Greetings everyone,
As 2014 comes to a close, we must look back at this year
as having been one of the most significant in ham radio. Among the outstanding events, we recognize
the ARRL's 100th Anniversary as the lead item.
It brought with it a wonderful National Convention with renowned
speakers on timely subjects. It brought
us the W1AW Portable Operating Events, allowing the average ham across the USA
and possessions to operate "our club station" from their own home QTH
as W1AW/x. Each state and territory
took to the air and we all reached out to work them on multiple bands and
modes.
It brought us the ARRL Centennial Challenge QSO Party
sparking thousands of hams into getting active and working towards achieving
Challenge Points.
We also hosted the 2014 IARU Radiosport Championship and
2014 also brought a matching fund Challenge to us all to offer further
financial support to our ARRL, insuring its future.
Combine this Anniversary Year with new product
introductions by several manufacturers, new developments in software designed
radios, advances in weak signal programs, and we have experienced a truly great
2014.
We must also offer our special thanks to the ARRL HQ
staff for hosting the 100th Anniversary National Convention and for developing
and managing the scoring systems for this year's operating events all
intertwined with the rest of their routine and daily duties. Great Job, well done.
From a purely personal note, this year has allowed me to
meet thousands of different hams on the air in operating the Challenge. My log has filled with wonderful QSOs and
along with that, many new friendships have formed. Everyone has been polite, courteous and understanding,
all typical of what we inspire to be as Radio Amateurs. I also thank all for being so very tolerant
of me as I stumbled through getting all the call signs and signal reports
accurately recorded. There is still
plenty of time left to rack up a lot more Qs, so keep at it. Things will close with another "Red
Badge Day" on December 31.
HB 4969 Progress Report:
I currently count 67 Co-sponsors for our House Bill 4979, the Amateur
Radio Parity Act. This bipartisan
effort would direct the FCC to extend the "reasonable accommodation"
provisions for Amateur Radio antennas to include all types of land-use
regulation, including deed restrictions and restrictive covenants, not just
those covered by PRB-1. Details and
updates are posted at http://www.arrl.org/hr-4969. Time is now very short, please write to your
Congressperson and encourage his/her support, or offer your thanks if he/she
has already signed on to co-sponsorship.
Vice Director, Tom Delaney W8WTD offers these
comments: Early December, being between
major holidays, is a time when we normally don't focus as much on ham radio,
with all the busy rush of other things.
And in spite of the old saw about antennas working better when they are
installed in bad weather, I really don't like working on antennas in cold
weather.
But there's still the interest in the Centennial QSO
party, with many people vying to get more contacts for that high score they
hope to achieve. What a great motivation
to get on the air. It turned out far
better than anyone probably imagined when they came up with the idea. Now we
have to find something else like it to generate an equal amount of interest.
As I was thinking about the Centennial effort, I realized
how important the Logbook of the World has been in this effort. And so my thoughts turned to the internet and
how much it has affected ham radio. In
some ways, writing about the internet is so obvious. Of course it has affected just about every
aspect of life. What's new about
that?
However, the story here is how amateur radio has adapted
the internet. In some ways, it could have been like the predictions in the
early fifties of how that new thing called television was going to do away with
the movies. We learned how good a
prediction that was. And it's logical
that a new form of communications would do away with old forms of
communication--except that didn't happen either. Some aspects of ham radio aren't what they
were. But because hams are resourceful,
they saw the possibilities in making use of the internet to enhance ham radio,
and that's what we have today. Logbook
of the World is a simple adaptation of the paper QSL cards, but it has made
awards and contests so much better--and provides the "leader board"
for the Centennial QSO Party. Spotting
DX was not possible to the extent it is today without the internet. And so many of our interconnections for
Echolink, IRLP, D-Star and DMR depend on the internet. New forms of communications, hybrid, maybe,
but still offering some of the magic of a ham radio contact.
Operating a radio still requires skill. These new operating aids are always nice to
have. So keep operating, make those
contacts, whether you're going for a standard award, or that higher place on
the leader board. See you on the air.
73,
Tom W8WTD
Vice Director
Great Lakes Division
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.
Dec 6 - Fulton County Winterfest, Delta, OH
Dec 7 - Lanse
Creuse, Harrison Twp, MI - WB8R
Jan 11 - Hazel Park, MI - WB8R - WA8EFK
Jan 18
- SCARF, Nelsonville, OH
Feb 1 - NOARS, Elyria - N8SY
Feb 7 - HARA, Negaunee,
MI - WB8R
Feb 14 - Cherryland, Traverse City, MI - WB8R
Feb 15 - Mansfield,
Mansfield, OH - N8SY - WA8EFK
Feb 15 - Livonia, Livonia, MI - WB8R
Mar 7 - Cave
City, Cave City, KY - KY4Z
A note about hamfest attendance by your ARRL elected
officials. We 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
chairman 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.
Club Visits: Thanks to the Arrow Comm. Assn., CRES ARC,
and the Branch County ARC, for recently hosting your Director at their club
meetings. My next outing is to the
Livingston County ARC on December 11.
Your Director, Vice Director and Section Managers are available to visit
local radio clubs and give presentations about ARRL and what is happening in
the 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.
And, from Judy and me, the very best wishes to you and
your family as we celebrate this Holiday Season.
73, see you on the bands.
Dale Williams WA8EFK
Director
Great Lakes Division
