Subj : Re: Radio Controlled Foru To : Mike Dippel From : Daryl Stout Date : Wed Jul 21 2021 08:36:00 Mike, MD> I'm just 20 miles south of Tampa, and my understanding is that they get MD> a LOT of lightning strikes. When Del Webb was planning out community, MD> the study showed that it doesn't generally rain that much here so he MD> called it Sun City Center. He was wrong! I've known several ham radio operators from that area that I've talked to (we term it as "worked") on the air. MD> We have a volunteer Emergency Squad, and they can provide us with a MD> 2-way radio for $15.00 in case of emergencies. That is the closest I MD> will ever get to HAM, although we do have a Ham Radio club in our MD> community. We are going to purchase the radio soon. It would be a MD> great thing to have, as well as the battery-operated radio which we MD> already have. At least they got rid of the Morse Code requirement 14 years ago. Now, folks learn that because they WANT to, not because they have to. Here are 4 cute stories on that. 1) I asked one ham what his secret was to learning Morse Code. He replied "I learned all the dirty words first". 2) A club in Dallas was teaching Morse Code (we also term it as "CW" for "continuous wave"), and the first 4 letters they taught formed "the S expletive". But, when you looked at the dot and dash pattern, it made perfect sense. 3) In Annapolis, Maryland, four guys were at a restaurant, telling each other dirty jokes in CW. This drop dead, gorgeous, curvaceous female walked up to them, and sternly admonished "You boys need to watch your language. I teach CW at the Naval Academy across the street", and she walked out. They were as red as tomatoes!! 4) Another couple in New York were in a restaurant, "signing" (AMESLAN) dirty jokes to each other. Deaf people at a nearby table understood everything that was "signed". MD> I can see why you are so into HAM, living where you do. Have you had MD> to use it for emergencies? I guess the answer would be a resounding MD> YES. I actually saved someone's life with it. When the National Square Dance Convention was in Orlando in 1997, the last night of the event, the security guard at my hotel assaulted our shuttle bus driver. I used ham radio to call for help. The angel of The Lord was with me for 2 reasons: 1) The guard had a gun, and could've shot me dead. 2) A thunderstorm was in progress, and I could've been hit by lightning. When the fellow square dancers on the bus said "You saved his life", I said "This is what amatuer radio operators prepare for...emergency communications". I used to run "The Weather Watch Net", a precursor to "Arkansas Skywarn", when ham radio operators would go to the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. Arkansas gets "a double dose" from the east end of Tornado Alley to the west end of Dixie Alley...and most of our severe weather takes place after dark and before sunrise. One night, a tornado had hit the community of Atkins (where the pickles were made), so I was one of very few individuals on the radio (I even called the National Weather Service with storm reports). The tornado had hit around 1:30am. I was on the air before that, and at 3am, a ham said "Every time I turn on the radio during bad weather, you're here. Don't you ever sleep??!!". I sarcastically deadpanned "No. Next question", and busted out laughing. Daryl, WX4QZ .... H.A.M. Radio Operator: H)ave A)nother M)eal. === MultiMail/Win v0.52 --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .