[South Florida DX Association] March Section News and Reports

[Bill Marx]

Hi everyone,

I hope all who attended the Southern Florida Convention at the Stuart
Hamfest had an enjoyable time.  Forums were well attended and the
topics were varied.  Many good ideas were exchanged in the forums. 
Jeremy Briggs, K4OCD is sharing his photos of the hamfest with us.  Go
to: http://www.k4ocd.com/photo/gallery/stuart_hamfest_2008/  to view
the photo show.

I commented on nets in the last e-mail message that I sent to you. 
This conversation was continued at the the Stuart hamfest both in
person with some of you and in the section forum.   Today I opened my
copy of World Radio magazine and in the Traffic column by Jim Wades,
K8SIW were similar comments.  He suggests that most local ARES two
meter nets are a waste of time and we should ask the important question
-- what has participation in the weekly ARES net done to better prepare
us for our role as emergency communicators?  He suggest using the
weekly net for something other than a round of comments about the
weather by including one or two message handling exercises each week
and a five or ten minute training topic once a month. Jim also says --
The primary purpose of a weekly ARES net is to serve as a
communications drill.  The purpose of a drill is to exercise and test a
specific emergency function.  What does your weekly
ARES/RACES/Emergency net do for training and how do you personally
participate?  Check into a net and participate -- don't be in-and-out,
just wanted to give you another check-in for the total.

Here is a link to the ARRL Public Service Communications manual.  This
section contains a brief discussion of the ARES organization and
traffic handling during emergencies. 
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/sec1-ch1.html

The goal of the Southern Florida Section is to have trained emergency
communicators in active ARES organizations in EACH county.  Some
counties have ARES/RACES and the ARES websites give RACES frequencies. 
Some counties have an ARRL EC but a club works with the EOC and acts
like RACES.  Some counties have a group with a name other than ARES and
no mention of the words amateur radio.  We must remember that the
county emergency management department is ONLY ONE of our many served
agencies.  What can we as section leadership and YOU personally do to
change this scenario and have all fourteen county ARES groups working
together?  Send your comments, e-mail ONLY, to me at w4stb at arrl.net. 

Enough of the soapbox.  Here are the the traffic and net reports that
arrived just after I sent the news a day early.  Note that the total
check-ins for the nets reporting was 1999!  If all nets that handled
traffic, not just rag chew comments, reported monthly I would guess
that the number could exceed 2500.  


SAR for February 2008: KA4FZI 503, KE4CB 139, AA4BN 52, KC4TM 2, K9GZT
29, W4WYR 8, W6GXW 4 
============== 
PSHR for February 2008: KA4FZI 120, AA4BN 83, KE4CB 85 
============= 
NET ABB. SESS QNI QTC MGR 
All Florida CW Traffic Net, QFN, 58, 494, 388, AD4DO 
Florida Amateur SSB Traffic Net, FAST, 29, 259, 60, K4SCL 
Florida Medium Speed Net, FMSN, 29, 237, 50, AG4RJ/AB4XK 
Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group, JTRG, 7, 57, 27, AG4BV/W4FK 
Palm Beach County Ares Net, PBCAN, 8, 90, 26, KG4PFY 
Saint Lucie Repeater Association, SLRA, 4, 36, 1 KE4UEI 
Southeast Florida Traffic Net, SEFTN, 29, 561, 37, AG4RJ/KI4IQZ 
Southwest Florida Traffic Net, SWFTN, 25, 265, 65, K4FQU/KE4CB 
Total QNI 1999 --Total messages relayed 654 
================================ 
Bulletin Report from David Smith KE4UEI: Recd 19, Sent 1, Total 20 

I have updated the section news page at www.arrl.org/sections/SFL.html
with news and photos.  Please check the page often.

Stay safe and stay on the air.

73,
Sherri, W4STB

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