Bible
Verse
The Ministry of Reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 / So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)
President's Report
Good day all,
I hope you had a very joyful Christmas and have a happy New Year. It was a great time at the Christmas luncheon we had Saturday. As the meeting came to a close we discussed a family in need and a hat was passed. Folks let me tell you, I have never seen such as I did that day. A lot was donated and a group was selected to go out and buy some of the families needs. I'm sure the kids enjoyed their presents on Christmas morning as much as the group did that picked them out, and the turkey they received just made them smile a little more. If that doesn't bring joy into your heart and let you know that all this was because of our Father in heaven above then I hope one day you do find the spirit. But I tell you today that this family has indeed experienced the true meaning of Christmas and from both the Lauderdale Emergency Management Agency and the Meridian Amateur Radio Club all we ask in return is " Pay it forward ".
We have sent in for a new repeater and hopefully it will be granted to us soon. Also improvements are underway and hopefully we will have better coverage soon. Come join in and be a part of the progress.
See you at the meeting.
73's
Charles Grisham
KB5SZJ
Next MARC Business Meeting
The next business meeting will be held at the Checker Board Restaurant on Saturday, January 4th beginning at 10 A.M. Come join us for breakfast, coffee and fellowship.
Gary White KF5MWE (SK)
Regret to report I received a call this evening telling me that Gary White, KF5MWE was found sitting in his motor home chair past from natural causes at a campground in Arizona.
Posted by Gary's daughter, Sonya: It is with a heavy and broken heart that I have to make this post. Our dad Gary White went to his heavenly home. He was in his van traveling out west enjoying life and past away suddenly of natural causes. He was in Quartzsite, AZ camping. It will take several days to get dad back home to us. We will keep you all posted on the arrangements. Thank you all so much to everyone who helped us find dad. Please remember our family in your prayers especially my grandmother Alice White.
Gary Roy White February 25, 1952 - December 29, 2019. Wright's Funeral Home, Quitman.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler" is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein. Here's one way to apply this principle in amateur radio, specifically to code practice oscillators.
A week ago, my friend, Paul emailed me:
"I am planning on teaching a two-hour introduction to Morse code to 14 girls ages 8 to 9 [[Paul's granddaughter is a Girl Scout.]]. I plan on having the girls build a code practice device. I need your help in selecting a low cost buzzer and battery holder. Please take a look around and see would you can find. I would like to limit the power to one or two AA batteries."
I replied that I'd be happy to help him with the demonstration, and offered the following advice:
"A while back, I built the QRPGuys' K7QO Code Practice Oscillator (https://qrpguys.com/k7qo-code-practice-oscillator). It uses a CR2032 coin battery.
"Unfortunately, they don't sell it anymore, but the assembly manual is still online (https://qrpguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cpo_assy_012616.pdf). The assembly manual doesn't call out specific parts, but here are some Amazon SKUs: "
- B00J4BK0NS, Black 3V Electromagnetic Type Piezo Buzzer, 20 pcs/$6.58
- B06XF3K4NP, Coin Cell Button Battery Holder, 30 pcs/$9
- B008SNZUYC, 3 Pin PCB Mount Female 3.5mm Stereo Jack, 10 pcs/$5.40
- B071RMD6FD, 1/8" 3.5mm Stereo Male Connector, 10 pcs/$7
"Batteries are available at the dollar store for about 30 cents each. So, you could do the whole thing for less than $5 for sure, even with a printed circuit board, which I would suggest that we do. Heck, if you ask nicely, the QRPGuys might even give us the artwork, or even better, have some boards still in stock. Even if they have neither, you should be able to get the boards in plenty of time."
Later that day, Paul replied: Thanks, Dan, for the information and making yourself available to help. I am just going to use a buzzer, key, and battery. The buzzer has a frequency of 400 Hz. "
And this morning, he sent me this photo, noting, "FYI. Also sounds great."
I think that this is as good an example of "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler" as there can be. I've volunteered to help Paul with his class. That will be fun, too.
=============================
Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, is the author of the KB6NU amateur radio blog (KB6NU. Com), the "No Nonsense" amateur radio license study guides (KB6NU. Com/study-guides/), and often appears on the ICQPodcast (icqpodcast. com). When he's not trying to keep things as simple as possible, but not simpler, he likes to build stuff and operate CW on the HF bands.
Quote of the Month
“New year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours.” —Alex Morritt
Have a BLESSED month!
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