Greetings, All.

It's that deja-choo time of the year again, but no matter how much pollen we have, it sure beats the pounding those tornadoes gave us in March, doesn't it? A major tip of the hat to the fine operators at the PTC NWS, who did an EXCELLENT job during that (and every other) major weather event. Reports of wall clouds, rotation, and enormous hailstones were coming in at a machine gun rate, and the NWS team of volunteers filled a stunning twelve pages with those reports, and throughout the entire ordeal, they maintained a polite and professional demeanor. Thanks to them, and to the volunteers who worked at the other NWS offices, as well as to the enormous number of hams who participated in local SkyWarn nets all over the state.

Only a couple more months until Field Day! As always, I sure would appreciate it if each of our clubs (or eclectic groups) would send me information about your planned location for operations, so we can list all of that info in the June newsletter, as well as on our www.arrl-ga.org website. Providing that information has been a huge help for those looking for a place near them to participate in years past. And new this year! CURT GREENWOOD, K4UDR, reminded ME, so now I'm reminding YOU. For the first time, the ARRL has a nifty page on their website that posts locations of field day sites. But, in order to be posted, you have to register. You can do that at http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php. It's really neat. Check it out. (And thanks, Curt)

In recognition of April Fool's Day, instead of the usual one-liners, this month, we'll feature the top ten April Fool's Day pranks ever pulled off, as judged by the San Diego-based Museum of Hoaxes for their notoriety, absurdity, and
number of people duped. They come to us courtesy of BILL CHEREPY, WB4WTN.

In 1957, a BBC television show announced that thanks to a mild winter and the virtual elimination of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. Footage of Swiss farmers pulling strands of spaghetti from trees prompted a barrage of calls from people wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti at home.

MARCH HIGHLIGHTS

MARCH 15 --- KENNEHOOCHEE Hamfest--- As reported in the mid-monthly summary, KARC once again hosted an excellent fest for our enjoyment, but unfortunately, concerns over the possibility of severe weather kept some of the usual crowd at home. Some even reported later that they didn't go because they thought the fest had been "canceled". That's too bad, because the show DID go on, and those of you who skipped it missed a good time. (NOTE: when clubs book these locations, they rarely have the luxury of a "rain date", so a cancellation is highly unlikely, unless it's a purely tail-gating out in the open kind of event.) As it turned out, the weather cooperated very nicely, and those of us who were there had a super time. Since Jim Miller Park affords a nice covered location for tail-gaters, most of the boneyard activities were held undercover, but there were some more adventurous sellers set up in the open, as well. Indoors, business and chatter was brisk at the ARRL table, and our favorite Director of Vice SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, and I signed up a load of new members, and enjoyed visiting with the crowd and with each other. It was a fun day. Hope to see you there next year. (Don't let the clouds keep you away!)

MARCH 29 --- "THE "REUNION" --- Thomasville ARC president MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF, came up with a brilliant plan, and it came to fruition on the 29th. In a world where it's been said that if there are THREE hams in a town, there'll be TWO clubs, Mike managed to get members (and families) of FIVE different clubs together for a great day of fun and fellowship. In addition to the Thomasville club, the other clubs participating were the Valdosta ARC, Madison County ARES, Sportsman's Paradise ARC, and the Tallahassee ARS. In addition to those clubs, there were also a couple hams from the Moultrie ARC, one from the Albany ARC, and one from the Dublin area. There was a lot of fun and frivolity, and plenty of good food, which meant, of course, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, was there in his finest bib and tucker. (He said it was "just like a Hamfest... only with chicken!") Former SE Division Director, FRANK BUTLER, W4RH, and current Director GREG SARRATT, W4OZK, were also there, along with my better half, MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, and yours truly. Someone from each group said a few words about what their clubs are doing, and the ARRL crew all shared a few words, as well. But mostly the day was all about bringing hams from different clubs together and getting them to know each other under relaxed circumstances. As Mike notes, weather events and other communications emergencies don't stop at county or state lines, so why not get to know each other BEFORE an emergency throws you together? It was a fantastic event. (Bravo, Mike!)

*** NEXT GA Hamfest --- It's the CALHOUN Hamfest, sponsored by the CHEROKEE CAPITAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY on SATURDAY APRIL 26, 2008, 8 AM- 2 PM, at the Sugar Valley Community Center, 3295 Sugar Valley Rd, NW. GRAND PRIZE - YAESU FT 7800R 2M/440, (plus the YSK 7800 Remote mounting kit.) $5 admission, and Free tailgating with price of admission. VE testing at 11AM. Breakfast and lunch available onsite. Limited indoor table space available, but must be reserved in advance. CONTACT: FELTON FLOYD, AF4DN at af4dn@iwispr.net, 706-629-0369 or visit the Club website www.k4woc.com for more information. TALK-IN: 443.675+ 146.745- 146.805+ (NO PL TONES Hamfest DAY)

In 1985, Sports Illustrated magazine published a story that a rookie baseball pitcher who could reportedly throw a ball at 270 kilometers per hour (168 miles per hour) was set to join the New York Mets. Finch was said to have mastered his skill -- pitching significantly faster than anyone else has ever managed -- in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans' celebrations were short-lived.

CLUB NEWS

ATLANTA ARC --- This month's Sunday Tech Session will be held at 3PM on April 13, in room 227 of the main administration building of Peachtree Dekalb Airport. This month's session will be on building vertical antennas suitable for portable operation or field day. These are not low power (QRP) antennas but can handle 100 watts with ease. Weather permitting, there will be hands-on construction and testing outside. (de info posted by BILL PERKINS, KB4KFT, on the club reflector)

CENTRAL GA ARC --- (Warner Robins) Club members have purchased and installed a Peet Brother's U100 weather station at the WA4ORT repeater site. Data is transmitted on the 144.390 APRS frequency and I-gated to the APRS-IS database through local APRS nodes. The data is used by the National Weather Service for forecasting and data collection.
Trend data can be seen at http://aprs.fi/weather/WA4ORT or at http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wxpage.cgi?call=WA4ORT
Pictures of the installation can be viewed at http://members.cox.net/cgarc/aprs_wx_station_gallery.htm
(de SCOTT NOLDE, N4CI)

COLUMBUS ARC --- Club elections were held at the March meeting, and congratulations go out to President-TERRY SPENCER, K4SPE; VP-BILL WATT, K4BLL; and Secretary/Treasurer- JOHN WINGARD, WB4GLJ. Best wishes for an enjoyable and successful year. (de JOHN WINGARD, WB4GLJ)

ELLIJAY ARS --- DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI, asked me to post the following information: The Ellijay Amateur Radio Society will hold amateur radio license examinations on Saturday, April 12 at the Albert E. Harrison Hall in downtown Ellijay. Harrison Hall is located at the intersection of Dalton Street (GA 52 West) and College Street. It is across College Street from the First Baptist Church of Ellijay.

The Exams will begin at 10:00 am promptly. All examinees should plan to arrive at 10:00 am to begin filling out paper work. Examinees should bring the following: A picture ID, their Social Security Number, the original and a copy of their current FCC amateur radio license, if you have not yet received your amateur license from the FCC, bring the original and a copy of any Certificates of Satisfactory Completion of Examination (CSCE). Finally, bring the examination fee of $10.00 in the exact amount of cash or a check for $10.00 made out to "WCARS."

If possible, if you plan to attend or you have questions, please advise Dave at dmeadows@ellijay.com or call at 706-276-4043.

GWINNETT ARS --- At the March meeting, ARNOLD SOLOMON, KC4ZUA, gave a PowerPoint presentation about the Strange Antenna Challenge, an annual event that encourages people to operate with the use of creative antennas, with the only caveat being that you can use neither wires nor pipes. He demonstrated that with a little imagination and ingenuity, just about anything will work as an antenna. May not be the most resonant or most efficient, but it can be an educational and fun challenge. (NOTE: This year's challenge will be held May 24-26. Please see www.n0ew.org/k0s/ for more information.) The club will be participating in this year's GA QSO party, and will be operating from the Scout Hut at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville.

NORTH FULTON ARL --- As mentioned in the mid-monthly summary, NFARL is now hosting a very unique TECH NET every Monday at 8:30 PM on their 145.47 machine. It's certainly refreshing to hear lively discussions on various technical topics on a 2M net, but what really makes this net unique is that participants can also check in via a chat room at http://www.chatmaker.net/chatap/rooms/nfarl/ So, if you have ANY questions.... or ANSWERS... this is the net for you. It rates four stars plus for Elmering. Another fine effort this club puts forth for mentoring other hams is what they call their Mid-Month Madness. In March, their MMM involved the building of digital interfaces, and coming up on April 6, the topic will be will be connectors, both HF and Anderson Powerpoles. www.nfarl.org 

NORTH GA TRI-STATE ARC --- BOB WOODSTOCK, W4JRW, wrote, "I know that we are soooo far up North up here in the North GA Mountains, in Union County and away from of all the action in the "Big City" that perhaps we are considered as part of North Carolina to some and have become forgotten, but none the less our little Amateur Radio Club here in Blairsville is still alive and doing well." That's good to know. This is a real friendly group, (not at ALL forgettable!) and they meet at Branan Lodge, on Westly Mountain Rd, on the first Tuesday of every month. They held their first VE session in March, and plan to schedule them for the first Saturday of (almost) every month at the Union County Senior Center. As their club name indicates, some of their members spend part of the year in other states, but they still manage to stay in touch through a daily 8AM sked on 7.198 Mhz. Bob reports that they also have a 2 Meter Net every Monday at 7:30PM on the club's KI4DZY repeater, on 147.21+, PL 100, and thanks to ROB POHORENCE, N8RT, the net is also available to all HAMS World Wide through ECHOLINK via KI4DZY-R. Coming up on June 14, the South CARS picnic will be held at the North GA Fairgrounds in Hiawasee, and club members will be co-sponsoring the event. Might even include a tailgate. (de BOB WOODSTOCK, W4JRW)

SMOKED HAMS ARC --- You've read a little something about this fine group of firefighter amateur radio operators in our section newsletters over the past few months. They now hold a weekly net on Tuesdays at 7PM, on the WD4LUQ repeater, 146.895+ PL 77hz, and ALL are welcome to check into their nets. JAMES RAKESTRAW, KI4NIV, wrote, "Realizing that ARES/RACES operators are written into local EMA plans, and will be absorbed in communications emergencies, we are acting primarily as our own fire service comm back up plan. We desire to fully co-operate, work and train, with local ARES/RACES and other clubs and organizations." They also continue to hold simplex nets on 146.550 at 7PM, on a sliding basis, with scheduling dependent on the duty schedule of the net control stations. They'd appreciate support from other hams, both smoked and non-smoked, to help them ascertain their simplex coverage and limitations. (You can find out when their next simplex net is by checking into their repeater net.) (de JAMES RAKESTRAW, KI4NIV)

SEDXC --- The April meeting of the SEDXC will be one week later than usual and in a different location. We will meet on the 23rd at Southern Poly, The room is the auditorium, Room M100, in the W. Clair Harris Textile Building. It's right next to the Architecture building and across the street from the Civil Engineering Technology building on the south side of campus on Hornet Dr. SE. Parking is directly across the street in a large parking lot immediately south of the building. We will still plan to eat dinner in the Marietta diner before the meeting. Details are at www.sedxc.org/april08.htm (de BOB CARROLL, W2WG)

THOMASVILLE ARC --- Club president MIKE BROWN, KE4GFG, reflecting on the success of this past weekend's Reunion, (more info under March Highlights) offered this as comments for this month's newsletter: "We came, we saw, we talked, we ate barbeque chicken, we talked some more, we went home, we slept it off..." In actuality, it took an awful lot of work to put this event together, and Mike and the other TARC members did an outstanding job. No longer content to nurture a family atmosphere among club members alone; now they've managed to extend that family feeling to other clubs, as well.

WEST GA ARS --- On March 29, club and ARES members spent the day at the Carrollton Kroger programming weather radios for the public. This high profile event, which was publicized both in the newspaper and on the TV news, enabled them to both serve the public and promote amateur radio. Following the event, DAVE WORD, NZ4T, reported, "Just thought I'd let you know that our ARES/WGARS weather radio programming effort was successful. Nothing on the scale of Albany, but given the relatively small amount of publicity I was able to drum up, the 42 radios we programmed was a pretty respectable total. And any one of those radios could save someone's life."

Sweden in 1962 had only one television channel, which broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to receive color pictures by pulling a nylon stocking over the screen. In fact, they had to wait until 1970.

IS BUILDING A LOST ART?

You've probably all met hams who lament the passing of those days of yore when every ham built his own equipment. "Ham radio just isn't ham radio anymore," they grumble, as they look down their noses at today's "appliance operators". But, is that TRUE? Is building truly a lost art these days?

Not according to the clubs who've hosted those well-attended building projects. Not according to the QRP crowd, or the radio-restoring, home-brewing AM operators. And not according to DAN ROMANCHIK, KB6NU. Hams don't HAVE to build their own equipment anymore, but many still do, and it's for the sheer joy of it. With his permission, here's Dan's article, entitled, "Build Something!":

A couple of years ago, a group of us were talking on the club repeater, and the talk got around to building stuff. One of the guys said, "You can't really build anything anymore." I almost fell out of my chair. That's simply not true. Heathkit may be just a fond memory, but there are still many companies out there selling kits that are not only fun to build, but are useful additions to the ham shack.

Here are a couple of sources:

** Elecraft www.elecraft.com. In my mind, Elecraft has become the premiere ham radio kit company, if not the premiere ham radio company, period. The new K3, for example, outperforms just about anything on the market by many accounts. Personally, I have built the KX-1, which is a real blast to operate from a park bench or to take on vacation. I also have and use the W1 wattmeter.
** TenTec www.radio.tentec.com/kits. While perhaps known more for their ready-made rigs, they also sell a line of single-band transceivers and receiver kits.
** QRP Kits www.qrpkits.com. QRPKits.Com sells kits that were originally projects of the Northern California QRP Club. My current General Class students are going to build the DC40A kit ($40) as an exercise in building and as
a way to learn about how radios work.

Below are some other companies whose kits have good reputations, but with which I have no personal experience:

* Small Wonder Labs www.smallwonderlabs.com
* Wilderness Radio www.fix.net/~jparker/wild.html
* Milestone Technologies www.mtechnologies.com
* Almost All Digital Electronics www.aade.com/index.html
* FAR Circuits www.farcircuits.net
* Jackson Harbor home.att.net/~jacksonharbor/ham.htm
* QRPme www.qrpme.com/
* Linear Amp UK www.linamp.co.uk

QRP clubs are also a good source of cool kits. The problem with QRP clubs is that they order parts only for a very short run of kits. Once they sell out, the kits are no longer available. Even so, here are some clubs that are worth
checking out:

* American QRP Club www.amqrp.org
* Four State QRP Club www.4sqrp.com/kits/kits.htm 
* NORTEX www.kk5na.com/nortex.htm

Ready to rock and roll? Here are a couple websites that you might want to check out before you dive in:

* Electronic Construction from A to Z www.mtechnologies.com/building/atoz.htm  This site includes a page that lists all the tools you'll need to become a successful kit builder.
* Crystal Sets to Sideband: A Guide to Building an Amateur Radio Station www.qsl.net/k3pd/book.html This site not only discusses kit building, but also radio theory.
* The Art of Kit Building ww2.netnitco.net/users/wt9w/kit%20building.html
I hope that I've whetted your appetite for building a kit or two. They're a lot of fun to build, and you really do get a rush from operating a radio or using a piece of test equipment that you built yourself. What have you built lately?
Let Dan know. Email him at cwgeek@kb6nu.com.

NOTE: As Michigan's Affiliated Club Coordinator, Dan writes a monthly article for his section's club newsletters. This was one of them. If you're interested in receiving his articles for your club's newsletter, you can sign up for them at http://www.kb6nu.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

In 1996, American fast-food chain Taco Bell announced that it had bought Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, a historic symbol of American independence, from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Outraged citizens called to express their anger before Taco Bell revealed the hoax. Then-White House press secretary MIKE MCCURRY was asked about the sale and said the Lincoln Memorial in Washington had also been sold and was to be renamed the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial after the automotive giant.

PROPER AND COURTEOUS USE OF REPEATERS

With so many new hams joining our hobby these days, it seems like a good idea to offer some handy tips that can help make that first venture on a local repeater a pleasant one. This information is excerpted from an article at http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/repeater1.pdf

Repeater Operating

Before you make your first FM repeater contact, you should learn some repeater operating techniques. It's worth a few minutes to listen and familiarize yourself with the procedures used by other hams in your area. Accepted procedures can vary slightly from repeater to repeater.

Your First Transmission

Making your first transmission on a repeater is as simple as signing your call. If the repeater is quiet, just say "N1GZO" or "N1GZO listening" --to attract someone's attention. After you stop transmitting, you will usually hear the unmodulated repeater carrier for a second or two. This squelch tail lets you know that the repeater is working. Someone interested in talking to you will call you after your initial transmission. Some repeaters have specific rules for making yourself heard. In general, however, your call sign is all you need.

Don't call CQ to initiate a conversation on a repeater. It takes longer to complete a CQ than to transmit your call sign. (In some areas, a solitary "CQ" is permissible.) Efficient communication is the goal. You are not on HF, trying to attract the attention of someone who is casually tuning across the band. In the FM mode, stations are either monitoring their favorite frequency or not. Except for scanner operation, there is not much tuning across the repeater bands.

To join a conversation in progress, transmit your call sign during a break between transmissions. The station that transmits next will usually acknowledge you. Don't use the word "break" to join a conversation -unless you want to use the repeater to help in an emergency. To make a distress call over a repeater, say "break break" and then your call sign to alert all stations to stand by while you deal with the emergency.

A further word about emergencies: Regardless of the band, mode or your class of license, FCC Rules specify that, in case of emergency, the normal rules can be suspended. If you hear an emergency call for help, you should do whatever you can to establish contact with the station needing assistance, and immediately pass the information on to the proper authorities. If you are talking with another station and you hear an emergency call for help, stop your QSO immediately and take the emergency call.

To call another station when the repeater is not in use, just give both calls. For example, "N1II, this is N1BKE'' If the repeater is in use, but the conversation sounds like it is about to end, wait before calling another station. If the conversation sounds like it is going to continue for a while, however, transmit only your call sign between their transmissions. After you are acknowledged, ask to make a quick call. Usually, the other stations will stand by. Make your call short. If your friend responds, try to meet on another repeater or on a simplex frequency. Otherwise, ask your friend to stand by until the present conversation ends.

Use plain language on a repeater. If you want to know someone's location, say "Where are you?" If you want to know whether someone you're talking with is using a mobile rig or a hand-held radio, just ask: "What kind of radio are you using?" You get the idea.

Courtesy Counts

If you are in the midst of a conversation and another station transmits his or her call sign between transmissions, the next station in line to transmit should acknowledge the new station and permit the new arrival to make a call or join the conversation. It is impolite not to acknowledge new stations, or to acknowledge them but not let them speak. The calling station may need to use the repeater immediately. He or she may have an emergency to handle, so let him or her make a transmission promptly.

A brief pause before you begin each transmission allows other stations to break in -- there could be an emergency. Don't key your microphone as soon as someone else releases theirs. If your exchanges are too quick, you can prevent other stations from getting in.

The courtesy tones found on some repeaters prompt users to leave a space between transmissions. The beeper sounds a second or two after each transmission to permit new stations to transmit their call signs in the intervening time. The conversation may continue only after the beeper sounds. If a station is too quick and begins transmitting before the beeper sounds, the repeater may indicate the violation, sometimes by shutting down!

Keep transmissions as short as possible, so more people can use the repeater. Again, long transmissions could prevent someone with an emergency from getting the chance to call for help through the repeater. All repeaters encourage short transmissions by "timing out" (shutting down for a few minutes) when someone gets longwinded. The time-out timer also prevents the repeater from transmitting continuously, due to distant signals or interference. Because it has such a wide coverage area, a continuously transmitting repeater could cause unnecessary interference. Continuous operation can also damage the repeater.

You must transmit your call sign at the end of a contact and at least every 10 minutes during the course of any communication. You do not have to transmit the call sign of the station to whom you are transmitting.

Never transmit without identifying. For example, keying your microphone to turn on the repeater without saying your station call sign is illegal. If you do not want to engage in conversation, but simply want to check if you are able to access a particular repeater, simply say "N1KB testing."

Fixed Stations and Prime Time

Repeaters were originally intended to enhance mobile communications.. During commuter rush hours, mobile stations still have preference over fixed stations on some repeaters. During mobile prime time, fixed stations should generally yield to mobile stations. When you're operating as a fixed station, don't abandon the repeater completely, though. Monitor the mobiles: your assistance may be needed in an emergency. Use good judgment: Rush hours are not the time to test your radio extensively or to join a net that doesn't deal with the weather, highway conditions or other subjects related to commuting. Third-party communications nets probably should not be conducted on a repeater during prime commuting hours.

Simplex Operation

After you have made a contact on a repeater, move the conversation to a simplex frequency if possible. The repeater is not a soapbox. You may like to listen to yourself, but others, who may need to use the repeater, will not appreciate your tying up the repeater unnecessarily. The easiest way to determine if you are able to communicate with the other station on simplex is to listen to the repeater input frequency. Since this is the frequency the other station uses to transmit to the repeater, if you can hear his signals there, you should be able to use simplex. If you want to perform an on-the-air test of a pair of hand-held radios, you should select an
unoccupied simplex frequency.

The function of a repeater is to provide communications between stations that can't otherwise communicate because of terrain, equipment limitations or both. It follows that stations able to communicate without a repeater should not use one. That way, the repeater is available for stations that need it. (Besides, communication on simplex offers a degree of privacy impossible to achieve on a repeater. On simplex you can usually have extensive conversations without interruption.)

Select a frequency designated for FM simplex operation. Otherwise, you may interfere with stations operating in other modes without realizing it. (The reason for this is simple: Changing to a simplex frequency is far easier than changing the frequencies a repeater uses.) To see if you and the other station can communicate on a simplex frequency, listen on the repeater input frequency. If you can clearly hear what's going into the repeater, you don't need the repeater to communicate.

In 1977, British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page supplement for the 10th anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semicolon-shaped islands. A series of articles described the geography and culture of the two main islands, named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse.

COLOR, PLEASE?

Have you ever heard the expression "white noise"? Lots of hams use it. Maybe you've even used it yourself. It's gotten to the point where it seems some hams throw the phrase out left and right, and use it to define just about every snap, crackle, and pop they hear.

But, I ask you, rather than paint all noise with one broad brush dipped in white, the presence of ALL colors, wouldn't it make more sense to break it down into its constituent colors so that you, today's informed ham, can confidently and accurately pinpoint the TRUE color of that noise you hear? Well, today's your lucky day. Now, for the first time ever, here is a handy dandy one-of-a-kind reference guide for your use. No more catch-all "white" for you, my friends! Don't say "white".... Get it RIGHT!

Let's start with BLACK. Black may be the color of your true love's hair, but it's a dismal color for noise. Like a persistent stream of agitated electrons, it's negative, negative, negative. This big boo bird of noise, the most damaging of all, emits high resistance to the enjoyment of our hobby. It depreciates today's equipment, today's modes of operation, and today's hams, and has no capacity to enjoy or appreciate a ham fest, club program or field day dinner.

The simplest way to short circuit black noise emitters is with an ample application of BRIGHT YELLOW noise. As you might guess, this noise is positive, positive, positive, and maximizes the pleasures of amateur radio. Fortunately, yellow noise is much more prevalent than black, and easily squelches its potentially damaging effects.

And there is another shade of yellow noise to consider. It's a pale or MELLOW YELLOW. Heard on local repeaters, it has a distinctive "kerchunk" sound. On HF, when the emitter is operating on VOX, you may detect the sounds of breathing or throat-clearing. With amplified encouragement, these shy mellow yellow emitters can blossom into full-blown bright yellows.

Then there is RED noise, that loud over-deviated emission. With judicious adjustment to the mike gain, however, it can become a healthy PINK.

Bright yellows, upon occasion, may emit BLUE noise. Not to be confused with black, this is usually a short burst of understandable negativity, caused by things like blown finals on a favorite rig or a downed antenna.

BLACK AND BLUE noise is most often heard on 75M, and sounds a lot like moaning and groaning, and includes an amplified depiction of medical maladies. Unfortunately, PURPLE noise can also be heard on 75M and other HF bands. This noise is best described as the kind you don't want your grandchildren to hear. The best way to eliminate it is to simply change frequency.

Okay, there's a lot of colors left to consider, but I've had enough fun making this stuff up. So, put on your thinking caps, Georgia, and send me your ideas on the colors of noise. If I get enough of them from you clever people, they'll be used as one-liners in next month's newsletter.

Noted British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on the radio in 1976 that at 9:47 am, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, in which Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, would cause a gravitational alignment that would reduce the Earth's gravity. Moore told listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment of the planetary alignment, they would experience a floating sensation. Hundreds of people called in to report feeling the sensation.

HAM CLASSES

** On May 3, from 8AM until 5PM, North Fulton ARL will be offering a one-day "HamCram" licensing class, followed by a VE session, at the EOC behind Alpharetta Fire Station Number 1. Map: http://tinyurl.com/38ltg2 Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $20, which includes the FCC exam, handouts, and a pizza lunch. Seating limited to the first 25 applicants. Registration at http://nfarl.org/hamCram.html

** Forsyth County ARES will be offering free courses for both technician and general class licensing. Each three-hour class will be held at the Cumming Police Station, 301 Veterans Memorial Blvd, in Cumming, on Saturday mornings beginning at 9AM on April 5th, and running for each subsequent Saturday, with VE testing offered at 10AM on May 10th. For Information and registration contact: John (W4JJM) at 770-781-8082

** WILL PERKINS, W1ZRV, taught a one-day class in March, and out of a class of 18 students, 17 easily passed their technician test, and one even passed his general class test that same day. As one of the VEs, I was amazed at this fantastic success, and at how quickly and easily the students whizzed through their tests. As the study guide for this class, Will used the "Ham Radio For Dummies" book. Haven't actually looked at that book myself, but ya can't argue with success. Coming up on April 19, Will be teaching another one-day class for Gwinnett CERT.

NOTE: The number of one-day classes has proliferated over the past few years. The true secret to their success lies not in the passing of that test, but in what happens after THAT. Sincere thanks to all of the ham clubs and individual hams all over the state who do such an excellent job of MENTORING, WELCOMING, and ENCOURAGING all of our new hams.

In 1992, US National Public Radio announced that Richard Nixon was running for
president again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." They even had clips of Nixon announcing his candidacy. Listeners flooded the show with calls expressing their outrage. Nixon's voice actually turned out to be that of impersonator Rich Little.

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO

Did you know that your mobile phone can actually be a lifesaver in times of emergency? I'm not talking about the ability to dial 911. Come on, everybody knows about THAT. No, it's those OTHER capabilities, the ones that few of us ever hear about. Many thanks to BOB BUTLER, W4RBB, for sharing these little-known tips with DOUG BARKER, N3DAB, last April, and to Doug, who immediately sent them my way. Well, it's April again, and so now it's time to share these valuable tips with YOU:

FIRST: Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND: Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

THIRD: Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #. A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it, either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FIFTH: Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

(PSSSST! It's APRIL!)

In 1998, a newsletter titled New Mexicans for Science and Reason carried an article that the state of Alabama had voted to change the value of pi from 3.14159 to the "Biblical value" of 3.0.

ARES NEWS

*** A little more re-shuffling in our state leadership: MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX, has stepped down from his position of Deputy SEC, but he isn't stepping away from ARES. Mike, who has a long history in leading ARES efforts in our state, will continue to serve as an ADEC for GEMA. Former SEC JIM COTE, N4PJR, is back in the saddle again as our new Deputy Director, and his major focus will be in providing leadership in South GA, which he's ALWAYS done; now he just has a title to go along with it.

*** NEW EC: Congratulations, and many thanks to BUZZ TATHAM, KU4ES, who has graciously accepted the position for Stephens county.

*** EC RESIGNATION: I'm sorry to report that BOB ALDRICH, N9RLA, has resigned from his post as EC for Jackson county. He's only been in that position for a brief time, but in that time, he's shown superior leadership skills and made tremendous strides. We wish him nothing but the best in his move back to Indiana.

*** DEKALB ARES --- This group is now holding its meetings on the 4th Saturday of every month at the Dekalb Fire Rescue Headquarters at 1950 West Exchange Place in Tucker 30084. Please visit www.dekalbares.org for details and map.

*** GWINNETT ARES --- Gwinnett ARES held a Digital Saturday on March 29, during which they offered six different classes covering APRS, PSK31, Packet Basics, Winlink 2000, D-Star Programming and Operation and D-Star Data. In addition to the classroom instructions, another room was used for hands-on operation and setup help.

*** ATTENTION NE Georgia! There's an important meeting coming up on April 5. The following message is from Habersham county EC, JIM SMITH, KA7APJ:

Ref: Formation of ARES organization for NE Georgia, including the counties of Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin & Rabun. Open to all Amateur Operators, whether signed up for, or new to ARES.

Message: The recent storm events of the past month have put deadly tornadoes on our doorstep. Fortunately, none so far have reached NE Georgia, BUT we can see how devastating such storms and other natural disasters can be, and what an ever-increasing importance Amateur Radio has in supporting the First Responders and in providing communications and support in the aftermath. We are inviting all Amateur Radio Operators to attend an ARES formation meeting on Saturday April 5 at 10am at the Habersham EOC at 175 EOC Drive, just off Chase Road in Mt Airy. This purpose of this one-hour meeting is to introduce the ARES program, discuss ARES activities, and answer questions. The need for volunteers is great in our area, and we need your help, whether you're able to provide communications support from your home or mobile, or at a local shelter or hospital emergency site. Seating is limited, so we need you to call to reserve a space at 706-778-9500. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at KA7APJ@arrl.net. We look forward to greeting any and all Hams on April 5th.

*** Those of you who attended our annual meeting earlier this year will remember the presentation given by CHRIS MCGEHEE, KL0UD, about a program called CoCoRaHs. As an update, the following message was posted by her on the Bill Gremillion Memorial ARC reflector:

For those of you who would like to be volunteer rainfall observers for the CoCoRaHS network, you can now sign up and enter your observations online. The folks at CoCoRaHS HQ were getting so many inquiries from people who wanted to sign up in Georgia that they decided to open up our web pages early. Our "official" start date will remain May 1st, but for all intents and purposes we're up and running.

To sign up, go to http://www.cocorahs.org/ and click on "Join CoCoRaHS" in the menu on the left side ("Main Menu" header").

I'm going to be giving a quick training on how to read the rain gauge at the Fayette-Coweta ARES meeting April 10th, but you can also download the training slide show from the CoCoRaHS home page (menu on left side, under "resources").

*** While we're talking about weather reporting, did you know that SkyWarn training is available online? You can check it out at http://spotterguides.us/advanced/advanced03.htm

Burger King, another American fast-food chain, published a full-page advertisement in USA Today in 1998 announcing the introduction of the "Left-Handed Whopper," specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new burger included the same ingredients as the original, but the condiments were rotated 180 degrees. The chain said it received thousands of requests for the new burger, as well as orders for the original "right-handed" version.

ARES REPORT DE ASEC TOM FULLER, KE4QCM

# of ARES members: 763
Change since last month: +5
# of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 49
# of ARES nets active: 135
# with NTS liaison: 0
# of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 135
Person hours 752
# of public service events this month: 23
Person hours 214
# of emergency operations this month: 36
Person hours 238
Total # of ARES operations this month: 194
Total Person hours 1204

DECs Reporting:

Central-W4OY; GEMA-KM4Z; GPB-WB4QDX; NWS Peachtree City-KD4YDC, NWS Tallahassee-KE4FGF, Salvation Army-WA4UJC, Southwest-W4AYK

ECs Reporting:

** Central:
Baldwin-K6DPL; Bibb-KS4GH; Houston-WB4EEL; Jones-W1DOG; Morgan-K2MGL; Pulaski-N4TUA; Putnam-KF4EOH; Wilkinson-W4OY

** East Central:
Washington-K4GK

** Metro Atlanta:
Cherokee-WA6IKS; Clayton-WB4WQE; Dekalb-W4TGA; Fayette-AG4ZR; Gwinnett-WB4QDX; Henry-WB4WQE; Newton-WA4UJC; Paulding-K4DMF; Rockdale-KC4ELV

** Northeast:
Barrow-K4JSR; Clarke-N4ZRA; Habersham-KA7APJ; Hall-KI4RBE; Madison-KI4MHF; Oglethorpe-N2YYP; Towns-W4VFZ

** Northwest:
Bartow-N4QET; Carroll-N4DYR; Floyd-KD4EKZ; Gilmer-WB4HAT; Polk-KD4EKZ

** Southeast:
Appling-W4WDT; Camden-WD8LQT; Chatham-K4DJD; Liberty-KT4KH; Toombs-KG4BKO; Ware-KF4SUY

** Southwest:
Lowndes-N0JMS; Thomas-KE4FGF; Turner-W4GHW

** West Central:
Muscogee-W4OZA; Troup-K3IMC

---> COMMENTS

DECs:

** Central-W4OY: Acted as NCS for the local Skywarn net during the severe weather recently - 3 hours. EC was out of state. Currently helping to develop NCS procedure to complement the BARES net plan so that members can function in net operation when the usual person who normally call net are absent.

** GEMA-KM4Z: Feb 16th - Paul Branson (KF4YTR) and myself (KM4Z) assisted State Warning Officer Robert Belcher and the CAP in cleaning up the combined ARES/CAP operating desk, identifying coax cables and antennas associated with each station. GEMA is preparing for renovation of Communication Room. The up-coming HURREX 2008 exercise was discussed and the GA ARES will be included in this drill. The drill is scheduled for May 28th & 29th. More info to be released at a later date.

** GPB-WB4QDX: Presentation on GA Digital Network at Dalton Hamfest, installation of WX4GPB D-Star repeater on Stone Mountain

** NWS Peachtree City-KD4YDC: NWS Statewide Tornado Drill; Misc ARES Admin; 3 Severe WX Events, 10/17/26 Feb, 8 people - that alone was 43.75 hrs; Skywarn Spotter Training by the NWS - 9 people, 2 hrs each. Total hrs for month - 65.5.

** NWS Tallahassee-KE4FGF: KE4RWR was able to check in via relay for the Statewide tornado drill from the Archbold Hospital radio gear. 16 ARES members got together to build deployment antennas on the 16th.

** Salvation Army-WA4UJC: Jim Morrow and I are still trying to get our schedules together so we can work on a plan for Georgia.

** Southwest-W4AYK: Helped community by programming some 300 new weather radios at local grocery store

ECs:

** Central:

* Baldwin-K6DPL: Worked with the MARC during a testing session. Also, visited a ARES meeting in nearby county. Encouraged members and local hams to explore some of the digital modes, especially PSK31 and MT63.

* Bibb-KS4GH: Worked with the MARC during a testing session. Also, visited a ARES meeting in nearby county. Encouraged members and local hams to explore some of the digital modes, especially PSK31 and MT63.

* Houston-WB4EEL: Worked with the MARC during a testing session. Also, visited a ARES meeting in nearby county. Encouraged members and local hams to explore some of the digital modes, especially PSK31 and MT63.

* Pulaski-N4TUA: Worked with the MARC during a testing session. Also, visited a ARES meeting in nearby county. Encouraged members and local hams to explore some of the digital modes, especially PSK31 and MT63.

* Putnam-KF4EOH: Worked with the MARC during a testing session. Also, visited a ARES meeting in nearby county. Encouraged members and local hams to explore some of the digital modes, especially PSK31 and MT63.

* Wilkinson-W4OY: W4OY Acting as EC for Wilkinson County. Had one member to participate in the Severe Weather local net during the recent severe storm. Encouraging others to participate.

** Metro Atlanta:

* The man hours for the Monthly Metro Atlanta District ARES Net are reported on the Metro Atlanta District County's monthly reports for February. The 3 hour miscellaneous activity was a meeting between the Metro Atlanta District DEC, Rockdale County ARES, and the Conyers Radio Club about a Technician class to be conducted at the Rockdale Extension of the University of Georgia beginning late in April.

* Newton-WA4UJC: We conducted 4 Skywarn Nets this month due to severe weather in our area. Worked the Tornado Drill with NWS.

** Northeast:

* Barrow-K4JSR: Net participated in 1 Tornado drill and 3 Skywarn activations.

* Clarke-N4ZRA: Clarke Co. members assisted with 4 public service events, conducted a siren warning exercise with the Clarke Co. EMA, conducted a SkyWarn Net, assisted with the Georgia Public Health Region E Hospital Exercise, and had 3 training nets. The training nets included reviews of After Action Reports, a protocol for passing traffic using the ICS-213 Form, and a discussion of software for enhancing SkyWarn operations. Six Clarke Co. ARES members assisted hospitals and Georgia Public Health in preparing for the Region E Exercise by setting up equipment and installing antennas.

* Hall-KI4RBE: We welcome our new EC, Ron Mulberry, KI4RBE

* Oglethorpe-N2YYP: We were involved with a severe weather awareness drill and also involved with a large scale drill involving local area hospitals who lost phone lines and power. We learned a lot from the 2 drills and we thank N4ZRA for allowing us to participate in the drills and putting them together.

* Towns-W4VFZ: Misc. activities are re-building and testing of donated Repeater equipment for ARES/Red Cross Repeater KI4ENN.

** Northwest:

* Carroll-NZ4T: We have agreed with Tim Padgett, the Carroll County EMA director, to provide an operator for a 2 meter station in the EOC, during EOC activations for weather and other emergencies. The radio is presently in storage at the EOC, but the antenna is in place, and we just need to set it up and test it. We will also man the 2m/70cm station that is installed in the new West Georgia Mobile Command Post, when it is deployed in Carroll County. This is a first step to getting ARES back into the local EM community. The EMA Director is very enthusiastic about our renewed participation, and we will be discussing other areas where we can be included in his planning. I have arranged for him to speak to our members and members of the West Georgia Amateur Radio Society at the WGARS meeting on Mar. 11. I will be attending all future county EM meetings. I have obtained a club station license, KJ4CCW, for use by the EOC/MCP stations. SkyWarn net activations: 8 Feb. - Net activated from 0913 to 0931 local time, in support of statewide tornado drill. 10 stations checked in. 17 Feb.- Net activated from 1535 to 1623 local time, in support of Tornado Warning for Carroll County. 16 stations checked in. Reports relayed to WX4PTC via the Dallas .895 repeater. 26 Feb.- Net activated from 0545 to 0643 local time, in support of Severe Thunderstorm warning for Carroll County. 10 stations checked in. Reports relayed to WX4PTC via the Dallas .895 repeater, and direct to NWS via cell phone.

* Polk-KD4EKZ: Assisted Barry, W4TGA, with HF and VHF/UHF antenna installations at Floyd Medical Center, Rome, GA

** Southeast:

* Camden-WD8LQT: Camden County participated in the statewide severe weather exercise during the month of February. We reported to the weather service in Jacksonville, FL. It was discovered during the drill that we were not on their role-call for some reason and they are the office to which we are to report. Notification has been sent to the county EMA director in order to get us listed

* Ware-KF4SUY: Conference call With NWS JAX once during the month due to possible severe weather.

** Southwest:

* Lowndes-N0JMS: Helped community by programming some 300 new weather radios at local grocery store

* Thomas-KE4FGF:

* Turner-W4GHW: Helped community by programming some 300 new weather radios at local grocery store.

Discover Magazine announced in 1995 that a highly respected biologist, Aprile Pazzo (Italian for April Fool), had discovered a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. The creatures were described as having bony plates on their heads that became burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speed -- a technique they used to hunt penguins.

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.	2100	36	29		N4DZ
GCN: Georgia Cracker Net 3995 kHz 7 AM Monday- Saturday;  8 AM Sundays	1147	13	29		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	442	2	4		K4GK
GTE: Georgia Traffic and Emergency Net 3983 kHz 7:15 PM DAILY	1290	11	29		W4AYK
GTN: Georgia Traffic Net (SSB) (Cycle 2) 3987.5 kHz 1 PM Monday - Saturday	329	24	25		WA4UJC
GTN: Georgia Traffic Handling Training Net (CW) 3549 kHz 9PM DAILY (slow speed)	137	2	29	502	N4VAD
GSN: Georgia Section CW Net (Cycle 4) 3549 kHz 7PM and 10PM DAILY (medium to high speed)	319	174	58	402	K4GK

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

K4GK	120
WA4UJC	167
K8GA	90
K2HJ	129
WB4BIK	90
K4BG	90
K4BEH	107

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

K4GK	104
WA4UJC	57
WB4BIK	48
K8GA	261
K4BG	51
K4BEH	26
K4BAI	6

*****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)

*** RAMBLER RADIO CLUB (Lafayette Middle School)- Club sponsor JODY CARTER, KI4TVE, reports that the club is still growing, with the recent addition of two more students, AUSTIN and KALUM, who not only attended a meeting, but also got some valuable hands-on experience with a soldering iron. But did a few minor burns scare these intrepid hams-to-be away? No sir, both of them have a technician study guide now, and are well on their way to becoming new "piglets". The club will be holding an open house from 5-7PM on April 10, and to cap it off, following the open house, the Tri State ARC will be holding their club meeting at the school at 7PM. Tri State played a vital role in the development of the Rambler Radio Club. Not only did they donate much of the initial equipment, but when the school was selected as one of the ARRL's Big Project schools, they also purchased and donated the ARRL library. Both the RRC Open House and the TSARC meeting will be open to the public.

*** What happens if you have hundreds of Boy Scouts camping in an area that's under a tornado warning? That was the frightening scenario faced at Camp Rainey Mountain during the rash of severe weather that devastated wide areas of the state during the weekend of March 15-16. Leader STEVE BACK, WB2OGY, reported that amateur radio, and the Camp's KK4BSA repeater, "was a major tool insuring the safety of hundreds of Scouts and Leaders in camp for an OA service weekend. During severe weather we used the repeater to keep track of everybody's whereabouts and safety as well as passing weather related traffic. Although seven licensed amateurs were in camp, only four had HT's with them. CHUCK LEMING, W4EDT, was in a staff cabin near the camp entrance with a weather radio, BILL ORR, KI4MTW, was our medic and was stationed in the Administration building, JEFF LEE, KI4WNZ, manned the dining hall and STEVE BACK, WB2OGY, was at the Mowogo Shelter at the far end of camp. No other communication medium could have handed traffic throughout camp and we hope that for future events we will have more licensed operators with radios. Other licensed amateurs in camp included: JACK BRAMBLETT, KK4IV, ROB WOODWARD, KI4UKG, and CHRIS LEE, KI4RSZ."

*** KIDS' ROUND-UP IS COMING!--- APRIL 19-20--- Phone. 80M-70cm. 1400Z April 19- 1400Z April 20. Please see www.ki3ds.org for details.

We're young only once, but with humor, we can be immature forever. ART GLINER

THIS 'N' THAT

** HAPPY ENDING #1: Remember that awful tornado that destroyed the hospital in Americus last year? Not long after that, Siemens held a contest, and the hospital with the most votes was to be awarded an MRI machine. Many of you voted for the hospital in Americus, and I thought you'd be interested in the outcome of that contest. The following article, which was in an LARC newsletter, was written by PHIL LOGGINS, K4PDL:

Remember the call that went out a couple of months back, ref. the "win an MRI contest" for Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, Ga. It had been completely destroyed in a tornado last March. Siemens was having a contest, going to a website, and voting for 1 of 101 applicants who had applied for a million dollar MRI machine. The call was sent out to the Amateur community by our friend FELTON FLOYD, AF4DN, for help in voting for Sumter Regional Hospital. Well, the voting is over. The hospital to win the MRI machine was in New York. But that's not exactly the end of the story. Although Sumter Regional Hospital did not win the contest, so many votes had been collected, Siemens took a second look at the story of the Sumter Regional Hospital. In the end, Siemens decided to award Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus with the DONATION of the same MRI machine as in the contest. Many thanks go out to ALL who took the time to vote and help make this dream come true for Sumter Regional Hospital. THANK YOU SIEMENS and congratulations to Sumter Regional Hospital. Visit http://www.winanmri.com/ for the video clip of presentation.

** HAPPY ENDING #2: Amateur Radio Saves the Day (de NFARL newsletter) - On Feb. 23, NFARL hosted its first VE Testing session in years under the direction of VERNE FOWLER, W8BLA. At that session, 17 applicants took tests and all passed- 9 Technicians, 7 Generals, and one EXTRA class. A great story but it doesn't end there. Sometime last week, one new ham from that session CAREY BABCOCK, KI4CJX, received her ticket, but she had been reluctant to get on the air (her husband is club member BRYAN GAY, KR4MM). On March 5, Carey was in an automobile accident while driving alone. She was not hurt seriously, but she did not have a cell phone handy and so she took the leap. Bringing up our 145.47 repeater, she caught WALT WILSON, KI7A, who coincidently was one of the examiners two weeks ago. Walt was able to calm her, call in the accident, and stick with her until the police arrived. The driver at fault had fled the scene, but Carey was a real "pro" on the microphone. We hope she gets well soon and we hear a lot more of her on the club repeater. What a great story, don't you think?

*** Those of you rebuilding an old radio may want to add Old Radio Parts
http://www.oldradioparts.net/index.html to your list of bookmarked sites. They seem to have a quite a selection, including tubes and the ever-popular Magnavox "lion" sticker that would look good on your linear amplifier. I assume they specialize in (Old Radio) Parts and not Old (Radio Parts), but caveat emptor. And why don't radios and amplifiers have names these days? Cars and trucks do...wouldn't you go for a Ramcharger amp or a Cougar as your search-and-pounce rig? (Thanks, Dennis N6KI) (de ARRL Contest Rate Sheet, 3/19/08)

*** An updated oldie-but-goodie, a paper on HF common-mode interference to transducers and sensors is on-line at Analog Device's "Analog Dialogue" Web site http://tinyurl.com/29yqrm. It discusses how HF signals are picked up and discusses methods of keeping them out of audio and low-frequency equipment. While this article relates to measurement setups, a lot is directly applicable to audio and telephone equipment, too. (de ARRL Contest Rate Sheet, 3/19/08)

*** You can find an interesting and interactive tutorial on the fundamentals of DXing at http://www.deltadx.net/ABCDx/ABCDx.htm

*** I heard from some of you, who were lamenting over the demise of the Peter Dahl Co. Well, it appears that story has a happy ending, too. As reported in the 3/5/08 ARRL Contest Rate Sheet: Carl N4AA, editor of "QRZ DX" notes that the
saga of the Peter Dahl Co. has a happy ending. "Jeff Weinberg, W8CQ of Harbach Electronics, has purchased the rights to the name, the original transformer and choke specifications and designs, and the design equipment. The transformers will be built by MagCap Engineering using the original PWD specs, and sold through Harbach Electronics under the Peter Dahl name. The transformer and chokes will be FOB Canton, MA and shipped directly to the customer from
MagCap." Positively transforming news, isn't it?

*** Here's a search engine that might float your boat. Why? It's all ham radio, all the time: http://www.cqoogle.com/search/

*** Interested in reading about the history of Vibroplex? MIKE WEATHERS, ND4V, says you can find a pretty comprehensive one at this site:
http://www.telegraph-history.org/horace-g-martin/index.html

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

UPCOMING EVENTS

APRIL 5-6 --- QCWA Spring QSO party. CW, Digital, and Phone. 6M and 10-160M. 1900Z-1900Z. www.qcwa.org/qso-party.htm

APRIL 5-6 --- QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party (CW) 10-160M. www.qrparci.org 

APRIL 12-14 --- GA QSO Party!!! (Y'all come!) CW/SSB, 80-10 M. Sponsored by the Southeast Contest Club and the Southeastern DX Club. http://gqp.contesting.org 

APRIL 18 --- World Amateur Radio Day (GREAT excuse to treat yourself to a new rig!)

APRIL 19-20 --- Kids' Round-Up. Phone. 80M-70cm. 1400Z April 19- 1400Z April 20. www.ki3ds.org 

APRIL 25-26 --- SE VHF Society Conference. Orlando. www.svhfs.org 

APRIL 26 --- Cherokee Capital ARS 11th annual Hamfest in Calhoun. 8AM- 2PM at the Sugar Valley Community Center, 3295 Sugar Valley Road. VE session at 11 AM. Admission $5, free tailgating with price of admission. Food onsite and hourly drawings for prizes plus a grand prize drawing of a Yaesu FT-7800R 2M/440. www.k4woc.com for more info.

MAY 3-4 --- Birmingham, AL Hamfest

MAY 10 --- Heart of GA Hamfest, Byron GA--- in its fourth year, this fest is changing locations, and for the first time, will include indoor vending space, in addition to the stellar tailgating of the past three years. Byron Middle School, at 201 Linda Dr. 8AM-3PM. $3 admission, free tailgating with price of admission, indoor tables $5. VE testing 9AM until noon. www.heartofgeorgiaHamfest.com

MAY 16-18 --- Dayton Hamvention

MAY 24-26--- Strange Antenna Challenge www.n0ew.org/k0s/

SILENT KEYS

TERESA LOWE, KG4CRD

Heartfelt condolences to her family 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

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

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