Subject:[tt-inc] Short Wave Radio Report

Once again, though we still stand ready, there is not much to report this   
month. I am pursuing a rather neglected aspect of my ham radio studies--the  
Morse Code. I did get the requisite code for my  HF licence, however due to 
lack of practice etc. my speed is really down, and I have lost a lot of   
familiarity with CW. To correct this, since Morse Code may be very useful        
in the after-time, I have joined a CW net sponsored by my local ham radio 
club. I must say I don't seem to have much of an aptitude for it, and I 
keep hoping for this miraculous breakthrough which will enable me to send 
and receive code at fantastic speeds. But apart from the good practice it 
provides, the net is fun, although I do my usual great job of humiliating 
myself on the air each week! Still, that's just par for the course. We are  
also working on ways for me to be able to act as  net controller. The ARES  
(Amateur Radio Emergency Section) of our club  sponsors nets, where people 
check in and someone controls the flow of the  net, which is good practice if  
there is an emergency and radio traffic needs to be controlled. I have not 
participated in this, except for listening and checking in, but I am  
becoming friends with the club secretary and she  is giving me a list of all 
the members of our club and their call signs. Armed with this, and a  
computer on which I write all the names as they  are given, we are hoping 
that I will be able to act as Net Controller, which will be good practice   
for helping to control emergency traffic before the p.s., if such occurs. 
The point of all this rigmarole is to emphasize  that preparation is still 
going on.
                                Helena.