Bible
Verses
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your But if you do not forgive men their
sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. President’s
Comments Glad to be back for awhile. Had a
nice trip. Came back to a flooded house. The hot water
heater had a cold water line erupted while we gone. The
meter reader said 40,000 gallons of water went through
the house in Quitman. Didn’t loose too much but the
flooring and utility appliances. Lucky and thanks for
good insurance. When you leave home, please turn off your
water.
Glad to see everyone at our
meeting. Glad we have some new members. Hope everyone
will come to our next meeting for it is election time.
That's our privilege to vote and be counted. I know we
will elect us a good president for next year. If you have
a candidate please let it be known. We have some
nominated so far. Please come out to our Christmas party.
We miss you when you don't come. We will have a large
time, I promise. Its at the Hovers. Call them for info
and what to bring. 73's W5OQY CP
Vice
President’s Comments I regret to report that a long time
member, Donald Gordon, NO5D became a silent key October
4th. Don has been fighting cancer for several years.
Please keep the family in your prayers. I received the
following email from Don’s wife forwarded to me by
W5ED.
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002
10:43 AM
Jim, I am XYL of NO5D and wanted to
let you know that Don passed away on October 4th and was
laid to rest on the 5th. He wanted me to let his Ham
buddies know, but I do not have all of the email
addresses. Thanks, Rae Ellen Gordon
The Meridian Amateur Radio Club
will be assisting XYL of Silent Key, NO5D in the sale of
his radio equipment. Fred Gray, WB5BNV is coordinating
the sale. Please be looking for more information on this
in the next few days.
My apologies for the newsletter not
being published last month and also the late delivery
this month. I decided to take another computer course
this semester and it is dominating the time on my
priorities list.
We had a lot of fun at the ARRL
Mississippi Section Day in the Park. Meridian/Lauderdale
amateurs really did well concerning the door prizes.
WB5MME and WA4RQG brought home the grand prize, an
Ameritron amplifier. KB5ASR won a MFJ mag mounted dual
band antenna. W5UTL brought home a hy-gain V-2R 2-meter
antenna.
Next month we will be electing new
officers. Please be considering your choices for the
following positions: President, Vice-President, and
Treasurer. If you are not able to attend the December
meeting and would like to vote by absentee ballot, please
give me a call (626-0053) or send an email
(w5mav@arrl.net). Please see the nominations from the
November meeting below in the Secretary Report.
Last but not least, our annual
Christmas party will be held at the Hover resident again
this year. The date has been set for Saturday, December
14th. More details will be provided in next month’s
newsletter.
Have a good month! May God’s
many blessings be with each of you. 73, W5MAV
Secretary
Report Minutes of November
2, 2002 business meeting
1. Expenses for Jimmie Rodgers' SES
have been taken care of by Jim (W5ED). 2. Nominations for officers of
2003 were made. Nominations are open until December
meeting.
For President: Russ, W5RB,
Mel, N5JCG, Carlie, K5BFN
For Vice President: Doug,
KD5GBQ, Joyce, KD5TOI, Michael, N5VWS
Secretary: Bill,
KB5ASR
Treasurer: Debbie,
KD5JYJ
3. SET was held November 9th.
Several hams participated.
4. Christmas party will be held on
December 14th at the Hover residence. Other details will
be worked out at December business meeting.
Old business - UHF repeater project is still on
hold.
Why Call "CQ"?
L. B. Cebik, W4RNL This morning (June 19, 1998), a
thoughtful and oddly interesting question arrived via
e-mail: what is the deepest reason for someone to call
"CQ" when that person has no idea of who may answer or
whether anyone will answer at all? The following notes
were my reply.
Peter, I do not know if there is
any single deepest reason for calling "CQ." I can only
guess at such deep motivations, but here are a few
thoughts.
For the brand new ham, there is a
sense of wonder at the possibility of having a radio
signal actually being heard and responded to. That alone
is enough motivation to try, just to see what happens. In
a way, it parallels the SETI project efforts to listen to
outer space, just in case there is something to be heard
and the efforts to place special identifying materials on
some deep probe space craft, just in case someone out
there may someday find the probe.
I also suspect that as the new ham
becomes experienced, two things happen. First, wonder
turns into curiosity, especially as replies become
routine, but from where they come and from whom they come
remain unknowns until the reply actually happens. Second,
the first response has an excitement that can become
addictive in the sense of one wanting to repeat the first
experience over and over again.
Although subsequent experiences are
never quite like the first, since they do not have that
initial anxiety of the totally unknown attached, new
adventures into calling "CQ" have new dimensions,
especially the human dimension. Every reply creates a new
strand in a web of links among widely separated but still
kindred spirits. Amateur radio, despite its internal
disputes and diversity of activities, is still a
community of human beings that cuts across all divisions
of race, nationality, religion, and other things that
divide us around the world. A "CQ" knows no such
boundaries: our mutual interest in radio communications
does not even break barriers: the barriers are simply not
there. (I am sure this is truer in your region of the
world, where boundaries are close in, than in the US,
where a ham might spend his entire career talking only to
folks within his own country.)
Interest in radio communications
may offer a further contributing factor to the motivation
for calling "CQ." Such interest tends to mark a person
out as an individual, someone a little different from
most of his or her friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
Hence, there is a natural desire for camaraderie, a sense
that one is not alone, but linked to a community. That is
why hams tend to form clubs and anticipate "eye-ball
QSOs." That same urge for linkage results in calling "CQ'
as an invitation to and a hope for a new strand in the
linkage that tells us we are not alone and that hence
gives meaningfulness to all our efforts to master the
art, science, and craft of radio communications.
Linkage to a community brings out
in us at least two different and opposing urges, and they
occur in different proportions in different individuals.
One urge is to compete with others in our broad
community. so we compete in contests for points or for
countries worked, or for anything else. The other urge is
to help, aid, assist any other member of the community
who needs what we may have to offer: advice, knowledge,
materials, other links we may have to services not
available--the list is endless. The only condition I have
ever known a true ham to place on rendering assistance
was this: NOT that the recipient repay, but rather that
the recipient be prepared to assist some other who may
someday need what can be rendered.
Both of these twin urges make
calling "CQ" more meaningful, for we may never know in
advance whether we might receive a reply that either
helps our score or gives us an opportunity to help
someone else.
I personally believe that the most
mature reason for calling "CQ" is the chance to be of
assistance, even if that is only to give another the
pleasure of a QSO, but more if the one who replies needs
more. That is why I maintain my web site--it is one way
in which I can help those in our community of hams who
may need what is there.
There are, I am sure, those who
would like to invert my remarks by leaning too heavily on
the idea of being alone and seeing the "CQ" as a way to
merely relieve loneliness. But I think one can only make
this move at the expense of ignoring the initial sense of
wonder and the more mature and thoughtful dimensions of
being a ham and calling "CQ." It is at root not a demand
for an answer, but an invitation to communicate, and that
communication is a sharing. Sometimes we share only
perfunctory data; sometimes we share news, information
and ideas; sometimes we share joys and successes; and
sometimes we share needs and solutions. In short, we
share all that makes us a community, although not too
much at any one time. Granted, some few may make "CQ"
into a demand for reply, or even into a desperate plea
for a reply, but for most, it is an invitation and a
question: How can I assist?
I do not know if this is responsive
to your question, but it is how I think about "CQ." In
fact, over my 45 years as a ham, I have not too often
called "CQ" myself (except to see of a quiet band had any
listeners). Instead, I have tended to listen for "CQs"
and replied to them. Listening is also a way of being
ready to serve.
-73- LB, W4RNL
(reprinted with
permission from W4RNL, Many Thanks)
Have a
great month
October/November 2002
good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(Matthew 5:16)
(Matthew 6:15)
He donated expenses of $125. Thank you Jim
Next
Month