Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Aug 25 2022 18:04:51 BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, like the George County ARES repeater in Lucedale, Mississippi, Wednesdays at 7:37 p.m. local time. ** ITCHING TO WORK THE SCRATCHIN' POST QSO PARTY JIM/ANCHOR:If you want to have a QSO party, all you need is a reason. Much like the World's Largest Teapot event that recently concluded, this ARES special event station is just dripping in Southern charm. DON: In coastal Mississippi exactly 40 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico and 10 miles west of the Alabama state line lies the friendly little town of Lucedale, Mississippi, founded in 1901, population 24,762. Right in the heart of downtown Lucedale on the corner of Mill and Main you'll find a four-by-four wooden notched post known as The Scratchin' Post. From 1937 until 1993 there was a very popular 24-hour restaurant at that site known as The Coffee Pot, renowned for its 5-inch tall merengue pies. The restaurant is long gone, a victim of progress and rerouted highways, but The Scratchin' Post still stands tall. And on Saturday, September 3rd, George County ARES will put it on the amateur radio map with The Scratchin' Post QSO Party. You may be asking why is it called The Scratchin' Post? It was a tradition when entering and exiting the restaurant to scratch your back against the post. Several famous spines found comfort in rubbing up against that hunk of wood. Baseball legend Dizzy Dean. Country music legends Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tubb. Actors Kirk Douglas, Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers. Even Ronald Reagan in his Hollywood days as well as Tom Lester, "Eb" on "Green Acres." You can scratch that radio itch by listening for K5K on 20 and 40 meters phone as well as FT4 and FT8. Operating hours are 1300 to 2300 UTC on Saturday, September 3rd. They will be operating Field Day style from the downtown City Park. If you're in that neck of the woods, stop by and enjoy some fine Southern hospitality. Everything you need to know, as well as a picture of The Scratchin' Post, can be found on the K5K QRZ page. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a QSO party. I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW. ** VOLUNTEER MONITORS SEND HAMS COMMENDATIONS, NOTICES JIM/ANCHOR: A recent trip to the mailbox brought surprises for some hams - some pleasant surprises, others not-so-pleasant. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, explains. SEL: The Volunteer Monitor Program, begun in 2020 as a cooperative effort between the FCC and the ARRL, recently released its report for July of this year. The program delivers commendations as well as notices of improper operation to hams as a way of boosting compliance with amateur radio license regulations. The latest commendations include a ham in Columbia, South Carolina for helping amateurs complete programs for the Community Emergency Response Team and for assisting those involved in the county's Emergency Operations Center. Commendations were also given to hams in Poughkeepsie (poo-KIPP- See) New York for conducting the community bulletin board on a local repeater. Hams in Roslyn, Pennsylvania were also given commendations for involving the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club in Field Day and MESH operations. Meanwhile, notices for unlicensed operation were sent to logging companies in Washington state for their use of 2-meter amateur frequencies. Another notice for unlicensed operation was sent to an operator in Indian Hills, California for operating 2m simplex APRS during a high-altitude balloon flight, one year after the operator's license had been cancelled by the FCC. Notices for operating FT8 outside license privileges were issued to a Technician class operator in Martinez, California and a General-class operator in Trenton, New Jersey. Notices for operating on SSB outside their General class privileges were issued to hams in Massapequa (massa-PEE- KWAH), New York, and Trenton, New Jersey. This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD. (ARRL) ** SPECIAL 9/11 EVENT MARKS TERROR ATTACKS' 21st ANNIVERSARY JIM/ANCHOR: Recalling the difficult day that was September 11th, 2001, a group of US amateurs is marking that grim anniversary with a special event starting very soon. Jack Parker, W8ISH, tells us what their plans are. JACK: Members of the Alabama Contest Group will be carrying the message "Nine Eleven, Remembered Once More," during a special event being activated to honor the victims of terrorism who perished 21 years ago in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Stations will be using the callsign K4A starting at 0001 UTC on September 8th and running through to September 12th, operating on all bands and using CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY. Organizers are expecting many hams to be calling in with stories of remembrances from September 11th, 2001. Planners have been busy on the Discord chat app making a schedule that will be accessible to amateurs worldwide. An extra effort will be made on CW and FT8 to help Pacific DX operators, especially in VK and ZL, make contacts. Certificates will be available in addition to QSL cards. QSOs are needed on four bands in any combination of modes to qualify for a certificate. Outside of North America, only three bands are needed. According to the QRZ page for K4A, this event recognizes "peace-loving people all over the world." Visit the page for K4A or WA1FCN for more details. This is Jack Parker, W8ISH (ALABAMA CONTEST GROUP) --- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .