Hi Folks,
Been a rough month in Georgia with the tornadoes, winds and hail that passed through the state in late April. I’ve read the reports that came in on the monthlies, and I am proud of the work that our members did before, during and after the storm.

As Gene did a pretty comprehensive report in “Georgia Section on My Mind,” I won’t re-visit what he already has. He did receive a few emails afterwards saying, “you didn’t mention my county and we were in the disaster zone.”  I’d like to address that for him here if you’ll indulge me for a few minutes.

First, he wasn’t ignoring anyone; he was simply passing the information he had at hand. We both look for comments from our counties, and those come from either the EC or one of his assistants, usually in the form of the Monthly Reports. Our problem is that not every county has an ARES organization, and some that do have a lone EC who is a “one man band.” Simply put, we can’t report on what we don’t know.

Would we like to have an EC in every county? Yes we would, but we wouldn’t be the first SM and SEC in Georgia history to want that. And to take it a step further, we’d want someone who really wanted to do the job, not just simply fill a slot, and yes, done properly, it really is a job.

If you live in a county where there is no ARES organization, but would like your voice to be heard, you can contact me and we can work something out. Am I asking you to be an EC? No, not unless you really want the position. But, you don’t have to be an EC to fill out a monthly report, and if you’d like to be an Official Emergency Station, who would be our eyes and ears in your county, we can make that work. Who knows, once you’ve gotten your feet wet, you may want to take the next step.

For those of you who haven’t stopped by www.gaares.org recently, you’ll find a new sidebar. After some discussion with the Regional DECs, and Gene’s Cabinet members, we decided to experiment with using “Twitter” as a possible means of getting information out more quickly to our members.

The service is free and easy to set up. I can vouch for that as I just set up my account. If you already have an account, you’ll find us at @GA_ARES.  I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I have had a lot of fun with it so far. As I mentioned above, we’re experimenting with this to stay better in touch, so let us know what you think.

Speaking of being in better touch let me say “Thanks” to all of you who have been sending in write-ups and especially pictures about what your groups are doing. They make our website look so much better, and reflect our active involvement around the state.

If you have an event, be sure to take a camera along, and send me a write-up and pictures after you finish. No, it doesn’t have to be ARES related. It simply needs to meet one important rule…you had fun!

The Atlanta Hamfest is almost upon us, and will take place on Saturday, June 4th. This hamfest serves as the Georgia State Convention, as well as a good chance for you to pick up anything you need to ready for Field Day.

Talk in will be on the 146.82 repeater (PL-146.2), and admission is $5. The location is Jim Miller Park in Marietta.

More information can be had at http://www.atlantahamfest.com

Well, enough from me this month, as I’m a bit late, and Gene will be back shortly with the GSOOM for June. Keep those emails coming!

73,
Mike Brown
KE4FGF, GA – SEC
ke4fgf@arrl.net