Also, there is a For Sale area on the Web Page (http://www.semoarc.org/forsale.html) So if you have anything you want to post let me know at the newsletter address above. Write it as you want it posted, just as if you were putting it in the classified area of the newspaper (without having to pay by the word). Please don't expect me to write it for you. I already have enough to do. Include contact info.

Cory — In a quiet field in the tiny community of Cory, just beyond the fire station, a mobile communications tower rises 75 feet into the air and several large orange balloons hold wires aloft.

Down below, a generator hums while about a dozen individuals sit under a picnic shelter amongst wires, wearing headphones and murmuring the same five words repeatedly: "whiskey, nine, uniform, uniform, uniform."

The Wabash Valley Amateur Radio Association, call number W9UUU, spent 24 hours Saturday and Sunday in a training exercise to test their emergency preparedness for a situation in which normal modes of communication are unreliable.

The setup, outside the Cory Volunteer Fire Department, included eight radio stations, capable of worldwide coverage, that could operate simultaneously at different frequencies. Operators kept logs of contact locations and frequencies to prevent overlap.

The event was part of an annual Field Day in which ham radio operators around North America used their equipment to make contacts far and wide. In addition to testing for emergency preparedness, the club was taking part in a national competition to see how many contacts they could make in 24 hours.

This year's event was one of the best field days for the number of contacts made by the Wabash Valley group, said Kevin Berlen, who has been working with amateur radio for 32 years.

The group, consisting of about 60 radio operators who rotated in and out from 2 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday on eight high-frequency, long-range radios, made more than 1,900 contacts during the event.

"We assist any agency in time of disaster," Berlen said, "when all normal modes of communication fail. Radio works without wires, so you can go anywhere and set up a station."

Radio operators in Cory talked to counterparts in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Jamaica, as well as Moscow, said David Pifer, Indiana section emergency coordinator for Amateur Radio Emergency Services.

Contest results will be available within the week, said Pifer, with national scores to be posted by the National Association for Amateur Radio in the fall.

Pifer said that since Sept. 11, 2001, amateur radio operators have been becoming a more mainstream part of emergency management planning, with the National Amateur Radio Emergency Service as one sector of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Pifer said many more agencies, such as the Red Cross and local hospitals, are taking more of an interest in the capabilities of amateur radio operators.

"They always knew we were there," he said, "but since 9/11, we've had site visits by different agency representatives. Also, we're now more actively involved in emergency plans, instead of on the fringe."

Pifer said amateur radio is sometimes been referred to as a "hobby with many hobbies," because it encompasses so many variants of radio communication, including Morse code, voice, low power, high power and digital, among others.

Becoming a licensed amateur radio operator is not difficult. It requires a basic examination, and more-affordable equipment is available now, Pifer said.

Radio operator and Wabash Valley member Chuck Procarione was up most of the night to participate in the training exercise, he said. After four years as a licensed ham operator, Procarione is having a great time with it, he said.

For more information, go to www.arrl.org or www.w9uuu.org.

Vincent Paul Miller, 85, of Scott City went to heaven Tuesday, June 27, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

He was born Dec. 15, 1920, at Illmo, son of David and Lottie Miller. He and Dorothy Blattel were married Feb. 17, 1942, at Kelso, Mo., and enjoyed 65 years of marital bliss.

Vincent was employed by Texas Eastern from 1949 to 1982. He inherited a peach orchard from his father and uncle, and was a farmer many years.

He was an avid ham radio operator 30 years. He was an active member of St. Joseph Parish in Scott City and its Men's Club, served as vice president of St. Joseph Credit Union, was a member of Knights of Columbus and served on FSA Board of Directors.

Vincent and his wife, Dorothy, belonged to a square dancing club. They could be seen every weekend at country-western dance halls. He will lovingly be remembered as a suave dancer. Other favorite pastimes of Vincent's were tinkering with computers and playing cards with family and friends.

Survivors include five sons and wives, Vincent David Miller Jr. (Happy), Larry and Joyce Miller, Tommy and Anna Miller, Dennis and Helen Miller, and Paul Miller, all of Scott City; three daughters and husbands, Carol and John Fath and Barbara and Jim Payne of Scott City, Marilyn and Jim Craiglow of Cape Girardeau.

He is also survived by 18 grandchildren, Alesia Gresham, Annette Cummins, Yvonne Campbell, Johnny Fath, Cyndi Payne, Marsha Vangilder, Cheryl Newell, David Miller, Holly Miller, Debbie McMillan, Kevin Miller, Susan Davis, Leann Henderson, April Miller, Andy Miller, Alex Craiglow, Eric Craiglow, Ashley Miller; 25 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Rollian Miller.

Friends may call at St. Joseph Church from 4 to 8 p.m. today. The rosary will be recited at 7, followed by a Knights of Columbus prayer service at 7:15.

The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the church, with the Revs. David Coon and Jim Seyer officiating. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be three grandsons, two great-grandsons and two nephews.

In Vincent's memory, memorials may be made to St. Joseph Cemetery Fund.

The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers.

Allen Baker (KG4JJH) on July 2, 2006

USB Digital Mode Interface

I recently bought a headset (Altec Lansing AHS302usb) that came with a small USB soundcard. This soundcard is recognized by DigiPan and MixW. A USB serial adapter (IOGEAR GUC232A) to a second USB port provides the PTT function. Both adapters can be fed from one USB port using a USB 2-port or 4-port hub. A few signal attenuation resistors and a small PTT interface (as recommended in the DigiPan help file) completes the interface.

Windows XP recognizes all of the devices automatically with no drivers to install. The headset with USB soundcard was $40. The same headset without the USB soundcard (AHS423) is $25, so the USB soundcard cost $15. (The USB soundcard chip is a C-Media CM108 which features 16-bit AD and DA converters). I bought the USB serial adapter several years ago for around $30 and they are now around $20. The 4-port hub was $10 at Wal-Mart. I checked eBay and found all three similar devices for around $10 each (search for USB audio adapter, USB serial adapter, and USB hub).

Advantages of this USB digital mode interface:

1. No computer serial port required

2. No computer soundcard required

3. No power supply required

4. No isolation transformers required

5. Total price: about $30

It would be nice if all the chips and circuitry were on one PC board, but at these prices, it's cheaper to buy the boxes and connect them. If you're concerned about RF getting into the computer, clamp a few split ferrite cores onto the USB cable.

73,

Allen, KG4JJH