HEART

I,  Stan Winner/KK4QJN,  got interested in HAM radio back in 1975. I was the Communication’s Officer aboard USS Leahy, CG-16. My introduction was through the Military Maritime Amateur Radio Link. While deployed, we able to make phone patch calls to our loved ones back home. Boy was it interesting to hear how our family member where told how to say roger, over, etc.  Well, that’s the beginning of HAM exposure for me. I heard about the Virginia Beach Amateur Radio Club holding HAM licensing classes and joined them while going to classes. It was not until 2013 that I tested for and passed the exam for an Extra Class license. I learned about a variety of activities for HAMS. I was particularly interested in an activity I thought my wife Pat, also a HAM, might be interested in. So she tuned in on our VB Pubic Service Net on a Thursday night and got the details on “HEART.” With her medical background as an RN, she followed through and got involved as the healthcare emergency amateur radio officer at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Finally in 2016 I decided to join the HEART organization. I recall logging a number of hours completing FEMA courses. Looking back, those courses helped me understand the Chain of Command in a time of crisis. I’ve learned how to use WinLink and other modes of communications in the HEART networking.   Currently, I help out at the CRMC as the backup radio operator. It helps out a lot when you are logging voice messages to have a second pen available.