Members of the Northeast Arkansas Radio Club (NEARC) will be conducting the inaugural Johnny Cash Birthday Celebration Special Event Station on what would have been the late Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member’s 80th birthday, February 26, 2012 beginning at 12:00pm Central time (1800 hrs. UTC). Area amateur radio operators will solicit over-the-air contacts from other amateurs stateside and internationally for a six-to eight-hour period. Stations making contact with the Special Event Station will receive confirmation of that contact in the form of a commemorative certificate, printed on heavy stock paper and suitable forframing.The Johnny Cash Birthday Celebration Special Event Station will operate under the Special Event call sign N5C. Stations wishing to receive a full-color, 8-1/2 x 11 certificate printed on heavy stock paper need to send their QSL card plus $5.00 USD to cover costs to:

N5C Special Event Station
4501 Aggie Rd
Jonesboro, AR 72401-7855
USA

NOTE: your QSL card must be received NO LATER THAN APRIL 16, 2012! Sorry, no EQSL or LoTW for this event.

According to NEARC President Skeeter Nash N5ASH, this will be the first event of this kind undertaken by the organization. “We were looking for an event with a local tie-in, but also one that would have wide-ranging appeal. Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, AR. At the age of three, his family moved to Dyess Colony, AR in Mississippi County, then went on to become a musical icon loved the world over. We thought it only fitting that we should conduct this event on the 80th anniversary of his birth.”

Stations will be operating SSB on 80, 40 20 and 10 Meters. Planned frequencies are 3.835, 7.260, 14.260 and 28.330 MHz (+/- 3 kHz).

At least one—and possibly more—will set up their stations in Dyess Colony, not far from the house where the Cash family once lived. Stations contacting the station in Dyess Colony will receive a special designation on their certificate.

“We’re hoping to make this an annual event,” said Nash. “Johnny Cash never forgot his roots here in northeast Arkansas, and we in the amateur radio community are looking forward to having the opportunity to honor one of the most recognizable figures in music history.”

The Northeast Arkansas Radio Club is a not-for-profit organization promoting growth in the service and hobby of amateur radio. The club owns and operates its own repeater on a frequency of 443.150 MHz, located above the press box at the Arkansas State University football stadium. The NEARC is involved in all aspects of amateur radio, and provides activities for members and their families throughout the year. Club members also provide emergency communication services and amateur license testing.

Website: http://nea-rc.org/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nearadioclub

www.facebook.com/cashspecialeventstation