W4BFT

Beaufort, SC

The Beaufort Veterans Day Parade is Tuesday, November 11. Local ham support is needed, mostly with the lineup. Organizers are again using the Adventure Street lineup (one block west of Bladen St, near the National Cemetery).
We should get there about 8:30 AM. Find a ham on Adventure St near Boundary St to get your assignment and a lineup sheet. March-off is 10:00 AM, and we should be done by about 11:00 AM.Plan on 146.535 simplex primary, 145.130 (-) (tone 88.5) backup.
73, David (N2EIO)

P.S. The new hams out there should participate! It’s fun, and you will learn how we operate. Community service!

Some parade hints from the past (you can skip this if you already have it memorized!):

You know this but . . .

H/T’s are the primary communications, and H/T’s are only slightly better than marginal for this purpose.
- They need to be on "high" power (which drains the battery the quickest).
- The little antennas don't work as effectively when close to your body, especially for transmitting.
Some hints:
Start with a fully-charged battery. Bring an extra charged battery if you have one.
Put the primary and backup channels in memory ahead of time (frequency, tone, shift . . . )
Keep transmissions short and to the point. This saves batteries and keeps the frequency clear.
If you carry your H/T on your hip, it may not get out very well. It works better if you hold it in your hand when you transmit.
Parades are noisy. Consider using an earpiece or speaker-mic close to your ear so you can hear reliably. I have seen over and over where people missed calls because they didn't hear the little H/T speaker down at their hip.
If it has been quiet for a while, check it out. Is there a "hot mic"? Is someone sitting on the transmit button? Is it you? Are you still on the right frequency?
Consider "locking" your H/T keypad so you won't accidentally do something you didn't mean to.
I've done all these things myself, so I'm not talking down to anyone. Feel free to read and delete.
One last thing: Most of the folks we support are very appreciative of our help. There are a few curmudgeons out there (and maybe a few amongst ourselves?). If anyone is unhelpful or giving you a hard time, just try and defuse the situation as best as you can. Don't add fuel to the fire.

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