AB2QV Summer Trip & GAREC -07

Hi my friends,

Early [in the month of August (2007)] my two children, “KC” AB2SH, Fara, and I cruised down the highways to Florida then Alabama. Two-week vacation and driving down and up total of 3100 miles. Weather in Central New York was mid 80” down to low 70”, in Florida was mid 80” to mid 90”, and in Alabama was mid 90” to 105”!

 

Along the way down and up I always tuned in my quadbander rig to VHF and UHF repeaters. Listened to several different interesting accents during QSO along district 2, 3 and 4. “Hey, yaw!” In Blue Ridge Mountain region’s small town a ham asked me what I drove. I said I drove my car. He wondered where my Harley Davidson bike was. Then I just realized that as I got off BRM region to I-77 my arms and shoulders were stiffed. Indeed, too many short curves and up and down hills at BRM. So that’s why many bikers like it.

 

From I-77 switched to I-95 South. When we reached Daytona we were entertained by legendary WHTQ (formerly WHOO) 96.5 FM Orlando, classic rock. A station with very strong signal around I-95 part of Central Florida and along route 4 East and West. We are talking about 100-kilowatt power. Visit http://www.whtq.com. The classic rock stations in Central New York should learn from WHTQ programs. While in Orlando we visited the AES ham store as always. I tried to call the store on their UHF repeater but their QSO never stopped for their guest-breakers. It’s an open repeater that the store’s staffs used as their closed ‘business’ repeater. Oh..well.

 
Huntsville, Alabama, was our last point of tourism spots, before we hit south end of I-81 in Tennessee on the way home to Central New York. The reason why we traveled to Huntsville because I was invited by Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS,
 IARU Coordinator of EmComm, to attend GAREC-07 (Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference) on 8/16-17/07 in Embassy Suites Hotel. Hans wanted to use my article “Zulu stations” published on QST May 2005 edition for a comparative study material in the first day of conference. We came from Florida late on the first day of conference. I attended their second full day.

 
The first day was too much international issue that many domestic participants could not tune in. While the second day was too much domestic issue that international participants could not tune in. But it was well balanced that at least from both portions all participants could learn from each other. Many group representatives and participants attended including IARU central, IARU-Region 1 and Region 2, Federal RACES, ARRL-ARES central, ARRL-SECs, ARRL-SMs, Salvation Army – SATERN, Army MARS, Southern Baptist, American Red Cross, US Coast Guard, Radio Amateurs of Canada, Canadian Maritime Mobile Service, Virginia State Dept of EmMgmt, JIS, CQ magazine, Congressional Legislation, IRESC, Alabama 911, Georgia State Health Dept, NYS RACES, Texas Dept of Public Safety, Global ALE-HFNet, South African Radio League, Trinidad-Tobago, Brazil, Finland, Rockwell Collins, Icom, and DHS Spectrum Mgmt. It was very interesting international conference for emcomm volunteers and supporters.

 
During GAREC-07 I had a chance to meet and speak with David Sumner, K1ZZ, ARRL-CEO/vice president, Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS, IARU-EmComm, Noel Donawa, 9Y4NED, IARU-R2 EmComm, Seppo Sisatto, OH1VR, IARU-R1 EmComm, Earle Smith, VE6NM, RAC president, Francois Botha, ZS6BUU, South African EmComm, Dennis Dura, K2DCD, ARRL-EPR Mgr, Dennis Baumgarte, AE2EE, IRESC, Joe Lynch, N6CL, CQ editor, Bonnie Crystal, KQ6XA, Global ALE founder, Craig Dieckman, KC9HWK, American Red Cross RTT leader, Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, Alabama ARRL SM, GAREC-07 & ARRL national convention mgr, and of course many other participants from different states.

 
On Saturday 08/18/07 the same place – Embassy Suites Hotel at Huntsville - was used for 2007 ARRL National Convention. While next door in Von Braun Center was used for Huntsville Hamfest (the biggest hamfest in southeastern states) and ARRL Expo (same event with the one in Dayton, Ohio). It was a huge indoor hamfest. At ARRL Expo I met and spoke with Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, again, Katie Breen, W1KRB, ARRL membership mgr (met her before at Rochester hamfest), Maria Somma, AB1FM, ARRL-VEC mgr, Khrystyne Keane, K2SFA, ARRL news editor, and Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, ARRL youth editor. I saw Joel Harrison, W5ZN, ARRL president, was busy checking out his group’s expo and once a while visited the hamfest. At the hamfest I met and spoke with Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, founder and president of MFJ, who also owns Ameritron, Mirage, Vectronics, and Hy-Gain. Martin is an avid CW-er and QRP-er yet friendly.