Ham Radio Class Number 8!
We’re proud to say that seems to be the consensus of our eighth Technician and first General crash review courses. AARO (Alamo Area Radio Organization) and SWRC ARC (Southwest Research Corporation Amateur Radio Club) again teamed up with Johnny Wallace K5POP for coordinating Tech instructors and being the liaison with the South Texas Regional Advisory Council for Trauma (STRAC). And a new “Thanks Again!” to Bob Rodriguez K5AUW for coming up with plans for our first General Crash Review course and following it through.
We had a great group of thirty-nine candidates who came from near and far – Floresville and Bulverde, Fredericksburg, Llano and even Carrizo Springs – and they from various walks of life – regional medical facilities, the American Red Cross, Ft. Sam Houston, Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration, aka TSA), and also some friends, spouses and others eager to get into the hobby.
Eight volunteer instructors had well-prepared presentations and answered individuals’ questions relating to book learning and practical experience and had some fun doing it. What would we do without Elmers?
General Instructors – Both Bob Rodriguez K5AUW and David Espinosa W5QS covered materials on both February 28th and March 7th, and Teri Thomas KC5BJI and Danny McCarty WA5KRP each covered one section each day. Technician Instructors – David W5QS, Teri KC5BJI,
Milton Johnson N5MHJ, Danny WA5KRP, Benny Martinez NU5P, Dave Ogden AD5TE and Don Kirchner W5DK.
Of note, if you cover for somebody, make sure you go through their presentation before you hit “Play” in front of a live audience or you could be in for a surprise. Especially if it’s Danny you’re covering for!
The question on the PowerPoint slide was “What might be a way to reach a distant repeater if buildings or obstructions are blocking the direct line of sight path?” Imagine Bob’s surprise when he went to the next slide and it showed an imploded building! FYI, the correct answer was to use a directional beam antenna to find a path that reflects signals to the repeater, but either action will work. hihi).
Operators who upgraded and have new General Class privileges are:
- Dwight Compton N5TCS,
- Alex Garcia KE5IFS and
- Curtis Briley KE5HDL.
- One Tech candidate, Jason Vickrey KE5ZUQ, switched to the General classroom and then earned his Tech, followed by a General class license! Way to go, ya’ll!
Seventeen volunteer examiners (Extras – Bruce Parkes KA2ZGW, David W5QS, Benny NU5P, ShaneO’ Neal NS5D, Les Dale NI5S, David Finnell N7LRY, Chuck Kenworthey WB5FWI, Don W5DK, Ray Mueller AE5HN, Terry Platt K5ADF, Bill Reichert WE5ET, Bob K5AUW, Charles Thomas WA3PAY and Teri KC5BJI; Generals – Schuylar Crist KE5VIP, Mike Check K5UCQ and Lee Besing N5NTG) and four non-VE assistants (Linda Robinson KC5QPQ, Dale Robinson KB5YSJ, Lew Archer KD5MSW and Garnet Robinson KE5WRI) quickly and efficiently processed all 39 Tech and General candidates in about two hours. What a dream team!
Thirty-three new call signs were issued to some folks who worked hard to earn their Technician tickets, a few have already overcome mic-fright and been heard on the air. I know you’ll make them feel welcome.
- Adan Gonzales KE5ZUE,
- Annette Wright KE5ZUD,
- Armando Silva KE5ZUA,
- Arturo Ortiz KE5ZUM,
- Carolyn Rutherford KE5ZUH,
- Cecelia McDougle KE5ZTX,
- Cesar Arrambide KE5ZUG,
- Chris Sams KE5ZTM,
- David Galvan KE5ZUI,
- David Kingsley KE5ZUJ,
- Dewey Smith KE5ZTS,
- Eddie Campos KE5ZTQ,
- Edmond Lopez KE5ZTN,
- Erin Bailey KE5ZUB,
- James Kennon KE5ZTP,
- Janet Rivers KE5ZUC,
- Jennifer Lopez KE5ZUF,
- Jerry Lineberry KE5ZUK,
- John Brewer KE5ZTV,
- Ken Wilson KE5ZUN,
- Kyle Fox KE5ZUL,
- Mark Szyman KE5ZTR,
- Richard Watson KE5ZTO,
- Robert Reynosa KE5ZTT,
- Ronald Abbott KE5ZTY,
- Shannon Edwards KE5ZTW,
- Toby Fox KE5ZTL,
- Tony Ralf KE5ZTZ,
- Tony Saucedo KE5ZUP (our own Tony, you may remember him from recent AARO meetings),
- Victor Martinez KE5ZTK,
- Wade Martyn KE5ZUO, and
- Walter Sprang KE5ZTU.
Congratulations to you all and welcome to the hobby!
Yep, all in all, March 7th was a very successful, rewarding and fulfilling day for many people. Thanks for being a part of it!
We hope you can come by to meet other hams on Field Day Weekend (June 27-28). BTW, it’s a great place to learn about station set-ups and break-downs, how to utilize an antenna tuner, see various brands of equipment and their bells and whistles (without buying it first), and actually operate different modes (i.e., phone, CW, PSK-31, ATV, …) with us.
73’s
_Teri Thomas, KC5BJI
