SECC Friends,
I wanted to share with y'all excerpts from a message I sent to my local club
today:
<snip>
Following what I believe to be a calling, and seizing on an opportunity to
advance professionally, I will be moving to Houston,
Texas on the 15th of this month. I have accepted a job offer within my company
to become a Project Engineer, designing and installing audio, video, and visual
display systems in boardrooms, training rooms, stadiums, auditoriums, churches,
etc. My wife will be here in Roswell at least through the end of the year due
to her professional obligations (maybe longer if we can't sell our home)...
...I'll be off the air for a few months but will emerge as soon as
possible with my /5 call (as much as I hate copying "stroke" call signs, it is
only fitting that I will become one)...
...A final special word to all of you new hams with a call sign that
starts with a KI or KJ: Ham radio is a hobby like no other that I know. The
need for ship-in-a-bottle builders in an emergency has yet to be documented.
Stamp Collectors, Model Railroaders, Beekeepers, even Model Rocketry
enthusiasts are all fine people, but for the most part, they are enthralled
with hobbies that are self-indulgent endeavors with no social impact. A
tag-line on someones' emails states "Ham Radio IS a contact sport!" This is my
encouragement to you - be active with your ham radio. Don't just chew the fat
on the '5.47 machine, but engage in thoughtful compelling discussions. Teach
what you know, and learn what you are taught. Share your ideas and opinions
(respectfully), not just you antenna type and ERP. Participate in
activities and contests. Want to startle your friends at a cocktail party?
Casually mention your recent conversation with your friend "Rafael in Sao
Paulo" about the summer heat in January. Or how you spoke earlier in the day
with your friend "Obi" who is finishing his EE degree in a few months at the
University in Nairobi, Kenya. Or that you exchanged greetings with the
Cosmonauts aboard the ISS.
The world is literally on the other side of that power switch on your radio.
Don't keep them waiting...
Blessings to all of you. We will meet again, because just like MacArthur, "I
shall return."
<snip>
Thanks you so much for the encouragement and the patience as I dabbled in the
sometimes-black art of contesting... If you'll still have me, I'm going to
stay a part of the reflector and will alert you if I am able to get on the air
for a major contest. If somebody will e-mail me a list of "no circle"
contests, I'll try to make those a priority. I've already marked my calendar
for April 2009 and will be aiming for another plaque in the GQP; this time as a
shooter, not a target. Also, if any of you are aware of a good contesting
group in the Houston, TX area that has the patience to endure a kibitzer, or
who could use an occasional extra operator, please drop me a line...
See you in the pile ups,
Scott Straw
KB4KBS
Scott Straw, CTS-D, CTS-I, EMT-I
Roswell, GA
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