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July 2010
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Quick Q's

There is now a Twitter page for ARRL EmComm. The plan is to use it to pass along items of interest to emcomm volunteers. -- Mike Corey, W5MPC, ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager
QSO's April 2010
Amateur Radio News....
Amateur Radio Assists
Amateur Radio Assists with Rescue in Great Smoky MountainsLoyd C. Headrick
The Alum Cave Bluffs Trail begins as a wooden bridge crossing Walker Camp Prong. [Photo courtesy of Scott Basford] On Sunday, March 28 -- a day with a lot of rain, wind, sleet and, fog -- John Oakberg, NK4N, of Sevierville, Tennessee, went out hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Mt LeConte. When he was about 1 mile up from Alum Cave Bluff, he came across Judy Potter, 57, of Atlanta who had broken her ankle while on the trail. Oakberg reached for his cell phone...Read More >>
 
Teachers
The 2010 Teachers Institutes Begin with a Bang in TucsonARRL
The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI) began its 2010 sessions in February with a Teachers Institute course designed specifically for teachers in the Tucson (Arizona) Unified School District (TUSD). Taught at Jefferson Park Elementary School, 21 educators -- including the school principal, school counselor and three resource personnel -- took part in five Saturday sessions, working through an expanded 45 hour Teachers Institute (TIs usually are done in about 32 hours). The teachers completed homework assignments that included building the clock kit, building a flashing...Read More >>
 
Nashville
Nashville Flooding ResponseARRL
Bob Rogers, KB4PYP, EC of Davidson County, Tennessee, reports that on the weekend of May 1-2, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) requested ARES® support, with 23 operators responding. Rogers stated that their "SKYWARN net was in standby for most of the day on Saturday as we watched the approaching storms." The OEM went into full activation and Rogers was called in to the "War Room" at 7 PM where he remained until early Sunday morning, when he had to return home to deal with water seeping into his bedroom. The SKYWARN net remained active until the front passed. By 5...Read More >>
Minnesota
Minnesota Honor Flight 5K Run/Walk SupportedLoyd C. Headrick
On April 17, the Murray County (Minnesota) Amateur Radio Club was on hand for the Honor Flight 5K Run/Walk, which was held in Slayton. There were approximately 150 runners/walkers for the event to help raise money for World War II veterans to fly to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. Murray County Amateur Radio Club members helped with the safety of participants and traffic control at intersections along the race route. There were six operators covering the 5K race route with one operator (an EMT) riding with EMS in case anyone was in need of assistance while running the race....Read More >>
 
Ticketed
Ticketed for talkingLoyd C. Headrick
These days, we all know talking on a cell phone while driving in New York State is a no no. But this past weekend, a local man was ticketed for using something else in a car. ...Read More >>
 
FCC
FCC Modifies Amateur Rules to Allow Participation in Disaster and...ARRL
In a Report and Order (R&O) released Wednesday, July 14, the FCC amended Part 97.113 to allow amateurs to participate without an FCC waiver in government-sponsored disaster preparedness drills on behalf of their employers participating in the exercise. The FCC also has amended the rules to allow employees to participate in non-government drills and exercises up to one hour per week and up to two 72-hour periods during the year. “Experience has shown that amateur operations can and have played an essential role in protecting the safety of...Read More >>
More QSO's
Bugs
The First BugsRobert B. Login, AA8A I have always been interested in CW especially when as a boy the best I could afford was a Heathkit DX-20, a CW-only transmitter and a military six metal-tube Command Set 40 meter receiver. With this rig I was forced to use CW exclusively and I learned to love telegraphy and became fairly good at it. In those days all I had was a J-38 straight key and I pined after a Vibroplex bug (bug is another name for semiautomatic keys). The best CW men always had a gleaming bug whenever you saw them pictured in QST or CQ. In later years, I found I could hardly pass up a bug for sale at a hamfest. Presently, I have developed an interest in early bugs and machining. If you’re interested in key collecting, there are quite a few Web pages devoted to such collections. Finding old bugs seems like a lifetime pursuit of searching hamfests and buying or trading with other collectors. Rather than collecting them, I decided to re-create the keys I wanted, myself. This route to acquiring old key designs can...Read More >>

Red Cross
ARRL, Red Cross Sign Memorandum of UnderstandingLoyd C. HeadrickOn Thursday, March 25, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC) at ARC National Headquarters in Washington, DC. The MoU, which replaces an earlier Statement of Understanding that expired in 2007, provides a "broad framework for cooperation" between the ARRL and the ARC "in preparing for and responding to disaster relief situations at all levels in rendering assistance and service to victims of disaster, as well as other services for which cooperation may be mutually beneficial." The ARRL Board of Directors approved the signing of the MoU at its January 2010 meeting following the completion of negotiations. The Red Cross requires the completion of a criminal background check to participate in Red Cross activities and provides a process by which a volunteer may have a criminal background check performed at no cost to the volunteer. In the case of ARRL volunteers, the Red Cross has agreed to accept an alternative process: ARRL volunteers may arrange, at their own initiative and expense, to have the criminal background check...Read More >>

TN Floods
Tennessee Flooding ResponseARRL Michael Wright, N4MAW, EC, Wilson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, responded to the Wilson county, Tennessee, Emergency Management Agency's EOC at 4 AM on Saturday, May 1, upon their request and activation of the EOC Weather Operations Team. Wright brought the EOC's HF station on line and began monitoring the Middle Tennessee Emergency Traffic on 3.980 and 7.232 MHz as well as the local 147.105 MHz repeater and the 443.725 MHz repeater (MTEARS Net). The heavy rains arrived later that afternoon. At 1:30 PM Wright called for the ARES® net to be convened in an informal mode to begin taking reports on the arriving weather, flooding, road conditions, and to provide updates to the operators monitoring the frequencies. Numerous reports of flooding on local roads as well as I-40 in Wilson County were received. Dave Bonner, KJ4BLG, was deployed to assess the main ingress/egress routes for Watertown upon the request of Wilson EMA officials. Bonner was able to safely determine that the routes were impassable; Watertown was isolated due to flooding. Bonner also reported that residents were evacuating their homes in Watertown and a shelter was needed. Through his efforts, WEMA officials were able to get the Watertown...Read More >>

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