SECTION NEWS
from Tennessee

updated:  28 April 2008

23 Apr 2008 - L.B. Cebik, W4RNL (SK) - L.B. Cebik, age 68, of Powell, TN passed away suddenly 23 April 2008.  Preceded in death by his wife, Jean and parents, James and Ella Cebik. Survived by brothers and sisters in law, Jim and Nancy, Ron and Ruth Cebik of Connecticut; sisters in law, Betsy Andes of Michigan, Joan Robeson of Knoxville and Teresa Brooks of Cookeville.

He was a life member of ARRL and a technical editor for antennaX Magazine. The Amateur Radio community knew him as “The Antenna Guru.” He was probably the most widely published and often read author of Amateur Radio antenna articles ever to write on the subject. It has been said of him that he communicated with a gentle scholarly attitude and a real eye for detail in assisting others with their antenna matters. He will be sadly missed by all. [ more ... ]

03 Apr 2008 - Welcome to Tennessee Section, it seems like it was last week when I last wrote the section news, guess staying busy makes the time fly.

We were in Tullahoma for the Ham Fest and had a great time, even though the weather was not too good we still had a great fest and met a lot of old friends and got to meet some new ones. I want to thank ED Hohenthaner W7LGD, for all his help in setting up events and forums, job well-done Ed.

We are heading to Bartlett Free Fest April 12. I am looking forward to meeting each and every one there. We will have an ARRL & ARES Forum. Henry Leggette, WD4Q Delta Division Director will be speaking, also Karl Bullock, WA5TMC Vice Director & Amy Bullock, N5TBB Legislative Action Chairman Delta Division will be speaking, so plan to attend and here what's up in Tennessee Delta Division.

We still need some staff appointments, Public Information Coordinator for the state and Public Information officers for the districts. If you are interested please contact your local officers EC'S, DEC, or SM. You may visit the ARRL web site and fill out an application on line. We need your help in getting accurate, fast emergency information as it happens across the state into the SM so it might be reported to the ARRL HQ. This gives them a chance to post ham activities during emergency and see that the Amateur get the publicity they deserve.

We have been ask by the ANG to help as backup communications for a EARTHQUAKE EXERCISE in West TN, Memphis area. This Exercise will involve several states as well as US Government, State and local agency assisting in the DRILL. The need for backup communication will be on APRIL 18-19. It will be around the clock operation. The communication CP will be located at Millington and be staffed by ANG personnel along with an Amateur Radio Operator. Full details as how we will assist and receive traffic are not complete at the time of this writing so I urge ALL AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS to monitor HF frequency 3980 during this EXERCISE and help with any traffic that might be handed down. Lets show our capability to help and support when we are needed. .

We still do have some problems in our ARES EC / DEC reporting site. We need all Tennessee EC / DEC to go to the following web site and follow the sign up instructions, for your password. http://tnares.com

There are some other old sites with this same look but will not work, please use this address, http://tnares.com

All DEC/EC should use this site for entering your ARES personnel and reports. If you have any problems please be sure to email a copy of your monthly reports to the SEC Lowell Bennington WD4DJW at wd4djw@arrl.net  He will assist in getting you set up.  DO NOT send monthly EC/DEC reports to Jimmy Floyd NQ4U.  Jimmy is now the Technical Coordinator for Tennessee. Jimmy is working to get digital working across the state.

This web site is a very important and easy to use once you become familiar with the site.

If I might be of service to any one please give me a call or email. I try to respond to all email which now is running from 75-100 per day. Oh, well it will slow down!

Thanks for letting me serve you. See you at Bartlett.

73's                       .
Glen W4BDB SM TN

27 Mar 2008 - FIELD DAY is just around the corner (28-29 June).  If you are looking for a FD site in your neck of the woods, visit the new ARRL Field Day Locator at:

www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php

Just enter your call sign or mailing address and BANG!  There you are.  If you or your local radio club are planning a public Field Day event, be sure to enter your FD site's information so others can find you.

For complete rules and other information on Field Day 2008, visit:    www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/
 

05 Mar 2008 - February has gone by so fast, it seems as if it is still the middle of the month. I have been busy moving from my present QTH.  It's really taking a lot of my time but I still found time to read and answer 60 to 75 emails a day. I enjoy hearing from each of you and appreciate the efforts you are putting into ARRL and our ARES programs.

We look forward to meeting several of our Tennessee hams at the Kingsport Radio Club meeting March 13 and at the MTARS hamfest in Tullahoma on March 15.

We do have some problems in our ARES EC / DEC reporting site. We need all Tennessee EC / DEC to go to the following web site and follow the sign up instructions, for your password. http://tnares.com

There are some other old sites with this same look but will not work, please use this address, http://tnares.com 

This web site is a very important and easy to use once you become familiar with the site.

All DEC/EC should use this site for entering your ARES personnel and reports. If you have any problems please be sure to email a copy of your monthly reports to the SEC Lowell Bennington WD4DJW at wd4djw@arrl.net   He will assist in getting you set up.  DO NOT send monthly EC/DEC reports to Jimmy Floyd NQ4U. Jimmy is now the Technical Coordinator for Tennessee.

If I might be of service to any one please give me a call or email. I try to respond to all email which now is running from 75-100 per day. Oh, well it will slow down!

Thanks for letting me serve you.

73's

- Glen Clayton, W4BDB
Section Manager, Tennessee

22 Feb 2008 - In order to provide better backup communications to our served agencies, the organizational structure of ARES in Tennessee is being upgraded.  Effective February 15, 2008, I have created the position of ASEC – Health Care Organizations.

  • C. Dewayne Siddon, KE4IDH, is appointed to ASEC – Heatlh Care Organizations. Dewayne has most recently served as DEC TN District 7. He has completed all three levels of the ARRL EmComm courses and is a CI (Field Instructor) and CE (Field Examiner). Professionally, Dewayne is employed by Erlanger Health Systems as the Emergency Services Information System Coordinator. He is an RN with a BS Degree in Biological Engineering and holds a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Services Administration.

    -  Lowell Bennington,  WD4DJW
    Section Emergency Coordinator

15 Feb 2008 - ATTENTION all Tennessee Volunteer Examiners.  The new updated 2008 ARRL VE Manual is now online at:

www.arrl.org/arrlvec/vemanual
 

06 Feb 2008 - Greetings to all our Tennessee Hams. January went by quickly with several activities including Morristown Hamfest and the ARRL VHF/UHF contest. My thanks for the invitation to the Morristown Fest and also to the OARS club in Cleveland, TN, for letting us participate in the VHF/UHF contest they ran on Sassafras Knob on Little Frog Mountain. They braved the single digit temps with light snow; I really enjoyed being back on the mountain where we used to run contests in the 1960’s. Keep up the cool work, fellows.

If you have been on our web sites, you will see some major changes taking place. Although they are still in the works, our state BM and web master, Greg Tomerlin K4KO has done a fantastic job making the change over from one server to another as well as upgrading the looks of each of the cabinet member’s pages. I urge all to check out the following sites:

www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=TN

www.tnarrl.org

The next site is for all Tennessee ASEC, DEC and EC. This site is for monthly reporting. We urge all EC to go to this site and register for your password and start placing your ARES members and reports so the SEC can get a total update on all the ARES members and their qualifications. You will be hearing more about this site from the State SEC, Lowell Bennington WD4DJW.

http://tnares.com

I am still making appointments and really appreciate all who have come forward and asked to serve; they are off to a great start and doing an excellent job.

If I might be of service to any one please give me a call or email. I try to respond to all email which now is running from 75-100 per day. Oh, well it will slow down!

Thanks for letting me serve you.

73’s
Glen W4BDB SM TN

04 Feb 2008 - QST QST QST ... Kirk Pickering, K4RO of Pegram, Tennessee has been named the 2007 Most Radio Active amateur radio operator in the state by Tennessee Contest Group.  The Cheatham County ham logged 26,499 contest QSOs during 2007 to top the list of radio contesters in Tennessee.  Mr. Pickering entered 56 radio contests throughout the year, averaging 473.2 QSOs per contest.  He was followed by Don Binkley, N4ZZ of Donelson, Davidson Co., TN with 17,295 QSOs and Ned Swartz, K1GU of Friendsville,  Blount Co., TN who logged 14,610 contest QSOs.

For more information on contesting and the Tennessee Contest Group, visit the organization's website by clicking here.

02 Feb 2008 - QST QST QST ... Listen up Tennessee.  Our very own Emily Bishop, WE4MB has been appointed Assistant Delta Division Director by ARRL Delta Division Director Henry Leggette, WD4Q. 

In addition, Emily has been invited to attend the Indy 500 this year and help operate the W9IMS special event station of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Amateur Radio Club.  Listen for Emily operating at W9IMS in May 2008.  For details visit:  www.qrz.com/callsign/W9IMS 

30 Jan 2008 - At the 2008 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, which have now been posted on the ARRL Web page at http://www.arrl.org/announce/board-0801/

There are two new official ARRL Field Organization Appointments:

  • Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator (ASEC) and
  • Assistant District Emergency Coordinator (ADEC).

As a result of the above mentioned action by the ARRL Board of Directors Tennessee ARES is moving forward with adopting these newly authorized positions. Lowell Bennington,WD4DJW, Tennessee Section Emergency Coordinator announces:

  • Rondal D. Akers, Jr, W8BF, has extensive experience in a variety emergency agencies<>. Is named as Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, East Tennessee. East Tennessee includes the District 7 counties of Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk,Rhea and Sequatchie. District 8 counties of Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union. District 9 counties of Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington.
     
  • Tom Delker, K1KY, has unoffically functioned doing the job of Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, Middle Tennessee. Tom's area of Middle Tennessee includes District 4 counties of Benton, Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Macon, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson. District 5 counties of Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry and Wayne. District 6 counties of Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White.
     
  • Randy A. Wilder, WB4LHD, is stepping up from the position of District Emergency Coordinator, District 1 which includes the counties of Crockett, Fayette, Haywood, Lauderdale, Shelby and Tipton. District 2 counties of Carroll, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley. District 3 counties of Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson, Madison and McNairy.

We in the amateur radio community are fortunate to have among us persons willing to take on weighty task and responsibilities.

-  Lowell Bennington,  WD4DJW
Section Emergency Coordinator

19 Jan 2008 - The TN Web Site is in the process of being reworked. You will see some changes in the site as I have appointed Ron Akers W8BF to the PIC Position and Greg Tomerlin K4KO will be the Bulletin Manager as well as Greg K4KO taking charge and hosting the TN Section web site. We hope to have the site updated monthly or as soon as new data is available.

I want to thank Jerry K4ETJ for his past hosting of the site and his work with the site. He has been nice enough to transfer operation to Greg. This is in the process of being switched over now. The pass word are being changed so if you have been able to access the site to input data you will not be able to get in until new pass words are issued. You may see some changes as Greg tweaks the site. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me any time.

(423) 472-7752 (home)   or   (423) 400-9381 (cell)

-  Glen Clayton,  W4BDB
Section Manager, Tennessee
 

Hit Counter

 

 

tnarrl.org