Member Activities

Joe KD5TLH conducted a special event station, W5C at this year's Clothesline Fair in Prairie Grove. The purpose of the station was to promote amateur radio to the public. Monday, the third day of the fair, the station was closed down. Seems like Joe had to deploy south with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team, something to do with someone named Gustav! However, a good time was had on Saturday and Sunday with making contacts, talking to people and just hanging out under the big top. Scott KD5KZJ was logging for Joe. Contacts were made all over the US and Canada even though the bands were iffy.

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ARKAN Member Activities
Joe KD5TLH conducted a special event station, W5C at this year's Clothesline Fair in Prairie Grove. The purpose of the station was to promote amateur radio to the public. Monday, the third day of the fair, the station was closed down. Seems like Joe had to deploy south with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team, something to do with someone named Gustav! However, a good time was had on Saturday and Sunday with making contacts, talking to people and just hanging out under the big top. Scott KD5KZJ was logging for Joe. Contacts were made all over the US and Canada even though the bands were iffy.


What's the rush? Oh, bad pun. Scott KD5KZJ ran off into the back woods and put a ghost town on the air. Can you believe that? I wonder if it's too much RF exposure. He and his brother went to Rush, Arkansas to spend a day making contacts from this ghost town. On the morning of November 8, 2008 Scott and his son Aaron set out from Fayetteville for Rush, Arkansas. They were to meet Scott's brother Eric and Eric's son Tyler at the Hiway 14 turn off to Rush. It was a fortuitous day as the two parties made the rendezvous point within two minutes of each other. At Rush they enjoyed a tailgate lunch then scouted for a suitable place to put up the antenna (check it out). When the rig was set up (ICOM 751A) and the hamstick antenna was erected it was time to get on the air. The band was somewhat active, but making a contact was a struggle. Soon it was discovered that there was a problem with the deep cycle marine battery. It failed! Plan B? Hook up to Eric's truck battery. Soon a contact is made with W4AVM, a World War II vintage Victory ship underway near Tampa, Florida. A ghost town in contact with a marine moble station? Now there is a unique combination. Having driven to a far away place, having braved the elements and having coped with technical difficulties the intrepid group called it day, packed up and headed back to civilization. What a rush! I know, it's a bad joke, but I like it.