Everywhere you turn there is gloom and doom. Homeland security, the economy, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf just to name a few. And our editor wants me to write an up-beat article! Some clichés come to mind: it’s always darkest just before dawn; even the darkest cloud has a silver lining; this, too, shall pass, etc. In my humble opinion, it’s time for all of us to start looking at the glass as half full, not half empty. I seldom agree with most politicians, but I must go along with those who are saying that we must put all of our recent troubles in perspective. I don’t mean we should minimize the tragedies or the associated grief and despair, but unless we pull ourselves up by our boot-straps and get on with our lives, the terrorists have won! One of our presidents (was it Hoover?) said, “If we don’t learn from history, we are bound to repeat it!”
       All of the talk show psychologists and various other ‘-ologists’ tell us the best remedy for what currently ails us is to go on with our lives in a ‘normal’ fashion. The part that they leave out is that ‘normal’ keeps being redefined as we go. It’s very hard to hit a moving target. But, if we persevere, not only will we ‘hit’ the target, we’ll be able to slow it down and make it manageable.
       As hams, we can look back at the catastrophic events of the past few years and decades and take pride in the knowledge that through our hobby we were able to help make things better. And, more importantly, we continue to assist with homeland security in a way most other citizens cannot. The media is full of stories on how hams have provided and continue to provide important communications links during both natural and man-made disasters. From the new ham with only an HT to the seasoned veteran with rooms full of equipment, hams continue to serve their countries and fellow citizens by providing necessary communications when other means fail or are not available. Let’s all vow to keep up the good work and do all that we can to recruit new members to our ranks.
       OK editor, is that up-beat enough? How about that field day score: 3,340!! Even though we had some software problems and lost some contact verifications, we have nothing to apologize for when we look at that score. I want to thank all of those who helped make this year’s field day a successful event. We had plenty of food, plenty of equipment and some really dedicated operators. A special THANK YOU! to co-chair Bob
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When I spoke to Wayne about this month’s QNZ column, We both had a hope for something upbeat to grace these pages of Rip’s Report. As I write this, it is mid-afternoon of 9/11, so you all can well imagine the thoughts going through my mind.
       We, as a group, are blessed with something that few others have: a rather huge chunk of the RF spectrum. We also are “unblessed” with a huge chunk of humanity who would like to take it away from us. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that if we don’t live up to part 97 of the FCC rules (where it says we are a “service….”) this hobby of ours is going to vanish!
       I have been reading comments posted on the QRZ website (www.qrz.com) dealing with the lack of support by hams for providing people to cover public events and emergency communications. This is unbelievable! We have usually had just about enough people to cover the events that we’ve been asked to provide communications for. However, The numbers have been decreasing over the years. We now have the opportunity to help out the Saratoga Drivers Association again this October. It behooves us to have a good showing. The public relations we gain from events such as this is our best form of advertising. If the public isn’t for us, who will care when our bands are on the line.
       On another note, this begins our fiscal year. Dues are due at the September meeting. The annual meeting of our corporation and the election of officers takes place at the October meeting. Why not be a leader and throw your hat into the ring.
       Ye olde editor is always on the lookout for news and feature articles. Pictures are welcome also. Club members can advertise their used gear for free here, too! Just send the info to me at my email address dclapper@valstar.net or hand it to me at a meeting.
73,
Dave WA2FTI

Rip Van Winkle Amateur Radio Society VITAL STATISTICS President — Wayne Gearing K2WG Vice President — David Clapper WA2FTI Secretary — Erika Goetz KC2DMI Treasurer — Stan Engel WA2UET Historian — Ken Goetz N2SQW Newsletter — Dave Watrous WD2K Interim Newsletter — David Clapper WA2FTI Repeaters — 147.21 222.280 449.925 BBS — 145.03 K2RVW-4 DX Cluster — 145.71 K2RVW Club Call — Kilo 2 Rip Van Winkle E-mail — rwv@rvwars.com Web Page — http://www.rvwars.com