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...helping promote and providing resources for Mississippi hams...

Central Mississippi Amateur Radio Association

Welcome to the world of "HAM" radio.

Amateur radio is a great hobby with many facets: emergency communications and other public service, experimentation, contesting, SSTV, Digital communication, satellite communication, and just chatting in your area or around the world.

One organization that many hams join is the ARRL. While it is not mandatory there are many benefits. You are in the Mississippi Section, Delta Division of the American Radio Relay League, (ARRL); they are largest organization of hams in the U.S. ARRL services to members include QST magazine, bulletins of amateur radio news from around the world, license examination coordination, an incoming/outgoing QSL bureau, contest, award programs, continuing education opportunities, and equipment insurance. Information about the various services can be found on the ARRL web site (http://www.arrl.org) and on the Mississippi Section web page (http://www.arrl.org/sections/MS.html)

I hope you will find the Amateur Radio Service a great experience and that you will enhance your pleasure in the hobby by becoming a member of the Central Mississippi Amateur Radio Association. Our group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Rankin County EOC building at 601 Marquette RD, Brandon. More information about C.M.A.R.A. can be found by going to our web site http://www.cmsara.org. Please feel free to contact me and feel free to come by and join our meetings. If you have any questions, please contact me by email at president@cmsara.org.

'73 Eric Anderson, KF5EZT, President, CMSARA

AEC Rankin County ARES

Here are a few places that have reasonable prices

http://www.mfjenterprises.com A Mississippi Company

http://www.ameritron.com/ Located in Starkville

http://www.memphisamateur.com/ Closest to Jackson

http://www.randl.com R and L amateur Heil equipment

http://www.aesham.com/ Amateur Electronic Supply

http://www.hamradio.com/ Ham Radio Outlet

http://www.texastowers.com/ Good prices on software and Rohn

http://www.cheapham.com/ Just like the name says

Here are a few web sites geared towards Amateur Radio

http://www.cmsara.org Central MS Amateur Radio Assoc.

http://www.arrl.org American Radio Relay League

http://www.qrz.com Great website for all kinds of info

http://www.qth.com Good classified site

http://www.fcc.gov/ Federal Communications Commission

http://www.fema.gov/ Federal Emergency Management Agency

http://www.eham.net/ Great site for equipment reviews

http://www.rigpix.com Pictures of old and new radios

HAM Radio Signal Reporting System

R-S-T

Characteristics Readability

R Strength

S Tone

T (cw)

1 Unreadable Faint signals, barely perceptible Sixty cycle a.c or less, very rough and broad

2 Barely readable, occasional words distinguishable Very weak signals Very rough a.c., very harsh and broad

3 Readable with considerable difficulty Weak signals Rough a.c. tone, rectified but not filtered

4 Readable with practically no difficulty Fair signals Rough note, some trace of filtering

5 Perfectly readable Fairly good signals Filtered rectified a.c. but strongly ripple-modulated

6 N/A Good signals Filtered tone, definite trace of ripple modulation

7 N/A Moderately strong signals Near pure tone, trace of ripple modulation

8 N/A Strong signals Near perfect tone, slight trace of modulation

9 N/A Extremely strong signals Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind

This is how HAMS report signal strength, quality, and tone.