THE SPARK GAP A monthly publication of the Meridian Amateur Radio Club June 2004     Bible Verse Revelation 3:21-22 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (NIV)   President Report Here it is, June already. Field Day is June 26-27, and I'm looking forward to it. Essential equipment is already committed, though we can always use more antennas, feed line, meters, comfort items, etc. I want to invite ANYBODY and EVERYBODY who's interested to join us for Field Day. We hope to see most of the MARC members, and nonmember hams from the area are always welcome to come operate with us. We'll find operating time for all interested. We'll begin arriving around daybreak on Saturday, and setup in earnest will begin more like 9 - 10 AM, with operations for score starting at 1 PM. Location will be the same as the last 2 Field Days and Day in the Park, the "Coot's Crossing" pavilion at Bonita Lakes Park in Meridian. Talk-in will be 146.700 anytime after daybreak Saturday. Folks with specific questions or equipment to volunteer can e-mail me "w5rb@arrl.net" or call me at 601-934-2816. I really need to hear from folks interested in operating a CW station ASAP. Thanks to all who donated equipment and time to the recent Red Cross project. Sorry my assembly of the "N" connector caused a delay. A 2-meter antenna is up, and a radio will be in place soon. Details are elsewhere in this newsletter . Please join me in offering condolences to Joyce, KD5TOI and her family on the recent loss of Wayne, KD5TOJ. I did not know Wayne well, only as an outspoken and active club member. He will be missed. 73, Russell, W5RB Field Day 2004 This month is traditionally a busy month in the world of amateur radio. What is all this hype about Field Day? For me it is a time for fellowship with other club members. It is an opportunity to invite others out to demonstrate the benefits of becoming an amateur radio operator. This weekend gives us an opportunity to test our skills and see how prepared we are in the event of an emergency. Meridian Amateur Radio Club's Field Day event will be held at Bonita Lake's Pavilion # 2 on June 26th and June 27th. Please see the map below. The food committee has decided to prepare hamburgers and hot dogs. As in years past, we will serve dinner about 5 PM on Saturday evening, June 26th. We hope YOU will join us. You are encouraged to bring a dessert or you favorite dish (if you want to; it is not a requirement). If you want a suggestion of what to bring please call Debbie at 626-0053. 73, W5MAV   5 Finger Prayer 1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty." 2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers. 3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance. 4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them. 5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE/LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND 2004 This highly popular annual August event attracts hundreds of amateur radio stations at lighthouses and lightships (369 in 48 countries for the 2003 weekend) world-wide. It is organized by Mike, GM4SUC and Kevin, VK2CE is the web-master. This year the period of the event is from 0001 UTC on Saturday 21 August until 2359 UTC on Sunday 22 August 2004. The event is NOT a contest. It is a special event weekend when amateur radio stations are established at lighthouses or lightships. They do not have to be adjacent to salt water and each group decides how it will operate the station with regard to modes and bands. Participants are not committed to being on the air during the entire period - operate as much as you can. There are no restrictions on aerials or power. We wish operators to enjoy themselves and have fun while making contact with as many stations as possible while giving priority to other lighthouse/lightship stations. Please take some time to work the slow operator, the newly licensed and QRP stations. As available space in many lighthouses is filled to capacity, participation in this activity does not have to take place inside the tower itself. Field day type set-up at the light or other buildings next to the light or adjacent field is OK. Permission MUST be obtained from any interested parties. The International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend is used to obtain maximum exposure for our hobby. We invite the press and, QTH permitting, also the public and try to underline the parallel between the international aspects in lighthouses, lightships, and amateur radio. As from last year, the World Lighthouse Day is held on the Sunday of the event and lighthouse keepers / managers / caretakers all around the world open their lighthouses to the public. http://www.lighthouse.fsnet.co.uk/events/intlighthouseday.html We use the event segment of the 5 Classic bands, consider the following as a range of suggested frequencies. CW 80m: 3.510 - 3.540 kHz 40m: 7.005 - 7.035 kHz 20m: 14.010 - 14.040 kHz 15m: 21.010 - 21.040 kHz 10m: 28.010 - 28.040 kHz PHONE *80m: 3.650 - 3.750 kHz *40m: 7.040 - 7.100 kHz 20m: 14.150 - 14.290 kHz 15m: 21.150 - 21.250 kHz 10m: 28.300 - 28.400 kHz * Some of the frequency ranges listed above are NOT legal in the United States of America. As a substitute, USA operators should consider these alternatives. USA PHONE 80m: 3.950 - 3.990 kHz 40m: 7.250 - 7.290 kHz However because the ILLW is NOT a contest, you can operate on any authorized QRGs as per your license, including the WARC bands. Please be sure to observe band limits for your class of license and your country. To assist other stations in the identification of lighthouse/lightship stations, we request that participating stations using CW add LS after their call sign at a lightship and LT at a lighthouse. SSB and other modes should use LIGHT, LGT, LIGHTHOUSE or LIGHTSHIP after their call. UK stations normally obtain a GB call sign with the letter L in the suffix and USA stations can request a Special Event call sign from the ARRL. A list of the lighthouses/lightships of the world, currently 10,624 in 208 DXCC countries, with their Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (ARLHS) Number can be found at http://arlhs.com/awards/arlhs-numbers.html. The list is constantly being updated and added to as more data become available. You can help: If you see a correction or an addition needs to be made, please send an e-mail with the information to K2JXW@arrl.net If you decide to join us, please register on-line at http://illw.net/index.html with details of your name, call sign to be used, lighthouse/lightship, Country, qsl route etc. Although registration is not compulsory, doing so enables us to maintain a detailed list of participants at http://illw.net/2004.htm showing QSL address, web site and any special event calls they may be using. E-mail addresses will be modified with unicode to minimize harvesting by spammers. So come and join us in the fun of the weekend, already 67 stations have confirmed their participation, establish a station at a lighthouse, lightship or maritime beacon. If you are unable to find a lighthouse/ship you can still join in the fun by contacting the special lighthouse/ship stations. The more the merrier. 73 Mike GM4SUC gm4suc@compuserve.com    Have a great month    Last Month Next Month Back to The Spark Gap