Georgia Section On My Mind

August, 2004

Greetings, All. If you've been toying with the idea of applying for a vanity call, time's a-running short before the cost of vanity goes up a little. On August 6th, the fee will go from $16.30 to $20.80, so if you've been considering going after a callsign that reflects the "real you", better get to it. (Think I should go for W0RDY??)

Is your group planning a public radio demo at a fair or festival or such? If so, something new is available on the http://www.arrl-ga.org website that'd be a useful hand-out to teach the public about HR 1478. (the bill regarding CC&Rs) Thanks to our SGL, BILL CHEREPY, WB4WTN, who provided the FAQ sheet, and to our Webmaster ROBERT TYLER, KF4VBR, who posted it in a downloadable format for your convenience. (And don't forget: there's also a terrific downloadable handout about BPL that's available on the ARRL website, too.)

Talking about our Webmaster, Robert could use a little bit of help. If you'd be interested in assisting him with the care and feeding of our Section webpages, please contact him at kf4vbr@arrl-ga.org

Thanks to all of you who sent a couple of pictures from your Field Day activities for our online photo gallery... some good shots there. To the rest of you, it isn't too late. Send a couple of your best shots to Robert, OK?

Please note that the monthly VE sessions at Georgia Tech, held on the 4th Sunday of every month at 2:30 PM, will now be held at the Van Leer Electrical Engineering Building, room W218. http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/w4aql/test.shtml for more details.

OK. Enough. Let's move along and see what's been going on, and what's coming up right around the corner...

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "Wow! What a ride!"
de FRANKIE WOMACK, W4BJT

So far, so good..... ME

JULY HIGHLIGHTS

OMIK CONVENTION--- Hams from all over the United States, the Caribbean, and one from as far away as Italy, converged on Atlanta on the third weekend in July for their annual convention, held at the airport Holiday Inn, and it was an honor to have been even a teeny part of it. A majority black organization, OMIK got its start over fifty years ago, and currently has over 400 members from all over the world. Active HF nets and an outstanding newsletter, which includes ample health and welfare information on its members, help them "keep in touch" throughout the year, and even though the face-to-faces occur mostly at these annual conventions, they manage to maintain an enviable closeness and sense of caring. What it felt like was a big ol' family reunion, and we were made to feel like a part of the family. RON LANGSTON, WE5O, presented a forum on antennas, including his famous Ramada antenna, made with PVC tubing and a slinky, and despite his concerns that his equally famous Cajun humor wouldn't go over, everyone seemed to get as much enjoyment from his jokes as they did his technical tidbits. The Vice Director for the Delta division, HENRY LEGGETTE, WD4Q, talked about the ARRL organization and about that dreaded (and dreadful) BPL. My better half MIKE, K4HBI, and I finished off the first day's forums by doing our Team Swiderski presentation. We didn't make it back for the next day's forums on restoring boatanchors and on HF remoting, but we were there for that evening's banquet, as was our own Director of Vice, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU. OMIK became an ARRL affiliated club four or five years ago, when Sandy was our SM and I was the Affiliated Club Coordinator, so we'd had the privilege of meeting then-president FRANK SMITH, K1UB, of Fayetteville, when we presented him with the Charter of Affiliation. It's an honor to announce that during the convention, Frank was elected to a new term as president for this organization. CONGRATULATIONS to Frank, and to all of you black hams out there reading this: if you aren't already a member of this terrific organization, please consider it. These folks follow what's tantamount to a mission statement of "family, friendship, fellowship, and education" and follow through by supporting an outstanding scholarship program. At this year's banquet, they announced recipients of SEVEN one thousand dollar scholarships, and are already well on their way to topping that number at next year's convention, to be held in Las Vegas. For more info on this fine organization, please see http://www.omikradio.org

"Old hams don't die; they just short to ground."
RON LANGSTON, WE5O

CLUB NEWS

ALFORD MEMORIAL ARC--- On July 2nd, the eve of the annual Stone Mountain 4th of July parade, a party was hosted by parade chairman and Alford Memorial club member GEORGE COLETTI, KE4SFO, where Representative DENISE MAJETTE announced recipients of US flags, which would be raised over the US Capitol on the 4th. One of those flags went to the family of recent SK GARY ADAMS, KS4JR, longtime club member, and tireless worker in years past for events such as the parade. The next morning, the parade itself was initiated by the reading of a proclamation dedicating the parade to the memory of Gary and to his family. A much beloved member of the ham community, these special acknowledgements were very much appreciated by everyone who knew him.

BILL GREMILLION ARC--- For a change of pace, these folks set up a Collins KWM-2 for Field Day this year, and it was a smash hit, holding a frequency for over 11 hours straight. Okay, so it was running 600 watts, but I'll betcha the big draw was the sheer excitement and fun experience of getting to use such a classic rig.

CONYERS ARG--- Members scored a big PR coup recently, with the inclusion of an article in the local paper that described a fox hunt held by the club and also explained the practical usage for those DFing skills. The article also lauded the involvement of hams in providing communications following the chemical plant fire there in Rockdale county a couple of months ago.

FAYETTEVILLE ARC--- As noted in the Field Day addendum, these folks had quite a varied slate of activities planned for Field Day, designed to appeal to both hams and non-hams alike, topped off by the showing of the movie "Frequency". Some of you even commented to me about their extraordinary plans. One thing certainly worth a second look is the Amateur Radio Merit Badge class which they offered as part of their Field Day activities. Would you believe that 35 Scouts earned their badge, because of this group's efforts? That's pretty doggoned impressive, and these folks all deserve a huge attaboy for their fine efforts.

FLINT ARC--- This is the name for our newest club here in Georgia, the recently reborn Sumter county club, which was once upon a time known as the Americus ARC. GEORGE YOUNG, KE4VPD, Sumter county EC, is this new club's president, and at their first meeting, held in June, BOB SMITH, K4PHE, our DEC for Southwest GA, presented a program on ARES. This resulted in the recruitment of 15 new members to the emergency communications cause, one of whom, MAX MILLER, N4IFO, was subsequently appointed as the new EC for Macon county. With a mix of longtime hams and brand new hams from several counties, I predict great things for this new group. Congratulations to everyone involved in this exciting rebirth.

GEORGIA SINGLE SIDEBAND ASSN--- These folks will be holding their annual picnic/ business meeting at Indian Spring State Park on August 7th. As always, bring a tasty dish to share, and be prepared to have a good time. Toe-tapping music is a very distinct possibility.

KENNEHOOCHEE ARC--- As a result of the new affiliation between KARC and Southern Polytechnic State University, monthly meetings will now be held at the Southern Polytechnical campus in Marietta, in the Burruss Auditorium, H203, beginning with the August 3rd meeting. Students and university personnel will be invited to attend, and club members will be entering an exciting new era, in which they are given the opportunity to serve as mentors to the university's radio club members, not only on matters of amateur radio itself, but in showing them how amateur radio can impact their professional life, as well. Congratulations to this club for venturing into this new relationship. The August 3rd meeting will feature a program on Basic DXCC, presented by TED WILLIAMSON, WF4W. Talk-in on 146.880

LAGRANGE ARC--- These folks had another good month in July. JAY BUTLER wrote, "We had a gentleman take/pass his technician exam. We provided communications support over a 26 mile bike race which was part of the first triathlon held in West Point. There were 402 participants in the triathlon. We have a tentative request to do it again next year. They already anticipate 800 -1200 participants for next year. We utilized 12 hams to man a net control and every turn along the route. We provided info on the location of the leader and tailend Charlie along with any participant needing assistance."

LANIERLAND ARC--- From TERRY JONES, W4TL: The next LARC meeting will be held on Tuesday August 24 at a location to be announced. Some of the things that we have planned for the August meeting are an Ice Cream supper and some games involving GPS (Global Positioning System). More details on this will be made available in the next few weeks. So if you have a GPS unit (or have been thinking about getting one) you might want to start practicing using it so you can participate in all the fun. Stay tuned for more information.

MIDDLE GA ARC--- Plans are afoot for this group to provide a technician class in the Warner Robins area from November 12-14. Stay tuned.

NORTH GA ARC--- It's annual picnic time again for these folks, and club members will be meeting at Hancock Park in downtown Dahlonega on September 20th to break bread and cement friendships.

NORTHEAST GA ARC--- Thanks to LARRY OSBORNE, WT4XX, for the following information about this group: Our president recently compiled a list of the accomplishments and activities in the first 6 months. It is much too exhaustive a list for the newsletter, so all are invited to review the list at our website at: http://www.geocities.com/ddpresley/negarc. In fact, the webpage has been revised and it is great! The upcoming planned activities and events are September - ARES Drill; October/November - Classes; October - Family Cookout; November - VE Testing Session; December - Christmas Party; and December - Elections. Of course, more things come up at meetings so I am sure this is a small list of what will really happen. The way to join in and have an influence is to come to the next meeting at the Commerce Public Library on August 5 and 6:30 PM.

QCWA PEACH STATE CHAPTER 49---It's a bad news/ good news kinda thing. Unfortunately, "Technobuddy" BILL HUSTED, KQ4YA, who was slated to present the program at the August 7th meeting, will not be able to do so. (But he did promise that he'll come to a future meeting, so stay tuned on that one...) However, newly crowned winner of both the Hiram Percy Maxim award and the Young Ham of the Year award, ANDREA HARTLAGE, KG4IUM, will be addressing members about her involvement in amateur radio. If you have any doubts that young people can have a huge positive impact on amateur radio, you need to meet this young lady and hear what she has to say. Meeting at the Fire Mountain Grill near the intersection of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at noon for lunch, with meeting to follow.

SE DX CLUB--- New officers have been dutifully elected to lead these DX-ing dudes (and dudettes) into the next year. Congratulations to President WES LAMBOLEY, W3WL; VP AL LUDWICK, N4ZZK; Secretary GEORGE NICHOLSON, N4GRN; Treasurer HARRY SAUNDERS, W4KJ; and Activities Manager JOHN TRAMONTANIS, N4TOL. Best wishes for a productive and enjoyable term. Some of the members of this illustrious club will be participating in the Peter I DX-pedition in January. To keep an eye on how those plans are proceeding on this exciting (and cold!) trip, check http://www.peterone.com On July 24th, KEN BYERS, K4TEA, and his bride TRISH, graciously opened their home on Lake Lanier to fellow members for a cook-out and a day of fun in the sun.

THOMASVILLE ARC- These folks have organized a new VE team, with ED KIRKPATRICK, N4PCM, serving as coordinator. So, testing will be coming to the Thomasville area in the near future.

KUDOS to all of you who scored Field Day coverage in your local papers and TV. I've seen the great articles regarding the activities for the ELLIJAY ARC and the DALTON ARC, and both were outstanding. I'm sure that there were more, and you all deserve congratulations for your efforts in getting that good amateur radio PR out there in the media.

CLUB PRESIDENTS!! In case you missed the announcement about the new reflector for affiliated club presidents, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, forwarded this info about it: "Norm Fusaro's ARRL Affiliated Clubs Presidents Reflector went live on Field Day weekend, and is active with 120 presidents participating. Discussions are positive; a common thread is trying to increase club membership." Sounds pretty good, huh? You can join this group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrl_prez/

The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.

ARES NEWS

COWETA--- EC SAM SMITH, KD4SHK, saw some interesting information posted by MARK DERBY, KB8UFF, on an ARES email reflector about some "Break Tags" that a Muskegon, MI ARES group had adopted. Sam shared the concept with Coweta ARES, who agree that the idea is a good one. Here's the scoop:

There are currently seven one word Break Tags. They are: answer, question, info, priority, medical, emergency and your call sign. Most of these tags were used with great success for the first time at the 2004 Muskegon Air Fair.

Here is how they are used. Instead of saying 'break' between transmissions during a directed net, you use the one word Break Tag without your call sign. They are to be used only when your traffic will be appreciated by net control and results in more efficient communications. They are to be used wisely, as net control is being asked to stop and turn over the net to the breaker. The message that follows a break should be as short as possible. Here are their intended uses:

1. Answer: To be used when you have the answer to a question currently being discussed on the air.

2. Question: To be used when the answer of a question can't wait, for instance when the Mayor is standing next to you and requested you to get some info using your radio.

3. Info: To be used when information needs to be transmitted rapidly but is not related to what is being said on the air. For instance if something that net control needs to know about is going to happen in the next few seconds or if waiting for the end of an exchange will negate the value of the information.

4. Priority: To be used to report an important but non-life threatening situation such as a fender-bender that just happened.

5. Medical: To be used to report a minor medical incident that affects the operator in some way, like having to leave their post for a few minutes to walk someone with a minor cut over to a med tent.

6. Emergency: Only to be used to report an ongoing life or property threatening or damaging incident.

7. Your Call Sign: An indication that you have traffic that can wait and does not require the stoppage of the ongoing exchange. This tag is an expectation to be put on hold and in queue for your transmission.

GLYNN--- These folks will be offering code classes at the Brunswick Police Department, beginning August 7th, and expect them to continue until the middle of October. The EC of this fine group, CAPTAIN CHARLIE CARROLL, WD5ECL, has decided to pass the baton on to his assistant EC CLAY SMITH, W04X, who will become the new EC as of August first. Thanks, Charlie, for all you've done to get this group organized, and congratulations and thanks to Clay for taking the reins.

METRO ATLANTA DISTRICT DRILL--- This info from DAVID ZISKIND, KE4QLH: On Saturday, August 14 from 9 -11am will be a Metro Atlanta ARES drill. Please save the date, and announce it to your ARES groups now! We are trying to keep it 'short and sweet' to let everyone enjoy their Saturday afterwards! Please encourage your group members to mark this date, as we look forward to maximum participation. More information will be announced as the date approaches, but please go ahead and mark Saturday August 14 on your calendars. This drill is being held at the request of Metro Atlanta DEC Steve Reynolds, W4CNG and is being planned by: Tim Rosing, KC4ELV (Rockdale Co.) Tony King, W4ZT (South Fulton Co. / Metro Atlanta ADEC) Steve Garrison, N4SEG (DeKalb Co.) David Ziskind, KE4QLH (North Fulton Co.)

NEWTON--- With current active membership of this new group at 17, and with promise of more growth to come, these guys are off to a great start. They are planning a Sky Warn Spotter Training class on September 14, taking the county a step closer to being able to apply for "Storm Ready" status.

CONGRATULATIONS to MAX MILLER, N4IFO, who has accepted the appointment as EC for Macon county. Many thanks to him for his willingness to step forward and serve in this important capacity.

JIM FARLEY, KG4FXV, sent this information on a new Internet course:

HOMELAND SECURITY ASSISTS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WITH UNVEILING OF NEW INTERNET COURSE ON AMERICA'S NEW NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today a new online course that will help first responders understand the concepts and principles underlying the new National Incident Management System (NIMS) and to begin incorporating NIMS into their own planning and policies. To streamline coordination at the federal, state and local levels, President Bush directed the creation of NIMS, a newly developed, standardized incident management approach to emergency incidents.

"NIMS establishes standard incident management processes, protocols and procedures so that all responders - including those at the federal, state, tribal and local level - can coordinate their responses, share a common focus and place full emphasis on resolving the event," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "This new course introduces NIMS in a way that is easy and accessible to the nation's emergency responders."

The training experts at Homeland Security's Emergency Management Institute created the online course, which takes about three hours to complete. The course can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWEB/IS/is700.asp.

The recently announced NIMS Integration Center, called the NIC, is being established to provide strategic direction and oversight of NIMS. The NIC was established by Secretary Ridge with FEMA as the lead to assure the all-hazards approach is an integral part of response training. The NIC will develop and facilitate national standards for NIMS education and training and refine the system over time.

"Emergency management is a departmental priority, and enhancing the capabilities of first responders and emergency managers is key in responding to all hazards," said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. "This new online course is one of many ways Secretary Ridge and I are working with our partners to put NIMS into practice for the American people."

NIMS builds on the long-used and successful Incident Command System and the proven principles of unified command. Another key feature of NIMS includes communication and information management so that responders and managers across all agencies, professions and jurisdictions have a common operating picture for a more efficient and effective response.

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi
de PAUL MANNO, KG4UVU

ARES REPORT FROM MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX, SEC

1 Jurisdictions Reporting 57
2 Total # of ARES Members 1007
3 Change since last month 44
4 Total Net Sessions 295
5 Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month 135
6 Man hours 2360
7 Number of public service events this month 17
8 Man hours 543
9 Number of emergency operations this month 43
10 Man hours 2810
11 Total number of ARES operations this month 469
12 Man hours 7364

Section EC Notes
Statewide ARES activation in support of G8 Conference (2810.5 man hours)
Jim Cote, N4PJR, promoted to Assistant SEC, South Georgia
Coosa Valley Cycling Assn "Up The Creek Without a Pedal" (Polk/Floyd Co)
ARRL Field Day exercise (drill hours do not reflect entire effort statewide)
NWS severe thunderstorm warning support (joint SKYWARN/ARES)
Red Cross Exercise (Houston Co)
Gwinnett County Commission passed resolution making June 20-28 Amateur Radio Appreciation Week in Gwinnett County
American Heart Assn West GA 100 Bike ride (Carroll Co)
Increased contact and cooperation between ARES EC and EMA in many counties

Counties/Jurisdictions Reporting District Appointment Reporter
Bartow 1 EC KG4SRX Denise Lorren
Carroll 1 EC K4DEY Alan Rundall
Coweta 1 EC KD4SHK Sam Smith
Floyd 1 EC WB4FGM Ed Byars
Gilmer 1 EC W4YNE Wayne Burgess
Gordon 1 EC WQ4T James Howard
Haralson 1 EC KD4YDA Jon Mitcham
Murray 1 EC KG4RSU Cecil Clements
Polk 1 EC KD4EKZ Bill Dickert
Whitfield 1 EC KV4ED Roland Roland
Clarke 2 EC N4ZRA Edward A. Rollor III
Forsyth 2 EC WA4NEE Jerry Adams
Habersham 2 EC KF4ZQV Phil Crocco
Madison 2 EC N4ZRA Edward A. Rollor III
Oglethorpe 2 EC N4ZRA Edward A. Rollor III
Cherokee 3 EC WA6IKS Darragh McCluer
Clayton 3 EC WB4WQE Roy Baker
Dekalb 3 EC N4SEG Steve Garrison
Fayette 3 AEC AG4ZR David Benoist
Gwinnett 3 EC WA4DYD Stan Edwards
Newton 3 EC AG4LS Carl Wulfestieg
North Fulton 3 AEC KF4MDV David Tomaschik
Rockdale 3 EC KC4ELV Tim Rosing
South Fulton 3 EC W4ZT Tony King
Baldwin 5 EC KD4NGC Jimmy Garner
Bibb 5 EC W4ALQ Bob Currey
Houston 5 EC WB4EEL John Louth
Morgan 5 EC K2MGL Chuck Roswell
Pike 5 EC N4EVR Adam Bennett
Jefferson 6 EC KR4JI Louie Handberry
Washington 6 EC K4GK Charles Pennington
Baker 7 EC K4GCR Floyd Leon Perrett
Calhoun 7 EC W4KEF Ken Fields
Decatur 7 EC KE4RWR John Swicord
Dougherty 7 EC N4GPJ Arthur Shipley
Lee 7 EC KB4OMV G. Daniel Tyson
Mitchell 7 EC N4GPJ Arthur Shipley
Randolph 7 EC W4KEF Ken Fields
Sumter 7 EC KE4VPD George Young
Worth 7 EC K1KBA Kenneth B. Adams
Brantley 8 EC KE4WXD Bruce Davis
Bryan 8 EC W4KTN Kayton Smith III
Bulloch 8 EC KF4MLT C. Mark Aulick
Camden 8 EC N4TIS Chuck Cooper
Charlton 8 EC WB4GPR Leo Miller
Chatham 8 EC K4DJD David Delamater
Coffee 8 EC KD4QFH Jeffrey Peters
Dodge 8 EC KG4WQZ Tom Giddens
Emanuel 8 EC KC4ULS Randy Scott
Evans 8 EC W4HYU John Perkins
Glynn 8 EC WD5ECL Charlie Carroll
Telfair 8 EC WA4EHO Samuel Rawlins
Wayne 8 AEC N4RRO Wilma Cote
GEMA 0 DEC KG4FXG Bill Carter
Metro Atlanta 3 DEC W4CNG Steve Reynolds
NWS 0 DEC KG4PZI David Homan
Southwest 7 DEC K4PHE Bob Smith
Southeast 8 DEC N4PJR Jim Cote

EC/DEC Comments

Pike, EC, N4EVR - Adam Bennett
Metro Atlanta North Fulton, AEC, KF4MDV - David Tomaschik
June 1 - Met with AFCEMA personnel to discuss next steps for amateur radio equipment in EOC. June 27 - met with Capt. Jim Cheatham from Alpharetta Fire regarding expanding amateur radio involvement; equipment for his command center; and equipment for a mobile command trailer that is being built. Also spoke with Joe Nedley from St. Josephs Hospital regarding antennas for various radios.

Chatham, EC, K4DJD - David Delamater
These hours were generated by the G8 Summit event. I can't begin to say
how much I appreciate the help from all over the state. Thanks again...

South Fulton, EC, W4ZT - Tony King
Note our ARES(r) net is every Tuesday evening at 20:00 local time on
146.625 -600 (100Hz)

Rockdale, EC, KC4ELV - Tim Rosing
Participated in local field day events. Recruited 11 new members at Field Day. Includes 21 hours of net operation. Does not include time at Field Day.

Forsyth, EC, WA4NEE - Jerry Adams
Hours include Forsyth &Dawson Counties and Field day operations

GEMA, DEC, KG4FXG - Bill Carter
Hours for support of G8 via local nets and man hours by local GEMA ARES(r) members.

Habersham, EC, KF4ZQV - Phil Crocco
This is my last monthly report. I have enjoyed your support. Maybe
later as the elections settle down. Perhaps more Amateur Radio friends will enter the county public service offices. Take care and good luck.

Polk, EC, KD4EKZ - Bill Dickert
Polk and Floyd County ARES members provided communication to the Coosa Valley Cycling Association's annual "Up The Creek Without a Pedal" bicycle ride for charity on May 15. A total of 180 man hours was required for planning and execution of the event. CVCA was well pleased with our performance. We have been asked to participate again in 2005. One common question that day from the organizers was "how did you get through on those little radios?" CVCA had a hard time understanding how we could communicate where their cell phones did not work. We may get some new hams as a result. Participation for the Monday Night Emergency Services Net continues to be strong. Thanks to everyone for their help!

National Weather Svc., ADEC, KG4PZI - David Homan
All operations concerned severe thunderstorm warning support. 13th, early morning, 1 person, 2.75 hrs; 13th, late afternoon, 2 people, 4 hrs; 18th, 2 people, 7 hrs.

Bulloch, EC, KF4MLT - C. Mark Aulick
Item #6 includes 3 ARES nets plus 8 "local" nets. Item #10 includes G-8
activities through ARES nets run out of Savannah, with check-ins from Bulloch County.

Glynn, EC, WD5ECL - Charlie Carroll
For additional info concerning G-8 operations see e-mail, 17 June 2004
from Charlie Carroll, WD5ECL to Mike Boatright, cc Susan Swiderski

Bibb, EC, W4ALQ - Bob Currey
ARES Operation - G8
For info, The Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Amateur Radio Group, WX4EMA, participated in Field Day as a Class 2F Station. Visitors, official visitors and guest logged 34 hours. Amateur Radio Operators logged 134.5 hours with approximately 440.

Sumter, EC, KE4VPD - George Young
New Flint ARC has over 20 members now, Bob, K4PHE put on a good talk about ARES that netted all the new members at the last meeting.

Charlton, EC, WB4GPR - Leo Miller
Details sent to DEC

Bryan, EC, W4KTN - Kayton Smith III
Assisted Chatham County EC with equipment. Also monitored and operated
during the G-8 Operations from the Savannah Haz-Mat Operations Center. RF was very heavy, and could not make contacts with AF4FO at Sea Island. Assisted 44th C.S.T. with radio systems and operating frequencies, for support of G-8 operations.

Dekalb, EC, N4SEG - Steve Garrison
The Bio-Lab event was reported last month when it should have been on this month's report. The public service event was N4SEG's deployment to Savannah in support of the G8 summit. Our one "drill" for the month was field day which I'm including as 252 hours.

Mitchell, EC, N4GPJ - Arthur Shipley
Field Day Exercise

Dougherty, EC, N4GPJ - Arthur Shipley
Field Day Exercise

Southwest, DEC, K4PHE - Bob Smith
The SW GA District held it's quarterly meeting with about 25 members in attendance. After an ARES program presented by K4PHE, we signed up 15 new ARES members at the Flint Amateur Radio Club meeting in Americus (Sumter County).

Metro Atlanta, DEC, W4CNG - Stephen Reynolds
Activity hours in Savannah to support G8. The real total is much higher, just hard to remember all of it.

Central Houston, EC, WB4EEL - John Louth
Assisted with Red Cross Exercise

Gwinnett, EC, WA4DYD - Stan Edwards
Note: All net hours are included in the report.
Training Activities:
Weekly training nets 91 checkins, 98 minutes.
Meetings: 27 attendees for 5.5 hours
Field Day Class F Operation 6/26-27 - A total of 29 ARES members participated in or visited the Class F operation conducted at the new Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters Incident Command Center and ARES communications trailer that is under reconstruction.
Public Service Events:
A total of 5 individuals participated in providing 60 man-hours of work this month in refurbishing the communications trailer.
Emergency Operations:
G8 Conference (Counted under Chatham County report.): Six members of Gwinnett ARES assisted in the G8 Conference: AF4FO, K4HBI, KE4IKF, N4TRB, WA4DYD and WA4YIH. Also, a big thank you goes to Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH, AEC for Digital in Gwinnett Co., for putting together a temporary Echolink into the Chatham ARES net and John Davis, WB4QDX, who provided the Echolink access for a special net Thursday evening with 15 participants for 1 hour. In addition, WB4WTN spent 9 hours and WB9JSW spent 10 hours monitoring in support of the conference.
SKYWARN Activation 6/12: 12 participants for 18 minutes.
Other Significant Activities:
On June 15, Stan Edwards, WA4DYD, and a representative of Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society attended the Gwinnett County Commission where the commissioners passed a resolution making June 20-28 Amateur Radio Appreciation Week in Gwinnett County. Standing with the presenter, John Dunn, a commissioner and Amateur Radio operator, were Fire and Emergency Services Chief McElfish and EMA Coordinator Frank Daniell.

Wayne, AEC, N4RRO - Wilma Cote
Training by W4CNG 14 X 3hr = 42; 69 net checkins .5 hr = 34.5

Gordon, EC, WQ4T - James Howard
Continued our local ARES(r) training based on ARRL ECOM-1 course. Also in
planning phase for upcoming "Unity Run" sponsored by United Way, one of the Agencies we serve.

Northwest Haralson, EC, KD4YDA - Jon Mitcham
Two of our new ARES(r) members met with AEC Dale, N4CHC, and visited the 911 center in Buchanan. I have been informed that the EMA director resigned in May. The interim director is with the Haralson County fire dept.

Morgan, EC, K2MGL - Chuck Roswell
1. Sunday evening net time of 7:30 PM LT conflicts often with Sunday evening church service.
2. Coordinating with Local Hospital and Woodsmen of the World to set up ARES(r) Station in Hospital EOC.
Georgia ARES monthly report for June, 2004

Clayton, EC, WB4WQE - Roy Baker
The new EOC Ham Station is now in operations, awaiting the last 80meter element to be operational on 80-6, 144, and 440. Demoed Ham radio at a Library Summer Safety Show in Riverdale Georgia - 1 activation of our Skywarn to level 1 alert (relaxed net, info gathering only) - Field day operation in the Old EOC that will become the Aux EOC (and our secondary operation and gathering area.) Susan was right - a very busy June. 73 Roy

Bartow, EC, KG4SRX - Denise Lorren
John Benka Bartow AEC. Has moved and is no longer in the Bartow County ARES. Robert Rody, AE4JO, is filling the position, until I find someone else........THANKS!!!!

Lee, EC, KB4OMV - Dan Tyson
Monthly CERT training (2 hours X 4 people)

Northwest Carroll, EC, K4DEY - Alan Rundall
Carroll Co. ARES provided communications for the West GA 100 Bike ride for the Carroll Co. chapter of the American Heart Assoc. on Sunday, June 6. Operators were KB4GHI, KG4ZHF, KE4FJI, KF4EHY and K4DEY.

Digital Communications, DEC, KC4ZGQ - John Kraus
The hours above are in addition to the G-8 summit hours already reported. I was able to copy the entire PSK31 ARRL FD bulletin on 14.095.

Camden, EC, N4TIS - Chuck Cooper
Made contact with several local officials and have an appointment sometime in the next several weeks to talk about ARES. Also passed out numerous flyers at Field Day.

Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong
De PAUL MANNO, KG4UVU

NET REPORT FROM JIM HANNA, AF4NS, STM

NET ACTIVITY:

*****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.

***** Other GREAT nets:
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...)

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled (QTC):

"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

IN PRAISE OF ELMER'S

In the theatre world, the people who aid and support a production, through money and influence, are called "angels", which is a rather apt word choice, I think, considering how important and "heavenly" their backing is to the likelihood of the production ever making it onto the stage. Likewise, Elmers, the "angels" of amateur radio, often make a huge difference in whether a ham ever gets on the air or simply lets his license sit on the shelf until it expires. If you look up the word "Elmer" in your trusty ol' Funk & Wagnall, you won't find it listed there, but most longtime hams can not only tell you what an Elmer is, but can tell you in glowing terms about the important role that their own personal Elmer played in making amateur radio such a special part of their lives.

At the OMIK convention, RON LANGSTON, WE5O, who is a top-notch CW operator, talked about his early days after getting that first license, and about how he spent a couple of nerve-racking weeks just staring at his key before getting the nerve to send out those first dits and dahs. When he finally wiped off his sweaty palms, sent out that very first tentative CQ, and actually got that first magical response, he was so excited that he knocked his rig off-frequency, losing his first contact forever. But as the very best traditions of amateur radio would have it, another ham from the area contacted Ron via telephone, and stepped up to become Ron's Elmer. He took Ron under his wing, encouraged and nurtured his growth, and helped him develop into the fine ham we all know and love today. Nowadays? I'll bet that Ron has the distinction of being responsible for more hams making their first CW contact, under his patient guidance, than just about anybody else around. Just as Ron benefited from the guidance of another more experienced ham, now that he IS that more experienced ham, he takes great joy in helping others.

To me, that's the way it oughta be.

That's why it was so disturbing to read a string of scathing comments on eham not long ago regarding the new hams of today. The original posting lamented ever becoming a VE, because he was disgusted with the latest batch of hams, who had ruined his enjoyment on the local repeater. Many of the ensuing commenters jumped on the bandwagon, attacking the operational procedures, lingo, etc. of the new hams. Thankfully, some other voices spoke up, and turned it around. WHO will help those new hams if not YOU, the ham who DOES know the correct operational procedures, lingo, etc? None of us were born knowing how to walk. And few of us "knew it all" when the ink was still wet on our first license. Heck, with all there is to know in this hobby, I'd dare say that none of us "know it all" now, no matter how many years we've been licensed.

Thinking about all of this, and about the ARRL's mentoring programs, I was a little discouraged that some people seem to have forgotten that they, too, needed help at one time in their early days in the hobby. Then, like a balm to my discouragement came an email written by TERRY JONES, W4TL, about his Elmer. Terry has been around in the hobby for quite a few years, and has spent much time in helping others in and through the bobby. It's delightful to know what high regard he has for his Elmer, and to know that he hasn't forgotten that special person. So, I'm gonna share his email with you, and ask YOU to remember. Remember your own Elmer, and please, rather than criticize today's new hams, help them as you were once helped, by being an Elmer yourself. The future of this hobby depends on it.

Terry wrote:

To the best of my knowledge Gainesville's oldest and longest licensed amateur radio operator is now back on the air on 75 meters. Ernest Church, W4DWE, who is 91 years old and has been licensed as W4DWE since 1935 is now operating on 75 meters again.

"Ernie" as I have called him for 40 years has been my "Elmer" all through these many years is now in declining health. He has diabetes, prostate cancer and a heart condition. Ernie, licensed since 1935 confided in me that he "bootlegged" an amateur call (not W4DWE) for four or five years before he became licensed. He was a builder and could put together a transmitter out of even the most meager components and has perhaps forgotten more about "real radios, those that glow in the dark" (tube radios) than many of us will ever learn. Ernest worked as a Broadcast  Engineer for various AM Stations in the Georgia and Carolina area as well  as a radio (tube radio) repairman. He taught me a lot of "tricks" in  radio, and especially how to tune up a tube transmitter without ever  looking at the plate or grid meter. I'll share this little trick as part  of the story. The method is to connect your transmitter to a 100-150 watt  light bulb and just start talking, whistling, or holding down the CW key and start turning the various tuning knobs until you had maximum brilliance on the light bulb. When this was achieved you could then  connect the antenna to the transmitter and you were ready to go. You see  most of the time the old tube transmitters would load into and antenna even  if the SWR was high. This is just one of the many "tricks" he shared with  me and I really appreciate him for sharing with me some of his knowledge  through these years. We have talked with each other on a regular basis ever  since we got to know each other.

Well, Ernie's antenna has been down for quite a while and every time I would talk with him I would ask him to let me get him an antenna back up so  he could again talk with his many amateur friends that he has talked with  all through the years. His reply would be each time "Terry, I just don't  feel like talking any more and don't want to." Well, this week I got a  call from "Ernie" and he said to me, "Terry, if you want to put up an  antenna for me come on over I think I want to get back on the air." These  were the words I had been wanting to hear for a long time so we got about  the task of getting him an antenna. I assembled a simple 75 meter dipole  last night and John Vaughn, WA4ZQP, myself and my trusty bow met at Ernie's QTH to get it airborne. Well by 10:00 Ernest was back on the air on 75 meters and you can tell by the smile on his face that he is again happy.

You can view pictures of Ernest at his operating position and the antenna if you look hard enough at the following URL http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmThk0aNWj4Y  http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmThk0aNWj4Y 

Ernest is a Life Member of LARC and is a dear friend of mine to boot, as you can tell. The moral of this story is two-fold. One, if you are an  experienced amateur offer to "Elmer" some newcomer to the hobby who might  be a bit too shy or intimidated to step forth and ask for advice. Two, if  you are a newcomer don't be afraid to ask for help and advice as this is  something all of us amateurs have had to do at one time or another. Who  knows you may too develop a lifelong friendship as I have with Ernest. The  value of a friendship developed and nurtured over time is a priceless  investment. I very well remember him giving me my Novice CW test and we  were listening to some CW on the air and I was struggling to copy through all the QRM &QRN. He then began to send code to me on a code oscillator  for me to copy and I might have been doing a little better, I don't know  for sure. In a few minutes he stopped sending and said "Terry, you will  get better after you get on the air." At that time after passing the code  the volunteer examiner had to write the FCC for a Novice written test which came about 6 weeks later. I took the test and he sent it off and neither of us knew for sure where I passed or not. Well about 10-11 weeks later  the envelope arrived with my license and I was ready to go until the time  came for me to actually get on the air. I fired up my WRL Globe Scout CW  transmitter and Hallicrafters SX-28 receiver and broke out in a "cold  sweat" as I called my first CQ. Ernest was right my CW did improve after I  got on the air. The more I operated the more comfortable CW became for me.

As I said Ernest is in declining health and sometimes doesn't feel good but I am sure he would appreciate a card or phone call. His mailing address is:

ERNEST CHURCH, W4DWE
1106 HANCOCK AVE
GAINESVILLE GA 30501

and his phone number is 770-536-9790 The best time to call would be between 10 AM and 4 PM. If he is feeling good he may even tell you one of  his past humorous experiences. One that sticks in my mind is that as a  young teenager he built an AM Broadcast transmitter and was "bootlegging"  and was broadcasting from an upstairs dormer at his mothers house on  Northside Drive here in Gainesville. Well, word got out and people from  all over Gainesville converged in his mothers front yard one night to witness the miracle of radio being transmitted over the airways. That was god, but what happened was the deluge of people trampled down his mothers  flower garden while watching him and she really came down hard on him  because of that. I could go on and on with stories he has shared with me.

"LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOUR ELMER AS THEY CAN BECOME A FRIEND FOREVER"

73'Terry, W4TL

Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

WINLINK: A WINNING PROPOSAL?

You've probably been reading and hearing more about this technology lately, especially since the Board of Directors' recent recommendation that WinLink be adopted by ARES as an additional communications tool with which to better accommodate the needs of our served agencies. There are many good reasons for this recommendation. Among them:

1. There may be situations where ARES will be called upon to pass digital traffic across the nation quickly and accurately. Email can do this. And it provides an accurate record.

2. Efficient use of the spectrum, especially through digital modes, effectively demonstrates to policymakers and regulators alike that we are good stewards of the spectrum that has been entrusted to us, and may actually strengthen our case should we seek additional spectrum allocations in the future.

3. The use of email is universal, so our served agencies are used to it and will be most comfortable being able to continue using it in times of emergencies.

OK, so are you scratching your head, saying something along the lines of, "Email is NOT amateur radio, and that's NOT why I got licensed?!"

That's a perfectly understandable sentiment. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I have a LOT to learn about this mode, but let me share just a little bit about it, as I understand it. Have you heard of the "Last Mile"? That's the incident area where conventional communications have been totally disrupted or overloaded by an emergency situation. With the use of WinLink, amateur radio can provide email capabilities to any served agency, without telephone service, without the Internet.... within that "last mile", across the nation, or around the world.

DICK MONDRO, W8FQT, Vice Director of the Great Lakes Division and chairman of ARESCOM (the committee formed to examine how to best provide emergency communications to our served agencies) wrote this about WinLink: "This is a working, reliable, redundant system that is being tried out, and it's currently capable of supplying served agencies with seamless, end-to-end "last mile" email from their own email programs on their own desktop computers with or without normal Internet connectivity. In addition, it provides an opportunity to establish Internet connectivity over HF should normal regional Internet links be disrupted. All of this may happen with little or no learning curve on the part of those who will benefit from the system, and without adding additional stress to an already stressful situation."

And just how would we accomplish this, you might ask? Currently, there are two central redundant servers, called CMBOs, or "Central Mailbox Offices", one on the east coast and one on the west coast, each located in a secure site with backup power. A worldwide network of participating radio stations, called PMBOs, or "Participating Mailbox Offices", enable users to communicate, either directly through the PMBOs, or through other modules. There are currently 41 of these public PMBOs, 23 of which are located in the US. All of the US mailboxes are permanently hooked up to the Internet.

Each PMBO, incorporating a VHF/UHF Telpac node onsite, has the ability to hub all digital radio traffic that passes through it, both UHF/VHF and HF. For emergency communications, with a "non-public" ARES PMBO installed at emergency management facilities, intended for emergency communications only... not for everyday usage, served agencies would be able to send each other email, as well as email the field, all without any Internet capability. If you haven't already read it, you might read Part One of the article in the August QST describing how this system functions in the Houston, Texas, area.

The software to run WinLink is free. The hardware to make it work, alas, is not. A basic WinLink HF long range field station would require an HF transceiver, a Pactor capable modem, (PactorII @ 800 bps. P3 @ 3600 bps. recommended) an HF multiband antenna, possibly a tuner, 12V DC power source, and a laptop computer (Win 95 or later) If you're running a BBS, you probably already have the essential ingredients.

This technology, developed by hams for hams, could be a valuable addition to our current means of emergency communications. I repeat, a "valuable addition". There will continue to be a need for more traditional NTS and digital NTS modes. Implementing WinLink into our ARES work will take time, work, and money. Nonetheless, if we are truly a part of Homeland Security, and if we want to provide the best emergency communications possible for our served agencies, it behooves us to learn more about this technology and investigate means to integrate it into GA ARES.

For more information, and even a great downloadable power point presentation on WinLink, see http://www.winlink.org

FIRST LAW OF DEBATE: Never argue with a fool. People might forget who's who.
de JOE DOMALESKI, KI4ASK

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ADVANCED RADIO TECHNOLOGIES (ISART 2005)

OK, folks, here's your chance to share your brilliance with the world, or at least with a bunch of other innovators just like yourself. Coming up the beginning of March will be the next ISART, and the call for papers is out now. Read on...

The ISART technical program committee is soliciting papers for the 7th annual International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies (ISART) to be held in Boulder, Colorado March 1-3, 2005. These papers will discuss new radio technologies, wireless research, and innovation of business, economic, and policy concepts for the purpose of forecasting the development and application of radio frequency technologies into the next decade. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Options for Effective Spectrum Management
- Spectrum Efficiency and Utilization
- Public Safety Communication
- Software Defined Radio (SDR)
- Broadband over Power Lines
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
- Wireless LANs
- Hybrid LANs
- Propagation Modeling in Urban Environment
- International interest in 802.16
- Digital Video Broadcasting: Handhelds (DVB-H)
- VPN/Wireless Security
- Mesh Networking
- High Speed Digital Packet Access
- 3G/4G Developments
- 2004 Olympics Communications Lessons Learned
- GPS, Galileo, Glonass Interoperability and standards
- 802.11x Convergence
- Human Computer Interface
- Battery/Power Sources
- Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
- MIMO Receivers
- UWB Communications
- Signal Compression
- Conformal Antenna Design
- New Protocols
- Voice over IP (VoIP)
- IPv6
- Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
- Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)
- Mobile VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals)
- Automatic Voice Recognition
- Machine Translation
- Automatic Direction Finding Network
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum Computing

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 8, 04 - Deadline for submission of draft paper.
Nov. 5, 04 - Notification of acceptance to authors.
Jan. 31, 05 - Deadline for submission of final paper.

CALL FOR PAPERS FORMAT:

- Submit a draft copy of the proposed paper.
- Indicate the contact author with an e-mail address.
- Note: the length of the final paper may not exceed ten pages, see
the manuscript preparation instructions online at
http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/meetings/art/paper_instructions.php.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Submit all materials electronically to Jeanne Ratzloff in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/adobepdf.html. Authors will be notified of receipt of submission via e-mail. If you do not receive notification contact Jeanne Ratzloff.

Jeanne Ratzloff DOC/NTIA/ITS.M
325 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80305-3328
Tel: 303-497-3330
Fax: 303-497-5323
e-mail: ratzloff@its.bldrdoc.gov

THE LAW OF VOLUNTEERING: If you dance with a grizzly bear, you'd better let him lead. De JOE DOMALESKI, KI4ASK

SECTION NOTABLES

Two Georgia hams have reached an impressive fifty year milestone as members of the ARRL. CONGRATULATIONS to PHILIP BLOCK, KK4SQ, of Snellville, and ROBERT RODENROTH, W0MSZ, of Warner Robins. Each will be receiving a plaque from the ARRL in honor of their years of support for and affiliation with the League.

CONGRATULATIONS to TOM CLEVELAND, N2DAD, who was recently elected to serve as a member of the Forsyth county Board of Education.

CHARLIE KENT, W4CDK, of the Gateway ARC in Cleveland, with help from CHRIS EGELUND, AG4AX, and RON MCENTIRE, K4RBM, taught a ham radio class for seven Scouts recently. All seven boys, one of whom is Charlie's grandson, are now licensed. Way to go, guys! That's the way to bring down that average age of hams!

PHIL NEIDLINGER, KA4KOE, that funny fella and prolific pundit, has been busy lately, churning out three new Dead Electrical Dude articles for eham. Ampere, Faraday, and Fleming are the DEDs chronicled in the three latest installments in Phil's ongoing series, bringing the total up to fourteen. You can see these articles at http://www.eham.net/articles/8857 and /8858 and /8873.

CONGRATULATIONS to JIMMY LEE, AE4DT, whose QRP prowess with his K2 earned him the Elecraft WAS certificate #35, for working all fifty states with his K2, running 5 watts.

"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir, mighty scarce." MARK TWAIN

PIGLETS (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

Once again, congratulations to fifteen year old ANDREA HARTLAGE, KG4IUM, for her double dose of honors; first, as a co-recipient of the Hiram Percy Maxim award, which will be awarded to her at the Alford Memorial ARC's Lawrenceville Hamfest in November, and then for being named the Young Ham of the Year just a few days later. She will receive that equally impressive award at the Huntsville Hamfest on August 21st.

OK, kids, now you know that these awards exist. And they're terrific awards, given in recognition of contributions made by the younger members of our hobby. Like you. The Hiram Percy Maxim award entails a $1500 prize, and the Young Ham of the Year award includes a week at the Space Camp in Huntsville and a brand new Yaesu HF rig. Worth aiming for? You betcha! It'd be great to see some more nominees from the GA Section next year.

If lawyers can be disbarred and ministers defrocked, doesn't it stand to reason that electricians can be... delighted... musicians... denoted... cowboys... deranged... models... deposed... tree surgeons... debarked... and dry cleaners... depressed....???

TECH TIPS

This tip comes to us from NORM SCHKLAR, WA4ZXV. He wrote: "I recently went to a local home supply store and purchased some solid wire to build a coil for an HF antenna. They used one of those neat wire measuring and take up wheels. Well, it puts bends in the wire at about every four inches. The hint is to keep the wire off the neat wind up reel, just roll it by hand. It will save a lot of time when winding the coil."

Interested in taking advantage of those cool 6M openings, but not sure what your grid square is? You can find that information and more, like latitude and longitude, and some archival info, at this cool site: http://hamcall.net/call

In last month's newsletter, when describing one of the antennas used during our deployment during the G-8 summit, I wrote, "To improve the effectiveness of the loop, a little snip-snip operation and some alligator clips created a small section that could be attached to form a closed loop for 80M usage, or be unclipped, for operations, on 40M." That antenna guru HAROLD ALLEN, W4MMC, requested a little bit of clarification, so I figured I'd share that with the rest of you, too. It was actually quite simple. The 80M loop didn't perform well on 40M, so the "little snip-snip operation" was to open the center of the loop, which essentially created a bent around dipole. That worked much better on 40M. For 80M, a clip lead was used to jumper the ends of the dipole back together again, to reform the loop. Not fancy, I know, but it was a simple, but effective, field expedient solution to the problem.

Looking for a fun and useful project? How about building your own APRS TNC and transmitter that's ready to hook up to your GPS unit? Check it out on http://www.byonics.com

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

UPCOMING EVENTS

AUGUST 7 --- GA Single Sideband Association picnic at Indian Springs State Park

AUGUST 7-8--- National Lighthouses on the Air event. Always a fun event, but alas, Mike and I won't be making the trek to operate from the Tybee Island lighthouse this year. Last I heard, ever-ready STEVE REYNOLDS, W4CNG, however, will be carrying on the tradition, so listen out for him, running our old trusty callsign, K4T.

AUGUST 14 - ELLIJAY HAMFEST--- at the Civic Center complex, located at 1561 South Main Street (AKA Old Highway 5 South) Both outdoor tailgating and indoor tables available. Set-up on Friday evening and 6-7 AM Saturday. Talk-in 146.985(-) PL77

AUGUST 21 --- HUNTSVILLE, AL HAMFEST

SEPTEMBER 4-5 --- SHELBY, NC HAMFEST

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

SILENT KEYS

CURT BOREE, AG4VQ (ex KE4HMR0
EDDIE NIX, KB4OBG

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

Well, folks, that's about it for now. Hope to see a bunch of you at the Ellijay Hamfest. No matter how busy you are, try to take the time to get on the air this coming month. There's nothing like it to reaffirm the magic and enjoyment that got us into this hobby in the first place. Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves. And each other.

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

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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