F  E  E  D  -  P  O  I  N  T

Spring is in full swing now. The hillsides are colored with the new green of leaves. The Hobblebush is in full bloom with its showy flowers. Shadbush(June Berry) is in full flower. Leaf litter in the woods has been pierced by the crowds of yellow Trout Lilies. Trilliums, red and painted, are blooming too. Everything seems to be covered with yellow pollen from White Birches, Maples, and evergreens, though the heavy rain may have washed most of that away. Wood Frog tadpoles are swimming in the vernal pools. The morning bird chorus has new bird songs added almost daily.

I took photos of the shrubs and wildflowers in bloom on May 14th and sent them to Echolink contacts around the world. One in New Zealand wrote back that she had put one of my red trillium photos as her desktop background. The pollen shows up on the leaves. It is kind of fun to think of one of northern Maine's wildflowers on a computer screen so far away in the southern hemisphere.

The latest news from the ARRL says the FCC is not making a decision on whether or not to drop Element 1 (Morse Code) from licensing requirements any time soon. Someone from the FCC commented that if the written test is completed, the people with the certificates of completion should not wait for the FCC to drop Morse Code. They should start learning CW. In other words the decision may not be made for another year.

"Any FCC decision to eliminate the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for HF access would have no impact on either the current HF CW-only subbands or on the CW privileges of Amateur Radio licensees. Current Technician licensees who have not passed Element 1 will not gain HF access if the FCC drops the Morse requirement."

The worst flooding in 70 years in southeastern Mass and southern New Hampshire was covered by a SKYWARN activation from the Taunton National Weather Service in eastern Mass. Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern Mass ARRL section Emergency Coordinator and SKYWARN Coordinator, said "More than 100 Amateur Radio volunteers took part in ARES/RACES operations and weather spotting across the region Everyone did a tremendous job during this stressful time in our region."

A Special Training Session on becoming a National Service Weather Spotter was presented by Tony Sturey and Mike Fitzsimmons, KB1ELT, from the Caribou Weather Service, a branch of NOAA. The session included associating various cloud types (their structure and formation) and the possibility of it resulting in dangerous weather conditions.

Mike acknowledged the importance of the WX data collected at both WB1FTK and N7GLR online WX stations.

Tony and Mike then narrated a slide show on high impact weather conditions (hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, and floods) in other parts of the country and how they can and have affected Aroostook County in the past. There were numerous weather related handouts available and we received a Certificate of Completion at the end of the training session.

The training session concluded at 8:45 pm.

Gale thanked Tony and Mike, and mentioned that the regular SJVARA meeting would not be held due to the late hour.

Since was no business meeting here some items just for your information that would have come up at the meeting:

1. Luke Dyer's new call sign is KB1NIC. He upgraded to General at the P.I. Testing session in April.

2. Rocky Mt.: 13.50 volts at 14:00 Hrs May 2nd.

3. 146.64 Report: 12.75 volts at 14:00 Hrs May 2nd.

4. N1FG has changed the call sign on 146.640 to N1FG and is listed as the trustee for the repeater.

5. Treasurer's Report:From N1FRX:

Old Balance:	$1802.47
Interest:	$1.63
Dues:	$26.00
New Balance:	$1830.10

Another event is Take Your Handheld To Work Day. Tuesday, June 20th is the day everyone is encouraged by the ARRL to take a small radio to work or anywhere for that matter. Wear it on a belt, set it on a desk, or make it visible somewhere. The point is to get co-workers or other to ask "What's that?" Your answer can introduce them to the fun of ham radio and the service of amateur radio operators.

Last year was the first year this event was tried. Many people were introduced to Amateur Radio. During lunch hours hams are encouraged to show others how it works and let them get on the air. You could explain how repeaters work and use ours. I'll be glad to monitor 146.640.

You might also tell any interested people about Field Day 2006. Our SJVARA is not doing anything as a group, but of course individuals may take part in Field Day and the Presque Isle club invites us to join them,and are happy to have any interested people visit.

According to QST, there will be surprise messages from ARRL. Using modern digital radio technology, Echolink, and a few other tricks, random participants around the country between noon and 1 PM their local time, might just learn they have been spotted on the air by W1AW and notified of a prize. Many people would like to have the capability pf ham radio in an emergency, but don't know where to start. The best recruiter is a ham who can show and explain how to get the Technician license, and then link them to the right people in the area.