Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day 2008

[g4tut]

Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day 2008

ARMAD 2008 is approaching. ARMAD is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day.

It is an event that allows the people from our communities to give messages of support and appreciation to our Troops, Veteran’s, Military Retired, and First Responders over Amateur Radio.

ARMAD is always held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. In 2008 it falls on May 24TH. It is a Special Event, and can be an individual effort, or the joint effort of your local Amateur Radio Club. The main goal of ARMAD is to generate publicity for our hobby while providing a great public service to our local communities, our military members; and their families.

ARMAD also encourages Military Support Groups, and Veterans organizations to be involved in the event. It can be a small event or a community affair with as much activity such as entertainment, speakers, and other participation as each ARMAD location or individual venue wants to organize.

ARMAD was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we have a full program, bands, children’s activities, displays, Soldiers, and First Responders on location to give the people that attend something to do while also learning about Amateur Radio. We encourage third party QSO’S, and the passing of traffic during the event.

Although the main event is held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we invite all Amateur Radio Operators Worldwide to participate. We operate on HF, VHF, PSK31, VOIP, and APRS. It is up to each individual or club how they run the event, and what modes they use. We encourage each location to QSO each other, and to check in with the host Station in Fort Wayne. ARMAD has no operating rules and is meant to be a fun event that gives the people of our communities a chance to see our hobby at work, and also gives the public hands on experience with the hobby.

A list of the main operating modes and frequencies are listed at http://www.armad.net/eventinfo.htm however you may operate anywhere in the ham bands. The ARMAD web page can be found at www.armad.net.

How do you get involved with ARMAD? Mainly by just getting on the air and calling CQ ARMAD. This can be done as an individual at home, mobile, or as an Amateur Radio Club effort. We invite you to check in with the host ARMAD location in Fort Wayne, and with other stations that are involved on air during the event. We encourage you to set up at public venues, such as parks, VA Hospitals, Military Bases or other Memorial Day Events. We have found out that people like the idea of helping to support those that serve our Country, and want to learn more about Amateur Radio.

Why participate in ARMAD? ARMAD helps us promote Amateur Radio to the general public. It also provides a public service that is for a good cause. Our Troops, and Veterans need our support. Many of them are serving as Reserves or in the National Guard so they have a unique connection to our communities. Many are our sons, daughters, relatives, and neighbors. Many of our States have large numbers of these men and women deployed. ARMAD gives us, and the people of our communities a way to share messages of support and gives military families a chance to see that support in action.

Let’s 'Ham It Up For The Troops' this Memorial Day Weekend. Fill the bands with positive messages of thanks and appreciation for those that sacrifice to keep this nation free.

ARMAD also includes all Coalition Forces.







Don't wait all week for the news! (http://www.southgatearc.org/)
Amateur Radio News - updated daily - 365 days per year

Get our News Headlines for your Website:
http://www.southgatearc.org/rss/index.htm

Send Us Your News Items:
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/your_news.htm

[kc0zvr]

This is a very good thing for all Amateurs. It gives the new hams operating experience in a relaxed atmosphere. It also supports our troops and stands out as one of the guidelines of Amateur Radio...PROMOTING GOODWILL! Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully, I can come to Fort Wayne and see this in action or maybe contact ya'll on the radio. Keep up the good work.

Rich,
KC0ZVR

[w6em]

As I've told Emory before, we do need to, as a nation, support and respect our military. However, that should not be confused with support for the Iraqi invasion that was based on false information. Afghanistan, and western Pakistan, where the core problems originated and still exist, has been largely forgotten.

The best way to demonstrate respect for our military is to support all who have served in or are serving, by demanding that our government respect veterans, especially those wounded in combat, by providing all necessary treatment and rehabilitation. There have been countless examples of neglect and refusal to provide adequate treatment.

Perhaps, collectively, Emory and his organization could create a petition and ask for signatures via messages on ARMAD, to be sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to remind our leaders of that responsibility and to take care of those who have sacrificed for their country.

73.

[kc2egl]

Must be a new record for politicizing a thread. Second reply and someone has to go off the deep end. Putting politics into a event is not the way you support the military. If you want to voice your political views I am sure you can find a site to do so. This is a amateur radio site not a political sounding board.

Please keep it to radio topics only.

73
Michael
KC2EGL

[w6em]

Must be a new record for politicizing a thread. Second reply and someone has to go off the deep end. Putting politics into a event is not the way you support the military. If you want to voice your political views I am sure you can find a site to do so. This is a amateur radio site not a political sounding board.

Please keep it to radio topics only.

73
Michael
KC2EGL

Sorry, but the subject involves recognizing and supporting the military through the use of amateur radio. My suggestion was related to use of amateur radio to do just that: send a message regarding improving the lot of veterans to those who need to pay a bit more attention than they have been. Their daughters didn't sign up did they?

If it is off of "your deep end," sorry.

[iz1bwb]

Congratulations to TEAM of ARMAD 2008 for this important day event and for Your Activity.
73 Good Luck DE Salvatore (IZ1BWB) Operator of IZ1CCK Military Amateur Radio Station of Italian Army in this period in Afghanistan for ISAF operation.

[W9GRN]

Great job as usual.:)

[W4EY]

Many years ago, QCWA formally requested FCC to allow Military service members and veterans an opportunity to add special letters signifying their branch of military service to the end of their FCC Call signs. This is their privelage to honor the armed services they served. In response to the QCWA request, I remember reading the response from the FCC which stated special characters such as "M" for Mobile, "MM" for Maritime Mobile, "AM" for Aeronautical Mobile, "NA" for US Navy, "MC" for Marie Corps...etc were letters allowed to represent the operating status proceeded by the offical call sign.

__________________________________________________ __
As a Retired US Navy Submarine Radioman and Disabled Vet, I am raising the FLAG for special Military events. As with many vets, we are proud to have served.

Previously, on special Military birthdays, and events, I have used W4EY/NA to signify a veteran of the US Navy. and contacted other proud vets using their call followed by their service. Fellow HAMS have always been respectful and eager to work these events.

However, when I have operated on last years Armed Forces Day, I received many RUDE comments from fellow HAMS. Everything from jamming to comments like LID. Dumb, Stupid and much fowl language.

Email Quote from W3BE -" Here’s what a Veteran is: Whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life." That is honor and there are way too many people in this country today who no longer understand that fact."

The FCC has denied three petitions for rulemaking that would have changed the way amateur stations would make the identification announcement “Because the petitioners seek to amend the rules to permit activity that the rules already permit, or do not present sufficient evidence to justify altering the current rules… .” Among these was a petition filed by the QCWA that specific indicator letters be reserved for use by the amateur stations of current or honorably discharged members of our armed forces on patriotic days, such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Quote from "United States Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47 Communications, Section 97.119 Station identification.
(c) One or more indicators may be included with the call sign. Each indicator must be separated from the call sign by the slant mark (/) or by any suitable word that denotes the slant mark. If an indicator is self-assigned, it must be included before, after, or both before and after, the call sign. No self-assigned indicator may conflict with any other indicator specified by the FCC Rules or with any prefix assigned to another country

(f) When the control operator is a person who is exercising the rights and privileges authorized by Section 97.9(b) of this part, an indicator must be included after the call sign as follows: FCC ULS data base. (See Section 97.119(f).) ."

This is open for comments.
[/B]
73
Bill