‰  NOW 35 WPM  ‰
WHEN THE CALL GOES OUT AMATEURS IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA ANSWER.  BRAD PATRICK,
KE5EMF  TO PARAPHRASE THE OLD PILOTS AXIOM, THE LIFE OF AN AMATEUR RADIO
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS EMCOMM VOLUNTEER INVOLVES HOURS OF HUMDRUM
NORMALCY, PUNCTUATED BY EPISODES OF SHEER TERROR OR AT LEAST SHEER TENSION.
FOR THE MOST PART, A VOLUNTEERS LIFE IS LIKE ANY OTHER, ONE UNREMARKABLE
DAY FLOWING INTO THE NEXT AND QUICKLY PASSING FROM MEMORY.  ON THE OTHER
HAND, THERE ARE SOME DAYS YOULL NEVER FORGET.  YOU COULD POUR INK OVER
DOZENS OF PAGES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE THE AMATEUR RADIO EMCOMM
LIFESTYLE.  THERE IS NO NEED TO WASTE PAPER, HOWEVER, WHEN A FEW GLIMPSES
CAN GIVE YOU A TASTE OF THIS EXCITING AND REWARDING AVOCATION.  WHAT YOU
ARE ABOUT TO READ AMOUNTS TO SNAPSHOTS OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, AND
THOSE OF OTHERS, HERE IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA.  SPEAK WITH VOLUNTEERS IN OTHER
AREAS OF THE COUNTRY AND YOULL DISCOVER THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE MUCH THE
SAME.  A RUDE AWAKENING I AWOKE IN A PANIC WITH A SHRILL ALARM RINGING IN
MY EARS.  I SLAPPED THE ALARM CLOCK ONCE.  TWICE.  MAYBE THREE TIMES, NOT
UNDERSTANDING WHY I COULD NOT SEEM TO FIND THE SNOOZE BUTTON.  I WORK ALL
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W3BG/329 W3EV/345 W3GQ/332 W3HC/340 W4ELB/353 W4IBI/333 W4IS/331 W4MA/332
W4OGG/339 W4QC/344 W4QN/363 W4WXZ/342 W6GYM/333 W6HIB/333 W6HTC/336
W6TUR/332 W6WL/331 W7AEP/338 W7AV/336 W7FPT/335 W7TVF/349 W8GS/343
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