A couple of Ham Radio (bad) jokes to end the year:

HOW DOES A HAM RADIO OPERATOR SEND A BREAK UP MESSAGE TO HIS GIRL FRIEND ?

He sends REMORSE CODE !

MY LIFE COMPLETELY CHANGED AFTER I LEARNED MORSE CODE:

Last night, for example, I couldn’t fall asleep, the rain kept telling me I was a dummy load !

A SERIES OF DOTS AND DASHES IS MORSE CODE:

A series of sobs and tears is Re-Morse Code !

I’M IN LOVE WITH A GIRL FROM MY MORSE CODE CLASS:

Not sure how she feels though, she keeps sending me MIXED SIGNALS !

All the best in the coming year to all GERATOLers and to all who check the GERATOL Website !!!

73, Kevin N1KL Website Administrator

Merry Christmas to all fellow GERATOLers !

You may wish to put a light on your tower/antenna, so Santa can move about freely this year !!

Another Calendar Year of GERATOL in the log books !!

Just a reminder, as the 2022/2023 Season of the GERATOL Net moves along, we remain in celebration of our 50th year as a Worked All States Net. To that end, the 50th Year Anniversay Certificate, remains available not just through 2022/2023 season end, in March, but throughout the years ahead, as a great way to remember your experiences on the GERATOL Net, and especially as an activity for new check-in folks to work toward a nifty certificate, as they log new states for their basic award. More info on this commemorative certificate, can be found on the GERATOL Website: https://geratol.net/awards/other-awards/50th-anniversary-award/

Conditions Showing Signs of Improvement

Let’s hope Santa is good to us, as we approach 2023, and conditions on the 80M Band continue to improve, so our ardent basic award candidates, can log a few new states into their log books. To that end, for the long time GERATOLers who have not checked in lately, PLEASE take a few minutes, to check in some evening, bring some cheer in the way of a few QSO’s to those folks working toward their Basic Award.

THANK YOU !!

Once again, we wish to thank our Net Control Stations, for their persistence through QRM/QRN to keep the net alive, and for keeping it the friendliest WAS Net in service today.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL !

Finally, on behalf of the GERATOL Board of Directors, Net Control Stations, Awards Manager and all net officers, we wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Healthy Happy New Year to you and your entire families.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, and 73’s !!

73, Kevin N1KL Website Admin

As Christmas approaches, many amateur radio clubs carry out an annual tradition of helping kids talk directly to Santa Claus while he is still at the North Pole before his big ride.

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the Wallingford Amateur Radio Group in Connecticut connected kids to Santa and Mrs. Claus via amateur radio during their Calling Santa event. The group organized the event in cooperation with the Wallingford Health Department, Youth & Social Services, and support from an Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant to the Meriden Amateur Radio Club (MARC).

MARC President Dr. Ed Snyder, W1YSM, said this will be the third year for Calling Santa. “The location is ideal for this event,” said Dr. Snyder. “Our communications van is there, and the kids went inside and talked to Santa and Mrs. Claus on a real amateur radio. There was also a fire truck, coloring books, crayons, and allergy-safe snacks.” Each child received a full-color certificate signed by the Clauses.

Already in operation for the 16th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets are hosting the Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Kids can talk to Santa Claus nightly via amateur radio at 7:00 PM CST now through Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022. The shortwave net welcomes radio amateurs to help their children and grandchildren get on the air to talk to Santa (third-party rules and regulations apply).

The Big Bend Amateur Radio Club, covering the Big Bend area of west Texas and based in Alpine, will have their 15th annual Santa Net ready to go on December 14, 2022. Local 2-meter repeaters are used to make the connection to Santa. The club highlights that “Santa Net introduces kids to ham radio.” The event is promoted through the local elementary school and its teachers. Participants get a candy cane and a card commemorating the radio contact with Santa.

The ARRL Special Event Stations database is updated regularly and includes other Christmas and holiday-themed on-the-air events. You can search the database at www.arrl.org/special-event-stations, and use keyword searches such as “Christmas” or “holiday.” Fill out the Special Events application form at www.arrl.org/special-events-application to add your event.

Our club, the Quaboag Amateur Radio Club, in Western Mass sponsored an event like this years ago, and it was a huge hit with the kids at the pre-school, where we had set up the station, using our local repeater on 220 Mhz. So, if you are members of a club, which may be sponsoring an event such as this, let me know and we can get it some visibility.

Source: ARRL

From: Kevin N1KL

As many GERATOLers are aware, we have a special endorsement, # 19 for working stations/ops in all 50 states who have a QCWA number. You don’t need a QCWA number yourself, just need to work stations/ops who do have a QCWA number. Many folks on the GERATOL Net, are also QCWA members, and there has always been a strong connection between QCWA and GERATOL.

As the QCWA celebrates their 75th Anniversary, and we continue to celebrate our 50th year in service to the Ham Radio community, they are sponsoring two very special activities, both of which are currently under way.

The first activity: To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the QCWA Special Event Station, W2MM, will operate from 0001 UTC December 3 to 2359 UTC December 10, 2022. Only QCWA members in the US and its territories will have an opportunity to activate W2MM for this event. More information is available at https://qcwa.org/w2mm-special-event.htm

The second activity: QCWA is also hosting the members-only Worked 75/75 Members Contest from December 5, 2022, through February 18, 2023. The contest encourages QCWA members to contact a minimum of 75 QCWA members during the contest period. All contest entrants will receive a special certificate. Additional information including the rules, and log forms is available at https://qcwa.org/1-worked-75-75-members-contest.htm.

Those interested in joining the QCWA, if licensed for 25 years or more, can check out all the details at the QCWA website or to look at all the interesting fun facts about the 75 years of QCWA, you can do so by clicking on this link: Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA) Founded 1947

On behalf of the GERATOL Net, and all it’s members, we would like to extend a SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to the QCWA on your 75th Anniversary. Happy Anniversary QCWA

Kevin N1KL QCWA # 24,589 and GERATOL # 1371

I am very sorry to report that Rod W7OM G# 1834 became a silent key on 11/30/2022.

This from K7SS in a CW group:

From: Dan K7SS <dank7ss@…>
Date: Wed, Nov 30, 2022 at 7:37 PM
Subject: Sad to report W7OM(SK)
To:

Today we lost a giant of PNW DXing and Contesting, Rod W7OM.

He did not survive a medical procedure.

Just this weekend in the CQWW CW he had over 500 DX Q’s LP and was feeling fine. 

 I dont think there’s been a contest over the last 7 decades that didnt find W7OM in many many logs. 

Rod leaves a big hole in the amateur radio family and will be very missed on the bands by so many. 

RIP OM 

Danny K7SS

Thanks to Barry, K2MF for sharing this information on Rod