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Recent Aricles - see left and below NewsKarl C. Ramm, N1XPB, sk
Karl at work in 2007 Image courtesy of KF4PAB
2/15/1973 - 6/28/2020
Karl Christopher Ramm was born on February 15, 1973, to Mary Kathlyn Brigmon Ramm and Dietolf Ramm, in Durham, NC. The family moved to Hillsborough, NC in 1989. Karl attended Charles E. Jordan High School and earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University in 1995. Following graduation, he moved to Cambridge MA, where he worked for MIT, a series of start-ups, and eventually Google, as a systems programmer/administrator. He bought a house and moved to Wilmington, MA in 2016. Karl grew up in a home in which he had easy access to computers and immersed himself in all aspects of them at an extremely young age. Not long after most children were first learning to read, he was reading Berkeley Standard Distribution UNIX manuals cover to cover. There was never any doubt of what he would study in college or what he would choose as a career. Throughout his life, he became very interested in “retro computing” and preserving many of the computer systems that were prevalent during his childhood. Perhaps inspired by both of his grandfathers, one of Karl’s primary hobbies was music. He excelled at playing the piano. He was told he had “perfect pitch” and could play music after having heard it just a few times. He was equally proficient at sight reading. Before his voice changed, he sang with the North Carolina Boys Choir for several years. His true passion was composing electronic music and he collected numerous synthesizers. Working for and, later, in proximity to MIT, Karl took advantage of many activities there. Almost immediately after he started, he joined the MIT Radio Society and earned an FCC License in Amatur Radio (N1XPB) and quickly inflicted the hobby on his entire immediate family in North Carolina. He trained in Jiu-Jitsu many hours during the week. He was a Keyholder at MITSFS, MIT’s Science Fiction Library and was active in MIT’s Student Information Processing Board (SIPB), MIT’s Lecture Series Committee (LSC), and MIT Gilbert & Sullivan Players. Karl was a voracious, lightning-fast reader and, in his younger years, would frequently finish at least one newly purchased book before arriving home from the bookstore. He particularly loved science-fiction novels and was always the best source of recommendations on what to read next. Karl was loved by an amazing network of loyal friends who were supportive, long before and after his diagnosis in 2017. He is survived by his father, Dietolf Ramm, and sister, Lenore Ramm Hill with her husband, Jack Hill, all of Hillsborough, NC. Lenore, KF4PAB, 6/30/20 PS: Memorial gift can be made to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance: https://impact.ccalliance.org/kcrfriends June 2 Program: DFMA Meeting on the AirUntil outbreak conditions improve, the DFMA will not be having in-person meetings. Fortunately, our hobby supports communicating from a distance. As we did last month, instead of our usual monthly meeting at Bullock's, we'll have a special net. The net will be at 7pm on June 2nd, our usual meeting time, on the linked 145.45- and 147.225+ repeaters (both have a PL tone of 82.5). You can also check-in over the Internet via Echolink/SVXLink to the WR4AGC-R node. The format of the net will be check-ins (in place of our usual introductions), officer reports (including a special discussion about possible Field Day activities), and a rag chew round table discussion. Jack, KM4MBG, 5/31/20 May 5 Program: DFMA Meeting on the AirUntil outbreak conditions improve, the DFMA will not be having in-person meetings. Fortunately, our hobby supports communicating from a distance. As we did last month, instead of our usual monthly meeting at Bullock's, we'll have a special net. The net will be at 7pm on May 5th, our usual meeting time, on the linked 145.45- and 147.225+ repeaters (both have a PL tone of 82.5). You can also check-in over the Internet via Echolink/SVXLink to the WR4AGC-R node. The format of the net will be check-ins (in place of our usual introductions), officer reports (including a special discussion about DurHamFest), and a rag chew round table discussion. Jack, KM4MBG, 5/2/20 DurHamFest 2020 CanceledAt the "on the air" meeting last night DurHamFest was discussed. The Durham Public Schools had cancelled all rental reservation due to the ongoing pandemic. The question was, "Would they reopen things in time for our May 30th date and would they do it in time for people to prepare." Our contact with the rental facility expressed doubt that things would start up again in time. Also, many hams are in the more vulnerable demographic and will probably want to be extra careful. A vote was taken on the motion to cancel DurHamFest 2020 and that was passed without opposition. Dee, KU4GC, DurHamFest Chair: 4/8/20 April 7 Program: DFMA Meeting on the AirWhat's going on with DFMA events? Until outbreak conditions improve, the DFMA will not be having in-person meetings. Fortunately, our hobby supports communicating from a distance. Instead of our usual monthly meeting at Bullock's, we'll have a special net. The net will be at 7pm on April 7th, our usual meeting time, on the linked 145.45- and 147.225+ repeaters (both have a PL tone of 82.5). You can also check-in over the Internet via Echolink/SVXLink to the WR4AGC-R node. The format of the net will be check-ins (in place of our usual introductions), officer reports (including a special discussion about DurHamFest), and a rag chew round table discussion. Jack, KM4MBG, 4/3/20 Joseph P. Fields, KF4QYY, sk
Image courtesy of Holloway Memorial Funeral Home
6/28/57 - 11/20/19
Dee, KU4GC, 2/26/20 February 4 Program: Software Defined RadiosJack Hill, KM4MBG will be talking about software defined radios. Join the crowd for this timely topic as well as some good food and excellent company. Dee, KU4GC; 2/1/20 SAVE the DATE: DurHanFest 2020 to be on May 30DurHamFest will be a week later this year. For many years it was held on Memorial Day Weekend. A new policy of the Durham Public School system forbids the rental of the facility on holiday weekends. This is to make sure that DPS employees are not pressured to give up an extended weekend to work to open the facility. The facilities coordinator asked if we would like to try for the weekend before or the weekend after Memorial Day. Since we did not want to compete with the Dayton hamfest, we requested the weekend after. Today our application was approved. More on DurHamFest soon. Dee, KU4GC; 1/7/20 January 7 Program: Show and TellHere's a chance to show off your Christmas gift. Or maybe there's something else of interest to share. Tuesday we will have the always fun and informative Show and Tell. Plan on spending about 5 minutes talking about it. Dee, KU4GC; 1/5/20 Memorial Gathering for MK Ramm, W4MKR, skThere will be a memorial gathering for MK Ramm (W4MKR) on Sunday, December 15, from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. There will be no formal activity, just a framework for reminiscing, looking at photos, reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and meeting with the family (Karl (N1XP) will be flying in from Massachusetts). The format is open house. Come when you can and stay as long as you like. We will have light refreshments, so you won’t starve. The venue will be the Durham Locopops store on Hillsborough Rd, which has recently been remodeled and has a nice room for events. The address is 2618 Hillsborough Rd (Business US 70). For you Durhamites, this is a bit west of their old place that was next to Don Hill’s Lock shop. If you missed the original announcement of MK’s passing, see below.
Please Join Us!
MK Ramm, W4MKR, sk
4/28/44 - 12/5/19
MK grew up in Candler, NC, where, with special encouragement from her grandfather, she helped in her father’s florist business. She attended Enka Candler High School and then Duke University and earned her bachelor’s degree in history. There she met her husband, Dietolf Ramm (KU4GC), whom she married after her graduation in 1966 and settled in Durham. After working in Nuclear Physics and Computer Science at Duke, in research support positions, she had two children, Karl (N1XPB) and Lenore (KF4PAB). MK’s primary passions were plants and horticulture. She completed several years of graduate work at NC State University in Horticulture, and worked with Professor JC Raulston at the NC State Arboretum, where she was curator of the Lathe House. Years later she worked at Plant Delights Nursery. She served as coordinator of the Seed Exchange of the North American Rock Garden Society for two years. When she moved to Hillsborough in 1989, she transformed the land around her home from what was an open field into a lush botanical garden. She could identify virtually any plant and provide the complete scientific name from memory. Other activities included sewing (including her wedding dress) and crocheting. She loved animals, including her horses, cats, and dogs. She also kept local birds, squirrels, groundhogs, and other visitors to her deck well fed. She was less enamored with the beavers that selected her ornamental trees. She was a voracious reader, favoring mysteries, science magazines, and anything mentioning perennials. She was a reluctant, but fantastic, cook and her family will always have fond memories of her fried chicken, lemon meringue pies, pound cakes, elaborate Thanksgiving dinners, and so many other delicious meals. Following the rest of her family, she became active in Amateur Radio and passed her FCC license exam in 1997. She acquired the callsign W4MKR and was active in Durham FM Association - DFMA and the Orange County Radio Amateurs - OCRA. She was treasurer of the DFMA from 2008 to 2018 and actively coordinated the food operations for OCRA and DFMA in their annual Field Day (a 24 hour simulated emergency communications exercise). She provided logistical food support and other services for the annual DFMA DurHamFest (a radio oriented swapfest). She completed Orange County’s first CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training course in 2007 and helped in public service events like serving in the Sheriff’s command post for the then annual Habitat for Humanity Halloween Bike Ride in Durham and in later years the Tar Heel Ten Miler in Chapel Hill. MK is survived by her husband, Dietolf Ramm, of Hillsborough, their children, Karl Christopher Ramm of Wilmington, MA, and Lenore Ramm Hill with her husband, Jack Hill, of Hillsborough, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to the Nature Conservancy would be appreciated. Plans for a memorial gathering are pending. Lenore, KF4PAB, 12/5/19 December 3 Program: DFMA Christmas Party
We are continuing a tradition of having the DFMA pick up the tab for members at our December Christmas Dinner Meeting. The festivities will be at Bullock's Barbecue Restaurant in Durham starting at 6:00 p.m. You will be able to order from the menu. Members can bring one guest — bring your spouse or friend! This is our Christmas Meeting — In that tradition you may (optionally):
In past years some people have dropped a check in the hat. You can make it out to any charity you like. We can forward it and the cancelled check can be handy at tax time. But, if you are not in a position to donate anything this year, please come anyway. Or if you are making a special effort through your church or at the office, don’t feel pressured to do more than you really should. Your presence at this dinner is a gift to all of us. Since this is our annual Christmas Party we won’t have a program as usual. However, we will continue the fun tradition of soliciting “Ham New Year’s Resolutions.” Please join us for some wonderful holiday fellowship. - Dee, KU4GC 11/30/19 November 5 Program: Collins KWM-380 RebuildJohn Green, KX4P, has prepared a Power-Point presentation on his rebuild of a 1980 Collins KWM-380. He shows why and how this project materialized. There are even some movie clips showing the repaired radio operating SSB and CW. John has put a lot of effort into creating this very interesting presentation. You don’t want to miss this one! Dee, KU4GC, 11/2/19 October 1 Program: VisualizationEric Monson, a Data Visualization Analyst at Duke University Libraries, will be giving a presentation of his choosing. Eric holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics, but has been working for twelve years with Duke faculty and graduate students from Math to Computational Biology to Art History, helping them transform, visualize and understand their data. Dee, KU4GC, 9/30/19 September 3 Program: A New Website for the DFMAJimmy, KF4KHU, our new vice president KF4KHU will be the program for the club meeting. He will be talking on the new club website that he is developing. He is also exploring add-ons available to 501c(3) organizations that could add useful functionality to the site, and the use of social media to draw new members into the club. Dee, KU4GC, 8/31/19
August 6 Program: Election of Officers &
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