Convention: Debra Johnson K1DMJ, ARRL’s Education Services Manager will be our guest and our keynote speaker for the 2015 ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention. Debra joins us from ARRL Headquarters and is directly involved with getting school kids involved with Amateur Radio. Among her many duties, she heads up the Teachers Institute plus the ARISS program to contact the International Space Station by amateur radio. If you have an interest in getting younger folks into this hobby, Debra’s talk is one you should not miss.
The Voice of Aladdin Amateur Radio Club is hosting your Convention on August 1, this year. The location is the Aladdin Shrine Center at 3858 Stelzer Rd, in Columbus, OH. http://arrl-greatlakes.org/ Forums will include DX, NVIS, Digital Voice, ARES, HF Sound Card Modes, OSSBN/NTS and there will be on-site VE testing.
Returning this year will be an opportunity for ARRL members to join the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong (ROWH). A special session, available only at State, Division and National Conventions, will allow candidates to join the ROWH Check the Division Web pages at http://arrl-greatlakes.org/ for membership applications. Not familiar with the ROWH? The ARRL Great Lakes Convention is your time to discover the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong.
Comments: from our Vice Director, Tom W8WTD
Such crazy weather. I started thinking about past Field Days, and the only one that I can remember that was so cold and rainy wasn’t one around here. It was in the late 1970’s, when we were camping out on a mountainside in Idaho, above the 8,000 foot level. Cold and rainy. And that’s what it was in West-Central Ohio this past weekend.
Still, it was good to see some of the clubs and their efforts. I only managed to get to two sites, the Champaign/Logan club in West Liberty, Ohio, and the Shelby County ARES Group in Sidney, Ohio. The weather was a factor limiting each club, with a scaled-down operation in West Liberty at the park, and another accommodation to the weather in Sidney, keeping the vehicles off the very soggy grass fields, and moving the operation partly indoors. The spirit of Field Day held everyone together in spite of the weather. Put up that antenna, get on the air!
You have to admit that some things are easier to do when they are “fun.” And Field Day was work this year. Putting antennas up in the rain just takes some of the fun out of it. And having to work for contacts isn’t great, either. But we saw some real dedication out there this weekend. It may not be as much fun, but it hones the operating skills to ask for repeats, to keep trying to dig signals out of the noise. It’s satisfying when you get that difficult contact in the log. It’s just one more contact, but it was worth the effort to listen just a little harder, to figure out that call sign or section. Good work, everyone!
The next big event for the Division is our convention on August 1st in Columbus, Ohio. You’ll be hearing more about it over the next several weeks. Make plans now to be there
73, until next month, Tom W8WTD
Amateur Radio Parity Act: A companion bill to House Bill 1301 has been introduced in the US Senate. It is Senate Bill S. 1685, introduced by Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, with Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut as the initial Cosponsor. We have full details on the ARRL Web pages related to field support of this measure. Our efforts with House Bill 1301 are continuing very well with your support, as of Tuesday June 30, we have reached 84 cosponsors. Current FCC Regulations allow homeowners in deed-restricted residences to install TV receive only (TVRO) antennas. This includes both dish antennas and conventional over the air antennas. “Amateur Radio Parity Act” HB 1301 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to direct the FCC to allow Radio Amateurs to have “parity” with the current TVRO antenna regulations and install reasonable ham radio antennas. The new ARRL Web Page http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act contains the complete text of both bills.
Hamfesting: Here is the current Great Lakes Division ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest Schedule for the next few weeks. These swaps have received their sanctioning approval from ARRL HQ at the time of this publication.
July 10-11 – Michigan Summer Outing – Hale (Lupton) MI
July 11 – 20/9 Tailgate – Austintown, OH
July 18 – NOARS Fest – Elyria, OH
July 18 – GMARC Trunk Fest – Shelby Twp, MI
July 19 – Van Wert – Van Wert, OH
July 26 – CMARC Outdoor – Lansing, MI
July 26 – Portage – Randolph, OH
Aug 1 – UP Hamfest – Escanaba, MI
Aug 2 – Great Lakes Convention – Columbus, OH
Aug 9 – Central Kentucky – Lawrenceburg, KY
Aug 16 – Seaway Trunk Swap – Port Huron, MI
Aug 23 – Cuyahoga Falls Trunk Swap – Stow, OH
Hamfest officials: When you receive your “Hamfest Package” from ARRL, please open it immediately. Read it over and look at all of the material you received. There is a form included to order additional material if you deem it appropriate.
Your Division and Section officials want to be at your events and we strive for insuring that the ARRL is properly represented at every ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest. Conflicts can arise, such as hamfests which might occur on the same day. It is always a good idea for your hamfest chair to contact the Section Manager, Vice-Director or Director early in the planning stages to insure his attendance at the activity. This will allow time to prepare for alternate representation in the event of time conflicts.
The ARRL Director, Vice Director and Section Managers are available to visit local radio clubs and give presentations about ARRL and what is happening in your Section or Division. Please feel free to invite any of us for an “ARRL Night” at your club. Most of the talks are prepared in a video presentation format and can include a Q&A session as well. Advance scheduling really helps and gives you an opportunity to publicize the event. See pages 15 & 16 of a recent QST for contact information.
73, see you on the bands.
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
