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President's Message
Get RADIOACTIVE! What I mean, of course, is be an active ham. It doesn't mean you have to be listening or transmitting on the radio for hours on end each day. (Although it certainly could mean that.) I suspect every ham goes through periods where he or she hasn't turned on their radio for days or weeks at a time but still is very active doing other "ham things" like kit building, studying for the next upgrade, rebuilding the shack. This hobby never ceases to astound me with the endless varieties of things to do and all under the umbrella of what's called "Amateur Radio". If you're like most hams, interests change, ebb and flow, HF today, Microwave tomorrow, Packet yesterday, all of the above and much more. And what about the technologies - digital, sideband, slowscan, AM, FM, CW, etc., etc., etc. Whether you're fixing an antenna on a cold blustery January day or reading your QST in your easy-chair nearby the fire, it's all part of the hobby. And don't forget to share your enthusiasm. Come on down to the shack on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings, or to the monthly FARA meeting and tell people what you've been doing and find out what they've been up to. Got a question, ham related or not, ask it. You'll get at least twice the number of opinions as the number of hams you ask. Almost guaranteed. You'll have to do the filtering to figure out which opinions have the most merit and which ones have none at all. The bottom line is have fun and share it. 73
Jim, W1EQW
Emergency Communications Training to be held Feb. 8
by Marc Stern, WA1R
One of the keys to Amateur Radio is public service. For years, Amateurs have spent long hours manning their radios whenever we have been called upon to help, no matter the circumstances.
Here are some examples:
Mt. St. Helens, 1981: Two Amateurs, who made the supreme sacrifice, help provide early warning of a major eruption. Their heroism helped to save others.
West Coast wildfires: Amateurs provide yeoman service by providing common frequencies so firefighters can intercommunicate. Normally, few fire departments share have common frequencies to do this.
Hurricane Andrew, 1991: Hams keep relief efforts moving by providing communications support.
Boston Marathon: Hams continually provide health and safety support for Red Cross responders.
Skywarn: Amateurs here and in other parts of the country provide real-time reports to the National Weather Service to fill in the pictures drawn by other technologies
Local communities: In Framingham and elsewhere in Massachusetts, Hams provide continuing support for emergency management and civil defense activities. In most cases, Hams are the communications arm of the local emergency preparedness office.
As you can see, the list goes on and on. And, you may be wondering just how you can get involved in this and what it takes to participate.
The first thing it takes to participate is enthusiasm. Second, of course, there's the equipment part of the equation, too. We do all of this work with our own equipment and on our own time with no expectation of reward, except for a word
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