Amateur Radio Community Outreach Program

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 Sunday 091220

It’s appropriate to be writing this story as the wind is howling and the snow is blowing, and we find ourselves under a blizzard warning.  Conditions outside are dangerous as wind gust exceed 50 and 60 mph.  It’s difficult to see the neighbor’s house just across the street.  Snow drifts of 12-18 inches can be found right here at the house and we have several hours of storm ahead of us.

Amateur Radio reports tell of power outages in several neighborhoods, all over western Oklahoma, driving conditions are white-out with zero visibility, utility poles toppled and Interstate 44, from mile marker 1 to 101 is closed.  The Comanche Country Emergency Operation Center is active, and the Emergency Manager is considering if he will need to begin opening shelters.  Jackie and I are hunkering down and standing fast.  Yes this is a bad and dangerous storm!  Emergency batteries for the radios are charged and will provide several reliable hours of capabilities.

Occasionally, there are reports of power being restored.  You have to hand it to those guys that repair power lines.  The work is dangerous and when you add in the hazardous weather conditions, those guys are earning their paychecks today.

During our most recent Amateur Radio Community Outreach Program on December 20^th, the weather was drastically different from today.  Then, temperatures approached mid 60s under a bright Oklahoma sun.  W5GCM, Art, a Shrine Santa with a natural beard, stopped by to help bring attention to our activities and we had plenty going on. The program is now a regular activity at the park and immediately we had several youths offer to assist us in setting up.  The young man securing a radial will later show off some of his athleticism with some incredible flips.

Dave, K8GCU has now assisted us twice and will hopefully become a regular at the park.  Dave is not new to amateur radio.  Dave and his Grandfather, the original K8GCU, spent countless hours in the shack making hundreds of Contacts.  Dave recently acquired his Grandfathers call as a vanity call sign and acknowledged that his Grandfather would be proud.  Below, we see Dave sharing the amateur experience with Taiwania, who surprised us with a short visit after she left church.  Taiwania and WX5LIR had an enjoyable on air conversation.

Later Jacob and Canary will get on the air and talk with other hams.  Jacob expressed real interest and fun and we hope to see him again.

We now document the QSO and do a bit of self promoting with our guest operators.  We complete a QSL card to record the event and include contact information, along with our next scheduled park visit.

Continually we get asked the magic question, “Wha-cha-doing?” and now we sometimes respond with a question.  Do you know about Morse-Code or can you tell me a common name for a distress call?  This encounter is generally accepted as a challenge and turned into a two character set learning opportunity.

As most members of this audience know, there are many ways to send Morse-Code, and I am reminded of Bill Parker AC5DH, who, while stationed in Kosovo, taught his soldiers to use a flashlight to report their status and communicate with other sentries at night while they were on guard duty.

It’s no surprise to us that kids want to learn new and challenging concepts.  Let’s be honest, in this world of hi-tech cell phones that are miniature computers and low cost gaming devices such as WIIs, Gameboys and XBOXs, it’s a challenge.  But we have the same tools available to us too.  By interfacing a computer with a set of paddles we provide a challenge that also can bring about an immediate positive response when they are successful.

Everyone acknowledged the importance of timing.  Was that 3 ‘E’s or one ‘S’?  With a little practice, several got it correct and the computer agreed!  Some even used words like cool and fun.  Over time our adventures in the park will later contribute to future amateurs.  We are realistic about our efforts – after all not everyone really wants to become a ham no matter how much fun they tell us they are having.

Bob, KC5EIU has been a consistent fixture with our Outreach Program.  Jaron, KF5DIR is also becoming a regular and finding that he has a lot to contribute to the program.  To those that answer the K5USA call and spend a few minutes talking with guest operator’s thank you.  Your contributions are valuable and appreciated.

The weather was spectacular and we spent 5 great hours in the park.  When we put in our request for December 20^th, our friends at P&R thought that there would be nobody in the park so close to Christmas.  I explained to them that 1 positive encounter is a success, thanks to Santa, we had about 40 successes.

Santa was certainly the center of attention and here are a few more pictures.  Santa proved to us that he can certainly bring in the kids no mater how old, and this Santa truly engaged both kids and parents.    Thanks W5GCM, Art and K5FLO, Flow for coming out.  You made a difference and we hope you had a great time.

You have to check this out!

Below, this young man would climb on top of a rail and from a standing position, perform a jump and flip.  He lands in a pile of wood chips (on his feet), climbs back up on the rail, and performs another version of a free standing jump and flip.  His friend in the white tee-shirt is documenting the activities – UTUBE maybe?  Just amazing!

Did you notice the format changed for this edition.  [Ed: the double column format did not translate to the web page]  We look forward to bringing you future adventures from the park next year.  Take care and be safe.  KC5CYY