We continue to receive new registrants for our GERATOL Website. Please welcome the following ops, who have taken the time to register on our site, and let’s hope we get to hear them on the net in the coming weeks/months:
AD0QM – Jeff from the state of MN
Steve
N3AH – Paul from the Commonwealth of PA
ND7C – David from the state of AR
W7LRD – Robert from the state of WA
Welcome aboard to all of you, and feel free to fire me off a note to n1kl@geratol.net if you have any questions about the website.
GERATOL 50th ANNIVERSARY CERTIFICATE LOG FORMS
Frosty was nice enough to create a log form, to be used by those working toward the new GERATOL 50th Anniversary Certificate. There are two pages for the log form, so make sure you print out both of them. They can be found via the following links:
Simply click on each link, the document will appear, and you can then print it out. Fill in your QSO’s as the log form requires, and when you reach the magic 50, send in your application to Dave, KJ8V or simply email him your log forms, and he will process your certificate. Good luck, and have fun. Kevin – N1KL
posted by Kevin in GERATOL NET NEWS and have Comments Off on GERATOL NET NEWS
Ken was first licensed in 1975 in Colorado Springs, but he got his start in our great hobby, about ten years prior while stationed in Oregon. Ken was living in Oregon at the time, with his wife Evelyn, when a fellow Air Force buddy, none other than Jack, WM0G stopped by and asked Ken to keep an eye on his ham radio equipment while Jack was traveling. Ken agreed to babysit Jack’s equipment, and the rest is history !!
Jack knew of course, by leaving the radio, along with a long wire for some serious Short Wave Listening, that Ken would be smitten by the Ham Radio Bug !! Sure enough, it worked and by doing that “favor” for Jack, Ken became interested in Ham Radio obtaining his Novice license in 1975 while stationed in Colorado.
Ken – WV1Y “On The Air”
That first encounter with Ham Radio was in 1961, but years later (1992 to be exact) Ken had checked into the GERATOL Net, and a gentleman from Colorado gave him a call and asked if Ken had ever served in the Air Force, and if he had ever been to Klamath Falls. Indeed the answer was YES to both questions, and the inquiring Ham was none other than his old Air Force buddy, Jack, WM0G ! Imagine, after all that time since Jack had sparked Ken’s interest in radio, thirty years later they were having a QSO on the GERATOL Net !! This is truly an amazing hobby, and this is a great story about two old Air Force buddies reconnecting via the GERATOL Net.
After Oregon, Ken had moved on to Colorado, where he studied for and then received his ticket. His fellow Club members served as his Elmer, teaching him the basics and helping Ken achieve his Novice ticket, where he was licensed as WN0TLR. His rig at the time, was a staple for many of us beginners, a HW-101 which he fed into a dipole antenna up a whopping twenty feet in the air !! But it worked !!
Ken’s 1st Rig HW-101
Years later, Ken and his wife Evelyn settled down in “Little Rhody” aka: Rhode Island in 1988 after traveling and serving in the Army, Air Force and then Bendix Engineering. Ken is one of a handful of ops on the GERATOL net, who served in more than one branch of service. His dual service helps those working toward the Veteran’s Salute Award. Over the years, Ken’s eyesight had deteriorated and in 1990 the Handi-Hams group (a great organization) lent a hand by sending Ken a Century 21 CW rig, modified for visually impaired hams. Ken pounded away at CW, getting to 20 wpm proficiency and obtaining his Extra Class ticket ! Ken then upgraded his gear to a Kenwood TS440S, coupled with a G5RV antenna. He got hooked on County Hunting during the day time hours on 20 Meters, and has completed ALL counties, now five times over !! As Ken stated in his bio material he sent me, “What an adventure” What an accomplishment Ken ! Well done.
In addition to his County Hunting prowess, Ken has amassed over 137 Countries for his DXCC. One of his more memorable DX contacts was working both the North Pole and Alaska during Christmas time.
Ken served in the Army from 1948 through 1952, and then in the Air Force from 1955 through 1975. Some of spots he visited while serving included: Republic of Panama, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Iceland, Korea, Vietnam and even Thailand. Ken has not only Worked All States on the GERATOL Net, but he has also visited all 50 states in person, while with Bendix Engineering.
His wife Evelyn of 49 years passed away in 2006. She hailed from Denver, Colorado and was a great support for Ken while he was studying toward his ham license upgrade. She would test and quiz Ken so often, he says that it got to the point where she knew more than he did !! She provided that same support to Ken in his pursuit of Economics, where he eventually graduated with a degree from Roger Williams College.
As we all know, Ken hails from the little state of Rhode Island, which also happens typically to be a “tough one” for many ops to get on 80 Meters, but Ken is there most evenings, putting RI in the log books of so many future GERATOLers, as well as bringing his excellent operating skills and gentlemanly manner to the net. By the way, for those who may not know it, Ken recently achieved obtaining GERATOL # 2669 for his Club Call: AA1KM ! Congrats on that latest achievement Ken and thanks for all you do for our net.
It won’t be long, a new season of the GERATOL Net is approaching quickly, so if you need to get some antenna work done, or reactivate that old version of WinEQF, now is the time, before the new season launches on October 1st.
GERATOL NET
As we all know, the last few seasons have been “challenging” for the new folks working toward their Unbelievable Operating Achievement Award, or the basic award, due to less than stellar band conditions. Let’s hope this season brings with it, some improved conditions, and for the Old Time GERATOLers, let’s do our part to help these guys out, by taking a few minutes some evenings, to check in and put our respective states on the air for them.
Our awards manager, Dave KJ8V is standing by, ready to issue those new GERATOL numbers, Director Numbers or new Endorsements, so let’s keep him busy this year !!
The life blood of the net continues to be our Net Control Stations !! They keep the net alive, and all do a great job, making it fun, friendly and fair to all who check into the net. Big thanks in advance to those who volunteer to run the net. If you would like to try your hand as NCS, just fire a note off to Dave, KJ8V and let him know you wish to help out this season. It’s fun, challenging and very rewarding.
Speaking of “checking into the net”……we would also have no net, unless we have folks checking in. So, feel free to spread the word about our net at your next club meeting, or put a blurb in your club’s newsletter about the net starting up again, and invite any and all with the proper license class. I’ve found many are incorrectly under the impression you need to have an Extra Class formatted call. I always try to stress the fact, any and all call sign formats are more than welcome, in fact, encouraged, since we have several endorsements that require those types of call signs. As long as they have the appropriate license class, they are MORE than welcome to join our ranks. Spread the word !
GERATOL NET TURNS 50 THIS SEASON !!
During this coming 50th season, feel free to put your own POSTS on the website, about your experiences on the net, and tell us about the interesting, unusual or otherwise fun QSO’s you’ve had, while working toward your basic, or as NCS, or grabbing that LAST state you needed, or whatever !!
For example, I recall working from my mobile on the net one evening from VT, putting VT into as many logs as possible. As I was making one QSO after another, a rather curious VT police officer approached my truck, and asked what I was up to. I explained, and he was intrigued. So much so, he stayed there listening to me hand out signal reports, swap numbers, exchange info with other ops for nearly an hour ! He gave me his email address, and I sent him the name of a local club in his area, where he could learn more about our hobby !! You never know who’s listening !! Or watching for that matter ! Let’s hear your interesting stories…..
If you are not sure about how to place a POST with your story, just fire me off a note, and I will be happy to either send you a tutorial showing you how to place a POST, or will add the POST on your behalf. Just send your request to: n1kl@geratol.net
As mentioned, our upcoming season represents the 50th Anniversary of our net. To celebrate this milestone, a new award will be made available by our Awards Manager, Dave – KJ8V. Stay tuned for details from Dave and Sandy, and get ready to begin working toward the new award, this coming season and join in the celebration.
Let’s make the coming season another fun, and friendly experience for new and old members alike, as we have been doing for fifty years now !! Spread the word, GERATOL turns 50, and for those who have not checked in for some time, please take a minute to join us some evening, to help celebrate our anniversary, and to share your experiences.
All the best, Kevin N1KL GERATOL Website Admin and Public Relations
FCC application fees unlikely to go into effect until 2022
The ARRL reports the schedule of FCC amateur radio application fees likely will not go into effect before 2022. FCC staff confirmed during a recent virtual meeting with Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) that the agency is still working on the necessary changes to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) software and other processes and procedures that must be in place before it starts collecting fees from amateur applicants. Earlier this year, the FCC said it would not start collecting fees from amateur applicants before this Summer. The new estimate is that the fees won’t go into effect until early next year.
Once it’s effective, the $35 application fee will apply to new, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call sign applications. All fees will be per application. Administrative update applications, such as those to change a licensee’s name, mailing, or email address, will be exempt from fees. ARRL VEC manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams will not face the burden of collecting the $35 fee.
FEE SCHEDULE:
INDIVIDUALS –
$35 FEE: New, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call sign applications. All fees will be per application.
NO FEE: Administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, or license cancellation.
AMATEUR RADIO CLUBS –
$35 FEE: New, renewal, trustee change, and vanity call sign applications. All fees will be per application.
NO FEE: Administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, or license cancellation.
For more information on FCC application fees, here is the link:
As we are all acutely aware, the median age of a typical Ham Operator is increasing year after year. To confirm this, all we need to do is look around at the next Ham Radio Expo, or Flea Market or even local club meeting and see how many “Old Timers”, not including any of us of course, are in our midst.
YOTA, or Youth On The Air, strives to stir interest in our hobby amongst younger folks, helping to insure our hobby remains viable. This year, YOTA will be operating a Special Event Station beginning next Monday. Let’s take a minute out of our busy summer schedules, to find them, and make a contact.
Youth on the Air Camp 2021 to Activate W8Y and Stream Selected Events Online
The first Youth on the Air (YOTA) camp for young radio amateurs in North, Central, and South America begins on July 11 in West Chester, Ohio. Among other activities, campers will be operating special event station W8Y from the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, and also from the camp hotel. The camp will run until July 16.
“We are at 23 campers,” said Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. “We are very excited to finally bring this program to the Americas. Our young people are bringing an incredible lineup of hands-on sessions for their peers. We hope this pilot gives us the information we need to replicate this camp over multiple locations for years to come. We also hope this brings a more robust community of young hams into amateur radio.”
The long-awaited summer camp for up to 30 hams aged 15 through 25 had been set to take place in June 2020, but it had to be rescheduled until summer 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic concerns. The camp for young hams in the Americas took its cue from the summer Youngsters on the Air camps held for the past few years in various IARU Region 1 countries.
W8Y will be on the air as campers complete projects, between sessions, and during free time. Dedicated operating times on HF will be Monday, July 12, 0100 – 0330 UTC; Tuesday, July 13, 0000 – 0330 UTC and 1800 – 2130 UTC. Dedicated satellite station operating times will be Thursday, July 15, 1400 – 1700 UTC, and Friday, July 16, 1500 – 1700 UTC.
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact is currently set for either Wednesday, July 14, at 1503 UTC, or Thursday, July 15, at 1416 UTC. It will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel.
The camp opening observance on Sunday, July 11, 2100 – 2230 UTC, will feature keynote speaker Tim Duffy, K3LR. The hour-long closing ceremony on Friday, July 16, will begin at 1700 UTC. The YouTube channel will also feature a daily video, highlighting the activities of the previous day.
ARRL and The Yasme Foundation donated project kits for the campers. X-Tronic provided temperature-controlled soldering stations. The brochure on the Youth on the Air website includes more details about the camp. For additional information, contact Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.
I am sorry to report that I just learned today that Bill became a SK on June 1, 2021.
His obituary is available at this link: https://www.grandcoulee.com/story/2021/06/30/obituaries/bill-moore/14320.html
In addition to his activity on the Geratol Net, he was also an avid county hunter and mobile operator, having earned USA-CA #693 from CQ Magazine on January 26, 1991.
He was most recently serving as the club Historian for MARAC (the Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club).
We would like to welcome aboard to our GERATOL Website, the following new subscribers, who took the time to register on the site. Welcome aboard to each and every one of you, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me at: N1KL@GERATOL.NET
Welcome to:
Jim, N5JP from TN
Mike, KE0VWL from MO
John, AC8JB from OH
Luther, N5PU from MS
Dan, W3ZF from CO
Ken, N8FDI from MI
You are all now fully registered on the site, and have been granted, “Contributor” privileges. This allows you to place POSTS and also to make COMMENTS on POSTS on the site.
We hope you enjoy the site, and we look forward to working you on the net some evening, either this season, or next.
We had a couple other registrations, but as previously mentioned, without a way of confirming your call signs, we can only grant “Subscriber” privileges. We welcome you aboard also, and if you wish to upgrade to “Contributor” just send me an email with your Ham Radio call sign, and I will upgrade you…..we do this to insure we keep our site secure..
All the best, and again, welcome aboard. Kevin, N1KL GERATOL Website Administrator
As part of our ongoing series on the 50 states, this POST will cover the state of VERMONT, which was the 14th state to formally ratify the United States constitution, following Rhode Island and just ahead of Kentucky.
Vermont Seal
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the United States. It borders the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Vermont is the only state in New England that does not border the Atlantic Ocean. Vermont is the second-least-populated U.S. state and the sixth-smallest by area of the 50 U.S. states. The state capital is Montpelier, the least-populous state capital in the United States.
Before Vermont became the 14th state, it existed as an independent nation for 14 years. It became independent in 1777 following clashes over land. The development allowed locals to begin printing their currency, enacting laws that banned slavery and established postal service.
Maple Tree Sap Being Collected
The state is undoubtedly the largest producer of maple syrup in the country. It produces a staggering 35 percent of the total supply on the market. Many locals produce the syrup at home while others pay a prominent role as the big producers. Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup? The sap from the maple trees flows and is collected in buckets.
A Vermont Classic
The state is the birthplace of the well-known ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry’s. The company still operates from headquarters in Vermont. Local farmers benefit from Ben & Jerry’s commercial activities as they receive ice cream waste to feed the hops.
Cold Temps Not Unusual in VT
You think you have experienced COLD. Just imagine this COLD. The coldest recorded temp is -50 in Bloomfield in 1933.
There aren’t more cows than people in Vermont. However, in ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
Many like a little snow, especially around Christmas time, but are you ready for levels like the winter of 1970/1971 they experienced in Vermont? The greatest snowfall for a single season was 26.5 feet of snow! Yikes, time to think about Florida !!
The GREEN Mountain State
Some additional Fun Facts about the state of VERMONT:
With a population of fewer than nine thousand people, Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the U.S.
Montpelier, Vermont is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonalds.
Vermont’s largest employer isn’t Ben and Jerry’s, it’s IBM.
Vermont was, at various times, claimed by both New Hampshire and New York.
Until 1996, Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.
Rudyard Kipling, living in Vermont in the 1890’s invented the game of snow golf.
Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores. This doesn’t apply to bars, but can affect those traveling through the state.
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the fourth of July. Born in Plymouth 7/4/1872.
The origin of Vermont name came from a French phrase of “Le Verts Monts”. Means of the phrase is Green Mountain.
There are no billboards in Vermont. In 1968, legislators decided to restrict the installation of billboards in towns or counties of Vermont. They have restricted the advertisements to preserve the natural beauty of the state.
We hope you enjoyed some of the fun facts and details about the GREEN Mountain State of Vermont. If you are from VT, or have traveled there, feel free to share some thoughts of your own about the state of Vermont.
73 for now, Kevin N1KL
posted by Kevin in GERATOL NET NEWS and have Comments Off on VERMONT
On occasion we will post some “opinion” oriented articles on the GERATOL Website, to spur discussion and thought regarding a variety of topics, germane to the hobby of Amateur Radio.
This article discusses, “The lost art of rag-chewing”
Based on GERATOL Net participants, the majority of GERATOLers have quite a few years as licensed operators under their belts. The success of our 50/50 Award is proof of that fact. Luckily, for the survival of the net going forward, we also have a good cadre of fairly new operators, who also join the net in search of their basic award qualifications, and for the comradery experienced on our net. While I realize, our GERATOL Net is not conducive to lengthy Rag Chewing, but rather is dedicated to a specific activity, we can, none the less, look at our hobby from another, non-Worked All States perspective.
I’d like to pose a question to both groups, namely, the old timers as well as the newer members of the fraternity of Ham Radio. Whatever happened to the age-old Ham Radio tradition of Rag Chewing ??? For those not familiar with the term, RAG CHEWING means to have a fairly lengthy conversation with another amateur operator. I think the Rag Chewers Club (RCC) was the first Amateur Radio award for which I qualified. To qualify, one need only provide evidence of having made a single QSO that lasted more than 30 minutes. The implication being that such a contact involves interacting with another Ham to cover more than the abbreviated signal report and location contact.
EXAMPLE of RCC Certificate
Such lengthy conversations were prevalent on all bands, not just the HF bands at one time. I recall having rag chew round tables on Six Meters back in the 60’s, with as many as 20 stations participating, that would last for two hours or more. I remember putting up omni-directional stacked Cushcraft Squalo antennas, so I could hear the stations from all directions… My RCC Award was initiated by a fellow ham in the same state, on six meters, where we had chatted for over an hour.
Cushcraft Squalo
Seems today, the norm is more like, “Your 5-9, state is MA, 73’s” Along this same trend, is the loss of VHF Repeater activity. I also recall, as do many of you, no doubt, the 2 Meter daily “round tables” with fellow sufferers headed into the salt mines each day. A one hour commute, was shortened in scope, by interacting with fellow travelers along the asphalt jungle, via 2 Meter or even 440 repeater activity.
In addition to the “5-9, see you later” QSO’s, we can now add in the newest modes of communication, via digital exchanges. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in new and exciting modes of operating. It is clearly one of Ham Radio’s greatest contributions to communications. Namely, the adoption, development and use of new modes of communication. Heck, I am not only a believer, but a user of them as well. On the plus side, it allows communications via using much lower power, with more simple antenna arrangements, and under poor band conditions, which of course, we have been subjected to the last several years. However, with the advent of modes such as FT-8, two ops don’t even need to be at their respective radios when the exchanges are made. It’s all mechanized, without the personal touch that comes from legacy-mode human-to-human contacts and conversation.
The good news about our net, the GERATOL net, is that we are lucky to have Net Control Operators who not only promote the original mission of the net, namely, to allow two stations to confirm QSO’s in the effort to obtain working all 50 states, but they also promote a friendly, and cordial dialogue, not only between check-ins and NCS, but from one operator to another. We ALWAYS, exchange names along with QSO’s. Some WAS nets, don’t even bother with that. We get to know each other, and our interests as well. If you need proof, check into the net on Wednesday evenings, and listen to how cordial, friendly, welcoming and down right FUN the net can be when Bob, AI4IL runs the net.
Beyond our net though, “I’m Just Sayin’ “ let’s take the time to reach out to new Hams and have a real conversation with them. If you are into CW, jump down to the slower speed areas of 80 and 40 meters, typically around 3.535-40 and 7.035-40 respectively, and have a nice QSO with a chap learning the code. Or, jump on to any of the HF bands and put out a CQ !! Or, fire up the 2meter rig for something other than a local net, and say, Your call sign, followed by “Listening” and have a QSO with someone….
Let’s not lose our ability to communicate human-to-human with our fellow Ham operators, but above all, HAVE FUN !!
Feel free to weigh in, and make a “Comment” on this opinion POST. Am I right, or am I wrong ? Let’s hear from our fellow GERATOLers about this.
