Bible
Verse
Philippians 2:3 --- Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vanity, but humbly regard others as better than yourselves. (NCB)
President's Report
Greetings fellow HAMS (Amateur Radio Operators)
Getting colder out there with the worst I expect is to come. I got to see some of our hams at the Slidell Hamfest and the Jackson Club Day in the Park this last month. We have other events and projects coming that we will talk about at our upcoming meeting. This coming meeting we will have Harry Bates K5BHW speaking with us about ARRL.
Our next meeting will be held November 7th at 9am, at the Suqualena Volunteer Fire Dept. at the corner of Hwy. 19 and 494.
God Bless!
73’s
Wayne Myhre, KC5HPU
Next MARC Business Meeting
IMPORTANT NOTE: MEETING TIME AND LOCATION
The next business meeting will be held at Suqualena Volunteer Fire Department, 10432 Highway 494 (just off of Hwy 19 - north of Meridian) from 9am until... on Saturday November 7th.
Ham Radio Emergency Communications in Mississippi
(Pictured Robert Hayes, KC5IMN with MARC President Wayne Myhre, KC5HPU)
Thank you Robert for an informative presentation on digital communications at the MARC Monthly Meeting on 03 October 2026.
Robert Hayes, KC5IMN, who serves as Section Emergency Coordinator for State of MS ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Services was guest speaker.
Upon being introduced Robert called Larry Anderson, K5LDA, to the front of the room explaining that our ARRL Section Manager for MS, Malcolm Keown, W5XX requested that he attend our meeting for a presentation and while there give our club a discussion on emergency communications in the state. He then proceeded to announce the appointment of Larry Anderson as an Assistant Section Manager for the State of MS and presented him with a certificate of appointment and issued Larry a badge identifying him as Assistant Section Manager. Congratulations Larry!
Robert reviewed with the club various communication systems and the status of each for emergency communications. He told us that Mississippi Wireless Information Network (MSWIN) is being strengthened by adding solar power nodes to all of that system’s tower sites.
Meshtastic and other Internet independent forms are valuable for communication when a disaster occurs, as such will be usable in the event of infrastructure failure. There are many Mesh Corp sites in the coastal area of the state as well as in the Memphis area. MEMA will put in many more sites throughout the state.
DMR, he stated, needs more development throughout. There are many DMR repeaters on the coast as well as many areas throughout the country. DMR is widely used by storm spotters.
In conclusion, the Emergency Coordinator revealed that plans are being developed for a ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) around the time frame of late February or early March 2027. The exercise will be for a land-fall hurricane with complications. The Internet will be turned off for participants; however, Mesh Corp and meshtastic will work but will not be attached to the Internet.
In conclusion Robert advised clubs to work toward their members being trained and set up to use meshtastic and DMR. He gave special emphasis to DMR and urged installing DMR repeaters.
Buford Rochester, KI5HCM
(Pictured: Robert Hayes, KC5IMN presents Larry Anderson, K5LDA, MS ARRL Assistant Section Manager certificate)
Congratulations Larry!
Winter Scenario
Scenario - Your area has just been hit by a massive ice storm. Power, Internet, and cell service has been down , 60 miles in all directions, for 2 days.
Your next door neighbor is aware you are a ham radio operator. He visits, asks that you notify his daughter in Colorado, advising her the family is safe and well. How would you do this? Don’t know? Contact your local county ARES Emergency Coordinator.
CRITERIA FOR A DIGITAL EMCOMM MODE
1. ABILITY TO CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE IN ALL RADIO CONDITIONS
2. ABILITY TO SEND A MESSAGE AND RECEIVE AN "ACK" (ACKNOWLEDGEMENT RECEIPT) FOR 100 PERCENT COPY.
3. ABILITY TO RETAIN A COPY OF THAT MESSAGE FOR LATER RETRIEVAL
4. LOW POWER CONSUMPTION FOR EMERGENCY POWER OPERATIONS
5. HISTORICAL RETENTION OF ACTIVITY ON THE NET OR FREQUENCY
6. ABILITY TO USE OTHER STATIONS ON THE NET OR FREQUENCY FOR "RELAY"
7. ABILITY TO SEND TO ALL STATIONS ON FREQUENCY IF NEEDED
JS8CALL MEETS THE ABOVE CRITERIA!
FRED WB5BNV
10-16-26
REPORT ON THE WINTER STORM OF JAN 2026
Another month until the end of hurricane season, but it's not too early to begin preparing for our next major communications threat, which may be ice!
Here is a report on the winter storm of January 2026:
Significant power outages from PowerOutage.us
At 1/26/26, 3:00 PM:
Tennessee: 225,492
-
Mississippi: 150,774
-
Louisiana: 112,993
-
Texas: 48,110
And on February 8, 13 days later, Mississippi still had a significant number without power.
At 02/08/26, 7:00 AM:
Possibly, most of the remaining outages result from the service and meters being torn from the structures. Since this repair would be the responsibility of the property owner—with repairs being accomplished by a licensed electrician rather than a lineman—it may be some time before all the power is restored.
Reference
www.todayinmississippi.com
for a story on Winter Storm Fern.
This ice storm was just 85 air miles from the Columbus area!
And for your comm plan mode, please don't choose a mode that requires the internet for long-distance communications.
FRED
WB5BNV
10/30/26
Upcoming Hamfest
Montgomery Hamfest - November 14, 2026
Alcazar Shrine Temple
555 East Blvd.
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
NRA 155th Birthday Event
This event is at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, AZ.
The Yavapai Amateur Radio Club (YARC) of Prescott, AZ, is planning to operate a special event station November 17, 2026, in celebration of the NRA’s 155th birthday. The special event station will operate from Gunsite Academy’s 2,000-acre campus in Paulden, AZ, north of Prescott. The special event call sign will be K7GST. Operations will be conducted on the following frequencies: 7.250, 14.250, 21.335 and
28.340 MHz. The hours of operation will be from 1500 to 2400 UTC.
All amateur stations, especially those operated by NRA members and Gunsite alumni, are urged to participate. A special certificate will be awarded to those stations making contact during the event.
To receive a PDF certificate that you can print yourself, go to the web site by clicking the link below. On that web site click the link to request a certificate and fill out the request form: http://w4gkf.com/k7gst
NOTE: We do not issue mode or band-specific certificates. We will issue one certificate regardless of number of contacts.
For more information visit : https://www.w7yrc.org/nrabirthday/
November 2026