2011 HamCom - 3916 Net Luncheon

Fellow Tailgaters &  Freewheelers,

HamCom is coming to Plano this Friday and Saturday!

On Saturday at 2:30 PM at Fuddruckers in Plano, we'll be having a 3916 Net Lunch! All Tailgaters, Freewheelers and friends are welcome to come to the event. The lunch will be 'Dutch treat' with everyone responsible for your own bill. And, buying lunch is NOT required….so if you just want to hang out, have a soda and rag-chew, there is no problem!

If you are planning on coming, please let me know by  email. I'm trying to get an idea of how many tables we'll need.

Fuddruckers is located at:
2205 North Central Expressway (Hwy 75/Central Expressway at Park Lane)
Plano, TX 75075-2500
(972) 423-0267

More information, including a map can be found HERE.
If you have questions, feel free to call my cell anytime. 214-803-1695

Information on HamCom is at http://www.hamcom.org/

Best 73s to all. We hope to see you Saturday, 2:30 PM @ Fuddruckers!!

Pete
KE5GGY



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SATERN Seeks Amateur Radio Volunteers for Joplin Operations Still in Progress

According to an article on the ARRL website, the salvation Army could use ‘Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Net’ operators to assist Salvation Army operations in Joplin, MO.

From the ARRL Website:


“The Salvation Army continues to provide food, drink and other items of basic care to survivors and rescue workers in the impacted areas of Joplin. While cell phone coverage is no longer much of a problem in Joplin, Amateur Radio continues to be important in certain operations -- such as those of the Salvation Army -- where the ability for several persons to hear what is going on at the same time is an asset.”
According to the article, not just anyone can perform in this capacity. Here are the qualifications:

• * Technician or higher Amateur Radio license.

• * Good health -- you will encounter 100 degree heat, exertion and long hours. You need to be in good shape!

• * Ability to take on a 3-5 day deployment in the field.

• * Have a handheld transceiver and a mobile (VHF/UHF) radio -- APRS capability is a big plus.

• * Experience with disaster responses. ARES® leadership experience is a plus.

• * NIMS/ICS training with a minimum of IS-100 and IS-200 completed.

To learn The process of volunteering, or to read the full article, CLICK HERE! <--Link to ARRL Article.

Okay, I'm showing off my Dog... Why shouldn't I?

Me and my dog had fun the day I took the clips for this video.  I'm sure, though, she worked alot harder than I did.

FEMA Administrator Voices the Value of Amateur Radio

On May 3, 2011 in a forum at FCC Headquarters (Washington, DC) officials from the White House, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), FEMA, the FCC and the private sector were brought together to discuss earthquake communications preparedness.


During the forum, the FEMA Administrator - Craig Fugate made the following statements regarding Amateur radio:

*** He described the Amateur Radio operator as “the ultimate backup; the originators of what we call social media.”


*** “During the initial communications out of Haiti, volunteers using assigned frequencies that they are allocated, their own equipment, their own money, nobody pays them, were the first ones oftentimes getting word out in the critical first hours and first days as the rest of the systems came back up,”


*** “I think that there is a tendency because we have done so much to build infrastructure and resiliency in all our other systems, we have tended to dismiss that role ‘When Everything Else Fails.’ Amateur Radio oftentimes is our last line of defense.”

Read the ARRL article for more information about this topic<LINK

Take the Fun Little Amateur Radio Acronym Quiz - Just how Good are You?

It’s true that there are many, many abbreviations for things in amateur radio. Please consider these examples: NCS, NVIS, EOC, EC, VE, and on … and on.


Take the fun little quiz outlined on this ARRL web page. <---LINK


You can check your answers on the bottom of the page.


Good luck.

Report: Above average Hurricane Season

Yet again, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service is predicting an above average Atlantic Hurricane season this year.


Read the ARRL Story.


I think last year we were also told we’d have an above average season, but as far as hurricanes go, it was a bust.


I’m not saying I want any hurricanes, I’m simply saying that regardless of what those NWS nerds say, we should be ready.


What did they say? According to the ARRL article, we have a 65% probability of having an above average  hurricane season. That’s only slightly better than 50/50 odds. You and I might get those odds correctly guessing heads - flipping a coin 100 times.


I wonder if that’s how the NWS came up with their prediction?


Now, I might sound a little cynical but I really do appreciate what the NWS does.


Do you think we should all prepare now that they published their findings? Do you think we would be less prepared if they didn’t publish this report at all, and instead simply stated, “There’s a pretty good chance we’ll see some hurricanes this year”?


I wonder how many tax dollars went into this prediction.