Georgia Section On My Mind

October, 2006

Greetings, All.

It's hard to believe that we're already into the fall of the year, isn't it? (Years just don't last as long as they used to...)

HONEST-TO-GOODNESS LAST REMINDER: The deadline for applications for the GA Section Youth of the Year is this Saturday, September 30. As of this writing, NO nominations have been received, although we have heard from one fine gentleman who intends to nominate his grandson. Looks like this may end up being another one of those good ideas that gets de-railed by apathy. See www.arrl-ga.org  for details, before it's TOO LATE.

OK, not a lot of chatter this month. Let's get on with it and see what's been happening, and what's coming up right around the corner.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?

SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

SEPTEMBER 9 --- PRATER'S MILL Hamfest- As always, this dyn-o-mite tailgating event was sponsored by the Dalton ARC. We didn't make it this year, but by all accounts, it was another old-fashioned success, marked by a number of boat anchor enthusiasts camping out onsite. Sorry we missed it.

SEPTEMBER 16 --- DALLAS Hamfest-- Though the Paulding ARC has held their Hamfest in Paulding Meadows Park for many years, this marked only the second year that the Hamfest was held nestled down under the trees down the hill from where it used to be held. There, tucked under the trees, we can take advantage not only of the wonderful shade, but also of the various wooden booths and structures that are already set up there for arts and crafts shows. Alas, RONNY JULIAN, K4RJJ, didn't make it to the Hamfest last year, so he made extra sure to get there bright and early this year so he could pick himself out a prime spot to sell his treasures. He did. He got himself a real good spot. Unfortunately, it was at the former location at the top of the hill. Oops! But Ronnie has a good sense of humor, and he good-naturedly re-located to ANOTHER good spot at the bottom of the hill.

Once again, this was a very friendly gathering, and club members provided a fine (and BIG) home-cooked lunch for everyone's enjoyment. One notable, and delightful, difference this year was in the impressive number of young people who were present. Though most of the youngsters were unlicensed, there were three young men there that the club has affectionately dubbed the "XYZ" kids: CASSIDY BARRETT, KI4QHX; CONNER O'KEEFE, KI4QHY; and KEEGAN O'KEEFE, KI4QHZ. As you can tell, they are recent licensees, and the club is very proud of them. It was great to see them, and all of the other young people, having so much fun at this event.

Another surprise provided by this Hamfest was in how many people signed up to become ARRL members. And SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, and I didn't have to browbeat them, or anything; folks actually came looking for us to sign up! With all of the young people around, one would think that we would have sold a few of the cool GA Piglet tee shirts, too, It turned out that the only GA Piglet tee shirt sold went to AL MARTIN, KF4RPQ, who is, undoubtedly, "young at heart". There was one precious little three-year-old there, whose parents had bought her a Piglet tee shirt at the Ellijay Hamfest in August. When they told her that they were going to another Hamfest, she declared, "I've gotta wear my pig shirt!!" Her mom said she wasn't even sure where the shirt was, but the munchkin knew, and she looked cute as a button in it, too.

All in all, this was another fun outing. Thanks go out to the members of the Paulding ARC for all of their work in hosting another fun event for our enjoyment, and of course, many thanks to each of you who was able to attend. I do believe a good time was had by all.

SEPTEMBER 20 --- NATIONAL GUARD EXERCISE -- It was pretty exciting when the GA Air National Guard asked GA ARES to participate in their exercise this year. After seeing how well WinLink performed following Katrina, they were particularly interested in integrating its usage into this exercise. It is a pleasure to report that both GA ARES and WinLink performed exceptionally well. Many thanks go out to GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, our ASEC for Operations, who laid the groundwork for all of the planning for ARES' participation, and to each and every one of you who supported this exercise. The support was absolutely outstanding, especially considering that this exercise took place on a Wednesday, with 500+ check-ins to the HF net, better than 100 check-ins via WinLink, and multiple VHF nets held throughout the state. ARES-MAT deployed to three strategic locations with the Guard, where they set up WinLink stations and handled all of the traffic between those locations. Please see Greg's After Action Report, under "ARES NEWS", for further information. (I figure that he'll mention some of the many OTHER people who deserve thanks, but I wanted to be sure that thanks were included here for Greg HIMSELF, who did so much sweating and planning to make this a success. Ya got 'er done, Greg... great job!)

A boiled egg is hard to beat.

CLUB NEWS

ALBANY ARC --- Coming up, from October 6-8, club members will once again provide support communications for the Special Olympics Georgia Fall Games, which was described in their newsletter as "the most enjoyable and rewarding event that we participate in each year".

ATHENS ARC --- MIKE ELLERSON, KS4JU, did a presentation at the September meeting called "The Last Mile: Bridging the Gap", about the role of digital communications in providing emergency communications. He touched on such modes as PSK-31, APRS, Echolink, and WinLink.

ATLANTA ARC --- President JIM FARMER, N4IBW, has announced that the club has awarded Life membership to MATT CALDWELL, K4MFC, in recognition of his stellar service to the Amateur Radio Community. Most recently, Matt generously donated an ICOM D-Star repeater system to the club, which has been installed as Georgia's pioneer D-Star radio system. (145.350)

COLUMBIA COUNTY ARC --- The Columbia County Amateur Radio Club (CCARC) will be participating in the 18th Annual Oliver Hardy Festival in Harlem, GA (just west of Augusta) on Saturday, Oct. 7th from 9 am to 6 pm EST. This event is listed as a Special Event station in the October issues of QST and World Radio Magazines.
We will be transmitting as Special Event station W4O (O for Oliver) on 146.52, 7.260, 14.260, 21.260 Mhz +/- a few Khz for QRM. We will send a certificate to those that QSL via our club's mailing address (CCARC - W4O, PO Box 800, Evans, GA 30809) and include an 8"x10" SASE with enough postage. (de DEAN MAPLES, K4EQQ)

CONYERS ARG --- Many thanks to the club members for their warm reception when we visited with them at their September meeting to do a presentation called, "Amateur Radio, the ARRL, and the WOW Factor". We also discussed some issues about BPL, and my better half, MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, talked a little bit about the OO program and the changing mission of MARS. I'm not sure if we were successful in WOW-ing them, but EC TIM RISING, KC4ELV, sure did wow US with the pictures he shared of the Rockdale Mobile Command Vehicle. WOW, indeed.

DALTON ARC --- HAROLD JONES, N4BD, regaled fellow club members with a presentation at the September meeting on antennas, entitled, "It Works For ME".

GWINNETT ARS --- Members were treated to a very interesting and informative program on radio astronomy at the September meeting, provided by GSU grad student MEGAN JACKSON, daughter of (the understandably very proud) WIN JACKSON, N1TWX.

LANIERLAND ARC --- For the September meeting, some members from the Northeast GA ARC visited with the LARC to enjoy some inter-club socializing, and also did a brief presentation on Search and Rescue operations.

MIDDLE GEORGIA RA --- CHRIS EDWARDS, AE4XO, reported that the club recently completed teaching their fourth successful ham class. As a result, fourteen of the sixteen students from this class passed their test on the first shot. Sounds like these guys know what they're doing, huh? Good job!

NEWTON COUNTY ARC --- CONGRATULATIONS to the officers and members of this club for their recent approval as Georgia's newest ARRL affiliated club. Meetings are held at 7PM on the third Tuesdays of each month at the Newton County Law Enforcement Center (sheriff's office) on Alcovy Road, just past the intersection of Highway 142 and Alcovy Road. Best wishes to the club for continued growth and success. We'll be looking forward to visiting with these folks on the 17th of October to present them with their charter of affiliation.

NORTH FULTON ARL --- This club has changed its meeting day and place and is now in the exciting process of rejuvenation. Get in on the ground floor and share the excitement of participating in the rebirth of this fine club. Meetings will be taking place on the third Tuesday of the month, either at the Sonny's BBQ on Alpharetta Road, or at another location TBA. Program plans for upcoming meetings will include WinLink, the Peter I DX-pedition, and D-Star. Listen out on the`145.470 repeater, or see www.nfarl.org for updates.

SE DX CLUB --- In August, CHAZ CONE, W4GKF, did a presentation on the history and background of the Internet and provided great information to help members learn how to create and maintain a website of their own. At the September meeting, KAN MIZOGUCJI, JA1BK, presented a video on the recent Swain's Island DX-pedition.

SILVER COMET ARS --- (Hiram Ga 09/14/06) The Silver Comet ARS has had an exciting summer with FD 2006 and meetings that had practical training for amateur radio. On September 30th we will be participating in Old Hiram Day. This is the first year for this event and we will have a booth set up explaining Amateur Radio and how to get involved. We will give guests to our booth the chance to send a ARRL radiogram to friends or relatives. Also, explaining how amateur radio is a important part of emergency communications as we saw last year with Katrina and Rita. At our October 3rd meeting we will be accepting applications for officers for 2007. We meet the first Tuesday of each month at the Paulding Chamber of Commerce on Rt 278 Dallas, GA 7pm all are welcome. Visit our web site at www.silvercometars.com for all the details. (de LEE MCDANIEL, WB4QOJ)

THOMASVILLE ARC --- It's the time of year that club president MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF, always likes to call "October Madness", because every weekend of the month offers another activity to keep members busy. There'll be the Spaghetti 100 race, a Fly-In, JOTA, and a Boston Mini-Marathon to keep everyone hopping, but come November, members can take a much-needed breather. The first weekend may find them trekking up to Lawrenceville for the big Hamfest, and then on the 11th, members can relax and enjoy their annual fish fry. (We're looking forward to it!) At the club meeting on the 7th, CHRIS EDWARDS, AE4XO, will be doing a presentation on the GA Baptist Disaster Relief communications team.

VALDOSTA ARC --- VP MARK TIDROW, KG4SZY, reports that this club is alive and well and still going strong in South GA. Monthly meetings are held at 7PM on the first Tuesday of every month at the Remerton City Hall. These folks sponsored a technician class during the month of September, and topped it off with a VE session on September 23. Beginning October 14, they will be offering a six-week General Class course, which will run in tandem with an on-the-air code class, to be offered on the 146.760 repeater on Thursday evenings. Coming up on October 7, club members will be providing radio support for the Hahira Honey Bee Festival Bike run, with at least 12 operators on the air, two at net control and the rest at key points on the 100 mile course. Ongoing projects include the rebuilding of the club repeater and its very own new air-conditioned shack, and the possible institution of a south GA tailgating event.

NOTE: The ONLY way to be sure that your club's news is included in the section's monthly newsletter is to SEND it to me. PLEASE don't depend on me to sift through all of the club newsletters and all of the postings on the reflectors, etc, and then come up with that special nugget of news that you'd like me to report.

'NOTHER NOTE: There are still MANY clubs who are behind in filing their annual reports. Some of them (horrors!) have already been dumped into the dreaded "inactive" pile, and others are in danger of being dumped in the near future. Updating your club's records is a simple, online process, and can be done at www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/biglist.html Find your club's listing, and then click on the "submit updated data for this club report", found at the end of your club's info, to bring the data into a modifiable format. After making whatever changes need to be made, fill out the part "official submitting this report", and then "submit report". Your club made the good decision to become an affiliated club. Filing this simple annual report keeps your affiliation active.

If you don't pay your exorcist, you may get repossessed.

THE SUPER RADIO

The following article appeared in the "Garzette", the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society (GARS) newsletter. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought that you would, too. It was written by EARL WHATLEY, AF4FG, and he graciously gave permission to share his article with y'all:

It is frustrating to try to break through a pile up with a 100 watt rig and a dipole antenna. I don't know if I'm being heard or not. Sometimes it takes hours and, as rewarding as it is to finally get through, I'd like to do it without jeopardizing my marriage or loosing sleep. For a long time I thought I could help the problem with a better antenna. A vertical would give a better take off angle and a higher mounted dipole or beam would be directional, but now I have a better idea.

I want an old World War II radio. I want one like Richard Burton used in Where Eagles Dare. In the days before SSB or transistors Richard Burton parachuted into the Austrian Alps with a portable, tube type radio that not only survived the jump but, after being hidden beneath the snow for hours and using dry cell batteries and a 3 foot telescoping antenna made direct voice contact with London, some 1200 miles away, at night on the first attempt. He did this during the bottom of the sun spot cycle with no audible QRM or QSB. Think how much easier it would be to work that rare DX with a rig like that!

This might be the same rig Gregory Peck's team used in The Guns of Navarone. It was portable rig with a telescoping antenna and it made voice contact with London from the eastern end of the Mediterranean during the middle of the day. The signal was clearly 5x5 and not a hint of QRM or QSB. They also established contact on the first attempt and apparently the rig was not affected by German attempts to jam the signal.

These rigs must have been terrific. The tubes seemed unaffected by bumpy airplane rides, rough seas or hard landings and the batteries worked great whether in the cold of the snow covered Alps in winter or in the heat of the Mediterranean sun. And those antennas! I could hide one in my attic or just extend it in the shack!

It seems strange but I have found no mention of these super radios in non fiction books about the Second World War. (Could it be that they are still classified?). What I have found is a more realistic explanation of the difficulties of communication during the war and the equipment used. Voice communication (except broadcast) was used only by the regular armed forces and then for limited applications and short distances (a few miles). Clandestine communications such as what might have been used by Mr. Burton or Mr. Peck was via crystal controlled CW rigs and hidden wire antennas. Most of it was QRP

There is a new book out in paperback that is an oral history of the experiences of individuals involved in special operations during the war. "Behind The Lines" by Russell Miller is a series of interviews with those who received and decoded the messages from agents, those who trained the agents and the agent's own stories. Since the nature of their work involved transmitting and receiving information via radio it makes a fascinating read for hams. I haven't finished it yet but so far there is no mention of Burton's super radio.

PS: I went to the Huntsville Hamfest this weekend and I couldn't find a WWII radio there either.

The man who fell into the upholstery machine is now fully recovered.

ARES NEWS

REMINDER: The Metro Atlanta ARES district holds its monthly net the first Sunday of each month at 4 PM, on the 146.820 Atlanta ARC repeater. All are welcome to participate. Which county will score the most check-ins?

NEW STATEWIDE ARES MEETING INFO --- Hopefully, you've already put the date for next year's meeting into your planning calendar. It will once again be held at the Public Service Training facility in Forsyth, on January 27th. Here's something NEW that we are tentatively planning to add to the happenings for that day: an EmComm test session. How about that? Since the grant money has gone away to reimburse you for the cost of taking those great ARRL EmComm courses, this special test session would offer you the opportunity to earn certification for these courses for a lesser out-of-pocket cost to you. There is a standard ten dollar fee for the testing for each of the three course levels. We are requesting a PRE-REGISTRATION of sorts, so we have a better understanding of how many of you would like to take a test, and which course level test(s) you want to take. To register, please notify GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, by the end of December. So far, SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, and I are penciled in to serve as examiners, and depending on the response, we may be asking for assistance from some of you other Certified Examiners, as needed. (NOTE: If you've already successfully completed all three levels, you are qualified to register as a CE) This test session would most likely be held following the general meeting, but the details are still to be decided. Interested? Please let Greg know.

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH --- September was National Preparedness Month, and in support of that, UGA hosted a Preparedness Showcase on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 from 11am-2pm at the Tate Center Plaza. Representing Clarke, Madison, and Oglethorpe county ARES, JEFF FITZPATRICK, N2YYP, ROBERT JOHNSON, KE4GVX, and GREG DERDA, KI4MMM, set up an Amateur Radio display at the Showcase, where they ran a net on several of the local repeaters, as well as fielded questions about amateur radio, the Red Cross, and the CERT program.

FORSYTH ARES --- These folks will be offering a free license training course for new ham radio operators and upgrades for technician class to general. Classes will be held at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 939 James Burgress Rd. Suwanee, GA. on Saturday mornings 9AM-12PM for 6 weeks beginning October 14th. Call John (W4JJM) at 770-781-8082 for information or registration. Class size is limited.

PAULDING/ DOUGLAS COUNTY ARES --- Paulding/Douglas County ARES was asked by the GRITS society (GA RAILS INTO TRAILS SOCIETY) to help with the Labor Day Bike Ride that started in Rockmart and looped on and across the Silver Comet Trail. Hundreds of riders come from all over to ride in this event. Communications ran smoothly and there were no problems along the trail or at the check points. Thanks again to the NW GA Amateur Radio Club and the W4VO Repeater for letting us use the 146.34/94 Repeater for communications. During the test on on 9/20/06 with the simulated Hurricane at Savannah, Paulding/Douglas County ARES was in standby mode taking check-ins on the 146.955 repeater Dallas. Tom KI4MDU was net control for that net. Thanks to the following check-ins with a total of 22. They were K4DMF, KI4MDU, AG4GH, KI4HVN, WB3ILX, KE4JSR, KG4QZV, N4ACI, KC4YCM, KD4LET, KI4MFZ, KI4LZG, KG4TEP, KG4YOM, KF4TV, N4ECE, N4ACI, N3TKL, WB4QOJ, N4JLI, KI4HPX, W4JFL. Also, a new Packet node for WinLink is on the air in Paulding County on 145.03. The WB4QOJ-6 ( TheNet node) can be used to for TelPack or Airmail functions and keyboard to keyboard communications. KI4MDU and WB4QOJ are both running TelPack nodes on different frequencies to help pass Airmail messages. Do not forget the the SET is coming up soon so check with your local ARES group for details. Visit or web site at www.pauldingares.com and our NET each Thursday night at 8pm on the 146.955 (-) 77hz tone Dallas, Ga. (de LEE MCDANIEL, WB4QOJ)

NEW APPOINTMENTS --- CONGRATULATIONS, as well as many thanks, go out to two new appointees for GA ARES: JACK MASON, KI4ATE, is our new ADEC for Digital Communications, and J.D. FRY, KI4MEH, is our new DEC for VOAD. We welcome both of them in their new roles, and very much appreciate their guidance and support.

****HURRICANE SAVANNAH AFTER ACTION REPORT****

Prepared by GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD,
September 25, 2006

MISSION: The 165th Air National Guard Savannah, Ga. asked that we incorporate Amateur Radio into this drill. A demonstration of ARES communications for disaster communication working with Air National Guard was tested using HF, VHF, Digital Winlink System.

DATE: Wednesday, Sept 20, 2006

TIME: 0700 - 1349 hours local. ARES operated 6 hours 49 minutes and was asked to stand down per orders of Captain JACK MASON of the Ga. Defense Force. Task Completed.

LOCATIONS: Air National Guard Travis Field Savannah Georgia, Henry Tift Airport Tifton, Georgia, Dobbins Air Base Marietta, Georgia, OHS/GEMA State Operations Center Atlanta Georgia along with hundreds of Amateur Radio Operators across the State of Georgia and Alabama.

SCENARIO: The Air National Guard 165th Med Unit set up a portable MASH Unit in Savannah, Ga. at Travis Field in simulation of a disaster from a major hurricane that hit the coast of Georgia called Hurricane Savannah.

There were plans to have multiple emergency scenarios to be used and called for support via amateur radio but due to a change in the operations from the National Guard most scenarios were run the day before. Patients involved in several emergency incidents will be triaged, treated and loaded onto a C-130 and transported to Henry Tift Airport in Tifton, Ga.

The day prior to our drill SER4EX 2006 needed a 2 meter link between Memorial Medical Health Hospital and SEREX EOC at Travis Field ANG. RAY MERCER, N4UWB, a Paramedic from Med Star Savannah was able to set up their mobile command unit and supplied a link back to the Hospital. Ray had not been assigned to a part of this drill. This was not part of the drill but an actual call where Amateur Radio picked up the ball again and carried it gracefully. Thanks to Ray for his participation and the call to duty with out notice.

Upon our arrival to SEREX EOC the morning of the exercise it was found out that Georgia ARES was given total responsibility to provide communications for the complete EVAC operations. All communications from the SEREX EOC to Tifton Airport, Dobbins JOC and OHS/GEMA SOC. This mission was accomplished without any problems.

At SEREX in Savannah, Ga., a C-130 aircraft was loaded with 11 patients from the MASH hospital and taxied to the runway. The message was not to be sent until the wheels of the aircraft were off the ground. A message was generated and asked to be sent from SEREX to Tifton using Winlink stating that "A C-130 was outbound to Tifton with 11 patients on board. Flight time 31 minutes."

According to the logs of Airmail the message was received within minutes by the Tifton Airport Winlink Station and SEREX EOC received a confirmation of the message sent. This message was simultaneously sent to multiple stations with one transmission. minimum power and usage of frequencies.

Upon arrival at Tifton Critical Care and severe patients were transported to Tifton Regional hospital for admittance. VHF and simplex was used to maintain radio communications from the Henry Tift Airport to the Tift Regional Hospital. Once this task was completed the simulated patients were then reloaded and flown back to Savannah. Again without flaw the Aircraft departed Tifton and within less than 4 minutes into the air SEREX received the message from Tifton that the aircraft was outbound again with a flight time of 31 minutes. That message was acknowledged by all stations and the aircraft landed within 1-2 minutes of the time given. All personnel debarked the aircraft the mission was called a success and was asked to stand down.

Our task was to get communications from Savannah to Dobbins Air Base and Tifton Airport with multiple messages given to us by the ANG and other officials was successful and completed at 1349hrs local.

CHARLES PENNINGTON, K4GK, ARES Net Manager, and CHARLES DAVIS, WA4UJC, were Net Controls for the HF ARES Net. K4GK Reported:
"The Georgia Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Net, was activated at 07:00 EDT on a frequency of 3975 kHz LSB. Initially, radio propagation conditions were very poor. Communications were established with key control points throughout Georgia, despite the poor radio conditions. After local sunrise (07:15 EDT), conditions improved, and additional stations were contacted, located in eight (8) states and Canada. Operations continued continuously on 75 meters until 13:49 EDT. At 10:30 EDT, an additional HF net was opened on the 40 meter amateur band on 7275 kHz. Radio propagation conditions were very poor especially on this band.

Communications were established throughout the southeast with limited participation, due to these poor conditions. Note: The year 2006 was the bottom of the 11-year sunspot cycle, which greatly effects radio short-wave conditions. The Solar Flux on the date indicated was 71 (very low), and the forecast from NOAA, stated "geomagnetic disturbances are possible."

MODES OF OPERATION: HF / SSB 3.975 MHz, 7.275 MHz, DIGITAL PACTOR, WINLINK, VHF/ UHF FM VOICE, LOCAL PACKET and TELPAC NODES.

Charles reported: during this operation there was an astonishing Total Check-ins (QNI): 510 Total Messages passed (QTC): 6 Time in session QTR/QND): 6 hrs. 49 min. Total man-hours used: 580. "

SCOTT ROYLE, KK4Z, DEC Georgia ARES-MAT, reported: while voice communications were limited due to poor band conditions, digital communications shined. Winlink 2000 was used to pass traffic to Savannah, Tifton Airport, Dobbins ARB, and N4PJR at his home to copy all check-ins. This mode worked seamlessly and provided vital communications when voice could not. The Pactor mode is so sensitive that traffic can often be passed from one station to another without the other station being heard. In addition, with multiple PMBO's all over the country Winlink can adapt to band conditions by selecting different PMBO's to receive the traffic. Messages are error correcting and can be sent directly to the recipient's e-mail address and multiple recipients can be copied on the same message. The five Winlink stations used during the exercise were provided by GA. ARES-MAT. There were 112 Winlink Airmail Check-Ins along with 26 drill related messages. Winlink 2000 with its redundancy, efficiency and built in error correction should be used at every level where timely and accurate transmission of traffic is needed. 223 man-hours were utilized for Winlink Stations.

Alabama ARES was at the table of this exercise and was able to participate. We welcome them and any other out of State Stations to join us. They are valuable as relay stations during an actual emergency.

Emergency Operations Center Stations:
WX4GMA, SOC Office of Homeland Security/Georgia Emergency
WX4EMA, Macon Bibb County EOC
WX4ZZ, Dawson County EOC
KG4BKO, Chatham County EOC
WD8KJX, Wayne County EOC
AF4VH, Effingham County EOC

Special Operations Center Stations:
W4WDT (+others), SEREX EOC Travis Field, Savannah
KM4Z (+ others), OHS/GEMA SOC
KK4Z (+others), JOC Dobbins AFB
KE4RJI (+others), Henry Tift Airport, Tifton

Liaison with other nets:
K4HBI/AF4FO, U.S. Army MARS
WB4BDP, U.S. Air Force MARS
K4GR, Alabama Emergency Net E (AENE)
KG4VUB, DEC Digital Communications WINLINK (GAWS)

Liaison with VHF and UHF local area nets:
Several local VHF/UHF nets were activated. Numbers reported
to ARES net control are included in this report.

Liaison with National Weather Service (NWS)
AF4VH, NWS Charleston
N4LXB, NWS Columbia

This was a tactical net and no health and welfare traffic was passed. ARRL Radiograms were not applicable in this scenario. Health and welfare traffic would be handled by a different net on a different frequency.

HURRICAINE SAVANNAH
Assigned Drill personnel and locations.

165th AIR NATIONAL GUARD Savannah, Georgia
N4VAD GREG TILLMAN HF PACTOR WINLINK
K4TMT TERRI TILLMAN
N4PJR JIM COTE
W4WDT DAN THORNTON
N4CVF KURT HOFFMAN
KI4ORR VERN QUATHAMER
K4SDJ STEVE JONAS
W4SWJ SUSANNE JONAS
K4SJD DAVID DELAMATER

Chatham County EOC
KC4MKD DAVID SWINDELL
K4WP BILL DELOACH
KG4BKO BILL COLLINS
KG4SZS BILL ELMORE
W4WTO BOB HARMON

Tifton Georgia Site
KE4RJI PAUL BOYD
W4AYK GENE CLARK HF Pactor Winlink
KI4JQR JOHN RUBERSON
KI4JQS MATTHEW RUBERSON

Dobbins Air Base Joint Operations Center
KK4Z SCOTT ROYLE HF Winlink/ ARES MAT
AG4ZR DAVID BENOIST HF Winlink/ ARES MAT
N4DQ JERE COUCH HF Winlink/ ARES MAT

OHS/GEMA State Operations Center
WX4GMA LOWRY ROUSE (KM4Z) HF/ Telpac/2M FM
TOM HOLCOMBE (K5AES) HF/Telpac/2M FM
BILL CHEREPY (WB4WTN) HF/Telpac/2m FM

OHS / GEMA SOC WX4GMA was on HF 3.975 MHz and VHF 145.410- (MATPARC) as primary and have 146.82 -600 pl 146.2 (ARC) as back-up.

SUMMARY: Overall, this exercise was a success with overwhelming participation from many sources of communications used. The following opportunities for improvement were detected. This being a learning exercise, these will be addressed. Through this process we can become better in future events for the better of Amateur Radio Emergency Service and our served Agencies.

1. All messages when relayed should be read back to the sender for confirmation before clearing with that station. Amateurs should become more familiar with Prowords in sending / receiving messages for corrections of messages. "accuracy should never be sacrificed for speed". ACTION: More training is needed using the ICS method of message handling.

2. As we know in the event of a true emergency, only Emergency and Priority Traffic will be taken going in, and mostly out, of the disaster area. The Georgia Section Emergency Plan needs to have listed other HF nets and outlets for routine and welfare traffic for Georgia. 3.975 is the primary ARES frequencies. The Net Control can easily be overcome by hundreds of check-ins and the amount of information coming and going. Always keep in mind the Span of Control: there should be resource nets, logistic nets, traffic nets, using the set up that follows with the National Incident Management System. ACTION: This issue is currently being discussed with the SM, Deputy SEC, SEC and Net Manager for further actions.

3. A list of Official Relay Stations and their locations should be accessible and on hand for Net Manager, Assigned Net Control Operators, DEC and EC's. ACTION: This has been accomplished and currently being implemented.

4. Mutual Aid Amateurs that have been deployed from other counties should be able to come in to an EOC that has amateur equipment and find a Manual of Operations. This manual should give in detail, rigs assigned there capabilities, operating manual, list of local frequencies of repeaters within a 100 miles radius, list of HF Operation frequencies. Antennas assigned for operations, where to find exits, food, water, rest rooms. A drawer or filing cabinet that should have all the necessary forms needed for any given task. Also extra paper, pens and pencils and other supplies. These include any ARRL Field Forms i.e. FSD-218 pink card, FM-213 message form used by NIMS and other related reporting forms. ACTION: ECs should have primary responsibility to ensure this is done at all EOC's where Amateur Radio is installed.

5. Amateur using Winlink airmail amateurs should be familiar with the Airmail SOP for the Georgia Section. When sending messages check your To: list and ensure all of your stations you are sending to are listed. ACTION: Become familiar with Airmail operations and SOP procedures for Georgia Section and of course Nation wide operating methods.

This After Action report is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. Any errors or oversights were merely accidental.

Greg Tillman N4VAD
ASEC Ga. ARES Operations
912-427-0531
912-256-0936
N4vad@arrl.net

**MORE COMMENTS ON THE EXERCISE:

GENE CLARK, W4AYK, was one of the fine ARES-MAT folks who deployed to Tifton, and he shared the following about his experience there: "I just thought of an anecdote occurring in my place in Tifton. EC is PAUL BOYD, KE4RJI, who is a fireman. He is the one who arranged for me to use those facilities for portable Winlink and VHF operations for the drill. I noted the tower outside the window and thought that one of us could climb it and tie the apex of an inverted V there. He said "Climb? Why would we climb when I have a 160 foot platform?" My next time there he had had the crew set up a rope over a pulley hung from a yardarm for me. The moral: use whatever you find, even if it is a fire truck."

JACK MASON, KI4ATE, reported: "When I arrived at the exercise I was surprised to find that I had been appointed the J6 for the exercise and would be responsible for the exercise communications. The ARES group did a very hard thing; they made me look good. I took every opportunity to praise ARES and explain amateur radio to the staff. I noticed members of the staff taking notes and getting contact information from group members. I expect that ARES will be included and have an expanded role in future exercises. My recommendation was that ARES be included throughout (72 hours) future exercises. The digital modes were the queen of the exercise and generated the most interest. Greg was using Airmail on HF. When he sent messages he would get replies indicating reception of the messages from military Blackberries we never knew were out there. The military Blackberries seemed to work seamlessly with Airmail."

LOWRY ROUSE, KM4Z, DEC for DHS/GEMA, noted the following as lessons learned regarding how the operations at GEMA can be improved:
1. Placing local printer in our area instead of using the Commo printer.
2. New coax runs to install our dual band antennas (to allow multiple VHF/UHF radio use).
3. Get multiple TNC's working (to use Packet, APRS & TELPAC simultaneously)
4. Have head phones for all operators.
5. Better arrangement to facilitate operators "own space" to perform their particular mode of operation (operators have difficult time due to close proximity of each other).
6. Better arrangement of paperwork and documents (need to get more organized with placement of notepads, manuals, folder holder to store messages in folders, even simple things like having pen & pencils handy, etc.
7. Figure out a way to install a second HF antenna or least have a spare coax to connect to temporary antenna to be used for HF WINLINK operations if needed. This will allow WINLINK and HF communications to be used simultaneously if needed.
8. This may be pushy but, I heard Charles (K4GK) just fine yesterday morning but he was having difficulty hearing the SOC station. Perhaps an amplifier might need to be looked at seriously as we get some of these other problems solved.

SCOTT ROYLE, KK4Z, made a surprising discovery: "An odd thing we discovered was that the Buddi-pole was doing a better job reaching WinLink PMBOs that the tuned dipole".

GENE CLARK, W4AYK, made the following observations:

This was my first serious attempt at setting up and using WinLink. All I can say is Wow! I passed every message when and as I wanted and with confidence. I had the SCS PTC IIusb with Pactor III, and it controlled the frequencies for me. That is cheating.

I used an 80 meter dipole as an inverted V configuration, utilizing an existing tower to hoist it outside a convenient window. Tried to tune it with my MFJ Tiny tuner and couldn't get it. Switched to a larger MFJ tuner and OK. I stayed on 80 meters all day for WinLink and occasionally had to switch PMBOs, but no trouble. I did not want to mess with retuning this antenna in the "heat of the battle", so I did not investigate nor need other bands.

Rather than the manual tuner, I will explore using one of the automatic couplers. It gets too busy to worry with retuning for QSY to other bands.

The Tifton club skipped the 2 meter repeater and used point-to-point simplex with some relays. This was very effective and would be failsafe.

Local links should consider using other than the calling frequency of 146.52. There was some QRM there and we really did not need that.

I do not have a printer for my portable operations. I can see that this would be useful, and I will add one.

Again: Have your manuals with you! I couldn't program my Kenwood hand-held. Fortunately I did not need it in the operation.

Thanks to all for one of the best organized drills I have seen.

**SPECIAL THANKS to all of you who ran VHF and/or UHF nets to get local check-ins during the course of this exercise.

The failure to prepare may prepare you to fail.

ARES REPORT DE DSEC STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD

The following is reported for August 2006:

Membership: 1,254 Change since last month: -5

Total Net Sessions: 116
Drills, Tests, Training Sessions: 109 Man-hours: 867
Public Service Events: 7 Man-hours: 126
Emergency Operations: 3 Man-hours: 46
Misc. Events: 18 Man-hours: 355

Total Events: 142 Total Man-hours: 1,394

Reporting by District:

West Central 100.0%
Metro Atlanta 63.6%
Northwest 53.9%
Northeast 26.7%
Central 23.8%
Southeast 14.3%
East Central 14.3%
Southwest 10.0%

Total Reporting 23.2%

The following jurisdictions reported for August: Bartow, Bibb, Camden, Carroll, Charlton, Clarke/Madison, Clayton/Henry, Coweta, Dekalb, Dodge, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton-North, Grady/Thomas, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Houston, Jones, Lee, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Polk, Pulaski, Rockdale, Toombs, Towns, and Washington.

No job is finished until the paperwork is done.

NET REPORT DE JIM HANNA, AF4NS, STM

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS

Traffic handled (QTC):

*****NOTE: Don't forget the South CARS net, which meets every day from 8 AM until 10 AM and again from noon until 2PM, on 7.251 MHz. A friendly, welcoming group of folks. Especially great company while on the road. I understand that a Trader's Net meets on this same frequency on Wednesday mornings at 10 AM.

***** Other GREAT nets:
QCWA: Saturdays at 9AM on 3.8575 MHz
SE 6M SSB Net: Sundays at 9 PM on 50.145 MHz
SE AM Net: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM on 3885 kc (AM nets ALWAYS meet on kcs...)
Hole in the Wall Net: Wednesdays at 9 PM on 50.135 MHz

"In days of old, when ops were bold and sideband not invented, the words were passed by pounding brass,
and all were quite contented." Anonymous

LEAGUE PLEDGES TO PURSUE BPL INTERFERENCE COMPLAINTS, MULLS APPEAL

As reported in the ARRL Bulletin, the BPL saga continues:

The League has vowed to maintain pressure on the FCC to act on complaints of broadband over power line (BPL) interference to Amateur Radio. The FCC's unanimous adoption August 3 of a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) in response to 15 petitions for reconsideration of the Commission's BPL rules triggered the ARRL response. The MO&O went into effect September 22.

"We will aggressively pursue enforcement in BPL interference cases," promised ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "Those deploying BPL systems that cause harmful interference to Amateur Radio will regret it." An ARRL delegation met with FCC Enforcement Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) staffers August 16 to discuss the Commission's response to BPL interference complaints.

The MO&O denied most requests that the FCC reconsider portions of its October 2004 Order adopting rules to govern BPL systems. Several petitions -- including one from ARRL
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et04-37/recon_petition/BPL_RECON_PETITION_FINAL.pdf -- called on the Commission to strengthen rules aimed at protecting licensed radio systems from BPL interference. Instead, in a new rule revealed when the FCC made the MO&O public, the FCC drew a line in the sand regarding how much interference protection mobile operators deserve from BPL systems.

§15.611(c)(1)(iii) provides that BPL operators do not have to reduce emission levels below established FCC permissible limits by any more than 20 dB below 30 MHz and 10 dB above 30 MHz to resolve harmful interference complaints. The FCC called these levels "modestly above the noise level."

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, points out these levels would be some 25 dB higher than the median values for man-made noise in residential areas and up to 40 dB higher than the minimum values hams use for reliable communication. The new rule does not apply to fixed stations.

"Egregious" was the word Sumner used to describe the action in his "It Seems to Us" editorial appearing in October QST.

"Simply stated, this new rule is intolerable, and we do not accept it," Sumner wrote. "It is contrary to the FCC's obligations under the international Radio Regulations as well as the Communications Act, to protect radio communication services from harmful interference."

The FCC "has no authority to define away these obligations," Sumner stressed in his editorial. "Harmful interference is harmful interference."

The MO&O also turned down a League request that the Commission reconsider tightening the 40 dB per decade extrapolation factor employed for taking emission measurements. The League argued that the 40 dB per decade extrapolation factor, which has been in Part 15 for some time, may apply to single-source emissions, but it underestimates actual field strength from power lines.

Supported by Aeronautical Radio Inc (ARINC), the ARRL had wanted the FCC to apply a 20 dB per decade extrapolation factor to measurements taken at 30 MHz and lower. The Order also turned down requests by licensed users, including Amateur Radio operators, to exclude the use certain frequencies for BPL operations.

The League is weighing the possibility of a judicial appeal of the FCC's action to adopt the MO&O.

The Commission denied a BPL industry request to extend the effective date to meet equipment certification requirements, but it did give BPL systems another year to continue installing or replacing equipment that otherwise meets the Part 15 rules in present coverage areas.

The MO&O also denied the BPL industry's request to drop the 30-day advance notification requirement for the public BPL database. The advance notification rule is aimed at alerting licensed spectrum to new BPL deployments in their areas before operations begin.

My friend really likes to make pottery, but to me, it's just kiln time.

ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION "PREVIEW" SET FOR MID-OCTOBER

Can't always make it to your local Hamfest" E-Bay doesn't always offer the cool ham stuff you're looking for? Read on:

With a little less than two months to go and counting before the ARRL's first On-Line Auction gets under way, ARRL Business Services Manager Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ, says the League has received several generous donations from a variety of sources. Auction proceeds will benefit ARRL educational programs and services.

"I think you'll find a terrific variety of items when bidding kicks off on October 23," she said. Jahnke says the On-Line Auction site will open for a "preview" starting Monday, October 16.

"At that time, you'll be able to view many of the items that will be up for bid the following week," she said. "You'll also be able to register at that time, if you choose." Auction proceeds will help to support the League's educational services and programs.

The auction will be open to all -- ARRL members and otherwise. Bidders just need online access and must register prior to participating, which they may do at any time during the auction.

The ARRL On-Line Auction will begin Monday, October 23, and will wrap up Friday, November 3. Jahnke and her Business Services team are planning, organizing and managing this premier event.

Jahnke said many ARRL members have inquired to ask if they could donate a piece of vintage Amateur Radio gear or other item for the auction -- either on their own behalf or in someone's memory.

"If this is something that you wish to do, please contact me djahnke@arrl.org to discuss it further," she said.

Jahnke says the link to the ARRL On-Line Auction site will become available via the ARRL Web home page during the October 16 preview and once bidding begins October 23.

Without geometry, life is pointless.

THIS 'N' THAT

*** Still a little hazy on how the ins and outs of the NTS? GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, has provided some info that may help clear away some of the fog for you. (THANKS, Greg!) Note the daily schedule info for region 4 nets:
7.243 daily 1:45 4th region traffic going out of 4th
7.243 daily 3:30 4th region traffic coming in from Central and Eastern.
3.983 7:15 pm daily Ga. Traffic and Emergency Net.
3.593 1900 @ 2200 daily 4th region Ga. State CW Traffic Net.

*General info on Region 4 can be found at http://4mc4.homestead.com/index.html 

*A handy-dandy instructor's guide for training traffic handlers can be found at http://4mc.homestead.com/W2EAGTRAFFICGUIDE.html

*And the ARRL's NTS manual can be found at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/pdf/MPG104A.pdf

*** UPCOMING CLASSES --- Forsyth county amateur radio emergency service (ARES) is offering a free license training course for new ham radio operators and upgrades for technician class to general. Classes will be held at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 939 James Burgress Rd. Sawanee, GA. on Saturday mornings 9AM-12PM for 6 weeks beginning October 14th. Call John(W4JJM) at 770-781-8082 for information or registration. Class size is limited.

*** TECH CLASS IN MILLEDGEVILLE THIS SATURDAY --- The Technician licensing class, scheduled for Saturday, September 30th, will begin 8:30 A.M., at the Hardwick Fire Station training room, Allen Memorial Drive. Instructions will last during the morning and part of the afternoon, with VE testing at 4:00 P.M. There will NOT be an October VE testing session. Persons desiring to take a test can attend the Saturday afternoon session. Additional info can be obtained from Bill Mills, KC4AA, millsend@alltel.net, who will be the instructor.

*** ONLINE REPEATER INFO: With more than 19,000 repeaters listed on this FREE http://www.usrepeaters.com website, you may find this to be a helpful resource. Info is available on 2M, 10M, 6M, 440, 220, 902, 1240, IRLP and MORE.

*** TOM KOCOUREK, N4FWD, came up with a unique way to practice CW while driving down the highways and byways. He wrote: "I obtained a MP3 player - solid state type being sold at Ingles Food Store of all places. I was able to copy over the K7QO morse code course onto this tiny player. But, not content to leave things alone, I found a "wireless" FM link device at the Fry's Electronics up in your neck of the woods. SO, I plugged the MP3 player into the wireless link, set the link to 88.3 Mhz and tuned the car radio to the same frequency. Now as I drive down the road, I can brush up on my Morse Code. Neat?

*** As reported in the August newsletter, the ARRL is sponsoring a Homebrew challenge, and the idea is to design and build a complete HF voice and CW station for less than fifty dollars. The competition has now been expanded to include a second category: digital, in which a computer and sound card can be used, wither as part of the radio processing or display system, as well as test equipment for alignment and calibration. Winners in both the "Bare Bones" and the Digital category will receive a $100 prize and serious bragging rights. For more details, see page 57 of the October QST magazine.

Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?

SECTION NOTABLES

CONGRATULATIONS to our very own SEC JIM COTE, N4PJR, who is now also a CERTIFIED EMERGENCY MANAGER. The following comes from our GA ARES webpage: (Forsyth, GA 9/19/06) - Jim Cote, N4PJR and Section Emergency Coordinator, has been recognized as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). This reflects the completion of a minimum of four courses conducted by GEMA at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA; four field-conducted courses; and a number of on-line courses offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is another demonstration of Jim's commitment to emergency management and his desire to present himself as someone interested not only in the ARES aspects of emergency preparedness, but also to understand the emergency manager's view of emergency management. Congratulations, Jim. (Others interested in this program should contact GEMA's training office in Forsyth and request a packet describing the current CEM requirements. They can be reached by calling 1-800-TRY-GEMA.)

CONGRATULATIONS, also to GREG TILLMAN, N4VAD, who recently completed the advance course for CW traffic handling, and has been appointed our newest Official Relay Station.

A plateau is a high form of flattery.

GEORGIA PIGLETS (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

Don't forget that October 21-22 is JOTA, or Jamboree on the Air, the time set aside to encourage Scouts worldwide to communicate with other Scouts. This includes Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Cub Scouts. (Yes, Webelos, too) To date, I've heard from several groups around the state who are actively planning to support this activity with local Scouts groups. The JASPER RC will be operating from the Scout Hut at Big Canoe; the PAULDING ARC will be operating at Sara Bibb Park; the GWINNETT ARS will be operating in Rhodes Jordan Park, and in SAVANNAH, Amateur radio operators will be working with packs 115 and 527, at Fort McAllister State Park.

CONGRATULATIONS to three young brothers, who recently got their technician licenses. They are CASSIDY BARRETT, KI4QHX; CONNER O'KEEFE, KI4QHY; and KEEGAN O'KEEFE, KI4QHZ. They join their proud dad JOHN O'KEEFE, KI4HCV, as members of the Paulding ARC, where folks affectionately call the boys the "XYZ Kids".

How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark
to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

UPCOMING EVENTS

OCTOBER 7 --- SET (And PLEASE, don't forget to submit a report of your group's activity!!)

OCTOBER 7 --- 1300Z-2200Z --- Columbia County ARC will be operating Special Event Station W4O from the annual Oliver Hardy Festival. CERTIFICATE. 146.52, 21.260, 14.260, 7.260. QSL to Dean Maples, 1053 Blackfoot Drive, Evans, GA, 30809

OCTOBER 14 --- AUGUSTA Hamfest --- 9AM-3PM at Evans Middle School, 4781 Hereford Road. Admission- $5; Indoor tables- $10. Tailgating. MARS tri-service meeting onsite. Talk-in 145.490 www.qsl.net/w4dv

OCTOBER 14 --- ROME Hamfest --- 8AM-2:30PM--- NW GA ARC's Al Brock Memorial Hamfest, at a NEW LOCATION: American Legion Shanklin-Attaway Post #5, 5 Shorter Avenue. Admission $5. Indoor tables-$10. FREE Tailgating with cost of admission. Talk-in 146.34/146.94 88.5 PL www.w4vo.org

OCTOBER 21-22 --- JOTA (Tell me about how your event went... and don't forget to send in that log, so the ARRL and BSA can keep track of this activity's growth)

OCTOBER 28 --- 1300Z-2200Z --- Multiple stations will be on the air from all around the country, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. In GA, W4A will be operating in Flowery Branch. QSL. 21.360, 14.278, 7.278, 3.325. QSL to Albert Miles, 3325 Rangers Gate Drive, Marietta, GA, 30062

OCTOBER 28-29 --- Chattanooga Hamfest

NOVEMBER 4-5 --- Alford Memorial ARC Hamfest, at the Gwinnett county fairgrounds on Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville. Multiple special activities geared toward youth. Advance tickets available online at www.totr-radio.org (Those tickets will be held at the Will Call Ticket booth for the purchasers.) Online Ticket Purchasers can also buy boneyard spaces, and Flea Market Tables.

Taxidermists really know their stuff.

SILENT KEYS

JOEL BRITT N4JDL
ROBERT "SONNY" HARRIS, JR K4JRH
EDDY KOSOBUCKI K4JNL
BILL LLEWELLYN WA4AEM
CLAYTON STEELE N4OCG

Heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of each of these fine men. They will be missed.

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials,
the most money or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

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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