Georgia Section On My Mind

March, 2005

Greetings, All. Fear not.... Spring is but a few sneezes away. (In no time at all, we'll be complaining about the heat....)

There was a little "filler" article in the newspaper recently that I can't quite seem to get out of my mind. It was about what has to be one of the luckiest 21-year olds in the world. This fella, a hiker, was caught in an avalanche while hiking the mountains in Utah, and he RODE the avalanche 1000 feet down a ridge, FEET-FIRST, and ended up walking away with only minor injuries. I mean, can you just IMAGINE?! Talk about the ultimate rush.... (in more ways than one!) Well, here it is March already, and sometimes I feel like we're all caught in an avalanche. It's an avalanche of time, and all we can do is hang on, do the best we can and "ride it out", hopefully, staying on our feet the whole way down. Reminds me of something that FRANKIE WOMACK, W4BJT, sent me a while back: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "Wow! What a ride" Well, we'd be hard pressed to come up with a ride quite as WOW as the one that 21-year old hiker had, but y'know, it ain't bad, and I sure do appreciate all of you who've been sharing the ride and making the trip so enjoyable for me.

GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, our DEC for the SE District, sent me a copy of the October 2004 newsletter, "Key Clicks", put out by the Lancaster ARC. (NY) It was a very nice newsletter, but what Greg most wanted me to see was an article written by the club president, LUKE CALIANNO, N2GDU. As one of the Georgia hams who deployed to Florida to provide communications after the hurricanes, he found it interesting that the article was about one of our other Georgia hams who'd deployed with him, DON HUGHES, KK4EL. It just so happened that after returning home from Florida, Don was calling "CQ", as hams are wont to do, and you guessed it, the voice coming back to him belonged to Luke, in NY. They had a nice QSO, evidently, and Luke was duly impressed with Don's story about his deployment and what it was like in Florida, and subsequently wrote about it in the club's newsletter to share the story with other club members. So, it's a small world...... especially when you're a ham.

Also in that NY newsletter was a feature called "Just for Laughs", and THAT is the source for this month's crop of one-liners......

Oh, by the way, if you've been following information about the DX-pedition to American Samoa, and are confused about some of the conflicting stories regarding the ARRL and this KH8SI venture, please read the white paper which addresses this situation quite handily. See http://www.arrl.org/announce/American-Samoa and you'll get ALL of the answers.... About this, anyway.

BEAM: What most hams do after breaking a pile-up.

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS

EMAG COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING--- February 25--- Under chairman JOHNNY WINGERS, WX4R, Bibb county EMA director and former EMAG president, this first meeting, held at the State Public Service training facility in Forsyth, generated some good concrete ideas and an initial plan of action to better integrate amateur radio into emergency response plans throughout the state. Using a three-pronged approach, this unprecedented cooperative effort between EMAG, GEMA and ARES representatives holds great promise in achieving the goal of establishing common guidelines and successfully incorporating the use of trained ARES operators in every EOC in the state. So far, the plan sounds very promising, and all of us on the committee are very excited at the prospect of finally achieving this rather lofty goal. It's still gonna take some time, folks, but thanks to Johnny, a longtime advocate of amateur radio, things are definitely looking better and better.

DALTON Hamfest --- February 26 --- Well, folks, we've got Georgia's first Hamfest of the year under our belts, and all who attended had to let out those belts a notch or two to make room for this year's increased girth. (Of the FEST.... What did YOU think I meant?) With every indoor table sold months in advance, a good-sized boneyard, and mild sunny weather, this year's Hamfest offered plenty to see, an abundance of good deals, and a great attendance of happy hams from all over Georgia and surrounding states to share the experience. Kudos to the Dalton Amateur Radio Club for hosting such an enjoyable event, and thanks to each and every one of you who came to support it. You've all probably heard it before from other hams.... (Maybe (gasp!) YOU'VE even said it yourself....) that "Hamfests aren't like they used to be...." And then THAT is used as an excuse to no longer attend them. Or maybe they (YOU??) have a "favorite" Hamfest, and only attend that one, ignoring the rest as being somehow unworthy of your support. Well, the only way our Hamfests will continue to grow, or even continue to exist, is if all of us in the ham community do all we can to support them. So far, so good. With the obvious growth in this year's premiere Hamfest here in Georgia, we're definitely off to a good start. Very encouraging. If you missed this great fest this year, please try to make it next year. It's worth the trip. (though I can't promise that the weather will be so perfect next year...)

The ARRL booth was hopping this year, with our Director FRANK BUTLER, W4RH, our Vice Director, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, and I manning it for most of the day. (though I must confess to sneaking off several times to attend some forums and to look around at some of the goodies for sale.... And YES! I SAW what Mike bought!) It was terrific to have the opportunity to chat with so many people, some of whom we hadn't had the pleasure of seeing since last year's Hamfest in Dalton. It's always a highlight of these events to be able to "re-connect" with so many fine folks. We were also graced by the attendance of Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director, BRIAN MILESHOSKY, N5ZGT, who will be in Atlanta until August, while pursuing (and catching, I'm sure!) his masters degree at GA Tech. Brian has been making appearances at numerous club meetings and ham functions since he's been in town, and is even serving as one of the net control stations for the Atlanta ARC's Sunday night net, so he's managing to stay radioactive, in spite of the demands of school. Remember this young man's name: I predict that he will be going far. (and I don't just mean back to New Mexico...) One smiling face which we missed seeing this year is former SM, and current BM, EDDY KOSOBUCKI, K4JNL, who had a "higher calling"..... it was his great grandson's birthday, and when your youngun wants you to be there for his birthday, by golly, that's where you're gonna be!

The forums were successful, as well. Our SEC JIM COTE, N4PJR, led the ARES meeting, along with Assistant SEC STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD. We had a full house, representing all parts of the state, proving once again what a great bunch of folks we have here in Georgia who are dedicated to emergency communications.

The MARS meeting met to a packed house, too, partly because this was the "changing of the guard" for GA Army MARS. DAVID ANTHONY, KB4ERK, passed the role of State MARS Director into the capable hands of JIM FOUST, WB4LBM. Completing Jim's state staff are LARRY LOWE, AF4MI, MITCH BOTSFORD, W4IFP, MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, JACK MASON, KI4ATE, and DAVID ANTHONY, KB4ERK, who has graciously agreed to assume another role. This is a strong and capable group of leaders, and we look forward to an even stronger future for the Army MARS program here in Georgia. If you have EVER considered joining the program, now's a great time to get involved: check it out at www.gamars.org (There are also links there for the AF MARS and for Navy/ Marine Corps MARS. ALL of these programs offer you an opportunity to use your skills as an operator to "give back"...) HINT, HINT: GA Army MARS suuuuure would like to add some more operators from the southern part of the state... especially in the southwest, where we seem to have a bit of a void. And you DON'T have to have HF privileges to operate on our HF frequencies.

All in all, this was an excellent Hamfest. Next up? Kennehoochee Hamfest, March 19th. I'll be looking for you....

CLUSTER: What hams do when the doughnuts arrive at the meeting,

CLUB NEWS

NOTE: Are you annoyed that you never see anything about YOUR club in this section of the newsletter? Well, I can't write what I don't know.... It's up to you guys to keep me posted, and to send me the news about your club. And like I've said before, it doesn't matter whether or not your club is affiliated or not. If you are a Georgia ham, if your club is a Georgia club, then this newsletter is for you.... and should be about you.

ARC OF AUGUSTA --- CONGRATULATIONS to club officers and members for the recent renewal of this group's status as a Special Service Club. This designation marks an affiliated club as being among the best of the best. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people. Word has it that this group's swap meet/ picnic, held on February 19 at Pendleton King Park, was a big success. As AL "SPARKEY" MENGES, KF4NXL, described it, "There were about 55 members in attendance and besides five hours of fellowship and the swapping of quite a few boat anchors, there were some excellent parts and pieces that were sold, or I should say, almost given away." And did I mention that it was a picnic, too? Sounds like a winning combination to me. Club members once again assisted with the "Battle of Aiken" re-enactment the last weekend in February, too.

ATHENS ARC --- In an enjoyable and educational hands-on kinda program, ROBERT SCALES, KE4OGD, and JEFF CROWELL, KD4AOZ, led members in the building of J-poles, dipoles, and center connectors at the February meeting. (How many times have YOU gone to a club meeting and gone home with a new antenna that you built yourself?) Great idea.

ATLANTA ARC --- This club, with the greatest longevity as an ARRL affiliated club here in Georgia (since 1921!!) is still going strong. For the February meeting, an interesting program on the workings of oscilloscopes was presented by BOB GARCIA, KD4JRT. He's a real "pro", but he was able to explain the operations of these handy pieces of equipment in very simple, easy to understand terms. In March, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, will be presenting a power point presentation on the ARRL proposal to allocate band frequencies by band width rather than by mode.

CAMDEN ARS --- This recently affiliated club held elections recently, and the slate of officers chosen to lead them this year are: President- VINCE SILLIMAN, KD4KOE, VP- TIM BOYD, KI4CXZ; Secretary- JOHN PLAYFORD, WD8LQT; and Treasurer- BILL CLARK, AE4SS. Best wishes to all of these fellas for a successful year in leading the club.

CONYERS ARG --- These folks are planning a one-day technician class, to be held on March 19. For more info, contact club president DAVE WAGNER, KG4WVP, at kg4wvp@bellsouth.net 

DALTON ARC --- Not contented to rest on their laurels after having pulled off such a fine Hamfest, this group will be offering ham radio classes, both for technician class, as well as for the code. The code classes will begin on March 15th at Dawnville Elementary School, at 1380 Dawnville Road NE, in Dalton, and the technician class will start on March 17th at the same location. Both classes will be held at 7PM, and will run for eight sessions apiece. You can register to take one... or both... of these classes by contacting club president TONY SMITH, AG4NE, at tsmith1145@alltel.net The technician class costs $25, which includes both the book and exam, the code class is $10, and for a REAL bargain, one can take BOTH classes for the paltry sum of $25.

GWINNETT ARS --- It was ARRL Night at the February meeting, when Vice Director SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, my better half MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, and I provided the program, giving a little bit of info about the history of the ARRL, reasons to be a member, the OO program, and on the recent ARRL Board of Directors meeting and proposals regarding the refarming of the spectrum by band width. Elections were also held at this meeting, and the following folks won by a landslide: President- DAVID ADCOCK, KA4KKF; VP- EARL WHATLEY, AF4FG; Secretary- REBECCA JUBON, W3BEC; Treasurer- DAN KEOHAN, KF4YSU; and Activities Chairman- JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX. Congratulations to all of these fine folks, and best wishes for a another successful year in leading the club. Club officers and members alike deserve kudos for the club's recent renewal as a Special Service Club. The SSC designation is reserved for those clubs whose efforts excel in promoting amateur radio through education, public relations, public service, and technical advancement. Congratulations to this fine group for their continued dedication in all of these areas, and more.

JASPER RC --- CONGRATULATIONS to this group, which adopted a formal charter in February and organized as our newest "official" club. Best wishes to all of the charter members and to the officers they've selected to lead them: President- PAT HAYNES, K4BEH; VP- SAM KENT, K4CEK; Secretary- PETE PAYNE, KG4YOL; and Treasurer- FRANK DEAN, K4SJR. Good luck to all of you in expanding your club and in enjoying the hobby together.

KENNEHOOCHEE ARC --- These folks have a new meeting place, still on the Southern Polytechnic campus at 1100 S. Marietta Parkway, but in a different building, with easier access and handicapped parking nearby. The new location is in the W. Clair Harris Textile Building, M100. The March first meeting will feature a program on both the Commercial Automatic Vehicle Locating System and the 800 MHz trunked radio system. Coming up on the 19th of March will be this club's Hamfest, which will be held on the Polytech campus, and will once again feature the all-day Boot Camp technician class, which has served to bring many new hams into the hobby over the past few years. The class will begin at 8:30AM and run until 5PM, at which point a special VE session will be provided. Cost is $45, which includes the cost of materials and the exam fee. (Talk-in for both the club meeting and the Hamfest will be on 146.88 (-) PL 100)

LANIERLAND ARC --- The program at the February meeting provided members with some pointers and how-tos on the art of soldering, provided by club member ALFRED WESTBROOK, KT4VP.

MACON ARC --- Members will once again be running a Special Event Station, in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Festival, from 1500Z until 2200Z on March 19th. Likely frequencies are 21.335, 14.240, 14.055, and 7.055 MHz.

QCWA CHAPTER 49 --- BILL HUSTED, KQ4YA, AKA the "Technobuddy", provided an interesting talk and Q&A session for the February meeting, and his presence drew a large and appreciative audience. He had himself a fine time with this great group, so maybe we can coerce him into officially joining the ranks. Coming up at the April 16th meeting will be another terrific program: It will be provided by JOHN JOHNSTON, W3BE, the new national president for QCWA, former FCC insider, and writer of Rules and Regulations columns for both "World Radio" and "Electric Radio" magazines. For info on the QCWA, see www.qcwa.org (makes sense!) and for this particular chapter, see www.mindspring.com/~w4gbu/qcwa.htm

SILVER COMET ARS --- These folks believe in expressing appreciation to the folks within the county who've provided support, which is a somewhat unique approach... and a darned good one. This press release comes to us from club president, LEE MCDANIEL, WB4QOJ: The Silver Comet Amateur Radio Society awards four leaders in the Paulding County Community for support of Amateur Radio and ARES. The awards were presented because of the interest and enthusiasm by these community leaders to Amateur Radio in 2004. The presentation was given to the following people Joe Griffin, the outgoing Director Department Public Safety, Nick Brown, Communications Department, Paulding County, Shelbia Bohannon, Director of Community Development Paulding Chamber of Commerce, and Bruce Harris, Sheriff of Paulding County. "These Public Officials are not only Leaders in the Community, but have the vision to see the importance of Amateur Radio in time of need," quoted Lee McDaniel, WB4QOJ, President of the Silver Comet Amateur Radio Society.

STATESBORO ARS --- MARK FEHLIG, WA6NGC, Director of Engineering for Georgia Public Broadcasting, provided a program at the February meeting on the GA Public system, where it is today and where it's headed in the future.

THOMASVILLE ARC --- A four star highlight for the February meeting was when club members surprised fellow club member WALTER CHILDS, KQ4SF, by presenting him with the 2004 Service Award. He certainly didn't expect it, but he was well deserving of it. Walter is one of those walking miracles, who defied all odds to work his way back from a devastating accident, with the love and support of his family and fellow club members. His courage and perseverance have served as an inspiration to his friends, and it was an honor, I'm sure, to honor him. He's still working on his recovery, but despite his physical limitations, he still manages to participate in club nets and to serve as a helpful talk-in whenever his services are needed. CONGRATULATIONS, Walter. At that same meeting, IVAN COOK, K4SRB, shared some of his expertise with fellow club members with a "show and tell" on the 6 M antennas he's been designing and building. You can see prototypes of his 6 and 2 M antenna at http://www.qrz.com/callsign/k4srb. Ivan also provides a helpful hand to folks who are studying for their ham tests and have a little difficulty with some of the material. In a "homework hotline", he answers questions and provides assistance.... An online Elmer, if you will. He fields those questions at Ivansusan@comcast.net Coming up for this club on March 12 will be a tailgate/auction/picnic, held at Tom Brown Park in Thomasville, with the auction to start at 11 AM. Sounds like fun!!

VALDOSTA ARS --- Club president WAYNE BRANT, KO4QJ, told me about a fun and innovative idea that this group has been utilizing to encourage more traffic on their club's webpage. They give away FREE STUFF. That's right.... I said, FREE STUFF. Wayne writes, "We are giving away free equipment in our "GAMES" forum on our webpage. Just go to http://www.varc.net and then click on the "forum" button....then click on the "games" button and read the posts to win the equipment. We have been having great fun with this last year and will again be giving away "FREE STUFF"!!! By the way- this is a great source of free equipment for the youths that are getting into the hobby-with their "limited" income and disposable cash, they could virtually set up a free station........ The "games" will continue all year long and will offer different equipment along the way!" Pretty neat, huh? Check it out!


Club News from NORM FUSARO, W3IZ, ARRL Affiliated Club/Mentor Program Manager:

*** New Class Flyer
There is a new resource on the web for you to use to advertise your upcoming licensing classes. We have created a flyer as a Word file that you can download and then edit the information specific to your class (dates and time, contact person info, etc.) http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/instructor/

*** New PowerPoint Programs
Also, look for new PowerPoint programs in the multimedia library.
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/materials/videos.html Our most recent addition is a program on NTS and traffic handling by Jim Cottrell, KB3DEN. Remember that we are always looking for interesting Power Point programs that clubs can use for meeting programs. If you have any that you would like to submit to the League, please e-mail a file to clubs@arrl.org or send a CD to the address below marked "Attn. F&ES Dept."

*** Web Features
A current feature article running on the ARRL web page is on NLI Section's "Ham Radio University." http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2005/01/23/1/?nc=1 The NTX Section had a similar event in the fall called "Mentorfest." http://www.ntxinfo.org/mentorfest/ Both of these events had venues where education and information were the offerings to the hams who attended. The feedback from these types of information fest has been very positive. Attendance numbers show that there is large contingency of enthusiastic hams that are looking for new information. Any club interested in organizing an event of this type should contact ARRL at clubs@arrl.org or your SM to ask about interest in a mentorfest. The ARRL Mentor page has resources on the right side for mentors and for new hams. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/ One resource, in particular, is the link to the Technical Information Service (TIS). This page offers a search engine as well as links to QEX articles, QST reviews and the "Doctor is In" column. The very first link takes you to the Technical Information Pages and TIS Page menu. http://www.arrl.org/tis/tismenu.html Here, mentors will find links to resources on everything from AM and antique radios to digital modes, to Morse code and QRP to repeaters and satellites. Please visit these pages and feel free to publish these links in your club newsletters so that your members will know where to find information quickly. As always we try to keep all pages current, however, if you find that a particular link is not working or is no longer valid, please contact the page author at tis@arrl.org

*** Microcontroller Program Update
Based on the responses from the clubs it appears that there is sufficient interest in the program to continue development. ARRL is currently working to make available a commercial kit at a deeply discounted price for our clubs to use as an educational tool at meetings. Please stay tuned for more information as it develops.

*** New Resources
Here are two new tools that your clubs can download from the ARRL Mentor
Page: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/ One is a Checklist For A Quality Mentor Program and the other is Tips For A Successful Weekend License Class.

*** New Feature Begins In April QST
No fooling. The April issue of QST marks the inauguration of a new semi-monthly two-page article for less experienced readers, Getting to Know your Radio, by Joel Hallas, W1ZR. The series is designed to acquaint new hams with the operation of some of the more obscure functions and features of modern radio equipment. Author and ARRL Product Review Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, says the column "basically talks about what all those knobs do" on modern equipment. "The idea is to acquaint users with the typical features of modern radios." This month's topic--Passband Tuning.

*** New Public Service Announcements
Following up on the introduction last month of two new audio public service announcements promoting Amateur Radio to the general public, the ARRL is now offering video PSAs. Follow this link for full story and downloads. http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/02/04/2/?nc=1

CODE: How it might feel when it's snowing outside.

FIELD DAY'S A-COMIN'!!!!

I know, I know; it's still a few months away, but lots of clubs are busily making plans, and the ARRL has already come out with info on this year's operations. Like most of us, the rules have a few new wrinkles that weren't there a year ago.... Here's the story, as provided in a recent ARRL bulletin:

SOME NEW WRINKLES IN 2005 FIELD DAY RULES
Those planning to participate in this year's Field Day will need to bone up in advance on a few changes in the rules for the ever-popular operating event. Field Day this year takes place June 25-26. The 2261 Field Day entries for 2004 were the most ever. While similar in format to a contest, Field Day is primarily a means to exercise and demonstrate Amateur Radio's emergency operating capabilities while having fun at the same time. ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, says that among other things rule changes for 2005 expand eligibility for bonus points.

"All groups will be eligible for some kind of bonus points," Henderson said. "Make sure you carefully read Field Day Rule 7.3." That rule spells out how to qualify for such bonus points as 100 percent emergency power, media publicity, message handling, making satellite contacts, using an alternative power source and copying the W1AW bulletin, among other things. Many bonus point categories are available to all entry classes.

Henderson notes that some large clubs often compete among themselves to see who can claim the highest number of transmitters. Under the revised rules, all transmitters must be on the air with an operator to count toward a club's entry class. "You have to actually have individual people and sufficient equipment capable of operating simultaneously," Henderson emphasized, referencing Rule 4. "The key word there is 'simultaneously.'"

The Field Day exchange consists of the number of transmitters on the air followed by the participation category (A through F). Operators would send "3A," for example, for a club or non-club portable setup with three transmitters on the air at the same time. Rule 4 also specifically prohibits switching and simulcasting devices.

The 2005 Field Day rules also modify the number of transmitters eligible for bonus points that a group can claim for its operating class. "You can only claim the emergency power bonus points for up to 20 transmitters," Henderson explains. "That's a maximum of 2000 emergency power bonus points." There no limit on the number of transmitters eligible participants may have on the air, however. Field Day rules already generally prohibit the use of more than one transmitter at the same time on a single band-mode.

In addition, Field Day 2005 will introduce a new "Youth Element" bonus category (Rule 7.3.15). Clubs or groups operating in Class A, C, D, E or F now can claim 20 bonus points--up to a maximum of 100--for each person aged 18 or younger, who completes a valid Field Day contact. Single-operator Class B stations can earn a 20-point bonus if the operator is age 18 or younger. Two-person Class B setups can claim a 20-point bonus for each operator age 18 or younger, for a maximum of 40 points. The maximum number of participants for Class B entries remains at two.

Another rule change clarifies that Get On The Air (GOTA) stations--instituted a few years ago to encourage new or comparatively inexperienced operators to gain operating practice--use the same exchange as the "parent" station. The maximum transmitter output power for GOTA stations is 150 W, and GOTA stations may only operate on the Field Day HF bands.

Free transmitters do not count toward a group's total, and GOTA stations and free VHF stations for Class A entries do not qualify for bonus point credits.

Henderson encourages Field Day participants to submit their Field Day summaries electronically using the Web applet form http://www.b4h.net/cabforms. "You may input your summary information at that site for a 50-point bonus," Henderson points out.

The Maritime Radio Historical Society's K6KPH, comprised of former operators of the KPH commercial shore station, now an historic site, again will augment W1AW Field Day CW and RTTY bulletin transmissions for West Coast participants.

The complete 2005 Field Day packet now is available on the ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/05-fd-packet.pdf.

EMISSIONS: What happens if beans are served at Field day.

ARES NEWS

GEMA --- BILL CARTER, KG4FXG, has served us as DEC for GEMA for the past couple of years, and we are very grateful for his fine service. However, he is ready to step down to prepare for and assume an even more important role in his life. (Best wishes!!!) Assuming the DEC position is LOWRY ROUSE, KM4Z, who many of you probably remember as a former SEC. He also served as our DEC to GEMA prior to that, and as EC for Gwinnett county, as well. So, Lowry brings a lot of experience to the table, and after a couple of years' hiatus, he is prepared to re-join the ARES organization in a more active role again. Thank you, Lowry, and welcome back! We're glad to have you back in a position of leadership again.

GEMA, PART DEUX ---- While we're on the topic, many of us have been told that a formal MOU existed between GA ARES and GEMA. I know I've heard it many times, but when push came to shove and I tried to actually lay my hands on said document, I came up empty. Nothing but dead ends. So, being of the belief that an MOU is utterly useless if no one actually has a copy of it, STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD, our Assistant SEC, has drawn up an ARES/GEMA MOU, based on the same format which he used to draw up an agreement in Gwinnett county. Hopefully, this document will be signed in the near future, and once that is done, we will make that document available on the GA ARES website for all of you to use as needed.

WEBSITE --- OK, while we're on THAT topic, there have been some outstanding improvements made to the GA ARES webpage. Check it out, and you will find some terrific new documents that you ECs can use to benefit your local ARES group. Sincere THANKS to STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD, and TOM FULLER, KE4QCM for making this website one of which we can all be proud. www.gaares.org

REPORTING --- Gee, one topic is kinda running into the other here.... But don't forget! Monthly reporting by EACH EC and EACH DEC is due by the fifth of each month. And even those counties with only an EC in place and no others hams in sight, PLEASE go through the full filing process ONCE. After that, you can have the luxury in subsequent months of clicking on the "nothing to report" option. IF YOU see that your EC hasn't filed a report, offer to serve as his assistant to do that filing on your group's behalf. DECs who are serving as liaisons, rather than serving one of our geographical districts, we request that you file a report, too. Again, you can fill it out in full the first month, and then go the "nothing to report" route after that. But this monthly reporting is our way of keeping those lines of communications with ALL of our ARES leaders. (after all, we ARE communicators, right?)

HENRY COUNTY --- EC ROY BAKER, WB4WQE, announced that there's a new ARES net in his county. He wrote, "Just a note to let you know that Henry County now has a Net - On 444.875+ (tone will be 123.0 when it gets fixed) at 8:30 PM local time on Thursdays. Started last Thursday for test and ran smoothly. Now we are announcing it. This repeater is 'blessed' by the Henry County EOC. Also a backup VHF frequency of 146.715 is being set. (We are making progress in Henry ) The fine people that are working on these repeaters are hams that work in or for the county."

CONGRATULATIONS to the new EC for Coweta county, ANDY KEE, W4KEE, and thank you for your willingness to lead this fine crew. Thanks also go to JOHN CALDWELL, N4HIC, who has served as interim EC for the past several weeks, and to SAM SMITH, KD4SHK, who served as Coweta EC for several years. Each of these men has played an important part in the development and growth of ARES in their county, and we are appreciative to all of them.

TWO MORE new ECs in the SE District: CONGRATULATIONS to RICK LUTZINGER, KD6ZR, WARE county, and PERRY BLACKBURN, KF4SUY, PIERCE county, and thanks to both of these guys for their willingness to serve and to lead the ARES groups in their neck of the woods.

And another new EC: CONGRATULATIONS to DAVID RUDD, KF4DMP, who has been appointed to serve as EC for WALTON county. Thank you, David, for stepping forward to serve as one of our leaders.

CONGRATULATIONS also to our newest DEC for the NWS, GRAHAM WILLIAMSON, KG4PNF, who will be serving precise
information about the storms and may even be useful in warning a station of approaching storms. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION. This information will be gathered by the EC's of each county (thanks in advanced EC's ;-) EC's please get every member in your ARES group. If they are not sure of what their Latitude / Longitude is please send them to:
http://www.geocode.com/modules.php?name=TestDrive_Eagle .
All they have to do is put in their address. This will give them the information they need. In gathering the information please include:

A) Name
B) Call Sign
C) Phone number
D) Lat. / Lon. (in Deg. / Dec. / Sec.s )
E) Whether they are SKYWARN certified. (taken a SKYWARN class)

THIS INFORMATION BELOW IS ONLY FOR EC'S OF EACH COUNTY DO NOT SEND JEFF INFORMATION UNLESS YOU ARE A EC. PLEASE! NO INDIVIDUAL EMAILS. ONLY THE GROUP FROM EACH EC IN THE STATE!
Once you have the information, forward it to Jeff Pahl KF4JVD (AEC for Digital Comm. in Gwinnett County - OES) (in email, .csv or Excel). If you are in an area that is not supported by an EC, please go to http://www.wind-angel.com/nws/ and fill out the information. This site is still under construction but will be up soon. This information will be of use not only to the NWS's (even the ones not covered by Peachtree City) but for GEMA as well.

*** STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL--- This annual drill, smack dab in the middle of Severe Weather Awareness week, was held on February 23 this year. As, always, Georgia hams supported this drill in droves. This after action message comes from ROBERT BURTON, KD4YDC, DEC for the Peachtree City NWS office:

Thanks to all those who checked into the tornado drill put on by the NWS in PTC. I know that we had to switch gears several times...sorry. However in the real world...that may happen as well. I didn't realize how many folks would be checking in....so I hope that you were able to check in one way or another. Very impressive numbers however with the people who did check in. I was the most impressed that people took checkins on their local nets and brought those to the regional....way to go!!!! Here are the numbers;

46 COUNTIES CONTACTED THAT PTC COVERS

6 OUTSIDE OF THE PTC COVERAGE AREA

1 NWS STATION CONTACTED

10 EOC / EMA STATIONS CONTACTED

238 VHF / UHF CHECKINS FROM LOCAL NETS BROUGHT TO THE REGIONAL NET (Wow!)

13 COUNTIES THAT ARE "HARD TO GET" COUNTIES WERE CONTACTED

Again...great work and I can't thank everyone who checked in. Remember...it takes all of us to make this "machine" work correctly. I know that we have some things to work out on this end.

*** NOTE: Our new DEC for the Jacksonville NWS, GRAHAM WILLIAMSON, KG4PNF, and SE DEC GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, also went to the Jacksonville office during the drill, and logged in an additional 20 VHF check-ins there.

*** MARCH 19 is CPR Saturday, providing opportunities for ARES groups all over the state to work with the American Red Cross, both as communicators between sites, and to take advantage of the opportunity to take the CPR training.

***APRS: The following information comes to us from JOHN KRAUS, KC4ZGQ, our esteemed DEC for Digital Communications. He writes:

There has been considerable traffic on the TAPR APRSSIG over the last several months on improving the functionality of the APRS RF system. I have implemented some of these changes at the two digis I directly control and I think some of them have been made at others as well. I have seen a remarkable improvement in the local network

These changes can be summed up as falling into two primary categories.

1) Moving away from the generic digi paths of RELAY, WIDE and TRACE

2) Providing for local operations while limiting the impact of increasing load on a limited resource (1200 baud ALOHA packet channel)

As the Digital DEC for Georgia I am interested in getting input on the proposed changes to APRS Digipeater settings. I am asking all APRS digi owners to provide me with input on your current settings as well as your view of the changes.

Please read the pages below and lets see if we can incorporate some of these changes to make the APRS system work better.

I am also looking for someone to setup a digi in the cities of Albany, Metter/Statesboro, Sparta, McRae, Waycross. I can provide technical assistance and a computer to run Digi Ned which will create the most advanced and efficient APRS digi. These digi's can be setup at a home station and do not need to be at 200 ft sites. 50 - 100 ft is ok for a starter site. Highspeed internet is also a plus and would enable you to have an IGATE that would bring weather warnings into the area via your system. The presence of Highspeed internet will also allow you to set up a Telpac access node to the Winlink 2000 system. I can help with this as well.

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs/fix14439.html
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/kpc3+WIDEn.txt
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/kpc3+WIDEnCUT.txt
http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/aprs/PacComm-settings.txt

***APRS, Part II: And, another follow-up message from John:

I recently sent a request to this list asking for contact from digi owners and input from users on bringing Georgia APRS digi's into compliance with the APRS new paradigm as described by Bob Bruninga WB4APR in this webpage.

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs/fix14439.html

Given that I received no responses to the question, indeed I only got a single email in total, I must assume that there is no major objection to the proposed changes.

I would now ask that any county EC or AEC who is aware of an APRS digi in their county please help me contact the digi owner so that we can begin the process of bringing them into compliance with the new paradigm.

I need contact info from these and any other stations that are not listed below that function as APRS digi stations.

APRS DIGIS:

KE4KWE-7
AB4KN-2
KC4DLT-7
W4AQL
W4GR
KF4OYS-3
W4LAW-6
W4LAW-5
N3DAB
W4TL-3

>From these stations I need the following information:

Current type of digi TNC including EPROM version.

Current function of digi including site dynamics.

Is digi omni or blocked by terrain or antenna pattern?
Is it intended as only a local resource or is it near an interstate?
Is the site easy to access?
Is AC Mains power available?
Is there battery / generator backup?
Is owner willing to participate in improving the network reliability?

How is digi currently configured?

RELAY ONLY

RELAY, WIDE, TRACE (IE not n-N)

n-N capable (IE WIDEn-N, TRACEn-N)

For users the currently recommended outgoing path is WIDE2-2.

If you are using RELAY OR WIDE in you path please change to WIDE2-2 now.

Once this plan is implemented the two basic paths in Georgia will be WIDE2-2 for routine communications with WIDE3-3 for mobiles in more remote areas. The use of GAn-N will be reserved for statewide communications. It is the intent of this plan to get rid of generic RELAY, WIDE, and TRACE.

***Check out John's webpage at http://kc4zgq.com  and contact him if you have any questions or comments about the proposed improvements in the GA digipeater system.

GRANT-SPONSORED REIMBURSEMENT ENDING. This news comes to us from DAN MILLER, K3UFG. (And it isn't like you haven't been warned!!!!)

Please help us spread the word that our grants are ending this year. In June, the last seat to be offered under the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)-sponsored grant will open. After that, only a small number of reimbursable seats in each course will be offered under the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) grant through October.

At this time, no further grant-sponsored reimbursement for EmComm course students is on the horizon.

The monthly registration calendar is found online at http://www.arrl.org/cce/calendar.html. Registration can be done on-line during the applicable registration window at https://www.arrl.org/forms/cce/. As stated at http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html , registration via regular mail is also an option. Please include the course you wish to enroll in, your age group, gender, veteran status, preferred email address, and telephone number.

This has been a very successful program, thanks chiefly to the support and participation of the ARRL Field Organization. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and hope that with your continued support, these grants will conclude on a successful note.

If you have any additional questions, please send them to cce@arrl.org.

DX WINDOW: Nice to have near your radio so you can see how bad the lightning is outside.

ARES REPORT DE ASSISTANT SEC STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD

Jurisdictions reporting: 49

Total number of ARES members: 1089
Change since last month: +85
Total net sessions: 123
Nets with NTS liaison: 77
Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: WB4EEL, KF4EOH, KC4ZGQ, KR4JI, K4GK, KG4FXG, WB4WQE, WK4E, N4SEG, AG4ZR, WA4DYD, AG4LS, W4JFL, KC4ELV, KG4PZI, N4ZRA, WA4NEE, KT4VP, K4DEY, N4HIC, KD4YDA, KE4OBM, KG4RSU, K4BEH, KD4EKZ, W4WDT, KJ4WX, W4KTN, KF4MLT, N4TIS, N4FOH, WB4GPR, K4DJD, KD4QFH, KG4WQZ, W4HYU, WO4X, W4MTE, KG4BKO, N4RRO, K4PHE, KF4YLF, N4GPJ, KB4OMV, KO4QJ, N4IFO, W4KEF, K1KBA, W4WY
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 164
Person hours: 1854.1
Number of public service events this month: 10
Person hours: 441
Number of emergency operations this month: 13
Person hours: 183
Number of miscellaneous activities: 21
Person hours: 182
Total number of ARES operations this month: 225
Total Person hours: 2840.1

Comments: These numbers add the miscellaneous category that reflects activities such as work on systems at EOC's and similar activities that do not fit the normal reporting categories. We will continue to refine the reporting system and procedure.

BREAK: Usually happens when you drop a piece of equipment.

NET REPORT FROM JIM HANNA, AF4NS, STM

*** 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 3857.5 MHz
SE 6M SSB Net: Sundays at 9 PM on 50.145 MHz
SE AM Net: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM on 3885 kcs (AM nets ALWAYS meet on kcs...)
Hole in the Wall Net: Wednesdays at 9 PM on 50.135 MHz

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

** He's at it again! CONGRATULATIONS to SID HUTCHINSON, WB4GGS, whose QTC for January makes him eligible for yet another BPL award, with 395 messages sent, 314 received, and 7 delivered, for a grand total of 716.

"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

ELMER: The brand of glue you use to hold gear together after you BREAK it.

HELP WANTED

Have you read anything about, or maybe even seen, those "Cows on Parade"? It's an unusual fund-raising tactic that's been used in a number of cities around the country, including Atlanta, where sponsors buy a cow, the money goes to charity, and then the cows are all decorated and put on "parade". Well, Sandy Springs will be hosting a similar event, only instead of parading cows, it will be a herd of decorated turtles on display. Same concept, though, and these particular turtles were designed by JACK ELROD, creator of the "Mark Trail" comic strip, who just happens to live in the Sandy Springs area. Anyhow, this "Town Turtles" parade will be occurring on April 16, and ham radio operators are needed to help with the communications. If you can help, please contact LEE JUCKETT, AF4IA, at af4ia@arrl.net For more info on the fund-raiser, see http://www.sandysprings.org/society/turtles.html (Hmmmm, these critters just might be my "speed"....)

DUCTING: Winterizing your shack with a special kind of tape.

HELP WANTED: THE SEQUEL

JOHN MULLINIX, KF4SKT, is once again heading up the efforts for the Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure, coming up in April. But, why not beat the rush, and volunteer NOW to help out with this outdoorsy opportunity to put your communications skills to the test? He writes:

The Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure is a nationally recognized adventure race. Each 4 person, coed team will have to run, bike and canoe a 30 mile course through the Chattahoochee National Forest in and around Blue Ridge, Ga. If that is not enough, there are special events scattered throughout the course to further challenge the teams. The event will be held on April 9, 2005 and will take all day. I need about 25 hams to provide communications for aid stations, checkpoints, and to function as shadows.

It would be really neat to have an Amateur TV setup at one of the special events. The event will be pretty spectacular and it is in a secluded spot that can have no spectators.

Let me know if you need any additional information. Volunteers can contact me at: john@cohutta.com home-706-632-3343 Cell-706-455-1389

FEEDLINE: Telling a fib at your radio club meeting.

SECTION NOTABLES

*** BILL NEWMAN, AE4YZ, of LaGrange, wrote a nice letter to QST, expressing his appreciation for the ARRL, and it appeared in the March issue. Thank you, Bill; it's always a pleasure to read something so positive.

CONGRATULATIONS to the following top-notch operators:

*** Georgia's own 4-Landers VHF/UHF Contest Team broke the 100K score and ranked in the top ten in the September VHF QSO party.

*** CHARLES HOOPER, W4WA, out of Lula, placed third in the region, running HP, also in the September VHF QSO party.

*** PAUL NEWBERRY, N4PN, out of Macon, placed fifth WORLDWIDE in the 2004 IARU HF world championships, running CW, low power.

And WOW-EEE!! How about this? BRUCE MONTGOMERY, W4BFR, and PETE SIDES, W4AUP, both cherished members of QCWA Peach State Chapter 49, have each reached the unbelievable milestone of 75 years as licensed amateur radio operators. And they are BOTH still active, and on the Saturday morning QCWA HF net most weeks. (9AM on 3857.5) Bruce is a longtime DX-meister, and Pete was recently honored by fellow Alabama operators, who created a movie to chronicle his many years in the hobby. CONGRATULATIONS to both of these truly special men.

*** CONGRATULATIONS to JIM FOUST, WB4LBM, who has been selected as the new State MARS Director for GA Army MARS. Jim has served as a MARS member since 1963, serving in both the Air Force and the Army MARS programs. He has been a training officer and a gateway system officer in the past, so he brings many years of experience and much knowledge to his new position.

HERTZ: What happens when you get shocked.

PIGLETS (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

*** Boy Scout troop 850, in Oklahoma, will be making contacts during their 30+ mile backpacking trip from 2300Z March 11 until 1800Z March 15. Listen for them at around 14.325 MHz, using callsign WB5BSA. QSL via W5MPA.

*** CONGRATULATIONS to MICHAEL THOMPSON, KI4FKL, who is the first member of the Byron Middle School ARC to get his license. This club, sponsored by TIM HARDY, KCØPA, has been in existence for nearly a year now and boasts a whopping 40 members, 20 of whom are currently studying to get their licenses. The club callsign is KI4FKE.

*** If you have a youngster who is interested in earning a technician class license, you just might consider Boot Camp, the all-day class that will be offered at the Kennehoochee Hamfest next month...

*** Hmmmmm, I wonder which Assistant SM for youth will be the special backstage guest of JOE WALSH when the Eagles come to Gwinnett county on March 10th.....????

LONG PATH: Distance from your rig to the bathroom.

TECH TIPS

*** The Basic Electronic class, taught by ALEX CARVER, KF4LVZ, which started on February 26 on the GA Tech campus, in the Van Leer Engineering Building, is still accepting students. This is a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of electronics, and I've heard that Alex is an excellent teacher. The class starts at 10 AM, and you can still register by contacting either Alex, at acarver@ece.gatech.edu or JIM MASSARA, N2EST, at n2est@arrl.net The course is based on the ARRL book "Basic Electronics" and costs $15 to register. But, hurry! The class only runs until the end of May, so you don't want to miss any more classes!

*** Not exactly a "tech tip", but the closest thing I have to it this month. You folks who enjoy playing on IRLP, there's an IRLP Contest looming in the future, with Australia's Bass Amateur Radio IRLP Group serving as sponsor and providing a trophy, and the U.S. IRLP group managing the event. If you have any ideas on how to pull this first time venture off, your suggestions are currently being solicited. You can send your bright ideas to IRLPcontests@bassirlp.cjb.net

PILEUP: What the leaves are doing in your yard while you are working DX.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MARCH 5-6 --- ARRL International DX contest (phone)

MARCH 6 --- HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our favorite director, FRANK BUTLER, W4RH

MARCH 19 --- KENNEHOOCHEE Hamfest- 8 AM until 3 PM at Southern Polytechnic State University, at 1100 S. Marietta Parkway. VE session starts at 9AM. There will be an all-day Boot Camp, (that is, technician class instruction) from 8:30 until 5 PM, followed by a special VE session. Cost for Boot Camp is $45, which includes instruction materials and the exam fee. Talk-in on 146.88 (-) PL 100

MARCH 19 --- Macon ARC Special Event Station, W4BKM, in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Festival. 21.335, 14.240, 14.055, 7.055 MHz. Certificate.

MARCH 26-27 --- CQ WW WPX Contest (a really fun contest, where you try to work as many different prefixes as you can)

APRIL 23 --- CALHOUN Hamfest

APRIL 29-30 --- SE VHF Conference, Charlotte, NC

SKIP: When you stay home from work so you can talk on the radio.

SILENT KEYS

ARNOLD BUFFINGTON, KC4ETY
THOMAS GODWIN, W4TNZ
JOHN KRAMER, W4KMR
JIMMY PORTER, WD4EPW
HARRIS "HACK" TREADWELL, K4DKJ

Heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of each of these fine men. "Some people come into our lives, stay a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same."

Well, folks, that's about it for now. Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves. And each other. (Don't forget: FEET FIRST!)

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.