WISCONSIN: SM: Don Michalski, W9IXG SEC: N9VE, STM: K9LGU, SGL: AD9X, OOC: KC9IS, PIC: KB9NUM, TC: k9gdf@arrl.netK9GDF, BM: WB9NRK, ACC: N9LVS ASMs: K9UTQ, W9DGI, N9VE, KG8CX, KB9ENO.

** Regretfully, I am informing you of the passing of these Wisconsin Amateurs:

-- Kurt Diedring, AA0NG (formally, WB9GLB), 82. Kurt was a past member of the Sheboygan County DX Association and the Sheboygan County ARC.
-- Dan Hammell, WA9EZT. Dan was co-founder of the Beloit ARC in the early 60s.
-- Walter Schlaugat Jr, W9SD, 86. Walter was very active in the Wisconsin nets.
-- Miles Wolhowe, N9BOP, 86.

Through a memorial gift to ARRL you can celebrate or honor the life or contributions of a family member or friend for whom Amateur Radio has been a passion. http://www.arrl.org/development/memorial.html#top Please keep me informed of any Wisconsin Amateurs who pass away. Send me the obituary (newspaper website notice preferred) to w9ixg@arrl.org so I can pass it on to ARRL for posting in QST.

** Spring is almost here and this is the time for severe storm training sessions and we recommend that you attend one of these free sessions. There are many in Wisconsin and a list is provided at this site: http://www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=WI#spotter

** Heads up - this weekend!! 2009 Wisconsin QSO party is March 15 - 1 PM to 8 PM. Details are given on the website: http://www.warac.org/wqp/wqp.htm

** The ARRL Wisconsin site http://www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=WI is maintained by Webmaster, Richard Regent, K9GDF. Through Richard's skills, we have one of the finest Section sites in the nation. There are many links provided to you with current Wisconsin announcements, events, classes, nets, technical help, etc. We invite you to visit it often. And, if you notice a site that would be useful to others or a photo (with a caption) for the gallery, please pass it to Richard, k9gdf@arrl.net, or me. Sometimes links go dead, so if you see one that doesn't work, let us know! We want to keep the site current. Thank you!

** STM Report Wisconsin Section FEBRUARY 2009

SPECIAL NOTICE: Some daytime sessions of 9RN are back! Under the direction of its new net manager, NA9L, operation will be MWF on 3.910 (alternate 7.280) 11:00 A.M.our time. Wisconsin volunteers will be needed to check into this net to send or bring back NTS traffic. Please give it a try. You can even discuss the net operation on a Yahoo Group site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NTS-9RN.

FAQ # 91 -- Where does all the traffic go? When it rains. . . One evening in February, I received 10 messages on 9RN and two more through WINLINK. There was no SSB rep on Late WIN that night to take the traffic to the BEN the following day, and I knew I'd be going to work, so I was concerned about that pile of traffic not moving. When an operator takes traffic, it comes with an obligation to pass it closer to its destination or deliver it within a reasonable time. For routine traffic, that's probably 24 -- 48 hours.
Tomahawk, Franklin, Racine, Solon Springs, Oconomowoc, and more. I was apprehensive. True, it's not Texas, but I could hold 'em for a while, might even deliver a few by telephone, but that wasn't exercising the NTS. Yes, much of this dozen was standard-text book traffic -- but it still tested the system and helped ops sharpen their skills -- so they'd be ready "when all else fails." I didn't have much hope as I listed it all on the skip-plagued WSBN.
Happy ending. Stations on the Wisconsin Side Band Net (e.g. KA9ROB, WA9QIB, KN9P, N9VC, KC9LOY, et al.) took all but the (unlisted) Solon Springs -- which WO0W subsequently took on early WIN! Moral of the story? The system works. It works because operators check nets regularly, because they want to help, because they care. When I know there's a willing traffic handler who regularly checks one of our section nets, I don't have to hesitate to take some traffic for their location. Where does the traffic go? To Hams who care, who want to help. Of course, (insert familiar sound of hand slapping forehead) that's why they call it a system. 73 -- K9LGU/ STM-WI

WISCONSIN SECTION MONTHLY NET ACTIVITY SUMMARY  FEBRUARY 2009

NET     QNI     QTC     QTR     SSNS    NM
BWN     1995    2475    3833    28      W9IXG
BEN     573     39      1188    28      WD9FLJ
WSBN    640     42      836     28      KB9KEG
WNN     106     4       222     21      KB9ROB
WSSN    147     8       234     28      N9JIY
WIN/E   135     30      250     27      WB9ICH
WIN/L   119     14      211     28      W9RTP
WRACES  99      1       226     4       N9VAO
totals  3814    2613    7000    192

Note:
BWN is Badger Weather Net;
BEN is Badger Emergency Net;
WSBN is Wisconsin Side Band Net;
WNN is Wisconsin Novice Net;
WSSN is Wisconsin Slow Speed Net;
WIN/E is Wisconsin Intrastate Net/Early;
WIN/L is Wisconsin Intrastate Net/Late;
WRACES is Wisconsin Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service net.
Details on all these nets are found on this site:https://www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=WI under Wisconsin Traffic Nets.