September Monthly Meeting

All,

Our monthly meeting will be tomorrow, Tuesday, September 14th at 6:30. 

I currently have no particular agenda or special program scheduled. Look forward to a brief business meeting, ham radio discussion and fellowship.

Bring a topic, a new gadget or a joke or two and hangout with us for a bit.

Hope to see you there, 

John

K5FY

Upcoming Test Session - July 17, 9am

VE TESTING AND UPGRADE SESSION COMING UP SOON!!!!!!!!

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July 17th, 2021 VE Testing!!!!!

LICENSING AND TESTING!!!!!

PLEASE READ AND FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE, CLUB OR HAM RELATED FACEBOOK PAGES, ETC

We will be having VE testing at the NEMRA, Inc club room Saturday July 17th, 2021 beginning at 9am. We start at 9 am. We will be at the Old Fulton Grammar School located at 603 S Cummings St in Fulton, MS in the NEMRA club room. Look for the red testing sign for the entrance to the old school house (south side).

There is NO FEE for the testing, please bring at least 2 types of ID, one needs to be a state issued photo ID, a copy of your current license and any CSCE's not reflected in your current license (example, took general test yesterday, passed, and want to take extra today and the general upgrade has not been processed and posted yet).

As of Jan 1, 2021, Laurel VEC will no longer accept Social Security Numbers, FRN Only. The SS# entry will be removed from the application process and the session report. YOU MUST HAVE A FRN OR A VALID CALL SIGN OR YOU CANNOT TEST.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!! NOTE: If you are testing for the Technician license, PLEASE, follow the instructions below:

As of right now, as far as I know, the FCC has not begun the implementation of the $35 fee for Amateur Radio licenses so these are still free as of today, but it's coming!!!

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If you don't have an FRN, go to:

https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

You will need to:

1) Register in CORES (in the middle)

2) Verify your email address and log in

3) Register for a new FRN

Notes:

● You will need access to your email

● Username must be an email address

● Use your LEGAL NAME. Do not use NICKNAMES.

● Enter your Social Security Number without dashes

Once you have your FRN, click the Username Login button.

https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do

Click the Register FRN and complete the process.

You MUST have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) for your application.

If you have an Amateur (Ham) or GMRS License, you already have an FRN go to : http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp to get your number if needed.

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You must first register with the FCC and obtain a FRN before you can test. We do not accept social security numbers any more. You must bring your FRN number with you for the testing paperwork, as is the only number you will have to complete the application (No SSN's).

Please contact Bobby at w1law@yahoo.com for myself (John) at k5fy.usa@gmail.com for more information or notification that you intend to test that day.

Walk-ins are accepted however, we would like to know if you intend to take the test and make sure that you have your FRN prior to coming to Fulton so please RSVP as soon as possible.

We will be cleaning and preparing the night before and face coverings or mask and social distancing are encouraged and requested.

Please go to www.laurelvec.com for more testing sessions for your area and go to www.w5nem.org for a complete list of scheduled exams on our blog calendar for NEMRA along with other club information.

We look forward to seeing you there and Good Luck!!

John 

K5FY

-- 

NEMRA, Inc

Northeast Mississippi Radio Amateurs, Inc

PO Box 261

Mooreville, MS  38857

nemra.inc@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/w5nem

www.w5nem.org

 

It's time for Field Day 2021!

From ARRL.ORG:

Field Day is ham radio's open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

Come join us for a fun day of ham radio operations!  We will be open to the public from 1-5pm on Saturday.  We would welcome anyone, no matter their interest, to visit with and learn about ham radio and ways it is used.

Those familiar with amateur radio at any experience level that want to join in the preparation, setup and operation, we will be starting the "work" at 9:00am with antenna build, radio preparation and computer setup.  

We welcome ALL to come by and get on the air!

Old Fulton Grammar School,

603 S Cummings Street

Fulton MS

145.450(-) Tone 192.8Mhz

The time is drawing near.  It's a big day for ham radio.  I am certainly looking forward to getting together, getting on the air and promoting our hobby to the community!

I am sorting through the information packet, absorbing a few details.  Please be sure to mark your calendars for the 4th weekend in June and plan to join us, if able.  Members, Non-members, curious on-lookers or seasoned hams: We would love to have you all come out and be a part of Field Day 2021!

NEMRA, Old Grammar School Building, 603 Cummings Street, Fulton, MS

John
K5FY

NEMRA.INC@gmail.com

#ARRLFD

Exciting Times in Ham Radio

Greetings All,

It is Spring.  The weather is providing ample opportunities to be outside.  Ham radio is in the AIR! (Along with pollen.)

At the March meeting of NEMRA we had quite a bit of activity.  

Patrick Homan stopped by.  Patrick is the new Fire and Emergency Management Director for Itawamba.  Mr. Tommy Poole invited Patrick to meet with us, introduce himself and discuss his needs in the area of communication and how ham radio may be able to enhance and extend his capability in the event of a disaster.  We are greatly encouraged to form a positive relationship with local officials.  Ham radio is about making CONTACTS!

Along with Patrick, Kasey Herndon (KI5IYO) and Ethan Mooberry (N9ZA) were in attendance.  Both expressed interest in becoming members and I am pleased to announce we have two new members at NEMRA!  

Kasey is a member of the 155th BCT and a combat medic.  Kasey is #Team7300 and has his ICOM 7300 working on digital and SSB.  He and I coordinated our efforts to work the Last Man Standing event, spotting the stations as they popped up on the air.  I am sure we can use/abuse Kasey as Safety Officer in our upcoming Field Day activities. 

Ethan first popped on my radar at Field Day 2020.  I was participating with Lowndes County Amateur Radio Club, Magnolia Amateur Radio and the Mississippi State University Amateur Radio Club.  Ethan's gift of an ICOM 718, G5RV and power supply to a new ham was quite the topic that day.   Tripp Sanders, K5TRP, formerly KI5IYN was ecstatic to receive Ethan's 718 and had it on the air that day!  Enabled by Ethan's gift, Tripp, who I might mention was 12 at the time, quickly passed from Tech to General to Extra and is active in the Starkville area clubs.  It's great to have Ethan onboard with NEMRA.

Additionally, I gave a somewhat brief presentation on GridTracker.  It is a companion app for WSJT-X for FT8/FT4 modes.  I thoroughly enjoy it.  If you work FT8/FT4, take a look here GridTracker.org

That brings us to Field Day 2021.  It is coming soon!  We have yet to ink a formal plan-of-attack, but in generalities, we will meet to prep, test and coordinate on Friday, June 25th.  We will kick off the full activities on Saturday and close out the event on Sunday afternoon.  I have volunteered to head up our efforts with Bobby (W1LAW) at close hand as lead consultant!  This will be a topic of discussion in upcoming meetings and I encourage all members to be present and share their ideas on how to make this Field Day a huge success.

While we can't forego all the precautions in place for Covid-19, it is great to be meeting again and having in-person fellowship.  We miss our members that have not been able to attend and look forward to seeing them soon!

**Don't forget our VE Test Session on Saturday, April 17th at 9:00.**  

If you know of anyone that wants to test, please contact Bobby or myself AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  We need to get them in the system and have them arrive prior to 9:00 to ensure their testing goes smoothly.

VE Team, please arrive by 8:45 for setup purposes.  In addition, masks will be enforced while test participants are present.  We want to limit exposure and provide a safe testing environment.

Thanks and 73,

John

K5FY

--

NEMRA, Inc

Northeast Mississippi Radio Amateurs, Inc

PO Box 261

Mooreville, MS  38857

nemra.inc@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/w5nem

www.w5nem.org