Ham Radio Special Event Station K0G Logs 294 Contacts

Today eight members of Flotilla 4 participated in a ham radio special event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. This station was located near Rippey, IA and is designed to accommodate events like this. The station operated primarily on two frequencies and, despite poor band quality, logged 294 contacts from 47 states and seven countries.

The station contacted 13 other special event stations during the course of the event. Operators talked to stations in six Canadian provinces, Argentina, England, Ireland, Spain and Brazil. The purpose of the annual event was to spread awareness about the Coast Guard Auxiliary and what it does for the community.

Photos of the event can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/flotilla4/sets/72157622606769498/



Auxilarist Roland Newton (left) makes contact with a station while John Halbrook (right) wraps up his contact at the ham radio special event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

(U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by Doug Jansen)



Auxilarist Gene Kellogg wraps up his contact at the ham radio special event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

(U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by Doug Jansen)

Flotilla 4 Hits the Air to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary

On Saturday, October 17th, members of Flotilla 4 in Des Moines will join other Coast Guard Auxilarists to hit the airwaves to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We will be one of over 60 other special event stations on the air. Our callsign will be K0G. We will operate from 1400 - 2100 Zulu (9:00 am to 4:00 pm Central).

Our assigned frequencies are:
• 7.240 Mhz
• 14.345 Mhz
• 21.405 Mhz
• 28.405 Mhz

The purpose of the event is to spread awareness about the Coast Guard Auxiliary and what it does for the community. We will be updating our Flickr photostream, Twitter account and our blog throughout the day on Saturday with updates.

Here are some photos from our special event station last year. To view the whole set go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flotilla4/sets/72157608201481830/

Flotilla 4 on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/flotilla4

Flotilla 4 on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flotilla4



Roland Newton explains what he is doing to Jeff Towle during the Coast Guard Ham Radio Day in 2008.
(U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo By Doug Jansen)


John Halbrook waits for contacts after calling CQ during the Coast Guard Auxiliary Ham Radio Day in 2008.
(U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo By Doug Jansen)

October Edition of Above Board Newsletter

The new edition of Above Board is available at http://www.flotilla4.org/Newsletter/AboveBoardOctober2009.pdf

This month's newsletter has articles about the Fall Conference, Coast Guard Auxiliary Reorganization, our public education activities, three new members and the upcoming ham radio event. Thank you to all of our contributors who made this month's edition possible. The submission deadline for Above Board is the first Friday of each month. Photos, narratives and information is always appreciated.

Last Course of the Season

Jeff Towle explains what a type I life jacket does during the About Boating Safety course.
(U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Photo by Doug Jansen)

A boating safety class is a great way to cap off an operational season. This weekend Flotilla 4 hosted an About Boating Safely class at the Saylorville Lake Oak Woods Learning Center. The class is an introductory course designed to meet the boating education needs of recreational boaters.

The benefit to a face-to-face class is the ability to answer questions, demonstrate equipment and further explain the application of boating procedures. "Students were able to learn about boating and navigation rules, parts of a boat, proper operator safety and emergency procedures." said instructor Doug Jansen. Instructors for the class were Jeff Towle, Norma Newton and Doug Jansen.

Flotilla 4 will offer the About Boating Safety class again in May of 2010 at Saylorville Lake and Lake Red Rock.

Tomlinson Returns from ICS 341 Training

Auxilarist Ralph Tomlinson returned recently from ICS 341 training in San Pedro, California.

ICS 341 is an Incident Response Planning Workshop which is a four-day Coast Guard position specific course that presents the concepts, principles, and protocols of the Planning Section duties intended to familiarize students with the process mechanics of planning activities in support of an incident.

Tomlinson was the only Coast Guard Auxiliary member who participated in the training alongside 30 other active duty Coast Guard members and civilian employees. He participated in this training in order to work towards the Coast Guard qualification to be able to instruct the Incident Command System level 300 course.

About Boating Safely Class October 8th and 10th at Saylorville Lake

The Coast Guard Auxiliary will be offering the About Boating Safely class to the public. This class will be held in two parts:

Thursday, October 8th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Saturday, October 10th from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm


About Boating Safely includes a wide variety of information. Whether you choose a classroom boating class or your state's online course, you'll learn:

-General information about boats and maintenance
-Information on preparing for safe and enjoyable outings
-Navigation rules and aids to navigation
-Guidelines for operating your boat or PWC safely
-What to do in case of boating emergencies
-State-specific laws and regulations you must follow

In general, this information applies to all recreational watercraft (powerboats, PWCs, sailboats and boats which are paddled). PWC and Jet Ski operators often have additional laws and restrictions which apply to them.

The cost of the course is $20 and includes the book and certificate. If a family wishes to come together a discount can be requested. The class will be taught at the Saylorville Lake, Oak Woods Learning Center just south of the Corps of Engineers Station.

Pre-registration is required. Please call 515- 681 - 1725 or e-mail us at boatingsafety @flotilla4.org to register.

August / September Edition of Above Board Newsletter

The new edition of Above Board is available at http://www.flotilla4.org/Newsletter/AboveBoardAugustSeptember2009.pdf

This month's newsletter has articles about our Labor Day and Des Moines River mission operations, our public education activities. Thank you to all of our contributors who made this month's edition possible. The submission deadline for Above Board is the first Friday of each month. Photos, narratives, and information is always appreciated.