[South Florida DX Association] Monthly Southern Florida Section Summary

[bmarx at bellsouth.net]

Assistant Section Managers --WA4AW, KD4GR, KA4FZI, W4WYR, N4LEM, K9SHT; Section
Traffic Manager -- K4PG; Affiliated Club Coordinator and Technical Coordinator
-- WA4AW; Section Emergency Coordinator --KD4GR; Official Observer Coordinator --
W4WLR: District Emergency Coordinators -- N4LEM, K9SHT, AA4BN, N4QPM, KG5QD

Here's a sampling of the varied events that took place around the section in
April.  Due to work and family obligations I will not update the news page
until late this month.  I'll send an e-mail when it is updated.

During April many groups provided communications for the March of Dimes
WalkAmerica events.

Reports were received from the following ECs: N4LEM, N4HHA, AA4PN, WA4ASJ,
N5KFR, N4QPM, N1XC,

Brevard County completed the first ARECC hybrid class and conducted testing
for Astronaut High School radio class (A Big Project school).  Amateurs worked
13 hour shifts for a 100 mile Ride for the Red bike event for the Red Cross.

Osceola has begun regular testing sessions, is currently holding licensing
classes, and dedicated a new radio room at the EOC.

Indian River operated a special event station for the 50th Anniversary
Hibiscus festival.

Palm Beach County has a new club -- Palms West.  The Palm Beach Club Council
has obtained the call W4SS in honor of Manny Papandreas, the founder of the
Council.


And, lastly, a gentle reminder, a lesson, and a request for assistance.  There
are many amateurs who are new to HF operating.  Procedures on HF differ from
those on local repeaters.  Please remember to use standard phonetics on HF
because a Z, C, V, B, D and G can sound alike in standard text.  We can all
think of other letters to run together quickly, giving no clue to the correct
call sign.  Being a DXer and part-time Contester I find one other area of
difference between HF and VHF that is sometimes overlooked -- the prefix and
the suffix.  (I was having difficulty obtaining the correct call of a station
in a recent contest and asked for a repeat of the suffix in phonetics.  The
reply was the full call, rapidly given and it contained D, B, and V).  Simply
stated the prefix designates the country of the operating station -- in the US
it is W, K, N, and AA-AL and the suffix is the letter or letters following the
number in the call.  In some countries the prefix contains a number.  For
example, V2 is Antigua and V3 is Belize.  Please discuss these procedures in
your newsletters, at meetings, during licensing classes, at Field Day, and
with fellow amateurs new to HF operating.  We'll all sound more professional,
and more polite, as we share the frequencies and work together to further and
preserve Amateur Radio.

73,
Sherri, W4STB
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ARRL Southern Florida Section
Section Manager: Sharon T. Brower, W4STB
w4stb at arrl.org
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