Current Section Report (December 2024)
SM: Malcolm Keown, W5XX. Section Website at www.arrlmiss.org. Webmaster: W5UE, ASM: K5BAK, KB5HC, KF8PD, K0UPW, W4WLF, KB5YEE, AG5Z, ACC: W5VMS, PIC: K5RFL, SEC: KC5IMN, ASEC: AA1NA, W5DIX; SGL: AK5J; TC: N5JGK.
Mississippi Hams welcomed in 2025 on 3862 with our annual New Year’s Eve On-the-Air Party. Special guests Delta Division Director K5UZ and Delta Division Vice Director WB4RHQ checked in and passed along New Year’s greetings and updated current ARRL events. NCS W5XX reported 40 check-ins with several more check-ins by email. K5CUB provided commentary on major events in 2024. For those that couldn’t make the On-the-Air Party, the commentary on 2024 Events is posted on www.arrlmiss.org.
From Hamfest Chairman AK5J. Final preparations are being made for the 2025 Capital City Hamfest scheduled for Friday and Saturday, January 31 and February 1, 2025, at the Trade Mart Building on the Fairgrounds in Jackson. The hours on Friday are 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on Saturday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. All indications are that there will be a very good crowd. Table reservations are being made at a brisk pace. There will be a number of very fine door prizes given away hourly. VE exams will be given on Saturday at 8:00 am. The following Forums are scheduled: Civil Air Patrol and RACES on Friday night, ARES and ARRL on Saturday morning, Digital Mobile Radio and Sideband Nets on Saturday afternoon. Drawing for the Grand Prize will be on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm. Table reservations may be made online at hamfest.msham.org. For further information email: hamfest@msham.org or call or text AK5J at 601-709-6740. We look forward to seeing you there!!!
W5UE reports that operators from the 599 DX Association (NA5NN) placed #1 in the WORLD in the Multi-One-Low Power category in the 2024 WW-DIGI contest. Ops were K2FF, W5UE, KI5ZYU and KJ5AEI. Great effort by all ops but kudos especially to relatively new hams Robbie (KI5ZYU) and Jimmy (KJ5AEI). They more than pulled their own weight to keep the Q and Mult counters rolling. Our score was also a new record for North America.
Magnolia Net Manager KF5BA notes that there were 14,861 checkins in 2024. A new record! Please note that the Magnolia Nete is now operating on 3862 moving down a half a KHz to accommodate operation of an Ohio Net on 3865. The Magnolia Net meets M-F at 0600 local and SaSn at 0700.
Attached for your information below is the current status (updated from last month) of known upcoming Ham events in and around Mississippi:
- Capital City Hamfest, Jan 31 – Feb 1, Trademart, Jackson, POC: AK5J
- EMCOMM Checkin on 3862, 5:30 PM, Feb 6
- Mississippi QSO Party, April 5-6. POC: W5XX
- MS Parks on the Air, April 12, POC: WF5W
In EC Reports from around the State …
From KD5SQZ in Hinds County. On December 21 CMARES members met a Crystal Lake for a mobile set-up practice session. Despite cold weather we had a good turnout and enjoyed trying new antennas as well as voice/digital operations. Further, CMARA had its annual Christmas Party at the Rankin County EOC Operations Center on December 10. Approximately 50 members and guests attended and enjoyed a feast of food followed by a drawing of door prizes. One of the prizes was a “Ham Radio” crafted by KJ5ET carved from a canned ham with attachments simulation a transceiver.
From Adams County EC WJ5ES. Our club’s Facebook group was re-activated, and membership is growing rapidly — Bluff City Amateur Radio Club. Y’all please stop by and become a member…all are welcome! I am pleased to let everyone know that Buddy, K5MCK has been named to the 2024 Delta Division Honor Roll for VE’s. Buddy has performed 577 sessions over the last two years and shows no signs of slowing down. We are super proud of Buddy for his hard work to achieve this honor!
As you are aware, the ARRL Information System was hacked in May 2024. As a result, there has been no information since then on Mississippi New Hams, Upgrades, or new ARRL Members. The system is partially restored, and the following information was received in mid-December on new Mississippi Hams from mid-May to the first of December:
KJ5IUE, Noble – Ocean Springs; KJ5IUU, Scotties – Greenville; KJ5IVR, Robert – Moss Point; KJ5IVT, Susan – Jackson; KJ5IVU, Alvin – Hollandale; KJ5IWK, Max – Madison; KJ5IWO, Nick – Grenada; KJ5IWY, William – Greenwood; KJ5IWZ, Christopher – Grenada; KJ5IXA, Joshua – Winona.
KJ5IXB, Michael – Grenada; KJ5IXL, William – Monticello; KJ5IXN, Christopher – Clinton; KJ5IXP, Mark – Grenada; KJ5IYA, Garrett – Brandon; KJ5JAZ, Nikola – Water Valley; KJ5JBA, Terry – Summitt; KJ5JCO, Chase – Oxford; KI5JHB, Todd – Brandon.
What to do with this list? Club Officers and members, if you see a local on this list that you are not familiar with, locate and ask them to visit your next club meeting. If need4d, ask W5XX for contact information and also ask if they need help getting on the air.
Welcome to KG5PEA as Field Instructor.
EC Reports for December: WJ5ES (Adams), AE5FK (Walthall), AA5SG (Jones), KG5SQZ (Hinds), K5TCO (Lowndes), KC5VCB (AEC)(Stone) KD4VVZ (George),
Club Newsletters (Editor): the Meridian ARC Spark Gap (W5MAV), and the Mississippi Coast ARA Splatter (N5OCT)
HF Net Reports – sessions/QNI/QTC (Net Manager)
Magnolia Section Net 31/1270/21 (KF5BA)
MS Baptist Hams Net 4/20/0 (WF5F) Sunday, 7263 at 4PM
MS Section Phone Net 31/2565/20 (W5JGW)
Pine Belt ARC 10M Net 4/19/0 (K5TLL)
VHF Net Reports – sessions/QNI/QTC (Net Manager)
Central MS ARES 10/210/0 (KD5SQZ)
Capital Area Em Net 5/51/0 (K5XU)
George County ARES 4/36/0 (KD4VVZ)
Jackson ARC Net 4/30/0 (K5XU)
Lowndes County ARC 5/48/0 (K5TCO)
MS Coast ARA 3/68/0 (N5GQ)
Northeast Mississippi Skywarn 4/36/0 (W5BAQ)
Pine Belt ARC Em Net 5/41/0 (K5TLL)
Pine Belt ARC 2M Simplex Net 1/7/0 (K5TLL)
South Central MS ARES Net 4/37/0 (AA5SG)
Stone County ARES 2/22/0 (KC5VCB) One Emergency Net
Vicksburg ARC/MLEN 5/95/0 (KG5YEE)
Walthall County ARES 4/53/2 (AE5FK)
Digital Net Reports
Central Mississippi ARES Digital Net 5/36/35 (KI5JCL)
(2 VHF nets and 3 HF nets)
East MS EMCOMM Net 29/303/14 (K5TCO)
K5FIT WL2K Hybrid Gateway – 190 connections to pass traffic.
MS WL2K Net QNI 97 by 8 stations (K5FIT)
Traffic: WV5Q 128, AE5MI 36, and W5XX 3
PSHR: WV5Q 188, AE5MI 175, and W5XX 71.
