All Aboard!

Members of the USS Oklahoma and USS Batfish Amateur Radio Club will host members of the Middle School Radio Club, KF5CRF. Several of their 15 licensed students will be participating from inside the USS Batfish during 2012 Museum Ships Weekend (MSW), June 2 and 3, 2012 (0000Z June 2, through 2359Z June 3, 2012.

Coordination for this level of activity began at HamCom in Plano, TX, when Wade Harris KF5IF, meet with several students of the Viking Radio Club last June (2011), at the time, only 2 students were licensed. Harris, Trustee for the USS Batfish WW2SUB, and USS Oklahoma WW2OK, invited the students to join his team in 2012 for the MSW event in Muskogee, OK.

Students arrive on Saturday about mid-morning. After a short tour of the facility, submarine and a visit to the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the students will take to the airwaves. The voices may sound younger then you might expect for someone participating in a hi-tempo environment such as MSW. Students range in age from 12 to 14 except KF5LLG age 10.

Operations will include phone and digital, with digital primarily being PSK31. Efforts are underway to bring a live web cam video stream from the event. Visit www.hamsoncams.com and select the KC5CYY or K5USA link to view the stream. The Oklahoma War Memorial Park, where the USS Batfish and USS Oklahoma Memorial Mast are displayed is located along the Arkansas River and fairly remote from the city, video and audio quality may be less than perfect.

For more information about MSW, QSL and certificate, including frequencies and modes, visit www.nj2bb.org, the MSW sponsor. KF5CRF is mentored by Clifton Harper, KE5YZB a middle school teacher.