations, and overseen the purchase and installation of amateur radio equipment at all of our regional hospitals. (and got quite a suntan from all of the hours spent on various hospital rooftops) He's definitely gone the "extra mile(s)". And Tom has worked his fingers to the bone while programming and fine-tuning our wonderful GA ARES database, and he continues to add new functions and to help DECs and ECs with the registration process and entry of their data. For their mighty efforts, as a token of our appreciation, it was a pleasure to present both Barry and Tom with a 2008 ARRL Handbook.

PRESENTATIONS:

* BARRY KANNE, W4TGA, gave an update on Georgia's "Ham Radio for Hospitals Partnership". This project, though technically under the umbrella of the Department of Human Resources, has been funded by the Division of Public Health. Last year, $100,000 was allocated for the purpose of installing amateur radio equipment at each of the 14 regional hospitals, and I'm pleased to report that said equipment has been delivered to each and every one of them, and has been installed in most. This marks the end of a very successful Phase One. This year, 2008, was intended for Phase Two, and radio equipment was to be installed in the next tier of hospitals, those with more than 300 beds. Slight problem. The over-all budget for Public Health has been cut, so money is more likely to be doled out to those hospitals that actually REQUEST the installation of amateur radio equipment. If you have ties with one of the 300+ bed hospitals, you might suggest that the hospital administrator or safety officer contact Public Health to express a desire to receive the radio package. The contact person is KATHERINE TUGGLE. katuggle@dhr.state.ga.us (404)597-9790

* LYNN BIANCO, KN4YZ, CHRIS MCGEHEE, KLØUD, and LANS ROTHFUSZ, KD5EJN, all presented information from the NWS. Lynn, our ASEC for NWS, reported that we are still in need of a DEC for the Greenville/Spartanburg office. If you live in one of the counties served by that office and have an interest in this position, please contact Lynn. Chris, our EC for Coweta county, talked about a program called CoCoRaHs, the Community Collaborative Rain Hail & Snow System, which will be rolling out here in Georgia this May. For more info on this program, please see www.cocorahs.org. And Lans, who is the Chief Meteorologist in Charge at the PTC office, reminded everyone that the week of February 3-9 will be Severe Weather Awareness Week, with the annual Tornado Test scheduled for the morning of the 6th. (in the event of actual severe weather on that day, the test will be postponed until the 8th) Noting that there weren't quite as many people in attendance at this year's conference, Lans said he hoped the winter weather alert that had been issued didn't have anything to do with it, adding that, in the weather business, "Humility is just a forecast away."

* JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX, our DEC for GA Public Broadcasting, gave a presentation on the "Plan for a Statewide Network". Rather than summarize his presentation, I'm gonna save myself a little typing and post a message from John:

Yesterday, I announced at the Georgia Section ARES meeting a plan that has been in the works for a while. The key part of the plan is to deploy full D-Star repeaters at each of the nine GPB towers to form a statewide Georgia D-Star network to support Emergency Communications.

D-Star was chosen to create a digital communications network providing new capabilities today and to provide a platform for future services and applications.

Thanks to Georgia Public Broadcasting, tri-band antennas are currently being installed on all nine GPB television towers at around the 500' level. Antennas and 1 5/8" transmission lines will be installed and maintained by GPB. Indoor equipment space, protected power and Internet connectivity will also be provided by GPB. Each D-Star site will be fully equipped with all modules (2m, 70cm, 23cm DD and DV) and a Gateway.

The first repeater in the network will be WX4GPB on the WGTV-TV tower on Stone Mountain in Atlanta scheduled to go in service in about two weeks. The repeater is sponsored by the Atlanta Radio Club and the full D-Star equipment was generously donated by Ham Radio Outlet.

The next challenge for the network will be to secure funding for additional sites. The plan is to seek a combination of public and private funding. Any groups around the state with access to donations, grants or other sources of funds for emergency communications and would be interested in sponsoring one or more of the sites, please contact me for further information.

Georgia has a great opportunity to create a premier network for emergency communications. With the creation of the Alabama D-Star network and D-Star sites in North Florida, the southeast will have tremendous capabilities for weather reporting and emergency communications.

* ROBIN CUTSHAW, AA4RC, talked about D-Star, and gave a demonstration of his DV Dongle, a wonderful device he designed which plugs into a computer's USB port and allows connectivity with a D-Star Gateway. Then, the user can communicate on the D-Star network, much like using Echolink. Pretty cool, huh? He demonstrated it, and it worked great! (HRO is currently selling DV Dongles, and they are selling like hotcakes.)

* TOM OLLEY, KG4VUB, our ASEC for Digital Communications, talked about WinLink 2000, digital communications in general, and GA ARES digital communications, in particular. In addition to WinLink and D-Star, which some people may dismiss out of hand because of concerns about cost, it's his intention to recommend another standardized digital mode in the near future as yet another tool in GA's emergency communications kit, and that will be one of the modes that uses a computer sound card. There are a ton of them, but as of now, it seems likely that the selected mode may be MT-63, which is extremely robust and capable of sending data at 100 wpm. Software for digital modes that employ a sound card are readily available for download, and much of it is free. Tom noted that you can put your microphone up to the computer and "test" the modes out. Chances are, you'll find them to be fun, and you'll be purchasing a sound card just so you can play with some of those digital modes. Tom also expressed a desire to recruit more hams around the state to serve as digital DECs, so they can help encourage and train other hams in their part of the state to get involved with digital modes. If you're interested in serving in that capacity, please contact Tom. Kg4vub@arrl.net

* JIM WORSHAM, W4KXY, our Technical Coordinator, talked a little bit about what he and the other technical specialists have to offer to GA ARES members.

And

* LEE MCDANIEL, WB4QOJ, gave a brief report on sound card digital communications. In my notes, I copied down one of the websites he recommended, but I'm afraid I can't remember exactly what it's for. Must've been good though, right? So here it is: www.ptpart.co.uk/quickmix/

So, all-in-all, we had some great presentations. And please NOTE, all of these presentations will be made available on our www.gaares.org website. Just because you had to miss the meeting, there's no reason for you to miss out.

** New EmComm Software for Windows Now Available for Beta Testing (Jan 3, 2008) The Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS) development team announced earlier this week that a Windows NBEMS software suite for beta testing is now available. NBEMS for Windows is a suite of software programs designed for point-to-point, error-free emergency messaging up to or over 100 miles distant. According to developers Skip Teller, KH6TY and Dave Freese, W1HKJ, the NBEMS system is designed primarily for use on VHF and up, or on HF with Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) antennas. The system uses the computer soundcard as the modem. Other than a simple interface connection between the computer and transceiver, no additional hardware is needed. Composing and sending emergency messages on NBEMS is no more difficult than sending e-mail via the Internet. All forwarding is done by stations manned by live operators on both ends who can confirm that a frequency is clear locally, or negotiate a frequency change to avoid causing interference. The NBEMS software can also be used for daily casual communications on PSK31, PSK63, RTTY or MFSK16 and is capable of sending flawless, high resolution, passport photo-sized color images in less than 10 minutes over any path that can sustain PSK250 without excessive repeats. Radio amateurs are invited to participate in the beta test of the NBEMS. The NBEMS suite can be downloaded for beta testing from the NBEMS Web site. Send comments and bug reports via e-mail

** For those interested in the D-Star digital radio technology and equipment and what is happening in Georgia, a Yahoo Group has been created called ga_dstar. You can join the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ga_dstar/. The group was created to serve as a source for D-Star information, radio programming info and techniques, repeaters and a forum to ask and get answers to questions. D-Star activity is growing fast in Georgia and new repeaters are coming up each month. Whether you are a current owner of a D-Star radio, looking to learn more about it or ready to make the jump to D-Star, this group can be a valuable source of information. (de JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX)

THE MORSE CODE: here come dots

ARES REPORT DE ASEC TOM FULLER, KE4QCM

Total number of ARES members: 709
Change since last month: +2
# of DECs/ECs reporting: 52
# of ARES nets active: 170
# with NTS liaison: 0
# of drills, tests and training sessions: 181
Person hours 1021
# of public service events: 29
Person hours 1283
# of emergency operations this month: 2
Person hours 24
Total number of ARES operations: 212
Total Person hours 2328

DECs REPORTING:

Digital Communications-KG4VUB; Public Broadcasting-WB4QDX; NWS Charleston-AF4VH; NWS Jacksonville-KG4PNF; NWS Peachtree City-KD4YDC, NWS Tallahassee-KE4FGF; Salvation Army-WA4UJC

ECs REPORTING:

**CENTRAL:
Baldwin-K6DPL; Bibb-KS4GH; Butts-KG4LTL; Houston-WB4EEL; Morgan-K2MGL; Pulaski-N4TUA; Putnam-KF4EOH

**EAST CENTRAL:
Columbia-KF4ITM; Washington-K4GK

**METRO ATLANTA:
Cherokee-WA6IKS; Dekalb-W4TGA; Fayette-AG4ZR; Gwinnett-WB4QDX; Henry-WB4WQE; Newton-WA4UJC; North Fulton-W4UOC; Paulding-K4DMF; Rockdale-KC4ELV

**NORTHEAST:
Barrow-K4JSR; Clarke-N4ZRA; Elbert-AC4SH; Forsyth-W4PX; Hall-KE4PCF; Oglethorpe-N2YYP; Towns-W4VFZ

**NORTHWEST:
Bartow-N4QET; Coweta-KL0UD; Floyd-KD4EKZ; Gilmer-WB4HAT; Haralson-KD4YDA; Murray-KG4RSU; Polk-KD4EKZ

**SOUTHEAST:
Camden-WDBLQT; Dodge-KG4WQZ; McIntosh-W4AWO; Toombs-KG4BKO; Ware-KF4SUY

**SOUTHWEST:
Baker-K4GCR; Irwin-N7HRT; Lowndes-NØJMS; Thomas-KE4FGF; Muscogee-W4OZA; Troup-K3IMC

COMMENTS:

DECs:

DEC Public Broadcasting, WB4QDX: Develop proposal for statewide digital network and present to ARES leadership. Met with ASEC Public Health and DEC Digital to discuss plan. Developed statewide frequency plan for 2m, 440 and 1.2 GHz digital network.

DEC NWS Charleston, AF4VH: Met for over an hour with the Warnings Coordinator Paul Yura from NWS Charleston at my office. We discussed renewing our StormReady certification. Amateur radio is an integral part of our warning capability for the local area.

DEC NWS Jacksonville, KG4PNF: In continuing to work with NWS Jax I completely updated their list of DEC, EC and AEC for the area cover by NWS Jax in Georgia.

DEC NWS Peachtree City, KD4YDC: Pub Serv: Skywarn Recognition Day - pre/post activities and the actual amateur radio work (12 people on air, approx 30 hours) - 36 hours. Emer Ops: 1 activation - 2 people, 4 hr/ea - 8 hours. Misc: meetings/rework link codes - 5 hours.

DEC NWS Tallahassee, KE4FGF: The weather briefing on the third Thursday was cancelled due to what was expected to be a bad front coming in, so a meteorologist was not available.

ECs:

**CENTRAL:

BALDWIN COUNTY, K6DPL: Effort continues on establishing a digipeater in Baldwin County. Holiday impact has create less activity this month.

BUTTS COUNTY, KG4LTL: Butts County has recently had a management change-up in 911 and Homeland Security coordinators. I met with the new Homeland Security coordinator and discussed ARES/ham radio capabilities. Positive comments and agreement for further discussions in early February.

HOUSTON COUNTY, WB4EEL: Events were Christmas Parade 50 hours and 7 nights of 911 center observation assistance 146 hours.

PULASKI COUNTY, N4TUA: Still working with groups in setting up the State ARES Database. In addition, worked with two local EC's in Putnam and Baldwin County with the plans they are developing for cooperation between the units. Basically, the number of active members in the groups is small.

**METRO ATLANTA:

DEKALB COUNTY, W4TGA: Worked Christmas parade and also ran propagation test between Grady Memorial Hospital and Gwinnett Medical Center, successfully.

GWINNETT COUNTY, WB4QDX: Participation by Gwinnett ARES members in Atlanta Christmas Parade.

HENRY COUNTY, WB4WQE: Everyone's getting ready for Christmas. No training this month except for a tabletop exercise on a pandemic flu. The 444.875 repeater is linked to the 146.715- repeater with a tone of 145.6. Happy New Year...

NEWTON COUNTY, WA4UJC: We installed the HF, VHF/UHF station at Newton Medical Center and are now waiting for the antenna bases to be built and installed.

ROCKDALE COUNTY, KC4ELV: Rockdale ARES hosted and coordinated the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Christmas Parade on Dec 1 07. 25 Participants from various Metro Atlanta counties assisted.

**NORTHEAST:

BARROW COUNTY, K4JSR: Assisted Barrow County CERT and Barrow County Fire & Emergency Services on 3 separate Christmas Toy Drives. Represented ARES on the L.E.P.C. Held 5 VHF Nets and moved the net from repeater to simplex because of band conditions.

CLARKE COUNTY, N4ZRA: A live exercise was conducted with the Clarke Co. EMA, Oconee Co. EOC, Madison Co. EOC, Athens Regional Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, the East Georgia Red Cross EOC, the Northeast Georgia Public Health EOC, and the Institute for Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense. Amateur Radio operators from the Oconee Co. RACES, Clarke Co., Madison Co., Oglethorpe Co., Jackson Co. and Banks Co. ARES took part. Nine area repeaters were tested during the exercise. Amateur Radio volunteers (KG4WGZ, KG4WHA, K4AHN, AF4TQ) assisted with one Public Service event, the East Georgia Red Cross Sleigh Bell Run. Chris, N4CJK, and Ed, N4ZRA, installed a HF antenna and HF radio equipment at the Clarke Co. EMA. The rig was checked on various frequencies and also on Dec. 30 during the GA ARES Net on 80-meters.

ELBERT COUNTY, AC4SH: Moved 2-meter repeater to temporary location, operational on a limited range basis, pending new tower installation with Elbert County EMA.

TOWNS COUNTY, W4VFZ: Misc. activities: building antenna framework for donated 2 m repeater.

**NORTHEAST:

COWETA COUNTY, KLØUD: KK4Z and KLØUD participated in Coweta County's disaster drill on December 20th.

**SOUTHEAST:

CAMDEN COUNTY, WD8LQT: During the month of December we implemented echolink on the 147.195 repeater. The call-sign is currently WD8LQT-R. Once all the kinks are worked out the equipment will be relocated to the EMA office and the call-sign will change to N6EMA-R. More information can be found on our website http://ares.camdencounty-ga.com/ under Echolink. Also this month Vince Silliman, KD4KOE was awarded a certificate of appreciation for his longstanding service as CCARES Net Manager.

WARE COUNTY, KF4SUY: EC Perry Blackburn, KF4SUY, attended SKYWARN Recognition day December 1, 2007 at the NWS in Jacksonville, FL. and won the EMAG.

SLOT MACHINES: cash lost in me

NET REPORT DE STM CHARLES PENNINGTON, K4GK

	QNI	QTC	SESS	QND	NM
GSSB: Georgia Single Side Band Association 3975 kHz 7 PM local, year round.	2210	22	31		N4DZ
GCN: Georgia Cracker Net 3995 kHz 7 AM Monday- Saturday; 8 AM Sundays	1454	16	31		N4VMC
GBH: Georgia Baptist Hams 3865 kHz 4 PM Sundays	NR
GA ARES: Georgia Amateur Radio Emergency Services 3975 kHz 5 PM winters; 6 PM summers - Sundays	517	2	5		K4GK
GTE: Georgia Traffic and Emergency Net 3983 kHz 7:15 PM DAILY	1094	14	31		W4AYK
GTN: Georgia Traffic Net (SSB) (Cycle 2) 3987.5 kHz 1 PM Monday - Saturday	288	42	26		WA4UJC
GTN: Georgia Traffic Handling Training Net (CW) 3549 kHz 9PM DAILY (slow speed)	149	0	29	570	N4VAD
GSN: Georgia Section CW Net (Cycle 4) 3549 kHz 7PM and 10PM DAILY (medium to high speed)	403	230	62	372	K4GK

***NOTE: GSSB Net will move to 7PM daily on February 1.

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

K4GK	130
WA4UJC	140
K8GA	90
K2HJ	138
K4BEH	99

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

K4GK	110
WA4UJC	54
WB4BIK	34
K8GA	148
K4BAI	34

*****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 (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

** Teacher JODY CARTER, KI4YVE, sponsor of the Rambler Radio Club at LaFayette Middle School, has been pacing and watching the mailbox for the past six months, but the mailman finally came through for him and his students. Brought that special letter from the ARRL that they've all been waiting for. It's a pleasure to announce that the Rambler Radio Club has been selected to receive a grant from the ARRL's Education and Technology Program, (AKA "Big Project") which means they'll be receiving a set of books, and a full radio station, including antennas. Good things come to those who wait. CONGRATULATIONS to Jody and his students.

** CONGRATULATIONS to CAMERON CATO, KI4KJR, who recently reached the Boy Scouts' highest rank of Eagle Scout. Quite an achievement! Only a small percentage of Boy Scouts ever achieve this top award, so lots of people are rightfully proud of this fine young man's accomplishment.

** If you haven't already sent in your application for one of the ARRL Foundation scholarships, better hurry! The deadline is February 1, 2008. Up to 60 scholarships will be awarded in May to graduating seniors and current college students, but you don't have much chance of winning one if you don't apply. See www.arrl.org/arrlf/scholgen for more info and application forms. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

** Additional scholarships are also available from the Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) and they're due by March 30, so you have a little longer to get those applications in. But don't put it off! You can download applications at http://www.amateurradio-far.org/

** SCHOOL ROUND-UP is right around the corner. Here's the chance to get your school on the air with other schools all over the country. It'll be held the week of February 11- 15. For more info, see www.arrl.org/SCR

** BRITTNEY HANCOCK, KI4WNY, our Assistant SM for Youth Activities is still running a weekly Youth net every Saturday at 3 PM. You can check in with her and chat with other young hams in the metro Atlanta area on the GARS 147.075 repeater. (PL 82.5)

SNOOZE ALARMS: alas! No more z's

THIS 'N' THAT

** TEACHERS, listen up! The dates have been set for this year's ARRL Teachers Institute! This is an all-expenses-paid hands-on seminar designed to provide teachers with fun innovative ways to teach their students about wireless technology. The idea is to inspire you, so you can go back to the classroom and inspire them.

This year's schedule has been expanded to include six sessions, but they fill up fast, so if you're interested, better start filling out your application.

2008 Dates and Locations:

April 7-10 Tampa, FL
(Museum of Science and Industry)
June 16-19 Rocklin, CA (Parallax Facility)
June 25-28 Tucson, AZ
(Pueblo Magnet High School)
July 14-17 Dayton, OH
(P&R Communications)
July 28-31 Newington, CT (ARRL HQ)
August 4-7 Newington, CT (ARRL HQ

Check out the webpage at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/ti.html for the full scoop, as well as a downloadable application.

** Planning to teach a Radio Merit Badge class to the local scout group? You can find presentation materials, as well as information on how to get registered as a counselor and how to publicize the class at

http://k2gw.tripod.com/radiomeritbadge/

** Interested in teaching Morse code to that special youngster in your life? As reported in the January 23 edition of the ARRL Contest Rate Sheet, W7DRA says he's been teaching his 5-year-old grandsons, with the help of a program called "Learn Morse Code in a Minute" and some wily grandfatherly skills. He says to keep their interest up he sends them WAV files with messages like "the money is under the upstairs bathroom rug", and being able to decipher that message earns them the hidden dollar. (Talk about incentive!) He says the program works extremely well for teaching young children: http://www.learnmorsecode.com

** Didja hear the moonbounce signals on 40M a few weeks ago during the HAARP experiment? Just in case you missed out, there are quite a few videos posted that can give you a taste of what it was like. One can be found at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5E2ntIxAsc

and more info and additional videos can be found at http://tinyurl.com/3xasnj

*** WL2K CHANGES: They're upgrading some of the WL2K system, and the PMBOs will change functionality a little and become RMS. (Radio Message Server) The CMS
servers are now able to accept the Telnet connections directly.

The settings for each server are: (take your geographical pick)

SERVER/CALL: WL2KS
HOST: sandiego.winlink.org
PORT: 8772
TIMEOUT: 120 (sec)
PASSWD: ???

SERVER/CALL: WL2KP
HOST: perth.winlink.org
PORT: 8772
TIMEOUT: 120 (sec)
PASSWD: ???

SERVER/CALL: WL2KH
HOST: halifax.winlink.org
PORT: 8772
TIMEOUT: 120 (sec)
PASSWD: ???

Make sure when you compose a message in Airmail you double check the PostVia: and make sure it's always WL2K (without the S, H, or P at the end) (de TOM OLLEY, KG4VUB)

** GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, passed on the following information from MARK RAPPAPORT, W2EAG, regarding a NEW training net. Mark wrote, " I am pleased to announce that the Carolinas Training Net will begin Feb 3, Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter until completion, at 5PM local time on the frequency of 3.861. The course in training traffic handlers is a good refresher for everyone, as well as to those just starting out and wanting to learn. I would appreciate it if you could talk it up in your club meetings, and Managers of nets to make QNC's for the next few weeks so we can have a big turnout. Certificates will be issued to those that complete the course."

** New EmComm Software for Windows Now Available for Beta Testing (Jan 3, 2008) The NarrowBand Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS) development team announced earlier this week that a Windows NBEMS software suite for beta testing is now available. NBEMS for Windows is a suite of software programs designed for point-to-point, error-free emergency messaging up to or over 100 miles distant. According to developers Skip Teller, KH6TY and Dave Freese, W1HKJ, the NBEMS system is designed primarily for use on VHF and up, or on HF with Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) antennas. The system uses the computer soundcard as the modem. Other than a simple interface connection between the computer and transceiver, no additional hardware is needed. Composing and sending emergency messages on NBEMS is no more difficult than sending e-mail via the Internet. All forwarding is done by stations manned by live operators on both ends who can confirm that a frequency is clear locally, or negotiate a frequency change to avoid causing interference. The NBEMS software can also be used for daily casual communications on PSK31, PSK63, RTTY or MFSK16 and is capable of sending flawless, high resolution, passport photo-sized color images in less than 10 minutes over any path that can sustain PSK250 without excessive repeats. Radio amateurs are invited to participate in the beta test of the NBEMS. The NBEMS suite can be downloaded for beta testing from the NBEMS Web site. Send comments and bug reports via e-mail

** VHF+ contesters will find lots of value at Jim W6PQL's Web site http://w6pql.com New additions include UHF PC-board filters, a VHF VCXO, and a microwave marker generator. Happy browsing! (de 1/23/08 ARRL Contest Rate Sheet)

** Here's a new site for APRS users, based on Google Maps http://aprs.he.fi When you log in to this site by call sign, it looks up your coordinates and starts off with you in the center of the action. You might find yourself surrounded by quite a lot of APRS information! (de KC2LLT, in the ARRL Contest Rate Sheet, 1/23/08)

** Got this URL from several sources, and boy oh boy, is it ever worth a look-see. It's a step-by-step video of a master craftsman, making triode vacuum tubes BY HAND. Absolutely amazing. www.tinyurl.com/2tdgof

** Another serendipitous find is the On Semiconductor "Rectifier Applications Handbook". This is an excellent reference that thoroughly covers the function, selection, and application of semiconductor diodes. This is a good download
http://tinyurl.com/2bj99h for your technical reference library. (de 1/9/08 ARRL Contest Rate Sheet)

** Here's a couple interesting article, courtesy of CLIFF SEGAR, KD4GT, on the history of mobile phones:

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2007/3/2007_3_8.shtml

And on the history of the hand held mobile phone:

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2007/3/2007_3_20.shtml

** Ever heard of a theremin? It's also known as an aetherphone, and it's believed to be one of the earliest fully electronic instruments. And get this. To play it, you don't actually have to touch it! That's because a couple of antennas "sense" the relative position of the player's hands, with sensors controlling audio oscillators, such that one hand governs frequency, and the other governs volume. To play it, the player moves his hands around the two antennas, creating eerie, other-worldly sounds. (frequently used in the soundtrack of eerie, other-worldly kinda movies) So what the heck does this have to do with GA Section News? Check out Section Notables...

EARTHQUAKES: that queer shake

SECTION NOTABLES

** CONGRATULATIONS to PHILIP NEIDLINGER, KA4KOE, for receiving an honorable mention for his talents in playing.... (ta da!!) the theremin. (And if you don't know what that is, you must've skipped this newsletter's This 'n' That section. So go ahead, go back and read it now. We'll wait...) Spellbound is a brief program of music for thermin, broadcast every Sunday night at 10PM on Cygnus radio. Each year, they acknowledge thereminists for "great performances produced in the previous calendar year". Philip didn't even know he was in the running, so he was thrilled to receive honorable mention in the "neo-classical" category. He built his instrument (Gabriella) himself, and said it took him seven months, starting last March and finishing up in October. He's been playing since October of 2005, and says that these instruments are "notoriously difficult to play". He also noted, "I had no musical background prior to starting on this." Word has it that Philip even provided some theremin music for his fellow club members during the Christmas party. How cool is that? (If you're curious about this unusual instrument, do a google search. You can even find directions to build one yourself.)

** Three cheers for ROBIN CUTSHAW, AA4RC, for designing the DV Dongle, a device that plugs into your computer's USB port and enables you to access D-Star Gateways and communicate on D-Star without using RF, much like using Echolink.

ELEVEN PLUS TWO: twelve plus one

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 2 --- FYBO (Freeze Your Buns Off) Winter QRP Field Day. 1600Z-2400Z. Kinda like the traditional June Field Day, only instead of fighting the heat and swatting mosquitoes, the advantage (i.e. multiplier) goes to those fighting the coldest temperatures and frostbite. For more info, see www.ascqrpions.org

FEBRUARY 2-3 --- 10-10 International Winter Phone QSO Party. 0001Z Feb 2- 2359Z Feb 3. See www.ten-ten.org for more info.

FEBRUARY 3-9 --- Severe Weather Awareness Week

FEBRUARY 5 --- HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite ham and better half

FEBRUARY 6 --- Statewide Tornado Drill (9 AM, on 3.975 Mhz) NOTE: If there is ACTUAL severe weather on this date, the drill will be postponed until the 8th.

FEBRUARY 8-10 --- Orlando, FL Hamfest

FEBRUARY 10-11 --- CLASSIC AM EXCHANGE- 1400Z Feb 10- 0800Z Feb 11. Where you can work multiple rigs, and the older the rig, the higher the points. See qsl.asti.net/CX for details

FEBRUARY 11-15 --- 22nd annual School Club Round-Up. www.arrl.org/SCR

FEBRUARY 14 --- CHOCOLATE DAY! Oops, I mean Valentine's Day....

FEBRUARY 17-18 ---ARRL International DX Contest, CW. 0000Z Feb 17- 2400Z Feb 18 For details, please see www.arrl.org/contests

FEBRUARY 16-17 --- AM QSO Party. Sponsored by the Antique Wireless Association. www.antiquewireless.org/amqsoparty.html for details

FEBRUARY 16-17 --- ARRL DX Contest (CW) 160M-10M 0000Z Feb 16- 2359Z Feb 17 www.arrl.org/contest

FEBRUARY 19-23 --- Severe Weather Awareness Week

FEBRUARY 21 --- Statewide Tornado Drill

FEBRUARY 23 --- DALTON Hamfest!! FIRST GA Hamfest of the year!! Sponsored by the Dalton ARC, and held at the North GA Fairground in Dalton. Set-up 7AM, with gates open for the public at 8. VE session at 1 PM at nearby Western Sizzlin. Breakfast and lunch foods available at Hamfest site. Hourly drawings, with two grand prize drawings at 2:30 PM: a 2M mobile rig, and an HF mobile rig. Talk-in on 145.230(-) Hope to see you there!!!! (Think WARM!)

FEBRUARY 23-24 --- CQ WW 160M Contest (SSB) 0000Z Feb 23- 2400Z Feb 24. See www.cq-amateur-radio.com for details.

MARCH 15 --- KENNEHOOCHEE Hamfest at Jim Miller Park in Marietta (just so you can be sure to mark it on your calendars NOW!)

MOTHER-IN-LAW: woman Hitler

SILENT KEYS

CHUCK FAIRBROTHER, KA4ARB
HOWIE GOULD, W9HG

Sincere condolences to their families and friends.

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

73, Susan af4fo@arrl.org (Send me your news and tech tips!!)
ARRL Georgia Section Manager

No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.