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President's Message
The chilly weather and colorful leaves seem to have arrived (mostly onto my lawn, it seems). Time to check those antennas and order those kits for winter building. Speaking of kits, I just wrote a check to Elecraft for my new K2 QRP kit. I should be receiving a package this month. To say I'm eager would be understating the case considerably! Those of you who might be thinking of trying to build your own rig are welcome on Wednesday evenings at the shack. I don't think we have had a single failure. Think about what you'd like to build, or come down and we can talk about some possibilities. It's really not that hard, and then, there's the big thrill of building your own gear!
Last weekend, I helped Fran, KA4FRH, with the Scout Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) at Nobscot Reservation (ask me for directions to the East Gate). We had quite a FARA crew there, Fran's son, Adam, N1TBO, Nels, N1UR, Brian, N1JFO, Rich, Rich's son, and my son, Mike, N1VZW. It was a beautiful fall day, pleasantly cool, with a bright sun and blue sky peeking through a leafy canopy. After we got the equipment and antenna problems out of the way, we spent the afternoon playing radio with more Cub Scouts than I have ever seen in my life! We talked to other JOTA stations in Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia. It was pretty frantic, but some of the scouts really seemed to light up when they got on the radio. I have to thank Jim, W1EQW, for the loan of his trap dipole, and Lee, KA1USL, who would have loaned me his vertical, if we had been able to get together. The afternoon wouldn't have been such a big success without all the FARA people who showed up to help.
The packet cluster is starting to come together, Martin, AA1ON, is finally going to be able to mow his back yard without worrying about mowing his coax, too. I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Martin, stringing cable through 10 foot PVC pipe sections. He should be back on the air by the time you read this.
73,
Peter, KA1AXY
Hello to FARA from the Desert!
by Carol, N1XYG
I wish I could tell you about all of the the great radio contacts I've been making out here in Arizona. There are lots of antennas to be seen, including on the roof of the Engineering building on campus. Unfortunately, I'm completely buried under statistical analysis, financial statements, supply and demand curves, etc. This MBA program forces us into 17 credits and I'm working in a research lab besides. Needless to say, I haven't been on the air since I arrived in Tucson. However, while driving out here last August, I did get on 2-meters in New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas - that was fun, and helped me stay awake while driving. I spent 6 days driving out here, taking every scenic route I could find. I drove through the all of Appalachia, the Ozarks, Oklahoma (which was better than Arkansas), some of Texas and New Mexico (the most dramatic and beautiful!).
The weather here in the desert has gotten beautiful - cool nights and temps in the 80's during the day.
It's been great getting the Circuit and hearing what's happening back home. I trust the last flea market was a success, leading to another FARA-food pizza night.
I can be reached by e-mail at:
[email protected]
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