[Phillip Beall]

All,

Some of you have been to our place, but most of you have not.  Kathy and I live on 75 acres north of Honey Grove, bordered on three sides by US Forest Service property.  After nearly 25 years it is way better than when we bought it, but it is still a jewel in the rough.  I will spend the rest of my life turning it into a show place.  As an aside, our friends in the Club are welcome to visit and if you want to camp out or drive your RV for a stay we have two full hookups and one additional electrical and water hookup.

Our place is not as rugged or isolated as the place the author in Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 1, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska writes about, but our only neighbor (south) is a non-resident and the nearest full-time resident is over a mile away.  Buried in the woods, if people did not know we had a problem we might not ever see help.

After twice losing power and phone service for over a week, two weeks once as I recall, Kathy and I decided to get involved in ham radio.  We are both studying for the General exam, life has slowed that pursuit, but reading over that piece I was amazed at the similarities to our setup.  We too can hear vehicles from long distances.  We too are relatively isolated.  And we too have made some good friends via the hobby.

From the very first paragraph “For nearly two decades, SurvivalBlog has featured many excellent articles about ham radio, written by authors who were very knowledgeable about the engineering of radio communication.  The following article is far less technical.  The intended audience is people who have not explored the value of radio communications because they are not sure why or how they should.  Maybe some old amateur radio equipment languishes, dusty and ignored, in a corner of the attic.” – she nails it.

The author writes about how they use ham radio in Alaska.  What works there would seem to work here.  The article is a short, quick and yet informative read.  The link above is to part one, published today.  Tomorrow I will provide the link to the part two.  I really encourage everyone to read it.

73

Phillip Beall (W5EBC)

[Kathy Beall]

Excellent article!  True, we aren’t as isolated, but this is the exact reason I personally was interested in getting involved in ham radio.  It’s become so much more now, friendships have been made and people we truly care about.  Have learned a lot from some of the highly skilled members of the club and their wealth of knowledge.  Thank you for sharing! ????????????????

[Danial Beard]

It was originally our intention to end up a lot further out than we are now.   However, when it came time to move, health issues made it the better part of valor to stay a little closer to medical care and EMS.    Otherwise … five+ miles down an isolated dirt driveway would have been just about right.

 

 

 

[Phillip Beall]

All,

In a continuation from yesterday, Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 2, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska lays out lots of really informative details on the “why” and “how” of ham radio.  For someone new to the hobby or someone curious but not having jumped in yet, this is just a terrific primer.  Whether describing participation in events to nets or joining a club, this piece covers it all.  Sure, old timers will perhaps roll their eyes, but this post succinctly covers a lot of material to give someone new to the hobby the opportunity to go “Ah hah!  Now that makes sense!”

Enjoy,

Phillip Beall (W5EBC)

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