SAWMILL RIVER RACE
I would like to thank all of you for coming out and helping with the 16th annual Sawmill River Race on Jan 2 2006. I have been told we had around 201 runners not bad. I like this race it is a great way to start off the year. I would like to thank Dick AC1L for being net control for the race. Some of you may not know but Dick was running the net from his home in Greenfield as the race was in Montague. This is a hard job so many things can happen. But with an expert operator like Dick the events went off like clockwork.
I would like to thank the following operators: Grant AA1T from South Newfane VT, John K1VOI and his wife from Hampden MA, Carter WA1TVS, Bill N1EWK, Gary KB1AKU, Bob WA1QKT, Sue KB1EZO, Walt W1ZPB, Ellen KB1FBC, Hyrum KB1KRS, Chet N1XPT / CERT, Beth Chin / CERT, Dawn Josefski / CERT, Harriet Dyer / CERT, Deb Parker / CERT.
I would also like to give a big thanks to The Franklin County CERT members for coming out. With your help we were able to keep an eye over Meadow Road on the backside of the racecourse. This is the longest part of the course, and with the fog it was very hard to monitor.
Great job to all, and I look forward to working with all of you next time.
Tom N1OTS / CERT
Antenna: A device that will always exhibit high gain, and find the most advantageous propagation conditions when transferring a signal carrying what you should not have said, to those who will concur with that premise. –The Editor.
(Logo copied from SPAR website and used with permission)(The Editor)
The American Radio Relay League has governed amateur radio for over eighty years. QST has had competing magazines, but there never has been any other organization to speak for the thousands of hams that find amateur radio to be the world’s greatest hobby. Of course, there have been occasional grumblings of the kind that occur in any group that has elected officers and a paid staff. There have been some vocal dissidents, but they have always stuck with the “League” because there was no alternative, and upsetting the status quo would have done more harm than good. Now a group has been formed to address some of the concerns that are facing us in the new century—concerns that some feel could be handled differently.
“The Statement of Principles and the Charter of SPAR both clearly state that the Amateur Radio service has an inherently technical basis and the amateur bands are an internationally shared resource. Membership is free, and requires only that full members hold a valid amateur license, register using their call sign, and adhere to standard rules of decency in all discussions and SPAR activities. An unspoken rule is that to participate in the discussions, one must have respect for other opinions, keep an open mind and be willing to admit that our opinions might be wrong if presented with valid evidence and data.”
The full Statement of Principles and Charter for SPAR are available on the organization’s web site at www.spar-hams.org. - Submitted by Richard Burnham, AC1L
(It should be noted that SPAR is not in competition with the American Radio Relay League, but ratheris simply attempting to do some things that ARRL is not doing, or has stopped doing. - The Editor)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(Send questions to the Editor and indicate whether you wish to use your name and call sign as a contributor. Editor will seek a person to answer your question or provide a reference that will answer it.) Also, the same person can submit a question and then provide the answer if he/she believes it is one that might generate helpful information. None submitted this month L
NEW WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION MANAGER ISSUES HIS FIRST MONTHLY SUMMARY
In his first monthly summary, via email, newly elected SM, Ed Emco, W1KT, thanked previous SM Bill Voedisch Jr., W1UD, who had been Western Massachusetts SM since 1996. Voedisch also served previously as SM in 1988 and 1989.
Emco, has filled other positions as follows: SEC, John, N2YHK; four ASM’s Ralph, KD1SM for the northeast, Gil, WK1H for the Southeast, Dave, KB1MU for the southwest, and George KB2SAE for the northwest. The new PIC is Mark, WB1ARZ; Brian N1FIY is the new TC, Mitch, WB1CHU is the STM, and our new SGL is Shawn K3HI. Paul, N1FI will stay on as the OOC. – The Editor
SKYWARN TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR 2006
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator and Eastern MA SEC, Robert Macedo, KD1CY, has announced the following update on MA SKYWARN training for 2006. If you are interested in being trained for SKYWARN radio operator functions, you can email Macedo at .
SAT 4/22/06 Noon to 3PM Western New England College Sleith Hall, Rm 100, 1215 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield, MA
THUR 5/04/06 7-10PM, Walpole Town Hall, Walpole, MA
TUE 5/9/2006 7-10PM Glastonbury Town Hall-Academy School Wing, 2155 Main St. Glastonbury, CT
SAT 5/20/06 Noon – 3PM Concord Academy, 166 Main St. (Route 62) Concord MA
HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY (internet material)(author unknown)
At lunchtime, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
Specify that your drive-through order is “to go.”
When your money comes out at the ATM, scream “I won, I won!” “Third time this week!”
-The Editor
THE ALLIGATOR
If I were an alligator
Just swimming around New Orleans,
I’d be a looking for folks called ‘F.E.M.A.’
Especially those who were wearing jeans.
Now take the letter “F”
That’s where I’d take my first bite,
For the foot is all important
Regardless if it’s left or right.
Then I’d go for the letter “E”
And bite off a single ‘ear.’
Maybe then they’d listen to the folks
Just long enough to hear.
Next would come the letter “M”
Better known to some as a ‘mouth’
Where certain ‘FEMA’ people spoke
Yet didn’t help out much in the South.
And lastly I’d take the letter “A”
There taking the biggest bite
For no one without his writing ‘arm’
Could sign his name just right.
So, I guess if I were called an ‘alligator’
I could give ‘FEMA’ folks quite a shock,
Before my swim round New Orleans was over
I bet someone would even call me a ‘Croc.’
- Ed, KB1BNG
THE COMMUNICATOR is an informational publication for members of the Franklin County Amateur Radio Club. This is your newsletter! Amateur radio information of general interest, club member project descriptions and doings, radio applications to other activities, corrections, or suggestions are all welcome. Individual submissions make for variety! Send to editor’s email or Tel: 863-8741 by the third Friday of the month, please. Email addresses of Club Officers may be found on the club web site www.fcarc.org
Appreciation is expressed to Locust Press, Inc. for their regular great service and timely assistance in photocopying and preparing the regular mail copies of The Communicator.
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