This QSO was from Thanksgiving evening. WD9HZI (Albert) was waiting for the Rotten Apples Group Net. I heard Albert call CQ – I answered and he came back to me right away.
What’s A Rotten Apple?
The Rotten Apples started almost 20 years ago. The Founders use to check into the “Classroom Net”, which starts at 7am, then they started meeting on 7.238 earlier and having a “Round Table Chat”. Later on, they started to drop out of the Classroom Net, Joe WB2JKJ called them a bunch of rotten apples and after that the name stuck and the Rotten Apples Group was born – hihi. The Original Group (what we refer to as “The Original 43”) had a RAG Certificate that AL, W9QHN put together. They had to earn the “certificate” by confirming three (3) QSL’S with other RA’s and to him. When Al died, the rest of the Original “43” Rotten Apples decided to discontinue the certificate in his memory and that’s where that saga ended. And now the saga of the “Drivers Permits” begins…
The Driver’s Permit Award: Donn WY5I got his drivers license after a 10 year injury. To celebrate the occasion, Donn received a RAG Driver’s Permit, then Leon, one of the other founders wanted one, then another and so on and so on, and the “Driver’s Permit” came about. NOW, to qualify for a Rotten Apples Group “Driver’s Permit” you must check in to the Rotten Apples Group between 6am-7am est. OR 7pm-8pm est. (these are the Official RAG Hours on the air) on a regular basis for a few months to indicate that you will be a faithful Rotten Apple participant. All “EARLY BIRD” check-ins will be accepted only if they stick around and check into the regular RAG sked hour. You will then receive a Driver’s Permit and a special welcome and that’s it. Everyone who checks in is already a member of the Rotten Apples Group but Driver’s Permits are given out as an Award to those stations who have become faithful Rotten Apple check-ins. It is really not like an Membership Certificate. This is no membership requirement, this is not a club and there is no dues. This is just a GROUP of guys and some gals that meet everyday on 7.238mhz. There are lots of visitors on the RAG morning and evening sessions, they come & they go never to be heard again.