Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society

Spreading the Word About Amateur Radio       A long time ago, I was a Cub Scout.  One evening when we has a pack meeting, a ham radio operator came and set up a portable station.  I remember he had an antenna mounted on his vehicle.  I thought it was cool.     Years later, I […]

Ye Old Simplex Frequencies       As I was writing this, I have been back only a few hours from an ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) Simulated Emergency Test (SET).  We were testing the ability to send and receive digital data via radio.  The scenario was that there was a tornado that had gone through […]

Have Radio will Travel Part Two        Last time we talked travelling with your HT (handy talkie). This month I would like to cover a bit most of the mechanics of traveling with a radio.     Many hams have a mobile radio installed in their vehicle.  If this is an interest to you, you […]

Have Radio Will Travel   When I was young (read “ancient history”), there was a television program called “Have Gun Will Travel”.  I don’t remember seeing it, but the name stuck in my mind all these years.  Now, as an amateur radio operator, I don’t like to shoot people.  I just want to talk on […]

Ham Video Adventures   I have been amazed at how many excellent quality videos there are for someone who is new to ham radio, or even for us “old timers”. I thought I would take the time to share with you some of the better videos that might help new hams improve their knowledge base, […]

Come to Field Day!   I like when June comes around.  One of my favorite events is the ARRL Field Day.  Field Day is actually a weekend where hams get together, set up one or more stations off the electric grid and see how many other stations they can contact.  Sometimes individuals will hook up […]

  What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (or whatever your name is)   I love helping new hams.  I enjoy doing the New Ham Booth at the GARS Tech Fest every year.  One of the most frequently asked questions I hear is, “Where can I find the frequencies to program my radio with?”  Of course, this is […]

220 MHZ: Use it or Lose it   I recently purchased a Kenwood TH-F6 HT as a retirement gift to myself.  It is a great little radio (Review hopefully to follow). I did get the RT systems programming software for it, as I have done for just about all of my radios.  This radio has […]

I Don’t Have the Experience   I have come across many a new ham who was afraid to get on the air or perform a ham radio related task.  “I don’t have the experience” is an oft-quoted line.  Some new hams have mike fright.  This is normal. I would like to share some of my […]

Etiquette on the Air – “Netiquette”   I tune into a lot of nets, both on HF and VHF/UHF.  Some of us can use a refresher on how to conduct themselves on a net.  A VHF/UHF net is usually, but not always conducted on a repeater.  When first getting on the net, it is important […]

Happy 2016 to everyone!    If you are a new ham, I hope you have made a resolution to be as active in the hobby as much as possible.  May I make some recommendations on how you can be more active in the hobby? Join a club.  Since this is a GARS publication, we have […]

I won!    I like watching a British Ham radio program called “The TX Factor” http://www.txfilms.co.uk/txfactor/.  They announced a drawing in the September episode for a “pocket Morse keyer”.  I decided to enter.  On October 2, I received an email from the show’s host telling me that I had won.  I was excited.  The host […]