Feet Firmly On The Ground


Although that could be good life advise for anybody, the reference here is to radio.

And there is no such thing as one ground that will work for everything. When Ben Franklin experimented with kites during stormy weather, he found the power of lightning. He went on to invent the lightning rod or arrestor to protect structures from destruction.

Ham radio operators have a more complicated relationship with the weather. That's because they want to put an antenna up as high as possible and in the clear of other objects. In other words, the perfect target for lightning. So how do you keep your equipment and even your house safe?

That's the topic of the next meeting of the Cedar Creek Amateur (ham) Radio Club. President Charles Wells, N5SER, will present videos and live demonstrations on how to construct antennas that are not lightning magnets. And how to construct a grounding system for your home, your antennas and a short-wave system.


The meeting starts at 9 AM on Saturday January 13th at the Mabank Café on Hwy 198 in Mabank. The club meets the second Saturday of each month there. The meeting starts at 9 AM, but many come early for the breakfast buffet. Anyone interested in technology is welcome.
The Cedar Creek ARC has over forty members from the tri-county area. It maintains a VHF and UHF repeater system that provide hand-held radio coverage to hams in the lake area, and mobile and base coverage throughout the three counties. CCARC participates in the National Weather Service SKYWARN program and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. The club also provides classes to those wishing to join the ranks of Amateur "ham" Radio. There no longer is a requirement or test for Morse code. For more information visit
www.k5ccl.org.