Author: Scott Westerman
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Beyond Newsletters
One of the things that’s most alluring about amateur radio is the ever expanding variety of communication modes at our disposal. From the dots and dashes of morse code to the digital packets that can carry everything from voice to data, there is truly something for every interest. Hams prefer to create and consume their…
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Keeping the Past alive.
My good friend, Dan Romanchik recently wrote about his disappointment to learn that WV7G, who posted a plan for a single tube transmitter had passed away and his web page describing the project had seemingly passed on with him. Enter W5RST, who referenced the Internet Archive, where web content seemingly lives forever. Lo and behold,…
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The Communication Experts
The great thing about a hobby like ours is that there is so much diversity that you can pick whatever niche suits you. From a public perspective, though, there is one branding message that should unite us all: We are the Communication Experts.During Hurricane Harvey, I saw amateur radio at it’s best. Our trained volunteers…
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Therapeutic Gratitude
I recently spent some time with Dacher Keltner, a perpetual student of the art and science of emotional wellbeing. He reminded me of one of its great prerequisites: Gratitude.This came home to me in a powerful way the morning after. A brave friend who deals with clinical depression uses gratitude as a weapon to beat…
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How to make Field Day (or any remote operation) Great
In my days as a radio broadcaster, one of the most exciting things we did was a “remote”, where we took our gear and our talent out into the community to broadcast live. My good friend and legendary programming consultant, Gary Berkowitz, recently wrote a column about how to accomplish an effective remote. Realizing that…
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Amateur Radio During Word War II
What follows is a summary of the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS). Information was gathered primarily from “Fifty Years of ARRL,” an historical record of the League and amateur radio. It was originally posted on the AC6V website.First a bit of background: In 1939 there were 51,000 US hams. In September of that year war…
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The Father Factor
(Update: June 16, 2019) The “Real” Scott Westerman left us on April 18, 2018, my mother’s birthday. He loved being a Dad. He was my role model for fatherhood and a father figure for countless others during his 92 years. “We don’t get to choose the cards life deals us,” he told me during our…
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Earning ARRL’s Worked All States award in 12 months or less
Worked All States. It’s the first significant milestone for a radio amateur after passing the General Class exam. No matter what your gear, it’s an achievement that can be earned in a year or less if you play to win.Here’s how.Every state has its own QSO Party, a weekend where there’s an organized effort to…
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On Leadership
I decided early on to aspire to lead for one reason: I prefer to influence the course of my own destiny. “Build your own dreams,” writes the young Chicago born entrepreneur, Farrah Gray, “or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”Life, after all, is simply a series of decisions we make. We can’t change…
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Life Lessons From the Red Cedar
Of all the natural wonders that caress our beautiful campus, the Red Cedar River is, perhaps, most symbolic.Its waters flow inexorably toward the west, reminding us that we must continuously expand our own horizons of thought and explore new vistas beyond our comfort zones. It is a combination of gently undulating currents and explosive rapids,…