Georgia Section On My Mind

May, 2007

Greetings, All.

I read somewhere that in the past month, there have been SIX THOUSAND new amateur radio operators licensed around the country. That's absolutely amazing, isn't it? And I can attest to the fact that we've gotten a fair share of those new operators right here in Georgia. In the past month, I've written out and mailed post cards to ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY new GA licensees. And more and more of them continue to join our ranks at every one of our test sessions. You know what that means? (besides the fact that I have a "crick" in my wrist...) That means that there's a whole bunch of new hams all around Georgia who've never experienced the joys of Field Day. (the horrors of it all!)

That's where you come in. Just as we've done the past five years, with your help, I'd like to list as many of the Georgia Field Day sites as possible in next month's newsletter. If you want YOUR club's (or eclectic group's) field day location included, someone from your club (or eclectic group) has to SEND me that information. It doesn't have to be long; if you'd like, you can simply give the site location (i.e. Pavo, GA) and maybe a contact person or your website address, where interested parties can find directions and additional information. Or if you want to write a bit more, that'd be great, too. (Cut and paste is my friend...) Like, maybe you'd like to tell us what's special about your field day plans that might make visitors want to spend some time there? Are you gonna maybe have deep-fried turkey or low country boil to feed all of your hungry operators? Or maybe the best BBQ chicken in the state of Georgia? Some clubs have offered amateur radio and electronics merit badge classes right there at their Field Day site, or hosted a scavenger hunt for the young visitors, or held an on-site VE session. The Fayetteville club has even been known to hold a special showing of a movie like "Frequency" at their Field Day. This year, the folks in Newton county will be setting up their operations at a wildlife center, where they'll have full access to a shooting range, several fishing lakes and hiking trails.

But, the bottom line is, even if your group has held field day activities at the very same location for the past fifty years or more, please don't assume that I know that. And don't assume that I've "picked up" that information from your newsletter or club reflector, either. (Ask Mike, and he'll tell you: Don't EVER assume that I know ANYTHING!) If you want your location listed, someone from your group needs to send me that information. And with more new hams this year than we've ever had before, it's even more important to get that information gathered and made available to them. With your help, we can do that.

For all of you new hams who don't know what this thing called Field Day is all about, boyohboy, are you in for a treat! This is an operating event that provides hams with the unique and memorable pleasure of hanging out for the weekend with a bunch of other hams to string antennas, grill hot dogs, swat mosquitoes, wipe the sweat, cement friendships and.... oh, yeah... make as many contacts as possible with other hams around the country.... who are happily stringing their own antennas, grilling their own hot dogs, swatting.... (you get the picture.) It's held the last full weekend of June every year, which places it on the 23rd and 24th this year. Some groups get together on Friday evening to start assembling and hoisting antennas, while others wait until Saturday morning to begin. Shortly after lunch, the 24-hour operating event officially begins, and the bands come alive with excited calls of "CQ Field Day". Most groups welcome ALL visitors, and graciously allow, and encourage, their visitors to operate. It is, without doubt, one of the most enjoyable amateur radio events of the year.

It's a pleasure to announce that JIM WORSHAM, W4KXY, has accepted the appointment to serve as our new Technical Coordinator. Jim brings a lot of technical savvy and enthusiasm to the position, and we are very fortunate to have him. Many thanks to Jim, and also to ED TANTON, N4XY, who has recently stepped down from the TC position. Ed will continue to serve as one of our Technical Specialists, and is currently working on an interference problem for a non-ham in the Roswell area, who has experienced long-time rampant TVI in the evenings, but on UHF channels only. Thank you to Ed for tackling the problem for him, and good luck in finding a solution.

Those of you who were at the GA ARES statewide meeting at Forsyth earlier this year may remember the presentation that was given there about our ambitious statewide ARES database project. TOM HUGHES, KD4OEZ, created a terrific program for Gwinnett ARES in June of last year, and it does an extremely efficient job of tracking ARES membership, resources, training, and participation, among other things. It's been such a rousing success for Gwinnett county that it spawned big dreams of eventually expanding the program to provide a database for all of Georgia ARES. Well, Tom has been hard at work to help us turn the big dreams into reality, and at present, the goal is to have this system ready to roll out for the entire state by June of this year. ROBERT TYLER, KF4VBR, and his company Native Georgian, will be providing server space for this ambitious project, just as he has been doing for GA ARES and the GA Section, but the cost for server space at a data center is rather costly, to the tune of $800 upfront, and then a monthly fee on top of that. Native Georgian (i.e. Robert) planned to "eat" these costs himself, but thanks to a very generous donation from ERWIN HAYNES, KI4TBD, the set-up costs will be much much easier to swallow. Sincere thanks to Tom, Robert, and Erwin. The three of you are making a tremendous, and positive, impact on the quality of GA ARES, and we are all very appreciative of your efforts.

Robert is also working on revamping the statewide ARES paging system, and hopes to have a number of pagers available for GA ARES members to purchase in the near future. In the past, these pagers ran about $35, and the cost will probably remain about the same. Any profit made from the sale of these pagers, as well as any profits made from the sale of our GA Piglets tee shirts, will go directly towards covering some of the costs of the statewide ARES database. If anyone knows of a good source of inexpensive pagers, (FREE is our favorite price!) please let either Robert or me know. robert@nativegeorgian.com If you have any questions about programming a pager that you may already own, or about the paging system, in general, please contact Robert. (I'm like Sgt. Schultz: "I know NOTH-ink!")

One final thing before going on with the rest of the newsletter: my current term as Section Manager ends on October 1 of this year. That means that the window for nominations for GA SM is currently open and will remain open until the end of this month. If any of you would like to nominate yourself or another GA ham (but please get his/her permission before doing so) to challenge me for the next term, you need to submit an application for nomination, signed by a minimum of five GA ARRL members. If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to help you.

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

We're all familiar with Ohm's Law and Murphy's Laws, but this month's one-liners are about some other, lesser known laws...

Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

APRIL 28 --- Calhoun Hamfest --- This was the Cherokee Capital ARC's tenth annual Hamfest, and my better half MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, and I have had the pleasure of attending every single one of them. That first year, the fest took place on a beautiful spring morning, a perfect day for a ride, (and gasoline was cheap) so we ventured up the road (waaaay up the road) just to check it out. There was only a handful of people at that first year's tiny tail-gating event, but we weren't at all disappointed. We simply pulled out a couple of lounge chairs and sat around in the warm sunshine, and spent some time chatting with the club members. Since then, as the old commercial used to say, they've "come a long way, baby", and have created a cozy little niche for themselves on the GA Hamfest calendar. But, y'know? One of the things that keeps us coming back every year is that, even though they've grown in size, and now boast several commercial vendors and a nice little boneyard every year, they haven't lost that sense of intimacy, special charm and personality that we discovered there that very first year. They still offer a friendly breath of fresh air, and even with the high cost of gasoline these days, we find it to be well worth the trip.
This year, in spite of the fact that there were all kinds of ham activities going on all over the place, there was still a pretty good turn-out at the fest, and we saw lots of familiar faces. It was easy to spot all of the Dalton ARC club members there, all decked out in their distinctive red shirts, and there were a lot of hams from Tennessee there, too. It was good to have our favorite Director of Vice, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, back in GA again and sitting at the ARRL table with me. With his help, we were able to sign up a couple of new members, and sold a GA Piglet tee shirt to one sweet little girl, who immediately put it on and wore it for the rest of the day.
An inadvertent bit of humor was infused into the day's activities when I yelled out the door to let my better half know that his ticket had been drawn from the bucket and he needed to come inside to select his prize. Let's just say that my choice of words was open to.... interpretation... and the guys in the boneyard enjoyed quite a laugh at my expense. (It's good to know that I can still entertain the troops...) It wasn't quite as bad as the day I called Mike on the local repeater to let him know that I'd picked up some blue crabs from the market, but pretty close...
It was, as always, a fun Hamfest. (Barry and Edna, we missed you guys.... and your signature chili) Can you find everything you might be looking for at a small Hamfest like this one? Well, no. It's no Dayton. Then again, Dayton is no Calhoun, either.
Many thanks to the members of the Cherokee Capital ARS for all of your hard work and hospitality, and to all of you fine folks who were able to attend. Hope to see you there again next year.

APRIL 27-28 --- Southeastern VHF Conference --- Although the activities started on Friday morning, Mike and I didn't make it there until shortly before the Saturday night banquet. I heard some good things about the activities that took place prior to our arrival, though, and one of the things I'm sorry we missed was the auction. RAY RECTOR, WA4NJP, Georgia's Number One EME guru, usually serves as the auctioneer for that popular event, but because he was unable to attend this year, none other than our own SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, was pressed into service to do the honors. That in itself may have been worth the price of admission. (I wonder how many times he had to ask, "What IS this thing?" before he could start asking for a bid...??) One of the highlights of the banquet was the awarding of the prestigious K4UHF Award. As BOB LEAR, W4ZST, announced, it was one of the easiest, and one of the hardest, awards they'd ever had to give. The decision was unanimous, and it went to one of the SE VHF Society's original founders, FRED RUNKLE, K4KAZ. Fred became an SK in December, so the award was presented posthumously to his widow PAT, KC4DOO. She... and Fred... received a well-deserved standing ovation. Awards were also given for a host of other things, like for the various Sprint contests that the Society sponsors. One winner who stands out in my mind wasn't even at the conference. The reason I remember him is because it was mentioned that the reason he wasn't there was because he was at a Scouting event.... as a scout, not as a leader. One of the first place winners on 6M was eleven-year-old W4AAH, BILLY WEBB. It's always heartening to hear about youngsters taking part... and winning!... operating events. It bodes well for the future of the hobby. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I was glad that the conference was back in Georgia again this year. Next year, they'll be holding it in Orlando... and in following years, it'll be going to Kentucky, then Charlotte, and then possibly to Virginia. So it may be some time before they come back to Georgia again. But when they do, I recommend it highly, especially if you have an interest in rubbing elbows with, and learning from, some of the best VHF operators in the country.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you're talking about.

CLUB NEWS

ELLIJAY ARS --- On Saturday, April 28, club members took part in the Gilmer County Anti-methamphetamine March. The march began at the Ellijay Lion's Club (where the Ellijay Ham Fest is held each year) and ended at the Ellijay Elementary School. EARS members fanned out along the march route and kept the event officials at the rally location of when the march began, when the last marchers left the Lions Club and when the marchers reached each of several water stations along the route. This allowed the folks at the rally location who were preparing food, setting up stages and chairs, information tents, etc., to be aware how soon the marchers would be arriving. It was not only a successful public service provided for the marchers and the march officials, but it showed the police and county law enforcement how hams can be of assistance in such events. The event also provided an excellent opportunity for EARS members to use their HTs and mobile rigs in a tactical situation. Tactical and FCC call signs were used alternately during the two-way communications. Several times the hams had to relay information between stations to far apart for solid copy. The EARS members participating in the event were: SAM UNDERHILL, K4SWU; DOW HOFFMAN, N4VYU; RICHARD WEHUNT, KI4TZP; SANDY SILK, K4SRS; BRUCE SILK, KC4GH; BOB BURDICK, NB8N; and DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI. A great time was had by all who participated. (de DAVE MEADOWS, K4LDI)

GWINNETT ARS --- At the April meeting, SANDRA HALLEN, the Volunteer Services manager for the Metro chapter of the American Red Cross, gave an interesting presentation on Disaster Action Teams and how to become a member. Coming up in May, MARK FEHLIG, WA6NGC, our favorite chief engineer for GA Public Broadcasting, will be doing a program about that super ongoing tower project, in which GA ARES groups can sign agreements with GPB that enable them to share space on some of those behemoth towers around the state.

KENNEHOOCHEE ARC --- In April, TAD WILLIAMSON, WF4W, did a presentation that offered tips on how to work DXCC, and in May, STEVE HUDSON, AA4BW, will turn the power down a bit and talk about operating QRP.

NORTH FULTON ARL --- At the April meeting, TED BRUCE, KX4OM, presented part II of his program on home-brewing through the use of hardware, software, and good old-fashioned brain power. (I think we should all just call him "Elmer"...) Coming up in May, RALPH SIEBERT, K1TV, will be showing and telling us all about WCC, a well-known ship-to-shore station in Cape Cod that has quite a history. And Ralph should know; he actually worked there.

PAULDING ARC --- My better half, MIKE, K4HBI, ROBIN CUTSHAW, AA4RC, our Affiliated Club Coordinator, and I visited with these fine folks at their April meeting, and I tried to WOW 'em with my "Amateur Radio, the ARRL, and the WOW Factor" program. Dunno if I actually "wowed" 'em or not, but we had a real good time with them, anyway. This was our first trip back to one of their club meetings since '99, and it was great to see how much they've grown in the past eight years. It was also good to see YLs and youngsters in attendance at the meeting, because that's always a good sign of a healthy club. Many thanks to club president AL MARTIN, KF4RPQ, for the invitation, and thanks to all of the members for the warm reception.

STATESBORO ARS --- Congratulations to the following recently-elected slate of officers: President- MARK AULICK, KF4MLT; VP- WADE SAMPSON, AD4GP; Treasurer- BRIAN KOEHLER, KE4TYQ; and Secretary- BUDDY HORNE, AJ4BH. Best wishes to them all for a successful and enjoyable year leading the club.

Law of Window-Cleaning: It's on the other side.

ARES NEWS

*** Reminder: The Metro Atlanta ARES net is held on the first Sunday of every month at 4 PM, on the Atlanta ARC's 146.820 repeater.

*** And the SE District holds a weekly net on Thursdays at 7 PM on the ARC of Savannah's 146.970(-) repeater.

*** GWINNETT ARES --- A temporary 900 MHz repeater is now operational from atop Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, thanks to the repeater-building skills of VESTER SCOTT, N8EKA, and JEFF HARRISON, KD4GPI, and the valuable installation help of SCOTT HARTLAGE, KF4PWI. This N8EKA repeater is currently on an itinerant frequency pair of 927.4875 output/902.4875 input, PL 100, and is a low power "portable" machine, installed for the purpose of testing coverage around Gwinnett county. Plans are to install and operate a permanent 900 MHZ repeater in Lawrenceville in the near future, and the subsequent incorporation of 900 MHz capabilities into Gwinnett ARES will further enhance the group's operating flexibility. Thirty-five Motorola mobiles were donated to Gwinnett ARES, and these radios, which Jeff has converted and programmed with the amateur frequencies, have been offered to members for a very reasonable price, along with antennas and power cables. (de EC JOHN DAVIS, WB4QDX)

*** On Friday, April 20, a technician class was held for the Glynn Co. EMA personnel. Chief DOERING of the Glynn Co. Police Dept. advised that his Captains, Lt's and Sergeants and other employees from Fire Depts. would take the class, and Glynn Co. EMA Director RICHARD STRICKLAND was given power point presentations and study material to pass out to his personnel two weeks prior to this class. At the end of the class that day they were ready. A total of 25 people attended the class from Glynn Co.'s EMA, PD and Fire Depts, and a total of 18 are now licensed amateurs. GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, ASEC for Operations (and chief instructor), said, "I was impressed at their preparedness and willingness to take part in this class." He also noted that the Glynn county PD will now be installing ICOM-8000s in each of their patrol cars to have at hand "when all else fails". Greg wanted to be sure that special thanks and recognition go out to DAVID LITTLE, KD4NUE, Glynn county EC, and AEC DON WELLONS, N4CMA, for their dedication, and for helping to make this all possible, as well as to CHIEF DOERING and EMA DIRECTOR RICHARD STRICKLAND. And let's not forget the terrific team of VEs: JIM COTE, N4PJR; WILMA COTE, N4RRO; GRAHAM WILLIAMSON, KG4PNF; GREG SPIERLING, KB9DBC; TOM BELL, KG4WPD; BILL WILLIAMS, W4YWY; CLAY SMITH, W4OX; TERRY HUGHES, KG4KIT; BOB CARR, W5UX; CHARLIE CARROLL, WD5ECL; and SCOTT BRANDIES, W4SGB. Y'all done good. (de GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD)


*** PUBLIC HEALTH EXERCISES: A couple of public health exercises were held during the month of April, in which ARES members played a supporting role:

+ On the 17th, the exercise was centered around the metro Atlanta area. ED ROLLORS, N4ZRA, and STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD, played key roles in their professional capacities with Public Health, and on the amateur side, BARRY KANNE, W4TGA, operated from Grady Memorial Hospital; LARRY DODD, K4LED, operated from Crawford Long Hospital; TOM BURKHART, KI4MDU, TOM KOCH, W4UOC, AND BOB HERRIN, KE4JLL, all operated from their home stations, and MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, and I had the privilege of operating from the East Metro Public Health EOC. There was a lot of Health and Welfare traffic handled, as well as tactical traffic, and overall, amateur radio proved itself to be a reliable form of communications. A major way to improve the effectiveness would be to use separate frequencies for the handling of tactical and H&W traffic.

+ On the 27th, a communications test was done in the Southeast Region for the Public Health System for Effingham, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Camden counties. GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, ASEC for Operations, offers special thanks to TODD HARGRAVE, KD6RYQ, new EC for Effingham County, for setting up, reprogramming and demonstrating the potential capability of the radios to the Public Health personnel, to CHUCK LAVALLEY, WH6CMT, for providing relays from Long county, and to DAVID LITTLE, KD4NUE, and DON WELLONS, N4CMA, for operating from the Glynn county EOC, where they served as relay stations for traffic going to Glynn, McIntosh, and Camden.

*** RECENT APPOINTMENTS: There's been quite a bit of activity lately, with some of our long-serving ECs stepping down, and handing the reins over into the capable hands of new ECs, and in one case, with a volunteer stepping up to fill a long-time vacancy. Many thanks to all of these fine people. CARROLL COUNTY- TIM TYSON, KB4TIW, replacing NATHAN COHRAN, KE4WRK; EFFINGHAM COUNTY- TODD HARGRAVE, KD6RYQ, replacing VAL ASHCRAFT, AF4VH; EVANS COUNTY- TRACY SNIDER, WD4DMA, replacing JOHN PERKINS, W4HYU; NEWTON COUNTY- CHARLES DAVIS, WA4UJC, replacing CARL WULFESTIEG, AG4LS; NORTH FULTON- TOM KOCH, W4UOC, replacing VICTOR WASILOV, KI4HPX; and TROUP COUNTY- DONALD FLYNN, K3IMC. GA ARES is very grateful to all of you for your service and leadership. Thank you, also, to KEN FIELDS, W4KEF, who has been serving as the EC for both CALHOUN and RANDOLPH counties. Ken has tendered his resignation, and will be moving to Florida. We all wish him well.

Law of Fixing or Replacing: If it jams, force it. If it breaks, it probably needed replacing anyway.

NET REPORT DE STM CHARLES PENNINGTON, K4GK

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

** CONGRATULATIONS to SID HUTCHINSON, WB4GGS, for earning yet another BPL listing.

"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

NET NEWS DE STM CHARLES PENNINGTON, K4GK

*** Gentlemen's Agreement for CW Nets

Most CW net traffic is passed off the net frequency, by moving the effected stations either up, or down. In the case of GSN, our frequency of 3549 kHz, is located near the Florida CW Net, QFN, of 3547 kHz. Several times recently stations from QFN would move up to handle traffic on the GSN/GTN frequency without listening, causing QRM and confusion.

I am happy to report that we have reached an agreement with QFN, which will help to prevent this from happening.

As per the agreement, Net Control Stations from QFN will only move their stations DOWN in frequency from their net frequency. GSN net control stations should move any QSYing stations UP in frequency. Please do not sent any traffic handling stations DOWN, as this could potentially interfere with QFN and Florida net traffic.

Additionally, GTN and GSN net control stations, please move only UP from 3549, in the event that you need to move in frequency. This mutual respect and courtesy, will allow smoother operations on our CW nets.

Thank you all for your help in the matter, especially the Net Manager in Florida, and the Net Control Stations in our neighbor state.

*** Activity Continues to Rise

We continue to observe an increase in all amateur radio activity. Since the new rule change went into effect, Hamfest attendance has increased by 25 percent, club meeting activities have also increased, and of course participation in most nets is way up. Additionally, exam activity at VE teams is at an all time high, and study materials are often hard to find, as they are sold out.

Even our beloved CW band activity is way up!

This is an exciting time for amateur radio and we must meet the challenge in the training of newcomers.

Get on board and enjoy the ride!

*** Fourth Region Net (4RN)

Our level of activity continues to improve in recently times. We are still looking for more help in representing the Georgia Section, on 4RN. Please help when you can.

*** Newly Revised Websites

Several Georgia Section Net websites have recently been improved and revised.

Georgia State Net (GSN)
http://www.qsl.net/gsn/

Georgia Cracker Net (GCEN)
http://groups.msn.com/GeorgiaCrackerClub/yourwebpage2.msnw

Georgia Training Net (cw) (GTN)
http://ad4dx.com/gtn/

Southcars
www.southcars.com/

Thank you all for your continued help and support of our Section Nets.

Theorem of Making Things Fit: If it doesn't fit, use a hammer. If it still doesn't fit, use a sledge hammer.

SECTION NOTABLES

*** CONGRATULATIONS to LEE FLACK, KD4HPD, who was recently awarded a Gold Award pin at an awards ceremony held at Georgia-Pacific. In addition to the pin, he was also presented with documents from President Bush and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, all in recognition of and appreciation for Volunteer Work performed by Lee during 2006. Lee wrote, "I am not aware of any other Radio Amateur in our area receiving this award, so I wanted to share this honor with all of you, because you all deserve it also for all that you do for Amateur Radio and Volunteer work!"

*** There was a terrific article in the "Columbus Ledger-Enquirer" on April 30, entitled "Ready and Reliable" that is one of the best I've seen about amateur radio. It highlights two hams in particular, MARC POPE, WX4MAP, and TERRY SPENCER, K4SPE, both of whom are members of both the Columbus ARC and the Russell County Radio Club in Alabama. The reporter did an excellent job, but thanks are due to Marc and Terry for providing him with such material to work with. http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/164/story/24082.html (And thank you to SUE GODWIN, W4SUE, for alerting us to this great article.)

*** CHARLES KIGHT, AI4UN, will be one of the lucky teachers attending the ARRL's Teachers Institute seminar that will be held in Spokane, WA this summer. Charles, who teaches high school physics, is a member of the Milledgeville ARC.

(NOTE: The deadline for applying for one of this year's seminars is May 15, so you still have time to apply! See www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/ti.html for details.

Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product you really like, they will stop making it.

GEORGIA PIGLETS (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

*** Nominations are now open for the 2007 Amateur Newsline Young Ham of the Year. This is an award designed for hams 18 years or younger who have used amateur radio to "significantly contribute to the benefit of amateur radio, to the state of communications art, or to the community or nation". This is the award that includes a week's stay at the awesome Space Camp in Huntsville, and you can't win if you don't enter! See www.yhoty.org for more details.

*** Talking about awards, I gotta make one more mention of our own ANDREA HARTLAGE, KG4IUM, and CONGRATULATE her just one more time for winning the William Goldfarb Scholarship. (NOTE: Andrea won the above-mentioned Young Ham of the Year award a few years back, and she so enjoyed her stay at Space Camp that she returned the following year for a second go-around. What's more, it's a good guess that her experiences there helped her decide on her current interest in pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering.)

*** Yolo BSA Campboree will be operating W6Y, from California, from 0300Z May 5 until 0700Z May 6. 14.290, 7.190, 3.940, 440.450 MHz IRLP 5750, and Echolink 107315

*** Here's a terrific site for young people who are interested in getting a ham radio license, as well as for those who've already earned that ticket: http://www.youthtech.com/hamradio/

Axiom: The Carpenters' Rule of "Measure twice, cut once" doesn't apply to electricians.
Any wire cut to the exact measured length will be too short.

THIS 'N' THAT

*** SCARBOROUGH REEF (AKA "Scaffold" Reef...) is on the air!!! Using callsign BS7H, the first official QSO of this DX-pedition was recorded at 1347Z April 29. QSL KU9C. http://www.scarboroughreef.com/ Good luck!!! (Work 'em while you can; it may well be another decade before you get another chance)

*** AUBURN UNIVERSITY BALLOON LAUNCH FOLLOW-UP: The high altitude balloon was successfully launched on April 21, as planned, and the following is a letter from JOHN KLINGELHOEFFER, WB4LNM, the Technical Advisor for the Auburn University Student Space Program: (AUSSP)

Please let us express our many thanks to the amateur radio communities of Georgia and eastern Alabama in providing mission critical communications support for the flight of the Auburn University Student Space Program AHAB-8 high altitude balloon mission on Saturday the 21st. The flight met many of its objectives and was recovered shortly after landing.

The maximum altitude that the mission payload transmitted was just over 92 thousand feet, and at about that altitude, the latex balloon disintegrated due to cold and pressure. There was an onboard processing system designed to release the payload from the lift balloon around 80,000 feet, but that did not work, nor did a remotely sent command to the balloon by radio. These will be examined in the next few days to determine why they did not perform.

All pre-launch track predictions put the landing site (based on an 80,000 foot separation) either just east or south of Albany, Georgia. The final touchdown was just northwest of Albany, at coordinates 31 23 9.6 N and 84 42 25.2 W. The speed of the upper winds evidently decreased markedly since the predicts had been run on Friday evening, although the direction of the predict overall was nearly perfect.

The AUSSP team plans to continue to perform one or two launches a semester, and would appreciate your assistance in its terrestrial communications for these flights. I'm sure we do not have all the email addresses of everyone who helped, so it would be great if you would pass along these thanks to those amateurs who participated anonymously. We hope to revise our terrestrial downrange communications plans and look forward to any suggestions that you might have in making those communications with the launch site and downrange teams more seamless.

*** The Statesboro ARS (STARS) is fortunate to count among its membership LARRY PRICE, W4RA, so they have an inside track on finding out what's happening on the international scene to affect amateur radio. In the recent club newsletter, a report was given on some of Larry's words of wisdom at a recent club meeting. I figure that we're fortunate to count Larry as a GA ham, so with a tip of the hat to the STARS club, here's a thumbnail report on some of what Larry had to say about some of the discussions that were held at a recent conference he attended at the ITU HQ in Geneva, where preparations were being made for the World Conference coming up this fall:

++ One proposal that was discussed regarded a new secondary ham band at 135 kHz. Because the Japanese delegation objected to a proposed power limitation of one watt, based on their belief that it would be too difficult to measure and enforce at that power level, another compromise proposal was made that would permit each country to decide on its own power limitations.

++ Other proposals included conducting a study of all allocations between 4 and 10 MHz and to digitize the shortwave bands to create stereo signals. However, that proposal was generally considered not feasible, considering satellites and other digitizing means.

++ Though Larry would personally like to see 60M opened up entirely, rather than use specific channels as is currently the practice, there are two large hurdles that make that problematic. For one thing, it isn't allocated internationally as a ham band, and to open it up, every country would have to agree to that allocation. That may actually be do-able, but the larger hurdle comes from within our own country itself. The Homeland Security Agency is the biggest opponent of such a proposal, because they rely on that band for their own communications needs when all other means fail.

*** There was, as always, a very good editorial by DAVE SUMNER, K1ZZ, in the May QST. Just in case you missed it, here are two terrific quotes from that editorial that I'd say qualify as genuine Words of Wisdom:

"As far as the FCC is concerned, we're all equals, whether we have been meeting on the same frequency at the same time for the past fifty years or we were just licensed five minutes ago."

"It is unfair to your fellow amateurs to assume that every instance of interference you may encounter is a hostile act."

*** Here's an interesting site, with an online Ham Atlas, where you can learn all kinds of information about all 337 of the DXCC entries. It is ably managed by DAREK MILKA, SP6NVK. http://www.hamatlas.eu 

*** DAVID ZISKIND, KE4QLH, wants us to know that the Peachtree Road Race will be here again before you know it. He wrote:

"Peachtree time is quickly approaching! I am looking forward to your support again this year. I am trying to increase the number of hams to a total of 25 for better communications support.

The details:
- Wednesday, July 4, 2007
- Most report times are around 6am. Most assignments are through by 10am. Some are shorter, some are longer.

How to volunteer:
1. Send me an email letting me know your availability, AND
2. Fill out the volunteer form and return to the Atlanta Track Club.
Write in 'communications' towards the bottom.
http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/07ptree-vol.pdf

Thanks in advance for your support. Please forward to others who might be interested. I would like to have 25 operators this year!

73,
David Ziskind KE4QLH
ke4qlh@arrl.net
404-966-6864

The Axiom of Near vs. Far: Tell a man that there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him that a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MAY 5 --- HEART OF GEORGIA Hamfest --- Byron, GA- When five clubs put their heads together and pool their resources, good things can happen! This old-fashioned FREE tailgating event, sponsored by the Macon ARC, the Central GA ARC, the Middle GA RA, the Milledgeville ARC, and the Macon-Bibb EMA ARG, kicks off at 8AM in the parking lot of the Peach Shops, exit 149 off of I-75. There was a terrific turn-out for this one last year, and I'm hoping for the same this year.
Talk-in: 146.85(-)

MAY 5-6 --- Birmingham, AL, Hamfest

MAY 12-13 --- Armed Forces Day Celebration, with military-amateur cross-band communications from numerous military stations to a variety of amateur bands. For details, please see www.netcom.army.mil/mars 

["The heritage of freedom must be guarded as carefully in peace as it was in war. Faith, not suspicion, must be the key to our relationships. Sacrifice, not selfishness, must be the eternal price of liberty. Vigilance, not appeasement, is the byword of living freedoms." GENERAL OMAR BRADLEY, Armed Forces Day, 1950 Armed Forces Day was established in 1949 by PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN, to recognize the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense and to acknowledge the extraordinary dedication of Americans in uniform standing ready in harm's way at home and around the world. PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER said, "It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world."] de WB4ZOJ

MAY 12-13 --- Mid-Atlantic QSO Party. All you new HF-ers, here's a prime opportunity to work stations from DE, MD-DC, NJ, NY, PA, VA and WV. For details, please see www.maqp.info

MAY 13 --- MOTHERS DAY

Your mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well. Your mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop. She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time... not space... not even death.

MAY 15 --- DEADLINE for applications for this year's Teachers Institutes. For more info, please see http://www.arrl.org/FandES/tbp/ti.html

MAY 18-20 --- DAYTON HAMVENTION (Y'know, that little shindig up north...)

MAY 24 --- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my better half (38 years and counting!) He keeps telling people that the secret to our longevity is contained in two little words.... "Yes, dear...." (but I ain't sayin' which one of us says them the most!)

MAY 25-27 --- Special Olympics Georgia. Multiple events held on the Emory campus, Atlanta. STEVE GARRISON, N4SEG, is once again serving as the communications coordinator, and he's counting on the ham community to volunteer. It'll be an experience that you'll never forget. n4seg@arrl.net 

MAY 26-27--- CQ WW WPX Contest. 160M-10M CW www.cqwpx.com

MAY 28 --- MEMORIAL DAY "Freedom is not free" (Inscription on the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC)

JUNE 2 --- Atlanta Hamfest, at Jim Miller Park in Marietta

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

SILENT KEYS

DAVID MCBRIDE K3PPY
OGDEN DOREMUS KI4ID
JAMES WELLS W4BKK

Heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of each of these fine men.

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

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

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

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