Greetings, all of you chilly Georgia peaches. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are now prepared to enjoy all of those December activities and festivities spread out in front of us. It’s a cliché, but this year sure has flown by, hasn’t it?

Talking about flying, there’s a joke I heard recently that really resonated with me. It was about a student pilot who managed to get himself lost during his first cross-country solo flight. An air traffic controller was trying to find him on radar, and asked, “What was your last known position, son?” The bewildered student replied, “When I was number one for take-off, sir….”

Have you ever felt like that? Scary, huh? When I took over as Georgia Section Manager on January first, I really didn’t know what to expect, kind of like that poor pilot must’ve felt when he was preparing for takeoff. After taxiing around for several months in preparation, we “took to the air”. And I do mean “we”.  Luckily, I never had to fly solo. My better half, Mike “That’s Me!” Swiderski, K4HBI, has been chief pilot…. and navigator… this whole year. As of the end of November, we’ve “flown” to 14 Hamfest, 64 club meetings, 24 of which were in a couple of middle schools, the state ARES meeting, techfest, the Orienteering championships, one of the Georgia SSB/ Georgia Cracker picnics, 8 Field Day sites, Tybee Island for Lighthouses on the Air, and the Emergency Management Association of GA (EMAG) convention. My little red car has covered lots of miles,  has motored through more than half of our 159 counties, and one of our Georgia maps attests to it, with yellow highlighter spidering all over it to indicate the many routes we’ve taken. It’s been a wonderful year, and sincere thanks go out to Mike, who made the “flights” so enjoyable, and to all of you, who made us feel so welcome when we “landed” at your destination. If our paths didn’t cross in 2002, then maybe in the new year ahead…..

 “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”
Kermit the frog

NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

November 2-3---ALFORD MEMORIAL ARC HAMFEST--- It’s been a goal of these folks for quite some time to make this Hamfest the premiere one in the Southeast. In a day when most Hamfest seem to be shrinking, this one still manages to hold its own, and to actually get bigger and better each year. One big plus they had this year over the Shelby Hamfest was the picture-perfect weather, which helped draw a bustling crowd for most of the weekend. There were lots of new additions to the festivities this year, too, including a booth set up by club cartoonist KEVIN WOOD, KQ4LE, and several of his cohorts…… featuring “Kensucom”, Kevin’s creative addition to the cartooning world of amateur radio. His efforts certainly added a smile or two to everyone’s enjoyment of the fest. Kudos to Hamfest chairman RANDY BASSETT, KR4NQ, and his many many workers for a job well done. If you missed the Lawrenceville Hamfest this year, I’d suggest that you mark it on your calendar NOW so you don’t miss it next year. It’s definitely worth the trip.

November 18-20---EMAG CONVENTION--- (Emergency Management Association of Georgia) It was a pleasure to get to meet some of the folks from all over the state who dedicate their lives to our safety, and to speak to them about amateur radio and emergency communications. Thanks to those of you who took the time to send me anecdotal information about ARES activation in your part of the state in times of emergency. Speaking generally about emergency communications is good, but being able to cite specific incidents was that much better , and I really appreciate your help. It was very heartening to see how many of our emergency management folks are already licensed hams, and it was even more heartening to see the interest expressed by those who aren’t. It was a very positive experience, and I thank JOHNNY “B.GOOD” WINGERS, WX4R, Emergency Management director for Bibb county, for the invitation and the opportunity to spread the word about the capabilities of amateur radio in times of emergency.

I thought about being rich…. And it doesn’t mean so much. Just look at Henry Ford…
all those millions and he never owned a Cadillac….

CLUB NEWS

Lots of you are planning Holiday parties for the month of December, and some of you will be electing new officers, or naming a “Ham of the Year” for your group. Hope your gatherings are all filled with Holiday Joy and laughter.

ATHENS ARC---
Congratulations to newly-elected club officers: President- TIM PIAZZA, KG4GMS; VP- DAVID MCELHANNON, KE4EOI; Treasurer- ED FUQUA, N4VHA; and Secretary- PHIL KOEHLER, AF4TQ.

AUGUSTA ARC---
Congratulations to this club’s newly-elected officers, too: President- JAY SAMPLES, KG4LEY; VP- DALE KEENER, KG4SSY; Secretary- AL MENGES, KF4NXL; and Treasurer- TOM BROWN, KF4ITM.

Good luck to all of these new officers as they lead their clubs into the new year.

CLAYTON ARS---
 Local channel 46, WGNX, recently interviewed club members JOHN DALTON, KC4ODC, BUTCH NITZ, AF4FS, BIG JOHN TILGHMAN, KG4PVS, and club president ROY BAKER, WB4WQE, for a short TV piece on ham radio, weather watchers and spotters. (Sorry I missed that!) Plans are currently underway for club members to concentrate efforts on introducing amateur radio to local schools after the first of the year, and a ham class is planned for February.

LANIERLAND ARC---
As the primary group responsible for providing communications during the Special Olympics which were held in Gainesville, club members, and especially PHIL LOGGINS, KD4PDL, activities chairman, who recruited a multitude of hams for the cause, deserve a huge pat on the back. In a recent debriefing, the Games Evaluation Team said, “The ham radio operators were crucial to the success of the Games. They were the one common link to all the venues, as well as to all the key competition officials.” To EVERYONE who helped…. Thank you for demonstrating, once again, the value of amateur radio communications. Y’all are great! By the way, you can mark your calendar now for next year’s event, which will be held in Gainesville again… October 24-26.

THOMASVILLE ARC---
Club president, MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF,  was once again oh-so-quotable in the club’s December newsletter, “The Reflector”. In talking about some of the club members who aren’t able to get out and about so well anymore, he said, “All too often, the present a shut-in really longs for isn’t a gift box, but rather a friendly smile and a ready ear with a few hours to spare.” A real good thought, don’t you think? Maybe we could all take the time to at least call some of our shut-in ham friends over the Holidays to let them know that they haven’t been forgotten.

”True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.”
Charles Caleb Cotton

ARES NEWS

CHEROKEE ARES--- Congratulations to newest AEC KENNY CANNON, N4ZFT, who’s taking on the position of Recruitment and Retention. Thanks for your willingness to serve.

COBB ARES--- One interesting thing this group has done recently is to sub-divide into Active and Reserve components. This serves as a more efficient means to recognize those members who may not be active in the day-to-day activities, but will be available in times of actual emergency. Also, as a result of the classroom self-study sessions which were held during the month of October, 17 additional Cobb ARES members successfully passed their examinations for EC-001 certification. At this time, approximately 70% of active members are certified at Level I or above. Impressive, huh?

COWETA ARES--- EMA Director EDDIE BALL, WB4QAU, says that there will be a table top drill in Newnan on Thursday, December 12, beginning at 9AM, working in conjunction with Bonnell county, in an exercise designed to become familiar with Bonnell’s updated emergency response plan. All city and county emergency services, as well as some state and private sectors have been invited to participate. Coweta county ARES members will be included in this drill.

MARS--- Former Army MARS DEC CHUCK MCGINNIS, ND4D, has stepped down, and assuming the position is none other than my better half, MIKE SWIDERSKI, K4HBI, who is also the state Emergency Operations Officer for the Army MARS program. Sounds like a “perfect fit”, doesn’t it? Thanks, Mike, for taking on yet another responsibility. (He “heard that train a-comin’, comin’ down the track…..”)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES--- Congratulations to new NWS AEC DAVE HOMAN, KG4PZI. Dave is a welcome addition to a terrific team of volunteers. Georgia Skywarn has a new webpage: http://www.geocities.com/wx4ptc  and NWS DEC ROBERT BURTON, KD4YDC,  says that information is still being sought on repeaters on linked systems that the Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston NWS offices might use. Any of you privy to that information? Talking about linked repeaters, have you checked into the Southeastern Linked Repeater net on Wednesday nights at 9 PM?  Robert usually serves as NCS for this net, which does a great job of showcasing just how well this linked system works. For more information, check http://stoddard.homeip.net/SLPN/

PIEDMONT ARES--- Innovative Central GA DEC JOHN SHINALL, K4YK, seemingly an improvise-adapt-and-overcome kinda guy, has effectively merged the rural counties of Baldwin, Greene, Jasper, Jones, and Putnam into one umbrella regional organization: Piedmont ARES. The Tri-County EMC has generously come through with a long-term one dollar per year lease on some land in Putnam county, where the plans are to erect a water-proof structure to house equipment and to serve as a regional communications center for operations, training, and meetings. The group has also gotten a used rescue vehicle from the volunteer fire department, which will be used as a mobile communications unit to better serve the entire region. John has done a fantastic job promoting plans for a strong ARES presence in the heart of Georgia, gathering support from several county commissions along the way. Armed with a lot of ambition, a desire to serve, and a long wish list, I believe this group will excel in providing much-needed services in this multi-county area. Many thanks to John and all of his hard-working ECs.

Change is inevitable… except from a vending machine.

A RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA

Of course, it was more than just a “rainy night”. ROBERT BURTON, KD4YDC, NWS DEC, informed everyone on the regular weekly state ARES net (3975, every Sunday at 5 PM) on November 10^th,  that some potentially horrific weather was headed our way. Besides Robert, BRIAN HERREN, W8BYH, DAVE HAMANS, KG4PZI, WADE MASSENGILL, KU4OJ, and MELVIN GRAHAM, KG4CUT, kept the station at NWS, Peachtree City, manned all night long, and many hams all over the state participated in SkyWarn nets, and kept the NWS informed via the linked repeater system. JOHN KRAUS, KC4ZGQ, and CHARLES REID, W4MAZ, were instrumental in getting accurate information to the NWS from central Georgia, and a number of hams in NW Georgia kept the information flowing, too, even when they were being battered by the storms themselves. Of particular note is WA4EOC, the Cherokee county ARES group, who did a terrific job assuring that information was passed. Although multiple Georgia counties sustained damage from the tornadoes and high velocity straight line winds, we fared much better than many other states.

It was actually a positive experience in many ways: 1.) The linked repeater system more than proved its value. 2.) The pager system, EMWIN, (Emergency Managers Weather Information Network), JOHN SHINALL, K4YK's "baby", more than proved its worth, too. It was activated TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO times between the hours of 5PM on the 10th and 7:42 the next morning, to send out warnings and watches throughout the state. And, 3.) Georgia hams, once again, demonstrated their dedication to public safety through their long hours… in many cases, all night long…. spent monitoring and/or participating in the SkyWarn nets. PAT HAYNES, K4BEH, EC of Pickens county, which sustained the most damage, led in  the communications efforts in the aftermath on Monday morning. He said, “It was all like a well-oiled machine. It was eye-opening to sit in the operations room of the EOC and just observe how it all came together very quickly. It was also rewarding to feel that in some small way we were part of that team.”

Congratulations to ALL of you involved for being a “part of that team” and for a job very well done.

ON THE OTHER HAND…..

There were a couple of negatives associated with the all-night weather watch, too, but both things can be used as learning tools. First thing was that some of the equipment wasn’t in quite the same stage of “ready” as the operators. A lesson quickly re-learned there.

The second problem involved some reports that came into the NWS from central Georgia which were conflicting, and not entirely accurate as to time and location of events. Fortunately, JOHN KRAUS, KC4ZGQ, and CHARLES REID, W4MAZ, among others, were able to clarify the situation, but the delay in getting accurate information from the conflicting reports could have serious ramifications in more dangerous situations.

As a reminder, ROBERT BURTON, KD4YDC, NWS DEC, says to PLEASE BE SURE and use these guidelines when reporting storm information:

**WHO saw the phenomenon?

It’s important to know whether it was a spotter who saw the weather or if it’s second-hand information. If it IS second-hand, was it from a reliable source? (county EMA, sheriff, etc.)

**WHAT was observed?

If the weather in question was hail, report it in coin sizes, then golf ball and baseball size only. If a tornado is observed, (be safe first!) what direction is it moving? If high winds are being reported, the NCS needs to know what kind of damage is occurring.

**WHEN was it observed?

The correct time the weather event happens is VERY important. If you aren’t sure, mention this in your report.

**WHERE was it observed?

The NCS will need to know geographical vicinity to cities, towns, and maybe roads.

If you get this information from your scanner, listen carefully and take notes. The 911 center may be too busy to make the report to NWS, and the information you provide may help the NWS staff decide about issuing a warning or watch alert.

If you haven’t already taken one of the Storm Spotter classes, maybe you might consider putting it on your “to do” list for next year.

 Time is what keeps everything from happening at once.

STORM READY

Georgia is first in the nation for the number of counties that have been designated Storm Ready by the National Weather Service. How about that?! Through the hard work of GEMA, EMAG, and many trained weather spotters throughout the state, the following counties have been declared Storm Ready by the NWS: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Bartow, Bibb, Bryan, Candler, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, Clinch, Columbia, Coweta, Douglas, Effingham, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Habersham, Haralson, Hall, Jackson, Laurens, Liberty, Mitchell, Paulding, Union, Upson, and Ware. For a county to achieve this designation, it must have a 24-hour warning point and EOC; have more than one way to receive and issue severe weather warnings; have a system to monitor local weather conditions; promote the importance of public readiness; and develop a formal hazardous weather plan that includes training weather spotters, who’ve been instrumental in this program and process. Thanks to all of you who’ve been instrumental in helping your county “make the grade”.

Pride is what WE have. Vanity is what OTHER people have.

JOTA SURVEYS

Again, thanks to all of you who participated in this year’s Jamboree on the Air, whether with a handful of Scouts or with a whole troop of them, and whether or not you filed a report on your experiences. I received six reports that were filed on this year’s JOTA, and thought I’d share some of the information with you.

Two hams had their hands full in Greene county, at the Oconee District, Central Georgia Council Camporee on Lake Oconee, where they demonstrated amateur radio to 128 Scouts and 42 visitors. Scouts there were most impressed with making contacts with Scout groups in England and a Girl Scout group in Alabama.

Across the board, Scouts seemed to be impressed by being able to speak to other Scouts, especially to stations in Europe. There was a lot of interest in CW, too, which the youngsters viewed as a secret language and….very “cool”.

My favorite comments came from the group from the Albany area, where a whopping nine hams volunteered for the event. The report on the JOTA experience states: “This was our third JOTA. It has grown each year. Last year, one 11-year-old Scout was so impressed and interested, he and his dad became hams. (KG4QDU and KG4QDV) The young Scout pretty much ran things for us. His participation created a wave of interest with the other boys. We had television coverage of the event, and he was not shy about being on and talking on camera for the interview. He was asked what “ham” meant, to which he replied…….”I’m not sure. I was only a piece of bacon a few months ago…..”

STM REPORTS FROM JIM HANNA, AF4NS

NET ACTIVITY:

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Traffic handled:

From Jim: “A special thanks to Bill/KG4FXG and Sharon/KG4HKO for the fine job setting up the GSN breakfast during the Lawrenceville Hamfest. Thanks to all net participants, NCSs, Liaisons, and visitors for making another good month for traffic handling and net operation. You are the reason for its success.” 

DIGIPATH UPDATE

One of the ambitious plans for improving emergency communications here in Georgia is the digipeater path down the I-16 corridor to the coast. While on a recent trip to Savannah, JOHN KRAUS, KC4ZGQ, one of the chief engineers on this project, took the opportunity to evaluate the APRS coverage down to the coast thus far. He ascertained that the “missing links” in the chain are in the Dublin and Soperton areas. He says that the computers, TNCs, and technical support is available, but the following equipment and commitment are needed for each site:

• 2M radio, 50 W minimum
• Antenna, 3 db gain minimum
• Coax, RG8 for runs less than 100 feet
• 9913 equivalent for longer runs
• Access to a site 80 feet or higher

If you can make a donation to the effort, please get in touch with John at jfkraus3@cox.net or Mike Boatright at ko4wx@mindspring.com It sure would be a terrific Christmas present to Mike, our SEC, if we can come up with the sites and equipment to finish this dream project. (So, do we have any Santas out there….?)

If you like to talk tech to impress the YLs, you’re a ham who’ll never find ground.
Jack Robertson, WJ4SR

SECTION NOTABLES

Congratulations to IGNACY MISZTAL, NO9E, member of the Athens ARC, who recently received the prestigious J.L.Lush Breeding and Genetics Award from the American Dairy Science Association. (He must’ve been very MOOOOOtivated…) Sorry, couldn’t resist…..

Congratulations, also, to two Georgia hams, who both have articles published in the new publication “ARRL Antenna Compendium Volume Seven.” KEN ELSBERRY, WD4ERM, wrote about a Ground Mounted Vertical for 30M, which he says “works outstanding and is very easy to construct and is hardly visible”. STAN EDWARDS, WA4DYD, EC for Gwinnett county, wrote about an antenna that he’ll “use for HF ARES work, always at the ready for deployment.” Sounds like a book that’d be a worthy addition to every hams’ library.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like bananas.

PIGLETS (AKA YOUNG HAMS)

CRYSTAL FLORES, KG4PYL, will be performing in the Holiday classic, “The Nutcracker” with the North Atlanta Dance Theatre on December 7^th and 8^th. We had the privilege of seeing this incredible young lady perform last year, and let me tell you, she is truly gifted. (She does pretty doggoned well with a microphone, too… she made 513 contacts single-handedly at Field Day 2001… and, some of those contacts were made while performing a split, believe it or not!)

”Y’all just be nice and talk to me one at a time!!!!”
Crystal’s way of handling the pileups….And it worked for HER!!

CORRECTIONS AND COMMENTS

WB2OGY, WB2OGY, WB2OGY, WB2OGY…..(“One Good Yankee”) That’s the CORRECT callsign for STEVE BACK, who is actually a friend of ours. I bungled his call not once, not twice, but three times…. Twice in last month’s newsletter, and once in QST. Sorry about that, Steve. Must’ve been a temporary bout of stupidity.

Thanks to BARNEY BARNES, W8KJM, who pointed out another mistake from last month’s newsletter. The correct spelling for the last name of WB4APR, the “father of APRS”, is BRUNINGA. Bob Bruninga, a Georgia tech alumnus, presented a program on APRS for the GA Tech ARC meeting the beginning of November.

It’s been nice to hear a number of folks “talking up” membership in the ARRL since last month’s newsletter, in which I wrote about the plusses of membership. One person, WILLIE BROWN, AG4HY, did some checking, and tells us that, according to W5YI, in 1997, there were 677,137 FCC licensed hams, and as of September, 2002, there were 680,698. Georgia hams account for 14,671 of them. That’s a LOT of potential League members, but still, only about 25% have joined….. (So, y’all just keep on “talking it up”!)

He’s so dumb, when he went to the airport and saw a sign that said, “AIRPORT LEFT” , he….. went home.

TECH TIPS

Most everything this month comes from HOWIE GOULD, W9HG, who’s always finding a bunch of good and informative websites. Thanks for sharing, Howie.

For newer hams, this site has a simple calculator that will tell you the exact length of an antenna in a full wavelength, ¼ wavelength, and on any frequency. For those with some advanced knowledge of RF, there are other more sophisticated calculators here,  as well. http://www.decibelproducts.com/frameset4.html

Howie, a seasoned CW operator, says that this next site offers a fresh outlook for hams struggling to learn the code, with a method developed 60 years ago by Ludwig Koch, that uses high speed 20 WPM and 15 WPM character spacing to teach 2 characters at a time. Check out  http://hradio.org/

Another “granddaddy of ‘em all” Telegraphy site, where Howie says you can get an “enlightening of your mind”, that’s put together extremely well by long-time ham, W1TP, Tom Perera.
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/telegrap.htm

This final site comes from RON ROGERS, WB8ERB, and it gives you information on antenna gain:
http://kc2idf/articles/antennagain.html 

Famous last words: “It doesn’t matter if I replace it with a smaller fuse….”

UPCOMING EVENTS

DECEMBER 7—Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Parade.  Volunteers are needed to shadow parade officials and man checkpoints along the parade route. To volunteer, contact TIM ROSING, at kc4elv@arrl.net

DECEMBER 7--- Skywarn Recognition Day. This is a fun operating event, where hams operate from bunches of NWS offices all over the country…. and even some in Canada this year. It gave me a devilish satisfaction a couple of years ago to participate and tell some of the contacts, in the exchange, that the weather here in Atlanta was…. “sunny and 70 degrees”…. when THEY were measuring temperatures in their area in minus numbers and the snow, in feet. For more info, check http://hamradio.noaa.gov/

SILENT KEY

I’m sure that you all join me in extending condolences to the family and friends of LEON HALL, KD4VCL, a member of the Statesboro ARS. He will truly be missed.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick
them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Well, that’s it for now. I do hope that each and every one of you enjoy a wondrous Holiday season. Shalom. Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves. And each other. 73, Susan

”God bless us, every one.”
Tiny Tim