ANOTHER GERATOL SEASON IN THE BOOKS
The GERATOL net has wrapped up another season, it’s 52nd season at that. Once again, conditions were not our friend, but several of our regulars persisted, and in addition, we had a lot of old timers stop by to say hi, not to mention welcoming several new participants, including Hunter – W3CZ. Thanks to all who participated in the net this past season.
One of those who toiled through rough conditions the last few years, but who persisted in obtaining his coveted GERATOL #, was Chuck – N5WGA who now holds G # 2680. Chuck’s persistence is evidence, that even in times of tough conditions, the Unbelievable Operating Achievement Award, or the BASIC award is attainable. Congrats to Chuck.
SILENT KEYS
All too often, part of our GERATOL Net news is to share those who are no longer with us, and have become Silent Keys. This year was no exception, with the loss of some fine GERATOLers, including our Chairman of the Board, Logging Software creator, Net Controller and simply, the guy who kept us going for many, many years, Frosty – W0FP. We remember his dedication and support of the net, and his willingness to accept new ideas to keep the net interesting for the regular net attendees. Next season, we hope to honor his contributions to the net, by sponsoring a special certificate we can all work to complete in his memory. More to come on that, stay tuned.
In addition to Frosty, let us also remember the following GERATOLers we lost last season:
Verne – NK0H, Cliff – KC0CA, Mike – WA5CMI, Jim – WI7M, Leonard – KR3J, Mike – NE9O, George – KC0T
Lowell – KB0BA, Frank – AA9JJ and John – N7TT
THANKS TO NCS OPS !!
Needless to say, without Net Control Operators, there would be no GERATOL Net. Thanks to each and every one of you, who have made the net possible this past season. We truly hope you keep us going for another year, next season. Also, thanks for doing such a great job running W1G this past season, we had multiple QSL requests come in from the stations you worked, while operating our special event station.
Special thanks to this past seasons NCS ops including:
Frosty – W0FP (SK), Bob – AI4IL, Steve – AC0SG, Ron – AA8PI, Chuck – N5WGA and JJ – W5RJJ (Special W1G NCS for West Coast)
If I missed anyone, my appologies…..
INFORMAL GERATOL RAG CHEW GROUP
We have had several ops inquire about having an off-season (May/June/July/August/September) rag chew session once per week on the GERATOL Net frequency. We have agreed to meet informally on WEDNESDAY evenings, at usual net time of 0100Z and frequency of 3.668 Mhz starting this coming Wednesday, May 7th on the calendar, and May 8th Zulu time. Stop by just to say hi, share some stories of GERATOL seasons past, new rigs, antennas, etc. etc. It’s fun and informal, and we look forward to having a casual round table once per week as the summer days move by.
FALL SEASON – STARTS OCTOBER 1st
As we all know, we lost our long time Chairman of the Board, Frosty W0FP and all he brought to the net. However, in addition to Frosty, our Vice Chair, Kenny – KE9TC has also announced his retirement from his role as Vice Chairman of the Board. Our thanks to Kenny for his years of service as an NCS and as our Vice Chairman. Thank you Kenny.
We have been VERY fortunate to have a viable website, and domain name, thanks to Al – AE2T who has served as our Webmaster and keeper of the domain name. Unfortunately, Al is also looking to retire from those roles, and has asked our membership to find a suitable replacement. Our own, Bob – AI4IL has agreed to take on those duties, and we have notified Al of that decision. Our thanks to Bob for assuming those new duties, on top of the other GERATOL hats he’s already sporting.
Needless to say, we have multiple key positions to fill. Besides Chair and Vice Chair. Currently, Bob – AI4IL is holding down the fort by serving as: Treasurer, NCS Coordinator, Net Information Officer, not to mention running the net at least three days per week.
To keep the tradition of the GERATOL net alive, in the Fall we will be soliciting nominations for the following GERATOL Net BOARD of DIRECTOR positions:
Chairman of the Board
Vice Chairman
In addition, we will be asking for volunteers to serve in key positions, including:
Net Controllers
NCS Coordinator
So, if you enjoy the net, and the comradery of so many good ops over the years, be thinking about throwing your hat or hats into the ring, when nominations are made. More to come on that during the summer months, keep an eye out for new POSTS on the website regarding same.
If there are any questions on any of the items listed in this POST, feel free to add a comment to the POST and/or send me an email to: n1kl@arrl.net
73, and hope to hear you on the RAG CHEW this coming WEDNESDAY !!!
